+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 14:27
Theme: “My Disciple.”
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The word of God always challenges human complacency. The work of the Spirit is always as much a threat to the sinful nature as it is a comfort to the believer. One danger of casual familiarity with the teachings of Jesus is the domestication of His truth. The hard edges of His revolutionary doctrines are softened to make them more palatable. Time and tinkering seek to tame offensive beliefs, even re-imaging them in human fashion. Let us pray that God would preserve for us His divine word in all its vigor and purity in its proclamation in every form.
Again today we are faced with challenging words from Christ. “If anyone comes to me and does not hate, etc.-cannot be My disciple…..any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be My disciple.”1 What are we to make of these words? All followers of Jesus are disciples in the broad sense. Of course, not all disciples were apostles. To become a full-time disciple of Jesus, as the Twelve were, required complete sacrifice of personal ambitions. Jesus does not intend to play one vocation off against another. Obviously the call to apostleship was more all-encompassing of life’s circumstances.
But that is not Jesus’ concern here. The vocation of farmer, teacher or nurse, husband or wife, father or mother is no less godly than that of a pastor or full-time church worker. Normally the farmer doesn’t have to leave his farm to be a Christian, nor the mother her family. But there is a radical refocusing involved and a corresponding dying to self. Jesus wants the crowds to consider what being a believer actually entails. It is a journey characterized by a daily carrying of the cross. Here we have a call to repentance and trust.
The daily carrying of the cross is nothing less occupying ourselves every day with the mission of Christ. It is to live baptismally. It means being transparent with our deeds and desires. It entails being hidden in the wounds of Christ but exposed to the insults of the world. It means we are secure in the promises of the Spirit but susceptible to the criticisms of men. It involves having everything we are, have and aspire to subject to His truth. The cost is high: estrangement from the agenda of the world. But the reward is immeasurable: peace with God and eternal life.
Jesus presses His point with two parables about counting the cost. Just as an under-manned king would be foolish to go to war, and an under-resourced builder unwise to begin a large construction project, we would be foolish to think the confession of Christianity is an easy undertaking. The obstacles are far too great for us and the enemies too strong. The worldly advantages are almost nil. Perhaps the farmer will not have to leave the farm, but certainly his selfish ambitions. Likewise the mother will have to stop making idols of her children. Faith cannot be reconciled with egotism, or spiritual poverty with self-righteousness. Nor can there be a happy truce between the two. Self-indulgence and unbelief are by their very natures insatiable and intolerant. They may permit harmless dabbling in religious ideas, or even ethical pursuits, but never a clear confession of Christ as God and Lord.
Dear friends, discipleship involves a constant reorientation of priority and perspective. At the centre is Christ who atones for sins. He declares the unrighteous holy and calls the dead to life. The Bible says He is the One “who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood and has made us to be a kingdom.”2 This resolution of sin is what daily bearing the cross is all about.
What sin is it that particularly traps, troubles, and ensnares you? Is it jealously or pride? Lust or anger? Discontent or apathy? Greed or fear? Who are the people and what are the events, and circumstances associated with the cycles of temptation, denial, breakdown, and crisis that you may face? In your loss of perspective do you often consider God’s blessings to be burdens? Are the people closest to you- your spouse, children, friends- often tolerated instead of celebrated? Do you expect leniency, compassion, and understanding from others, but offer little yourself? No one is exempt from such challenges.
Yes, you say, but God forgives. Even this great truth can be turned into an opportunity for selfishness. It is a particularly foul tendency of human nature to want to misuse God’s forgiveness. In our darker moments we may seek to control the dispensing of His pardon according to our own objectives. This is a specific danger when one party has power or influence over the other because of position or even spiritual knowledge and maturity. Guilt and blame are powerful slayers of healthy relationships. People who are out to find fault seldom find anything else.
The Scriptures call us to reflect more deeply on what it means that God forgives, recreates, and restores. Forgiveness transforms not because it finally renders judgment on whose opinions were most valid or whose feelings were more severely offended; rather forgiveness restores because it transfers the burden of resolution to the shoulders of Christ. Forgiveness frees by breaking the power of guilt and blame. That doesn’t mean sin is to be overlooked or right and wrong disregarded. God demands honest self-evaluation and repentance. These things necessarily involve the commitment to love one’s neighbour- which entails not sinning against them by action or inaction.
But forgiveness elicits new motives and relies on divine promises. Instead of being driven by revenge or satisfaction we seek reconciliation and renewal. Jesus has counted the cost-for the entire human race- and He has made the sacrifice. Only Christ can rectify the past. Only He can secure the future. He does not fail to do so. The cross involves the re-establishment of true life.
Jesus is always present among us as the Crucified One; just as He is always with us as the Risen One. Understanding this is important. It’s not a matter of mental gymnastics or wishful thinking. The time to benefit from His crucifixion didn’t pass when the historical event ended. It was not necessary for us to be there and neither do we need to reconstruct a vivid memory of the circumstances to receive its blessings. Christianity does not rely upon commemorations. Jesus is the Christ of history who reaches into our time and space with eternal mercies. In divine perspective the death and resurrection of Jesus are present realities.
This uniquely Christian dogma underlies the importance of your presence here today. Here God’s word crucifies and resurrects, sustains, renews, and restores His people. Here we have the body and blood of Christ, not merely symbolic gestures or ancient remembrances. In, with, and under the bread and wine we have the body and blood of the crucified and risen Christ. Here the baptized have a foretaste of their inheritance. Here is both a refuge from the profane and a communion with the sacred blessings of God. Here the challenge to our complacency and the consolation of the Spirit fulfill God’s purposes in Christ. The Scripture says, “The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it.”3 “May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.”4Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost
5 September 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 14:26, 33
2 Revelation 1:5-6
3 1 Thessalonians 5:24
4 2 Thessalonians 3:5
Monday, September 6, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 14:13-14
Theme: Guests at the Lord’s Table
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God desires that our relationship with Him be characterized by intimacy, not aloofness. The Holy Spirit directs us to Christ. Christ gives us access to the Father. And this is so not merely through the intangible mediums of thoughts and emotions, but through the very concrete means of the spoken word of truth, baptismal water, and the body and blood of Jesus. Our participation in the blessings of the triune God- though still by faith- nevertheless allows us communion in eternal realities.
These blessings are possible only because the Son of God assumed human flesh and blood. As such Christ became a participant in the peculiarities of human existence- our physical, corporeal vulnerabilities and capacities. He shares our joys and sorrows, only without sin. It’s not by coincidence the Bible often describes Christ’s saving work in the context of eating and sharing meals. Appropriately that is the case today.
Today we find Jesus at the home of a prominent Pharisee for a meal. Our text says, “When He noticed how the guests picked the places of honour at the table, He told them [a] parable.”1 Their cultural expectations were a little different than ours. The closer one was seated to the host at a dinner, the greater the honour that was indicated. We might think of a modern wedding reception. Normally the wedding party is seated near the bride and groom. Other guests are often seated according to the bride and groom’s preferences. It would be both conceited and embarrassing for someone else to sit in the place reserved for the maid or matron of honour, or the best man.
The issue is one of presumption or entitlement. Jesus is teaching humility. Do we approach God with the assumption that we deserve the highest honour in His presence? Do we act as if we are deserving of His blessings. Are we happy to agree with the problem of sin without really believing it applies to us? Are our sins trivial and insignificant in our own sight? Are the sins of others magnified? Often without even realizing it ourselves, our actions show whether or not repentance is genuine. If we only feign sorrow when called to account then the humility Jesus seeks is shown to be lacking. No one has the entitlement to enter God’s heavenly feast.
The imagery of a heavenly banquet is a central motif of the Scriptures. It is often described in the context of a wedding celebration. Christ, the bridegroom, draws to Himself the church, His bride. The celebration of that union is eternal. We see this truth reflected in St. Paul’s important words on marriage, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.”2 Jesus will later teach that we enter that eternal wedding banquet only when clothed with the appropriate attire: His righteous. It is with His righteousness that we are first clothed in baptism. The benefits of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross not only become available to us but become our shelter, clothing and nourishment.
Jesus then turns from instructing the guests to instructing the host. Jesus is clear in directing him to invite to a banquet people who would be unable to repay. To do so is a genuine expression of faith at work. The moment we are motivated by the prospect of repayment is the very moment the good work is ruined. It is turned into a show of vanity. The Scripture says, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.”3
Here we see faith in action. Not only in the general way of generously providing for those in need; but in a specific, life-sustaining gift. Food maintains our lives. We must consume it regularly or perish. The same is true for our spiritual lives. Faith that is not fed with forgiveness becomes malnourished. Trust that is not sustained with truth becomes frail. Hope that is not buoyed by promise becomes bleak. Eventually faith collapses and perishes.
Jesus also says that those who show such hospitality will be blessed. In what way will you be blessed? Here our perspective must be changed from a worldly one to a heavenly one. We cannot estimate a cost/benefit ratio in human terms. Rather we trust God’s promise of heavenly treasures. In very real terms you are blessed because the integrity of your witness invites the ridicule of the world and as such you are in good company. Truth induces conflict from the ungodly. The devil will tell you it’s a waste of time. The world will tell you it’s a waste of resources. Even your conscience may make you feel uneasy. But remember these remarkable words of Jesus. “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”4
The very fact that we are dependent on God to provide every need of body and soul- everyday- should constantly remind us of the transient nature of this life. We’re always travelers, never permanent dwellers. We are always stewards, never owners. That we work towards stability is a godly use of wisdom. God intends that we care for the needs of our neighbours- beginning with our closest neighbours; spouse and family. But to invest everything in building personal kingdoms and reputations is to pursue idolatry. We pray that God would give us our daily bread for today5- that we would trust Him to supply what we need when we need it.
Dear friends, God gathers to His table beggars who cannot repay Him. Even if they had the desire they wouldn’t have the means. Even if they had the means, they wouldn’t have the desire. His love to us is unconditional, unrestricted and expressed with no expectation of repayment. Were that the case grace would no longer be grace. The sacrifice of Christ would then be a loan and not a gift. His crucifixion would be martyrdom, but not a redeeming act. His resurrection would be an illustration but not an effective paradigm. Jesus was not merely an example- whose suffering, sacrifice, and service; whose death and resurrection- is something for us to imitate, but a substitute and Saviour through whom these things are realized.
We are always guests at the Lord’s Table. He is both the host and the meal, just as at the altar he is the priest and the sacrifice. The gifts we partake of now are previews of what is to come. Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost
29 August 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 14:7
2 Ephesians 5:25-27
3 Hebrews 13:2
4 Matthew 5:10
5 See Luke 11:3
Text: Luke 14:13-14
Theme: Guests at the Lord’s Table
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God desires that our relationship with Him be characterized by intimacy, not aloofness. The Holy Spirit directs us to Christ. Christ gives us access to the Father. And this is so not merely through the intangible mediums of thoughts and emotions, but through the very concrete means of the spoken word of truth, baptismal water, and the body and blood of Jesus. Our participation in the blessings of the triune God- though still by faith- nevertheless allows us communion in eternal realities.
These blessings are possible only because the Son of God assumed human flesh and blood. As such Christ became a participant in the peculiarities of human existence- our physical, corporeal vulnerabilities and capacities. He shares our joys and sorrows, only without sin. It’s not by coincidence the Bible often describes Christ’s saving work in the context of eating and sharing meals. Appropriately that is the case today.
Today we find Jesus at the home of a prominent Pharisee for a meal. Our text says, “When He noticed how the guests picked the places of honour at the table, He told them [a] parable.”1 Their cultural expectations were a little different than ours. The closer one was seated to the host at a dinner, the greater the honour that was indicated. We might think of a modern wedding reception. Normally the wedding party is seated near the bride and groom. Other guests are often seated according to the bride and groom’s preferences. It would be both conceited and embarrassing for someone else to sit in the place reserved for the maid or matron of honour, or the best man.
The issue is one of presumption or entitlement. Jesus is teaching humility. Do we approach God with the assumption that we deserve the highest honour in His presence? Do we act as if we are deserving of His blessings. Are we happy to agree with the problem of sin without really believing it applies to us? Are our sins trivial and insignificant in our own sight? Are the sins of others magnified? Often without even realizing it ourselves, our actions show whether or not repentance is genuine. If we only feign sorrow when called to account then the humility Jesus seeks is shown to be lacking. No one has the entitlement to enter God’s heavenly feast.
The imagery of a heavenly banquet is a central motif of the Scriptures. It is often described in the context of a wedding celebration. Christ, the bridegroom, draws to Himself the church, His bride. The celebration of that union is eternal. We see this truth reflected in St. Paul’s important words on marriage, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.”2 Jesus will later teach that we enter that eternal wedding banquet only when clothed with the appropriate attire: His righteous. It is with His righteousness that we are first clothed in baptism. The benefits of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross not only become available to us but become our shelter, clothing and nourishment.
Jesus then turns from instructing the guests to instructing the host. Jesus is clear in directing him to invite to a banquet people who would be unable to repay. To do so is a genuine expression of faith at work. The moment we are motivated by the prospect of repayment is the very moment the good work is ruined. It is turned into a show of vanity. The Scripture says, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.”3
Here we see faith in action. Not only in the general way of generously providing for those in need; but in a specific, life-sustaining gift. Food maintains our lives. We must consume it regularly or perish. The same is true for our spiritual lives. Faith that is not fed with forgiveness becomes malnourished. Trust that is not sustained with truth becomes frail. Hope that is not buoyed by promise becomes bleak. Eventually faith collapses and perishes.
Jesus also says that those who show such hospitality will be blessed. In what way will you be blessed? Here our perspective must be changed from a worldly one to a heavenly one. We cannot estimate a cost/benefit ratio in human terms. Rather we trust God’s promise of heavenly treasures. In very real terms you are blessed because the integrity of your witness invites the ridicule of the world and as such you are in good company. Truth induces conflict from the ungodly. The devil will tell you it’s a waste of time. The world will tell you it’s a waste of resources. Even your conscience may make you feel uneasy. But remember these remarkable words of Jesus. “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”4
The very fact that we are dependent on God to provide every need of body and soul- everyday- should constantly remind us of the transient nature of this life. We’re always travelers, never permanent dwellers. We are always stewards, never owners. That we work towards stability is a godly use of wisdom. God intends that we care for the needs of our neighbours- beginning with our closest neighbours; spouse and family. But to invest everything in building personal kingdoms and reputations is to pursue idolatry. We pray that God would give us our daily bread for today5- that we would trust Him to supply what we need when we need it.
Dear friends, God gathers to His table beggars who cannot repay Him. Even if they had the desire they wouldn’t have the means. Even if they had the means, they wouldn’t have the desire. His love to us is unconditional, unrestricted and expressed with no expectation of repayment. Were that the case grace would no longer be grace. The sacrifice of Christ would then be a loan and not a gift. His crucifixion would be martyrdom, but not a redeeming act. His resurrection would be an illustration but not an effective paradigm. Jesus was not merely an example- whose suffering, sacrifice, and service; whose death and resurrection- is something for us to imitate, but a substitute and Saviour through whom these things are realized.
We are always guests at the Lord’s Table. He is both the host and the meal, just as at the altar he is the priest and the sacrifice. The gifts we partake of now are previews of what is to come. Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost
29 August 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 14:7
2 Ephesians 5:25-27
3 Hebrews 13:2
4 Matthew 5:10
5 See Luke 11:3
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 12:51
Theme: Peace or Division?
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God is patient with our misunderstandings. His grace bears with our impiety. But He never indulges our ignorance or obstinacy. Salvation involves being transformed from old to new. To hear Jesus speak of division and not peace is counterintuitive to the common understanding of Christianity. Jesus is heralded at every stage as the bringer of peace. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favour rests,”1 so sang the angels at His birth. The prophet Isaiah named Him as the “Prince of Peace.”2 and so He was and is for all eternity.
But the meaning and attainment of Christ’s peace should not be misrepresented. Jesus Christ is not a consensus- builder. He is the icon of absolute truth. In all His gentleness, tenderness, love and compassion He did not once compromise the truth. He stooped down, reached out, and humbled Himself to help people of every status, class, and condition. He touched lepers, commended prostitutes, and welcomed tax-collectors. Yet He never ignored sin or overlooked falsehood. The compassion of Christ was truly pure because it was never tainted by impure motives or mingled with deception. He is the very incarnation of divine love.
Human beings will never willingly relinquish their freedom to sin. They will not happily suffer the condemnation of their best laid plans. Christianity that is presented as the means to attain harmony among people, institutions, and religions in spite of adherence to error is gravely misrepresented. Christ died that we might be freed from sin’s servitude and falsehood’s enslavement, not so that we could find more common ground. Division will always exist because the gospel will not everywhere be tolerated or cherished. Some will ignore it while others will militate against it. Peace is never a given. Satan won’t allow it. Sin won’t stand for it. Peace comes at a price.
In our fallen world democratic societies operate to a large degree on the basis of consensus. As such we seek to establish stability based on law and maintain it through constant appraisal of its effectiveness. Individuals are granted opportunity for participation. But the idea that all would be in complete agreement is not a misconception under which we labour. It is the peace that comes from a certain degree of compromise that allows us to co-exist with believers and unbelievers alike. It is in this context that Paul advises “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”3
As Western society continues to decline in its consensus of even a basic morality- abortion, homosexuality, and euthanasia being some high-profile examples- let alone in its agreement of the person and work of Christ, we must expect more dissension. Christians are in the world but not of the world. Our example of humility and integrity is our witness to the world. The creeds of Christ supersede the counsels of men. The foolishness of the cross takes precedence over human philosophy. Truth allows no place for error. The Bible says, “What do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial?”4
Of course, Satan always seeks to undermine our love by founding it on falsehood. Even acts done from the best intentions become damaging when not underpinned by the truth. But truth is a hard sell. It’s much better, we often think, to concede some integrity for the sake of keeping the peace. Decisions can become intense and complex. We often fight for the wrong things based on the wrong motives. We defend our personal interests at the expense of other’s well-being and especially the integrity of God’s Word. For these sins we are called to repentance.
The Bible teaches us that when it comes to peoples’ weaknesses, frailties, and vulnerabilities in giving in to temptation, we should be as patient as the day is long. For we too are subject to the very same inclinations and feebleness. We are to be slow to judge, eager to listen, and keen to understand. But never do we affirm people in their false beliefs, for that is not love but lack of concern for their soul.
Dear friends, peace is not the result of overlooking sin or ignoring falsehood. Peace is not attained by giving up the fight or conceding to the enemy. Peace is the consequence of reconciliation with God through Christ. Christ didn’t make peace through negotiation, but through sacrifice. He didn’t bargain with demonic forces, He disarmed them. The cross was the instrument of peace because it was precisely there that the offence of disobedience was borne and forgiven. The Scripture says, “Having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”5
We participate in His triumph. Just as Christ rose from the grave the Holy Spirit raises our souls to new life. Today Jesus says He would undergo a baptism (of fire)- His suffering and death on the cross- so that our baptism might result in inclusion in His kingdom. We have already a taste of Christ’s divine peace. Our mouths taste it when we eat His body and drink His blood. Our ears receive it when we hear His word of forgiveness. Our Scripture from Hebrews summarizes well, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”6
There is no consensus-building or democratic participation in heaven. There will be no need because discord will not exist. And this will be true not because in the next life people will be more restrained in voicing their differences, but because with single-minded purpose the saints in heaven will be absorbed in the gifts of the eternal God. There will be no contest of wills. Everyone will be in harmony with the will of God not by force but as a consequence of the shedding of sin and the resurrection to glory. Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost
15 August 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 2:14
2 Isaiah 9:6
3 Romans 12:17-18
4 2 Corinthians 6:14-15
5 Colossians 2:15
6 Hebrews 12:2
Text: Luke 12:51
Theme: Peace or Division?
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God is patient with our misunderstandings. His grace bears with our impiety. But He never indulges our ignorance or obstinacy. Salvation involves being transformed from old to new. To hear Jesus speak of division and not peace is counterintuitive to the common understanding of Christianity. Jesus is heralded at every stage as the bringer of peace. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favour rests,”1 so sang the angels at His birth. The prophet Isaiah named Him as the “Prince of Peace.”2 and so He was and is for all eternity.
But the meaning and attainment of Christ’s peace should not be misrepresented. Jesus Christ is not a consensus- builder. He is the icon of absolute truth. In all His gentleness, tenderness, love and compassion He did not once compromise the truth. He stooped down, reached out, and humbled Himself to help people of every status, class, and condition. He touched lepers, commended prostitutes, and welcomed tax-collectors. Yet He never ignored sin or overlooked falsehood. The compassion of Christ was truly pure because it was never tainted by impure motives or mingled with deception. He is the very incarnation of divine love.
Human beings will never willingly relinquish their freedom to sin. They will not happily suffer the condemnation of their best laid plans. Christianity that is presented as the means to attain harmony among people, institutions, and religions in spite of adherence to error is gravely misrepresented. Christ died that we might be freed from sin’s servitude and falsehood’s enslavement, not so that we could find more common ground. Division will always exist because the gospel will not everywhere be tolerated or cherished. Some will ignore it while others will militate against it. Peace is never a given. Satan won’t allow it. Sin won’t stand for it. Peace comes at a price.
In our fallen world democratic societies operate to a large degree on the basis of consensus. As such we seek to establish stability based on law and maintain it through constant appraisal of its effectiveness. Individuals are granted opportunity for participation. But the idea that all would be in complete agreement is not a misconception under which we labour. It is the peace that comes from a certain degree of compromise that allows us to co-exist with believers and unbelievers alike. It is in this context that Paul advises “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”3
As Western society continues to decline in its consensus of even a basic morality- abortion, homosexuality, and euthanasia being some high-profile examples- let alone in its agreement of the person and work of Christ, we must expect more dissension. Christians are in the world but not of the world. Our example of humility and integrity is our witness to the world. The creeds of Christ supersede the counsels of men. The foolishness of the cross takes precedence over human philosophy. Truth allows no place for error. The Bible says, “What do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial?”4
Of course, Satan always seeks to undermine our love by founding it on falsehood. Even acts done from the best intentions become damaging when not underpinned by the truth. But truth is a hard sell. It’s much better, we often think, to concede some integrity for the sake of keeping the peace. Decisions can become intense and complex. We often fight for the wrong things based on the wrong motives. We defend our personal interests at the expense of other’s well-being and especially the integrity of God’s Word. For these sins we are called to repentance.
The Bible teaches us that when it comes to peoples’ weaknesses, frailties, and vulnerabilities in giving in to temptation, we should be as patient as the day is long. For we too are subject to the very same inclinations and feebleness. We are to be slow to judge, eager to listen, and keen to understand. But never do we affirm people in their false beliefs, for that is not love but lack of concern for their soul.
Dear friends, peace is not the result of overlooking sin or ignoring falsehood. Peace is not attained by giving up the fight or conceding to the enemy. Peace is the consequence of reconciliation with God through Christ. Christ didn’t make peace through negotiation, but through sacrifice. He didn’t bargain with demonic forces, He disarmed them. The cross was the instrument of peace because it was precisely there that the offence of disobedience was borne and forgiven. The Scripture says, “Having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”5
We participate in His triumph. Just as Christ rose from the grave the Holy Spirit raises our souls to new life. Today Jesus says He would undergo a baptism (of fire)- His suffering and death on the cross- so that our baptism might result in inclusion in His kingdom. We have already a taste of Christ’s divine peace. Our mouths taste it when we eat His body and drink His blood. Our ears receive it when we hear His word of forgiveness. Our Scripture from Hebrews summarizes well, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”6
There is no consensus-building or democratic participation in heaven. There will be no need because discord will not exist. And this will be true not because in the next life people will be more restrained in voicing their differences, but because with single-minded purpose the saints in heaven will be absorbed in the gifts of the eternal God. There will be no contest of wills. Everyone will be in harmony with the will of God not by force but as a consequence of the shedding of sin and the resurrection to glory. Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost
15 August 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 2:14
2 Isaiah 9:6
3 Romans 12:17-18
4 2 Corinthians 6:14-15
5 Colossians 2:15
6 Hebrews 12:2
Monday, August 9, 2010
Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 12:32
Theme: Confidence in the King and His Kingdom
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Faith is not a stagnant gift. It bears the assaults of Satan, the incursions of self, and the condemnations of society. It is like a warrior constantly honed in battle. Of course it does this not by its own strength but by transferring all these burdens directly to the one who authors it. Through the testing of our faith Christ draws us closer to Himself.
Today the Book of Hebrews defines faith with confidence and simplicity. “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”1 But…what if? What if we’re not always sure of what we hope for and not always certain of those unseen things of God? What if we doubt, and struggle, and wonder, and worry? What if we sometimes question whether we even have much faith at all? What if your finances are in shambles, your relationships in crisis, your career in doubt, your integrity in question, even your hope for a better future hanging by a thread? Is such a definition of faith then not only shallow, but even condescending? What if you don’t even feel like a person of faith?
If any of these things are true for you, then take heart! You’re in good company and not much different than many of the great saints throughout the ages. The challenges and changes of life test us but the One on whom our faith rests does not change and He will not fail us. Take heart, your Redeemer says to you today, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”2 What He gives is not reserved only for the hereafter. Already now, forgiveness grants you access to the kingdom.
And now we see that faith has a definite focal point. Christian faith is bound up with the promise of forgiveness. It is not an independent possession by which we assess the existence and qualities of God. It is not a general feeling of spirituality. Christian faith cannot be equated with a religious conviction that there is more to the universe than its physical elements. Christian faith is fortified by any number of important historical and metaphysical realities but it has as its indispensible core the crucified and risen Jesus sacrificed to forgive sins.
The universal atonement-a Good Friday crucifixion and Easter resurrection- is the act that redeems me, the particular sinner. In the Holy Spirit’s gift of trust that objective event of salvation encompasses a particular believer. The general becomes specific and the universal becomes individual. That Christ is called Saviour only makes sense in relation to people named sinners. The Scriptures reveal our status before God to be calamitous. Here is where the real struggles of faith begin.
When it comes to confessing our sins before God not all are on equal footing. Internally, we are acutely aware of this. Easy to confess are those sins for which we feel little guilt, and/or those which we think require little forgiveness. These sins cause us little shame and so we are comfortable confessing them even publicly. We may even develop a false sense of piety for doing such a “bold and noble thing”. We may have also become so desensitized by the accepted views of society as to not even consider them real sins. The danger here is to think the whole matter is insignificant rather than a precious opportunity for sacred absolution. Of course it goes without saying that if we don’t think something is a sin then we won’t be inclined to name and confess it as such at all. Here self-righteousness and willful rejection of God’s word become grave perils.
Much harder to confess are those sins for which we feel true shame and remorse. These are the ones we seek to conceal from others, deny before God and even hide from ourselves. We easily concede to God the authority to judge others for sins that displease us. But to accept Him as the judge not only of our most reprehensible transgressions but also of those sins we consider petty is another matter. So it’s in the daunting realism of confronting our most threatening iniquities that actual forgiveness becomes cherished, despised or abandoned. To cherish forgiveness requires genuine repentance and humility. To abandon it denotes denial and fear. In this struggle we are never more than apprentices. But Christ has vanquished and in Him we have victory.
Forgiveness is not abstract. It penetrates people’s lives in very definite and tangible ways. Hypothetical forgiveness is nothing more than vacant vocabulary. But as vessels that carry Christ’s forgiveness we bear the injustices of others with patience and model Christ’s love. He speaks of this in general terms again today. He reminds us to be spiritually alert and responsible. The passing of time lulls us into lethargy about Christ’s return. It could just as well be tomorrow as a hundred or thousand years from now. Our concern is not the exact hour or day He comes back, but the promise that He will return without notice. Integrity calls us to the cultivation of faithfulness at all times and in all circumstances and contexts. Christ is the Master of the household who will return.
Now note what He promises to do for those who wait faithfully for Him? “I tell you the truth, He will dress Himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.”3 Here Jesus surprises His hearers with a reversal of roles. Instead of the servants tending to the needs of the master, he will wait on them. This unexpected statement speaks to the meaning of the gospel. Christ comes to give, not to demand. He won’t come to re-establish an earthly rule of law, but inaugurate a heavenly kingdom of grace.
Dear friends, remember the heavenly Father has been pleased to give. The cross is the instrument of divine giving. The body of Jesus broken and His blood spilled is the final testament of God’s love. We look for nothing further. We can expect nothing more. Through the crucifixion death is swallowed up and the dominion of Satan is brought into subjection. The Scripture says, “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all- how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?”4 And again, “He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.”5
We are immersed into this mystery of redemption. Human souls of every era, age and maturity are granted faith when and where it pleases the Holy Spirit. The Spirit incorporates the believer into the body of Christ. That is the effect of baptism. It is that baptismal reality that forms the identity of those who are gathered into God’s house. The Scripture says, “Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”6
Perhaps the struggles of faith are not always what we think. It’s not our burden to resolve the dilemmas only God can handle, but our privilege to frolic in the divine forgiveness He grants. We can neither cherish it too possessively nor distribute it too lavishly. It is the mercy of the King and the glory of His kingdom. Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost
8 August 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Hebrews 11:1
2 Luke 12:32
3 Luke 12:37
4 Romans 8:31-32
5 Isaiah 53:5
5 Romans 6:3-4
Text: Luke 12:32
Theme: Confidence in the King and His Kingdom
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Faith is not a stagnant gift. It bears the assaults of Satan, the incursions of self, and the condemnations of society. It is like a warrior constantly honed in battle. Of course it does this not by its own strength but by transferring all these burdens directly to the one who authors it. Through the testing of our faith Christ draws us closer to Himself.
Today the Book of Hebrews defines faith with confidence and simplicity. “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”1 But…what if? What if we’re not always sure of what we hope for and not always certain of those unseen things of God? What if we doubt, and struggle, and wonder, and worry? What if we sometimes question whether we even have much faith at all? What if your finances are in shambles, your relationships in crisis, your career in doubt, your integrity in question, even your hope for a better future hanging by a thread? Is such a definition of faith then not only shallow, but even condescending? What if you don’t even feel like a person of faith?
If any of these things are true for you, then take heart! You’re in good company and not much different than many of the great saints throughout the ages. The challenges and changes of life test us but the One on whom our faith rests does not change and He will not fail us. Take heart, your Redeemer says to you today, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”2 What He gives is not reserved only for the hereafter. Already now, forgiveness grants you access to the kingdom.
And now we see that faith has a definite focal point. Christian faith is bound up with the promise of forgiveness. It is not an independent possession by which we assess the existence and qualities of God. It is not a general feeling of spirituality. Christian faith cannot be equated with a religious conviction that there is more to the universe than its physical elements. Christian faith is fortified by any number of important historical and metaphysical realities but it has as its indispensible core the crucified and risen Jesus sacrificed to forgive sins.
The universal atonement-a Good Friday crucifixion and Easter resurrection- is the act that redeems me, the particular sinner. In the Holy Spirit’s gift of trust that objective event of salvation encompasses a particular believer. The general becomes specific and the universal becomes individual. That Christ is called Saviour only makes sense in relation to people named sinners. The Scriptures reveal our status before God to be calamitous. Here is where the real struggles of faith begin.
When it comes to confessing our sins before God not all are on equal footing. Internally, we are acutely aware of this. Easy to confess are those sins for which we feel little guilt, and/or those which we think require little forgiveness. These sins cause us little shame and so we are comfortable confessing them even publicly. We may even develop a false sense of piety for doing such a “bold and noble thing”. We may have also become so desensitized by the accepted views of society as to not even consider them real sins. The danger here is to think the whole matter is insignificant rather than a precious opportunity for sacred absolution. Of course it goes without saying that if we don’t think something is a sin then we won’t be inclined to name and confess it as such at all. Here self-righteousness and willful rejection of God’s word become grave perils.
Much harder to confess are those sins for which we feel true shame and remorse. These are the ones we seek to conceal from others, deny before God and even hide from ourselves. We easily concede to God the authority to judge others for sins that displease us. But to accept Him as the judge not only of our most reprehensible transgressions but also of those sins we consider petty is another matter. So it’s in the daunting realism of confronting our most threatening iniquities that actual forgiveness becomes cherished, despised or abandoned. To cherish forgiveness requires genuine repentance and humility. To abandon it denotes denial and fear. In this struggle we are never more than apprentices. But Christ has vanquished and in Him we have victory.
Forgiveness is not abstract. It penetrates people’s lives in very definite and tangible ways. Hypothetical forgiveness is nothing more than vacant vocabulary. But as vessels that carry Christ’s forgiveness we bear the injustices of others with patience and model Christ’s love. He speaks of this in general terms again today. He reminds us to be spiritually alert and responsible. The passing of time lulls us into lethargy about Christ’s return. It could just as well be tomorrow as a hundred or thousand years from now. Our concern is not the exact hour or day He comes back, but the promise that He will return without notice. Integrity calls us to the cultivation of faithfulness at all times and in all circumstances and contexts. Christ is the Master of the household who will return.
Now note what He promises to do for those who wait faithfully for Him? “I tell you the truth, He will dress Himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.”3 Here Jesus surprises His hearers with a reversal of roles. Instead of the servants tending to the needs of the master, he will wait on them. This unexpected statement speaks to the meaning of the gospel. Christ comes to give, not to demand. He won’t come to re-establish an earthly rule of law, but inaugurate a heavenly kingdom of grace.
Dear friends, remember the heavenly Father has been pleased to give. The cross is the instrument of divine giving. The body of Jesus broken and His blood spilled is the final testament of God’s love. We look for nothing further. We can expect nothing more. Through the crucifixion death is swallowed up and the dominion of Satan is brought into subjection. The Scripture says, “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all- how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?”4 And again, “He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.”5
We are immersed into this mystery of redemption. Human souls of every era, age and maturity are granted faith when and where it pleases the Holy Spirit. The Spirit incorporates the believer into the body of Christ. That is the effect of baptism. It is that baptismal reality that forms the identity of those who are gathered into God’s house. The Scripture says, “Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”6
Perhaps the struggles of faith are not always what we think. It’s not our burden to resolve the dilemmas only God can handle, but our privilege to frolic in the divine forgiveness He grants. We can neither cherish it too possessively nor distribute it too lavishly. It is the mercy of the King and the glory of His kingdom. Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost
8 August 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Hebrews 11:1
2 Luke 12:32
3 Luke 12:37
4 Romans 8:31-32
5 Isaiah 53:5
5 Romans 6:3-4
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Tenth Sunday After Pentecost
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 12:21
Theme: Riches of God
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Christians trust in the Creator, not the creation. They worship the Redeemer, not the unredeemed. They follow the Spirit, not the unspiritual. Christians are stewards of possessions, not slaves to them. They place the goals of the eternal kingdom above those of the temporal realm. They pursue Christian community, not personal legacies. Christians fear the wrath of God, not the anger of men. They bow to the sacrifice of Christ, not the demands of Satan. They revere the word of God, not the philosophies of humanity. Christians are heavenly citizens on an earthly journey, not earthly citizens with permanent residency. The things we treasure are heavenly, not worldly; eternal, not temporal, permanent, not fleeting.
But these realities are by no means tangible to the naked eye. In all these things, we are always becoming, not existing. We are always struggling, not resting. The scriptures say it this way, “We walk by faith, not by sight.”1 This truth is definitive of the Christian life. It is at the heart of our comfort, but the cause our angst. Faith is where the rubber meets the road. It separates us from those who have no final hope. The Book of Hebrews has that great definition , “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”2 As such, faith involves something above and beyond ourselves. It is a divine operation. We want to know and see and touch and taste and feel. We want tangibility and concreteness. God gives us words and water and bread and wine. He gives us the story of a cross and an empty tomb.
It seems to be preciously little for us to cling to. The world seems to offer reassuringly much for us to indulge in. We crave certainty and our experience seems to show us what is certain. But we misread the evidence. What appears to be, is not really what is. For but a few months, years or even a lifetime, what seems to be so much offered us from the world is but a speck from the perspective of eternity. It is nothing at all. We are hard pressed to focus on “today” and take no thought for the Last Day. Christ warns, “You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.”3
Christ warns, but Christ comforts and reassures. What can we need that He will not provide for us? With such assurance He sent out the first Twelve. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”4 Jesus sought to calm the anxiety of His disciples and strengthen their faith. The disciples were worried about how they would be provided for while proclaiming the kingdom. Earthly possessions and comforts were already becoming a distraction. As soon as earthly possessions and comforts become a distraction from the kingdom, the desire for them must be repudiated. The temptations are too great. Christ says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”5
What are the sources of our treasures? To where do our hearts run? Physical comforts are God’s concession to weak and frail people. But He will not allow them to cause weak and frail faith. We cannot replace the Giver with the gifts. We cannot confuse the creature with the Creator. Through His incarnation, Christ has redeemed and sanctified the created world for believers. We may enjoy the fruits of the creation. But Christ has not sanctified or sanitized sin. He has destroyed its power. Had it been possible to sanitize corrupted creation, had it been possible to reform sin, He would not have to have died. But He says, “I am making everything new.”6 He has already been gifting that newness to us. In the sacred meal He gives us His blood of the new covenant, at the baptismal font He grants new life. Therefore St. Paul can say emphatically, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.”7
But the “old” still clings to us in this life and that is what is ours to give. When we come into His sanctuary and gather before God in worship, we have only one thing to offer Him, our sins. We come to offer God our sins. Our sins are the ONLY thing we offer directly to God. We do not impress him with our piety or our intellect, our money or our enthusiasm. God needs nothing. “Every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird of the mountain, and the creatures of the field are mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it,”8 says the Lord. Before God we are nothing but beggars. Only our sins are properly ours.
But we are entrusted with much that is the Lord’s. When we walk out of the sanctuary, we offer everything to our neighbor. And precisely in offering everything to our neighbor are we offering ourselves to God. We give money not because God Himself needs it, but because the kingdom must be maintained and extended. We pray and volunteer and work, because we are the Creator’s instruments to serve His creation. When you go to work on Monday morning you should think of yourself as a member of the body of Christ extended into that place. You are a representative of the worshipping community in your vocational community. You provide in the secular realm, a contact with the sacred. It is a serious responsibility and privilege. People must know that there are realities of a far greater magnitude to attend to than just the day-to-day events of their earthly lives. You may not see tangible results, but that is part of the reality of living by faith. God will accomplish the results.
The Bible says, “Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.”9 And about the believers of old it says, “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth”10 We are privileged to follow in their footsteps. The promise of the crucified and risen Christ has been fulfilled. We look forward to its final consummation in heaven. Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Tenth Sunday After Pentecost
1 August 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 2 Corinthians 5:7
2 Hebrews 11:1
3 Luke 12:40
4 Luke 12:32
5 Luke 12:34
6 Revelation 21:5
7 2 Corinthians 5:17
8 Psalm 50:10-12
9 Genesis 15:6
10 Hebrews 11:13
(Note: This sermon delivered on the Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost, August 22, 2004)
Text: Luke 12:21
Theme: Riches of God
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Christians trust in the Creator, not the creation. They worship the Redeemer, not the unredeemed. They follow the Spirit, not the unspiritual. Christians are stewards of possessions, not slaves to them. They place the goals of the eternal kingdom above those of the temporal realm. They pursue Christian community, not personal legacies. Christians fear the wrath of God, not the anger of men. They bow to the sacrifice of Christ, not the demands of Satan. They revere the word of God, not the philosophies of humanity. Christians are heavenly citizens on an earthly journey, not earthly citizens with permanent residency. The things we treasure are heavenly, not worldly; eternal, not temporal, permanent, not fleeting.
But these realities are by no means tangible to the naked eye. In all these things, we are always becoming, not existing. We are always struggling, not resting. The scriptures say it this way, “We walk by faith, not by sight.”1 This truth is definitive of the Christian life. It is at the heart of our comfort, but the cause our angst. Faith is where the rubber meets the road. It separates us from those who have no final hope. The Book of Hebrews has that great definition , “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”2 As such, faith involves something above and beyond ourselves. It is a divine operation. We want to know and see and touch and taste and feel. We want tangibility and concreteness. God gives us words and water and bread and wine. He gives us the story of a cross and an empty tomb.
It seems to be preciously little for us to cling to. The world seems to offer reassuringly much for us to indulge in. We crave certainty and our experience seems to show us what is certain. But we misread the evidence. What appears to be, is not really what is. For but a few months, years or even a lifetime, what seems to be so much offered us from the world is but a speck from the perspective of eternity. It is nothing at all. We are hard pressed to focus on “today” and take no thought for the Last Day. Christ warns, “You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.”3
Christ warns, but Christ comforts and reassures. What can we need that He will not provide for us? With such assurance He sent out the first Twelve. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”4 Jesus sought to calm the anxiety of His disciples and strengthen their faith. The disciples were worried about how they would be provided for while proclaiming the kingdom. Earthly possessions and comforts were already becoming a distraction. As soon as earthly possessions and comforts become a distraction from the kingdom, the desire for them must be repudiated. The temptations are too great. Christ says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”5
What are the sources of our treasures? To where do our hearts run? Physical comforts are God’s concession to weak and frail people. But He will not allow them to cause weak and frail faith. We cannot replace the Giver with the gifts. We cannot confuse the creature with the Creator. Through His incarnation, Christ has redeemed and sanctified the created world for believers. We may enjoy the fruits of the creation. But Christ has not sanctified or sanitized sin. He has destroyed its power. Had it been possible to sanitize corrupted creation, had it been possible to reform sin, He would not have to have died. But He says, “I am making everything new.”6 He has already been gifting that newness to us. In the sacred meal He gives us His blood of the new covenant, at the baptismal font He grants new life. Therefore St. Paul can say emphatically, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.”7
But the “old” still clings to us in this life and that is what is ours to give. When we come into His sanctuary and gather before God in worship, we have only one thing to offer Him, our sins. We come to offer God our sins. Our sins are the ONLY thing we offer directly to God. We do not impress him with our piety or our intellect, our money or our enthusiasm. God needs nothing. “Every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird of the mountain, and the creatures of the field are mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it,”8 says the Lord. Before God we are nothing but beggars. Only our sins are properly ours.
But we are entrusted with much that is the Lord’s. When we walk out of the sanctuary, we offer everything to our neighbor. And precisely in offering everything to our neighbor are we offering ourselves to God. We give money not because God Himself needs it, but because the kingdom must be maintained and extended. We pray and volunteer and work, because we are the Creator’s instruments to serve His creation. When you go to work on Monday morning you should think of yourself as a member of the body of Christ extended into that place. You are a representative of the worshipping community in your vocational community. You provide in the secular realm, a contact with the sacred. It is a serious responsibility and privilege. People must know that there are realities of a far greater magnitude to attend to than just the day-to-day events of their earthly lives. You may not see tangible results, but that is part of the reality of living by faith. God will accomplish the results.
The Bible says, “Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.”9 And about the believers of old it says, “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth”10 We are privileged to follow in their footsteps. The promise of the crucified and risen Christ has been fulfilled. We look forward to its final consummation in heaven. Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Tenth Sunday After Pentecost
1 August 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 2 Corinthians 5:7
2 Hebrews 11:1
3 Luke 12:40
4 Luke 12:32
5 Luke 12:34
6 Revelation 21:5
7 2 Corinthians 5:17
8 Psalm 50:10-12
9 Genesis 15:6
10 Hebrews 11:13
(Note: This sermon delivered on the Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost, August 22, 2004)
Monday, July 26, 2010
Ninth Sunday After Pentecost- Series C
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 11:13
Theme: Confident Prayer
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The demands of God always reveal the needs of men. The gifts of God always supply those needs. God does not speak His word aimlessly or without purpose. Sinners and their well-being are always in view. As wayward, but frail creatures we are in constant need of attention. Only God can rebuke us for our offenses. Yet only He can offer the hope of pardon.
Today Jesus instructs His disciples on the meaning of prayer and gives them the Lord’s Prayer. Why does Jesus teach such persistence in prayer? Is it only to bolster our resolve and to encourage and inspire perseverance? People do become easily disheartened. Yet the outcome does not depend on human persistence. The crux of the matter is the trustworthiness of God. Jesus teaches His disciples that their prayers never fall on deaf ears. Christians have been granted a sacred privilege to invoke the name of the Trinity via the access granted by Christ. The manner in which this responsibility is exercised reveals our beliefs.
What does our attitude towards prayer and devotion say about our view of God and our status before Him? Where is the reverence in the modern approach to the Almighty? Where is the veneration in prayer? Where is the humility of heart and soul? Do people receive His body and blood in jest? Do they really believe God to be the incontestable judge of mortals and indisputable vendor of grace? Or is He a soft pushover that caters to human whims and lowers Himself to garner their attention? Is He a God who is consuming in His wrath, zealous in His justice, and intense in His passion? Or is He little more than the harmless projection of a human desire for a relaxed but responsive deity?
Dear friends, such thinking downgrades the work of Christ to minor importance. Yet to have the supremacy of heaven and hell, sin and grace, life and death is hardly minor. Nothing is of consequence until the human soul is reconciled to God through the sacrifice of Christ. Only His unalterable Word can give this peace. When you are doubting whether your sins have accumulated past the point of forgiveness, remember it is written in the Scriptures, “Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.”1 If you are concerned whether your name is written in the book of life then remember His promise, “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” You are His baptized child. You are born again into His family. When the devil seeks to accuse you by holding your sins in front of you; drive him away by pointing to the cross.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”2 But it is not a license to sin. Never, ever try to dupe God. Never play fast and loose with His mercy. Never demand what is not yours to demand. Believe that He will support you in your struggle- temptation, weakness, addiction, depression, ungratefulness, apathy. But believe even more that it’s not a matter of your success, but of His compassion. The moment you believe it depends again on you and no longer on Him, then everything is lost. If Christ is your Saviour you are one of the elect. If you are one of the elect Christ is your Saviour. Beyond this we cannot venture. Certain divine mysteries are beyond our capacity. Our curiosity or intellect may not be satisfied, but our souls can be comforted.
A crisis of faith can never be resolved by inward assessment of the heart or by speculation into the hidden mind of God. Apart from the firm, clear, objective and unchanging promise of the Word, we have no certainty. If we retreat inwardly we become susceptible to our ever-changing emotions. We also fall into the error of validating our faith based solely or primarily on our own subjective measurements. We are then tempted by the thoroughly egotistical mantra, “If it feels right, it must be right (at least for me).” Or, “If it feels wrong, it must be wrong.” Egoism can just as easily misread things that appear to be negative.
If, on the other hand, we look to solve the quandaries of our personal faith by seeking to decipher the hidden will of God we just as easily come to shipwreck. The temptation to find security in this method is also very powerful. If I can just discover that God has reserved for me a particular resolution to my crisis, then my heart will be put at ease. Dear friends, don’t try to pry into God’s secret counsel. There is no need. Take Him at His Word. You are a hopeless sinner. But Christ is much more the holy and sinless Saviour. He did not die without purpose. He did not die in vain. Neither did He rise from the dead merely to show His power. Christ died and rose so that sinners could be accounted righteous. Through that righteousness we have entrance into His presence.
Jesus illustrates the generosity of God with several examples in His teaching on prayer. One involves a midnight traveler being welcomed by a resident of the village. He, in turn, calls on another for help. Why does the man snuggled safely in his bed with His family get up to answer the door? The rationale is not simply what we may think. It is not just a case of good friends helping out good friends. The picture is broader and the relationship entailed is wider. The man who is called upon in the midnight hour to get up and show hospitality is not just motivated by friendship but by the nature of the community. He meets its expectations of hospitality. He will not be labeled as the inhospitable person of the village. The person in need will find help. The hospitality of God is being illustrated.
No matter what the circumstances God is attentive to our needs. He never makes excuses. God gives because He is true to His own nature. He is not motivated by some influence we wield over Him, but by His own compassionate heart. The believer should have every confidence to approach the throne of grace with boldness. God is reliable. He does not turn a deaf ear. His response won’t be trivial or one of self-defeating indulgence. His response to prayer has laser-like precision. Of course no believer in the history of the world has ever had every prayer answered according to their pleasure. Such desire is always corrupted by the weakness of the flesh. Even St. Paul was to endure his thorn of the flesh. It served greater and higher purposes than temporary relief to one man would achieve.
Dear friends, Jesus ends today’s catechesis emphatically. Believers can be confident in prayer because God desires to give. He illustrates by way of comparison. “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”3 With the Holy Spirit comes the entire inheritance of the kingdom. Remember Luther’s explanation of what it means to pray, “Thy kingdom come?”4 “How does God’s kingdom come? God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity.” 5 May God make it so! Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Ninth Sunday After Pentecost
25 July 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 1 Peter 3:18
2 Ephesians 2:8
3 Luke 11:13
4 Luke 11:2
5 Luther’s Small Catechism
Text: Luke 11:13
Theme: Confident Prayer
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The demands of God always reveal the needs of men. The gifts of God always supply those needs. God does not speak His word aimlessly or without purpose. Sinners and their well-being are always in view. As wayward, but frail creatures we are in constant need of attention. Only God can rebuke us for our offenses. Yet only He can offer the hope of pardon.
Today Jesus instructs His disciples on the meaning of prayer and gives them the Lord’s Prayer. Why does Jesus teach such persistence in prayer? Is it only to bolster our resolve and to encourage and inspire perseverance? People do become easily disheartened. Yet the outcome does not depend on human persistence. The crux of the matter is the trustworthiness of God. Jesus teaches His disciples that their prayers never fall on deaf ears. Christians have been granted a sacred privilege to invoke the name of the Trinity via the access granted by Christ. The manner in which this responsibility is exercised reveals our beliefs.
What does our attitude towards prayer and devotion say about our view of God and our status before Him? Where is the reverence in the modern approach to the Almighty? Where is the veneration in prayer? Where is the humility of heart and soul? Do people receive His body and blood in jest? Do they really believe God to be the incontestable judge of mortals and indisputable vendor of grace? Or is He a soft pushover that caters to human whims and lowers Himself to garner their attention? Is He a God who is consuming in His wrath, zealous in His justice, and intense in His passion? Or is He little more than the harmless projection of a human desire for a relaxed but responsive deity?
Dear friends, such thinking downgrades the work of Christ to minor importance. Yet to have the supremacy of heaven and hell, sin and grace, life and death is hardly minor. Nothing is of consequence until the human soul is reconciled to God through the sacrifice of Christ. Only His unalterable Word can give this peace. When you are doubting whether your sins have accumulated past the point of forgiveness, remember it is written in the Scriptures, “Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.”1 If you are concerned whether your name is written in the book of life then remember His promise, “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” You are His baptized child. You are born again into His family. When the devil seeks to accuse you by holding your sins in front of you; drive him away by pointing to the cross.
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”2 But it is not a license to sin. Never, ever try to dupe God. Never play fast and loose with His mercy. Never demand what is not yours to demand. Believe that He will support you in your struggle- temptation, weakness, addiction, depression, ungratefulness, apathy. But believe even more that it’s not a matter of your success, but of His compassion. The moment you believe it depends again on you and no longer on Him, then everything is lost. If Christ is your Saviour you are one of the elect. If you are one of the elect Christ is your Saviour. Beyond this we cannot venture. Certain divine mysteries are beyond our capacity. Our curiosity or intellect may not be satisfied, but our souls can be comforted.
A crisis of faith can never be resolved by inward assessment of the heart or by speculation into the hidden mind of God. Apart from the firm, clear, objective and unchanging promise of the Word, we have no certainty. If we retreat inwardly we become susceptible to our ever-changing emotions. We also fall into the error of validating our faith based solely or primarily on our own subjective measurements. We are then tempted by the thoroughly egotistical mantra, “If it feels right, it must be right (at least for me).” Or, “If it feels wrong, it must be wrong.” Egoism can just as easily misread things that appear to be negative.
If, on the other hand, we look to solve the quandaries of our personal faith by seeking to decipher the hidden will of God we just as easily come to shipwreck. The temptation to find security in this method is also very powerful. If I can just discover that God has reserved for me a particular resolution to my crisis, then my heart will be put at ease. Dear friends, don’t try to pry into God’s secret counsel. There is no need. Take Him at His Word. You are a hopeless sinner. But Christ is much more the holy and sinless Saviour. He did not die without purpose. He did not die in vain. Neither did He rise from the dead merely to show His power. Christ died and rose so that sinners could be accounted righteous. Through that righteousness we have entrance into His presence.
Jesus illustrates the generosity of God with several examples in His teaching on prayer. One involves a midnight traveler being welcomed by a resident of the village. He, in turn, calls on another for help. Why does the man snuggled safely in his bed with His family get up to answer the door? The rationale is not simply what we may think. It is not just a case of good friends helping out good friends. The picture is broader and the relationship entailed is wider. The man who is called upon in the midnight hour to get up and show hospitality is not just motivated by friendship but by the nature of the community. He meets its expectations of hospitality. He will not be labeled as the inhospitable person of the village. The person in need will find help. The hospitality of God is being illustrated.
No matter what the circumstances God is attentive to our needs. He never makes excuses. God gives because He is true to His own nature. He is not motivated by some influence we wield over Him, but by His own compassionate heart. The believer should have every confidence to approach the throne of grace with boldness. God is reliable. He does not turn a deaf ear. His response won’t be trivial or one of self-defeating indulgence. His response to prayer has laser-like precision. Of course no believer in the history of the world has ever had every prayer answered according to their pleasure. Such desire is always corrupted by the weakness of the flesh. Even St. Paul was to endure his thorn of the flesh. It served greater and higher purposes than temporary relief to one man would achieve.
Dear friends, Jesus ends today’s catechesis emphatically. Believers can be confident in prayer because God desires to give. He illustrates by way of comparison. “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”3 With the Holy Spirit comes the entire inheritance of the kingdom. Remember Luther’s explanation of what it means to pray, “Thy kingdom come?”4 “How does God’s kingdom come? God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity.” 5 May God make it so! Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Ninth Sunday After Pentecost
25 July 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 1 Peter 3:18
2 Ephesians 2:8
3 Luke 11:13
4 Luke 11:2
5 Luther’s Small Catechism
Monday, July 19, 2010
Eighth Sunday After Pentecost
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 10:39
Theme: At the Lord’s Feet
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The Word of God speaks for itself. The church has the command to proclaim it without spin or manipulation. When proclamation gives way to the gimmicks of commercial-style appeal then the church’s message degenerates into a conversation about the advantages and liabilities of a marketable Jesus. Christ becomes a “religious commodity” with a negotiable value to prospective buyers. In this approach people are taught to put a valuation on Christianity based on expected returns. Undoubtedly sinful human nature can never be completely free from this temptation. The tendency we have to make risk versus reward assessments even in spiritual things marks us as fundamentally fallen and self-serving creatures. The sinful heart looks to use others- with the exploitation of God Himself being no exception- to its own advantages. For all such approaches and activities we are called to judgment.
The Gospel is not a philosophical theory waiting for approval from like-minded individuals. Its truths are valid regardless of the prejudices and presuppositions people maintain. The Word of God acts upon the hearer. An encounter ensues in which the human heart and will are confronted with the revelation of God’s will. This exposure to God’s word is the critical event. Because God’s word acts upon the whole person and not only the intellect, people of any age and in any condition can be drawn into a relationship with Christ through the gospel.
In the sacrament of baptism God’s intention for that individual is revealed. God intends to receive that person as His child. The Holy Spirit grants the gift of faith and through the medium of this faith the person trusts God for his or her well-being. Through rejection, negligence, and apathy this trust can be broken and the faith lost. But through renewed exposure to God’s truth a person can be brought again to repentance and faith. Faith is not a static possession, but the dynamic of a living relationship.
It is in this reality that believers have their identity. The question is not whether (or even to what degree) the relationship with Christ affects one’s life in tangible and concrete ways- the evidence must be there or the person’s faith is called into question- but rather the nature of how such faith is expressed. How do I bear my cross in this context? How does my faith relate to that situation? How can I best follow God’s will in this matter? These questions and countless others characterize the challenges believers face every day. And how blessed we are to have such great freedom in these matters. Grace allows us to follow God’s will to the best of our ability without fear of retribution. Sometimes we make poor decisions and even sinful ones, but through repentance and faith God guides us back with His wisdom and compassion.
Consider the distinction Jesus makes between Mary and Martha today. We would do damage to the text if we tried to demonize Martha while attempting to elevate Mary to sainthood. Martha too is a believer. Yet Jesus clearly chastises her for being distracted while commending Mary for being focused on the right priority at the moment. Even the importance of providing hospitality cannot overshadow the necessity of receiving the instruction of Christ’s word. The former must flow from the latter, that is, only in being hearers of God’s word can we properly be doers of it. It would be wrong for Mary to be deprived of the opportunity to sit at Jesus’ feet in order to help Mary with the meal preparations.
The lesson, of course, remains applicable. We cannot divorce the source of our faith from the activity that flows from it. To offer our money or other material resources or even our time and energy to the work of the kingdom but to show little or no interest in growing in the knowledge of His truth betrays a misunderstanding of how our faith is nurtured. A marriage relationship isn’t complete when one party simply supplies material goods to the other. Our relationship with Christ involves the continual receiving of His gifts, chiefly; forgiveness, life and salvation. Without this lifeline our actions will become hollow or self-serving.
Remember that the context of Luke’s gospel at this point involves the proper way to receive and treat those itinerant missionaries that are sent in God’s name. Certainly the messenger of God should have his material needs attended to, but more important still is the reception of the teaching he brings. The best way to receive Christ is not to first serve Him, but be served by Him. To receive His blessings is the highest way we can honour and worship the Trinity. God desires to give and the greatest insult we can deliver is to spurn what He offers us.
An understanding of worship is relevant here. The primary activity of worship is God serving us. He consoles us, calms us, forgives us, instructs us, equips us, assures us, enlightens us, crucifies us, and resurrects us. He reminds us of our baptismal identity and feeds us with His holy body and precious blood. You come to leave your sins and go carrying His forgiveness. You come worn down by earthly trials and leave refreshed by heavenly blessings. You came beset with falsehoods; you leaved freed by truth. You come with pain and leave with healing. You come conflicted and leave in peace. You came with sorrow and leave with joy.
Then everything you do in response to His love- your financial offerings, your prayers, your witness to His truth, your helping of those in need, your commitment to the dissemination of His word, your visitation of the sick, your investment of time and resource in growing in His knowledge- flows from your confidence in His unconditional compassion. In His presence Christ would have us to be imitators of Mary. In our witness in the world the industriousness of Martha should be emulated.
Dear friends, Jesus Christ is the subject of God’s word and you are the object. The relationship the Holy Spirit creates and the promises He makes through that word are neither trivial nor temporary. The Scripture says, “He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation- if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.”1 And again, “We know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over Him.”2 Because Christ is your Saviour sin and death no longer have mastery over you either. Thanks be to God! Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Eighth Sunday After Pentecost
18 July 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Colossians 1:22-23
2 Romans 6:10
Text: Luke 10:39
Theme: At the Lord’s Feet
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The Word of God speaks for itself. The church has the command to proclaim it without spin or manipulation. When proclamation gives way to the gimmicks of commercial-style appeal then the church’s message degenerates into a conversation about the advantages and liabilities of a marketable Jesus. Christ becomes a “religious commodity” with a negotiable value to prospective buyers. In this approach people are taught to put a valuation on Christianity based on expected returns. Undoubtedly sinful human nature can never be completely free from this temptation. The tendency we have to make risk versus reward assessments even in spiritual things marks us as fundamentally fallen and self-serving creatures. The sinful heart looks to use others- with the exploitation of God Himself being no exception- to its own advantages. For all such approaches and activities we are called to judgment.
The Gospel is not a philosophical theory waiting for approval from like-minded individuals. Its truths are valid regardless of the prejudices and presuppositions people maintain. The Word of God acts upon the hearer. An encounter ensues in which the human heart and will are confronted with the revelation of God’s will. This exposure to God’s word is the critical event. Because God’s word acts upon the whole person and not only the intellect, people of any age and in any condition can be drawn into a relationship with Christ through the gospel.
In the sacrament of baptism God’s intention for that individual is revealed. God intends to receive that person as His child. The Holy Spirit grants the gift of faith and through the medium of this faith the person trusts God for his or her well-being. Through rejection, negligence, and apathy this trust can be broken and the faith lost. But through renewed exposure to God’s truth a person can be brought again to repentance and faith. Faith is not a static possession, but the dynamic of a living relationship.
It is in this reality that believers have their identity. The question is not whether (or even to what degree) the relationship with Christ affects one’s life in tangible and concrete ways- the evidence must be there or the person’s faith is called into question- but rather the nature of how such faith is expressed. How do I bear my cross in this context? How does my faith relate to that situation? How can I best follow God’s will in this matter? These questions and countless others characterize the challenges believers face every day. And how blessed we are to have such great freedom in these matters. Grace allows us to follow God’s will to the best of our ability without fear of retribution. Sometimes we make poor decisions and even sinful ones, but through repentance and faith God guides us back with His wisdom and compassion.
Consider the distinction Jesus makes between Mary and Martha today. We would do damage to the text if we tried to demonize Martha while attempting to elevate Mary to sainthood. Martha too is a believer. Yet Jesus clearly chastises her for being distracted while commending Mary for being focused on the right priority at the moment. Even the importance of providing hospitality cannot overshadow the necessity of receiving the instruction of Christ’s word. The former must flow from the latter, that is, only in being hearers of God’s word can we properly be doers of it. It would be wrong for Mary to be deprived of the opportunity to sit at Jesus’ feet in order to help Mary with the meal preparations.
The lesson, of course, remains applicable. We cannot divorce the source of our faith from the activity that flows from it. To offer our money or other material resources or even our time and energy to the work of the kingdom but to show little or no interest in growing in the knowledge of His truth betrays a misunderstanding of how our faith is nurtured. A marriage relationship isn’t complete when one party simply supplies material goods to the other. Our relationship with Christ involves the continual receiving of His gifts, chiefly; forgiveness, life and salvation. Without this lifeline our actions will become hollow or self-serving.
Remember that the context of Luke’s gospel at this point involves the proper way to receive and treat those itinerant missionaries that are sent in God’s name. Certainly the messenger of God should have his material needs attended to, but more important still is the reception of the teaching he brings. The best way to receive Christ is not to first serve Him, but be served by Him. To receive His blessings is the highest way we can honour and worship the Trinity. God desires to give and the greatest insult we can deliver is to spurn what He offers us.
An understanding of worship is relevant here. The primary activity of worship is God serving us. He consoles us, calms us, forgives us, instructs us, equips us, assures us, enlightens us, crucifies us, and resurrects us. He reminds us of our baptismal identity and feeds us with His holy body and precious blood. You come to leave your sins and go carrying His forgiveness. You come worn down by earthly trials and leave refreshed by heavenly blessings. You came beset with falsehoods; you leaved freed by truth. You come with pain and leave with healing. You come conflicted and leave in peace. You came with sorrow and leave with joy.
Then everything you do in response to His love- your financial offerings, your prayers, your witness to His truth, your helping of those in need, your commitment to the dissemination of His word, your visitation of the sick, your investment of time and resource in growing in His knowledge- flows from your confidence in His unconditional compassion. In His presence Christ would have us to be imitators of Mary. In our witness in the world the industriousness of Martha should be emulated.
Dear friends, Jesus Christ is the subject of God’s word and you are the object. The relationship the Holy Spirit creates and the promises He makes through that word are neither trivial nor temporary. The Scripture says, “He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation- if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.”1 And again, “We know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over Him.”2 Because Christ is your Saviour sin and death no longer have mastery over you either. Thanks be to God! Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Eighth Sunday After Pentecost
18 July 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Colossians 1:22-23
2 Romans 6:10
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