+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Matthew 2:15
Theme: To Egypt and Back
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The jubilation of the first Christmas quickly fades. The angels ascend to heaven. The shepherds return to their flocks. Daily life goes on. Soon the Magi have come and gone also. A new reality sets in. How rapidly the plan of salvation appears to be on a knife’s edge! The infant Saviour is almost immediately under threat. The worldly powers seek His life. It’s a very precarious situation into which the Messiah has come.
Surely God allows such uncertainty to test our faith. You see, He desires that we seek Him not in His power, but in His humility. His glory will always remain veiled to us in this life. What role would there be for the Holy Spirit should God always reveal Himself in splendor and power; exercising observable control over His enemies and visibly thwarting every opposition to His will? What need would there be for the Word of grace if God simply acted by force at all times?
Our text tells us that Joseph is directed to flee to Egypt with Mary and Jesus. It seems to be an unlikely turn of events. How can this infant born to humble parents be perceived as such a threat? But Herod won’t take any chances. The visit of the Magi concerns him greatly. Protecting His rule and dynasty is his first priority. He doesn’t intend to let a so-called Jewish Messiah stand in his way.
The infant Saviour now has refugee status. Sometimes God provides refuge in the least likely places. But God’s people had found safety in Egypt in the past. Joseph brought Jacob’s entire family there after his brothers had sold him into slavery. It was there that Israel grew into a great nation. Egypt then became the symbol of bondage and oppression. God’s deliverance of His people through Moses stands as the primary redemption paradigm of the Old Testament. It was a preview of the final deliverance from the powers of death and hell. Now the long-awaited descendant of Jacob returns. “And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘Out of Egypt I called My Son.’”1
Dear friends, all these events remind us that the circumstances of Jesus’ birth were not as carefree and lighthearted as is often depicted in nativity celebrations. Those first years were filled with difficulty, struggle, and even danger. Though the sweetness and innocence associated with the manger may provide a nice reprieve from our stressful lives it’s the hard reality of struggle that better equips us for the Christian life. One of the Church Fathers says it this way, “You, yourself need not be troubled if you are suffering countless dangers. Do not expect to be celebrated or crowned promptly for your troubles. Instead you may keep in mind the long-suffering example of the mother of the Child, bearing all things nobly, knowing that such a fugitive life is consistent with the ordering of spiritual things.”2
Consider carefully what is said here. Spiritual things are ordered in such a way that believers often experience trial in this life. Faith receives the promise of God’s truth and then immediately engages all that oppose it. Remember that all the temptations with which you may struggle- greed, laziness, apathy, selfishness, sexual immorality, vanity, falsehood- are not independent vices. They are all expressions of the self’s desire to be in control, to be self-governing, to wrest any authority from God. Dealing with sin is not simply a matter dealing with our particular weaknesses. It involves an all-out war against the powerful forces that have corrupted the heart and mind. Sin is not like a superficial wound, but an aggressive and terminal cancer. When we understand this we can see what a marvelous thing it is that God Himself, Jesus our Immanuel, destroys sin’s power in His body. Christmas was required for this to be possible. Christ overcomes sin’s wickedness at the highest level- the spiritual level- by disarming Satan and paying the penalty for humanity’s guilt.
The believer is then free. Justified by grace, through faith, the believer is no longer held in bondage to Satan’s will or sin’s power. But this freedom is often misunderstood because it is evidenced not in a carefree or untroubled life, but in struggle. From the moment of baptism the believer is led in this struggle by the Holy Spirit. The world cannot understand it and even the Christian can become perplexed and distressed by it. Since we believe, why doesn’t God just remove all of our troubles and temptations? He didn’t do this for Mary and Joseph so we can hardly expect that He will do it for us. Why, because then we would stop believing that it really all depends on the grace of Christ, and start thinking it’s all a matter of our own faith.
So what’s the reality of life under the cross? It’s exactly the life of the Holy Family from the beginning. It’s both an individual, personal struggle; and a corporate one involving our life in the body of Christ, the church. The Holy Spirit struggles against our sinful nature and our sinful nature struggles against the Spirit. And precisely in so far as the Spirit gains the upper hand in the life of a believer; precisely in that measure does the world oppose the Spirit’s work. “He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him.”3 The devil cannot leave well enough alone.
The world will always be filled with the temperament of Herod. People will always harm others to protect their own interests. Herod’s decree to have the infant boys of Bethlehem killed stands as the epitome of ruthless violence against the innocent. The same evil continues today multiplied many times in the practice of abortion. Claiming it as a legal right doesn’t change the fact that a human life is being terminated. Does the worth of a human life change depending on how another values it? Certainly human life is de-valued when people abuse the power they have over others. But God’s own estimation of His creation cannot be altered by our veneration or destruction of it.
Dear friends, we easily take for granted how blessed we are to have the advantage of history. For us the uncertainty and vulnerability associated with the ChristChild’s early years have been removed. The infant Saviour who was vulnerable to earthly powers has now conquered all powers of spiritual evil. The manger stood in the shadow of the cross pointing to His future crucifixion. But the dark shadow of the cross was dispersed by the brilliant light of Easter morning. He who was born of the Virgin purifies His people. He who was hounded by Herod has bound His mentor, Satan. He who bore the unjust wrath of rulers, rules His own with grace and forgiveness. Our Immanuel, who had to abandon His home at a tender age, dwells among us as our mighty fortress. May His presence govern your lives this Christmastide and always. Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
First Sunday After Christmas
26 December 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Matthew 2:15
2 Chrysostom, The Gospel of Matthew
3 John 1:10
Sunday, December 26, 2010
The Nativity of our Lord Christmas Day 2010
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 1:14
Theme: “Dwelling Among Us”
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
No wonder the angels sang “Glory to God in the highest!”1 God is as good as His word. In popular expression it means that someone can be trusted. It means we can count on them to carry out what they’ve said. With God we can be even more certain. The Good News of prophecy has become the final word of personhood. “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”2 Jesus Christ, an infant in a manger embodies the fullness of the Godhead.
The beginning of John’s gospel is laden with the imagery of salvation. All the superlative themes are addressed: Light and darkness, sin and grace, life and death. John intends nothing less than to address the deepest of mysteries; to explain to the world the resolution to the quandary of the universe. The answers lie in the Word-made-flesh. Though symbolic in their meaning and comprehensive in their reach, these terms through which existence is characterized speak to concrete realities. The Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, pure divine spirit, assuming human flesh in the manhood of Jesus of Nazareth; this is not an epic myth. God administers His rule through the crucified and risen Christ. This is the bedrock of our faith. John is a witness to these things.
God chooses to restore His creation in this manner. It’s not our place to query why. Why in this manner? We can never penetrate the mind of God beyond what He reveals to us in Scripture. Apart from the Scripture we can know nothing of God’s saving grace at all. This is because of the darkness of sin. Jon describes the situation this way, “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.”3 Dear friends, Christmas means that our lives are no longer dominated by the futility of temporal things. We are no longer trapped in the emptiness of our fleeting mortality. It’s a message the world desperately needs to hear.
People are searching for something to live for. They despair of any reason to exist. They find nothing worthwhile to put their hand to. Yes, they carry on from day to day but without purpose. How many seriously grapple with the question of what motivates them each day? How many are trapped in the drudgery of just making ends meet? So they chase riches and pleasures. They become absorbed in the hedonism and consumerism this world has to offer. Often times this ends in addiction, depression, and despair. Yes, the unbeliever can be quite proud and satisfied with himself. He can be full of self-confidence. He can value the ethical aspects of Christianity and even participate in its public celebrations. But the unbeliever knows not who he is, because he knows not or believes not what will become of him.
But don’t think for a moment that such indulgence cannot be pursued under the guise of respectability. Christians are not immune. Yes, it’s often the so-called ‘responsible’ people who are the most self-indulged. Our hearts are naturally drawn to these temptations. We dare not ever paint a picture of those with ungodly appetites that excludes ourselves. Christmas is never about polishing our own halos. If we use it as an opportunity to reassure ourselves that we’re doing the right things to stay in God’s favour in spite of our unrepentance, then we’re not truly here to worship Him, but to pacify our consciences. Christ comes for sinners. Period!
He wipes the slate clean. He gives us a new identity. The Scripture says, “To those who believe in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.”4 Jesus says, “Whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”5
If this truth cannot motivate you, inspire you, and energize you, even as it crushes you, humbles you, and chastens you, then your trust is not in the Offspring of Abraham and your hope is not in the Son of David. Then the Saviour born in Bethlehem is not really for you a Redeemer. He may be an object of intrigue or admiration. He may be feared as a Sovereign and Judge. He may even be acknowledged in time of crisis. But if He is not finally your sole hope and trust; then He is not your God. This Jesus, who entered through the Virgin’s womb, sojourned in a manger, hung from a cross; this living, breathing, flesh and blood man-He is the God who halts death and rescues from every foe. The Holy Spirit points you to this Bearer of Immortality with greater illumination than the brilliance by which the star led the Magi to the Child. Christian joy begins and ends here. It looks for nothing further.
Now that is not to say that you must conjure up an artificial joy and pretend to be filled with the Spirit’s inspiration. The joy of a Christian is often a quiet peace of mind and a spirit of contentment. These blessings come to rule the life of a Christian, which in all outward respects seems very ordinary. But it is in fact the picture of a pilgrim traversing a hostile land. This yoke of morality is heavy. This burden of sin’s corruption is draining. Daily spiritual sustenance is required to face it. God provides it through His word and sacraments and within Christ’s body, the church. Christ has made His dwelling among us. Here He dwells in bread and wine giving us His flesh and blood. He packs this sacrament with the promise of forgiveness and strength for the soul.
Dear friends, Christmas celebrations are still largely tolerated and even participated in by the wider society. But beyond this, attitudes are changing. When the world challenges us with the question of why we serve the God we do, when it ridicules such a ‘waste of time’, where do we turn? We remember that we are baptized! When our health collapses, our plans fail, and our livelihoods teeter on the brink-even over Christmas- we need not wonder whether our faith is strong enough. We remember Him who went from weakness to strength- for us. We remember that we are baptized into His name. When death itself is at the door we have confidence that it cannot win the final victory because Christ has mastered it. He is as good as His Word. The Child of Bethlehem is the King of the heavenly Jerusalem. He has made His dwelling among us and He shall reign forever and ever! Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Nativity of our Lord
Christmas Day
25 December 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 2:4
2 John 1:14
3 John 1:5
4 John 1:12
5 John 4:24
Text: John 1:14
Theme: “Dwelling Among Us”
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
No wonder the angels sang “Glory to God in the highest!”1 God is as good as His word. In popular expression it means that someone can be trusted. It means we can count on them to carry out what they’ve said. With God we can be even more certain. The Good News of prophecy has become the final word of personhood. “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”2 Jesus Christ, an infant in a manger embodies the fullness of the Godhead.
The beginning of John’s gospel is laden with the imagery of salvation. All the superlative themes are addressed: Light and darkness, sin and grace, life and death. John intends nothing less than to address the deepest of mysteries; to explain to the world the resolution to the quandary of the universe. The answers lie in the Word-made-flesh. Though symbolic in their meaning and comprehensive in their reach, these terms through which existence is characterized speak to concrete realities. The Son of God, the second person of the Trinity, pure divine spirit, assuming human flesh in the manhood of Jesus of Nazareth; this is not an epic myth. God administers His rule through the crucified and risen Christ. This is the bedrock of our faith. John is a witness to these things.
God chooses to restore His creation in this manner. It’s not our place to query why. Why in this manner? We can never penetrate the mind of God beyond what He reveals to us in Scripture. Apart from the Scripture we can know nothing of God’s saving grace at all. This is because of the darkness of sin. Jon describes the situation this way, “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.”3 Dear friends, Christmas means that our lives are no longer dominated by the futility of temporal things. We are no longer trapped in the emptiness of our fleeting mortality. It’s a message the world desperately needs to hear.
People are searching for something to live for. They despair of any reason to exist. They find nothing worthwhile to put their hand to. Yes, they carry on from day to day but without purpose. How many seriously grapple with the question of what motivates them each day? How many are trapped in the drudgery of just making ends meet? So they chase riches and pleasures. They become absorbed in the hedonism and consumerism this world has to offer. Often times this ends in addiction, depression, and despair. Yes, the unbeliever can be quite proud and satisfied with himself. He can be full of self-confidence. He can value the ethical aspects of Christianity and even participate in its public celebrations. But the unbeliever knows not who he is, because he knows not or believes not what will become of him.
But don’t think for a moment that such indulgence cannot be pursued under the guise of respectability. Christians are not immune. Yes, it’s often the so-called ‘responsible’ people who are the most self-indulged. Our hearts are naturally drawn to these temptations. We dare not ever paint a picture of those with ungodly appetites that excludes ourselves. Christmas is never about polishing our own halos. If we use it as an opportunity to reassure ourselves that we’re doing the right things to stay in God’s favour in spite of our unrepentance, then we’re not truly here to worship Him, but to pacify our consciences. Christ comes for sinners. Period!
He wipes the slate clean. He gives us a new identity. The Scripture says, “To those who believe in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.”4 Jesus says, “Whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”5
If this truth cannot motivate you, inspire you, and energize you, even as it crushes you, humbles you, and chastens you, then your trust is not in the Offspring of Abraham and your hope is not in the Son of David. Then the Saviour born in Bethlehem is not really for you a Redeemer. He may be an object of intrigue or admiration. He may be feared as a Sovereign and Judge. He may even be acknowledged in time of crisis. But if He is not finally your sole hope and trust; then He is not your God. This Jesus, who entered through the Virgin’s womb, sojourned in a manger, hung from a cross; this living, breathing, flesh and blood man-He is the God who halts death and rescues from every foe. The Holy Spirit points you to this Bearer of Immortality with greater illumination than the brilliance by which the star led the Magi to the Child. Christian joy begins and ends here. It looks for nothing further.
Now that is not to say that you must conjure up an artificial joy and pretend to be filled with the Spirit’s inspiration. The joy of a Christian is often a quiet peace of mind and a spirit of contentment. These blessings come to rule the life of a Christian, which in all outward respects seems very ordinary. But it is in fact the picture of a pilgrim traversing a hostile land. This yoke of morality is heavy. This burden of sin’s corruption is draining. Daily spiritual sustenance is required to face it. God provides it through His word and sacraments and within Christ’s body, the church. Christ has made His dwelling among us. Here He dwells in bread and wine giving us His flesh and blood. He packs this sacrament with the promise of forgiveness and strength for the soul.
Dear friends, Christmas celebrations are still largely tolerated and even participated in by the wider society. But beyond this, attitudes are changing. When the world challenges us with the question of why we serve the God we do, when it ridicules such a ‘waste of time’, where do we turn? We remember that we are baptized! When our health collapses, our plans fail, and our livelihoods teeter on the brink-even over Christmas- we need not wonder whether our faith is strong enough. We remember Him who went from weakness to strength- for us. We remember that we are baptized into His name. When death itself is at the door we have confidence that it cannot win the final victory because Christ has mastered it. He is as good as His Word. The Child of Bethlehem is the King of the heavenly Jerusalem. He has made His dwelling among us and He shall reign forever and ever! Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Nativity of our Lord
Christmas Day
25 December 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 2:4
2 John 1:14
3 John 1:5
4 John 1:12
5 John 4:24
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Nativity of Our Lord, Christmas Eve 2010
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 2:7
Theme: An Unassuming Entrance
Dear Gatherers at our Lord’s nativity,
The nativity is a rather unremarkable domestic scene. Granted the circumstances were more strained than normal. Still, the Almighty chose a very unassuming entrance into the world. “She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”1But God doesn’t concern Himself with human perception. He takes no thought for how people may appraise His actions. Imagine if God held focus group meetings to determine how people might perceive His proposals; or if He hired consultants to gauge public acceptance of His work? Will people come on board with His plans? Will they approve of His ways? Yes, how easy it is to want to limit God to our framework. It makes Him much more manageable.
But to pretend to ‘manage’ God is a fallacy. It’s like children only playing games. Playing cops and robbers is all harmless and relaxed until real danger appears. Then the amusement of little ones comes to a stop. Next to God we’re never more than children regardless of how mature our egos become. We soon get off track if we try to domesticate God. That’s one of the dangers of the nostalgia of the nativity.
You see, God is truly an unwieldy character. He stirs our thoughts and nudges our hearts. Bland clichés about His love and misrepresentations of His tolerance cannot cover up His sobering presence. Yes, there He lays, a small, vulnerable infant, born into the world like all others. Yet He is someone to be reckoned with. More to the point: He does the reckoning. Our lives adjust accordingly.
The individual and collective memory of even the Christmas narrative is fading in Western society. Yes, many still know the contours, the basic content; but in the details we often stumble. Angels, shepherds and good news; a mother and child and a manger. But what does it mean and what real impact does it have? We must be honest in assessing whether nativity plays are a sign of the vigorous present and future faith of Christians, or a waning relic of the faithfulness of past generations. That is, is Christmas Eve participation a mark of the church’s current and future vitality or a symbol of sentimentalism for by-gone days? We need not reflect long to recognize the answer.
Some would say it’s an unnecessary analysis that dampens the spirit of the season. Yet it’s an honest one that the Holy Spirit uses to call us to repentance, humility, and faithfulness. How shallow do celebrations of Christ’s birth become if we have long since ceased believing there are truly any sinners left to save? What need for a Redeemer if there is nothing to be rescued from? Do we come to the Christ Child as sinners seeking forgiveness, or merely as admirers who would otherwise remain aloof? Our peace only comes in knowing that this Messiah reconciles us to the heavenly Father.
The angelic beings proclaim a message pregnant with peace. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace...”2 It was a peace achieved through struggle. A peace achieved through sacrifice. A peace achieved through death. It is a peace gifted to those who have not earned it. It is the peace of blood shed and atonement completed. It was blood shed as a result of voluntary determination and obedience- the first drop more crucial than the last. During the American Civil War, Abraham Lincoln said that he could get any number of men who were "willing to shed their last drop of blood." The problem, said Lincoln, was that he found it difficult to get anyone willing to shed that first drop!
For Christ, a humble and fragile birth would eventually end in a humiliating and devastating death. But at the resurrection the vulnerability of the manger is done away with.
We’re fond of saying-especially preachers- that peace and hope are found at the manger and certainly at the cross. It’s a manner of speaking. The destitute come to the manger for endowment. The addicted come for freedom. The guilty come for absolution. The wayward come for guidance. The despairing come for hope. The downtrodden come for acceptance. The sinner comes for forgiveness. Everyone comes out of different variations of the same reason. But as a pious manner of speaking it only goes so far. We’re talking here of historical events.
Your access to God isn’t limited to the historical remembrance of Bethlehem, regardless of how vivid or beloved. Neither is your responsibility in His kingdom met by this annual observance. Jesus always has admirers-and it’s easy to adore the Christ child in the manger when it is fashionable- but He summons followers. Admirers schedule for the occasional feast but followers seek per diem sustenance. Faith lives or dies by its daily bread. Christ meets His baptized children each day. He quiets them with His word. He feeds them with His sacrament. He cradles them with His love.
The humble circumstances of Jesus’ birth show that God is not concerned with appealing to public opinion. This is true in all that He does. The Holy Spirit gathers to Christ a people for Himself. God doesn’t wait for our approval. He forges ahead with His work. He still intercedes with the Father so that our prayers and needs have access to His ears. This beloved Son, who had no place prepared for His birth, prepares for His people a place for their eternal dwelling. “Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you: He is Christ the Lord.”3 Hallelujah! Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Nativity of Our Lord- Christmas Eve
24 December 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 2:7 2 Luke 2:14 3 Luke 2:11
Text: Luke 2:7
Theme: An Unassuming Entrance
Dear Gatherers at our Lord’s nativity,
The nativity is a rather unremarkable domestic scene. Granted the circumstances were more strained than normal. Still, the Almighty chose a very unassuming entrance into the world. “She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”1But God doesn’t concern Himself with human perception. He takes no thought for how people may appraise His actions. Imagine if God held focus group meetings to determine how people might perceive His proposals; or if He hired consultants to gauge public acceptance of His work? Will people come on board with His plans? Will they approve of His ways? Yes, how easy it is to want to limit God to our framework. It makes Him much more manageable.
But to pretend to ‘manage’ God is a fallacy. It’s like children only playing games. Playing cops and robbers is all harmless and relaxed until real danger appears. Then the amusement of little ones comes to a stop. Next to God we’re never more than children regardless of how mature our egos become. We soon get off track if we try to domesticate God. That’s one of the dangers of the nostalgia of the nativity.
You see, God is truly an unwieldy character. He stirs our thoughts and nudges our hearts. Bland clichés about His love and misrepresentations of His tolerance cannot cover up His sobering presence. Yes, there He lays, a small, vulnerable infant, born into the world like all others. Yet He is someone to be reckoned with. More to the point: He does the reckoning. Our lives adjust accordingly.
The individual and collective memory of even the Christmas narrative is fading in Western society. Yes, many still know the contours, the basic content; but in the details we often stumble. Angels, shepherds and good news; a mother and child and a manger. But what does it mean and what real impact does it have? We must be honest in assessing whether nativity plays are a sign of the vigorous present and future faith of Christians, or a waning relic of the faithfulness of past generations. That is, is Christmas Eve participation a mark of the church’s current and future vitality or a symbol of sentimentalism for by-gone days? We need not reflect long to recognize the answer.
Some would say it’s an unnecessary analysis that dampens the spirit of the season. Yet it’s an honest one that the Holy Spirit uses to call us to repentance, humility, and faithfulness. How shallow do celebrations of Christ’s birth become if we have long since ceased believing there are truly any sinners left to save? What need for a Redeemer if there is nothing to be rescued from? Do we come to the Christ Child as sinners seeking forgiveness, or merely as admirers who would otherwise remain aloof? Our peace only comes in knowing that this Messiah reconciles us to the heavenly Father.
The angelic beings proclaim a message pregnant with peace. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace...”2 It was a peace achieved through struggle. A peace achieved through sacrifice. A peace achieved through death. It is a peace gifted to those who have not earned it. It is the peace of blood shed and atonement completed. It was blood shed as a result of voluntary determination and obedience- the first drop more crucial than the last. During the American Civil War, Abraham Lincoln said that he could get any number of men who were "willing to shed their last drop of blood." The problem, said Lincoln, was that he found it difficult to get anyone willing to shed that first drop!
For Christ, a humble and fragile birth would eventually end in a humiliating and devastating death. But at the resurrection the vulnerability of the manger is done away with.
We’re fond of saying-especially preachers- that peace and hope are found at the manger and certainly at the cross. It’s a manner of speaking. The destitute come to the manger for endowment. The addicted come for freedom. The guilty come for absolution. The wayward come for guidance. The despairing come for hope. The downtrodden come for acceptance. The sinner comes for forgiveness. Everyone comes out of different variations of the same reason. But as a pious manner of speaking it only goes so far. We’re talking here of historical events.
Your access to God isn’t limited to the historical remembrance of Bethlehem, regardless of how vivid or beloved. Neither is your responsibility in His kingdom met by this annual observance. Jesus always has admirers-and it’s easy to adore the Christ child in the manger when it is fashionable- but He summons followers. Admirers schedule for the occasional feast but followers seek per diem sustenance. Faith lives or dies by its daily bread. Christ meets His baptized children each day. He quiets them with His word. He feeds them with His sacrament. He cradles them with His love.
The humble circumstances of Jesus’ birth show that God is not concerned with appealing to public opinion. This is true in all that He does. The Holy Spirit gathers to Christ a people for Himself. God doesn’t wait for our approval. He forges ahead with His work. He still intercedes with the Father so that our prayers and needs have access to His ears. This beloved Son, who had no place prepared for His birth, prepares for His people a place for their eternal dwelling. “Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you: He is Christ the Lord.”3 Hallelujah! Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Nativity of Our Lord- Christmas Eve
24 December 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 2:7 2 Luke 2:14 3 Luke 2:11
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Fourth Sunday of Advent- A 2010
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Matthew 1:18-25
Theme: God and Man
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God speaks and things happen. When appropriate He uses human agency to accomplish His work. At other times He completely circumvents the general laws by which He governs the universe. We call such things miracles. The coming of Jesus involves the vivid intersection of these truths. Divinity and humanity come together in the person of Jesus. That is what happened at Christmas. As God and Man He redeems humanity from sin, death, and Satan’s power. That is the final implication of Christmas.
Mary was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Matthew states the divine miracle quite matter-of-factly. Of course we soon find out that the truth of that claim was not widely believed or accepted. It would be no different today. Christ, the Son of God, the Saviour of the world comes to live among us born of a virgin? There’s little room for fence-sitting here. One can quietly overlook the difficulty; especially for the sake of not upsetting the apple cart during the time of Christmas celebrations. We might give a polite, self-assured wink at the sentiment; but the mind knows it’s up against something here. Faith receives what the intellect cannot fathom.
Our gospel says, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord has said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel’- which means ‘God with us.’”1 Some miracles happen so frequently they are not recognized as such. The conception and birth of a child-though explained by the natural processes of life- show the magnificence of God’s glory. What “natural process” could ever explain the unique personality and characteristics of every human being? What scientific biological theory could ever account for the reality of the human soul? What precise technological advance will ever delineate the intangible and unrestrained human spirit? Here we come up against the mystery of what it means that humans were created in the image of God. The essence of what this is, is beyond the ability of humans to duplicate or manipulate.
The Church Father Athanasius describes the incarnation of God’s Son with these words, “He took our body, and not only so, but He took it directly from a spotless, stainless virgin, without the agency of human father—a pure body, untainted by intercourse with man. He, the Mighty One, the Artificer of all, Himself prepared this body in the virgin as a temple for Himself, and took it for His very own, as the instrument through which He was known and in which He dwelt.”2 God makes Himself unmistakably known in the person of Jesus.
But now the questions arise, “Why? “And to what end?” Dear friends, it doesn’t matter if we were separated from the birth of Christ by 2 minutes, 2 days, or 2,000 years, the dilemma is the same: what relevance does it have for me? What relevance, of course, aside from the participation in a public holiday and traditional family and religious celebrations. The real consequence of Advent is not found in the innocent social impact or risk-free optional activities. God has broken into our world. He has made an assault on our long-established and deeply entrenched modes of operation and ways of thinking. He has come to destroy so that He can re-create. He comes not as a curious visitor, but as an unparalleled King. He comes to overturn the established order.
Athanasius continues in this manner, “Thus, taking a body like our own, because all our bodies were liable to the corruption of death, He surrendered His body to death instead of all, and offered it to the Father. This He did out of sheer love for us, so that in His death all might die, and the law of death thereby be abolished because, having fulfilled in His body that for which it was appointed, it was thereafter voided of its power for men.”3 In other words, only with a true human body could Christ break the power of sin for our benefit. Yes, He could have stayed at a distance and with a word destroyed the whole fallen creation- He is under no obligation to us- but we would all have been lost. Instead, His death and resurrection bring new life to those needing rescue from sin.
Here is where we are encompassed into the story. We are sinners. All are sinners. O yes, I know the thoughts you’ve had. I have them too. You think that you’re not like that other person; that real sinner. You believe the fallacy that accidents and tragedy only happen to someone else. Your erroneously think that only other people’s sins get them into trouble. You’re not like those people. You go to church. But you are! You are that person too! You are entangled in the web of fallen humanity and you cannot un-entangle yourself. You can remain neither intentionally nor fortuitously beyond the pale of this corrupted existence. Sin permeates everything to the core. Yes, you can and should strive under the power of the Holy Spirit to live according to God’s will. That is your promise of repentance each week. Sin no longer dominates the life of the believer. But wreak hardship and havoc, and accrue guilt it does, every hour of every day.
That means that as a baptized child of God you still stand ever in need of His forgiveness. As a saint living in a state of grace, you nevertheless constantly require Christ’s absolution. Depleted of your energy by the world you need the nourishment of His body and blood again and again. Again, it doesn’t matter if we are separated from the birth of Christ by 2 minutes, 2 years, or 2,000 years, the questions are essentially the same. But so are the consequences. Time is finally irrelevant to the work of Jesus Christ. It’s not so much that He suspends it; He continually violates its limitations. Christ is Immanuel- God with us! Not back then, over there, or sometime, perhaps? God with us here and now. He is not diminished by the passing years or made feeble by the expanse of space.
God is with us. He is among His people. The church holds forth with this message at Advent, Christmas, and always. It never changes. It never becomes irrelevant. It is never impotent. For it is the message about Immanuel described by the apostle today as, “the gospel He promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding His Son, who as to His human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.”4 To Him be all glory in this blessed season! Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Fourth Sunday of Advent
19 December 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Matthew 1:22-23
2 Athanasius, On the Incarnation
3 Same
4 Romans 1:2-4
Text: Matthew 1:18-25
Theme: God and Man
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God speaks and things happen. When appropriate He uses human agency to accomplish His work. At other times He completely circumvents the general laws by which He governs the universe. We call such things miracles. The coming of Jesus involves the vivid intersection of these truths. Divinity and humanity come together in the person of Jesus. That is what happened at Christmas. As God and Man He redeems humanity from sin, death, and Satan’s power. That is the final implication of Christmas.
Mary was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Matthew states the divine miracle quite matter-of-factly. Of course we soon find out that the truth of that claim was not widely believed or accepted. It would be no different today. Christ, the Son of God, the Saviour of the world comes to live among us born of a virgin? There’s little room for fence-sitting here. One can quietly overlook the difficulty; especially for the sake of not upsetting the apple cart during the time of Christmas celebrations. We might give a polite, self-assured wink at the sentiment; but the mind knows it’s up against something here. Faith receives what the intellect cannot fathom.
Our gospel says, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord has said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel’- which means ‘God with us.’”1 Some miracles happen so frequently they are not recognized as such. The conception and birth of a child-though explained by the natural processes of life- show the magnificence of God’s glory. What “natural process” could ever explain the unique personality and characteristics of every human being? What scientific biological theory could ever account for the reality of the human soul? What precise technological advance will ever delineate the intangible and unrestrained human spirit? Here we come up against the mystery of what it means that humans were created in the image of God. The essence of what this is, is beyond the ability of humans to duplicate or manipulate.
The Church Father Athanasius describes the incarnation of God’s Son with these words, “He took our body, and not only so, but He took it directly from a spotless, stainless virgin, without the agency of human father—a pure body, untainted by intercourse with man. He, the Mighty One, the Artificer of all, Himself prepared this body in the virgin as a temple for Himself, and took it for His very own, as the instrument through which He was known and in which He dwelt.”2 God makes Himself unmistakably known in the person of Jesus.
But now the questions arise, “Why? “And to what end?” Dear friends, it doesn’t matter if we were separated from the birth of Christ by 2 minutes, 2 days, or 2,000 years, the dilemma is the same: what relevance does it have for me? What relevance, of course, aside from the participation in a public holiday and traditional family and religious celebrations. The real consequence of Advent is not found in the innocent social impact or risk-free optional activities. God has broken into our world. He has made an assault on our long-established and deeply entrenched modes of operation and ways of thinking. He has come to destroy so that He can re-create. He comes not as a curious visitor, but as an unparalleled King. He comes to overturn the established order.
Athanasius continues in this manner, “Thus, taking a body like our own, because all our bodies were liable to the corruption of death, He surrendered His body to death instead of all, and offered it to the Father. This He did out of sheer love for us, so that in His death all might die, and the law of death thereby be abolished because, having fulfilled in His body that for which it was appointed, it was thereafter voided of its power for men.”3 In other words, only with a true human body could Christ break the power of sin for our benefit. Yes, He could have stayed at a distance and with a word destroyed the whole fallen creation- He is under no obligation to us- but we would all have been lost. Instead, His death and resurrection bring new life to those needing rescue from sin.
Here is where we are encompassed into the story. We are sinners. All are sinners. O yes, I know the thoughts you’ve had. I have them too. You think that you’re not like that other person; that real sinner. You believe the fallacy that accidents and tragedy only happen to someone else. Your erroneously think that only other people’s sins get them into trouble. You’re not like those people. You go to church. But you are! You are that person too! You are entangled in the web of fallen humanity and you cannot un-entangle yourself. You can remain neither intentionally nor fortuitously beyond the pale of this corrupted existence. Sin permeates everything to the core. Yes, you can and should strive under the power of the Holy Spirit to live according to God’s will. That is your promise of repentance each week. Sin no longer dominates the life of the believer. But wreak hardship and havoc, and accrue guilt it does, every hour of every day.
That means that as a baptized child of God you still stand ever in need of His forgiveness. As a saint living in a state of grace, you nevertheless constantly require Christ’s absolution. Depleted of your energy by the world you need the nourishment of His body and blood again and again. Again, it doesn’t matter if we are separated from the birth of Christ by 2 minutes, 2 years, or 2,000 years, the questions are essentially the same. But so are the consequences. Time is finally irrelevant to the work of Jesus Christ. It’s not so much that He suspends it; He continually violates its limitations. Christ is Immanuel- God with us! Not back then, over there, or sometime, perhaps? God with us here and now. He is not diminished by the passing years or made feeble by the expanse of space.
God is with us. He is among His people. The church holds forth with this message at Advent, Christmas, and always. It never changes. It never becomes irrelevant. It is never impotent. For it is the message about Immanuel described by the apostle today as, “the gospel He promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding His Son, who as to His human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.”4 To Him be all glory in this blessed season! Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Fourth Sunday of Advent
19 December 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Matthew 1:22-23
2 Athanasius, On the Incarnation
3 Same
4 Romans 1:2-4
Monday, December 13, 2010
Third Sunday of Advent- A 2010
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Matthew 11:2-11
Theme: The Example of John
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God is patient with us in our frailty. And we should think here firstly not of frailty of mind or body, but of spirit. Jesus Christ was born into human flesh so that our flesh, our sinful nature, would not totally overcome and destroy any hope that our souls could live. Jesus, who was spirit, assumed a body and lives in that body, so that we with mortal bodies might be gifted with His immortality. Advent and Christmas are about these truths.
Our Advent gospel today relates to us the situation of John the Baptist- the voice of the one who calls to repentance. We find Him in prison. His end was near. Have you ever considered why Jesus didn’t rescue John from being beheaded by Herod? This Messiah who calmed the sea, healed the sick, passed through the crowd and even raised the dead, how simple of a thing to free John the Baptist from prison. His own cousin was unjustly cut down by the arrogant and ruthless ruler. Jesus could have prevented it. After all, He raised His good friend Lazarus. But it was not part of the divine plan.
The situation with John was different. His case was a preview of martyrdom. His was a unique place in the history of Christianity. He did not have to wait as long as some for his heavenly reward. He was zealous and passionate, but there was no thought for personal safety or worldly indulgences. John had no interest in the satisfactions and glories associated with the common pursuits of humanity. He didn’t seek to leave an inheritance to his descendants, bolster his standing in the community, or while away his days occupied in hobbies. His single endeavor was to prepare people for the coming of the Messiah. In this regard he was uncompromising.
John the Baptist could have relented in relation to calling Herod to repentance. He could have thought to save his own skin first and justified it as an opportunity to go on with his ministry. But he wouldn’t “keep his options open” for selfish reasons. In this regard He is an example of true sacrifice and an encouragement to us. The sinner in us tends to want to negotiate for our own self gain. Consider the incident with Caesar Augustus. After his victory over Antony at Actium, Caesar came back to Rome in triumph. Among the huge crowd who greeted him was a man who had a bird that he had taught to say, "Hail, Caesar victorious!" Caesar was impressed and bought the bird for a large sum. Then someone got Caesar aside and whispered to him that the man had another bird that was just as talented. The man was summoned and Caesar asked for a demonstration of what the other bird could do. The man declined, but Caesar insisted. When the bird was produced it said, "Hail, Antony victorious!"
God will not be impressed with our efforts to hedge our spiritual bets. We cannot deceive Him. He reads the heart. The penitent soul knows this and that is why the church added the words of Psalm 51 to the liturgy, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.”1 We continue to entreat the Lord to do what we can never and could never do for ourselves: purify our hearts. He does not fail us. He freely and fully forgives our sins. Christ didn’t suffer humiliation, shame, and death because you were able to rectify your own sins. He didn’t conquer death and rise from the grave because there was another way for you to gain eternal life. Your baptism stands as a testimony to God’s initiative to rescue you from certain calamity. Satan is restrained and hell barred in your life because He did these things for you.
Despite his fortitude, John the Baptist was still prone to the temptations and struggles of the sinful nature. Prison was tough. John had no direct contact with Jesus and so had to rely on second-hand reports. John perhaps wondered why Jesus wasn’t more heavy- handed in judgment. So he sent his own disciples to enquire of Jesus’ activities. “Jesus replied, ‘Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.’”2
Perhaps, you feel like God has left you in the lurch; in your own dark prison like John. Perhaps the hope Advent and the expectation of Christmas is more of a burden for you than a time of peace and celebration. Your Saviour knows just the right time. Remember our epistle today, “Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.”3 Do you think it is only coincidence that this passage is appointed for the Third Sunday of Advent? Whether farmers here are waiting patiently or not we’ll let God be the judge. The bigger picture of course involves the kingdom of Christ and His spiritual harvest. It is an ongoing harvest that will one day come to a dramatic finish.
In the Lord’s Prayer we petition God for His kingdom to come. And though we may typically pass right over the meaning because of our familiarity with it, it’s likely that when most people reflect on it they think of the time Christ will return to end the world. Advent bids us to be prepared for this coming event. But if we’re not careful here we can draw the wrong conclusions about how God works now. You see, we don’t sort of wait in limbo- scurrying about with our affairs while glancing suspiciously out of the corner of one eye for signs God might be preparing to visit.
Consider how Luther teaches about this petition in the catechism. “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.”4 It’s sort of a different way to think of the coming of God’s kingdom. Normally we’d think of Jesus’ glorious return with angels and the end times events that will precede it. Indeed, that is how it will be. But God’s kingdom also comes in the here and now. It comes whenever and wherever the Holy Spirit creates and nurtures faith in the human heart. It comes whenever the words of absolution cheer your soul. It comes whenever you receive his sacred body and holy blood. For the individual believer these things are far more important than when Christ will come again. May the God of strength fill you with the single-mindedness of John and the hope and expectation of Advent. Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Third Sunday of Advent
12 December 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 LHS, p.13
2 Matthew 11:4
3 James 5:7-8
4 Luther’s Small Catechism
Text: Matthew 11:2-11
Theme: The Example of John
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God is patient with us in our frailty. And we should think here firstly not of frailty of mind or body, but of spirit. Jesus Christ was born into human flesh so that our flesh, our sinful nature, would not totally overcome and destroy any hope that our souls could live. Jesus, who was spirit, assumed a body and lives in that body, so that we with mortal bodies might be gifted with His immortality. Advent and Christmas are about these truths.
Our Advent gospel today relates to us the situation of John the Baptist- the voice of the one who calls to repentance. We find Him in prison. His end was near. Have you ever considered why Jesus didn’t rescue John from being beheaded by Herod? This Messiah who calmed the sea, healed the sick, passed through the crowd and even raised the dead, how simple of a thing to free John the Baptist from prison. His own cousin was unjustly cut down by the arrogant and ruthless ruler. Jesus could have prevented it. After all, He raised His good friend Lazarus. But it was not part of the divine plan.
The situation with John was different. His case was a preview of martyrdom. His was a unique place in the history of Christianity. He did not have to wait as long as some for his heavenly reward. He was zealous and passionate, but there was no thought for personal safety or worldly indulgences. John had no interest in the satisfactions and glories associated with the common pursuits of humanity. He didn’t seek to leave an inheritance to his descendants, bolster his standing in the community, or while away his days occupied in hobbies. His single endeavor was to prepare people for the coming of the Messiah. In this regard he was uncompromising.
John the Baptist could have relented in relation to calling Herod to repentance. He could have thought to save his own skin first and justified it as an opportunity to go on with his ministry. But he wouldn’t “keep his options open” for selfish reasons. In this regard He is an example of true sacrifice and an encouragement to us. The sinner in us tends to want to negotiate for our own self gain. Consider the incident with Caesar Augustus. After his victory over Antony at Actium, Caesar came back to Rome in triumph. Among the huge crowd who greeted him was a man who had a bird that he had taught to say, "Hail, Caesar victorious!" Caesar was impressed and bought the bird for a large sum. Then someone got Caesar aside and whispered to him that the man had another bird that was just as talented. The man was summoned and Caesar asked for a demonstration of what the other bird could do. The man declined, but Caesar insisted. When the bird was produced it said, "Hail, Antony victorious!"
God will not be impressed with our efforts to hedge our spiritual bets. We cannot deceive Him. He reads the heart. The penitent soul knows this and that is why the church added the words of Psalm 51 to the liturgy, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.”1 We continue to entreat the Lord to do what we can never and could never do for ourselves: purify our hearts. He does not fail us. He freely and fully forgives our sins. Christ didn’t suffer humiliation, shame, and death because you were able to rectify your own sins. He didn’t conquer death and rise from the grave because there was another way for you to gain eternal life. Your baptism stands as a testimony to God’s initiative to rescue you from certain calamity. Satan is restrained and hell barred in your life because He did these things for you.
Despite his fortitude, John the Baptist was still prone to the temptations and struggles of the sinful nature. Prison was tough. John had no direct contact with Jesus and so had to rely on second-hand reports. John perhaps wondered why Jesus wasn’t more heavy- handed in judgment. So he sent his own disciples to enquire of Jesus’ activities. “Jesus replied, ‘Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.’”2
Perhaps, you feel like God has left you in the lurch; in your own dark prison like John. Perhaps the hope Advent and the expectation of Christmas is more of a burden for you than a time of peace and celebration. Your Saviour knows just the right time. Remember our epistle today, “Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.”3 Do you think it is only coincidence that this passage is appointed for the Third Sunday of Advent? Whether farmers here are waiting patiently or not we’ll let God be the judge. The bigger picture of course involves the kingdom of Christ and His spiritual harvest. It is an ongoing harvest that will one day come to a dramatic finish.
In the Lord’s Prayer we petition God for His kingdom to come. And though we may typically pass right over the meaning because of our familiarity with it, it’s likely that when most people reflect on it they think of the time Christ will return to end the world. Advent bids us to be prepared for this coming event. But if we’re not careful here we can draw the wrong conclusions about how God works now. You see, we don’t sort of wait in limbo- scurrying about with our affairs while glancing suspiciously out of the corner of one eye for signs God might be preparing to visit.
Consider how Luther teaches about this petition in the catechism. “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.”4 It’s sort of a different way to think of the coming of God’s kingdom. Normally we’d think of Jesus’ glorious return with angels and the end times events that will precede it. Indeed, that is how it will be. But God’s kingdom also comes in the here and now. It comes whenever and wherever the Holy Spirit creates and nurtures faith in the human heart. It comes whenever the words of absolution cheer your soul. It comes whenever you receive his sacred body and holy blood. For the individual believer these things are far more important than when Christ will come again. May the God of strength fill you with the single-mindedness of John and the hope and expectation of Advent. Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Third Sunday of Advent
12 December 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 LHS, p.13
2 Matthew 11:4
3 James 5:7-8
4 Luther’s Small Catechism
Address to Catechumens, Dec 12, 2010
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Hebrews 13:5
Theme: God Will Never Leave You
Dear candidates for confirmation; Ben, Joel, Shannon, and Levi,
The marvelous thing about Christianity is that even when we fail, God forgives; even when we mess up, God gets it right. He makes things right through Jesus. And he does it for eternity. That’s what the Bible calls grace. Your whole Christian life is about living in and understanding this grace.
It is unlikely that any of you remember your baptism because you were all baptized as infants. It’s unlikely that any of you remember being born either. You were also born as infants. But not remembering being born doesn’t change who you are. You have a birth certificate, it has your name on it and it tells you who you belong to. It says who your parents are. You didn’t decide to be born. God gave you parents and He gave you to them.
As an infant you didn’t decide to be baptized either. God gave you new life when the Holy Spirit gave you the gift of faith and made you part of the family of the true God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But you did decide- or at least agree in some sense- to prepare to make a public confession of your faith on this day. You came each week to study the Bible and the catechism to grow in your knowledge of God’s Word and faith. In other words, your presence here shows that you think it is important to identify yourself with the Christian faith. It’s nothing to take lightly. You are soon to make a promise; a public promise to remain true to God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and the teachings of the Bible as you have learned them through Luther’s Small Catechism.
Now maybe the time has been, or will come when you are struggling at school, with friends, or at home. Maybe others have ridiculed you for your faith- these challenges won’t go away as you get older. You may wonder about the purpose or meaning of your life and how things will all work out. But you have a God that can do more than you could ever imagine. And God says, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”1 Christ died for your sins.
Today is only one day in your Christian journey. It’s an important day, but only one day. And if I, or the church has given you or your family the impression that everything is now done and dusted, that we’ve crossed all the i’s and dotted all the t’s, if you see this a hoop you’ve now successfully jumped through, then I have failed you. This is just one step along the way. It’s not a coincidence that Christianity was first called “The Way.” The way is Jesus every day of every week of every year.
When you make your promise today you will be invited to take greater responsibility and have greater privileges in the life of the church. It begins today with receiving the sacrament of Holy Communion. I encourage you to be in God’s house to receive it regularly, seriously, and cheerfully. I encourage you to live joyfully the life of faith the Holy Spirit has given you. And may God bless you from this day forward as you journey with Him to the time and place you will meet the Saviour face to face. Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Third Sunday of Advent
Confirmation Sunday
12 December 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Hebrews 13:5
Text: Hebrews 13:5
Theme: God Will Never Leave You
Dear candidates for confirmation; Ben, Joel, Shannon, and Levi,
The marvelous thing about Christianity is that even when we fail, God forgives; even when we mess up, God gets it right. He makes things right through Jesus. And he does it for eternity. That’s what the Bible calls grace. Your whole Christian life is about living in and understanding this grace.
It is unlikely that any of you remember your baptism because you were all baptized as infants. It’s unlikely that any of you remember being born either. You were also born as infants. But not remembering being born doesn’t change who you are. You have a birth certificate, it has your name on it and it tells you who you belong to. It says who your parents are. You didn’t decide to be born. God gave you parents and He gave you to them.
As an infant you didn’t decide to be baptized either. God gave you new life when the Holy Spirit gave you the gift of faith and made you part of the family of the true God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But you did decide- or at least agree in some sense- to prepare to make a public confession of your faith on this day. You came each week to study the Bible and the catechism to grow in your knowledge of God’s Word and faith. In other words, your presence here shows that you think it is important to identify yourself with the Christian faith. It’s nothing to take lightly. You are soon to make a promise; a public promise to remain true to God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and the teachings of the Bible as you have learned them through Luther’s Small Catechism.
Now maybe the time has been, or will come when you are struggling at school, with friends, or at home. Maybe others have ridiculed you for your faith- these challenges won’t go away as you get older. You may wonder about the purpose or meaning of your life and how things will all work out. But you have a God that can do more than you could ever imagine. And God says, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”1 Christ died for your sins.
Today is only one day in your Christian journey. It’s an important day, but only one day. And if I, or the church has given you or your family the impression that everything is now done and dusted, that we’ve crossed all the i’s and dotted all the t’s, if you see this a hoop you’ve now successfully jumped through, then I have failed you. This is just one step along the way. It’s not a coincidence that Christianity was first called “The Way.” The way is Jesus every day of every week of every year.
When you make your promise today you will be invited to take greater responsibility and have greater privileges in the life of the church. It begins today with receiving the sacrament of Holy Communion. I encourage you to be in God’s house to receive it regularly, seriously, and cheerfully. I encourage you to live joyfully the life of faith the Holy Spirit has given you. And may God bless you from this day forward as you journey with Him to the time and place you will meet the Saviour face to face. Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Third Sunday of Advent
Confirmation Sunday
12 December 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Hebrews 13:5
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Second Sunday of Advent-A 2010
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Matthew 3:1-12
Theme: John’s Timeless Message
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
It doesn’t matter what the time or circumstance- promising harvest, difficult conditions, or uncertain outcomes- Advent comes. Advent comes and John the Baptist announces it. John appears as an eccentric and rugged figure. His diet and dress are unusual. Might we not still have a few locusts left to share with him! He was an undaunted and unwieldy character. And would he be viewed today as anything but a radical or misfit? The powers of the time soon had him beheaded. But he preached with power, and he preached the truth. People came to him. How seldom today do people rush to the preaching of biblical truth! The modern secular mind has little use for such obsolete piety. Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit draws and faith is kindled. The Word wiggles its way into confused hearts and navigates into skeptical minds. Seeds are planted and some take root.
John the Baptist comes announcing important news. It’s not the news of the day or even the news of the century. It is the news that will define human history. More than that, it is the news of the activity of God which determines eternity. He preaches a baptism of repentance. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”1 John comes to shake us out of our spiritual slumbers. He comes to challenge our self-righteousness, to engage us in assessing our outlook on life.
John comes with pointed and unequivocal words. He comes to convict. The preaching of the law can happen overtly, as when we are called into account for our sins: You shall not give false testimony; you shall not steal; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not covet, etc. Even wayward thoughts and intentions condemn us. Our unrighteousness is exposed, if not openly before others, certainly in our conscience before God. It’s no secret the Holy Spirit intends to use God’s law to drive us to repentance. Ultimately He wants people to see that apart from Christ they are idolaters. That’s exactly what John the Baptist was doing today.
But the preaching of the law can also happen with subtlety. It can even mask itself as a “positive” motivation towards piety. This happens easily and frequently when were are given the impression that if only we strive harder to act as Christians, then we will be more certain of God’s love. If our obedience increases, then we can be sure of God’s forgiveness. It’s even a common misunderstanding that the essence of Christianity is the message that Jesus shows us how to live a more morally upright life. The Bible says, “Love your neighbour as yourself,”2 and Jesus inspires us to do that. Yes, indeed, but not one person has, or ever will. Whenever we get the sense that we’re not living up to the standards and expectations that God would like, that is the work of the law, not the gospel. And alone it leads to a spiritual dead end. “The mere preaching of the law without Christ either produces presumptuous people, who believe that they can fulfill the law by external works, or drives man utterly to despair.”3
But what the law is powerless to accomplish in us the gospel graciously bestows. We need have no uncertainty about whether we can achieve or maintain God’s favour. Christ went to the cross, voluntarily, willingly; with great determination and under great duress. There He was sacrificed for the sins of the world. The child of Bethlehem could not remain in the manger as an object of adoration. He did not remain secluded in Nazareth as the hopes of the ages failed. Those who admired Him in the manger had yet to look upon the horrifying spectacle of the cross. The forgiveness He offers is complete, free, and unconditional.
The work of the gospel is never relegated to the past event of Jesus’ death on the cross. Anytime we are given the impression that God’s work is done and now it’s up to us to finish what God has started, then we’re being misled. You are baptized not into the Jesus who once walked the earth but now is gone; or the Jesus who you only hope will come; you are baptized into the crucified and living Saviour. He is the Advent Redeemer coming to you in forgiveness proclaimed into your ears and sacred food and drink placed on your lips. He comes and meets you in your darkness. He greets you in your loneliness. He cheers you in your sorrow. He comforts you in your uncertainty. And He works to dislodge the faulty foundations upon which your life is built. The strengthening and deepening of your faith involves a greater understanding of your dependence on God’s mercy.
Advent teaches us to not get ahead of ourselves; to not put our own plans, or even accomplishments before those of God. During the 1978 fireman's strike in England, the British army took over emergency firefighting. On January 14 they were called out by an elderly lady in South London to retrieve her cat. They arrived with impressive haste, very cleverly and carefully rescued the cat, and started to drive away. But the lady was so grateful she invited the squad of heroes in for tea. Driving off later with fond farewells and warm waving of arms, they ran over the cat and killed it. Self-satisfaction can be a powerful and dangerous distraction. Let us not be so absorbed in congratulating ourselves for our piety or our worldly accomplishments that we destroy not only our own humility, but the very work of God we are to be about. But let us have courage, confidence, and hope that our “labour in the Lord is not in vain.”4
Advent is not only about the coming of Jesus in glory, but Jesus as the “Coming One.” He breaches time and space to redeem fallen creation. He gives us immediate access to His grace and forgiveness. In Advent we are reminded that God will finish what He begins. From cradle to grave, from faith’s creation to its completion at death, God is the author and finisher5. We confess as Luther did, “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.”6
“May the God hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”7 Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Second Sunday of Advent
5 December 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Matthew 3:2
2 Matthew 19:19
3 Tappert, SD 559, 9
4 1 Corinthians 15:58
5 See Hebrews 12:2
6 Luther’s Small Catechism
7 Romans 15:13
Text: Matthew 3:1-12
Theme: John’s Timeless Message
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
It doesn’t matter what the time or circumstance- promising harvest, difficult conditions, or uncertain outcomes- Advent comes. Advent comes and John the Baptist announces it. John appears as an eccentric and rugged figure. His diet and dress are unusual. Might we not still have a few locusts left to share with him! He was an undaunted and unwieldy character. And would he be viewed today as anything but a radical or misfit? The powers of the time soon had him beheaded. But he preached with power, and he preached the truth. People came to him. How seldom today do people rush to the preaching of biblical truth! The modern secular mind has little use for such obsolete piety. Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit draws and faith is kindled. The Word wiggles its way into confused hearts and navigates into skeptical minds. Seeds are planted and some take root.
John the Baptist comes announcing important news. It’s not the news of the day or even the news of the century. It is the news that will define human history. More than that, it is the news of the activity of God which determines eternity. He preaches a baptism of repentance. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”1 John comes to shake us out of our spiritual slumbers. He comes to challenge our self-righteousness, to engage us in assessing our outlook on life.
John comes with pointed and unequivocal words. He comes to convict. The preaching of the law can happen overtly, as when we are called into account for our sins: You shall not give false testimony; you shall not steal; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not covet, etc. Even wayward thoughts and intentions condemn us. Our unrighteousness is exposed, if not openly before others, certainly in our conscience before God. It’s no secret the Holy Spirit intends to use God’s law to drive us to repentance. Ultimately He wants people to see that apart from Christ they are idolaters. That’s exactly what John the Baptist was doing today.
But the preaching of the law can also happen with subtlety. It can even mask itself as a “positive” motivation towards piety. This happens easily and frequently when were are given the impression that if only we strive harder to act as Christians, then we will be more certain of God’s love. If our obedience increases, then we can be sure of God’s forgiveness. It’s even a common misunderstanding that the essence of Christianity is the message that Jesus shows us how to live a more morally upright life. The Bible says, “Love your neighbour as yourself,”2 and Jesus inspires us to do that. Yes, indeed, but not one person has, or ever will. Whenever we get the sense that we’re not living up to the standards and expectations that God would like, that is the work of the law, not the gospel. And alone it leads to a spiritual dead end. “The mere preaching of the law without Christ either produces presumptuous people, who believe that they can fulfill the law by external works, or drives man utterly to despair.”3
But what the law is powerless to accomplish in us the gospel graciously bestows. We need have no uncertainty about whether we can achieve or maintain God’s favour. Christ went to the cross, voluntarily, willingly; with great determination and under great duress. There He was sacrificed for the sins of the world. The child of Bethlehem could not remain in the manger as an object of adoration. He did not remain secluded in Nazareth as the hopes of the ages failed. Those who admired Him in the manger had yet to look upon the horrifying spectacle of the cross. The forgiveness He offers is complete, free, and unconditional.
The work of the gospel is never relegated to the past event of Jesus’ death on the cross. Anytime we are given the impression that God’s work is done and now it’s up to us to finish what God has started, then we’re being misled. You are baptized not into the Jesus who once walked the earth but now is gone; or the Jesus who you only hope will come; you are baptized into the crucified and living Saviour. He is the Advent Redeemer coming to you in forgiveness proclaimed into your ears and sacred food and drink placed on your lips. He comes and meets you in your darkness. He greets you in your loneliness. He cheers you in your sorrow. He comforts you in your uncertainty. And He works to dislodge the faulty foundations upon which your life is built. The strengthening and deepening of your faith involves a greater understanding of your dependence on God’s mercy.
Advent teaches us to not get ahead of ourselves; to not put our own plans, or even accomplishments before those of God. During the 1978 fireman's strike in England, the British army took over emergency firefighting. On January 14 they were called out by an elderly lady in South London to retrieve her cat. They arrived with impressive haste, very cleverly and carefully rescued the cat, and started to drive away. But the lady was so grateful she invited the squad of heroes in for tea. Driving off later with fond farewells and warm waving of arms, they ran over the cat and killed it. Self-satisfaction can be a powerful and dangerous distraction. Let us not be so absorbed in congratulating ourselves for our piety or our worldly accomplishments that we destroy not only our own humility, but the very work of God we are to be about. But let us have courage, confidence, and hope that our “labour in the Lord is not in vain.”4
Advent is not only about the coming of Jesus in glory, but Jesus as the “Coming One.” He breaches time and space to redeem fallen creation. He gives us immediate access to His grace and forgiveness. In Advent we are reminded that God will finish what He begins. From cradle to grave, from faith’s creation to its completion at death, God is the author and finisher5. We confess as Luther did, “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.”6
“May the God hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”7 Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Second Sunday of Advent
5 December 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Matthew 3:2
2 Matthew 19:19
3 Tappert, SD 559, 9
4 1 Corinthians 15:58
5 See Hebrews 12:2
6 Luther’s Small Catechism
7 Romans 15:13
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