+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 15:2
Theme: Always Bearing Fruit
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Vital truth can never be relative. Many things have shades, degrees, and layers of truth but the most fundamental realities are absolute. “God is love” and “God is life” are among them. How long will you wait for the branch severed from the tree to spring to life? Life is not self-existing or self-sustaining. And to say that is fundamentally a statement of belief. Observation would seem to suggest otherwise. The biologist or the philosopher may contend that Mother Nature has cleverly and marvelously worked out how to keep life rolling along. Life seems to propagate itself and adapt as necessary to its environment. But what lies behind this power? God Himself!
To attribute the complexity and resilience of life to a random, mindless force is, in fact, an act of faith too. It’s a big leap of faith, at that. Of course, this has nothing to do with biblical faith and is actually unbelief. To believe that life is just a collection of physical components functioning without any other purpose than to propagate the next generation is to abandon all hope in immortality and drain life of its deepest meaning and purpose.
Today Jesus calls Himself the true vine. It was a readily accessible comparison for those familiar with agriculture. “I am the vine; you are the branches, if a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.”1 But what He says about Himself isn’t intended to be simplistic. In other words, there is more than just a convenient analogy going on here. Christ is the origin of life. Apart from the sustaining power of God all life would collapse in an instant. Apart from the life-giving Spirit who connects us to Christ all would remain in spiritual death. Jesus says “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son also to have life in Himself.”2 “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.”3
The promise of eternal life stands in stark contrast to the alternative. “If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.”4 There is little doubt about the message here. It is a stern warning about the consequences of rejecting Christ and His work. It leads inevitably to death and judgment, temporal and eternal. The fruitless branches are lopped off and eventually burned in the fire. Sin isn’t simply moral infringement on God’s will; unforgiven and unresolved it eventually severs one permanently from the life of God. Such knowledge sobers our repentance.
Notice, too, that the branches which are bearing fruit are pruned. Believers, too, are in need of God’s chastisement. Repentance is not a once-off activity. We can be, and indeed, are completely justified in God’s sight by grace, through faith in Christ and at the very same time we are “overgrown”, shooting off in our own directions like an untrained vine. Grace covers us, but our unrighteous tendencies still need to be curbed. Just as pruning a plant makes it more vigorous, our being purified makes our faith more robust. Bearing the cross and living as God’s baptized necessitates this continual dynamic.
The bearing of fruit for the kingdom is always the effect of being grafted to the vine and never the cause. And fruit, good deeds done for the neighbour, are never leverage against God. God’s favour cannot be bought. The very moment you get the idea in your head that because of your devotion, because of your loyalty, because of your effort to support the church, you deserve to be spared from the hardships that will test your faith; at that very moment you have made God indebted to you. You have placed God in obligation to you for your services. And that, dear friends, is a completely fabricated circumstances that does not exist and can never exist. There is no bargaining with God. This is no scope for bartering, haggling, or negotiating even under the façade of piety. To believe otherwise is to grossly misunderstand the gospel.
What does the Scripture say? “Does the ax raise itself above him who swings it, or does the saw boast against him who uses it?”5 “Does the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you making?’”6 The prophet Daniel has it right when he says, “We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy.”7 Rather than being exempted from trial, we can expect not only to experience the difficulties common to humanity, but also persecution because of the word. In this way we are truly witnesses. We can only reflect God’s love through the parameters He has set. These are often rejected by the world.
But Christ tells us He has overcome the world. His death and resurrection supersede all other powers. His love conquers all evil. God is love; but not in a generic way. God is not merely the concept of love; an idealized theoretical virtue. God is incarnated love. He is love in flesh and blood with veins and arteries. He was conceived in the Virgin’s womb yet born into the darkness of the world. He came to dwell among sinners. His love is a condescending love; a love that stoops down in mercy.
Today’s illustration of a living vine connects well with the nature of faith. Faith is not an inanimate gift like a material possession. It lives and breathes the truth, the words, and the love of Christ. Like our bodies it must be fed or it atrophies and dies. Plants have xylem and phloem tubes. People and animals have arteries and veins. Souls have God’s word and sacraments. All are conduits of life. Xylem and phloem transport water and nutrients. Arteries and veins transport blood. God’s means of grace transport forgiveness. Baptism incorporates us into the life to the triune God. Absolution assures us we are reconciled to the heavenly Father. Holy Communion contains the substance of life. Through these means we remain connected to the Vine and receive His life.
Jesus says today, “You are already clean.”8 Why are we clean? Because of the word Christ speaks to us. Because of the word with which the Spirit washes us. Because of the word with which the Father cajoles us. We are cleansed through the water-drenched word of baptism. We are purified through the blood-empowered word of the cross. We are made new by the creative word of the Unbegotten. God’s words are truth and they are life. It is no coincidence that St. John’s description of heaven makes reference to the tree of life. “Also on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”9 Christ is our tree of life. He is our true Vine. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Fifth Sunday of Easter
3 May, 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 15:5
2 John 5:25-26
3 John 11:25-26
4 John 15:6
5 Isaiah 10:15
6 Isaiah 45:9
7 Daniel 9:18
8John 15:3
9Revelation 22:2
Sunday, May 3, 2015
Monday, April 27, 2015
Fourth Sunday of Easter (B) 2015
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 10:11
Theme: The Necessity of the Shepherd
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The valley of the shadow of death will give way to the light of immortal existence with the triune God, angels, and all the saints. The final goal, the beatific vision of God, the marriage banquet of the Lamb, is nothing short of astonishing- inconceivable in our current fallen condition. Yet, that is precisely the promise and the future for the baptized people of God. The One who knows has said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”1 He says, “I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again.”2 Thanks be to God for His immeasurable love to us in Christ.
There is but one good Shepherd. God alone is good for only He is sinless; only He is immortal and eternal. Many things are good in life and goodness is a fruit of the Spirit along with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control3 Yet all the goodness that we observe, and invest in, and cultivate in ourselves and others is but a dim reflection of the divine. Christ alone is truly good because only He was selfless without fault. His desire was never for the glory of self but for the glory of the Father and the well-being of the sinner. That may be a mantra which elicits little more than an approving yawn from the faithful (perhaps because they think they have heard it too many times) but it remains the core of Christian truth.
The contrast between the selflessness of Christ and the inborn selfishness of the sinner will always be a point of departure for proclaiming the truth of Christ to an unbelieving world.
In the current climate of our culture the desire of self is something to be indulged, not curbed. We live in a culture that believes in entitlement. The stimulus towards egotism is pervasive. I am entitled to be happy nearly all of the time. I am entitled to have a stress-free, well-paying job. I am entitled to receive more government benefits and pay lower taxes. I am entitled to pursue my personal interests at the expense of others. I am entitled to have the nicest clothes, the nicest car; the nicest house. I am entitled to be me. And I am entitled to believe that others should mostly concur with and support my pursuits.
When the veneer of civility is removed the seedier side of the indulgence of self is revealed for what it really is: first rate idolatry. The consequences are serious and such idolatry is expressed in many ways that clash intensely with the values of society. Homosexuality, abortion and sexual promiscuity transgress God’s will precisely in this way: they are forms of self-indulgence, pursuits of idolatry, unchecked and even fostered as desirable.
The corruption of our nature runs deep, down to the core. Luther describes this corruption of sin as being curved in on oneself. Here is an interesting sociological example. According to a study by Dutch psychologists, restaurant servers who copy their customers’ behavior get double the tips of servers who don’t. In an American style restaurant in the south of Holland, the researchers told half of the servers to repeat their customers’ orders, while the other half were instructed to say something positive, such as, “Coming right up!” The copycat servers average tip was double that of the servers who just said something nice. In commenting on the experiment one researcher said good salespeople know the value of copying the customer. “A good salesperson knows from experience that people like to hear and see themselves.” How readily our actions show that we believe we are entitled to curve in upon ourselves.
But the Spirit lifts the believer to higher and holier things. He tunes us in to the voice of the Shepherd. It is a voice we can only know from His word. Therefore confidence in the Scriptures is crucial for the faith and life of the believer. The early church father, St. Augustine once said, “Faith will falter if the authority of holy scripture is shaken; and if faith falters, love itself decays. For if someone lapses in faith, he inevitably lapses in his loves as well, since he cannot love what he does not believe to be true.”
You cannot love what you do not believe to be true. Yes, you can show a strong affinity, perhaps hedging your bets, keeping your options open. You can pursue the outward performance of deeds which encompass the tangibles of showing love. Through such actions you can seek to acquire praise or avoid chastisement. But true love is a motivation of the Spirit from the heart. Dear friends, we love because we believe. We believe to love is to honour God. “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us.”4
This is not a time-bound message limited in scope or application. Christianity is not just a mitigating force in a world of ungodliness and unbelief. Christianity is not just a moral platform upon which to base the ethics of individuals and societies. Christianity is not just a medium for personal religious devotion. Christianity is not primarily about therapeutic remedies, moral convictions, social improvement, or individual empowerment. All of these things are involved, but belief in Christ is more profound still. The gospel is about the all-encompassing work of the triune God through the person of the Son. The doom of eternal hell has been turned aside. The devastations of Satan are laid to rest. The consequences of all evil, wickedness and unrighteousness are made null and void. Life is pulled from jaws of death. The crucified One has risen and He lives and reigns to all eternity.
Perhaps you’re wondering sometimes where the Shepherd is in your life? Perhaps you feel He’s left you to fend for yourself or has been inattentive to your needs. Trying circumstances always test our faith. Our Shepherd is not merely a well-meaning but strategically incapable minder. He is not a remnant of an obsolete ideal in which Jesus is cast as a personal religious attendant. He is not an honourable but otherwise uninterested Deity. He is here for you in His word of forgiveness. He is here in His body and blood given and shed for you. He tends to you when you are truly in need. He lifts you on His shoulders and carries you when necessary. He shepherds you through this vale of tears and bears you through the portal of death into life. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Fourth Sunday of Easter
26 April, 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 10:11
2 John 10:18
3 See Galatians 5:22
4 1 John 3:16
Text: John 10:11
Theme: The Necessity of the Shepherd
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The valley of the shadow of death will give way to the light of immortal existence with the triune God, angels, and all the saints. The final goal, the beatific vision of God, the marriage banquet of the Lamb, is nothing short of astonishing- inconceivable in our current fallen condition. Yet, that is precisely the promise and the future for the baptized people of God. The One who knows has said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”1 He says, “I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again.”2 Thanks be to God for His immeasurable love to us in Christ.
There is but one good Shepherd. God alone is good for only He is sinless; only He is immortal and eternal. Many things are good in life and goodness is a fruit of the Spirit along with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control3 Yet all the goodness that we observe, and invest in, and cultivate in ourselves and others is but a dim reflection of the divine. Christ alone is truly good because only He was selfless without fault. His desire was never for the glory of self but for the glory of the Father and the well-being of the sinner. That may be a mantra which elicits little more than an approving yawn from the faithful (perhaps because they think they have heard it too many times) but it remains the core of Christian truth.
The contrast between the selflessness of Christ and the inborn selfishness of the sinner will always be a point of departure for proclaiming the truth of Christ to an unbelieving world.
In the current climate of our culture the desire of self is something to be indulged, not curbed. We live in a culture that believes in entitlement. The stimulus towards egotism is pervasive. I am entitled to be happy nearly all of the time. I am entitled to have a stress-free, well-paying job. I am entitled to receive more government benefits and pay lower taxes. I am entitled to pursue my personal interests at the expense of others. I am entitled to have the nicest clothes, the nicest car; the nicest house. I am entitled to be me. And I am entitled to believe that others should mostly concur with and support my pursuits.
When the veneer of civility is removed the seedier side of the indulgence of self is revealed for what it really is: first rate idolatry. The consequences are serious and such idolatry is expressed in many ways that clash intensely with the values of society. Homosexuality, abortion and sexual promiscuity transgress God’s will precisely in this way: they are forms of self-indulgence, pursuits of idolatry, unchecked and even fostered as desirable.
The corruption of our nature runs deep, down to the core. Luther describes this corruption of sin as being curved in on oneself. Here is an interesting sociological example. According to a study by Dutch psychologists, restaurant servers who copy their customers’ behavior get double the tips of servers who don’t. In an American style restaurant in the south of Holland, the researchers told half of the servers to repeat their customers’ orders, while the other half were instructed to say something positive, such as, “Coming right up!” The copycat servers average tip was double that of the servers who just said something nice. In commenting on the experiment one researcher said good salespeople know the value of copying the customer. “A good salesperson knows from experience that people like to hear and see themselves.” How readily our actions show that we believe we are entitled to curve in upon ourselves.
But the Spirit lifts the believer to higher and holier things. He tunes us in to the voice of the Shepherd. It is a voice we can only know from His word. Therefore confidence in the Scriptures is crucial for the faith and life of the believer. The early church father, St. Augustine once said, “Faith will falter if the authority of holy scripture is shaken; and if faith falters, love itself decays. For if someone lapses in faith, he inevitably lapses in his loves as well, since he cannot love what he does not believe to be true.”
You cannot love what you do not believe to be true. Yes, you can show a strong affinity, perhaps hedging your bets, keeping your options open. You can pursue the outward performance of deeds which encompass the tangibles of showing love. Through such actions you can seek to acquire praise or avoid chastisement. But true love is a motivation of the Spirit from the heart. Dear friends, we love because we believe. We believe to love is to honour God. “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us.”4
This is not a time-bound message limited in scope or application. Christianity is not just a mitigating force in a world of ungodliness and unbelief. Christianity is not just a moral platform upon which to base the ethics of individuals and societies. Christianity is not just a medium for personal religious devotion. Christianity is not primarily about therapeutic remedies, moral convictions, social improvement, or individual empowerment. All of these things are involved, but belief in Christ is more profound still. The gospel is about the all-encompassing work of the triune God through the person of the Son. The doom of eternal hell has been turned aside. The devastations of Satan are laid to rest. The consequences of all evil, wickedness and unrighteousness are made null and void. Life is pulled from jaws of death. The crucified One has risen and He lives and reigns to all eternity.
Perhaps you’re wondering sometimes where the Shepherd is in your life? Perhaps you feel He’s left you to fend for yourself or has been inattentive to your needs. Trying circumstances always test our faith. Our Shepherd is not merely a well-meaning but strategically incapable minder. He is not a remnant of an obsolete ideal in which Jesus is cast as a personal religious attendant. He is not an honourable but otherwise uninterested Deity. He is here for you in His word of forgiveness. He is here in His body and blood given and shed for you. He tends to you when you are truly in need. He lifts you on His shoulders and carries you when necessary. He shepherds you through this vale of tears and bears you through the portal of death into life. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Fourth Sunday of Easter
26 April, 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 10:11
2 John 10:18
3 See Galatians 5:22
4 1 John 3:16
Saturday, April 25, 2015
ANZAC Day Address 2015
ANZAC DAY ADDRESS 2015
“He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.” (Psalm 9:12) The Holy Scripture says God does not forget. Neither should we. “At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.” One hundred years on, and their memory still lives. One hundred years on, and their sacrifice is still honoured. Gallipoli is the rallying point that galvanised the collective consciousness of two nations. It rightly has prominent place in our memories. But there were other campaigns that suffered terrible loss. The fields of Flanders in France received the blood of more than 5500 ANZACS, killed or wounded, in a single day. Honoured too are those whose lives were forfeit in forgotten corners of the globe. All can bathe in the glow of Gallipoli’s fame, but their specific acts of heroism are not thereby diminished. More than 100,000 service personnel in total have made the supreme sacrifice, including our Aboriginal brothers who often suffered greatly.
No one is left untouched by war. Survivors bear scars and by them they are transformed. The wounds of the body are seldom as deep as the wounds of the heart. Many who fought uttered not a word about the atrocities they witnessed. Often more is said with silence than the multiplication of many words. The memories are too vivid, the hurt is too painful; the grief is too profound. But their stories are still told. They may live and breathe and walk in the normalcy of civilian life but they bear on their individual frames, with the victorious dead, the weight of freedom for the masses.
First light or dusk was often embraced as the opportunity for attack. Soldiers were, accordingly, ordered to be ready, manning their posts as the dawn broke or the sun set. This came to be known as the ‘stand to’, short for ‘stand-to-arms’. It often marked the hour of peril; the moment of truth. Would courage falter? Would strength fail? Who can value life as it should be valued save for God alone? At the moment of truth God does not abandon us to the ‘stand to’. He does not forget. Christ stood in solidarity with sinful humanity and allowed Himself to be hung from a cross. In the gathering light of Easter dawn He stood forth from the grave; the battle completed, peace secured. Only in Christ can the grieving have hope. Only in Christ can the wounded find healing. Only in Christ has the promise of the resurrection of the dead been secured. Time and place are not barriers to Christ, who is immortal. To us, they are the parameters which define our reality.
One hundred years on and the world is still marred by conflict. Some will say the Great War was never ours to fight. We are not here to judge the motivations of diplomacy or duty. We are here to honour those who were faithful in their service. One hundred years on and the appreciation still grows. The ANZACS are not forgotten. We will honour their sacrifice. We will cherish their legacy. We will defend their cause. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. The Almighty will not forget.
Pastor Darrin Kohrt Concordia & Outlying Lutheran Churches, Loxton
“He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.” (Psalm 9:12) The Holy Scripture says God does not forget. Neither should we. “At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.” One hundred years on, and their memory still lives. One hundred years on, and their sacrifice is still honoured. Gallipoli is the rallying point that galvanised the collective consciousness of two nations. It rightly has prominent place in our memories. But there were other campaigns that suffered terrible loss. The fields of Flanders in France received the blood of more than 5500 ANZACS, killed or wounded, in a single day. Honoured too are those whose lives were forfeit in forgotten corners of the globe. All can bathe in the glow of Gallipoli’s fame, but their specific acts of heroism are not thereby diminished. More than 100,000 service personnel in total have made the supreme sacrifice, including our Aboriginal brothers who often suffered greatly.
No one is left untouched by war. Survivors bear scars and by them they are transformed. The wounds of the body are seldom as deep as the wounds of the heart. Many who fought uttered not a word about the atrocities they witnessed. Often more is said with silence than the multiplication of many words. The memories are too vivid, the hurt is too painful; the grief is too profound. But their stories are still told. They may live and breathe and walk in the normalcy of civilian life but they bear on their individual frames, with the victorious dead, the weight of freedom for the masses.
First light or dusk was often embraced as the opportunity for attack. Soldiers were, accordingly, ordered to be ready, manning their posts as the dawn broke or the sun set. This came to be known as the ‘stand to’, short for ‘stand-to-arms’. It often marked the hour of peril; the moment of truth. Would courage falter? Would strength fail? Who can value life as it should be valued save for God alone? At the moment of truth God does not abandon us to the ‘stand to’. He does not forget. Christ stood in solidarity with sinful humanity and allowed Himself to be hung from a cross. In the gathering light of Easter dawn He stood forth from the grave; the battle completed, peace secured. Only in Christ can the grieving have hope. Only in Christ can the wounded find healing. Only in Christ has the promise of the resurrection of the dead been secured. Time and place are not barriers to Christ, who is immortal. To us, they are the parameters which define our reality.
One hundred years on and the world is still marred by conflict. Some will say the Great War was never ours to fight. We are not here to judge the motivations of diplomacy or duty. We are here to honour those who were faithful in their service. One hundred years on and the appreciation still grows. The ANZACS are not forgotten. We will honour their sacrifice. We will cherish their legacy. We will defend their cause. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. The Almighty will not forget.
Pastor Darrin Kohrt Concordia & Outlying Lutheran Churches, Loxton
Sunday, April 19, 2015
Third Sunday of Easter (B) 2015
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 24:46
Theme: The Old Testament Christ
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The risen Christ is among us. Each Sunday is a celebration of the resurrection. God’s people changed from gathering on Saturday, the Sabbath, to the day the tomb was found empty. There was no requirement to do so. In fact, since the redemptive work of Christ has been completed, every day is holy to the Lord. Nevertheless, Sunday seemed most appropriate for the public assembly of the saints. Our hope and salvation rest not in memories of the historical Jesus but in the living Christ who rules and intercedes on behalf of His church.
Again today, we find Jesus with His disciples on that first Easter Sunday. It’s very telling that the risen Jesus did not simply let His astonishing triumph over death speak for itself. He explained Himself on the basis of the Scriptures. Far from indicting that the Old Testament could be dispensed with now that the new era had come, He established its importance. He says, “Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”1 He knew the apostles would need to witness to the work of Christ not only on the basis of their personal interaction with Him, but also through the Old Testament Scriptures. Easter Sunday was a time of intense catechesis.
The Old Testament doesn’t make casual or occasional reference to Christ. He is its heart and centre. The Old Testament is God’s inspired word. Any effort to relegate it to a second-rate status, whether intentionally or inadvertently, fails to recognize it as the continually relevant revelation of God to the human race. God didn’t come up with a new idea in the sending of Jesus; Christ was the divine plan from the beginning, from eternity. Luke says today, “Then He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, ‘This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name.”2
God’s plans are not random or arbitrary. The forgiveness of sins is God’s mode of operation from start to finish. But don’t ever assume that the forgiveness of sins is easily grasped or readily received. In fact, as sinners, we cannot grasp it at all without the Holy Spirit. Even after conversion, the powerful draw of the sinful will seeks to pull us away from God’s purposes and plans. God’s law is never done convicting and correcting us. The gospel is never done consoling us. You will never out grow your baptism.
Jesus came so that the last would be first and the first, last. Christ reverses the order for the penitent. Forgiveness is an equalizer beyond human comprehension. That’s what makes the gospel so subversive and at the same time so magnificent. God reconciles the sinner to Himself and in so doing abolishes all human constructions of rank, status, and worthiness. In contrition and faith the prostitute enters heaven while the pope and pastor stand outside. The murderer is received while the federal judge is expelled. The widow and her mite are honoured while the philanthropist and his money are shunned. The one who washes the foot is esteemed above the one who demands others bow at his feet. The exalted are humbled and the humbled are exalted. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”3
We are wandering sheep that have been gathered safely into the fold. We are rebellious children that have been restored to the family. We are refugees from the dominion of Satan that have been given asylum in the kingdom of Christ. More than that, we are paupers who have been made princes, orphans who have been adopted; outcasts who have been given an inheritance. We brought nothing into the world and we will take nothing out of it. But in Christ we have all that we need- and more!
After the resurrection life was a struggle for the early followers of Jesus. Undoubtedly they would have liked all of their challenges to be over. But their Master did not institute a Utopia on earth. We tread the same path they walked. We eat the same sacred food as the Emmaus disciples. But we continue to walk by faith, not by sight. Like them we look forward to Christ’s return in glory. Meanwhile, we do not wait passively nor can we expect life to be problem-free.
Sometimes we do not see the future benefits that result from the struggles of the present. The trials of the day often prepare us for the challenges of the future. Life is full of hidden blessings. Consider the example of the man who was celebrating his 100th birthday. He was married on the same day and had his wife still been living it would have been their 75th anniversary. Healthy and spry for a centenarian his guests asked his secret to remaining so fit. He said, “On the day my wife and I were married we promised each other that the person who was decided to be the loser of an argument would go outside for a walk in the fresh air. I’ve been out in the fresh air ever since.”
The Bible is full of examples of God’s people living by sheer faith and clinging to hope that defied the evidence. Could Joseph see the blessings that would come from being sold into slavery by his jealous brothers? Not only was he elevated to a position of authority, the whole family of Jacob was spared from famine through his protection. Could Daniel have foreseen the blessings that would result from being taken into captivity in Babylon? He gave such powerful testimony after God spared him from the den of lions that King Darius said, “I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. For He is the living God and He endures forever; His kingdom will not be destroyed, His dominion will never end.”4
Think, dear friends, how cherished we are in God’s sight! The apostle says, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”5 And that sets us apart from a world of unbelief. It sets us apart from a world that lives only for the moment. It separates us from those whose view of the future is a false security that all will go to a better place. It also distinguishes us from those whose interest in the present involves the dead end of self-indulgence. Note how John continues, “The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”6 For then we shall be resurrected in body and soul. His promise will not fail for He has already passed through death. Amen
+ In nomine Jesu +
Third Sunday of Easter
19 April, 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 24:44
2 Luke 24:45-47
3 Matthew 5:7
4 Daniel 6:26
5 1 John 3:1
6 1 John 3:2
Text: Luke 24:46
Theme: The Old Testament Christ
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The risen Christ is among us. Each Sunday is a celebration of the resurrection. God’s people changed from gathering on Saturday, the Sabbath, to the day the tomb was found empty. There was no requirement to do so. In fact, since the redemptive work of Christ has been completed, every day is holy to the Lord. Nevertheless, Sunday seemed most appropriate for the public assembly of the saints. Our hope and salvation rest not in memories of the historical Jesus but in the living Christ who rules and intercedes on behalf of His church.
Again today, we find Jesus with His disciples on that first Easter Sunday. It’s very telling that the risen Jesus did not simply let His astonishing triumph over death speak for itself. He explained Himself on the basis of the Scriptures. Far from indicting that the Old Testament could be dispensed with now that the new era had come, He established its importance. He says, “Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”1 He knew the apostles would need to witness to the work of Christ not only on the basis of their personal interaction with Him, but also through the Old Testament Scriptures. Easter Sunday was a time of intense catechesis.
The Old Testament doesn’t make casual or occasional reference to Christ. He is its heart and centre. The Old Testament is God’s inspired word. Any effort to relegate it to a second-rate status, whether intentionally or inadvertently, fails to recognize it as the continually relevant revelation of God to the human race. God didn’t come up with a new idea in the sending of Jesus; Christ was the divine plan from the beginning, from eternity. Luke says today, “Then He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, ‘This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name.”2
God’s plans are not random or arbitrary. The forgiveness of sins is God’s mode of operation from start to finish. But don’t ever assume that the forgiveness of sins is easily grasped or readily received. In fact, as sinners, we cannot grasp it at all without the Holy Spirit. Even after conversion, the powerful draw of the sinful will seeks to pull us away from God’s purposes and plans. God’s law is never done convicting and correcting us. The gospel is never done consoling us. You will never out grow your baptism.
Jesus came so that the last would be first and the first, last. Christ reverses the order for the penitent. Forgiveness is an equalizer beyond human comprehension. That’s what makes the gospel so subversive and at the same time so magnificent. God reconciles the sinner to Himself and in so doing abolishes all human constructions of rank, status, and worthiness. In contrition and faith the prostitute enters heaven while the pope and pastor stand outside. The murderer is received while the federal judge is expelled. The widow and her mite are honoured while the philanthropist and his money are shunned. The one who washes the foot is esteemed above the one who demands others bow at his feet. The exalted are humbled and the humbled are exalted. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”3
We are wandering sheep that have been gathered safely into the fold. We are rebellious children that have been restored to the family. We are refugees from the dominion of Satan that have been given asylum in the kingdom of Christ. More than that, we are paupers who have been made princes, orphans who have been adopted; outcasts who have been given an inheritance. We brought nothing into the world and we will take nothing out of it. But in Christ we have all that we need- and more!
After the resurrection life was a struggle for the early followers of Jesus. Undoubtedly they would have liked all of their challenges to be over. But their Master did not institute a Utopia on earth. We tread the same path they walked. We eat the same sacred food as the Emmaus disciples. But we continue to walk by faith, not by sight. Like them we look forward to Christ’s return in glory. Meanwhile, we do not wait passively nor can we expect life to be problem-free.
Sometimes we do not see the future benefits that result from the struggles of the present. The trials of the day often prepare us for the challenges of the future. Life is full of hidden blessings. Consider the example of the man who was celebrating his 100th birthday. He was married on the same day and had his wife still been living it would have been their 75th anniversary. Healthy and spry for a centenarian his guests asked his secret to remaining so fit. He said, “On the day my wife and I were married we promised each other that the person who was decided to be the loser of an argument would go outside for a walk in the fresh air. I’ve been out in the fresh air ever since.”
The Bible is full of examples of God’s people living by sheer faith and clinging to hope that defied the evidence. Could Joseph see the blessings that would come from being sold into slavery by his jealous brothers? Not only was he elevated to a position of authority, the whole family of Jacob was spared from famine through his protection. Could Daniel have foreseen the blessings that would result from being taken into captivity in Babylon? He gave such powerful testimony after God spared him from the den of lions that King Darius said, “I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. For He is the living God and He endures forever; His kingdom will not be destroyed, His dominion will never end.”4
Think, dear friends, how cherished we are in God’s sight! The apostle says, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”5 And that sets us apart from a world of unbelief. It sets us apart from a world that lives only for the moment. It separates us from those whose view of the future is a false security that all will go to a better place. It also distinguishes us from those whose interest in the present involves the dead end of self-indulgence. Note how John continues, “The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”6 For then we shall be resurrected in body and soul. His promise will not fail for He has already passed through death. Amen
+ In nomine Jesu +
Third Sunday of Easter
19 April, 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 24:44
2 Luke 24:45-47
3 Matthew 5:7
4 Daniel 6:26
5 1 John 3:1
6 1 John 3:2
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Second Sunday Of Easter (B) 2015
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 20:20
Theme: Joy In His Presence
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Christ is risen!
There was bound to be fall out. Collateral damage was unavoidable. An ordinary person doesn’t come back from the dead without causing a stir, let alone, someone of Jesus’ significance. The media would have a field day today. Those first hours were a blur of confusion, uncertainty, excitement, fear, bewilderment, and doubt. Was it really true! What did it all mean! How would the Roman authorities react? What would the Jewish leaders do? The disciples were huddled together in fear. It was still Easter Sunday.
The resurrection is not a truth you can wrap your head around overnight. The apostles were nearly dumbfounded until Pentecost. Proclaiming the risen Jesus, and in Him forgiveness, life and salvation, was then the all-consuming focus of the rest of their ministries. All but one were reportedly martyred for the cause. The Book of Acts records the activity that typified their ministry. “Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead.”1
The preaching of the resurrection was marked with a sense of urgency, with tenacity, and a willingness to suffer rejection. The suffering Servant was living. He had overcome the power of death. It was news that could not be kept quiet. It could not be muzzled. St. Paul says, “When I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!”2 That continues to be the mission of the church.
It’s convenient, obviously, to use Thomas as the reference point for those who are skeptical that Jesus rose bodily from the dead. Thomas has the benefit of putting his fingers into the flesh of the risen Lord and his doubt is quickly overturned. The evidence was indisputable. Today’s cynics, however, should not be singled-out as being unique. It is the temptation of every generation to see itself as more enlightened than all previous ones. But Christianity is no respecter of generations in this regard. Accumulated knowledge does not translate into a more superior status in relation to God. We may have supercomputers and spaceships but these don’t make God more accessible. As science discloses more of the mysteries of creation we are finding that the wisdom and power of God is not being eliminated but being made all the more necessary. The scientific enterprise is in the process of coming full circle.
How then to proclaim the resurrection to people whose bellies are full, bank accounts are overflowing, egos are over-inflated, and sense of holiness is being destroyed by a largely vulgar secular society? The appetite for spiritual truth is not easily whetted. Personal reflection is a good starting point. It’s easy to become a too-comfortable Christian. The same applies for pastors. Certainty of salvation is not the same as complacency in our sins. “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word has no place in our lives.”3
We’re not necessarily meant to always fill comfortable even in the house of God. God’s holy word is confronting. It is convicting. It penetrates our hearts and reveals our motives. As it operates in that capacity it doesn’t result in a relaxing process for us. It names us as sinners and goes to work on us. We don’t come into His presence to have our egos stroked. We don’t gather in a casual atmosphere.
But we are most certainly to believe that God’s house is a refuge for us. It is here that Christ is among us as one who serves. If your life is lacking in happiness, here you find joy. If your life is full of turmoil, here you find peace. If your life is beset with conflict and contention, here you have the comfort of knowing you are reconciled to the heavenly Father through Christ. Here the forgiveness of sins binds us together, heals us, and empowers us. Luther says, “Satan will more easily put up with all other articles than this one concerning the forgiveness of sins.”4 The devil cannot bear to see people reconciled to God. But that’s exactly what Christ has done. “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”5
When the conscience, flooded with doubt, burdened with anxiety, knows not where to turn it can recede into itself like a turtle disappearing into its shell. Or, it can grope aimlessly about for any offer of support. Both are dangerous decisions. The bottling up of fear, doubt, and anxiety only cripples our ability to mend and engage relationships. Grasping at options that might ease the pain but not address the ailment- engaging in fantasy, overindulgence in alcohol or drugs, pursuing distractions to the point of obsession- only compound the problem in the long run. Christianity is the truth for realists. A real God interacts with real people. Here the baptized gather with a family that transcends bloodlines. Here our faith is nourished by Christ’s body and blood, the equivalent of putting our fingers into the side of the risen Jesus.
Dear friends, no one can stand aloof from the truth of the resurrection. The crucified Jesus was not a tragic failure; death could not hold Him. Because this truth makes a claim on humanity it makes a claim on each of us. Christ shares our human nature. He did not relinquish it after His ascension. He remains the one Christ, God and man forever as the Athanasian Creed says, “not by changing the Godhead into flesh but by taking on the humanity into God.” The implication is universal. “At his coming all men shall rise with their bodies and give an account of their own deeds.”6 Neither the believer nor the unbeliever is exempt from the bodily resurrection; the difference is the eternal destination.
The resurrection is the bedrock upon which our hope is built. The Israelites celebrated a jubilee year every 50th year7. It was the year in which debts were forgiven, grievances were put aside, and property returned to its original owners. So too, the season of Easter involves 50 days of jubilee. Holiness and joy mark our celebrations of the resurrection. Hallelujahs roll off our tongues and elation fills our hearts. Even in the midst of adversity we have life; and we have it abundantly. Amen.
Christ is risen!
+ In nomine Jesu +
Second Sunday of Easter
12 April, 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Acts 17:2-3
2 1 Corinthians 9:16
3 1 John 1:8-10
4 AE 44:21, 115
5 Romans 4:25
6 The Athanasian Creed
7 See Leviticus 25:11
Text: John 20:20
Theme: Joy In His Presence
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Christ is risen!
There was bound to be fall out. Collateral damage was unavoidable. An ordinary person doesn’t come back from the dead without causing a stir, let alone, someone of Jesus’ significance. The media would have a field day today. Those first hours were a blur of confusion, uncertainty, excitement, fear, bewilderment, and doubt. Was it really true! What did it all mean! How would the Roman authorities react? What would the Jewish leaders do? The disciples were huddled together in fear. It was still Easter Sunday.
The resurrection is not a truth you can wrap your head around overnight. The apostles were nearly dumbfounded until Pentecost. Proclaiming the risen Jesus, and in Him forgiveness, life and salvation, was then the all-consuming focus of the rest of their ministries. All but one were reportedly martyred for the cause. The Book of Acts records the activity that typified their ministry. “Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead.”1
The preaching of the resurrection was marked with a sense of urgency, with tenacity, and a willingness to suffer rejection. The suffering Servant was living. He had overcome the power of death. It was news that could not be kept quiet. It could not be muzzled. St. Paul says, “When I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!”2 That continues to be the mission of the church.
It’s convenient, obviously, to use Thomas as the reference point for those who are skeptical that Jesus rose bodily from the dead. Thomas has the benefit of putting his fingers into the flesh of the risen Lord and his doubt is quickly overturned. The evidence was indisputable. Today’s cynics, however, should not be singled-out as being unique. It is the temptation of every generation to see itself as more enlightened than all previous ones. But Christianity is no respecter of generations in this regard. Accumulated knowledge does not translate into a more superior status in relation to God. We may have supercomputers and spaceships but these don’t make God more accessible. As science discloses more of the mysteries of creation we are finding that the wisdom and power of God is not being eliminated but being made all the more necessary. The scientific enterprise is in the process of coming full circle.
How then to proclaim the resurrection to people whose bellies are full, bank accounts are overflowing, egos are over-inflated, and sense of holiness is being destroyed by a largely vulgar secular society? The appetite for spiritual truth is not easily whetted. Personal reflection is a good starting point. It’s easy to become a too-comfortable Christian. The same applies for pastors. Certainty of salvation is not the same as complacency in our sins. “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word has no place in our lives.”3
We’re not necessarily meant to always fill comfortable even in the house of God. God’s holy word is confronting. It is convicting. It penetrates our hearts and reveals our motives. As it operates in that capacity it doesn’t result in a relaxing process for us. It names us as sinners and goes to work on us. We don’t come into His presence to have our egos stroked. We don’t gather in a casual atmosphere.
But we are most certainly to believe that God’s house is a refuge for us. It is here that Christ is among us as one who serves. If your life is lacking in happiness, here you find joy. If your life is full of turmoil, here you find peace. If your life is beset with conflict and contention, here you have the comfort of knowing you are reconciled to the heavenly Father through Christ. Here the forgiveness of sins binds us together, heals us, and empowers us. Luther says, “Satan will more easily put up with all other articles than this one concerning the forgiveness of sins.”4 The devil cannot bear to see people reconciled to God. But that’s exactly what Christ has done. “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”5
When the conscience, flooded with doubt, burdened with anxiety, knows not where to turn it can recede into itself like a turtle disappearing into its shell. Or, it can grope aimlessly about for any offer of support. Both are dangerous decisions. The bottling up of fear, doubt, and anxiety only cripples our ability to mend and engage relationships. Grasping at options that might ease the pain but not address the ailment- engaging in fantasy, overindulgence in alcohol or drugs, pursuing distractions to the point of obsession- only compound the problem in the long run. Christianity is the truth for realists. A real God interacts with real people. Here the baptized gather with a family that transcends bloodlines. Here our faith is nourished by Christ’s body and blood, the equivalent of putting our fingers into the side of the risen Jesus.
Dear friends, no one can stand aloof from the truth of the resurrection. The crucified Jesus was not a tragic failure; death could not hold Him. Because this truth makes a claim on humanity it makes a claim on each of us. Christ shares our human nature. He did not relinquish it after His ascension. He remains the one Christ, God and man forever as the Athanasian Creed says, “not by changing the Godhead into flesh but by taking on the humanity into God.” The implication is universal. “At his coming all men shall rise with their bodies and give an account of their own deeds.”6 Neither the believer nor the unbeliever is exempt from the bodily resurrection; the difference is the eternal destination.
The resurrection is the bedrock upon which our hope is built. The Israelites celebrated a jubilee year every 50th year7. It was the year in which debts were forgiven, grievances were put aside, and property returned to its original owners. So too, the season of Easter involves 50 days of jubilee. Holiness and joy mark our celebrations of the resurrection. Hallelujahs roll off our tongues and elation fills our hearts. Even in the midst of adversity we have life; and we have it abundantly. Amen.
Christ is risen!
+ In nomine Jesu +
Second Sunday of Easter
12 April, 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Acts 17:2-3
2 1 Corinthians 9:16
3 1 John 1:8-10
4 AE 44:21, 115
5 Romans 4:25
6 The Athanasian Creed
7 See Leviticus 25:11
Monday, April 6, 2015
Easter Sunday (B) 2015
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Mark 16:8
Theme: Stunned Silence
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Christ is risen!
Temporary paralysis! That was the condition that overtook the women who went to Jesus’ tomb early on Easter morning. They came with practical concerns, bearing the spices, gaining access to the tomb, anointing Jesus’ body. What they encountered shook them to the core. Their Lord, their Master, their Redeemer, their King who had been crowned with thorns was not there. Instead the angelic messenger greets them with the resurrection gospel. “He has risen! He is not here.”1
The account of the resurrection from St Mark ends initially with the sentiment of fear. Commanded to go and tell the disciples the women initially said nothing to anyone. Clinically, they were in a state of shock. They had no precedent upon which to draw on. People commonly relate to things on the basis of experience. We all know how quickly people relate to the subject matter of a conversation based on some similar experience they have had even if sometimes it’s stretching the comparison more than a little.
Whether it involves significant things like getting married, becoming parents, being involved in an accident, or facing a terminal illness; or more mundane and trivial things such as what we did on the weekend, the new car we bought, or how we like our coffee, associating with another’s experience is how we evaluate and process common experience. I did that once. I had that too. I experienced that also. For me it was more like this. My experience was more like that. This mode of operating is, of course, natural and can help us to build relationships when properly exercised. It can also be evidence of self-centredness. It’s a convenient way to turn the focus back on oneself.
The miracle of Christ’s triumph over death leaves us without opportunity for comparison. We have no point of reference for the resurrection. There is nothing in our past that we can link it too. No one can say, “This is what it was like for me.” We have no framework with which to evaluate it based on experience; no connections with which to measure it. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is completely and utterly beyond us. Many saw Jesus raise people- Lazarus, Jairus’s daughter, the son of the widow of Nain- from the dead. These were arresting displays of His power and a boon to the faith of many. Even so, those people were resuscitated to mortality and still faced death and decay.
Facing that reality for what it is, is what makes the resurrection of Christ earth-shattering and life-transforming. Otherwise it remains but a remarkable and curious footnote in history. But Christ didn’t just come to make history; He came to give meaning to the present and secure the future. The whole creation is in bondage to decay2 and no part of creation is more acutely aware of this than the human race.
The once spritely parents who found themselves stooping over dozens of times a day to pick up their children now pause and bend at the knee. The once robust athlete at the peak of prowess and endurance has now lost a step and gained niggling pains and strains. The once ambitious professional with a clear mind and sharp memory now finds himself or herself taking longer to manage the schedule and needing to write things down. We find we need four eyes to do the job of two; three and then four legs, then wheels, to do the job of two legs; extra ears, and stents, stitches, plates, pins, and pace-makers to keep the internal parts intact and working. These are not theoretical examples. These are applicable me and you.
The world simply understands all these things to be natural (though their affects are strenuously resisted). Christians understand a deeper reality at work. The natural world is living off the capital invested in the original creation. But permanent vitality exists only in Christ. Have you ever done a double-take when one of those ageing Hollywood stars you haven’t seen in a while appears on screen so done over by cosmetic surgery they look alien and artificial? Ponce de Leon has many followers. The fabled fountain of youth is the holy grail for a world bent on extracting (regardless of how artificially and vainly) every last ounce of youthfulness from a decaying existence. But the hegemony of sin’s maturing consequences is not so easily halted.
It involves much more than the ageing of our physical bodies and mental faculties. We know the symptoms. Addiction of every sort; addiction to drugs, alcohol, pornography, gambling, or work. Obsession of every kind; obsession with our appearance, our bank account, our social image, our status, is at the core an addiction and obsession to and with ourselves. The sinful nature serves itself above anything and anyone else. Repentance is not a matter of pious posturing before God; it is dead serious wrangling with the power of sin. We must stop assuming that thinking, speaking, and acting in a holy and righteous was is within our own power. The crucified and risen Christ breaks the power of sin. He frees us for the privilege of serving others.
All attempts to relate to the resurrection by experience must be named for what they are: Fabrications! They are projections of mortal sentiment onto the reality of divine existence. Faith cannot be pushed out of the equation. Through it the Spirit teaches us the mind of God. That too is beyond us; until….Christ! The gospel is a foreign language. It is not our mother tongue. It’s too counterintuitive to our sense of justice. It’s too unfamiliar to our natural way of thinking. It’s too drenched with mercy, laden with grace, and dripping with compassion to resonate with human ideals.
But the resurrection, the experience of which is beyond us, is our very possession in faith. It is the consummation of our hope. Beyond us now it will be our mode of existence in the future. When the mortal has been clothed with “immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’”3 The mystery of baptism ties these truths together. St. Peter says that baptism saves us, “By the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand.”4 It is the body and blood of the resurrected and enthroned Lord that we receive at this altar. He is present in His deity and His humanity to forgive, comfort, and empower. It’s not that believers will be saved through Christ’s resurrection; they are saved and live in that power now.
The concerns of the Marys are the concerns of the church. Who will roll the stone away from the secured unbelieving heart? How will access be gained to the soul galvanized against contact with God? God is beyond our experience. Faith to believe that He embraces us in Christ is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Who has that power? The Lord, God Almighty, the prophetic and apostolic word-wielding Spirit alone has such power. The Spirit says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws.”5
Luther saw clearly how tangible and personal the promise of the resurrection is. “Now if I know this and believe it, my heart or conscience and soul have already passed through death and grave and are in heaven with Christ, dwell there and rejoice over it. And in that way we have the two best parts, much more than half, of the resurrection behind us. And because Christ animates and renews the heart by faith, He will surely drag the decomposed rascal after Him and clothe him again, so that we can behold Him and live with Him. For that is His word and work on which we are baptized and live and die.”6
Perfect newness! That truth should stun us as much as the women at the tomb. We possess it now by faith; we look forward to enjoying its full benefits in the future. Our Redeemer is victorious over the grave. Hallelujah! Amen.
Christ is risen!
+ In nomine Jesu +
The Resurrection of Our Lord
5 April, 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Text: Mark 16:8
Theme: Stunned Silence
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Christ is risen!
Temporary paralysis! That was the condition that overtook the women who went to Jesus’ tomb early on Easter morning. They came with practical concerns, bearing the spices, gaining access to the tomb, anointing Jesus’ body. What they encountered shook them to the core. Their Lord, their Master, their Redeemer, their King who had been crowned with thorns was not there. Instead the angelic messenger greets them with the resurrection gospel. “He has risen! He is not here.”1
The account of the resurrection from St Mark ends initially with the sentiment of fear. Commanded to go and tell the disciples the women initially said nothing to anyone. Clinically, they were in a state of shock. They had no precedent upon which to draw on. People commonly relate to things on the basis of experience. We all know how quickly people relate to the subject matter of a conversation based on some similar experience they have had even if sometimes it’s stretching the comparison more than a little.
Whether it involves significant things like getting married, becoming parents, being involved in an accident, or facing a terminal illness; or more mundane and trivial things such as what we did on the weekend, the new car we bought, or how we like our coffee, associating with another’s experience is how we evaluate and process common experience. I did that once. I had that too. I experienced that also. For me it was more like this. My experience was more like that. This mode of operating is, of course, natural and can help us to build relationships when properly exercised. It can also be evidence of self-centredness. It’s a convenient way to turn the focus back on oneself.
The miracle of Christ’s triumph over death leaves us without opportunity for comparison. We have no point of reference for the resurrection. There is nothing in our past that we can link it too. No one can say, “This is what it was like for me.” We have no framework with which to evaluate it based on experience; no connections with which to measure it. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is completely and utterly beyond us. Many saw Jesus raise people- Lazarus, Jairus’s daughter, the son of the widow of Nain- from the dead. These were arresting displays of His power and a boon to the faith of many. Even so, those people were resuscitated to mortality and still faced death and decay.
Facing that reality for what it is, is what makes the resurrection of Christ earth-shattering and life-transforming. Otherwise it remains but a remarkable and curious footnote in history. But Christ didn’t just come to make history; He came to give meaning to the present and secure the future. The whole creation is in bondage to decay2 and no part of creation is more acutely aware of this than the human race.
The once spritely parents who found themselves stooping over dozens of times a day to pick up their children now pause and bend at the knee. The once robust athlete at the peak of prowess and endurance has now lost a step and gained niggling pains and strains. The once ambitious professional with a clear mind and sharp memory now finds himself or herself taking longer to manage the schedule and needing to write things down. We find we need four eyes to do the job of two; three and then four legs, then wheels, to do the job of two legs; extra ears, and stents, stitches, plates, pins, and pace-makers to keep the internal parts intact and working. These are not theoretical examples. These are applicable me and you.
The world simply understands all these things to be natural (though their affects are strenuously resisted). Christians understand a deeper reality at work. The natural world is living off the capital invested in the original creation. But permanent vitality exists only in Christ. Have you ever done a double-take when one of those ageing Hollywood stars you haven’t seen in a while appears on screen so done over by cosmetic surgery they look alien and artificial? Ponce de Leon has many followers. The fabled fountain of youth is the holy grail for a world bent on extracting (regardless of how artificially and vainly) every last ounce of youthfulness from a decaying existence. But the hegemony of sin’s maturing consequences is not so easily halted.
It involves much more than the ageing of our physical bodies and mental faculties. We know the symptoms. Addiction of every sort; addiction to drugs, alcohol, pornography, gambling, or work. Obsession of every kind; obsession with our appearance, our bank account, our social image, our status, is at the core an addiction and obsession to and with ourselves. The sinful nature serves itself above anything and anyone else. Repentance is not a matter of pious posturing before God; it is dead serious wrangling with the power of sin. We must stop assuming that thinking, speaking, and acting in a holy and righteous was is within our own power. The crucified and risen Christ breaks the power of sin. He frees us for the privilege of serving others.
All attempts to relate to the resurrection by experience must be named for what they are: Fabrications! They are projections of mortal sentiment onto the reality of divine existence. Faith cannot be pushed out of the equation. Through it the Spirit teaches us the mind of God. That too is beyond us; until….Christ! The gospel is a foreign language. It is not our mother tongue. It’s too counterintuitive to our sense of justice. It’s too unfamiliar to our natural way of thinking. It’s too drenched with mercy, laden with grace, and dripping with compassion to resonate with human ideals.
But the resurrection, the experience of which is beyond us, is our very possession in faith. It is the consummation of our hope. Beyond us now it will be our mode of existence in the future. When the mortal has been clothed with “immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’”3 The mystery of baptism ties these truths together. St. Peter says that baptism saves us, “By the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand.”4 It is the body and blood of the resurrected and enthroned Lord that we receive at this altar. He is present in His deity and His humanity to forgive, comfort, and empower. It’s not that believers will be saved through Christ’s resurrection; they are saved and live in that power now.
The concerns of the Marys are the concerns of the church. Who will roll the stone away from the secured unbelieving heart? How will access be gained to the soul galvanized against contact with God? God is beyond our experience. Faith to believe that He embraces us in Christ is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Who has that power? The Lord, God Almighty, the prophetic and apostolic word-wielding Spirit alone has such power. The Spirit says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws.”5
Luther saw clearly how tangible and personal the promise of the resurrection is. “Now if I know this and believe it, my heart or conscience and soul have already passed through death and grave and are in heaven with Christ, dwell there and rejoice over it. And in that way we have the two best parts, much more than half, of the resurrection behind us. And because Christ animates and renews the heart by faith, He will surely drag the decomposed rascal after Him and clothe him again, so that we can behold Him and live with Him. For that is His word and work on which we are baptized and live and die.”6
Perfect newness! That truth should stun us as much as the women at the tomb. We possess it now by faith; we look forward to enjoying its full benefits in the future. Our Redeemer is victorious over the grave. Hallelujah! Amen.
Christ is risen!
+ In nomine Jesu +
The Resurrection of Our Lord
5 April, 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Friday, April 3, 2015
Good Friday 2015
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti Amen +
Text: John 19:19
Theme: Glory of the Nazarene
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The glory of God is revealed on a cruel instrument of death. The depth of the Father’s mercy is exposed in the agony of the Son. “Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.”1 The glory of the Nazarene was His willing sacrifice for sinners. His crown of thorns makes possible your crown of life. The impenetrable mysteries of Good Friday will always be beyond our comprehension but the central truth is inescapable: His death secures our salvation.
Here are the facts: Christ was betrayed by Judas. He was arrested in the Garden called Gethsemane. He was questioned by the high priest. He was denied by Peter. He was sent to Herod. He was tried, condemned, and sentenced to death by Pontius Pilate. He was led to a rubbish heap outside Jerusalem named Golgotha. He was nailed to a cross. Roman soldiers kept watch under the authority of a centurion. He cried out in angst from the cross. He died and His death was verified by one of the soldiers. With Pilate’s permission His body was taken down and placed in the grave of Joseph of Arimathea. Soldiers guarded His tomb. There are many others details which are not unimportant. Those are the historical facts.
Here is the meaning: “God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him [Christ], and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.”2 “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”3Your sentence of condemnation has been suspended. Your liability has been exempted. Your debt has been paid. Your guilt has been removed. Satan cannot convict you. Sin cannot shackle you. Death itself cannot be victorious over you. You are reconciled to the heavenly Father. Your baptismal inheritance has been secured. The gate to heaven is open. Christ’s life was forfeit. Your life is freed. You are liberated.
And what is it you are freed from? What are you freed for? Firstly, you are free from the curse of mortality. The fear of death is Satan’s tool. The fear of facing mortality is indelibly ingrained on the heart and mind of every member of the human race. It can be held at arms-length during the vibrant times of life, it can be numbed by unforeseen traumas or deliberate abuses, it can be denied through avid pursuit of philosophical propositions, but the fear of death will always surface at some point in some way. It is part of the curse of the Fall. “You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”4 We all participate in that legacy of Adam. Just as Eve was bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh5 so we are bone of Adam’s bone and the flesh of Eve’s womb.
Christ, too, participates in this reality. But He recovers what was lost and re-establishes what was destroyed. The Scripture says, “Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death- that is, the devil- and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”6 Christ has re-opened the way to Paradise. We are on pilgrimage to take up residence there.
The Tree of Life has been transplanted from the Garden of Eden to the hill of Calvary. The fruit of that tree gives forgiveness, life, and salvation. These are not distant or disconnected truths. The Spirit speaks life to you. The Holy Spirit conceives believers in the womb of the church. His promises are as unalterable as they are powerful. Here, where Christ serves you through His undershepherd and apostolic word, you are offered perfect peace, sacred food, and Sabbath rest. You will find these gifts nowhere else. He embraces you when you feel deserted. He cheers you when your heart is weighted with sorrow. He carries you when you cannot stand.
Dear friends, all the evidence of how God deals with people is amassed at the cross. If you are looking for evidence that sin- disobedience to God’s will- is punishable by a fate worse than death, you have found it on the cross. Eternal separation from God is the definitive measure of His justice. And if you are looking for good news that defies all human achievement and imagination you have also found it on the cross. God designated the formation of Adam and Eve as very good at the end of creation. Imagine with what superlatives He designates the sacrifice of the Son of God and Son of Man in which he inaugurates the new creation! In view of the intent perhaps Good Friday should be called “Great” Friday, “Stupendous” Friday or even “Unprecedented, Unrepeatable, and Incomparable.” Friday?
The early church designated that first Sunday after Good Friday the 8th day, the eternal day. They understood that the resurrection of Jesus Christ was the beginning of the final era. God’s original intention for humanity finally comes to fruition in Jesus. The glory of the Nazarene is a glory that never fades. St. John saw, in the timelessness of heaven, “A Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne.”7 Yes, the very same Saviour who stands among His people now and forevermore. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 John 19:19
2 Colossians 1:19-20
3 Mark 10:45
4 Genesis 2:17
5 See Genesis 2:23
6 Hebrews 2:14-15
7 Revelation 5:6
Good Friday
3 April 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Text: John 19:19
Theme: Glory of the Nazarene
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The glory of God is revealed on a cruel instrument of death. The depth of the Father’s mercy is exposed in the agony of the Son. “Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.”1 The glory of the Nazarene was His willing sacrifice for sinners. His crown of thorns makes possible your crown of life. The impenetrable mysteries of Good Friday will always be beyond our comprehension but the central truth is inescapable: His death secures our salvation.
Here are the facts: Christ was betrayed by Judas. He was arrested in the Garden called Gethsemane. He was questioned by the high priest. He was denied by Peter. He was sent to Herod. He was tried, condemned, and sentenced to death by Pontius Pilate. He was led to a rubbish heap outside Jerusalem named Golgotha. He was nailed to a cross. Roman soldiers kept watch under the authority of a centurion. He cried out in angst from the cross. He died and His death was verified by one of the soldiers. With Pilate’s permission His body was taken down and placed in the grave of Joseph of Arimathea. Soldiers guarded His tomb. There are many others details which are not unimportant. Those are the historical facts.
Here is the meaning: “God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him [Christ], and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.”2 “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”3Your sentence of condemnation has been suspended. Your liability has been exempted. Your debt has been paid. Your guilt has been removed. Satan cannot convict you. Sin cannot shackle you. Death itself cannot be victorious over you. You are reconciled to the heavenly Father. Your baptismal inheritance has been secured. The gate to heaven is open. Christ’s life was forfeit. Your life is freed. You are liberated.
And what is it you are freed from? What are you freed for? Firstly, you are free from the curse of mortality. The fear of death is Satan’s tool. The fear of facing mortality is indelibly ingrained on the heart and mind of every member of the human race. It can be held at arms-length during the vibrant times of life, it can be numbed by unforeseen traumas or deliberate abuses, it can be denied through avid pursuit of philosophical propositions, but the fear of death will always surface at some point in some way. It is part of the curse of the Fall. “You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”4 We all participate in that legacy of Adam. Just as Eve was bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh5 so we are bone of Adam’s bone and the flesh of Eve’s womb.
Christ, too, participates in this reality. But He recovers what was lost and re-establishes what was destroyed. The Scripture says, “Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death- that is, the devil- and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”6 Christ has re-opened the way to Paradise. We are on pilgrimage to take up residence there.
The Tree of Life has been transplanted from the Garden of Eden to the hill of Calvary. The fruit of that tree gives forgiveness, life, and salvation. These are not distant or disconnected truths. The Spirit speaks life to you. The Holy Spirit conceives believers in the womb of the church. His promises are as unalterable as they are powerful. Here, where Christ serves you through His undershepherd and apostolic word, you are offered perfect peace, sacred food, and Sabbath rest. You will find these gifts nowhere else. He embraces you when you feel deserted. He cheers you when your heart is weighted with sorrow. He carries you when you cannot stand.
Dear friends, all the evidence of how God deals with people is amassed at the cross. If you are looking for evidence that sin- disobedience to God’s will- is punishable by a fate worse than death, you have found it on the cross. Eternal separation from God is the definitive measure of His justice. And if you are looking for good news that defies all human achievement and imagination you have also found it on the cross. God designated the formation of Adam and Eve as very good at the end of creation. Imagine with what superlatives He designates the sacrifice of the Son of God and Son of Man in which he inaugurates the new creation! In view of the intent perhaps Good Friday should be called “Great” Friday, “Stupendous” Friday or even “Unprecedented, Unrepeatable, and Incomparable.” Friday?
The early church designated that first Sunday after Good Friday the 8th day, the eternal day. They understood that the resurrection of Jesus Christ was the beginning of the final era. God’s original intention for humanity finally comes to fruition in Jesus. The glory of the Nazarene is a glory that never fades. St. John saw, in the timelessness of heaven, “A Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne.”7 Yes, the very same Saviour who stands among His people now and forevermore. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 John 19:19
2 Colossians 1:19-20
3 Mark 10:45
4 Genesis 2:17
5 See Genesis 2:23
6 Hebrews 2:14-15
7 Revelation 5:6
Good Friday
3 April 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
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