+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Matthew 11:5
Theme: The Good News Is Preached
Dear friends of the coming Saviour,
Everywhere Jesus went good things happened- truly good things, measured not by human parameter, but by divine definition. Still, the presence of Jesus wasn’t always welcomed. His words weren’t always heeded. His works weren’t always appreciated. We should expect nothing less because sinners don’t easily surrender their illusions of independence and self-sufficiency. It’s the very reason we’re here. We’re here because only what is really true will be commensurate with eternal reality. EVERYTHING else will pass away.
Today, on this Second Sunday of Advent, we find the forerunner of Jesus, John the Baptist, imprisoned for rebuking King Herod. From prison he sent his disciples to enquire about whether Jesus was the Messiah. “Jesus replied, ‘Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.”1 Jesus brings the Good News. He IS the Good News in human flesh. “You are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”2
Now, the fabulous thing, dear friends, is we are both beneficiaries and stewards of this Good News. It’s only as beneficiaries of the gospel that we can have the certainty that God is favorable towards us and does not reject us because of our sins. We cannot value this truth too highly or appreciate it too much. You see, the just condemnation of God is not commensurate with our guilt. To understand this is to understand the heart of the gospel.
When things are commensurate, they correspond in a way that closely reflects merit and compensation, effort and reward. When things are commensurate, they are proportional. The cardiologist with twenty years of experience is paid more handsomely than the medical intern. The best player receives the Brownlow medal, not the one who played a minor role while others were injured. While the hard knocks of life quickly (and sometimes painfully) teach us that life is not fair, we still come to expect, and reasonably so, a certain level of commensuration. But reason cannot rule where divine prerogative decides. The gospel is otherwise, and it is glorious.
If we were required to compensate God for the offence of our sins, where would be stand? How would we fair? What would we do? Any thoughts that we could meet any of the requirements, even in the tiniest measure are sure indicators that we are still laboring under the false hope of fulfilling the law. Only arrogance or ignore lead us to believe we can contribute anything meritorious in God’s eyes. Believers rely solely on grace for salvation; the penitent must cast herself or himself completely upon it.
It will always make you feel vulnerable (from a human perspective) to be completely reliant on the mercy of God. Sometimes we might question where the reckoning is for all that seems unfair and incommensurate in life? How are all injustices finally reconciled and eternally resolved? Does the long saga of human brutality, tragedy, and unfairness get left open-ended? Does all the inequity remain unresolved? You might be personally hanging out to get compensated for some effort of yours you believe has been undervalued or overlooked. Such expectations tend to grow with time. And they can also lead to resentment and cynicism when our desires are not satisfied. Like barnacles attached to a ship they can become so ensconced that as we move through life, they are part of the extra weight that hinders our buoyancy. We don’t like the thought that God might be apathetic or unwilling to give us justice.
Yet, the Scriptures are crystal clear that God did pour out His wrath. Condemnation was rendered. He did not hold back His anger. It was leveled at Jesus...every last measure. “He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.”3 At Calvary the One whose accomplishments are beyond compensation offered the ransom-price. He paid the debt. He forfeited His life on the cross. He rose again from the grave. He was your substitute and now He is your intercessor and coming King. In resurrected glory He reigns ruling the cosmos by fiat and the church by grace.
Jesus taught the non-commensurate nature of grace in His parables. In the parable of the vineyard workers those who were hired in the last hour received the same amount as those who bore the heat of the day. The forgiving father welcomed back the prodigal son. Jesus wasn’t teaching us to be lazy or to try and cheat the system. He was teaching about grace. When we receive what we’ve earned we receive a wage. When we receive something some else has earned, we received a gift.
The forgiveness of our sins is a gift. Salvation is a gift. Baptism gifts us with these blessings. Holy Communion does too. The Scripture says, “We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”4 And again, “Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?”5
We are also stewards of this Good News; and we are so both individually and collectively. The Bible makes some careful distinctions between these two categories of stewardship. As individual Christians each of us is accountable for our own faith and for supporting those for whom we have responsibility. The apostle says, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith.”6 That can only happen through deliberate reflection on God’s word. No one is saved by the conviction of another or by an historic, family connection to the church. Faith is a living reality because the Holy Spirit Himself dwells in the hearts of all who believe.
Individual Christians are also stakeholders in the public stewardship of the Word, but they do not exercise this as private persons. They participate through support of the Office of the Keys. Remember, “The Office of the Keys is that special authority which Christ has given to His church on earth to forgive the sins of repentant sinners, but to withhold forgiveness from the unrepentant as long as they do not repent.”7 The church calls pastors to publicly administer this authority. In every Divine Service when the absolution is announced the Office of the Keys is being carried out. Christ warns the impenitent and comforts the repentant through the mouth of the pastor.
Today Vicar Stephen joins us for six months on our shared journey. It is a privileged and unique time for him and for us. Vicarage is a formative and memorable time in the life of a pastor-to-be. If all goes well (and we don’t drive Vicar Stephen around the bend, over the cliff, or into the looney bin), about a year from now he will be called to exercise the Office of the Keys publicly. He will be a gospel-messenger enjoying the privilege and also the carrying the burden of bringing Christ to others. Let us pray that our time together results in mutual benefits and blessings. We’re allowed to participate in the work of the wider church is a very tangible and specific way, while Stephen is given firsthand experience in the life of our congregations.
Dear friends, everywhere Jesus goes good things still happen. He came to Bethlehem as the Prince of Peace. He gives peace, truth, and light to our chaotic, confused, and dark world. He will come again glory. Advent points us forward to the fulfillment of that promise. “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”8
+ In nomine Jesu +
Third Sunday of Advent
Installation of Vicar Stephen Noblett
15 December 2019
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Matthew 11:4-6 2 Matthew 1:21
3 Isaiah 53:5 4 Romans 6:4
5 1 Corinthians 10:16 6 2 Corinthians 13:5
7 Luther’s Small Catechism 8 Revelation 22:20
Thursday, December 26, 2019
Monday, December 9, 2019
Second Sunday of Advent (A) 2019
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Matthew 3:1-3
Theme: A Voice Calling
Dear friends of the coming King,
God will not send you a personal email, a tweet, a Facebook, Instagram, or Snap Chat post asking if you are prepared for Christ to return. He won’t even ring you or send something in the post. He won’t customize any sort of contact according to your preferences or make any exception for you. He tells you now, clearly and unmistakably through the Holy Scriptures to be prepared. Sort out your priorities, because the One who came to Bethlehem in the meekness of the manger is coming again in majesty with angels attending Him. Our time here is limited, but God’s plans are eternal.
Dear friends, Christ will return, and He says that for the sake of the elect the days beforehand will be cut short. But why will they need to be abbreviated? Because the distress will be too much to bear and the trauma too hard to handle. The Lord says, “And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.”1 Advent, therefore, is a season for repentance. Today John the Baptist ushers in the new age saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”2 The people of Israel had been waiting expectantly since Malachi, the last prophet of the first covenant, spoke of the return of Elijah3 to prepare the way for the Messiah.
The persona of Elijah did return in the person of John the Baptist. Direct and succinct, confronting and comforting, his words announced the Messiah’s coming. His call to repentance was, and remains, unequivocal. No one is excepted. No one is excused. No one is forgotten. No one is overlooked. Repudiation of sin is not optional for the follower of God. To live under our own terms, our own rules, our own judgments is to deify ourselves and deny the need for rescue from our transgressions. To live only within our self-governed spheres of activities and interactions is to deny the need for intervention from Him who rules the universe. We are sinners, and we cannot save ourselves.
Let us learn from John the Baptist how to view our own self-image. About his importance in relation to Jesus, John said, “He must become greater; I must become less.”4 He was referring to the relative importance of their missions and ministries. John was not seeking followers for his own sake. He was preparing people to become disciples of Jesus. He said he was not even worthy to untie the straps on the Lord’s sandals.
Let us learn from John the Baptist to recognize unbelief in the world for what it is. He rebuked the self-righteous who denied that they needed the forgiveness and love of God. He understood that the world constructs its own truths and was not intimidated by those who opposed his message. It’s increasingly evident Christian truth is becoming less and less palatable to the tastes of Western society. Tolerance is waning. Resistance is growing. Disputes about morality are at the forefront of the disapproval. Demolishing the institution of marriage, redefining personal identity, and overthrowing the sanctity of life are stated objectives being pursued with vigor and determination.
Let us learn from John the Baptist the courage to remain faithful. Apathy, acquiescence, and sometimes even agreement by Christians often strengthens the secular cause. Some believers strike an ostrich-pose while others are incapacitated by anxiety or fear. But denial, fear or complaint are not the answer. God calls us to be set apart, and He will not fail to support us in the time of need. The Scripture says, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life.”5
Let us learn from John the Baptist the conviction that God has the power of life, physically and spiritually. To the arrogant he said, “I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.”6 Today we are privileged to witness the baptism of Ally Falting. Ally is a gift. She is a miracle of life. But like all of us, Ally was born needing spiritual resurrection from the Lord of Life. God accomplishes that through baptism. Baptism is not a superstitious ritual. It is the command, the promise, and the mysterious power of the Son of God. It is an action of the faith-giving Spirit and the soul-redeeming Son. It achieves adoption into the family of the heavenly Father.
Dear friends, being adopted as a child of God is a profound blessing. We are promised a bodily resurrection and an eternal inheritance. Jesus Christ went to the cross and gave His life in payment for sin- yours, mine, Ally’s, everyone’s. He rose from the grave on the third day breaking the power of death. He did that so that eternal death- everlasting separation from God, hell- would not have to be the final destiny for us sinners. This gospel, this good news, has no comparison in human achievement. As heirs of His kingdom believers already have the gift of forgiveness, the presence of the Spirit, and the food of immortality. No medication you take or nourishment you consume has the power or promise of the body and blood of Christ.
Let us learn from John the Baptist the meaning of commitment. He was content to eat locusts and wild honey. How do our priorities stack up? How do we allocate our time, our resources, our energies? Are we whole-hearted participants in the consumer-focused philosophy of our culture? Do we live for the weekends- meaning for self-indulgence as opposed to the blessings of the Sabbath? Is Sunday a day to find spiritual rest in the sanctity of God’s house or to collapse in a heap because we’re exhausted from our overscheduled week? The answers and solutions may not be simply black and white- our realities are often very grey- but grey layered upon grey won’t lead to clarity. Clarity and conviction come from God’s truth.
Advent means ‘coming’ and the Second Coming of Christ will bring unparalleled and unprecedented clarity. Advent reminds us to expect the fulfillment of God’s promises. The way we see things now is not how it will be when the curtain drops. Here is what the Apostle John says, “Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”7 Oh, dear friends, how grand will be the moment of revelation! We will see Him as He is.
Unrestricted by sin’s complications believers will look upon the glory of God, beholding Him not by faith, not in reflection, not veiled or cloaked, not mediated or facilitated- otherwise they would be overcome by His majesty- but as He is. Obsolete will be the warning that no one can look upon God and live. Words are insufficient to communicate the reality. The beatific vision, the complete and perfected experience of God in resurrected glory is the final destination of the Christian journey. Human beings were created to be in direct communication with God and that will be the unending experience of all the redeemed. May advent focus our hearts in anticipation of the reality. Christ will return, not in humility, but in power. He will return to make us both beneficiaries of and participants in His majesty. “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”8
+ In nomine Jesu +
Second Sunday of Advent
8 December 2019
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Matthew 24:12 2 Matthew 3:2
3 See Malachi 4:5-6 4 John 3:30
5 Philippians 2:14-16 6 Matthew 3:9
7 1 John 3:2 8 Revelation 22:20
Text: Matthew 3:1-3
Theme: A Voice Calling
Dear friends of the coming King,
God will not send you a personal email, a tweet, a Facebook, Instagram, or Snap Chat post asking if you are prepared for Christ to return. He won’t even ring you or send something in the post. He won’t customize any sort of contact according to your preferences or make any exception for you. He tells you now, clearly and unmistakably through the Holy Scriptures to be prepared. Sort out your priorities, because the One who came to Bethlehem in the meekness of the manger is coming again in majesty with angels attending Him. Our time here is limited, but God’s plans are eternal.
Dear friends, Christ will return, and He says that for the sake of the elect the days beforehand will be cut short. But why will they need to be abbreviated? Because the distress will be too much to bear and the trauma too hard to handle. The Lord says, “And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.”1 Advent, therefore, is a season for repentance. Today John the Baptist ushers in the new age saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”2 The people of Israel had been waiting expectantly since Malachi, the last prophet of the first covenant, spoke of the return of Elijah3 to prepare the way for the Messiah.
The persona of Elijah did return in the person of John the Baptist. Direct and succinct, confronting and comforting, his words announced the Messiah’s coming. His call to repentance was, and remains, unequivocal. No one is excepted. No one is excused. No one is forgotten. No one is overlooked. Repudiation of sin is not optional for the follower of God. To live under our own terms, our own rules, our own judgments is to deify ourselves and deny the need for rescue from our transgressions. To live only within our self-governed spheres of activities and interactions is to deny the need for intervention from Him who rules the universe. We are sinners, and we cannot save ourselves.
Let us learn from John the Baptist how to view our own self-image. About his importance in relation to Jesus, John said, “He must become greater; I must become less.”4 He was referring to the relative importance of their missions and ministries. John was not seeking followers for his own sake. He was preparing people to become disciples of Jesus. He said he was not even worthy to untie the straps on the Lord’s sandals.
Let us learn from John the Baptist to recognize unbelief in the world for what it is. He rebuked the self-righteous who denied that they needed the forgiveness and love of God. He understood that the world constructs its own truths and was not intimidated by those who opposed his message. It’s increasingly evident Christian truth is becoming less and less palatable to the tastes of Western society. Tolerance is waning. Resistance is growing. Disputes about morality are at the forefront of the disapproval. Demolishing the institution of marriage, redefining personal identity, and overthrowing the sanctity of life are stated objectives being pursued with vigor and determination.
Let us learn from John the Baptist the courage to remain faithful. Apathy, acquiescence, and sometimes even agreement by Christians often strengthens the secular cause. Some believers strike an ostrich-pose while others are incapacitated by anxiety or fear. But denial, fear or complaint are not the answer. God calls us to be set apart, and He will not fail to support us in the time of need. The Scripture says, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life.”5
Let us learn from John the Baptist the conviction that God has the power of life, physically and spiritually. To the arrogant he said, “I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.”6 Today we are privileged to witness the baptism of Ally Falting. Ally is a gift. She is a miracle of life. But like all of us, Ally was born needing spiritual resurrection from the Lord of Life. God accomplishes that through baptism. Baptism is not a superstitious ritual. It is the command, the promise, and the mysterious power of the Son of God. It is an action of the faith-giving Spirit and the soul-redeeming Son. It achieves adoption into the family of the heavenly Father.
Dear friends, being adopted as a child of God is a profound blessing. We are promised a bodily resurrection and an eternal inheritance. Jesus Christ went to the cross and gave His life in payment for sin- yours, mine, Ally’s, everyone’s. He rose from the grave on the third day breaking the power of death. He did that so that eternal death- everlasting separation from God, hell- would not have to be the final destiny for us sinners. This gospel, this good news, has no comparison in human achievement. As heirs of His kingdom believers already have the gift of forgiveness, the presence of the Spirit, and the food of immortality. No medication you take or nourishment you consume has the power or promise of the body and blood of Christ.
Let us learn from John the Baptist the meaning of commitment. He was content to eat locusts and wild honey. How do our priorities stack up? How do we allocate our time, our resources, our energies? Are we whole-hearted participants in the consumer-focused philosophy of our culture? Do we live for the weekends- meaning for self-indulgence as opposed to the blessings of the Sabbath? Is Sunday a day to find spiritual rest in the sanctity of God’s house or to collapse in a heap because we’re exhausted from our overscheduled week? The answers and solutions may not be simply black and white- our realities are often very grey- but grey layered upon grey won’t lead to clarity. Clarity and conviction come from God’s truth.
Advent means ‘coming’ and the Second Coming of Christ will bring unparalleled and unprecedented clarity. Advent reminds us to expect the fulfillment of God’s promises. The way we see things now is not how it will be when the curtain drops. Here is what the Apostle John says, “Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.”7 Oh, dear friends, how grand will be the moment of revelation! We will see Him as He is.
Unrestricted by sin’s complications believers will look upon the glory of God, beholding Him not by faith, not in reflection, not veiled or cloaked, not mediated or facilitated- otherwise they would be overcome by His majesty- but as He is. Obsolete will be the warning that no one can look upon God and live. Words are insufficient to communicate the reality. The beatific vision, the complete and perfected experience of God in resurrected glory is the final destination of the Christian journey. Human beings were created to be in direct communication with God and that will be the unending experience of all the redeemed. May advent focus our hearts in anticipation of the reality. Christ will return, not in humility, but in power. He will return to make us both beneficiaries of and participants in His majesty. “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”8
+ In nomine Jesu +
Second Sunday of Advent
8 December 2019
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Matthew 24:12 2 Matthew 3:2
3 See Malachi 4:5-6 4 John 3:30
5 Philippians 2:14-16 6 Matthew 3:9
7 1 John 3:2 8 Revelation 22:20
Monday, December 2, 2019
First Sunday of Advent (A) 2019
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Matthew 24:44
Theme: He Comes With Authority
Dear friends of the coming Saviour,
God is present, but He is also preparing to condescend with finality. Today is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent means ‘coming’. The season of Advent is not simply a prelude to Christmas. It is a call to preparation. The humble Child of the manger and victim of the cross is returning as the eternal King. So today we are called to preparation. We are called to alertness. We are called to spiritual sobriety. We are called to faithfulness until that day when the reward of our faith will be realized. When Christ returns, we will not be disappointed.
God too, is making preparations. Now, what could that possibly mean? Jesus said to His disciples, “In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?”1 The preparation He speaks of here involved His atoning sacrifice on the cross and glorious resurrection from the dead. Christ’s death, resurrection, and enthronement opened the kingdom of heaven for believers. These things are completed, so what preparation still needs to be made? What things still need to be finalized? The answer has everything to do with His word and the Holy Spirit’s work.
God is preparing hearts to receive Him. The Spirit does this through the on-going proclamation of God’s word; both the law and the gospel. Those still in the darkness of unbelief are unprepared to meet the Judge. Many don’t even know they are lost; some do. The judgment will be a time of terror for the wicked. It will happen suddenly and catch people completely unaware, as the Scripture says, “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”2
Believers too are undergoing constant preparation. Peter says we are like living stones being fitted into the spiritual temple3, Christ’s body. Those stones need to be quarried, measured, and cut. Jesus says we are like branches attached to the vine. Those branches need to be pruned so that they bear much fruit4. Dear friends, the kingdom of God is continually breaking in on the dominion of darkness. Like waves breaking on the beach or the sun breaking over the horizon, Satan cannot prevent the light and truth of Christ from filtering into people’s lives or even fully illuminating them with its brilliance. Advent reminds us that this piece-meal operation will one day come to a complete and dramatic resolution. Christ, the Coming One, will bring an end to the dying regime, and initiate the eternal dimension for all of humanity.
These truths are matters of faith, but they are founded on the external validity of God’s word. The authority of the message is related directly to the credibility of the source. That, of course, is where the rubber meets the road in the preaching of the gospel. If people are skeptical of God and His authority, they will be doubtful about the biblical message and vice versa. Though misgiving about God and His authority always exist in some measure there is an ebb and flow throughout history.
A mounting crisis of authority confronts our age. Again, questions of authority are endemic to fallen humanity so it’s not a new problem. The devil continually recycles his schemes. Ancient falsehoods are cloaked in new disguises. From the moment Satan said to Eve, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?"5 the question of authority has been paramount. The contentions of our society reveal how high the stakes are. Who has the authority to decide the great moral questions of our age? Who has the right to decide the parameters? Who has the authority to determine the gender of a human being? Who should decide if a life should be ended on the whim of another?
The struggle of authority is evident within the church too. How will contentious things among Christians be resolved? How will differing opinions about what is God’s truth be decided? Will it be the authority of the Scriptures? Will it be by the consensus of those who participate in the body politic? Will it be the latest trend or philosophy of the culture? The Bible makes it clear that the question of authority is very relevant to our spiritual well-being. No one has the right to alter God’s laws. No one has the authority to exonerate himself or herself from the guilt of sin. Advent is a season for repentance and repentance is never about self-defence or self-validation, but about confession, about disclosure of unworthiness.
Jesus Christ, and no one else, has the authority to forgive your sins. Don’t bother looking for it anywhere else. Civil authority can exonerate you if you’re wrongly accused in a court of law and you might feel justifiably cleared. That too is a responsibility given by God in the kingdom of the left. A spouse, a parent, a child, a relative or friend might unburden your heart by graciously overlooking some hurt or pain you have caused. That is a vocational duty also commanded by the Almighty. The Bible says, “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.”6
But, dear friends, God alone can free your conscience and cheer your soul with the certainty that you have favour in His sight. You need not have any other motivation to come to His house than to have the divine pardon publicly and resolutely proclaimed to you. His pardon is not the lenient tolerance of a soft-hearted figure. His blood was shed, His life was forfeit to secure for you the assurance that in the presence of the Almighty God the guilt of your sin has been atoned for. Jesus died and rose again for you. Christ has reconciled you to the Heavenly Father. It is a gift that is yours by grace, through faith. This absolution comes to you from the lips of a mere mortal, your pastor, but it is no less certain than if Christ stood before you in His all-encompassing glory. His are the promises and His is the authority.
Who has the authority to say that your baptism makes you an heir of the heavenly kingdom? Who has the authority to offer His own body and blood to nourish your faith? Who has the authority to declare at the hour of judgment your sins will not condemn you to the eternal punishment of hell? Who has the authority to declare those who are guilty innocent, to make those who are sick healthy, to make those who are orphaned part of a family? Who is so peerless that all must defer to Him?
Jesus said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”7 Now either that claim is arrogant and delusional, or we’d better take notice. Who has the power to reconcile to the Father sons and daughters who have rebelled, rejected, and denied Him? The Scripture says, “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”8 This reconciliation brings freedom, and it brings peace. Jesus’ authority over us doesn’t burden us, it frees us. It puts us at ease because we can entrust our lives to Him and confidently sacrifice our energies for others.
Advent is a time of anticipation, and preparation. It is a season for both reflection and action. It is a season for joy and expectation. The Redeemer will return once more to His fallen creation and, as the Scripture says, “sorrow and sighing will flee away.”9 Come, Lord Jesus, Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
First Sunday of Advent
1 December 2019
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 14:2 2 Matthew 24:38-39
3 See 1 Peter 2:5 4 See John 15:1-5
5 Genesis 3:1 6 1 Peter 4:8
7 Matthew 28:18 8 1 Timothy 2:5
9 Isaiah 35:10
Text: Matthew 24:44
Theme: He Comes With Authority
Dear friends of the coming Saviour,
God is present, but He is also preparing to condescend with finality. Today is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent means ‘coming’. The season of Advent is not simply a prelude to Christmas. It is a call to preparation. The humble Child of the manger and victim of the cross is returning as the eternal King. So today we are called to preparation. We are called to alertness. We are called to spiritual sobriety. We are called to faithfulness until that day when the reward of our faith will be realized. When Christ returns, we will not be disappointed.
God too, is making preparations. Now, what could that possibly mean? Jesus said to His disciples, “In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?”1 The preparation He speaks of here involved His atoning sacrifice on the cross and glorious resurrection from the dead. Christ’s death, resurrection, and enthronement opened the kingdom of heaven for believers. These things are completed, so what preparation still needs to be made? What things still need to be finalized? The answer has everything to do with His word and the Holy Spirit’s work.
God is preparing hearts to receive Him. The Spirit does this through the on-going proclamation of God’s word; both the law and the gospel. Those still in the darkness of unbelief are unprepared to meet the Judge. Many don’t even know they are lost; some do. The judgment will be a time of terror for the wicked. It will happen suddenly and catch people completely unaware, as the Scripture says, “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”2
Believers too are undergoing constant preparation. Peter says we are like living stones being fitted into the spiritual temple3, Christ’s body. Those stones need to be quarried, measured, and cut. Jesus says we are like branches attached to the vine. Those branches need to be pruned so that they bear much fruit4. Dear friends, the kingdom of God is continually breaking in on the dominion of darkness. Like waves breaking on the beach or the sun breaking over the horizon, Satan cannot prevent the light and truth of Christ from filtering into people’s lives or even fully illuminating them with its brilliance. Advent reminds us that this piece-meal operation will one day come to a complete and dramatic resolution. Christ, the Coming One, will bring an end to the dying regime, and initiate the eternal dimension for all of humanity.
These truths are matters of faith, but they are founded on the external validity of God’s word. The authority of the message is related directly to the credibility of the source. That, of course, is where the rubber meets the road in the preaching of the gospel. If people are skeptical of God and His authority, they will be doubtful about the biblical message and vice versa. Though misgiving about God and His authority always exist in some measure there is an ebb and flow throughout history.
A mounting crisis of authority confronts our age. Again, questions of authority are endemic to fallen humanity so it’s not a new problem. The devil continually recycles his schemes. Ancient falsehoods are cloaked in new disguises. From the moment Satan said to Eve, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?"5 the question of authority has been paramount. The contentions of our society reveal how high the stakes are. Who has the authority to decide the great moral questions of our age? Who has the right to decide the parameters? Who has the authority to determine the gender of a human being? Who should decide if a life should be ended on the whim of another?
The struggle of authority is evident within the church too. How will contentious things among Christians be resolved? How will differing opinions about what is God’s truth be decided? Will it be the authority of the Scriptures? Will it be by the consensus of those who participate in the body politic? Will it be the latest trend or philosophy of the culture? The Bible makes it clear that the question of authority is very relevant to our spiritual well-being. No one has the right to alter God’s laws. No one has the authority to exonerate himself or herself from the guilt of sin. Advent is a season for repentance and repentance is never about self-defence or self-validation, but about confession, about disclosure of unworthiness.
Jesus Christ, and no one else, has the authority to forgive your sins. Don’t bother looking for it anywhere else. Civil authority can exonerate you if you’re wrongly accused in a court of law and you might feel justifiably cleared. That too is a responsibility given by God in the kingdom of the left. A spouse, a parent, a child, a relative or friend might unburden your heart by graciously overlooking some hurt or pain you have caused. That is a vocational duty also commanded by the Almighty. The Bible says, “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.”6
But, dear friends, God alone can free your conscience and cheer your soul with the certainty that you have favour in His sight. You need not have any other motivation to come to His house than to have the divine pardon publicly and resolutely proclaimed to you. His pardon is not the lenient tolerance of a soft-hearted figure. His blood was shed, His life was forfeit to secure for you the assurance that in the presence of the Almighty God the guilt of your sin has been atoned for. Jesus died and rose again for you. Christ has reconciled you to the Heavenly Father. It is a gift that is yours by grace, through faith. This absolution comes to you from the lips of a mere mortal, your pastor, but it is no less certain than if Christ stood before you in His all-encompassing glory. His are the promises and His is the authority.
Who has the authority to say that your baptism makes you an heir of the heavenly kingdom? Who has the authority to offer His own body and blood to nourish your faith? Who has the authority to declare at the hour of judgment your sins will not condemn you to the eternal punishment of hell? Who has the authority to declare those who are guilty innocent, to make those who are sick healthy, to make those who are orphaned part of a family? Who is so peerless that all must defer to Him?
Jesus said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”7 Now either that claim is arrogant and delusional, or we’d better take notice. Who has the power to reconcile to the Father sons and daughters who have rebelled, rejected, and denied Him? The Scripture says, “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”8 This reconciliation brings freedom, and it brings peace. Jesus’ authority over us doesn’t burden us, it frees us. It puts us at ease because we can entrust our lives to Him and confidently sacrifice our energies for others.
Advent is a time of anticipation, and preparation. It is a season for both reflection and action. It is a season for joy and expectation. The Redeemer will return once more to His fallen creation and, as the Scripture says, “sorrow and sighing will flee away.”9 Come, Lord Jesus, Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
First Sunday of Advent
1 December 2019
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 14:2 2 Matthew 24:38-39
3 See 1 Peter 2:5 4 See John 15:1-5
5 Genesis 3:1 6 1 Peter 4:8
7 Matthew 28:18 8 1 Timothy 2:5
9 Isaiah 35:10
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Last Sunday in the Church Year (C) 2019
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Colossians 1:19
Theme: Supreme Dominion
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
In Christ the past is forgiven, the present is gifted, and the future is secured. Forgiveness, gift, and security are available in completeness only through Jesus. He is at the centre of things. He is supreme. Now, today is the final Sunday in the Church Year and we are reminded that this world is transient. History will come to conclusion. The King will return. Of Him our Scripture says, “All things were created by Him and for Him…and in Him all things hold together.”1 We rightly look forward to that great and glorious day for all woes will vanish and all mysteries will be revealed.
And when will it be? Well, the Lord speaks of earthquakes, wars, and famines. He warns of turmoil that will grip the nations of the earth. These are signs. Throughout history people have tried to read the signs to predict the Second Coming of Christ. Yet, such precision is impossible, as Jesus Himself says, “No one knows about that day or hour.”2 The purpose of the signs is to provide an antidote to our laxity. The warning of Jesus in today’s parable to be found faithful is a stark reminder of how serious these matters are.
The return of our Lord is not questionable or tentative. It is not contingent. We have the power neither to hasten it or prolong it. The Scripture says, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.”3 The judgment will take place and the righteous will be separated from the wicked. God’s judgment will be final.
Meanwhile though, the separating is continually in process. The Holy Spirit, wielding the word of God confronts sinners and converts and absolves those who believe. Believers look forward to the final resolution of sin. Some of the consequences of sin in this world will be mitigated through human effort. When something is mitigated its severity is lessened. That’s what human progress is supposed to be all about; better medicine, scientific advancement, and technological improvement, are just a few of the fields collaborating to make life safer and healthier, more convenient and enjoyable. The mitigation of sin’s consequences is also at the very heart of Christian vocation. We are called to support others in their brokenness. We are all sin-weary travelers whose burdens are lightened when shared with others.
But, dear friends, the implications of sin will never be eliminated. Sin is beyond our power to resolve. We cannot and we will not ever end suffering. We cannot and we will not ever end pain. We cannot and we will not ever end death. Naivety or arrogance might believe lead us to believe that we can, but it’s the same as believing we can become as powerful as God. But we are the creatures and God is the Creator and the situation will never be reversed. We are the sinners and Christ is the Saviour, and the roles are not interchangeable. We are the sheep; He is the shepherd. We are the patients; He is the doctor. We are the condemned; He is the Redeemer. We are the endangered; He is the rescuer. We are the dying; He is the life-giver.
Therefore, the first response to sin and its consequences is always repentance. We cannot rationalize our own sin away, though we try to do so with great gusto. Each of us deserves God’s just condemnation- even the newborn infant- because our sin is truly an offence to His holiness. As we reflect on Christ’s promised return it’s good to be mindful of the things, we should truly value and why we should value them. God values the whole person, body and soul.
The challenge is not so much in seeing that God loves people generally (though unbelievers deny this, of course) but in believing that the way God loves people is the best way. Faith clings to some very ‘naked’ promises of God. Who can prove to you that Mya, through the Holy Spirit’s work in baptism, has at this hour, on this day, a day not necessarily anymore memorable than the next, a day that like most others becomes pushed further back in our memories as each new day arrives, has become a participant in an eternal kingdom? No one can demonstrate that. This day she has become a child of the Supreme One; the One who is love incarnate. That is a mystery, but it will not remain without proof. It will be proven at the resurrection of the dead.
A corollary to the challenge of believing that God’s way of loving is the best, is believing that that has implications also for our everyday lives. We are purposeful beings. We are not rudderless vessels floating on a sea of uncertainty. And we are so in reality, if not in self-conscious recognition. Now, to be sure, peoples’ lives, even the lives of believers, can be plagued with uncertainty. The devil constantly sows seeds of doubt. Am I good enough for this? Am I worthy of that? Will a God protect me from this or save me from that? Often our uncertainties are very tangible and routine. How will I manage my finances, work with my colleagues, or mend a fractured relationship? At other times our uncertainties betray much deeper apprehensions. Who am I? Why am I here? Where is God when my life seems to be caving in all around me? What is my place in what seems to be cosmic chaos?
God is faithful. His defense of us is unflinching. His support will not be insufficient in the time of need. We can pursue our callings with confidence. Christians can be calm while the world panics, we still have hope when the world despairs, we press on when the world gives up......not because believers are in denial, arrogant, or apathetic about all of the brokenness and trauma sin causes, but because we know there will be resolution. We know Him who hung from the cross and said, “It is finished!”4 We know that in the maelstrom of darkness, doubt, and death we are securely anchored to that Rock which is immovable. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”5 Christ stepped out of the shadow of the empty tomb beaming with resurrection light. That light will never be extinguished.
Though Christians are forward-looking people- ultimately, we look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come- that doesn’t mean God is inaccessible or inactive until the future life. God isn’t confined to heaven. He isn’t restrained there, incapable of assisting those “down below”. Have no doubt, dear friends, that God is near, very near. The Holy Spirit is present here and now, in real time and transcending space, in the heart of every believer. Christ also dwells in our hearts by faith, but even more, His blessing and power are present for us in Holy Communion. The incarnate Jesus is right here at this altar. And though in receiving this sacrament we remember His sacrificial death as the apostle says6, we also rejoice that in this meal of His body and blood He brings the future into the present.
Imagine an existence where there is no stress and no cause of stress whatsoever? Only joy, and light, and peace. That is what awaits God’s people in the new creation. How mind blowing is this simple little fact: There will be no more tears in heaven? There will be no weeping, grieving, crying. Imagine it! No sadness whatsoever. Why? Because there will be no injury, harm or death. What does the Scripture say? “When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."7 How? As we heard, the Father sent the Son, “to reconcile to Himself all things…by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross”8 The same Jesus has promised to return in glory. “Amen, Come Lord Jesus.”9 Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Last Sunday of the Church Year
24 November 2019
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Colossians 1:16-17 2 Matthew 24:36
3 2 Peter 3:9-10 4 John 19:30
5 John 1:5 6 See 1 Corinthians 11:26
7 1 Corinthians 15:54 8 Colossians 1:20
9 Revelation 22:20
Text: Colossians 1:19
Theme: Supreme Dominion
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
In Christ the past is forgiven, the present is gifted, and the future is secured. Forgiveness, gift, and security are available in completeness only through Jesus. He is at the centre of things. He is supreme. Now, today is the final Sunday in the Church Year and we are reminded that this world is transient. History will come to conclusion. The King will return. Of Him our Scripture says, “All things were created by Him and for Him…and in Him all things hold together.”1 We rightly look forward to that great and glorious day for all woes will vanish and all mysteries will be revealed.
And when will it be? Well, the Lord speaks of earthquakes, wars, and famines. He warns of turmoil that will grip the nations of the earth. These are signs. Throughout history people have tried to read the signs to predict the Second Coming of Christ. Yet, such precision is impossible, as Jesus Himself says, “No one knows about that day or hour.”2 The purpose of the signs is to provide an antidote to our laxity. The warning of Jesus in today’s parable to be found faithful is a stark reminder of how serious these matters are.
The return of our Lord is not questionable or tentative. It is not contingent. We have the power neither to hasten it or prolong it. The Scripture says, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.”3 The judgment will take place and the righteous will be separated from the wicked. God’s judgment will be final.
Meanwhile though, the separating is continually in process. The Holy Spirit, wielding the word of God confronts sinners and converts and absolves those who believe. Believers look forward to the final resolution of sin. Some of the consequences of sin in this world will be mitigated through human effort. When something is mitigated its severity is lessened. That’s what human progress is supposed to be all about; better medicine, scientific advancement, and technological improvement, are just a few of the fields collaborating to make life safer and healthier, more convenient and enjoyable. The mitigation of sin’s consequences is also at the very heart of Christian vocation. We are called to support others in their brokenness. We are all sin-weary travelers whose burdens are lightened when shared with others.
But, dear friends, the implications of sin will never be eliminated. Sin is beyond our power to resolve. We cannot and we will not ever end suffering. We cannot and we will not ever end pain. We cannot and we will not ever end death. Naivety or arrogance might believe lead us to believe that we can, but it’s the same as believing we can become as powerful as God. But we are the creatures and God is the Creator and the situation will never be reversed. We are the sinners and Christ is the Saviour, and the roles are not interchangeable. We are the sheep; He is the shepherd. We are the patients; He is the doctor. We are the condemned; He is the Redeemer. We are the endangered; He is the rescuer. We are the dying; He is the life-giver.
Therefore, the first response to sin and its consequences is always repentance. We cannot rationalize our own sin away, though we try to do so with great gusto. Each of us deserves God’s just condemnation- even the newborn infant- because our sin is truly an offence to His holiness. As we reflect on Christ’s promised return it’s good to be mindful of the things, we should truly value and why we should value them. God values the whole person, body and soul.
The challenge is not so much in seeing that God loves people generally (though unbelievers deny this, of course) but in believing that the way God loves people is the best way. Faith clings to some very ‘naked’ promises of God. Who can prove to you that Mya, through the Holy Spirit’s work in baptism, has at this hour, on this day, a day not necessarily anymore memorable than the next, a day that like most others becomes pushed further back in our memories as each new day arrives, has become a participant in an eternal kingdom? No one can demonstrate that. This day she has become a child of the Supreme One; the One who is love incarnate. That is a mystery, but it will not remain without proof. It will be proven at the resurrection of the dead.
A corollary to the challenge of believing that God’s way of loving is the best, is believing that that has implications also for our everyday lives. We are purposeful beings. We are not rudderless vessels floating on a sea of uncertainty. And we are so in reality, if not in self-conscious recognition. Now, to be sure, peoples’ lives, even the lives of believers, can be plagued with uncertainty. The devil constantly sows seeds of doubt. Am I good enough for this? Am I worthy of that? Will a God protect me from this or save me from that? Often our uncertainties are very tangible and routine. How will I manage my finances, work with my colleagues, or mend a fractured relationship? At other times our uncertainties betray much deeper apprehensions. Who am I? Why am I here? Where is God when my life seems to be caving in all around me? What is my place in what seems to be cosmic chaos?
God is faithful. His defense of us is unflinching. His support will not be insufficient in the time of need. We can pursue our callings with confidence. Christians can be calm while the world panics, we still have hope when the world despairs, we press on when the world gives up......not because believers are in denial, arrogant, or apathetic about all of the brokenness and trauma sin causes, but because we know there will be resolution. We know Him who hung from the cross and said, “It is finished!”4 We know that in the maelstrom of darkness, doubt, and death we are securely anchored to that Rock which is immovable. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”5 Christ stepped out of the shadow of the empty tomb beaming with resurrection light. That light will never be extinguished.
Though Christians are forward-looking people- ultimately, we look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come- that doesn’t mean God is inaccessible or inactive until the future life. God isn’t confined to heaven. He isn’t restrained there, incapable of assisting those “down below”. Have no doubt, dear friends, that God is near, very near. The Holy Spirit is present here and now, in real time and transcending space, in the heart of every believer. Christ also dwells in our hearts by faith, but even more, His blessing and power are present for us in Holy Communion. The incarnate Jesus is right here at this altar. And though in receiving this sacrament we remember His sacrificial death as the apostle says6, we also rejoice that in this meal of His body and blood He brings the future into the present.
Imagine an existence where there is no stress and no cause of stress whatsoever? Only joy, and light, and peace. That is what awaits God’s people in the new creation. How mind blowing is this simple little fact: There will be no more tears in heaven? There will be no weeping, grieving, crying. Imagine it! No sadness whatsoever. Why? Because there will be no injury, harm or death. What does the Scripture say? “When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."7 How? As we heard, the Father sent the Son, “to reconcile to Himself all things…by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross”8 The same Jesus has promised to return in glory. “Amen, Come Lord Jesus.”9 Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Last Sunday of the Church Year
24 November 2019
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Colossians 1:16-17 2 Matthew 24:36
3 2 Peter 3:9-10 4 John 19:30
5 John 1:5 6 See 1 Corinthians 11:26
7 1 Corinthians 15:54 8 Colossians 1:20
9 Revelation 22:20
Friday, October 4, 2019
Funeral of Ruth Esther Hall (4 October 2019)
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 11:25ff
Theme: The Divine Call
Dear family, friends and loved ones of Ruth; Heather, her mother, Mackenzie and Scarlett, her children, and especially you, Paul, her husband,
Where to start? Who has the right to speak to these people, on this topic, at this time; to this mother, to these children, to that husband, to this family? Opinions will vary. Some contenders have more credibility than others. Only One is peerless. He says, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”1
Well, “We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.”2 The sage advice of the Scriptures is to exhaust all of our efforts and energies in the love of others, to go all in, leave it all on the field, don’t hold back, give it all you have. That’s what Ruth did, that’s what she believed, that’s who she was. She wasn’t a spectator, she wasn’t a bystander, she certainly wasn’t a quitter. And she wasn’t apathetic about the who and the how and the why- those details that actually give life meaning. She had her opinions and she wasn’t afraid to voice them.
Did Ruth have regrets? Of course, no one’s life progresses flawlessly. To err is human. To think that we are faultless in our motives, measures and movements is sheer arrogance or complete denial. But any regrets Ruth may have had were certainly not caused by indecisiveness of action or lack of initiative. Ruth didn’t sit around waiting for life to happen. She could be pretty high-octane. She was full of vitality, life, love and happiness.
Death can be stunning in its brutality and the grief that ensues absolutely incapacitating. It takes no prisoners and makes no concessions. With cold-blooded ruthlessness it eviscerates all who cross its path. There is no sense in, and really no way to, minimize or dismiss it. Vociferous efforts at placing blame might achieve some level of cathartic release but they won’t alter reality or compensate for death’s toll. You can scream at God, curse, swear, shout Him down. You can revile His name and desecrate His decrees in protest, complaint, or disgust. The Psalms of the Bible are full of raw expressions of emotion. The most significant was this one, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”3 It was uttered by the One who was abandoned at the cross. There was a reason for that, an exceedingly important reason.
Jesus Christ, the Architect of the universe and Redeemer of humanity stood at the grave of a dear friend named Lazarus and He wept. He shed tears that were weighted with more than human sympathy. He knew the power of death, its devastation and its sadness. You see, lies repeatedly told still remain lies. Lies confidently told still remain lies. Lies cheerfully told still remain lies. Human autonomy is a lie. We have no power of self-definition or self-preservation. These are lies. We are not sovereigns. Apparent success might be achieved in conditioning, brainwashing or anesthetizing but in the moment of revelation the truth will be vindicated.
We must at least consider the possibility that God’s omniscience is superior to our myopathy. God sees all, His gaze pierces time and eternity. Our vision is confined to the limited scope of our temporal experience. The Holy Spirit can lead us from possibility to probability and then onto conviction. To believe in God at all is to recognize that we, you, me, all of us collectively, are not God. It is one step towards acknowledging our mortality.
Don’t think for a moment acknowledgment of mortality is a path we stroll down easily though. We have inbuilt denial mechanisms and they are powerful. Cognitively we accept that someone could get struck by lightning, and someone could get run over by a bus, but that’s a far cry from believing that would actually happen to us. When someone we know suddenly drops dead of a heart attack, is taken down by motor neuron disease, or snatched away by cancer’s complications our mindfulness of mortality is likely to be piqued considerably. The question is, where do we go with that? Does it lead to a reality check? Do we seek reconciliation with God or retreat to our own maneuverings?
The point is not to be morbid, macabre, or fixated with death, but to authentically consider the only viable resolution. The answer is not what, but Who. Christ is the only one who has been there- all the way there- and back. The crucifixion was the implosion of death’s power. With sin atoned for death lost its source. The pathology became obsolete. The resurrection was the triumph of life. Death for the believer becomes a transition to an unimaginably vibrant existence.
Ruth was baptized. It seems like such a small thing. But it comes with a mighty promise. It conveys all the blessings of the gospel- the unconditional love, forgiveness, and favour of God. Set aside any ideas that Ruth was more worthy of the gospel than the rest of us. She wasn’t. By definition the gospel is the Good News, the incomparable news, of God’s free and undeserved mercy in Christ. But Ruth was no less an object of His grace either. The cross was raised for her and she will follow His steps through the open grave into the Easter light just as Job confesses, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see Him with my own eyes.”4
Who can judge the relativity of grief? Is Heather’s grief, the grief of a mother losing a child greater than that of Mackenzie and Scarlett, children who have lost a mother? And what about Paul? Who will speak words of comfort that are more than thinly coated clichés, regardless of how genuine the intent? What gestures of support can compensate their loss? The memories, oh the memories of love, and laughter, sorrow and trauma! They will be vivid, captivating haunting, and comforting. But they are hollow substitutes for the real Ruth, the flesh and blood Ruth full of vigor and vitality. God alone must give the peace that human authority cannot give. We cannot give what we don’t possess. The Holy Spirit travels the road of grief. He lights the path.
Life is exceedingly precious. It is fragile. It is uncertain. It’s not guaranteed. Indemnity against its loss is not attainable. No price can purchase it. If an important relationship in your life is not reconciled, don’t wait, do what is in your power to resolve it. Life is short. This temporal life is a present gift but not a future promise. Cherish it. Value it. Relish it. Revere it. Celebrate it. In the caustic bitterness of our grief we can also celebrate Ruth’s life. We can do that genuinely and joyously. And we will!
Life will prevail because Christ has conquered. All who believe in Him will share His immortal life. He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies.”5 Ruth would not have wanted us to mope around as if our lives were permanently bereft of meaning. Grief will have its say, but it’s not the final word. Ruth would have wanted others to remember her by engaging life in all of its adversities and prosperities, by living it to the full.
Imagine the skepticism, the anticipation, and the tension when Jesus stood outside the grave of Lazarus and uttered these words, “Lazarus, come out!”6 How would this end? At the divine command he crossed back over the threshold going the ‘wrong way’ from eternity back into time. But it was a pledge and preview of greater things to come. Ruth Hall has crossed the threshold into the Paradise that defies description. She has gone the right way. The temporal end is the eternal beginning. May the abundant mercy of God sustain us in our grief and our in our celebration. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Funeral of Ruth Esther Hall
4 October 2019
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Revelation 1:17-18 2 1 Timothy 6:7
3 Psalm 22:1 4 Job 19:25-27
5 John 11:25 6 John 11:43
Text: John 11:25ff
Theme: The Divine Call
Dear family, friends and loved ones of Ruth; Heather, her mother, Mackenzie and Scarlett, her children, and especially you, Paul, her husband,
Where to start? Who has the right to speak to these people, on this topic, at this time; to this mother, to these children, to that husband, to this family? Opinions will vary. Some contenders have more credibility than others. Only One is peerless. He says, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”1
Well, “We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.”2 The sage advice of the Scriptures is to exhaust all of our efforts and energies in the love of others, to go all in, leave it all on the field, don’t hold back, give it all you have. That’s what Ruth did, that’s what she believed, that’s who she was. She wasn’t a spectator, she wasn’t a bystander, she certainly wasn’t a quitter. And she wasn’t apathetic about the who and the how and the why- those details that actually give life meaning. She had her opinions and she wasn’t afraid to voice them.
Did Ruth have regrets? Of course, no one’s life progresses flawlessly. To err is human. To think that we are faultless in our motives, measures and movements is sheer arrogance or complete denial. But any regrets Ruth may have had were certainly not caused by indecisiveness of action or lack of initiative. Ruth didn’t sit around waiting for life to happen. She could be pretty high-octane. She was full of vitality, life, love and happiness.
Death can be stunning in its brutality and the grief that ensues absolutely incapacitating. It takes no prisoners and makes no concessions. With cold-blooded ruthlessness it eviscerates all who cross its path. There is no sense in, and really no way to, minimize or dismiss it. Vociferous efforts at placing blame might achieve some level of cathartic release but they won’t alter reality or compensate for death’s toll. You can scream at God, curse, swear, shout Him down. You can revile His name and desecrate His decrees in protest, complaint, or disgust. The Psalms of the Bible are full of raw expressions of emotion. The most significant was this one, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”3 It was uttered by the One who was abandoned at the cross. There was a reason for that, an exceedingly important reason.
Jesus Christ, the Architect of the universe and Redeemer of humanity stood at the grave of a dear friend named Lazarus and He wept. He shed tears that were weighted with more than human sympathy. He knew the power of death, its devastation and its sadness. You see, lies repeatedly told still remain lies. Lies confidently told still remain lies. Lies cheerfully told still remain lies. Human autonomy is a lie. We have no power of self-definition or self-preservation. These are lies. We are not sovereigns. Apparent success might be achieved in conditioning, brainwashing or anesthetizing but in the moment of revelation the truth will be vindicated.
We must at least consider the possibility that God’s omniscience is superior to our myopathy. God sees all, His gaze pierces time and eternity. Our vision is confined to the limited scope of our temporal experience. The Holy Spirit can lead us from possibility to probability and then onto conviction. To believe in God at all is to recognize that we, you, me, all of us collectively, are not God. It is one step towards acknowledging our mortality.
Don’t think for a moment acknowledgment of mortality is a path we stroll down easily though. We have inbuilt denial mechanisms and they are powerful. Cognitively we accept that someone could get struck by lightning, and someone could get run over by a bus, but that’s a far cry from believing that would actually happen to us. When someone we know suddenly drops dead of a heart attack, is taken down by motor neuron disease, or snatched away by cancer’s complications our mindfulness of mortality is likely to be piqued considerably. The question is, where do we go with that? Does it lead to a reality check? Do we seek reconciliation with God or retreat to our own maneuverings?
The point is not to be morbid, macabre, or fixated with death, but to authentically consider the only viable resolution. The answer is not what, but Who. Christ is the only one who has been there- all the way there- and back. The crucifixion was the implosion of death’s power. With sin atoned for death lost its source. The pathology became obsolete. The resurrection was the triumph of life. Death for the believer becomes a transition to an unimaginably vibrant existence.
Ruth was baptized. It seems like such a small thing. But it comes with a mighty promise. It conveys all the blessings of the gospel- the unconditional love, forgiveness, and favour of God. Set aside any ideas that Ruth was more worthy of the gospel than the rest of us. She wasn’t. By definition the gospel is the Good News, the incomparable news, of God’s free and undeserved mercy in Christ. But Ruth was no less an object of His grace either. The cross was raised for her and she will follow His steps through the open grave into the Easter light just as Job confesses, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see Him with my own eyes.”4
Who can judge the relativity of grief? Is Heather’s grief, the grief of a mother losing a child greater than that of Mackenzie and Scarlett, children who have lost a mother? And what about Paul? Who will speak words of comfort that are more than thinly coated clichés, regardless of how genuine the intent? What gestures of support can compensate their loss? The memories, oh the memories of love, and laughter, sorrow and trauma! They will be vivid, captivating haunting, and comforting. But they are hollow substitutes for the real Ruth, the flesh and blood Ruth full of vigor and vitality. God alone must give the peace that human authority cannot give. We cannot give what we don’t possess. The Holy Spirit travels the road of grief. He lights the path.
Life is exceedingly precious. It is fragile. It is uncertain. It’s not guaranteed. Indemnity against its loss is not attainable. No price can purchase it. If an important relationship in your life is not reconciled, don’t wait, do what is in your power to resolve it. Life is short. This temporal life is a present gift but not a future promise. Cherish it. Value it. Relish it. Revere it. Celebrate it. In the caustic bitterness of our grief we can also celebrate Ruth’s life. We can do that genuinely and joyously. And we will!
Life will prevail because Christ has conquered. All who believe in Him will share His immortal life. He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies.”5 Ruth would not have wanted us to mope around as if our lives were permanently bereft of meaning. Grief will have its say, but it’s not the final word. Ruth would have wanted others to remember her by engaging life in all of its adversities and prosperities, by living it to the full.
Imagine the skepticism, the anticipation, and the tension when Jesus stood outside the grave of Lazarus and uttered these words, “Lazarus, come out!”6 How would this end? At the divine command he crossed back over the threshold going the ‘wrong way’ from eternity back into time. But it was a pledge and preview of greater things to come. Ruth Hall has crossed the threshold into the Paradise that defies description. She has gone the right way. The temporal end is the eternal beginning. May the abundant mercy of God sustain us in our grief and our in our celebration. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Funeral of Ruth Esther Hall
4 October 2019
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Revelation 1:17-18 2 1 Timothy 6:7
3 Psalm 22:1 4 Job 19:25-27
5 John 11:25 6 John 11:43
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost (C) 2019
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 16:19-31
Theme: The Rich Man and Lazarus
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Jesus spoke many parables. He did so because He had vital things to say. Parables use analogies or comparisons. Therefore, they have their limitations. There is no evidence in the Bible that a person in hell can have an actual conversation with a person in heaven. But Jesus employs that possibility in order to drive home His point. And He does so emphatically. The language and imagery here are striking. Poor Lazarus, who has been mistreated all his life goes to heaven, and the rich man who neglected him goes to hell. A conversation ensues. The purpose is to teach about ultimate and eternal truths. Unsurprisingly, Jesus Himself is the decisive figure.
In hell, the rich man not only begs for relief for himself but shows concern for his brothers that are still living. But the opportunity to act on his regret has passed. His eternity is locked in. “Between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.”1 The chasm is evidence of the unalterable will of God. The Almighty has determined the partition between heaven and hell, and it cannot be breached. The dimensions are impregnable.
The message is unmistakable: There will be no second chances. Once you’re in the position of the remorseful rich man it’s too late. Now is the time to heed God’s warning. Now is the time to repent. Now is the time to trust in God’s mercy. Now is the time for faith to show that it is active in love. Now is the time to consider what is really most important in life. Repentance cannot be scheduled by us for a later time. It must be initiated by the Spirit. The rich man’s lack of faith was evidenced by his lack of love. Everyday Lazarus was laid at his gate and yet each day compassion was withheld. Compassion is not an optional virtue for Christians. Faith and hard-heartedness are incompatible.
Dear friends, the call to turn to God and away from sin is not fluid; that is, it can’t happen on our terms. The parameters of our repentance are not discretionary. We can’t define them anyway we’d like. Abraham responds to the rich man’s request to send Lazarus to his brothers saying, “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.”2 That is, they have the word of God; they have the Bible. But the rich man insists someone will have to come from the dead to get them to repent. Only such a dramatic event will shake them out of their stubbornness. They won’t be moved by anything less. Abraham’s reply is resolute, “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”3
Here the climax of the parable is reached. Jesus is previewing the lack of belief that will accompany His own resurrection from the dead. Someone will indeed come back from the dead- and not just anyone, the Son of God Himself- and still many will remain skeptics.
“Seeing is believing”, they say, but how and what do we see? Do we believe God’s promises because we see, or do we see (with spiritual eyes) because we believe?
Is it clear to us today that Ava was washed of her sins, became a child of God, and received an inheritance in heaven when we saw the baptismal water applied and heard the Name of God proclaimed? Is the Bible’s claim that this young soul is able to trust in her Saviour empirically evident? Is that why we believe in the power and blessing of baptism? Or do we see the blessing of this sacrament because we believe the promise of God? Is it not our faith in God’s trustworthiness (a faith the Spirit Himself must give) that gives credibility to this action? And is that not so with all of the most vital truths? We can see the Almighty’s creation, but how do we see the Saviour’s redemption?
The same conundrum applies in our daily struggle to follow God’s will. Sometimes God causes us to really feel the consequences of our sinfulness. Embarrassment, guilt, shame, and humiliation all help motivate us to seek forgiveness for our offences. The Holy Spirit works this motivation in us this through the hearing of God’s law. That’s what repentance involves. Of course, we might also feel the consequences of sin in other ways- regret, brokenness, hurt, and trauma- and be unaware or unsure about whether we are victims, perpetrators, or both.
But what happens when we don’t feel the effects of our sinfulness? How easy is it then to seek God’s forgiveness? If we’re not feeling remorse or regret over sin- and perhaps we’re in denial- the Bible calls upon us to believe that we are sinners who still need Christ’s forgiveness. How easy is it to see that Ava Thorpe needs forgiveness! Not very! But we believe it because ALL are conceived and born in sin. God tells us something that human reason can’t readily understand. And, dear friends, it must be true at some level- and probably for many a subconscious level- that one reason church attendance is generally in steady decline is because people don’t feel the need for forgiveness? They don’t believe it’s vital.
One thing we can be certain of is that Jesus was always teaching things that were critical and vital. He wasn’t given to trivial chit-chat. Today’s He’s teaching that the God who saves cannot be found just anywhere. We cannot construct our own access to a Him. He reveals His identity to us. We can see His capability in creation, but we can only see His compassion in the crucifixion. His might is evident in the laws of nature, but His mercy is seen only through the eyes of faith. Our Saviour is the One who hung upon the cross. There is no other. And there is no other means to answer the inescapability of our mortality. To die estranged from Jesus is to be eternally lost. That is the glaring and unmistakable point of the parable today. The rich man died alienated from hope and trust in God. He died on his own terms in his own way- full of indulgence in this life, but full of regret in the next.
In relation to God we are all like Lazarus. Even those most capable, successful, and confident in worldly terms are completely reliant on the grace of God when it comes to spiritual security. Like Lazarus who lay outside the gate of the rich man with no capacity to help himself, so too, we would all lay outside the gate of heaven never to enter under our own power. Christ had to come to us outside the gate, heal us of our sins, feed us with His sacrament, and make us honored guest of His kingdom. When we gather at this altar to receive the blessing of Christ’s body and blood we dine with Lazarus. At this table we are his peers.
Jesus said, “I am the gate; whoever enters through Me will be saved.”4 His church is built on unalterable truth and “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”5 He said, The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”6 He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies.”7 What promise could be more comforting or assuring than these?
Jesus often taught using parables. In this way important spiritual truths were instilled. But the work of Jesus for our salvation was no parable, analogy, or illustration. Our redemption is not part of a virtual or simulated reality. Jesus breached time and space to become part of our fallenness. The gospel is not a theoretical ideology. The baby in the manger was the victim of the cross and the conqueror of the grave. Death itself has been defeated by Him. Satan is silenced. Hell is vanquished. Its gates are shut to all who believe while the gates of heaven are open. That’s vital information for Lazarus, and for us! Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost
29 September 2019
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 16:26 2 Luke 16:29
3 Luke 16:31 4 John 10:9
5 Matthew 16:18 6 Luke 19:10
7 John 11:25
Text: Luke 16:19-31
Theme: The Rich Man and Lazarus
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Jesus spoke many parables. He did so because He had vital things to say. Parables use analogies or comparisons. Therefore, they have their limitations. There is no evidence in the Bible that a person in hell can have an actual conversation with a person in heaven. But Jesus employs that possibility in order to drive home His point. And He does so emphatically. The language and imagery here are striking. Poor Lazarus, who has been mistreated all his life goes to heaven, and the rich man who neglected him goes to hell. A conversation ensues. The purpose is to teach about ultimate and eternal truths. Unsurprisingly, Jesus Himself is the decisive figure.
In hell, the rich man not only begs for relief for himself but shows concern for his brothers that are still living. But the opportunity to act on his regret has passed. His eternity is locked in. “Between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.”1 The chasm is evidence of the unalterable will of God. The Almighty has determined the partition between heaven and hell, and it cannot be breached. The dimensions are impregnable.
The message is unmistakable: There will be no second chances. Once you’re in the position of the remorseful rich man it’s too late. Now is the time to heed God’s warning. Now is the time to repent. Now is the time to trust in God’s mercy. Now is the time for faith to show that it is active in love. Now is the time to consider what is really most important in life. Repentance cannot be scheduled by us for a later time. It must be initiated by the Spirit. The rich man’s lack of faith was evidenced by his lack of love. Everyday Lazarus was laid at his gate and yet each day compassion was withheld. Compassion is not an optional virtue for Christians. Faith and hard-heartedness are incompatible.
Dear friends, the call to turn to God and away from sin is not fluid; that is, it can’t happen on our terms. The parameters of our repentance are not discretionary. We can’t define them anyway we’d like. Abraham responds to the rich man’s request to send Lazarus to his brothers saying, “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.”2 That is, they have the word of God; they have the Bible. But the rich man insists someone will have to come from the dead to get them to repent. Only such a dramatic event will shake them out of their stubbornness. They won’t be moved by anything less. Abraham’s reply is resolute, “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”3
Here the climax of the parable is reached. Jesus is previewing the lack of belief that will accompany His own resurrection from the dead. Someone will indeed come back from the dead- and not just anyone, the Son of God Himself- and still many will remain skeptics.
“Seeing is believing”, they say, but how and what do we see? Do we believe God’s promises because we see, or do we see (with spiritual eyes) because we believe?
Is it clear to us today that Ava was washed of her sins, became a child of God, and received an inheritance in heaven when we saw the baptismal water applied and heard the Name of God proclaimed? Is the Bible’s claim that this young soul is able to trust in her Saviour empirically evident? Is that why we believe in the power and blessing of baptism? Or do we see the blessing of this sacrament because we believe the promise of God? Is it not our faith in God’s trustworthiness (a faith the Spirit Himself must give) that gives credibility to this action? And is that not so with all of the most vital truths? We can see the Almighty’s creation, but how do we see the Saviour’s redemption?
The same conundrum applies in our daily struggle to follow God’s will. Sometimes God causes us to really feel the consequences of our sinfulness. Embarrassment, guilt, shame, and humiliation all help motivate us to seek forgiveness for our offences. The Holy Spirit works this motivation in us this through the hearing of God’s law. That’s what repentance involves. Of course, we might also feel the consequences of sin in other ways- regret, brokenness, hurt, and trauma- and be unaware or unsure about whether we are victims, perpetrators, or both.
But what happens when we don’t feel the effects of our sinfulness? How easy is it then to seek God’s forgiveness? If we’re not feeling remorse or regret over sin- and perhaps we’re in denial- the Bible calls upon us to believe that we are sinners who still need Christ’s forgiveness. How easy is it to see that Ava Thorpe needs forgiveness! Not very! But we believe it because ALL are conceived and born in sin. God tells us something that human reason can’t readily understand. And, dear friends, it must be true at some level- and probably for many a subconscious level- that one reason church attendance is generally in steady decline is because people don’t feel the need for forgiveness? They don’t believe it’s vital.
One thing we can be certain of is that Jesus was always teaching things that were critical and vital. He wasn’t given to trivial chit-chat. Today’s He’s teaching that the God who saves cannot be found just anywhere. We cannot construct our own access to a Him. He reveals His identity to us. We can see His capability in creation, but we can only see His compassion in the crucifixion. His might is evident in the laws of nature, but His mercy is seen only through the eyes of faith. Our Saviour is the One who hung upon the cross. There is no other. And there is no other means to answer the inescapability of our mortality. To die estranged from Jesus is to be eternally lost. That is the glaring and unmistakable point of the parable today. The rich man died alienated from hope and trust in God. He died on his own terms in his own way- full of indulgence in this life, but full of regret in the next.
In relation to God we are all like Lazarus. Even those most capable, successful, and confident in worldly terms are completely reliant on the grace of God when it comes to spiritual security. Like Lazarus who lay outside the gate of the rich man with no capacity to help himself, so too, we would all lay outside the gate of heaven never to enter under our own power. Christ had to come to us outside the gate, heal us of our sins, feed us with His sacrament, and make us honored guest of His kingdom. When we gather at this altar to receive the blessing of Christ’s body and blood we dine with Lazarus. At this table we are his peers.
Jesus said, “I am the gate; whoever enters through Me will be saved.”4 His church is built on unalterable truth and “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”5 He said, The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”6 He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies.”7 What promise could be more comforting or assuring than these?
Jesus often taught using parables. In this way important spiritual truths were instilled. But the work of Jesus for our salvation was no parable, analogy, or illustration. Our redemption is not part of a virtual or simulated reality. Jesus breached time and space to become part of our fallenness. The gospel is not a theoretical ideology. The baby in the manger was the victim of the cross and the conqueror of the grave. Death itself has been defeated by Him. Satan is silenced. Hell is vanquished. Its gates are shut to all who believe while the gates of heaven are open. That’s vital information for Lazarus, and for us! Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost
29 September 2019
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 16:26 2 Luke 16:29
3 Luke 16:31 4 John 10:9
5 Matthew 16:18 6 Luke 19:10
7 John 11:25
Funeral for Barbara Kalisch (27 September 2019)
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 14:3
Theme: To Be Where I Am
Dear family, friends and loved ones of Barbara; Graham, Mark, Stephen, and Annette, her children, and especially you, Ralph, her husband of 65 years;
Barbara is no longer transitioning. She has reached the destination. She’s no longer progressing, she has arrived. She is no longer a pilgrim with us trekking through this wilderness, she has reached the promised land. The Saviour said, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am”1 Thanks be to God that promise has now been fulfilled! Barbara has been released from all of the burdens of this mortal existence. She has been crowned with life. She is at peace.
Dear friends, death is the universal human crisis. Death is said to be ‘natural’; and it’s accepted as natural by many because that’s what we’ve been conditioned to believe is the settled consensus of humanity. People grow old and then they die. Sometimes they don’t grow old and that’s when we tend to struggle with the deeper questions of mortality. But death isn’t actually natural at all. It’s a consequence of sin. The Scripture says, “the wages of sin is death.”2 And because all people are sinners nobody can escape it.
Reflecting on mortality should always cause us to reassess our priorities in life. What gets you out of bed each day? What do we value, and why? Are we driven by selfish motives or do we live to serve others? In what, or who do we ultimately trust? Do we see each day as a pure gift that we’ve neither earned nor deserved? Do we recognize that there are no guarantees and that the time to draw near to God is never later, it’s always now? The way these questions are answered goes along way to clarifying whether ours is a biblical, Christian worldview. No power that we have, individually or collectively, can bring us through this valley of sorrow to the heavenly life. Only Christ can do that. He does it only by grace through faith. These truths dwarf all others in the end.
Death was never God’s plan, but He wasn’t remiss in addressing humanity’s transgression. The Son of God left the place of perfection and came to our state of corruption. He left the realm of life and came to the dimension death. He suffered. He died. He bore our sins. He rose from the grave. And He still purposefully, and passionately, and persistently pursues sinners. Remember the words of the apostle from a moment ago, “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all- how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?...Christ Jesus-who died-more than that, who was raised to life- is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”3
Barbara was a faithful member of this congregation for many years. Here she enjoyed fellowship with God and with His people. Here she heard His words of wisdom, grace, and comfort. Here her sins were forgiven again and again. Here her faith was nourished through His body and blood in Holy Communion. Here she was strengthened to live her faith in all the different vocations to which God had called her.
And she did this faithfully, especially as a wife, a mother, a grand mother and great grandmother. Many people were blessed by her amiable presence and hospitable ways. It didn’t mean she was exempt from challenges or sailed through life without any regrets. She grappled with depression for more than half of her life. But Barbara was perseverant. By the grace of God, she pressed on through thick and thin. Her last days became a struggle and she was ready to be at home with her Lord.
She’s now enjoying the inheritance of her baptism. We heard the words at the beginning of the service, “Don’t you know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into His death?”4 That was true for Barbara, and now the threat of facing anymore melancholy has dissolved like mist in the noonday sun. But we’re still here and life must go on. Grief is clear evidence of our humanity. Grief brings scars, and scars, by definition are something we carry with us for the rest of our lives. Indeed, nobody goes through this life without accumulating scars. We might think we can cover them with cosmetic solutions much like those who chase eternal youth resort to all kinds of cosmetic enhancements to make themselves look younger (and supposedly better) than they really are. But that doesn’t work in the end. Only the Holy Spirit can fill the emptiness when a loved one passes. Barbara is safe in God’s presence and His truths, His warnings, and His promises are now directed at us.
Ralph, you and Barbara celebrated 65 years of marriage together. It’s an impressive feat that’s not likely to be matched by nearly as many couples in the next generation. The Bible compares the relationship between Christ and His bride, the Church to a marriage. More accurately, human marriage is just a reflection of the greater union between Jesus and believers. Human marriages have their challenges. They involve two sinners struggling to be faithful in accordance with God’s will. But Christ is the perfect Bridegroom who cherishes His Bride with sublime, eternal, and peerless love. Reflecting on this profound reality the apostle Paul says, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church, and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.”5
Dear friends, Barbara has been presented to her God radiant, holy, and blameless. She now has her place at the marriage supper of the Lamb. It is the eternal celebration of those who enjoy the presence of the triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, saints and angels forever more. Barbara believed her Lord when He said, “I will come back and take you to be with Me”6 Her trust has not been in vain. She also believed “in the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.”7 And she will not be disappointed. Thanks be to God for His immeasurable love. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Funeral of Barbara Kalisch
27 September 2019
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 14:3 2 Romans 6:23
3 Romans 8:31-32, 34 4 Romans 6:3
5 Ephesians 5:25-27 6 John 14:3
7 The Nicene Creed
Text: John 14:3
Theme: To Be Where I Am
Dear family, friends and loved ones of Barbara; Graham, Mark, Stephen, and Annette, her children, and especially you, Ralph, her husband of 65 years;
Barbara is no longer transitioning. She has reached the destination. She’s no longer progressing, she has arrived. She is no longer a pilgrim with us trekking through this wilderness, she has reached the promised land. The Saviour said, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am”1 Thanks be to God that promise has now been fulfilled! Barbara has been released from all of the burdens of this mortal existence. She has been crowned with life. She is at peace.
Dear friends, death is the universal human crisis. Death is said to be ‘natural’; and it’s accepted as natural by many because that’s what we’ve been conditioned to believe is the settled consensus of humanity. People grow old and then they die. Sometimes they don’t grow old and that’s when we tend to struggle with the deeper questions of mortality. But death isn’t actually natural at all. It’s a consequence of sin. The Scripture says, “the wages of sin is death.”2 And because all people are sinners nobody can escape it.
Reflecting on mortality should always cause us to reassess our priorities in life. What gets you out of bed each day? What do we value, and why? Are we driven by selfish motives or do we live to serve others? In what, or who do we ultimately trust? Do we see each day as a pure gift that we’ve neither earned nor deserved? Do we recognize that there are no guarantees and that the time to draw near to God is never later, it’s always now? The way these questions are answered goes along way to clarifying whether ours is a biblical, Christian worldview. No power that we have, individually or collectively, can bring us through this valley of sorrow to the heavenly life. Only Christ can do that. He does it only by grace through faith. These truths dwarf all others in the end.
Death was never God’s plan, but He wasn’t remiss in addressing humanity’s transgression. The Son of God left the place of perfection and came to our state of corruption. He left the realm of life and came to the dimension death. He suffered. He died. He bore our sins. He rose from the grave. And He still purposefully, and passionately, and persistently pursues sinners. Remember the words of the apostle from a moment ago, “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all- how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?...Christ Jesus-who died-more than that, who was raised to life- is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”3
Barbara was a faithful member of this congregation for many years. Here she enjoyed fellowship with God and with His people. Here she heard His words of wisdom, grace, and comfort. Here her sins were forgiven again and again. Here her faith was nourished through His body and blood in Holy Communion. Here she was strengthened to live her faith in all the different vocations to which God had called her.
And she did this faithfully, especially as a wife, a mother, a grand mother and great grandmother. Many people were blessed by her amiable presence and hospitable ways. It didn’t mean she was exempt from challenges or sailed through life without any regrets. She grappled with depression for more than half of her life. But Barbara was perseverant. By the grace of God, she pressed on through thick and thin. Her last days became a struggle and she was ready to be at home with her Lord.
She’s now enjoying the inheritance of her baptism. We heard the words at the beginning of the service, “Don’t you know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into His death?”4 That was true for Barbara, and now the threat of facing anymore melancholy has dissolved like mist in the noonday sun. But we’re still here and life must go on. Grief is clear evidence of our humanity. Grief brings scars, and scars, by definition are something we carry with us for the rest of our lives. Indeed, nobody goes through this life without accumulating scars. We might think we can cover them with cosmetic solutions much like those who chase eternal youth resort to all kinds of cosmetic enhancements to make themselves look younger (and supposedly better) than they really are. But that doesn’t work in the end. Only the Holy Spirit can fill the emptiness when a loved one passes. Barbara is safe in God’s presence and His truths, His warnings, and His promises are now directed at us.
Ralph, you and Barbara celebrated 65 years of marriage together. It’s an impressive feat that’s not likely to be matched by nearly as many couples in the next generation. The Bible compares the relationship between Christ and His bride, the Church to a marriage. More accurately, human marriage is just a reflection of the greater union between Jesus and believers. Human marriages have their challenges. They involve two sinners struggling to be faithful in accordance with God’s will. But Christ is the perfect Bridegroom who cherishes His Bride with sublime, eternal, and peerless love. Reflecting on this profound reality the apostle Paul says, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church, and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.”5
Dear friends, Barbara has been presented to her God radiant, holy, and blameless. She now has her place at the marriage supper of the Lamb. It is the eternal celebration of those who enjoy the presence of the triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, saints and angels forever more. Barbara believed her Lord when He said, “I will come back and take you to be with Me”6 Her trust has not been in vain. She also believed “in the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.”7 And she will not be disappointed. Thanks be to God for His immeasurable love. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Funeral of Barbara Kalisch
27 September 2019
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 14:3 2 Romans 6:23
3 Romans 8:31-32, 34 4 Romans 6:3
5 Ephesians 5:25-27 6 John 14:3
7 The Nicene Creed
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