+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 3:1-6
Theme: Advent Perspectives
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Perspectives matter. Your point-of-reference is often vital information. It makes a big difference whether you witnessed the car wreck from the street corner or you were in the car that crashed. Spiritual perspectives are important too. Sometimes it’s good to ponder the grand questions. Is God in heaven or is heaven in God? Did Christ come from heaven or does heaven accompany Him? Is the Spirit among us or does He dwell within us? The answer is not always either/or, but a matter of perspective.
Advent intends to focus our perspective. What is our status before God? What things do we value? How do we prioritize our lives? John the Baptist is a key figure of advent. A cousin of Jesus He was chosen to be the herald of a new era. Sent not to the temple but to the wilderness His prophetic ministry was a call to remembrance for the Jews who held in their collective consciousness the desert wanderings of the exodus. It was also an embodiment of the Christian’s call to bear the cross in a world that is often akin to a spiritual desert. John was gifted with an eternal perspective.
John’s mission had been foretold long before. We heard Malachi give the abrupt decree earlier, “See, I will send My messenger, who will prepare the way before Me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to His temple…But who can endure the day of His coming? Who can stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiner’s fire.”1
A universal message, the Holy Spirit intends that every human being face head-on the coming day of reckoning. Neither the cleverest, nor the most proud, nor the most elusive will be able to escape that cosmic event.
No wonder repentance is a key theme of advent. From that perspective what could be more immediately relevant than one’s status before God? What value could be placed on acquiring the righteousness of Christ? Are believers who are counted as being righteous for Christ’s sake also made righteous by His dwelling within us? Is there not some sense in which God’s perspective is not yet our reality? Yes, this is wrapped up in the mystery of Christ’s presence and work. The Christian is truly reconciled, forgiven, righteous, sinless, holy, and saintly in God’s eyes. God promises to assess us through the cross. Yet on this side of the resurrection we are still utterly sinful, corrupt, and immoral in and of ourselves. This is the paradox of our existence. A paradox which we learn to cherish but one which also drives us to our knees.
Our righteous status before God is not just imaginary because we are still sinners. The believer is crucified with Christ in baptism. The Holy Spirit orchestrates a very real conversion; granting faith where there was unbelief and humility where there was only selfishness. The Bible says, “He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves.”2 Here the apostle speaks not of theoretical possibilities but of accomplished facts. Our rescue is a reality founded on Christ’s sacrificial work.
As Luke notes in his description of the ministry of John the Baptist, this reality of salvation has very tangible, transformative effects on believers’ lives. The Holy Spirit germinates faith and it immediately begins to grow. It happens through the divine power of the Word. Remember Paul’s petition today. He says, “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ.”3 The apostle prays the Philippians’ love may abound in knowledge and depth of insight. He wants them to mature in their Christianity.
Our faith expands and deepens as we face temptations, challenges, doubts, and fears, and turn again and again to His promises. Our faith grows in the soil of adversity. This applies to our repentance too. Sorrow for sins is not only a guttural reaction to being ‘caught out’, shamed, or convicted; it involves a maturing realization that despite our best efforts we are in desperate need of God’s grace at all times. We never grow out of the need to repent. We rather grow into it as our faith matures. We see that the way of the cross is the only road to God. We learn that Christian wisdom is not cherished by the world except where it provides some temporal benefit.
Perspectives matter. Our view from inside the church is different than someone on the outside. We may be content with our knowledge and living of the faith but how does it come across to those on the outside? Do we appear to them as apathetic or unknowledgeable? Can we reason through complex issues from a Christian viewpoint? Can we articulate clearly? Just because we know the fundamentals doesn’t mean we should stop learning. Like learning the piano we can’t play the tune unless we learn the notes and we certainly can’t improvise or compose.
Of course, some have the gift of being able to play by ear. They don’t read the notes at all. There is an analogy here too. We learn the faith by imitation. Others witness to us and we follow their lead. St. Paul said, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me- put it into practice.”4 And again, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”5 Some are better at following than others. But if you can’t read the notes it will do you no good to have a score of music put before you that you have never heard.
Perspectives matter. Standing on the moon gives a different perspective of earth. Only a few have witnessed it. Hanging from the cross Christ had a unique perspective of the world. His perspective was unique because He hung there as a sinless man surveying an utterly sinful humanity. He hung there as the Son of God on behalf of the children of God and unbelievers too. He was suspended between earth and heaven to make a new and living way into the presence of the Father. His is the way of dynamic and unconditional love. We participate in His love every time we receive His body and blood. Soon we will bow our hearts before the infant in the manager. As well we should. But let us rejoice in the divine perspective: He points us forward to the mature Christ reigning in eternity. Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Second Sunday of Advent
9 December 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Malachi 3:1-2
2 Colossians 1:13
3 Philippians 1:9-10
4 Philippians 4:9
5 1 Corinthians 11:1
Monday, December 10, 2012
Monday, December 3, 2012
First Sunday of Advent (C) 2012
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 21:25-28
Theme: Storm before the Calm
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Relief is on the way. And though we do not know exactly when it will arrive Advent reminds us to be watchful. Advent intends to foster in the believer a healthy sense of the expectation of the return of Christ. Today is the First Sunday of Advent. It is the beginning of the Church Year. Advent means ‘coming’. During this short season we continue to focus on the promised return of Christ who comes to judge and redeem.
Advent is a season for preparation. An excellent time to do a spiritual inventory, it calls us to repentance and humility. Caught between the pull of worldly indulgences and the tug of God’s word advent brings the full gravity of Christ’s incarnation to bear. He who came in the humility of human flesh will return in glory to fully abolish all the consequences of sin in our lives. Think of the implications: All the influences of sin will be resolved. No sickness, no penalty, no pain, no death. There will be no more worry, no more anxiety, no more fear.
All these troubles we must live with in the here and now because of the fractured relationship between God and humanity. A fault line that runs right back to the Garden of Eden, it opens up over the very pit of hell when sin reaches its maturity. Of course as opportunists we’d like to claim we are only victims of Adam’s fall or society’s unfairness. But we have our own guilt to bear. The law condemns us unconditionally, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”1 Advent is always a call to repentance. We will face the judge. Remember how our Scripture today describes the distress of the end, “Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world.”2
Advent is also a reminder of how easily we take for granted God’s mercies every day. We tend to treat Him as an optional Deity: credit Him when we are happy, blame Him when we are not. Question Him when we are hurting. But do you think that in the most challenging trials of your life God is not present? Do you think He is otherwise occupied or indifferent? That is exactly what Satan would like you to think. How could God allow it? Or, how could He not? We can’t have it both ways. Can we fail to credit God for good and yet still blame Him for hardship? Can we complain when we are hurting and not thank Him when we are blessed? Job rebuked his wife saying, “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”3
Doubters will sit back and say they have no use for God in their lives. Faith is too restrictive or too irrational. They have seen too much suffering. They have witnessed too much hypocrisy on the part of His supposed followers. They may be hot with anger or numb with heartache. They’ll take their chances- they say. Advent announces the odds are not in their favour. God’s judgment is not a mathematical probability. It’s not like forecasting the weather. But even if such a mindset is granted the downside risk is immeasurable. Who will risk meeting the Almighty face to face in bold defiance? Who will challenge His authority to judge?
Yet we should not write-off conversations with the naysayers as being of no use to us. Theirs is the kind of skepticism, (and even resentment), that can help with clarification. In the end we either stand on the premise that God in Christ is peerless, or we are involved in the saddest kind of deception, intentional or not. Either He is to be revered or worshipped or we are found to be idolaters. Either this Christ has come, did die for sins, and was seen after His resurrection, or we have a remarkable record of false witnesses to account for. Either our faith will grow in humility and respect expressed in genuine concern for others, or we are just glossing our words and actions with pious overtones in order to appear more sympathetic or sanctimonious than others.
Yes, there are still vexing questions. Why does God work as He does? We are not privy to the details. One person is healed while another is taken. One family experiences tragedy while another lives carefree. One person suffers loss while another prospers. All this makes God appear unpredictable, almost fickle. How can He avoid the verdict of favoritism! Logic cannot answer these mysteries and only faith can endure them. Sometimes God loves the individual at what appears to be the expense of the greater community. Other times the individual seems to suffer on behalf of the common good.
Dear friends, we have confidence at the coming of the Lord because our ransom price has already been paid. The events of Christ’s life are not the stuff of fictional legend. He was lifted up on the cross; His blood shed for you and for me. He rose from the grave to guarantee our resurrections. He gives you the constant blessing of His body and blood. He reminds you that you are His baptized child.
Your baptism is worth more than all the financial security the world has to offer. It is the means by which the reconciliation accomplished by Jesus’ death becomes personally applicable to you. The advent Messiah enters your life at baptism and from that point on accompanies your journey with Him. Never merely a reference point in the past your baptism is like a well that continues to flow with the water of forgiveness. Every Sunday the power of the font is applied to you when your sinful nature is drown in the confession of sins and you are given a new lease on life in the promise of absolution.
His life we share together as we await His coming in glory. The Holy Spirit unites our hearts and teaches us compassion for those who still live in darkness. Note the personal and tender, but also passionate words of St. Paul to the believers, “How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you…May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May He strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all His holy ones.”4
Come, Lord Jesus! Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
First Sunday of Advent
2 December 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Romans 3:23
2 Luke 21:26
3 Job 2:10
4 1 Thessalonians 3:9, 12-13
Text: Luke 21:25-28
Theme: Storm before the Calm
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Relief is on the way. And though we do not know exactly when it will arrive Advent reminds us to be watchful. Advent intends to foster in the believer a healthy sense of the expectation of the return of Christ. Today is the First Sunday of Advent. It is the beginning of the Church Year. Advent means ‘coming’. During this short season we continue to focus on the promised return of Christ who comes to judge and redeem.
Advent is a season for preparation. An excellent time to do a spiritual inventory, it calls us to repentance and humility. Caught between the pull of worldly indulgences and the tug of God’s word advent brings the full gravity of Christ’s incarnation to bear. He who came in the humility of human flesh will return in glory to fully abolish all the consequences of sin in our lives. Think of the implications: All the influences of sin will be resolved. No sickness, no penalty, no pain, no death. There will be no more worry, no more anxiety, no more fear.
All these troubles we must live with in the here and now because of the fractured relationship between God and humanity. A fault line that runs right back to the Garden of Eden, it opens up over the very pit of hell when sin reaches its maturity. Of course as opportunists we’d like to claim we are only victims of Adam’s fall or society’s unfairness. But we have our own guilt to bear. The law condemns us unconditionally, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”1 Advent is always a call to repentance. We will face the judge. Remember how our Scripture today describes the distress of the end, “Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world.”2
Advent is also a reminder of how easily we take for granted God’s mercies every day. We tend to treat Him as an optional Deity: credit Him when we are happy, blame Him when we are not. Question Him when we are hurting. But do you think that in the most challenging trials of your life God is not present? Do you think He is otherwise occupied or indifferent? That is exactly what Satan would like you to think. How could God allow it? Or, how could He not? We can’t have it both ways. Can we fail to credit God for good and yet still blame Him for hardship? Can we complain when we are hurting and not thank Him when we are blessed? Job rebuked his wife saying, “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”3
Doubters will sit back and say they have no use for God in their lives. Faith is too restrictive or too irrational. They have seen too much suffering. They have witnessed too much hypocrisy on the part of His supposed followers. They may be hot with anger or numb with heartache. They’ll take their chances- they say. Advent announces the odds are not in their favour. God’s judgment is not a mathematical probability. It’s not like forecasting the weather. But even if such a mindset is granted the downside risk is immeasurable. Who will risk meeting the Almighty face to face in bold defiance? Who will challenge His authority to judge?
Yet we should not write-off conversations with the naysayers as being of no use to us. Theirs is the kind of skepticism, (and even resentment), that can help with clarification. In the end we either stand on the premise that God in Christ is peerless, or we are involved in the saddest kind of deception, intentional or not. Either He is to be revered or worshipped or we are found to be idolaters. Either this Christ has come, did die for sins, and was seen after His resurrection, or we have a remarkable record of false witnesses to account for. Either our faith will grow in humility and respect expressed in genuine concern for others, or we are just glossing our words and actions with pious overtones in order to appear more sympathetic or sanctimonious than others.
Yes, there are still vexing questions. Why does God work as He does? We are not privy to the details. One person is healed while another is taken. One family experiences tragedy while another lives carefree. One person suffers loss while another prospers. All this makes God appear unpredictable, almost fickle. How can He avoid the verdict of favoritism! Logic cannot answer these mysteries and only faith can endure them. Sometimes God loves the individual at what appears to be the expense of the greater community. Other times the individual seems to suffer on behalf of the common good.
Dear friends, we have confidence at the coming of the Lord because our ransom price has already been paid. The events of Christ’s life are not the stuff of fictional legend. He was lifted up on the cross; His blood shed for you and for me. He rose from the grave to guarantee our resurrections. He gives you the constant blessing of His body and blood. He reminds you that you are His baptized child.
Your baptism is worth more than all the financial security the world has to offer. It is the means by which the reconciliation accomplished by Jesus’ death becomes personally applicable to you. The advent Messiah enters your life at baptism and from that point on accompanies your journey with Him. Never merely a reference point in the past your baptism is like a well that continues to flow with the water of forgiveness. Every Sunday the power of the font is applied to you when your sinful nature is drown in the confession of sins and you are given a new lease on life in the promise of absolution.
His life we share together as we await His coming in glory. The Holy Spirit unites our hearts and teaches us compassion for those who still live in darkness. Note the personal and tender, but also passionate words of St. Paul to the believers, “How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you…May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May He strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all His holy ones.”4
Come, Lord Jesus! Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
First Sunday of Advent
2 December 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Romans 3:23
2 Luke 21:26
3 Job 2:10
4 1 Thessalonians 3:9, 12-13
Monday, November 26, 2012
Last Sunday of the Church Year (B) 2012
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 5:26-27
Theme: Authority to Raise the Dead
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The conquering of death is the definitive sign of Christ’s authority to judge. He received this authority from His Father in the power of the Holy Spirit. On this Last Sunday of the Church Year our focus turns to Christ’s final judgment, the end of the world, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal life. Christ comes to be our glorious and gracious King. At Christ’s Second Coming all of our hopes reach their fruition and believers receive their heavenly reward.
The end of the world has always been a topic of fascination for certain people. Not only does it lend itself to intrigue and speculation, it also has the capability of stirring unrest, even panic. Some think they are so skilled at reading the signs of the times or deciphering secret messages that they confidently predict the end of the world to the very day. Many well-meaning believers and even entire religious groups have been misled by such claims. These scenarios are nothing new.
The Lord’s teaching on the matter is clear and unequivocal: God alone knows the day when Christ will return. He has determined it. Believers should not be given to conjecture or burdened with speculation. We should not get caught up in unnecessary hype or spin. Yet there is great danger in being apathetic about Christ’s return. We are easily lulled into a sense of indefiniteness about the world’s existence. We experience change. We encounter joys and sorrows. We traverse through phases of prosperity and adversity. We see one generation give way to the next and we may falsely believe the cycle will endlessly continue. Moreover, if there is no sense of the immanence of Christ’s return we may be more likely to downplay the seriousness of sin. We become comfortable with our imperfections and simply “learn to live with them.” A sense of spiritual urgency can turn to lethargy.
Dear friends, if we are to take preparation for Christ’s return seriously we cannot overlook the fact that people often care very little about the forgiveness of sins. We cannot expect secular society to be interested but we must be aware how this attitude rubs off on us too. St. Paul warns, “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’ Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God- I say this to your shame."”1 Genuine repentance and unwavering humility are hardly strong points of many who consider themselves to be Christians today. Perhaps we’re not good at addressing the negative feeling or shame that comes with true confession of sins. Often pride is just too great a mountain to climb.
Jeremiah strikes at the heart of the matter when he poses the question this way, “Why should any living man complain when punished for his sins? Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.”2 To this end we are taught to pray regularly- and especially in view of Christ’s pending return- for the Holy Spirit’s attention to our well-being. When the Scriptures are utilized He promises to be present; especially when absolution is declared and the sacraments are administered.
Of paramount significance in today’s gospel is the power of Jesus to raise the dead. “Just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom He is pleased to give it…for as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself.”3 The resurrection of the dead is central to Christian teaching. So indispensable is this truth that all of Christian dogma falls down like a house of cards without it. The cardinal doctrine of the faith- that the sinner is justified by grace, through faith for Christ’s sake- becomes irrelevant when not validated by the resurrection. Any temporal benefits of Christ’s incarnation and passion would be relegated to the lessons of history. Jesus Christ would then truly be nothing more than a sage, moralist, or revolutionary of a by-gone era.
St. Paul makes the case as emphatically as it can be made in his First Letter to the Corinthians, “If there is no resurrection from the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith…you are still in your sins…but Christ has indeed been raised from the dead.”4 This is not a trivial religious claim. It is not a pious crutch for those desperately clinging to a fool’s hope. Christ was publicly sacrificed for the sins of the world on Calvary. On the third day He appeared to His followers in His resurrected body. He will glory the bodies of the faithful and free them from sin. John refers to this in his address today, “To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood.”5
Even as every Lord’s Day is a gathering of the baptized, so too the Last Day will be a gathering of all God’s people across the ages of time. Adam and Eve, the patriarchs, the apostles, prophets, and martyrs; men, women, and children of all ages, nations, and periods of history including those who still draw breath upon the earth- a countless host- will be assembled before Him. And the wicked too, a great throng allied with Satan and his angels will be summoned from their graves to bow before the Almighty. Then the judgment will commence and eternal separation between the righteous and the wicked will occur.
Though the Second Coming of Christ and the end of the world will be an astounding spectacle, for believers it should come with no surprises. God has been preparing His people all along. There is a long history of deliverance all foreshadowing the final deliverance from death, sin, and hell. So there should be no shock revelations. But Satan will remain subtle to the end.
A New York City businessman once decided to avoid a service charge by replacing the fluorescent light in the office himself. After he had smuggled a new light into his office and put it in place, he decided to get rid of the old tube by throwing it in the garbage bin near his subway stop. That night he got on the subway holding the seven-foot light vertically, with one end resting on the floor of the subway car. As the train became more crowded other passengers took hold of the tube, assuming it was a stanchion. By the time the man reached his stop, he simply removed his hand and exited the car, leaving the other passengers gripping the burnt out fluorescent tube!
Yes, many will be surprised on that Last Day. They will find out they have been holding onto the hollow and dark promises of the world. They will find out the light of their false hopes and dreams has gone out. Their supports will crumble away. But believers will find their journey through the darkness of this existence has ended. The radiant light of the Son of God will shine upon us. Freed from our sins, endless joy and peace will characterize our fellowship with Him. Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Last Sunday of the Church Year
25 November 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 1 Corinthians 15:33-34
2 Lamentations 3:39-40
3 John 5:21, 26
4 1 Corinthians 15:13, 14, 17, 20
5 Revelation 1:5
6 Matthew 6:26-27
7 Lutheran Hymnal #213, stanza 5
8 Isaiah 54:10
Text: John 5:26-27
Theme: Authority to Raise the Dead
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The conquering of death is the definitive sign of Christ’s authority to judge. He received this authority from His Father in the power of the Holy Spirit. On this Last Sunday of the Church Year our focus turns to Christ’s final judgment, the end of the world, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal life. Christ comes to be our glorious and gracious King. At Christ’s Second Coming all of our hopes reach their fruition and believers receive their heavenly reward.
The end of the world has always been a topic of fascination for certain people. Not only does it lend itself to intrigue and speculation, it also has the capability of stirring unrest, even panic. Some think they are so skilled at reading the signs of the times or deciphering secret messages that they confidently predict the end of the world to the very day. Many well-meaning believers and even entire religious groups have been misled by such claims. These scenarios are nothing new.
The Lord’s teaching on the matter is clear and unequivocal: God alone knows the day when Christ will return. He has determined it. Believers should not be given to conjecture or burdened with speculation. We should not get caught up in unnecessary hype or spin. Yet there is great danger in being apathetic about Christ’s return. We are easily lulled into a sense of indefiniteness about the world’s existence. We experience change. We encounter joys and sorrows. We traverse through phases of prosperity and adversity. We see one generation give way to the next and we may falsely believe the cycle will endlessly continue. Moreover, if there is no sense of the immanence of Christ’s return we may be more likely to downplay the seriousness of sin. We become comfortable with our imperfections and simply “learn to live with them.” A sense of spiritual urgency can turn to lethargy.
Dear friends, if we are to take preparation for Christ’s return seriously we cannot overlook the fact that people often care very little about the forgiveness of sins. We cannot expect secular society to be interested but we must be aware how this attitude rubs off on us too. St. Paul warns, “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’ Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God- I say this to your shame."”1 Genuine repentance and unwavering humility are hardly strong points of many who consider themselves to be Christians today. Perhaps we’re not good at addressing the negative feeling or shame that comes with true confession of sins. Often pride is just too great a mountain to climb.
Jeremiah strikes at the heart of the matter when he poses the question this way, “Why should any living man complain when punished for his sins? Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.”2 To this end we are taught to pray regularly- and especially in view of Christ’s pending return- for the Holy Spirit’s attention to our well-being. When the Scriptures are utilized He promises to be present; especially when absolution is declared and the sacraments are administered.
Of paramount significance in today’s gospel is the power of Jesus to raise the dead. “Just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom He is pleased to give it…for as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself.”3 The resurrection of the dead is central to Christian teaching. So indispensable is this truth that all of Christian dogma falls down like a house of cards without it. The cardinal doctrine of the faith- that the sinner is justified by grace, through faith for Christ’s sake- becomes irrelevant when not validated by the resurrection. Any temporal benefits of Christ’s incarnation and passion would be relegated to the lessons of history. Jesus Christ would then truly be nothing more than a sage, moralist, or revolutionary of a by-gone era.
St. Paul makes the case as emphatically as it can be made in his First Letter to the Corinthians, “If there is no resurrection from the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith…you are still in your sins…but Christ has indeed been raised from the dead.”4 This is not a trivial religious claim. It is not a pious crutch for those desperately clinging to a fool’s hope. Christ was publicly sacrificed for the sins of the world on Calvary. On the third day He appeared to His followers in His resurrected body. He will glory the bodies of the faithful and free them from sin. John refers to this in his address today, “To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood.”5
Even as every Lord’s Day is a gathering of the baptized, so too the Last Day will be a gathering of all God’s people across the ages of time. Adam and Eve, the patriarchs, the apostles, prophets, and martyrs; men, women, and children of all ages, nations, and periods of history including those who still draw breath upon the earth- a countless host- will be assembled before Him. And the wicked too, a great throng allied with Satan and his angels will be summoned from their graves to bow before the Almighty. Then the judgment will commence and eternal separation between the righteous and the wicked will occur.
Though the Second Coming of Christ and the end of the world will be an astounding spectacle, for believers it should come with no surprises. God has been preparing His people all along. There is a long history of deliverance all foreshadowing the final deliverance from death, sin, and hell. So there should be no shock revelations. But Satan will remain subtle to the end.
A New York City businessman once decided to avoid a service charge by replacing the fluorescent light in the office himself. After he had smuggled a new light into his office and put it in place, he decided to get rid of the old tube by throwing it in the garbage bin near his subway stop. That night he got on the subway holding the seven-foot light vertically, with one end resting on the floor of the subway car. As the train became more crowded other passengers took hold of the tube, assuming it was a stanchion. By the time the man reached his stop, he simply removed his hand and exited the car, leaving the other passengers gripping the burnt out fluorescent tube!
Yes, many will be surprised on that Last Day. They will find out they have been holding onto the hollow and dark promises of the world. They will find out the light of their false hopes and dreams has gone out. Their supports will crumble away. But believers will find their journey through the darkness of this existence has ended. The radiant light of the Son of God will shine upon us. Freed from our sins, endless joy and peace will characterize our fellowship with Him. Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Last Sunday of the Church Year
25 November 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 1 Corinthians 15:33-34
2 Lamentations 3:39-40
3 John 5:21, 26
4 1 Corinthians 15:13, 14, 17, 20
5 Revelation 1:5
6 Matthew 6:26-27
7 Lutheran Hymnal #213, stanza 5
8 Isaiah 54:10
Monday, November 19, 2012
Twenty-Fifth Sunday After Pentecost (B) 2012
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Mark 13:5-8
Theme: Upheaval to the End
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
People generally hate instability. It may seem obvious to say it. We all know how uneasy we feel when unexpected change has a negative impact on our life. But there is more to peoples’ dislike of uncertainty than convenience, selfishness, or self-preservation. Human beings were created for an orderly existence. We have an innate need for permanence. God is the source of everything that endures. A consequence of sin is the severing of humanity from God as the source of stability and life. This is true not only in a general sense but personally for us in every expression of rebellion against God in our lives. Quite simply, we suffer uncertainty and decay because we have been cut adrift from the God who preserves all things. The repentant person grieves this fact.
During His earthly sojourn Christ was seen as a destabilizer. He Himself said, “I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother…”1 Yet this is a necessary consequence of His work in destroying the power of sin and the rule of Satan. Christ is in the process of reordering things. The major events towards that end have already occurred. In today’s gospel account Jesus begins teaching His disciples about the end times. There will be violence, turmoil, chaos and upheaval up to the very moment Christ returns. Though we pray and strive for peace and stability we can expect no Utopia on this earth. In addition there will continue to be earthquakes, famines and various catastrophes. These things are all symptoms, external evidence, of the struggle of His reordering. Through the eyes of faith we see- and in our hearts we believe- that Christ is instituting His kingdom.
The primary warning Jesus sounds for His disciples today has to do with deception. He is not speaking of the general dishonesty by which people seek to take advantage of one another. He does not have in mind the type of fraud by which people hope to gain riches. He refers specifically to those who make particular claims about being prophets, saviours, and messiahs. The unique role of Jesus Christ will continue to be contested. His indispensable identity as the One who is the “way and the truth and the life”2 will be challenged. More generally, all kinds of false teachings will be proffered both for personal gain and recognition and also out of ignorance and naivety. And some of the most subtle of falsehoods are tendered with the best of intentions.
No wonder we receive this encouragement today, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.”3. Falsehood is often masked in a friendly face. In this way Satan is more effective in his temptations. Our Christian journey involves continual perseverance in the truth of God’s word even when it is unpopular in the world. As the ethics of secular society regarding sexuality and sanctity of life become more godless Christians will increasingly find themselves in the (sometimes unfamiliar) minority. Solidarity with one another is important.
The writer to the Hebrews continues, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”4 Already in the New Testament era some people were forsaking public worship. It was indicative of the waxing and waning of peoples’ devotion that characterizes the church right up to the present day. Many churches in the West currently suffer decline. Maybe this involves a purge necessary for her well-being. We are not made Christians by the labels we give to ourselves. Not everything is true to label. But God’s knowledge is infallible. He reads to heart.
The temple of Jerusalem would be destroyed in 70AD dealing a crushing blow to the identity of the Jewish nation. But the real temple to be concerned with was Jesus’ body. Overcome by death it was ‘rebuilt’ on the third day. Believers now identify with this temple-His body- participating baptismally through His death and resurrection. Now ascended and enthroned He will come again to finish His work. The Scripture describes it this way, “Then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power. For He must reign until He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”5 You see, death is the mature expression of a creation unhitched from its Creator. And that’s exactly what Christ came to rectify. Once sin was atoned for Satan has no basis for accusation and death has only fleeting power.
Dear friends, living our faith does not come naturally. We might say we’re leaving certain things to God, but then scurry around frantically setting contingency plans in motion. Fret and worry gets the better of us. And what does the Shepherd say, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”6 When we are at wits end, when the battle field of life is dark and grey, in the distance we see the faint glow of Easter morning and hear the chorus of angels. The hymn-writer says it beautifully, “And when the fight is fierce, the warfare long, steals on the ear the distant triumph-song, and hearts are brave again, and arms are strong.”7
Christianity is not primarily a moral paradigm. It is the reinstitution of a right relationship between God and sinners through Christ. Our morality follows from the righteous status Christ has bestowed on us by grace. Jesus was put to death on the cross for your sins and mine. He rose on Easter morning triumphing over death. Baptism gives you a permanent identity in His kingdom. The Holy Spirit not only seals you in this baptism, He enlightens you by the truth and sanctifies you in the word day to day- even every hour. He gives you access to the pardon and forgiveness offered in Holy Communion. These gifts accomplish true stability and permanence.
How much more upheaval will you see in your lifetime? Will you witness drastic changes? Will you suffer difficult tragedies? Who knows? But we do know the crucifixion shattered the power of sin. We do know that the decaying and declining reality we experience is not the pattern for the life to come. We do know the words of the Almighty will be fulfilled when He says, “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet My unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor My covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you.”8 God grant it for Christ’s sake, Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Twenty-Fifth Sunday After Pentecost
18 November 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Matthew 10:35
2 John 14:6
3 Hebrews 10:23
4 Hebrews 10:24-25
5 1 Corinthians 15:24-27
6 Matthew 6:26-27
7 Lutheran Hymnal #213, stanza 5
8 Isaiah 54:10
Text: Mark 13:5-8
Theme: Upheaval to the End
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
People generally hate instability. It may seem obvious to say it. We all know how uneasy we feel when unexpected change has a negative impact on our life. But there is more to peoples’ dislike of uncertainty than convenience, selfishness, or self-preservation. Human beings were created for an orderly existence. We have an innate need for permanence. God is the source of everything that endures. A consequence of sin is the severing of humanity from God as the source of stability and life. This is true not only in a general sense but personally for us in every expression of rebellion against God in our lives. Quite simply, we suffer uncertainty and decay because we have been cut adrift from the God who preserves all things. The repentant person grieves this fact.
During His earthly sojourn Christ was seen as a destabilizer. He Himself said, “I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother…”1 Yet this is a necessary consequence of His work in destroying the power of sin and the rule of Satan. Christ is in the process of reordering things. The major events towards that end have already occurred. In today’s gospel account Jesus begins teaching His disciples about the end times. There will be violence, turmoil, chaos and upheaval up to the very moment Christ returns. Though we pray and strive for peace and stability we can expect no Utopia on this earth. In addition there will continue to be earthquakes, famines and various catastrophes. These things are all symptoms, external evidence, of the struggle of His reordering. Through the eyes of faith we see- and in our hearts we believe- that Christ is instituting His kingdom.
The primary warning Jesus sounds for His disciples today has to do with deception. He is not speaking of the general dishonesty by which people seek to take advantage of one another. He does not have in mind the type of fraud by which people hope to gain riches. He refers specifically to those who make particular claims about being prophets, saviours, and messiahs. The unique role of Jesus Christ will continue to be contested. His indispensable identity as the One who is the “way and the truth and the life”2 will be challenged. More generally, all kinds of false teachings will be proffered both for personal gain and recognition and also out of ignorance and naivety. And some of the most subtle of falsehoods are tendered with the best of intentions.
No wonder we receive this encouragement today, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.”3. Falsehood is often masked in a friendly face. In this way Satan is more effective in his temptations. Our Christian journey involves continual perseverance in the truth of God’s word even when it is unpopular in the world. As the ethics of secular society regarding sexuality and sanctity of life become more godless Christians will increasingly find themselves in the (sometimes unfamiliar) minority. Solidarity with one another is important.
The writer to the Hebrews continues, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”4 Already in the New Testament era some people were forsaking public worship. It was indicative of the waxing and waning of peoples’ devotion that characterizes the church right up to the present day. Many churches in the West currently suffer decline. Maybe this involves a purge necessary for her well-being. We are not made Christians by the labels we give to ourselves. Not everything is true to label. But God’s knowledge is infallible. He reads to heart.
The temple of Jerusalem would be destroyed in 70AD dealing a crushing blow to the identity of the Jewish nation. But the real temple to be concerned with was Jesus’ body. Overcome by death it was ‘rebuilt’ on the third day. Believers now identify with this temple-His body- participating baptismally through His death and resurrection. Now ascended and enthroned He will come again to finish His work. The Scripture describes it this way, “Then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power. For He must reign until He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”5 You see, death is the mature expression of a creation unhitched from its Creator. And that’s exactly what Christ came to rectify. Once sin was atoned for Satan has no basis for accusation and death has only fleeting power.
Dear friends, living our faith does not come naturally. We might say we’re leaving certain things to God, but then scurry around frantically setting contingency plans in motion. Fret and worry gets the better of us. And what does the Shepherd say, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”6 When we are at wits end, when the battle field of life is dark and grey, in the distance we see the faint glow of Easter morning and hear the chorus of angels. The hymn-writer says it beautifully, “And when the fight is fierce, the warfare long, steals on the ear the distant triumph-song, and hearts are brave again, and arms are strong.”7
Christianity is not primarily a moral paradigm. It is the reinstitution of a right relationship between God and sinners through Christ. Our morality follows from the righteous status Christ has bestowed on us by grace. Jesus was put to death on the cross for your sins and mine. He rose on Easter morning triumphing over death. Baptism gives you a permanent identity in His kingdom. The Holy Spirit not only seals you in this baptism, He enlightens you by the truth and sanctifies you in the word day to day- even every hour. He gives you access to the pardon and forgiveness offered in Holy Communion. These gifts accomplish true stability and permanence.
How much more upheaval will you see in your lifetime? Will you witness drastic changes? Will you suffer difficult tragedies? Who knows? But we do know the crucifixion shattered the power of sin. We do know that the decaying and declining reality we experience is not the pattern for the life to come. We do know the words of the Almighty will be fulfilled when He says, “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet My unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor My covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you.”8 God grant it for Christ’s sake, Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Twenty-Fifth Sunday After Pentecost
18 November 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Matthew 10:35
2 John 14:6
3 Hebrews 10:23
4 Hebrews 10:24-25
5 1 Corinthians 15:24-27
6 Matthew 6:26-27
7 Lutheran Hymnal #213, stanza 5
8 Isaiah 54:10
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Jan Manuel Funeral
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 14:2-3
Theme: A Place…In His House
Dear family, friends, and loved ones of Jan; Nicolle, Deb, Kerri; and especially you, John,
Here we are at a time we never thought could come so soon. But we are naïve to speculate about things which are the jurisdiction of the Almighty alone. Today we are witnesses to the power of death but He bids us to believe what we cannot yet see. Jan Manuel has been freed from the tyranny of death. She has been released from the cruelty of decay. She participates in the victory over sin. Love has conquered. Christ has triumphed. The resurrection of Christ is the bedrock of truth. Jan has crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land. She has entered the heavenly Jerusalem. She has gone to the Father. She has come home. She is at rest.
It is no overstatement to call death a tyranny. It seeks total domination. The journey to life is hazardous. Sometimes death creeps in gradually, hardly noticeable; barely perceptible. For others death descends darkly and swiftly overcoming its victim. For Jan there wasn’t even time to come to terms with the shock of a terminal diagnosis. Her farewells to loved ones and friends were limited by the severity of her decline. No one should carry guilt for having missed the opportunity to give her a personal good-bye.
The suddenness with which she was afflicted is a warning to us all. Life is fragile. There are no guarantees. Each day is a gift. Ageing, decline, and decay; tragedy, disease and calamity are not the natural risks of human existence, they are the consequence of sin’s power. The world in which we live is not idyllic; it is fallen. It is not in jest that the Bible warns so many times and in so many ways to flee from the temptations and unbelief of the world and humbly repent before the Almighty God. We can be saved by His grace alone. There are no alternatives.
Following her initial diagnosis Jan was too shaken to attend church that Sunday. Human capacity has its limits. But God has His resources. He turns tragedy into opportunity. He sends aid to the afflicted. Ten year-old granddaughter Brailey came to her bedside with a printed copy of the sermon. Proficiently pushing through the big words she read to Jan the message of the day. It was no small example of how to order one’s priorities when facing mortality. God has something to say about death. No human opinions really matter.
The words of the most eloquent orator, the most experienced counselor, or the closest of friends cannot give comfort to the one who grieves bitterly at the time of tragic loss. Human speech, though well-intended and sincere- is hollow in the face of such anguish. But we are not here to politely tolerate the clichés of mere mortals. We are here to be comforted and carried by the voice of the Holy Spirit and the decrees of the Son of God. He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies.”1 He said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”2 Only He was nailed to a cross and breached the vault of death. Easter sunrise revealed the Son of God had risen.
Now either we stake our confidence on these truths or we are just playing games, going through religious rituals and formalities. The Scripture says, “I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angles nor demons, neither the present nor the future, not any powers, neither height nor depth, neither anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”3
Jan knew His love and she expressed it to others. Jan was a wife to one, a mother to three (and their spouses), a grandmother to eight, and a beloved friend to too many to name. She fulfilled all these vocations and many more in life and in death remains honoured by those she served. She served graciously, eloquently, patiently, sacrificially, and always humbly- forever putting others first. She loved her family unconditionally. She was gracious to all. Even more significantly, Jan was baptized as God’s child. She was found regularly in His house. She lived her faith.
It was a faith she held in common with many here today. With Christians throughout the centuries we confess that we believe in the resurrection of the body. Jan’s body, attacked and decimated by the evil of cancer and the power of sin, will nevertheless be resurrected – perfected in glory. Job makes the bold profession, “I know that my Redeemer lives and that in the end He will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see Him with my own eyes.”4 St Paul says it with equal conviction stating that the Lord Jesus Christ, “will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.”5
Grief is inevitable for those who live on. Yet Scripture reminds us that believers do not “grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.”6 The Christ, in whose unveiled presence Jan now resides, is the same Lord who meets us in this place. John, here, at the altar, you will celebrate with the most certainty Jan’s life and anticipate your reunion with her. Your memories of her will always be cherished. You will visit her grave and there you will reminisce, reflect, and grieve. But here at this altar you will remember her not just as she was; you will participate in a preview of what she now enjoys. In heaven there will be no need for memories for life will be complete and perfect in a timeless existence of joy that does not end.
Too soon departed, Jan would nevertheless not have us weep long at her grave. The coffin contains only her shell, Jan lives immortally. The love, acceptance, peace, and joy she now experiences we can only imagine. Jesus said on the way to the cross, “Do not weep for Me.”7 Now from the throne, He has wiped the tears from Jan’s eyes. God grant that our tears of sorrow would be mixed with tears of joy trusting that all that we have lost has been more than compensated for in what Jan has gained. In the name of Christ whose mercy is inexhaustible, Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Christian Burial of Janice Lorraine Manuel
12 November 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 11:25
2 Revelation 1:17-18
3 Romans 8:38-39
4 Job 19:25-26
5 Philippians 3:21
6 1 Thessalonians 4:13
7 Luke 23:28
Text: John 14:2-3
Theme: A Place…In His House
Dear family, friends, and loved ones of Jan; Nicolle, Deb, Kerri; and especially you, John,
Here we are at a time we never thought could come so soon. But we are naïve to speculate about things which are the jurisdiction of the Almighty alone. Today we are witnesses to the power of death but He bids us to believe what we cannot yet see. Jan Manuel has been freed from the tyranny of death. She has been released from the cruelty of decay. She participates in the victory over sin. Love has conquered. Christ has triumphed. The resurrection of Christ is the bedrock of truth. Jan has crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land. She has entered the heavenly Jerusalem. She has gone to the Father. She has come home. She is at rest.
It is no overstatement to call death a tyranny. It seeks total domination. The journey to life is hazardous. Sometimes death creeps in gradually, hardly noticeable; barely perceptible. For others death descends darkly and swiftly overcoming its victim. For Jan there wasn’t even time to come to terms with the shock of a terminal diagnosis. Her farewells to loved ones and friends were limited by the severity of her decline. No one should carry guilt for having missed the opportunity to give her a personal good-bye.
The suddenness with which she was afflicted is a warning to us all. Life is fragile. There are no guarantees. Each day is a gift. Ageing, decline, and decay; tragedy, disease and calamity are not the natural risks of human existence, they are the consequence of sin’s power. The world in which we live is not idyllic; it is fallen. It is not in jest that the Bible warns so many times and in so many ways to flee from the temptations and unbelief of the world and humbly repent before the Almighty God. We can be saved by His grace alone. There are no alternatives.
Following her initial diagnosis Jan was too shaken to attend church that Sunday. Human capacity has its limits. But God has His resources. He turns tragedy into opportunity. He sends aid to the afflicted. Ten year-old granddaughter Brailey came to her bedside with a printed copy of the sermon. Proficiently pushing through the big words she read to Jan the message of the day. It was no small example of how to order one’s priorities when facing mortality. God has something to say about death. No human opinions really matter.
The words of the most eloquent orator, the most experienced counselor, or the closest of friends cannot give comfort to the one who grieves bitterly at the time of tragic loss. Human speech, though well-intended and sincere- is hollow in the face of such anguish. But we are not here to politely tolerate the clichés of mere mortals. We are here to be comforted and carried by the voice of the Holy Spirit and the decrees of the Son of God. He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies.”1 He said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”2 Only He was nailed to a cross and breached the vault of death. Easter sunrise revealed the Son of God had risen.
Now either we stake our confidence on these truths or we are just playing games, going through religious rituals and formalities. The Scripture says, “I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angles nor demons, neither the present nor the future, not any powers, neither height nor depth, neither anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”3
Jan knew His love and she expressed it to others. Jan was a wife to one, a mother to three (and their spouses), a grandmother to eight, and a beloved friend to too many to name. She fulfilled all these vocations and many more in life and in death remains honoured by those she served. She served graciously, eloquently, patiently, sacrificially, and always humbly- forever putting others first. She loved her family unconditionally. She was gracious to all. Even more significantly, Jan was baptized as God’s child. She was found regularly in His house. She lived her faith.
It was a faith she held in common with many here today. With Christians throughout the centuries we confess that we believe in the resurrection of the body. Jan’s body, attacked and decimated by the evil of cancer and the power of sin, will nevertheless be resurrected – perfected in glory. Job makes the bold profession, “I know that my Redeemer lives and that in the end He will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see Him with my own eyes.”4 St Paul says it with equal conviction stating that the Lord Jesus Christ, “will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.”5
Grief is inevitable for those who live on. Yet Scripture reminds us that believers do not “grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.”6 The Christ, in whose unveiled presence Jan now resides, is the same Lord who meets us in this place. John, here, at the altar, you will celebrate with the most certainty Jan’s life and anticipate your reunion with her. Your memories of her will always be cherished. You will visit her grave and there you will reminisce, reflect, and grieve. But here at this altar you will remember her not just as she was; you will participate in a preview of what she now enjoys. In heaven there will be no need for memories for life will be complete and perfect in a timeless existence of joy that does not end.
Too soon departed, Jan would nevertheless not have us weep long at her grave. The coffin contains only her shell, Jan lives immortally. The love, acceptance, peace, and joy she now experiences we can only imagine. Jesus said on the way to the cross, “Do not weep for Me.”7 Now from the throne, He has wiped the tears from Jan’s eyes. God grant that our tears of sorrow would be mixed with tears of joy trusting that all that we have lost has been more than compensated for in what Jan has gained. In the name of Christ whose mercy is inexhaustible, Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Christian Burial of Janice Lorraine Manuel
12 November 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 11:25
2 Revelation 1:17-18
3 Romans 8:38-39
4 Job 19:25-26
5 Philippians 3:21
6 1 Thessalonians 4:13
7 Luke 23:28
Monday, November 12, 2012
Twenty-Fourth Sunday After Pentecost (B) 2012
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Mark 12:42
Theme: Two Sacred Mites
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God has His eye on those in need. They never escape His notice. Widows and orphans are special cases. They give the most despondent souls reason to hope. About this widow we know nothing at all. What as her history? Was she stricken with grief? Was she overcome with desperation? Had she endured many years of poverty and hardship? We know nothing of her particulars but we know a great deal about the general status of widows in ancient times. There was no government welfare. Widows depended up male relatives for their livelihood. When that support was not available their situation could become dire. The bible makes many references to the care of widows by believers.
So what was the crux of the issue in today’s gospel account? It was not the quantity of her gift, it was the quality. Her two small coins were nothing in and of themselves but what they represented was an enormous treasury of trust. Possessing nothing she gave everything and in so doing she cast herself completely on the mercy of God. Vulnerable to the world as a result of her circumstance she made it clear she wished to be vulnerable to God as an expression of her faith. Having nothing to offer God faith receives the righteousness of Christ.
If we read this account of the widow’s offering only as an example of comparative generosity we miss the point almost entirely. The wealthy were giving far more but needed not to rely on God’s grace. Proud of their earthly riches they were missing out on heavenly treasures. But this widow entrusted her whole livelihood to God. Materially poor, she was spiritually rich.
Now here is where the rub is: Our sinful nature will not allow us to entrust our livelihood to someone we do not fully trust. And so we turn to other sources of security. Sin, by definition, means the sinner doesn’t fully believe he or she is in God’s good graces. We doubt God’s intentions or His capabilities. God becomes an enemy, or at best is kept at a distance. In fact we can’t even believe God is trustworthy on our own. The Holy Spirit must break our hardened hearts. He points us to the cross. And there we see that the equality with and independence from God that we seek by nature is an illusion and a dead end. Yet we doubt the integrity of His forgiveness because it leaves us indebted to His mercy.
Forgiveness always involves unequal partners. By its very definition it involves a willingness and capacity to forgive on the one side and a desire for forgiveness on the other. At the heart and centre is the reality of an undeserved favour. God’s forgiveness towards us in Christ is not conditioned by our value, worth or efforts. We have no right to it. We can make no claims on it. Christ’s forgiveness is not even predicated on our repentance. It is by grace. It is available to all. “[Christ] died for all.”1 Repentant souls will never fail to find it. The beauty of forgiveness is that it gives all repentant souls equal standing in God’s sight.
Forgiveness is by grace. It sets us free. But do not abuse it for something it is not. Do not trivialize it. Repent honestly. Rejoice confidently. And resist sin steadfastly. Forgiveness does not equal tolerance. Love does not mean tolerance. God forgives the repentant sinner; he does not tolerate the sin. God absolves the person who repents; He doesn’t give him permission to go on sinning. When forgiveness is equated with tolerance and love is equated with license then the church becomes an enabling institution in the worst sense of the term.
We may hear much about being forgiven in God’s sight for our sins, and as well we should. If we do not hear about forgiveness the gospel is not being proclaimed. But we may not hear as much about forgiving those who sin against us. Though we find this imperative is at the heart of the Lord’s Prayer, “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.”2 how often do we take this to heart? How easy it is to hold grudges! How easy it is to want satisfaction or revenge on those who have wronged us! But to withhold forgiveness from those who seek it is not a right we possess. Even when we are painfully hurt we do not have authority to deny pardon to others. In fact, it is a sacred privilege to grant to others freedom of conscience by assuring them they are forgiven.
The forgiveness of God is not pie-in-the-sky, wishful thinking. Jesus Christ assumed our humanity so that we could have the favour of the Deity. He was crucified in the flesh. He rose in the power of the Holy Spirit. His forgiveness is offered to you in the concrete means of bread and wine. The body and blood of Christ imparts to believers pardon, peace, and strength. At His altar you have exactly what He promises to give- the food of immortality.
The baptized are consequently no longer ruled by fear. We have had the threat of condemnation removed by the blood of Christ. The baptized have citizenship in His kingdom. In baptism we go from being vulnerable to the accusations of Satan and chaos of the world to the protection and stability gained for us by the cross. This is a communal reality shared by the fellowship of believers. We do not live an abstract faith. We live in real time and space interacting with real people in our lives. We share joys and sorrows. We have a purpose in God’s kingdom; vocations in which we embody the love of Christ to the world.
We may wonder if we are cut out for the task or if it really makes a difference. But think of this widow. And never underestimate what God can do. God sometimes uses the most unlikely people for the most important tasks. Moses never thought he could lead the Israelites out of Egypt. And today we heard of another widow. Ruth was the daughter-in-law of an important biblical widow named Naomi. Ruth was the great-grandmother of David and David was an ancestor of Christ.
Dear friends, the church- the bride- will never be left widowed. She will never be abandoned. She will never be forsaken. The only-begotten Son has sacrificed everything for her well-being. He lives to give her life. Widows were examples of vulnerability. As such they were illustrative of all sinners. At the mercy of those who had the means and willingness to show compassion they were dependant on benefactors. And so too, we who are lost apart from the mercy of God in Christ Jesus can be confident we are never overlooked or forsaken. The Bible says, “He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself…He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.”3
Our livelihoods are in God’s hands. And that’s exactly where we want them to be. He never fails to come to the aide of those who are vulnerable. He seeks those who are lost. He comes for sinners and He welcomes them into His eternal kingdom. May the Holy Spirit clothe our hearts with those sacred wedding garments that transform His church from spiritual widow to cherished bride. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Twenty Fourth Sunday After Pentecost
11 November 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 2 Corinthians 5:15
2 Matthew 6:12
3 Hebrews 9:26-28
Text: Mark 12:42
Theme: Two Sacred Mites
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God has His eye on those in need. They never escape His notice. Widows and orphans are special cases. They give the most despondent souls reason to hope. About this widow we know nothing at all. What as her history? Was she stricken with grief? Was she overcome with desperation? Had she endured many years of poverty and hardship? We know nothing of her particulars but we know a great deal about the general status of widows in ancient times. There was no government welfare. Widows depended up male relatives for their livelihood. When that support was not available their situation could become dire. The bible makes many references to the care of widows by believers.
So what was the crux of the issue in today’s gospel account? It was not the quantity of her gift, it was the quality. Her two small coins were nothing in and of themselves but what they represented was an enormous treasury of trust. Possessing nothing she gave everything and in so doing she cast herself completely on the mercy of God. Vulnerable to the world as a result of her circumstance she made it clear she wished to be vulnerable to God as an expression of her faith. Having nothing to offer God faith receives the righteousness of Christ.
If we read this account of the widow’s offering only as an example of comparative generosity we miss the point almost entirely. The wealthy were giving far more but needed not to rely on God’s grace. Proud of their earthly riches they were missing out on heavenly treasures. But this widow entrusted her whole livelihood to God. Materially poor, she was spiritually rich.
Now here is where the rub is: Our sinful nature will not allow us to entrust our livelihood to someone we do not fully trust. And so we turn to other sources of security. Sin, by definition, means the sinner doesn’t fully believe he or she is in God’s good graces. We doubt God’s intentions or His capabilities. God becomes an enemy, or at best is kept at a distance. In fact we can’t even believe God is trustworthy on our own. The Holy Spirit must break our hardened hearts. He points us to the cross. And there we see that the equality with and independence from God that we seek by nature is an illusion and a dead end. Yet we doubt the integrity of His forgiveness because it leaves us indebted to His mercy.
Forgiveness always involves unequal partners. By its very definition it involves a willingness and capacity to forgive on the one side and a desire for forgiveness on the other. At the heart and centre is the reality of an undeserved favour. God’s forgiveness towards us in Christ is not conditioned by our value, worth or efforts. We have no right to it. We can make no claims on it. Christ’s forgiveness is not even predicated on our repentance. It is by grace. It is available to all. “[Christ] died for all.”1 Repentant souls will never fail to find it. The beauty of forgiveness is that it gives all repentant souls equal standing in God’s sight.
Forgiveness is by grace. It sets us free. But do not abuse it for something it is not. Do not trivialize it. Repent honestly. Rejoice confidently. And resist sin steadfastly. Forgiveness does not equal tolerance. Love does not mean tolerance. God forgives the repentant sinner; he does not tolerate the sin. God absolves the person who repents; He doesn’t give him permission to go on sinning. When forgiveness is equated with tolerance and love is equated with license then the church becomes an enabling institution in the worst sense of the term.
We may hear much about being forgiven in God’s sight for our sins, and as well we should. If we do not hear about forgiveness the gospel is not being proclaimed. But we may not hear as much about forgiving those who sin against us. Though we find this imperative is at the heart of the Lord’s Prayer, “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.”2 how often do we take this to heart? How easy it is to hold grudges! How easy it is to want satisfaction or revenge on those who have wronged us! But to withhold forgiveness from those who seek it is not a right we possess. Even when we are painfully hurt we do not have authority to deny pardon to others. In fact, it is a sacred privilege to grant to others freedom of conscience by assuring them they are forgiven.
The forgiveness of God is not pie-in-the-sky, wishful thinking. Jesus Christ assumed our humanity so that we could have the favour of the Deity. He was crucified in the flesh. He rose in the power of the Holy Spirit. His forgiveness is offered to you in the concrete means of bread and wine. The body and blood of Christ imparts to believers pardon, peace, and strength. At His altar you have exactly what He promises to give- the food of immortality.
The baptized are consequently no longer ruled by fear. We have had the threat of condemnation removed by the blood of Christ. The baptized have citizenship in His kingdom. In baptism we go from being vulnerable to the accusations of Satan and chaos of the world to the protection and stability gained for us by the cross. This is a communal reality shared by the fellowship of believers. We do not live an abstract faith. We live in real time and space interacting with real people in our lives. We share joys and sorrows. We have a purpose in God’s kingdom; vocations in which we embody the love of Christ to the world.
We may wonder if we are cut out for the task or if it really makes a difference. But think of this widow. And never underestimate what God can do. God sometimes uses the most unlikely people for the most important tasks. Moses never thought he could lead the Israelites out of Egypt. And today we heard of another widow. Ruth was the daughter-in-law of an important biblical widow named Naomi. Ruth was the great-grandmother of David and David was an ancestor of Christ.
Dear friends, the church- the bride- will never be left widowed. She will never be abandoned. She will never be forsaken. The only-begotten Son has sacrificed everything for her well-being. He lives to give her life. Widows were examples of vulnerability. As such they were illustrative of all sinners. At the mercy of those who had the means and willingness to show compassion they were dependant on benefactors. And so too, we who are lost apart from the mercy of God in Christ Jesus can be confident we are never overlooked or forsaken. The Bible says, “He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself…He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.”3
Our livelihoods are in God’s hands. And that’s exactly where we want them to be. He never fails to come to the aide of those who are vulnerable. He seeks those who are lost. He comes for sinners and He welcomes them into His eternal kingdom. May the Holy Spirit clothe our hearts with those sacred wedding garments that transform His church from spiritual widow to cherished bride. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Twenty Fourth Sunday After Pentecost
11 November 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 2 Corinthians 5:15
2 Matthew 6:12
3 Hebrews 9:26-28
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Twenty First Sunday After Pentecost (B) 2012
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Mark 10:42-45
Theme: Humility In Christ
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
We seldom value the same things God does. Humility is today’s example. We may appreciate humility in someone else but is it something we value for ourselves? Christian maturity involves coming to an ever better understanding that what God cherishes is often scorned by the world. He treasures humility and servanthood. The world esteems recognition and power. Christ stands these values on their heads. His throne was a cross. “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”1
Today James and John were hardly examples of humility. They had aspirations of glory. Their objectives were not in line with the Saviour’s. But we must not be too critical.
They were being true to themselves. Are we any different? But to be true to one’s self in contradiction to God’s will is simply to become an illustration of all manner and expression of the power of our inborn sinfulness. It begins at conception.
It certainly runs counter to human reason to suggest that an infant requires the forgiveness of sins. Newborns are often held up as the closest thing possible to pure innocence. But to deny the need for forgiveness is to misunderstand the radical nature of sin. Original sin involves such a deep corruption of the human being that every natural inclination and propensity of the heart, mind, and will is expressed in self-centred independence from God. The Bible speaks of a spiritual deadness before the Word and Holy Spirit act. Luther’s words are well-considered when he says, “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.”2 “I believe that I cannot…believe [on my own].” That is the crux of the matter and denotes well the helplessness of every human soul.
We chronically underestimate our dependence on the mercy of God. We think we just need aide when we really need rescue. We think we just need a push when we really need to be carried. We think we just need equipping when we really need defending. We think we just need some tolerance when we really need forgiveness. We think we just need renovation when we really need resurrection. And if we can’t fathom our need because our life has to this point been relatively painless and carefree, we will certainly come to an understanding when we face our mortality.
Today Jesus speaks of undergoing a baptism of fire. He did so to make immortality available to us. To be baptized with fire is to be immersed in the crucible of trial. Our Scripture says, “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission.”3 Jesus explicitly states the reason for His coming. He came to serve and to give His life as a ransom. All the other implications of Jesus’ coming- His ethics, His morality, His example, His miracles and displays of divinity, His modesty, His humility, His influence on the hearts and minds of people from that time right up to the present day- are given lasting meaning only because of His sacrifice for the sins of the world. Without His death and resurrection, without His sacrifice, everything else would just become confined to the history books. Our God is not a deceased hero; He is the eternal source of forgiveness, life, and salvation.
His salvation is first offered to us not in a baptism of fire but a baptism of water and the Spirit. Sacramental baptism involves a cleansing from sin and purging of the soul. The inner reality affects the outward expressions of life. Of course we cannot infallibly discern if the two always match. Only God can. The well-known phrase says “It’s the thought that counts.” And that has a kernel of truth in it. If a person’s intentions are honourable but they are prevented following through with their plans their integrity still remains intact.
When we assess peoples’ actions we must learn to be discerning so that we don’t cause undue offense. Like the pastor who received for his family a pie from a woman who was a terrible cook. After tasting the pie, they simply threw the rest in the garbage, unable to eat it. The next Sunday, the woman asked the preacher, "How did you like my pie?" The pastor responded, "A pie like that does not last long around our house!"
The phrase also contains an element of truth in a more important spiritual way. Our Christian walk, our bearing of our crosses, our keeping in step with the Spirit can only be God-pleasing when our motivations are in tune with His will. We don’t seek God’s help merely so He can guide our outward actions. We pray that He will change our thoughts, our intentions, and our motivations. We pray that we are changed from the inside out. To change the heart and will is a far greater thing than to restrict or promote external action. The latter will follow from the former.
Dear friends, we have the confidence that every time pardon is offered to us; every time we are drawn back to and through our baptism; every time we receive the forgiveness offered in the body and blood of Christ; God is wiping the slate of the conscience clean. We can’t necessary notice because our hearts are battered and bruised and struggling with guilt and pain. And yet precisely because it is independent from any input from us it is all the more certain. It involves the invincible and irrefutable declaration of God. A decree made indisputable by the blood of the Lamb. Our salvation depends entirely upon the initiative of God in Christ. We are justified- we are declared righteous- we are set right with Him- only by grace through faith.
This truth is so precious it has no peers. But it has many challengers. Many are the distractions and diversions which would draw our focus away from the promises of God in Christ. How easily our attention is averted. How many have been drawn away from the church in the last decades! When Luther's puppy happened to be at the table, he looked for a morsel from his master, and watched with open mouth and motionless eyes; he (Martin Luther) said, 'Oh, if I could only pray the way this dog watches the meat! All his thoughts are concentrated on the piece of meat. He has no other thought, wish or hope."
The devil has many tools in his arsenal. He attacks with precision. He doesn’t own a shotgun. His strikes are much more exact. He knows when to aim for the heart. He knows when to aim for the mind. He knows when to aim for the will. But he cannot penetrate the armor with which the heavenly Father protects the baptized. The promise of your baptism is the promise of pure grace. And this grace is never lacking. The allurements of the world will always be persuasive. But in Christ we learn to look past these temporary challenges even when they are severe. And in doing so we also learn true humility. We learn to take refuge in Him who “humbled Himself and became obedient to death- even death on a cross!”4 In Him we have life! Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Twenty-First Sunday After Pentecost
21October 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Mark 10:45
2 The Third Article Explanation, LSC
3 Hebrews 5:7
4 Philippians 2:8
Text: Mark 10:42-45
Theme: Humility In Christ
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
We seldom value the same things God does. Humility is today’s example. We may appreciate humility in someone else but is it something we value for ourselves? Christian maturity involves coming to an ever better understanding that what God cherishes is often scorned by the world. He treasures humility and servanthood. The world esteems recognition and power. Christ stands these values on their heads. His throne was a cross. “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”1
Today James and John were hardly examples of humility. They had aspirations of glory. Their objectives were not in line with the Saviour’s. But we must not be too critical.
They were being true to themselves. Are we any different? But to be true to one’s self in contradiction to God’s will is simply to become an illustration of all manner and expression of the power of our inborn sinfulness. It begins at conception.
It certainly runs counter to human reason to suggest that an infant requires the forgiveness of sins. Newborns are often held up as the closest thing possible to pure innocence. But to deny the need for forgiveness is to misunderstand the radical nature of sin. Original sin involves such a deep corruption of the human being that every natural inclination and propensity of the heart, mind, and will is expressed in self-centred independence from God. The Bible speaks of a spiritual deadness before the Word and Holy Spirit act. Luther’s words are well-considered when he says, “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.”2 “I believe that I cannot…believe [on my own].” That is the crux of the matter and denotes well the helplessness of every human soul.
We chronically underestimate our dependence on the mercy of God. We think we just need aide when we really need rescue. We think we just need a push when we really need to be carried. We think we just need equipping when we really need defending. We think we just need some tolerance when we really need forgiveness. We think we just need renovation when we really need resurrection. And if we can’t fathom our need because our life has to this point been relatively painless and carefree, we will certainly come to an understanding when we face our mortality.
Today Jesus speaks of undergoing a baptism of fire. He did so to make immortality available to us. To be baptized with fire is to be immersed in the crucible of trial. Our Scripture says, “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission.”3 Jesus explicitly states the reason for His coming. He came to serve and to give His life as a ransom. All the other implications of Jesus’ coming- His ethics, His morality, His example, His miracles and displays of divinity, His modesty, His humility, His influence on the hearts and minds of people from that time right up to the present day- are given lasting meaning only because of His sacrifice for the sins of the world. Without His death and resurrection, without His sacrifice, everything else would just become confined to the history books. Our God is not a deceased hero; He is the eternal source of forgiveness, life, and salvation.
His salvation is first offered to us not in a baptism of fire but a baptism of water and the Spirit. Sacramental baptism involves a cleansing from sin and purging of the soul. The inner reality affects the outward expressions of life. Of course we cannot infallibly discern if the two always match. Only God can. The well-known phrase says “It’s the thought that counts.” And that has a kernel of truth in it. If a person’s intentions are honourable but they are prevented following through with their plans their integrity still remains intact.
When we assess peoples’ actions we must learn to be discerning so that we don’t cause undue offense. Like the pastor who received for his family a pie from a woman who was a terrible cook. After tasting the pie, they simply threw the rest in the garbage, unable to eat it. The next Sunday, the woman asked the preacher, "How did you like my pie?" The pastor responded, "A pie like that does not last long around our house!"
The phrase also contains an element of truth in a more important spiritual way. Our Christian walk, our bearing of our crosses, our keeping in step with the Spirit can only be God-pleasing when our motivations are in tune with His will. We don’t seek God’s help merely so He can guide our outward actions. We pray that He will change our thoughts, our intentions, and our motivations. We pray that we are changed from the inside out. To change the heart and will is a far greater thing than to restrict or promote external action. The latter will follow from the former.
Dear friends, we have the confidence that every time pardon is offered to us; every time we are drawn back to and through our baptism; every time we receive the forgiveness offered in the body and blood of Christ; God is wiping the slate of the conscience clean. We can’t necessary notice because our hearts are battered and bruised and struggling with guilt and pain. And yet precisely because it is independent from any input from us it is all the more certain. It involves the invincible and irrefutable declaration of God. A decree made indisputable by the blood of the Lamb. Our salvation depends entirely upon the initiative of God in Christ. We are justified- we are declared righteous- we are set right with Him- only by grace through faith.
This truth is so precious it has no peers. But it has many challengers. Many are the distractions and diversions which would draw our focus away from the promises of God in Christ. How easily our attention is averted. How many have been drawn away from the church in the last decades! When Luther's puppy happened to be at the table, he looked for a morsel from his master, and watched with open mouth and motionless eyes; he (Martin Luther) said, 'Oh, if I could only pray the way this dog watches the meat! All his thoughts are concentrated on the piece of meat. He has no other thought, wish or hope."
The devil has many tools in his arsenal. He attacks with precision. He doesn’t own a shotgun. His strikes are much more exact. He knows when to aim for the heart. He knows when to aim for the mind. He knows when to aim for the will. But he cannot penetrate the armor with which the heavenly Father protects the baptized. The promise of your baptism is the promise of pure grace. And this grace is never lacking. The allurements of the world will always be persuasive. But in Christ we learn to look past these temporary challenges even when they are severe. And in doing so we also learn true humility. We learn to take refuge in Him who “humbled Himself and became obedient to death- even death on a cross!”4 In Him we have life! Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Twenty-First Sunday After Pentecost
21October 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Mark 10:45
2 The Third Article Explanation, LSC
3 Hebrews 5:7
4 Philippians 2:8
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