+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 7:50
Theme: The Peace of Forgiveness
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
When was the last time you held an invitation only dinner? Pharisees were careful about who they invited to dinner. Their prudence was a result of their religious piety and their social consciousness. This Pharisee named Simon evidently held Jesus in high esteem. His invitation to dinner would have customarily allowed the opportunity for Jesus to teach. Perhaps- in Simon’s mind- this preacher from Nazareth was the expected Messiah? But the fame of Jesus brought an unwanted guest. A woman with a reputation for immorality came seeking Him. The stage is set for a memorable collision of cultural convictions. Simon will be left condemned. The woman will be sent on her way forgiven.
Closer inspection shows this was no incidental encounter. The Holy Spirit never works coincidentally. The woman had heard about Jesus before. The crux of Jesus’ redeeming work takes centre stage here. Forgiveness is the currency of divine favour. There is no other medium of reception. No one truly knows Christ apart from the gift of absolution. Therefore, the dinner host and the unwanted guest stand in sharp opposition. The Saviour ministers to both according to their needs.
Jesus didn’t pull punches when a firm impact was necessary. He boldly compares the hospitality of the woman with that of the Pharisee. Her devotion oozes warmth and sincerity. His reception is distant and measured. Christ breaks social custom by rebuking him candidly. Yet it was necessary to illustrate the critical point: Christ came for sinners. “I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven- for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.”1
Jesus is actually saying the Pharisees do not love Him at all? But why? This Pharisee has invited Jesus to dinner at his house. Yet, they do not truly love Him because they imagine that they have no sins that need to be forgiven. The sinful woman, meanwhile, candidly shows her repentance- looking to Jesus for absolution. The unrepentant sinner cannot love Christ. The self-righteous person thinks he or she needs no Saviour. The subtlety of self-righteousness is the devil’s tool. The spiritually autonomous render God redundant, obsolete, or at best, the source of interference.
Sin causes us to curve in upon ourselves- to be egocentric in the purest spiritual sense. The curvature caused by sin is like the curvature of the earth; you can’t see it until you stand above it. But we never have such a vantage point. We think we’re standing on the level. Therefore, we take the Bible at its word. No one, not pope nor peasant, prince or pauper, pastor or parishioner; not the criminal serving a life sentence, or the person honoured as citizen of the year can credibly claim to be blameless in the sight of God. Christ came for sinners. Consider what He said elsewhere to the Pharisees, “‘I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.’ Some Pharisees who were with Him heard Him say this and asked, ‘What? Are we blind too?’ Jesus said, ‘If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.’”2
Dear friends, the highest worship of Christ is to seek forgiveness from Him. In seeking forgiveness, we acknowledge two essential things: Our most critical need is to be freed from the condemnation of sin; and, Jesus is the one who has the power and capacity to grant what we need. If we do not believe in the Christ who forgives our sins, then we don’t really believe in the true God at all. There is no other God than the One who sacrificed Himself to atone for the sins of humanity. The God who created is the same God who redeems. The God who sustains by His power is the same God who rescues in love. The God of providence is the God of compassion.
We can never, ever, ever pay back the debt we owe for sin. We can’t make a contribution of any size that will make the slightest difference at all. The value of a soul can only be measured by the divine sacrifice. The conscience comforted by the thought that God is pleased with our own contribution to sanctity is a deceived conscience in the greatest peril. Of course, we can’t assess it through sensory or cognitive perception. The Holy Spirit must convict us.
The ‘sinful’ woman came seeking forgiveness from Him. The devotion of this woman is evidence of her faith. Faith always makes itself evident in love. The one cannot exist without the other. A shadow is only cast when the sun is shining. We do not cast the shadow of God’s love onto others when our hearts are hidden away in the darkness. Perhaps this woman became a faithful and powerful witness for the Lord. The truth is most of us are a tangled mess of complexity shaped by successes and failures, fears and hopes, selfishness and generosity, arrogance and humility. We often can’t sort out our motives because they are an amalgam of sincerity and selfishness. But God uses us, in all our frailty, with all our warts, to be agents of His love. God’s promises transcend all of our confusion.
So, as His baptized, we press on. Baptismal living is not a victory march through the cemeteries of the conquered. It is a humble but confident persistence in traveling the way of the cross. The Holy Spirit doesn’t breed arrogance; He teaches true wisdom. Satan still prowls, sin still lurks, temptation presses in on us from every facet of the secular world. Yet we are reminded the outcome is not in our hands but God’s. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame…”3 He was crucified and He has risen again to bring us life. We know where forgiveness is found. We have the words of eternal life. We have the true body and blood of the Son of God Himself. We have the peace which passes all understanding. We have a dinner invitation to the heavenly banquet!
Today the issue of Jesus’ identity was at stake. How dare He presume to forgive sins! That was the jurisdiction of God alone! But this Man IS God. He has proven it with His victory over death. He assumed human flesh to restore us to the Father. Jesus’ words to this woman are His words to us, “Your sins are forgiven…go in peace.”4 Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Fourth Sunday After Pentecost
12 June, 2016
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 8:47
2 John 9:39-41
3 Hebrews 12:1-2
4 Luke 7:48-50
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Third Sunday After Pentecost (C) 2016
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti Amen. +
Text: Luke 7:11-17
Theme: The Only Son
Dear Friends in Christ Jesus,
No one can exist in isolation. Yes, in this earthly life, a person could sever all ties and contact with others. But a person still has parents. Infants are not self-sustaining. We are bound together into a common humanity. We are all descendents of Adam and Eve, who were created by God. Christians are especially dependent upon relationship. Christ has bound us to Himself and united us with other believers. Meaningful Christian life entails understanding and appreciating and exercising the gift of relationship; Christ to us, and through us to one another. Therefore St. Paul writes, “For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die we belong to the Lord.”1
Christians belong to the Lord and they belong to one another. A person’s identity is tied up in many things. Family, career, education, interests, and relationships are a few of the things that help to define and characterize who a person is in regards to their self-identity and their influence on others. By and large the most important of these throughout history has been that of family. Our place or status is never absolute or independent. Who and what we are is always in relation to others and to God.
It wasn’t uncommon in the Middle Ages for Europeans to have only one name. With the population increasing it became more difficult to distinguish among people, so people started using surnames. They came from four main sources: a person’s occupation, such as in Cook or Baker; location, such as Overhill or Brook; the family name, the son of John might become Johnson; and characteristics, such as in Small, Short, or Longfellow. The surname nearly always said something significant about the person. It was part of identity.
Identity through relationship is the topic of today’s appointed Scriptures. In Galatians, Paul is identified as the one who received the gospel by direct revelation from Jesus Christ. The Old Testament and Gospel accounts are parallel. In the Old Testament, Elijah revives the son of the widow of Zarephath. In the Gospel, Jesus raises from the dead the son of the widow of Nain. Both women were grief-stricken over their losses. In ancient times, a woman with no male relatives had not lost her identity, but she often had little means of support. These widows had lost their husbands, and now their sons. But their despair was short-lived. Two widows, two sons, two miracles and one Saviour. The only begotten Son, the Lord of Life, exercises power over death. In doing so He identifies Himself as God and restores a meaningful relationship back to the widows.
Dear friends, through Christ, His only Son, the Father has restored believers to a meaningful relationship with Himself. Without question, people in our culture seek meaningful relationships. They want an identity. The world has plenty to offer. We cannot be so naïve as not to believe that people think they find meaningful relationships in the sin and evil they pursue. People practice lying and falsehood, immorality and all types of idolatry as a means to identity. Our sin becomes part of who we are. It becomes a comfortable part of our identity even if we are ashamed of it. That is why people try to keep it hidden. We must cease the charade of pretending that our pet sins, our materialism, our sexual immoralities, our habitual dishonesty, our ungodly addictions, are not really part of us; as if they are some foreign entities that we have control of. We must forsake these identities and embrace the new identify we have through our relationship with Christ.
Christ would have us in our totality and He promises to care for us completely. To believe in the Son is to have the Father. In the Lord’s Prayer we say, “Our Father in heaven.”2 What does this mean? “With these words God tenderly invites us to believe that He is our true Father and that we are His true children, so that with all boldness and confidence we may ask Him as dear children ask their dear father.”3 Christian fathers seek to model the Heavenly Father as the head of their families. Christians fathers seek to imitate the Heavenly Father in the care of their children. It is with this intent that the Bible says, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother’ – which is the first commandment with a promise- ‘that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.’ Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”4
It is certainly no coincidence that Luke tells us the widow of Nain had only this son. In this miracle, Jesus, the one and only son of God previews His own resurrection. The powers of death are subdued by Him. His death defeated death. In Him all proper relationships and identities are restored. Humanity was brought down by a relationship to a tree in the Garden of Eden. It is raised up by a relationship with the tree of Calvary. Adam ate the fruit and incurred the divine wrath. God’s Son drank the cup and consumed the divine wrath. God’s first Son, Adam was given a body prepared for life. God’s only begotten Son, Jesus, was given a body prepared for death. Adam’s living body brought death to the soul. Christ’s dead body brought life and immortality. Condemnation was brought to unbelievers by the waters of Noah’s flood. Forgiveness is brought to believers by the waters of the baptismal font.
It is in Christ alone that we have our identity. The Scripture says, “You received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself testifies with our Spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory.”5 The Bible says we are co-heirs with Christ; the result of our baptisms. What a profound and humbling thought! We are in the divine will. We are granted gifts for eternity, not to be enjoyed apart from Him. Sometimes we wrongly look to Christ as an aloof benefactor who will simply supply all of our riches for eternity. The greatest gift is precisely the relationship we will have with Him for eternity. That is the reality of our faith.
Dear friends, the gift of faith and the promise of salvation should properly be understood in terms of relationship. Faith is the means of a relationship with Christ that is going on now and extends right through eternity. Faith is not self-authenticating or self-existing. Faith is dependence on and trust in another, specifically, Christ. Faith clings to the One who gives us our identity and enables us to weather the storms of this life. His name is our name.
So we seek at all times not to be identified first by our personal names or occupations or accomplishments, but by the name of Christ. By His grace and through His power we are Christians; both in our individuality and in our unity together. His is our name. For us He bore the cross. He suffered, died, and rose again. The widow of Nain had her hope respired when Jesus raised her son. The same promise will be fulfilled in us. Thanks be to God! Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Third Sunday After Pentecost
5 June, 2016
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Romans 14:7-8
2 Matthew 6:9
3 Martin Luther
4 Ephesians 6:1-4
5 Romans 8:15-17
Text: Luke 7:11-17
Theme: The Only Son
Dear Friends in Christ Jesus,
No one can exist in isolation. Yes, in this earthly life, a person could sever all ties and contact with others. But a person still has parents. Infants are not self-sustaining. We are bound together into a common humanity. We are all descendents of Adam and Eve, who were created by God. Christians are especially dependent upon relationship. Christ has bound us to Himself and united us with other believers. Meaningful Christian life entails understanding and appreciating and exercising the gift of relationship; Christ to us, and through us to one another. Therefore St. Paul writes, “For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die we belong to the Lord.”1
Christians belong to the Lord and they belong to one another. A person’s identity is tied up in many things. Family, career, education, interests, and relationships are a few of the things that help to define and characterize who a person is in regards to their self-identity and their influence on others. By and large the most important of these throughout history has been that of family. Our place or status is never absolute or independent. Who and what we are is always in relation to others and to God.
It wasn’t uncommon in the Middle Ages for Europeans to have only one name. With the population increasing it became more difficult to distinguish among people, so people started using surnames. They came from four main sources: a person’s occupation, such as in Cook or Baker; location, such as Overhill or Brook; the family name, the son of John might become Johnson; and characteristics, such as in Small, Short, or Longfellow. The surname nearly always said something significant about the person. It was part of identity.
Identity through relationship is the topic of today’s appointed Scriptures. In Galatians, Paul is identified as the one who received the gospel by direct revelation from Jesus Christ. The Old Testament and Gospel accounts are parallel. In the Old Testament, Elijah revives the son of the widow of Zarephath. In the Gospel, Jesus raises from the dead the son of the widow of Nain. Both women were grief-stricken over their losses. In ancient times, a woman with no male relatives had not lost her identity, but she often had little means of support. These widows had lost their husbands, and now their sons. But their despair was short-lived. Two widows, two sons, two miracles and one Saviour. The only begotten Son, the Lord of Life, exercises power over death. In doing so He identifies Himself as God and restores a meaningful relationship back to the widows.
Dear friends, through Christ, His only Son, the Father has restored believers to a meaningful relationship with Himself. Without question, people in our culture seek meaningful relationships. They want an identity. The world has plenty to offer. We cannot be so naïve as not to believe that people think they find meaningful relationships in the sin and evil they pursue. People practice lying and falsehood, immorality and all types of idolatry as a means to identity. Our sin becomes part of who we are. It becomes a comfortable part of our identity even if we are ashamed of it. That is why people try to keep it hidden. We must cease the charade of pretending that our pet sins, our materialism, our sexual immoralities, our habitual dishonesty, our ungodly addictions, are not really part of us; as if they are some foreign entities that we have control of. We must forsake these identities and embrace the new identify we have through our relationship with Christ.
Christ would have us in our totality and He promises to care for us completely. To believe in the Son is to have the Father. In the Lord’s Prayer we say, “Our Father in heaven.”2 What does this mean? “With these words God tenderly invites us to believe that He is our true Father and that we are His true children, so that with all boldness and confidence we may ask Him as dear children ask their dear father.”3 Christian fathers seek to model the Heavenly Father as the head of their families. Christians fathers seek to imitate the Heavenly Father in the care of their children. It is with this intent that the Bible says, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother’ – which is the first commandment with a promise- ‘that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.’ Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”4
It is certainly no coincidence that Luke tells us the widow of Nain had only this son. In this miracle, Jesus, the one and only son of God previews His own resurrection. The powers of death are subdued by Him. His death defeated death. In Him all proper relationships and identities are restored. Humanity was brought down by a relationship to a tree in the Garden of Eden. It is raised up by a relationship with the tree of Calvary. Adam ate the fruit and incurred the divine wrath. God’s Son drank the cup and consumed the divine wrath. God’s first Son, Adam was given a body prepared for life. God’s only begotten Son, Jesus, was given a body prepared for death. Adam’s living body brought death to the soul. Christ’s dead body brought life and immortality. Condemnation was brought to unbelievers by the waters of Noah’s flood. Forgiveness is brought to believers by the waters of the baptismal font.
It is in Christ alone that we have our identity. The Scripture says, “You received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself testifies with our Spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory.”5 The Bible says we are co-heirs with Christ; the result of our baptisms. What a profound and humbling thought! We are in the divine will. We are granted gifts for eternity, not to be enjoyed apart from Him. Sometimes we wrongly look to Christ as an aloof benefactor who will simply supply all of our riches for eternity. The greatest gift is precisely the relationship we will have with Him for eternity. That is the reality of our faith.
Dear friends, the gift of faith and the promise of salvation should properly be understood in terms of relationship. Faith is the means of a relationship with Christ that is going on now and extends right through eternity. Faith is not self-authenticating or self-existing. Faith is dependence on and trust in another, specifically, Christ. Faith clings to the One who gives us our identity and enables us to weather the storms of this life. His name is our name.
So we seek at all times not to be identified first by our personal names or occupations or accomplishments, but by the name of Christ. By His grace and through His power we are Christians; both in our individuality and in our unity together. His is our name. For us He bore the cross. He suffered, died, and rose again. The widow of Nain had her hope respired when Jesus raised her son. The same promise will be fulfilled in us. Thanks be to God! Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Third Sunday After Pentecost
5 June, 2016
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Romans 14:7-8
2 Matthew 6:9
3 Martin Luther
4 Ephesians 6:1-4
5 Romans 8:15-17
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Second Sunday After Pentecost (C) 2016
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 7:7
Theme: “Say The Word”
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
If God had not spoken, nothing would have happened- ever! No joys, sorrows, or activity, period. God would have continued to reside in self-sustaining glory. But we, and the rest of the universe would simply not exist. Vacuum, void, and nothingness would be the limit of vocabulary. But God did speak. His speaking was firstly a creative act, the nature of which we have no comparisons with which to enlighten us. His speaking also has redemptive power. He restores that which is broken, damaged, wounded and dead. Our ‘divine speaker’ became, in the person of Jesus, the human Saviour.
What does this have to do with today’s account? A centurion was a well-paid member of the Roman military establishment in charge of the discipline and oversight of one hundred soldiers, who, in turn, formed part of a larger group of 6000 called a legion. This Gentile military man was sympathetic to the Jewish faith. He may have been a God-fearer, a person with genuine piety and interest, who had not formally converted to Judaism. He was wealthy enough to finance the construction of a synagogue. He was clearly highly thought of by the local Jewish council.
The man had a servant who was at the point of death. The preacher from Galilee was his only hope. Undoubtedly Jesus’ powers were well publicized by now. But how respectful was this centurion? Assuming Jesus to be a traditional Rabbi he did not presume to seek an audience from Him. Instead, he sent his Jewish friends to make the request. Ironically, they petitioned Jesus on the basis of his worthiness; but he considered himself to be unworthy.
The centurion understood the proper exercise of and response to authority. He expected his commands to be followed. He honours Jesus with the same respect, “Say the word, and my servant will be healed.”1 Say the word! Jesus verifies that this response was actually a statement of great trust. “I tell you the truth, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.”2 When the messengers returned home the man was found to be well.
Say the word! Words can be very powerful. Words can be petty, hurtful, and hollow. They are always subject to misinterpretation. The rhetoric of politicians can be confusing and maddening. Words are not always spoken with honest motive and candid intention. And we all know that words can be trivial, overused, redundant and tedious. Words can be both the fruit and the cause of sin.
Why do humans struggle so much to listen to and follow God’s word? When God condemns us for not following the ‘Ten Words’, His commands He makes it clear that there are consequences. He threatens punishment- punishment we justly deserve. The centurion knew well what problems rebelliousness, deceit, or selfishness caused for a Roman legion. Penalties were harsh. Safety and well-being was at stake.
Dear friends, that’s exactly what we so often fail to see as sinners: We fail to see what’s at stake. We may even believe that disobedience to God’s will is a benefit to us. How many see sexual immorality, dishonesty, or selfishness as being personally detrimental to them? There are sins of ignorance, sins of weakness, and sins of determination. We don’t like to have our own desires opposed. Consider Paul’s words to the Galatians, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel- which is really no gospel at all.”3 Would Paul express the same incredulity to the church today?
Words can wound. But words can heal. Words are used to express inner desires. The Jews of Capernaum were sympathetic to the centurion. They didn’t want him grieved by the death of his servant so they sent word to Jesus. Sympathy is a strong motivator of human activity. And, as well it should be. It is a reflection of God’s image. It is tainted with selfishness, yes; but sympathy is a movement of the heart.
Your words are powerful too. You may not think they are but if others are candid with you they will likely confirm it. Of course the influence of anyone’s words very much depends on whether they practice what they preach. We all soon recognize the boy who cried wolf. You have the words of a father, or mother, a son or daughter, a boss or employee, a friends or professional. Your words flow from the purpose of your vocation and support the well-being of others. The speech of a Christian should reflect God’s speech to us.
The word is the Holy Spirit’s means to create and sustain faith in Christ who is the Word-become-flesh. The Scripture says, “He sends out His command to the earth; His word runs swiftly.”4 Again, “He sent out His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.”5 And again, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness, made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”6
Dear friends, the presence of Jesus is actualized through His word. Christ did not go to the centurion’s servant. Proximity (understood in human terms) neither restricts nor facilitates Jesus’ power. He healed the servant without ever meeting him face to face. Christ is as good as his word. At the baptismal font Jesus meets us face to face. His visage is hidden in the aquatic compound but His voice is heard through the audible scriptures. Our inability to see His physical presence does not erase the reality. Would we say that a blind man involved in personal conversation was not talking face to face with someone? Would we claim that a deaf woman reading braille was not coming face to face with the author? At the communion rail we see Jesus eye to eye. He is veiled in bread and wine but His body and blood are offered as life-giving food. Sight is sometimes an aid to enjoying physical food but many a delicacy is enjoyed with eyes closed. Tasting Christ in the sacrament strengthens the vision of faith.
God has sent His Word- His Son- to us. He makes good on all His promises. Christ never leaves us drowning in our sins. He hears our cries for rescue. He answers our pleas. He lifts of the burden of guilt and condemnation from us. He was crucified. He has been raised. He is enthroned over all creation. He has sent to us the Spirit. He transforms our hearts so that we can delight in His word. At the bodily resurrection the triumph over sin will be completely accomplished in us. The scales will fall from our eyes. We will not need words. Faith will be obsolete. We will meet Him face to face and see eye to eye in glory. We might enjoy meeting the centurion too! Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Second Sunday After Pentecost
29 May, 2016
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 7:7
2 Luke 7:9
3 Psalm 147:15
4 Joel 2:32
5 Psalm 107:20
6 2 Corinthians 4:6
Text: Luke 7:7
Theme: “Say The Word”
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
If God had not spoken, nothing would have happened- ever! No joys, sorrows, or activity, period. God would have continued to reside in self-sustaining glory. But we, and the rest of the universe would simply not exist. Vacuum, void, and nothingness would be the limit of vocabulary. But God did speak. His speaking was firstly a creative act, the nature of which we have no comparisons with which to enlighten us. His speaking also has redemptive power. He restores that which is broken, damaged, wounded and dead. Our ‘divine speaker’ became, in the person of Jesus, the human Saviour.
What does this have to do with today’s account? A centurion was a well-paid member of the Roman military establishment in charge of the discipline and oversight of one hundred soldiers, who, in turn, formed part of a larger group of 6000 called a legion. This Gentile military man was sympathetic to the Jewish faith. He may have been a God-fearer, a person with genuine piety and interest, who had not formally converted to Judaism. He was wealthy enough to finance the construction of a synagogue. He was clearly highly thought of by the local Jewish council.
The man had a servant who was at the point of death. The preacher from Galilee was his only hope. Undoubtedly Jesus’ powers were well publicized by now. But how respectful was this centurion? Assuming Jesus to be a traditional Rabbi he did not presume to seek an audience from Him. Instead, he sent his Jewish friends to make the request. Ironically, they petitioned Jesus on the basis of his worthiness; but he considered himself to be unworthy.
The centurion understood the proper exercise of and response to authority. He expected his commands to be followed. He honours Jesus with the same respect, “Say the word, and my servant will be healed.”1 Say the word! Jesus verifies that this response was actually a statement of great trust. “I tell you the truth, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.”2 When the messengers returned home the man was found to be well.
Say the word! Words can be very powerful. Words can be petty, hurtful, and hollow. They are always subject to misinterpretation. The rhetoric of politicians can be confusing and maddening. Words are not always spoken with honest motive and candid intention. And we all know that words can be trivial, overused, redundant and tedious. Words can be both the fruit and the cause of sin.
Why do humans struggle so much to listen to and follow God’s word? When God condemns us for not following the ‘Ten Words’, His commands He makes it clear that there are consequences. He threatens punishment- punishment we justly deserve. The centurion knew well what problems rebelliousness, deceit, or selfishness caused for a Roman legion. Penalties were harsh. Safety and well-being was at stake.
Dear friends, that’s exactly what we so often fail to see as sinners: We fail to see what’s at stake. We may even believe that disobedience to God’s will is a benefit to us. How many see sexual immorality, dishonesty, or selfishness as being personally detrimental to them? There are sins of ignorance, sins of weakness, and sins of determination. We don’t like to have our own desires opposed. Consider Paul’s words to the Galatians, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel- which is really no gospel at all.”3 Would Paul express the same incredulity to the church today?
Words can wound. But words can heal. Words are used to express inner desires. The Jews of Capernaum were sympathetic to the centurion. They didn’t want him grieved by the death of his servant so they sent word to Jesus. Sympathy is a strong motivator of human activity. And, as well it should be. It is a reflection of God’s image. It is tainted with selfishness, yes; but sympathy is a movement of the heart.
Your words are powerful too. You may not think they are but if others are candid with you they will likely confirm it. Of course the influence of anyone’s words very much depends on whether they practice what they preach. We all soon recognize the boy who cried wolf. You have the words of a father, or mother, a son or daughter, a boss or employee, a friends or professional. Your words flow from the purpose of your vocation and support the well-being of others. The speech of a Christian should reflect God’s speech to us.
The word is the Holy Spirit’s means to create and sustain faith in Christ who is the Word-become-flesh. The Scripture says, “He sends out His command to the earth; His word runs swiftly.”4 Again, “He sent out His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.”5 And again, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness, made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”6
Dear friends, the presence of Jesus is actualized through His word. Christ did not go to the centurion’s servant. Proximity (understood in human terms) neither restricts nor facilitates Jesus’ power. He healed the servant without ever meeting him face to face. Christ is as good as his word. At the baptismal font Jesus meets us face to face. His visage is hidden in the aquatic compound but His voice is heard through the audible scriptures. Our inability to see His physical presence does not erase the reality. Would we say that a blind man involved in personal conversation was not talking face to face with someone? Would we claim that a deaf woman reading braille was not coming face to face with the author? At the communion rail we see Jesus eye to eye. He is veiled in bread and wine but His body and blood are offered as life-giving food. Sight is sometimes an aid to enjoying physical food but many a delicacy is enjoyed with eyes closed. Tasting Christ in the sacrament strengthens the vision of faith.
God has sent His Word- His Son- to us. He makes good on all His promises. Christ never leaves us drowning in our sins. He hears our cries for rescue. He answers our pleas. He lifts of the burden of guilt and condemnation from us. He was crucified. He has been raised. He is enthroned over all creation. He has sent to us the Spirit. He transforms our hearts so that we can delight in His word. At the bodily resurrection the triumph over sin will be completely accomplished in us. The scales will fall from our eyes. We will not need words. Faith will be obsolete. We will meet Him face to face and see eye to eye in glory. We might enjoy meeting the centurion too! Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Second Sunday After Pentecost
29 May, 2016
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 7:7
2 Luke 7:9
3 Psalm 147:15
4 Joel 2:32
5 Psalm 107:20
6 2 Corinthians 4:6
Friday, May 27, 2016
Holy Trinity (C) 2016
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 7:38
Theme: ‘Flowing Into The Future’
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The theme for the 2016 convention of the district is “Flowing into the Future”. The river is the lifeblood of our region. The thematic tie-in with Pentecost fits nicely. The Holy Spirit’s work in baptism and His subsequent toil in sanctification are “aquatic endeavors.” What does the water of baptism signify? Luther explains, “It indicates the Old Adam in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires, and that a new man should daily emerge and arise to life before God in righteousness and purity forever.”1 Christian living is a daily reality.
It can hardly be surprising that water is a key theme throughout the biblical narrative. God designated water as a compound that sustains life. Lack of water is symbolic of spiritual deprivation. The Spirit brooded over the face of the water at creation. God used water at the time of Noah to cleanse the earth. The Israelites crossed the Red Sea to be tested in the desert. They traversed the Jordan River to enter the Promised Land. God ordained water to be the chief element in baptism. Jesus met the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well and quenched her thirst with living water. The heavenly Jerusalem is depicted with the river of life flowing from the temple.
Calls to repentance and warning of judgment make occasional reference to water too. “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Sovereign Lord, ‘when I will send a famine through the land- not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.’”2 Could this happen to us? To transgress the 3rd Commandment (the Sabbath Day) is to despise the preaching of God’s Word. The welfare of the world’s population in the future largely depends on the management of physical water. What about spiritual water? Access to dependable water will determine where populations can expand and will be a significant factor in in contentions and disputes. Water is an essential. The Riverland depends on the flow of the Murray. The Murray doesn’t always flow. Droughts remind us we are dependent on the providence of God. What about spiritual water?
What does it mean that streams of living water will flow from the believer? Well, how gratuitous that we’re given an immediate explanation, “By this He meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive.3 The Spirit’s activity will be unmistakable in the lives of believers. Spiritual vitality depends both on baptismal water and the continued quenching of spiritual thirst through the life-giving word. This is the work of the Spirit. Today is also Holy Trinity Sunday. We acknowledge one God in three persons; the Trinity in unity. It is a mystery beyond human comprehension. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit exist in a dynamic oneness, sharing one divine essence, yet as three distinct persons working in concert for our salvation.
Whenever the church meets in convention we try to assess the bigger picture and plan for the future. Where is the LCA headed? Are we flowing into the future, and if we are, what’s our salinity? Are we fresh enough to bring life to a parched land? Are we salty enough to give the flavor of God’s love to a bland culture? Are we stagnant or even flowing in reverse, as it were? These are questions for individuals and the church collectively.
We’re not without centuries of Christian history to guide us. The church has been through spiritual droughts before. It has been under persecution. It has had the mission field at its doorstep, as we do now. Did the early church have a strategic plan? Did they have a governance review? Did they even have a mission statement? What programs has the church undertaken over the centuries in order to revive itself? Have they been effective?
The early Christians carried the message of the crucified and risen Jesus wherever they went. Some were welcomed. Some were rebuffed. Some were martyred. They were not sinless or self-reliant. They needed shepherds. They were contentious, apathetic, arrogant. They were greedy, lazy, and immoral. They were like us! The people they rubbed shoulders with were like people in our society. The depravity of original sin does not change with the times.
Their entire pilgrimage involved coming to terms with this God who had come to them in human flesh. Remember the contentions that arose of Jesus’ identity today. They were Jews struggling to be Christians; or pagans struggling to be Christians. What are we? Christians struggling to remain as such? Modern secularists trying to find our way to true Christianity? Hedonists or Darwinists at heart trying to assess if we can handle being publicly labeled as followers of Jesus? Is knowledge of biblical history becoming obsolete among us? Are Adam and Eve mythical figures to us? Is Jesus a legendary hero but a modern-day has been? If we are ignorant or conviction-less about these matters can we expect unbelievers to interested or convinced?
Dear friends, the sacrifice of Christ doesn’t become less relevant over time. He is the Saviour now as He was then. His work of redemption transcends time and place. “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”4 That salvation is still by grace, through faith. We’re living in an age when identity with Christianity makes one increasingly vulnerable to opposition. Jesus says, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.”5 But what could be more antithetical to worldly wisdom than to rejoice in suffering? We will find few concessions from society here. There will be little capitulation. The clash of values is acute. Suffering is to be avoided at nearly all costs. Here we face a call to integrity as believers. How deep are the inroads of cultural ideology into our hearts?
The Scripture promises suffering begets perseverance; perseverance, character; character hope. “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.”6 We live in exciting times. Challenges are mounting; but opportunities are multiplying. We have a precious treasure that’s long been part of our heritage. We have confidence in God’s word of truth. We have the shinning brilliance of sins forgiven that we can offer to a guilt-driven world. We have true freedom from the accusations of Satan, the threat of hell, and the fear of death. Christ has walked the gauntlet for us and His triumph has been achieved.
We know what’s served in the sacred meal. The shed blood of Christ; His sacrificed body, consoling, absolving, reviving us. We know our prayers do not go unanswered; the tiniest request bends His ear. We know the promises of Christ to intercede never go unfulfilled. We know the Father never errs, the Son never sleeps, the Spirit never falters. Sin cannot triumph. Confusion will give way to clarity. Doubt will be overcome with certainty. Fear will be surpassed by courage. Grief will be superseded by joy. The old order of things will pass away. Resurrected, we will see God in our own flesh- for, Jesus is the resurrection and the life.
The church is the ark of salvation. In it we navigate the stormy seas of this life. The Lord Jesus Christ is the captain and He sails us into the future. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
First Sunday After Pentecost
Holy Trinity
SA/NT District Synod
22 May, 2016
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luther’s Small Catechism
2 Amos 8:11
3 John 7:39
4 Joel 2:32
5 Matthew 5:11-12
6 Romans 5:5
Text: John 7:38
Theme: ‘Flowing Into The Future’
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The theme for the 2016 convention of the district is “Flowing into the Future”. The river is the lifeblood of our region. The thematic tie-in with Pentecost fits nicely. The Holy Spirit’s work in baptism and His subsequent toil in sanctification are “aquatic endeavors.” What does the water of baptism signify? Luther explains, “It indicates the Old Adam in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires, and that a new man should daily emerge and arise to life before God in righteousness and purity forever.”1 Christian living is a daily reality.
It can hardly be surprising that water is a key theme throughout the biblical narrative. God designated water as a compound that sustains life. Lack of water is symbolic of spiritual deprivation. The Spirit brooded over the face of the water at creation. God used water at the time of Noah to cleanse the earth. The Israelites crossed the Red Sea to be tested in the desert. They traversed the Jordan River to enter the Promised Land. God ordained water to be the chief element in baptism. Jesus met the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well and quenched her thirst with living water. The heavenly Jerusalem is depicted with the river of life flowing from the temple.
Calls to repentance and warning of judgment make occasional reference to water too. “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Sovereign Lord, ‘when I will send a famine through the land- not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord.’”2 Could this happen to us? To transgress the 3rd Commandment (the Sabbath Day) is to despise the preaching of God’s Word. The welfare of the world’s population in the future largely depends on the management of physical water. What about spiritual water? Access to dependable water will determine where populations can expand and will be a significant factor in in contentions and disputes. Water is an essential. The Riverland depends on the flow of the Murray. The Murray doesn’t always flow. Droughts remind us we are dependent on the providence of God. What about spiritual water?
What does it mean that streams of living water will flow from the believer? Well, how gratuitous that we’re given an immediate explanation, “By this He meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive.3 The Spirit’s activity will be unmistakable in the lives of believers. Spiritual vitality depends both on baptismal water and the continued quenching of spiritual thirst through the life-giving word. This is the work of the Spirit. Today is also Holy Trinity Sunday. We acknowledge one God in three persons; the Trinity in unity. It is a mystery beyond human comprehension. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit exist in a dynamic oneness, sharing one divine essence, yet as three distinct persons working in concert for our salvation.
Whenever the church meets in convention we try to assess the bigger picture and plan for the future. Where is the LCA headed? Are we flowing into the future, and if we are, what’s our salinity? Are we fresh enough to bring life to a parched land? Are we salty enough to give the flavor of God’s love to a bland culture? Are we stagnant or even flowing in reverse, as it were? These are questions for individuals and the church collectively.
We’re not without centuries of Christian history to guide us. The church has been through spiritual droughts before. It has been under persecution. It has had the mission field at its doorstep, as we do now. Did the early church have a strategic plan? Did they have a governance review? Did they even have a mission statement? What programs has the church undertaken over the centuries in order to revive itself? Have they been effective?
The early Christians carried the message of the crucified and risen Jesus wherever they went. Some were welcomed. Some were rebuffed. Some were martyred. They were not sinless or self-reliant. They needed shepherds. They were contentious, apathetic, arrogant. They were greedy, lazy, and immoral. They were like us! The people they rubbed shoulders with were like people in our society. The depravity of original sin does not change with the times.
Their entire pilgrimage involved coming to terms with this God who had come to them in human flesh. Remember the contentions that arose of Jesus’ identity today. They were Jews struggling to be Christians; or pagans struggling to be Christians. What are we? Christians struggling to remain as such? Modern secularists trying to find our way to true Christianity? Hedonists or Darwinists at heart trying to assess if we can handle being publicly labeled as followers of Jesus? Is knowledge of biblical history becoming obsolete among us? Are Adam and Eve mythical figures to us? Is Jesus a legendary hero but a modern-day has been? If we are ignorant or conviction-less about these matters can we expect unbelievers to interested or convinced?
Dear friends, the sacrifice of Christ doesn’t become less relevant over time. He is the Saviour now as He was then. His work of redemption transcends time and place. “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”4 That salvation is still by grace, through faith. We’re living in an age when identity with Christianity makes one increasingly vulnerable to opposition. Jesus says, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.”5 But what could be more antithetical to worldly wisdom than to rejoice in suffering? We will find few concessions from society here. There will be little capitulation. The clash of values is acute. Suffering is to be avoided at nearly all costs. Here we face a call to integrity as believers. How deep are the inroads of cultural ideology into our hearts?
The Scripture promises suffering begets perseverance; perseverance, character; character hope. “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.”6 We live in exciting times. Challenges are mounting; but opportunities are multiplying. We have a precious treasure that’s long been part of our heritage. We have confidence in God’s word of truth. We have the shinning brilliance of sins forgiven that we can offer to a guilt-driven world. We have true freedom from the accusations of Satan, the threat of hell, and the fear of death. Christ has walked the gauntlet for us and His triumph has been achieved.
We know what’s served in the sacred meal. The shed blood of Christ; His sacrificed body, consoling, absolving, reviving us. We know our prayers do not go unanswered; the tiniest request bends His ear. We know the promises of Christ to intercede never go unfulfilled. We know the Father never errs, the Son never sleeps, the Spirit never falters. Sin cannot triumph. Confusion will give way to clarity. Doubt will be overcome with certainty. Fear will be surpassed by courage. Grief will be superseded by joy. The old order of things will pass away. Resurrected, we will see God in our own flesh- for, Jesus is the resurrection and the life.
The church is the ark of salvation. In it we navigate the stormy seas of this life. The Lord Jesus Christ is the captain and He sails us into the future. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
First Sunday After Pentecost
Holy Trinity
SA/NT District Synod
22 May, 2016
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luther’s Small Catechism
2 Amos 8:11
3 John 7:39
4 Joel 2:32
5 Matthew 5:11-12
6 Romans 5:5
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Pastors' Conference Address- May 19, 2016
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Romans 10:21
Theme: Divine Forbearance
Dear Brothers, fellow stewards of the mysteries,
Who can measure the forbearance of God? Can the preacher probe this mystery? The scholar? The exegete? Is the minimalizing of God’s forbearance our primary angle as preachers to prevent laxity? Ah, yes, we know the proclivities of the flesh! If God is believed to have infinite patience what is to prevent casualness that begets apathy; apathy that begets negligence, negligence, contempt, and contempt, apostasy? Cheap grace is the mantra leveled at those who believe that faith is an active, mighty, living thing; Spirit-hewn through the promise of the gospel! We know well the concern of Erasmus!
“All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people,”1 says the Lord God. How do we assess people’s receptivity to the divine word? Luther was well-known for not mincing words. “God’s Word and grace is a passing rain shower which does not return where it once was. And you Germans need not think that you will have it forever, for ingratitude and contempt will not make it stay. Therefore, seize it and hold it fast, whoever can; for lazy hands are bound to have a lean year.”2 As Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem He warned them of judgment because they did not recognize the time of their visitation.3 “Repent!” is the decree. The day of the last visitation we do not know.
Yet, we are not occupied with speculation but with things we do know. We deal with real people, with real struggles, with real needs. They have addictions, are troubled by conflict, are burdened by confusion; they experience loves, joys, heartaches, and sorrows. They ache for the freedom truth brings. They might not know it.
So, keep planting THE seed. His seeds are parcels of divine power. The Word doesn’t lose potency. Lotus seeds dredged from peat moss bogs in China were found to be more than 800 years old. They were displayed as artifacts in museums for decades more. When planted they germinated with nearly flawless efficiency. You can google it. The Word of God does not decay with time or circumstance. The seed can remain latent and sowing should be ceaseless. Last month God gave me the humbling honour of baptizing a 95-year-old member of the parish. For me it was a ten-year project. For his wife it was 70 years in the making; an extraordinary example of divine forbearance. What more encouragement does a preacher need?
Dear brothers, don’t wait around to be recipients of unmediated encouragement. The Spirit is an accomplice of the incarnation. God uses means. He uses feeble, faulty, fraternal brothers to support one another- empathetic reciprocity in the shared work of the ministry. Brothers be patient in listening, swift in supporting, genuine in admonishing, and lavish in forgiving one another. The word will not return empty. But the word doesn’t return to us; it returns to God. The harvest isn’t stored in our treasury of accomplishments but in God’s celestial repository.
“All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people,”4 says the Lord God. How can the patience of God be measured? The father of the prodigal makes a suggestion. The colours of Christ come blazing through as the father makes a preemptive strike. The preeminence of grace comes to the fore. Compassion makes haste; running with adrenaline-fueled joy- ignoring custom, transgressing etiquette, foregoing dignity-the father embraces the son who was lost. The curator of the inheritance rushes to accept the undeserving heir- with open arms. Here the parameters divine forbearance become incarnational. Forgiveness came before the apology was spoken. What a blessed thing it is when the angst of a pending confession is slain by preemptive absolution! It is a sacred crucifixion. Those who possess it will cherish it for what it is. A resurrection always results preparing us for the bodily fulfillment of that apostolic word: “The dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive…” 5, well, you know the rest. He concludes, “Therefore encourage one another with these words.”6
Brothers, take courage, you are stewards of the mysteries. What is baptism if not the charity of divine forbearance? The Spirit condescends to our filth and washes us with heavenly holiness. What is the Sacrament of the Altar if not the food of divine forbearance? The immortal Son nurses mortals who would suffer famine without His rich supply. We are both beneficiaries and ambassadors of these gifts. Be of good cheer brothers, God loves even pastors. The mystery of God’s patience is not locked away in the inscrutable recesses of the divine will. “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is the word of faith we are proclaiming.”7 It is the same word you have received. THAT Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
District Pastors’ Conference
19 May, 2016
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Romans 10:21
2 Luther’s Works, AE 45:352
3 Luke 19:44
4 Romans 10:21
5 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 6 1 Thessalonians 4:18 7 Romans 10:8
Text: Romans 10:21
Theme: Divine Forbearance
Dear Brothers, fellow stewards of the mysteries,
Who can measure the forbearance of God? Can the preacher probe this mystery? The scholar? The exegete? Is the minimalizing of God’s forbearance our primary angle as preachers to prevent laxity? Ah, yes, we know the proclivities of the flesh! If God is believed to have infinite patience what is to prevent casualness that begets apathy; apathy that begets negligence, negligence, contempt, and contempt, apostasy? Cheap grace is the mantra leveled at those who believe that faith is an active, mighty, living thing; Spirit-hewn through the promise of the gospel! We know well the concern of Erasmus!
“All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people,”1 says the Lord God. How do we assess people’s receptivity to the divine word? Luther was well-known for not mincing words. “God’s Word and grace is a passing rain shower which does not return where it once was. And you Germans need not think that you will have it forever, for ingratitude and contempt will not make it stay. Therefore, seize it and hold it fast, whoever can; for lazy hands are bound to have a lean year.”2 As Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem He warned them of judgment because they did not recognize the time of their visitation.3 “Repent!” is the decree. The day of the last visitation we do not know.
Yet, we are not occupied with speculation but with things we do know. We deal with real people, with real struggles, with real needs. They have addictions, are troubled by conflict, are burdened by confusion; they experience loves, joys, heartaches, and sorrows. They ache for the freedom truth brings. They might not know it.
So, keep planting THE seed. His seeds are parcels of divine power. The Word doesn’t lose potency. Lotus seeds dredged from peat moss bogs in China were found to be more than 800 years old. They were displayed as artifacts in museums for decades more. When planted they germinated with nearly flawless efficiency. You can google it. The Word of God does not decay with time or circumstance. The seed can remain latent and sowing should be ceaseless. Last month God gave me the humbling honour of baptizing a 95-year-old member of the parish. For me it was a ten-year project. For his wife it was 70 years in the making; an extraordinary example of divine forbearance. What more encouragement does a preacher need?
Dear brothers, don’t wait around to be recipients of unmediated encouragement. The Spirit is an accomplice of the incarnation. God uses means. He uses feeble, faulty, fraternal brothers to support one another- empathetic reciprocity in the shared work of the ministry. Brothers be patient in listening, swift in supporting, genuine in admonishing, and lavish in forgiving one another. The word will not return empty. But the word doesn’t return to us; it returns to God. The harvest isn’t stored in our treasury of accomplishments but in God’s celestial repository.
“All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people,”4 says the Lord God. How can the patience of God be measured? The father of the prodigal makes a suggestion. The colours of Christ come blazing through as the father makes a preemptive strike. The preeminence of grace comes to the fore. Compassion makes haste; running with adrenaline-fueled joy- ignoring custom, transgressing etiquette, foregoing dignity-the father embraces the son who was lost. The curator of the inheritance rushes to accept the undeserving heir- with open arms. Here the parameters divine forbearance become incarnational. Forgiveness came before the apology was spoken. What a blessed thing it is when the angst of a pending confession is slain by preemptive absolution! It is a sacred crucifixion. Those who possess it will cherish it for what it is. A resurrection always results preparing us for the bodily fulfillment of that apostolic word: “The dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive…” 5, well, you know the rest. He concludes, “Therefore encourage one another with these words.”6
Brothers, take courage, you are stewards of the mysteries. What is baptism if not the charity of divine forbearance? The Spirit condescends to our filth and washes us with heavenly holiness. What is the Sacrament of the Altar if not the food of divine forbearance? The immortal Son nurses mortals who would suffer famine without His rich supply. We are both beneficiaries and ambassadors of these gifts. Be of good cheer brothers, God loves even pastors. The mystery of God’s patience is not locked away in the inscrutable recesses of the divine will. “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is the word of faith we are proclaiming.”7 It is the same word you have received. THAT Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
District Pastors’ Conference
19 May, 2016
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Romans 10:21
2 Luther’s Works, AE 45:352
3 Luke 19:44
4 Romans 10:21
5 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 6 1 Thessalonians 4:18 7 Romans 10:8
Tuesday, May 24, 2016
Day of Pentecost 2016
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Acts 2:4
Theme: Filled With The Holy Spirit
Dear Saints of our Risen Lord,
What a commotion it was! The utterances of God being proclaimed in all these different tongues! Some thought it was due to intoxication but they soon found out it meant liberation. It was a phenomenal event never witnessed before and never matched since. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the apostles at Pentecost was more than just a showy event in the biblical narrative. It was the fulfillment of Christ’s promise to the church until the end of time. The Spirit was unleashed. The tongues of the apostles were loosed. The triune God reveals the truth about Himself in the Son and through the Spirit. His self-disclosure brings light into a very dark world. Where the Spirit soars life ascends to the praise of its Maker.
But old habits die hard and established perceptions are often very hard to alter. Politics is proof of that. Once caricatured, reputations can be difficult to amend. The truth is often compromised. Misunderstandings about God can also be notoriously challenging to dispel. Popular opinion can be more influential than credible witness. Fact and fiction are blurred. The perception of the disciples at Pentecost was that they were drunk. In reality they were now ambassadors of the most sobering truth ever told: “God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”1
As we celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit we recognize that many false perceptions remain regarding His person and work. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, fully God. His is a dynamic work of convicting, converting, and convincing. Through the gospel He engenders faith in Christ and sanctifies those He has converted. The Holy Spirit is not like an inanimate asset that you can store away in your safety deposit box. Nor is the Holy Spirit like the Lone Ranger, a loose cannon, unpredictable, volatile, and fickle. The Holy Spirit is transparent with His agenda. He has no hidden motives. Pentecost is still about Jesus.
Today Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the “Spirit of truth.”2 Previously He had said to the Jewish believers “If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”3 Here’s where the Spirit’s work becomes absolutely essential. You see, we don’t have the means or even the inclination to free ourselves. We don’t even fully understand what it means to be under the rule of sin. We might be familiar with sin’s particularly undesirable consequences. We know what it means to suffer pain, to feel heartache, to endure loss. We struggle with doubt, dishonesty, jealousy, and addiction. We may have, at least, a cognitive recognition of our mortality. We may be quick to complain and cry foul when we are sinned against. Yes, from these consequences we may be yearning to be freed.
But what about those indulgences which might appear to be for our benefit? Do we long to be freed from self-centeredness? Do we ache to have our selfish will ignored and let God’s will be done? Do we recognize greed as bondage, lust as slavery, egotism as idolatry? Do we realize that locating our purpose and meaning in life in anything other than God is captivity? The Scripture says, “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them.”4
The Spirit swiftly convicts us and call us to repentance. And this repentance, though it’s a movement within our heart and our will, is actually gifted to us from without. He brings the dead to life. Only in His light can we see darkness for what it is. And so, here we are, with Luther, confessing that we are unable to believe on our own because those powers are far beyond us. What comfort these words of Jesus must have been to the apostles, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever- the Spirit of truth.”5
The Holy Spirit, because He is the giver of life, calls us from spiritual death and constantly revives our fainting soul. The Holy Spirit, because He is the Spirit of truth will instruct us in no other teaching than that of the prophetic and apostolic scriptures. The Holy Spirit, because He is the Comforter, will console us with no other hope than the forgiveness of sins we have Jesus, the Christ. The Holy Spirit, because He is the illuminator of divine grace, will light no other path for us than the road to Calvary. The Holy Spirit, because He is also serves at the sacred table, will nourish us with no other food than the body and blood of the Saviour. The Holy Spirit, because He knows the mind of God, will tune our desires only to be in harmony with the will of the Almighty. The Holy Spirit will never lead us astray; only Satan does that.
People often worry or fret about whether God is calling them to do this or wanting them to do that. Does the Holy Spirit want me to move here or go there; to take this job or that? Should I follow this path; invest these resources; pursue this goal; expend this energy? Is this relationship in my best interests? People look for signs and then try to assess whether those signs are valid. Most affirmations are foregone conclusions. We often see the sign we want to see and disregard the rest.
But because we make decisions every day, these are not unimportant matters. The Scriptures are clear: We have freedom within the parameters of God’s revealed will to engage in whatever He countenances. We need not agonize over making a right or wrong choice when either option is equally valid. The details are left to our discretion; arrived at by prayer, sanctified common sense, and the advice of trustworthy people. The Bible does not teach fatalism or determinism. God is always honoured when we seek to please Him out of faith.
Most importantly, we need not wonder what God’s ultimate will for us is. We are baptized. A cross has been raised and the Son of God has been hung upon it. The sacrifice is complete. Sin is atoned for. The tomb was found empty. Jesus proved Himself alive. He intercedes for us before the throne. The Holy Spirit was sent so that in Christ we could know the love of the Father. There is no partitioning of the agenda of the Trinity. From baptism to bodily resurrection God brings to completion His work in believers.
On Pentecost the small band of the faithful was sent out with a world-changing mission. That mission continues today. The sinful habits of the human race die hard. Caricatures about sin and grace, good and evil, heaven and hell will always occupy the psyche of the unbelieving world. But against these the Holy Spirit always advances the truth. May God confirm in your hearts these words of His apostle, one who was there on Pentecost, “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.”6 Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
The Day of Pentecost
15 May, 2016
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Romans 5:8
2 John 14:17
3 John 8:31-32
4 1 Corinthians 2:14
5 John 14:16-17
6 1 John 4:2
Text: Acts 2:4
Theme: Filled With The Holy Spirit
Dear Saints of our Risen Lord,
What a commotion it was! The utterances of God being proclaimed in all these different tongues! Some thought it was due to intoxication but they soon found out it meant liberation. It was a phenomenal event never witnessed before and never matched since. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the apostles at Pentecost was more than just a showy event in the biblical narrative. It was the fulfillment of Christ’s promise to the church until the end of time. The Spirit was unleashed. The tongues of the apostles were loosed. The triune God reveals the truth about Himself in the Son and through the Spirit. His self-disclosure brings light into a very dark world. Where the Spirit soars life ascends to the praise of its Maker.
But old habits die hard and established perceptions are often very hard to alter. Politics is proof of that. Once caricatured, reputations can be difficult to amend. The truth is often compromised. Misunderstandings about God can also be notoriously challenging to dispel. Popular opinion can be more influential than credible witness. Fact and fiction are blurred. The perception of the disciples at Pentecost was that they were drunk. In reality they were now ambassadors of the most sobering truth ever told: “God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”1
As we celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit we recognize that many false perceptions remain regarding His person and work. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, fully God. His is a dynamic work of convicting, converting, and convincing. Through the gospel He engenders faith in Christ and sanctifies those He has converted. The Holy Spirit is not like an inanimate asset that you can store away in your safety deposit box. Nor is the Holy Spirit like the Lone Ranger, a loose cannon, unpredictable, volatile, and fickle. The Holy Spirit is transparent with His agenda. He has no hidden motives. Pentecost is still about Jesus.
Today Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the “Spirit of truth.”2 Previously He had said to the Jewish believers “If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”3 Here’s where the Spirit’s work becomes absolutely essential. You see, we don’t have the means or even the inclination to free ourselves. We don’t even fully understand what it means to be under the rule of sin. We might be familiar with sin’s particularly undesirable consequences. We know what it means to suffer pain, to feel heartache, to endure loss. We struggle with doubt, dishonesty, jealousy, and addiction. We may have, at least, a cognitive recognition of our mortality. We may be quick to complain and cry foul when we are sinned against. Yes, from these consequences we may be yearning to be freed.
But what about those indulgences which might appear to be for our benefit? Do we long to be freed from self-centeredness? Do we ache to have our selfish will ignored and let God’s will be done? Do we recognize greed as bondage, lust as slavery, egotism as idolatry? Do we realize that locating our purpose and meaning in life in anything other than God is captivity? The Scripture says, “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them.”4
The Spirit swiftly convicts us and call us to repentance. And this repentance, though it’s a movement within our heart and our will, is actually gifted to us from without. He brings the dead to life. Only in His light can we see darkness for what it is. And so, here we are, with Luther, confessing that we are unable to believe on our own because those powers are far beyond us. What comfort these words of Jesus must have been to the apostles, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever- the Spirit of truth.”5
The Holy Spirit, because He is the giver of life, calls us from spiritual death and constantly revives our fainting soul. The Holy Spirit, because He is the Spirit of truth will instruct us in no other teaching than that of the prophetic and apostolic scriptures. The Holy Spirit, because He is the Comforter, will console us with no other hope than the forgiveness of sins we have Jesus, the Christ. The Holy Spirit, because He is the illuminator of divine grace, will light no other path for us than the road to Calvary. The Holy Spirit, because He is also serves at the sacred table, will nourish us with no other food than the body and blood of the Saviour. The Holy Spirit, because He knows the mind of God, will tune our desires only to be in harmony with the will of the Almighty. The Holy Spirit will never lead us astray; only Satan does that.
People often worry or fret about whether God is calling them to do this or wanting them to do that. Does the Holy Spirit want me to move here or go there; to take this job or that? Should I follow this path; invest these resources; pursue this goal; expend this energy? Is this relationship in my best interests? People look for signs and then try to assess whether those signs are valid. Most affirmations are foregone conclusions. We often see the sign we want to see and disregard the rest.
But because we make decisions every day, these are not unimportant matters. The Scriptures are clear: We have freedom within the parameters of God’s revealed will to engage in whatever He countenances. We need not agonize over making a right or wrong choice when either option is equally valid. The details are left to our discretion; arrived at by prayer, sanctified common sense, and the advice of trustworthy people. The Bible does not teach fatalism or determinism. God is always honoured when we seek to please Him out of faith.
Most importantly, we need not wonder what God’s ultimate will for us is. We are baptized. A cross has been raised and the Son of God has been hung upon it. The sacrifice is complete. Sin is atoned for. The tomb was found empty. Jesus proved Himself alive. He intercedes for us before the throne. The Holy Spirit was sent so that in Christ we could know the love of the Father. There is no partitioning of the agenda of the Trinity. From baptism to bodily resurrection God brings to completion His work in believers.
On Pentecost the small band of the faithful was sent out with a world-changing mission. That mission continues today. The sinful habits of the human race die hard. Caricatures about sin and grace, good and evil, heaven and hell will always occupy the psyche of the unbelieving world. But against these the Holy Spirit always advances the truth. May God confirm in your hearts these words of His apostle, one who was there on Pentecost, “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.”6 Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
The Day of Pentecost
15 May, 2016
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Romans 5:8
2 John 14:17
3 John 8:31-32
4 1 Corinthians 2:14
5 John 14:16-17
6 1 John 4:2
Monday, May 9, 2016
Seventh Sunday of Easter (C) 2016
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 17:20
Theme: Future Faith
Dear Saints of our Risen Lord,
Heaven is not a remote, confined location. Heaven is the dimension of God’s unmediated presence- as close as the person sitting next to you. Forty days after His resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ ascended bodily into heaven. The parting promise to His disciples was that He would return in the same manner in which He had left. His return will bring to an end existence in this fallen world. He will come again not to atone for sins, but to gather to Himself those who believe. The Scripture says, “Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.”1 In this context, “to bring salvation” does not mean to proclaim the gospel, but to deliver believers from this world of sorrow to the bliss of eternity.
Meanwhile, as the church eagerly and confidently awaits His bodily and glorious return, the challenges of this world must be faced. The scope and influence of the Christian church in the future is beyond our knowing. What plans God has ordained for the nature and size of His church is a mystery that is revealed to us only as it happens. But this much we know with certainty: The word of God will accomplish its purposes and future believers will be gathered into the fold. Jesus prays today saying, “My prayer is not for them alone (the disciples). I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message.”2 This general promise of future faith is realized in the specific details of the Holy Spirit’s work.
The church is entrusted with the means by which faith is created and nurtured, and is charged with being diligent in administering these gifts. The Augsburg Confession says, “In order to obtain this faith, the ministry of teaching the Gospel and administering the sacraments was instituted. For through the Word and sacraments, as through instruments, the Holy Spirit is given, and the Holy Spirit produces faith, where and when it pleases God, in those who hear the Gospel.”3 The Holy Spirit converts and sanctifies and He is pleased to do it through the Word of God committed to the church.
Here we must come to terms with some fixed realities. Firstly, we are born in a state of condemnation. We are not born in a state of faith, but in a state of unbelief. That is the upshot of original sin. Left to ourselves, we are certainly lost for eternity. Secondly, even as believers, we do not have the luxury of playing fast and loose with God’s will. Nor do we have the leverage to negotiate or manipulate or even plea bargain. Going ahead with our sin, and planning to repent later, or arguing about exactly what constitutes a transgression of God’s will and what doesn’t only seems make headway from our perspective. In reality it’s like standing on the brow of the Titanic dreaming of a joyous reunion. Denial doesn’t change reality. It’s playing with fire. We are not in control.
And, thanks be to God that we are not in control! Salvation is by grace through faith. It is the work of God for us. Then we see that the living of our baptismal life mirrors our justification. Our growth in the faith, our place in the church here and now, our role in living Christ-like lives is molded, shaped and directed by the Word and Spirit. It is a life filled with joys, challenges and surprises. It is a life under the freedom of the gospel. We must understand that the details of our service to God are in His hands.
Today is the Sunday after the Ascension. Next Sunday is Pentecost. Fifty days after the resurrection the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the disciples. And so begins the season of the church year in which we focus on living in the grace that is freely ours through Jesus Christ. In other words, the fact of our conversion- our being brought to the faith through Holy Baptism by the gospel- is worked out in our daily routine of living before God.
The church grows spiritually and adds new souls as it continues to center its life around the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Life under the cross becomes not flippant and frivolous but focused and confident. Baptismal living is not aimless but purposeful. In Christ we learn the reason we exist. We have specific vocations in the real world. As we engage the challenges of sin we know the power rests with Christ. The Scripture says, “If Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies.”4
Under the humility of the cross, but with confidence in the message of the cross, the Christian church must continue to let the world know that Christ has been sent from the Father and salvation is found only in Him. Everyday your lips and your lives attest to this message. We are the body of Christ in this place and within this community. What is your Christian vocation? You are not Paul. You are not an apostle. You may not stand before kings or councils as did Luther. But you are called to be a faithful witness of Christ to your spouse, your children, your grandchildren, your parents, your friends, your boss, your co-worker; perhaps most importantly to people you don’t even like or even know. Will you be flawless in your witness? No! Will you often fail? Yes! If you didn’t your claim to be a Christian would be a sham. Does your seemingly small part matter? Yes; in absolutely every way. For Christ working through you will not fail. And this makes an eternal difference.
As Christians, we cannot be self-fashioned individuals going our own way. We are members of a living organism with Christ as the head. In unity of heart and mind we move forward in Christ’s mission. Resources must be ventured. Opportunities must be seized. Failures must be recognized. Transgressions must be repented of. Trust must be maintained. Love must prevail. Truth must always be adhered to. Forgiveness must always be sought and applied and believed. Christ seeks not a utopia on earth, but that on earth sinners may be shown the gate of heaven. One day all believers will trace the path of His ascension. Heaven is where Christ has already banished sin. It is our future.
Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Seventh Sunday of Easter
8 May, 2016
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Hebrews 9:28
2 John 17:20
3 The Augsburg Confession, Article V
4 Romans 8:10-11
Text: John 17:20
Theme: Future Faith
Dear Saints of our Risen Lord,
Heaven is not a remote, confined location. Heaven is the dimension of God’s unmediated presence- as close as the person sitting next to you. Forty days after His resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ ascended bodily into heaven. The parting promise to His disciples was that He would return in the same manner in which He had left. His return will bring to an end existence in this fallen world. He will come again not to atone for sins, but to gather to Himself those who believe. The Scripture says, “Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.”1 In this context, “to bring salvation” does not mean to proclaim the gospel, but to deliver believers from this world of sorrow to the bliss of eternity.
Meanwhile, as the church eagerly and confidently awaits His bodily and glorious return, the challenges of this world must be faced. The scope and influence of the Christian church in the future is beyond our knowing. What plans God has ordained for the nature and size of His church is a mystery that is revealed to us only as it happens. But this much we know with certainty: The word of God will accomplish its purposes and future believers will be gathered into the fold. Jesus prays today saying, “My prayer is not for them alone (the disciples). I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message.”2 This general promise of future faith is realized in the specific details of the Holy Spirit’s work.
The church is entrusted with the means by which faith is created and nurtured, and is charged with being diligent in administering these gifts. The Augsburg Confession says, “In order to obtain this faith, the ministry of teaching the Gospel and administering the sacraments was instituted. For through the Word and sacraments, as through instruments, the Holy Spirit is given, and the Holy Spirit produces faith, where and when it pleases God, in those who hear the Gospel.”3 The Holy Spirit converts and sanctifies and He is pleased to do it through the Word of God committed to the church.
Here we must come to terms with some fixed realities. Firstly, we are born in a state of condemnation. We are not born in a state of faith, but in a state of unbelief. That is the upshot of original sin. Left to ourselves, we are certainly lost for eternity. Secondly, even as believers, we do not have the luxury of playing fast and loose with God’s will. Nor do we have the leverage to negotiate or manipulate or even plea bargain. Going ahead with our sin, and planning to repent later, or arguing about exactly what constitutes a transgression of God’s will and what doesn’t only seems make headway from our perspective. In reality it’s like standing on the brow of the Titanic dreaming of a joyous reunion. Denial doesn’t change reality. It’s playing with fire. We are not in control.
And, thanks be to God that we are not in control! Salvation is by grace through faith. It is the work of God for us. Then we see that the living of our baptismal life mirrors our justification. Our growth in the faith, our place in the church here and now, our role in living Christ-like lives is molded, shaped and directed by the Word and Spirit. It is a life filled with joys, challenges and surprises. It is a life under the freedom of the gospel. We must understand that the details of our service to God are in His hands.
Today is the Sunday after the Ascension. Next Sunday is Pentecost. Fifty days after the resurrection the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the disciples. And so begins the season of the church year in which we focus on living in the grace that is freely ours through Jesus Christ. In other words, the fact of our conversion- our being brought to the faith through Holy Baptism by the gospel- is worked out in our daily routine of living before God.
The church grows spiritually and adds new souls as it continues to center its life around the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Life under the cross becomes not flippant and frivolous but focused and confident. Baptismal living is not aimless but purposeful. In Christ we learn the reason we exist. We have specific vocations in the real world. As we engage the challenges of sin we know the power rests with Christ. The Scripture says, “If Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies.”4
Under the humility of the cross, but with confidence in the message of the cross, the Christian church must continue to let the world know that Christ has been sent from the Father and salvation is found only in Him. Everyday your lips and your lives attest to this message. We are the body of Christ in this place and within this community. What is your Christian vocation? You are not Paul. You are not an apostle. You may not stand before kings or councils as did Luther. But you are called to be a faithful witness of Christ to your spouse, your children, your grandchildren, your parents, your friends, your boss, your co-worker; perhaps most importantly to people you don’t even like or even know. Will you be flawless in your witness? No! Will you often fail? Yes! If you didn’t your claim to be a Christian would be a sham. Does your seemingly small part matter? Yes; in absolutely every way. For Christ working through you will not fail. And this makes an eternal difference.
As Christians, we cannot be self-fashioned individuals going our own way. We are members of a living organism with Christ as the head. In unity of heart and mind we move forward in Christ’s mission. Resources must be ventured. Opportunities must be seized. Failures must be recognized. Transgressions must be repented of. Trust must be maintained. Love must prevail. Truth must always be adhered to. Forgiveness must always be sought and applied and believed. Christ seeks not a utopia on earth, but that on earth sinners may be shown the gate of heaven. One day all believers will trace the path of His ascension. Heaven is where Christ has already banished sin. It is our future.
Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Seventh Sunday of Easter
8 May, 2016
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Hebrews 9:28
2 John 17:20
3 The Augsburg Confession, Article V
4 Romans 8:10-11
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