+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 12:21
Theme: A Visual On Jesus
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Seeing is believing.…well, maybe not quite. Even with modern visual communication technology- TV, satellite, Skype- it is still common that people like to see famous people in person. People still flock to concerts and sporting events. Performing arts teams still travel the world. Political candidates venture across their electorates. Even Facebook and Twitter have not been able to completely smother the need for personal interaction. There is still something critical about meeting someone in person. These Greeks who came up to celebrate the Passover Feast in Jerusalem had a simple request: “Sir…we would like to see Jesus.”1
Undoubtedly news had reached them. We are told His fame had spread far and wide. We can guess their desire was more than just a casual request. Perhaps they had some question to raise, issue to discuss, or just wanted to see Him for themselves. About their background or status we know nothing. Yet their request expresses an age-old yearning: To meet God in the flesh. Even Herod longed to see Jesus in person.
Interestingly both the desire to see God and the reluctance to meet Him can be expressions of our sinfulness. The skeptic may desire to see God -or at least some impressive sign- as evidence of His existence. Christians too are often tempted to want proof. Faith takes God at His word. Sin looks to have its own criteria satisfied. The unbeliever may not be reluctant to meet God because he or she doesn’t think it will ever happen. But people of such firm ‘conviction’ are few and far between. For most, the encounter lingers in the background but is ignored or repressed as people go about their busy lives. Christians may be reluctant to meet God because of the fear of judgment. But more commonly we’d just rather keep God at a distance while still receiving His blessings. We know that to meet God in His unveiled glory means an end to our current life. If truth be told our desire to embrace the experiences of this life is often stronger than our love for eternity. For such self-centeredness we are continually called to repent.
What would it have been like to meet Jesus in the flesh? Did Jesus have an aura about Him as He walked the earth? His words certainly commanded attention and respect. They bestowed comfort, invoked consternation and incited confrontation. The Pharisee, the pauper, and the penitent alike hung on His words. His teachings were misinterpreted, misrepresented, and misappropriated. But His appearance…? He gave pardon to the guilty; hope to the despairing; food to the hungry; strength to the weak; joy to the sorrowful; life to the dying- but not by the force of His human stature. He drove off demons and drew in doubtfuls. He walked on waves and reclined with sinners. But was He a character whose persona was ‘bigger than life’?
Not if the Scriptures are to be believed. In Him God was disguised in human flesh in the most humble of appearances. The Scripture says, “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering.”2 He is God where we’d least expect Him: Dying on a cross. He took the form of a servant3, bore the insults of a rebel4, and had no place to lay His head5. He was transfigured privately but crucified publicly. Previously accused of demon possession but later mistaken as a gardener He could not visibly be ascertained to be the Almighty One. After His resurrection the disciples did not even recognize Him. He already had His glorified body.
The incarnation changed the manner of contact God had with His people. This truth has many implications. This Fifth Sunday on Lent is also the date for the Annunciation of our Lord. The angel Gabriel was sent to the Virgin Mary to announce she would be the mother of the Messiah. Today is 9 months before the celebration of Christmas. It is increasingly important to recognize the conception of Jesus. Not because we want an early start to Christmas, but because our society is increasingly undermining the protection of life when it is most vulnerable.
The most important theological argument against the practice of abortion is the conception of Jesus Christ. The church throughout the centuries has confessed to believe “In Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary…”6 God sanctified human conception and birth by sending His Son to assume human flesh through these ‘ordinary’ means. In conception the divine power of God is demonstrated. His alone is the power to give life. Regardless of the ‘advances’ of technology to manipulate the materials, life is and will always remain a mysterious miracle. You can bring together all the components and circumstances, but to take credit for the leap from inert material to a living organism is a dangerous arrogance. No one can call forth life, save God alone. We are commanded to love our neighbours as ourselves. Consider that the unborn are your most vulnerable neighbours.
Christ also died for the unborn. In His response today Jesus said, “Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”7 The one Seed had to be sacrificed for the others. To say that the death of Jesus Christ was inevitable must be clarified by saying that it was necessary in order for salvation to be achieved. It was the Father’s will but also the voluntary submission of Jesus that led to His crucifixion. In the immediate human context wicked religious rulers sought vengeance and neither Roman authorities nor the common person intervened to stop it. In the greater context of humanity sin had to be atoned for lest the justice of God be trivialized. None of these causes excludes the others. Christ died and rose again to bestow forgiveness, life and salvation.
So where do we ‘find’ God today? God’s omnipresence does not preclude His self-determined localization. That God, and so Christ, can be present everywhere- even in hell- by His divine power does not supersede the fact that He wills to be present in His particular means of grace: absolution, baptism, and Holy Communion. The general attributes of the Deity do not excel His specific points of access. The Israelites were not to make sacrifices on every high hill and under every spreading tree, but only where God had placed His Name; in the tabernacle and temple. He now resides among us where His Name dwells- in and through the One who bears that Name- Immanuel, God-with-us. Where Christ is the Holy Spirit gathers followers-His church.
You are not here by convenience. You are not even here by your own choice as the fundamental cause. You are here because God has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.8 You are here because God gathers people into community to forgive, encourage, and strengthen them. No Christian is a lone-ranger. A Christian without a church is like a soldier without an army; a player without a team; a citizen without a country. Here among the body of Christ you have the presence of Christ. Christ is present through His means. The Holy Spirit effects it through His word. God is not found where we wish Him to be in our mental images or vivid emotions. He is found where His servants stand in His stead, His promise is pronounced, and His people participate in His holy things. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Fifth Sunday in Lent
Annunciation of our Lord
25 March 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 12:21
2 Isaiah 53:2-3
3 See Philippians 1:27
4 See Luke 23:13
5 See Matthew 8:20
6 The Apostles’ Creed
7 John 12:24
8 See 1 Peter 2:9
Monday, March 26, 2012
Monday, March 19, 2012
Fourth Sunday In Lent (B) 2012
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 3:14-15
Theme: Divine Healing
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God is gentle with us beyond our comprehension. How tenderly a mother nurses a newborn; so God is with us. God often yields to our weakness. He capitulated to our need preeminently in Christ. Had He not done so we would have no access to Him and thus no salvation. Of course in condescending to us the Son of God was not compromised in His integrity. Yet He was made vulnerable to our sin and Satan’s fury to the point of death. The miracle of the gospel is that redemption was accomplished through sacrifice. All other interests we have pale in comparison.
As we journey through Lent we remember that Christ’s suffering was not arbitrary. He wasn’t simply a victim of circumstances. Your sin and mine drug Him to the cross. Our Lutheran forefathers expressed it in this way, “The knowledge of original sin is absolutely necessary. The magnitude of Christ’s grace cannot be understood unless our diseases are recognized…We must acknowledge that our heart is, by nature, destitute of fear, love, and confidence in God.”1 Now that is a conviction with some gravity. But an essential one if the work of Christ is to have any enduring meaning in your life.
If deep down you don’t really believe you are a sinner; if you believe you have a fair chance of standing in your own righteousness before God then Holy Communion is not for you. You will only invite God’s judgment. If you think your piety represents fair value, that it counts for something in gaining God’s favour, then you should be back at question number one, “I ask each of you in the presence of God who searches the heart: Do you confess that you have sinned, and do you repent of your sins?”2 No “keeping up of appearances” will do you any good here. The heart must be laid bare; the conscience stripped of all protective excuses. Only then does the Holy Spirit find an appreciation for grace. Only the sick need a physician.
The Old Testament reading contains the account of the bronze snake God commanded Moses to lift up on a pole. When the people looked to it they were healed. Jesus draws the comparison to Himself. He would be lifted up on the cross. Healing can only be found in the shadow of the cross. Only then can renewal and strength be found to live the sanctified life. The Christian life is the continual act of detaching from worldliness and embracing the kingdom. Such healing is always a work in progress.
If we are healed from some severe or life-threatening illness the memory of it is not automatically erased. We don’t proceed as if nothing ever happened. The threat from which we are rescued changes our perspective and generates gratitude for our restoration. So too, reconciliation doesn’t bring with it amnesia about the past. Forgiveness does not induce forgetfulness. When we forgive someone a wrong committed against us, we do not inadvertently forget the past. But what forgiveness does do is free us to “intentionally” forget the past. We should never think that forgiveness is not valid if memories linger or we still feel resentment. We believe that the certainty and stability God’s promise is greater than the uncertainty and volatility of our emotions. The key is that the relationship goes forward on the basis of Christ’s pardon. That is, we go forward believing that if Christ can forgive the most reprobate of sinners, we too can forgive those who have wronged us.
Because this is really quite beyond our own ability our efforts at forgiving are lived surrogately through Christ. He is not simply an anchor in the past. He is power and strength for the present. The Scripture says, “All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”3 When we are clothed baptismally with the righteousness of Christ we are prepared for action. We are not static saints. We are not like nicely dressed mannequins in store-front windows. We are dressed for battle. We are fitted with divine weapons to venture into the fray. Luther was always eager to remind people that faith is an active thing. St. Paul compares the Christian life to an Olympic race.
To live baptismally is to live from the heart of the Lord’s Prayer, “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”4 It is not optional for us to forgive others; it is an infallible sign and fruit of faith. That doesn’t make it easy. We are not puppets of the Holy Spirit. Our self-serving motives are not easily quenched. So we struggle. But we struggle knowing that the “foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom.”5 He will never forsake us. Not in the hour of our struggle. Not in the hour of our weakness. Not in the hour of our death. Certainly not before the throne of judgment. Then all the concerns of this life will melt away. Meanwhile, you are salt and leaven in a world always trying to co-opt your allegiance. The hymn writer says it this way:
“And now we watch and struggle,
And now we live in hope,
And Zion in her anguish
With Babylon must cope.”6
Sometimes it helps to look at things from a little different angle. An elderly man took his little grandson for a walk around the local cemetery. Pausing before one gravestone he said, "There lies a very honest man. He died owing me $400, but he struggled to the end to pay off his debts. If anyone has gone to heaven, he has. "They walked on a bit further and then came to another grave. The old man pointed to the gravestone and said, "Now there's a different type of man altogether. He owed me $600, and he died without ever trying to pay me back. If anyone has gone to hell, he has." The little boy thought for a while and then said, "You know, Grandpa, you are very lucky." "Why?" asked the old man. "Well, whichever place you go to, you'll have some money to draw on."
That’s what you might call hedging your bets-spoken innocently by a child. But it doesn’t work that way with God. As soon as we wander off into the mindset of negotiation, or worst-case-scenario, or contingency plans we are not seeking to live in relationship with Christ but to assess our risks; we are not walking in the Spirit but stepping to the cadence of the Old Adam. You cannot assess the benefit or liability of keeping God at arm’s length. That is not the conviction of faith. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already.”7 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”8
Dear friends, in this life we are always patients of the Great Physician. He treats us gently but He cures us permanently. The bronze serpent was a means God provided to strengthen the faith of His people. It was not magical. It was tied to God’s word and promise. Since the coming of Jesus we have still more certain means: the word of forgiveness, Holy Baptism and Holy Communion. These are of the lifeblood of the Christian life. They are so because the Crucified One lives and reigns eternally. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Fourth Sunday in Lent
18 March 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 AP II (I) original sin
2 Lutheran Hymnal, p.6
3 Galatians 3:27
4 Matthew 6:12
5 1 Corinthians 1:25
6 Lutheran Hymnal 493
7 John 3:18
8 John 3:36
Text: John 3:14-15
Theme: Divine Healing
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God is gentle with us beyond our comprehension. How tenderly a mother nurses a newborn; so God is with us. God often yields to our weakness. He capitulated to our need preeminently in Christ. Had He not done so we would have no access to Him and thus no salvation. Of course in condescending to us the Son of God was not compromised in His integrity. Yet He was made vulnerable to our sin and Satan’s fury to the point of death. The miracle of the gospel is that redemption was accomplished through sacrifice. All other interests we have pale in comparison.
As we journey through Lent we remember that Christ’s suffering was not arbitrary. He wasn’t simply a victim of circumstances. Your sin and mine drug Him to the cross. Our Lutheran forefathers expressed it in this way, “The knowledge of original sin is absolutely necessary. The magnitude of Christ’s grace cannot be understood unless our diseases are recognized…We must acknowledge that our heart is, by nature, destitute of fear, love, and confidence in God.”1 Now that is a conviction with some gravity. But an essential one if the work of Christ is to have any enduring meaning in your life.
If deep down you don’t really believe you are a sinner; if you believe you have a fair chance of standing in your own righteousness before God then Holy Communion is not for you. You will only invite God’s judgment. If you think your piety represents fair value, that it counts for something in gaining God’s favour, then you should be back at question number one, “I ask each of you in the presence of God who searches the heart: Do you confess that you have sinned, and do you repent of your sins?”2 No “keeping up of appearances” will do you any good here. The heart must be laid bare; the conscience stripped of all protective excuses. Only then does the Holy Spirit find an appreciation for grace. Only the sick need a physician.
The Old Testament reading contains the account of the bronze snake God commanded Moses to lift up on a pole. When the people looked to it they were healed. Jesus draws the comparison to Himself. He would be lifted up on the cross. Healing can only be found in the shadow of the cross. Only then can renewal and strength be found to live the sanctified life. The Christian life is the continual act of detaching from worldliness and embracing the kingdom. Such healing is always a work in progress.
If we are healed from some severe or life-threatening illness the memory of it is not automatically erased. We don’t proceed as if nothing ever happened. The threat from which we are rescued changes our perspective and generates gratitude for our restoration. So too, reconciliation doesn’t bring with it amnesia about the past. Forgiveness does not induce forgetfulness. When we forgive someone a wrong committed against us, we do not inadvertently forget the past. But what forgiveness does do is free us to “intentionally” forget the past. We should never think that forgiveness is not valid if memories linger or we still feel resentment. We believe that the certainty and stability God’s promise is greater than the uncertainty and volatility of our emotions. The key is that the relationship goes forward on the basis of Christ’s pardon. That is, we go forward believing that if Christ can forgive the most reprobate of sinners, we too can forgive those who have wronged us.
Because this is really quite beyond our own ability our efforts at forgiving are lived surrogately through Christ. He is not simply an anchor in the past. He is power and strength for the present. The Scripture says, “All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”3 When we are clothed baptismally with the righteousness of Christ we are prepared for action. We are not static saints. We are not like nicely dressed mannequins in store-front windows. We are dressed for battle. We are fitted with divine weapons to venture into the fray. Luther was always eager to remind people that faith is an active thing. St. Paul compares the Christian life to an Olympic race.
To live baptismally is to live from the heart of the Lord’s Prayer, “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”4 It is not optional for us to forgive others; it is an infallible sign and fruit of faith. That doesn’t make it easy. We are not puppets of the Holy Spirit. Our self-serving motives are not easily quenched. So we struggle. But we struggle knowing that the “foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom.”5 He will never forsake us. Not in the hour of our struggle. Not in the hour of our weakness. Not in the hour of our death. Certainly not before the throne of judgment. Then all the concerns of this life will melt away. Meanwhile, you are salt and leaven in a world always trying to co-opt your allegiance. The hymn writer says it this way:
“And now we watch and struggle,
And now we live in hope,
And Zion in her anguish
With Babylon must cope.”6
Sometimes it helps to look at things from a little different angle. An elderly man took his little grandson for a walk around the local cemetery. Pausing before one gravestone he said, "There lies a very honest man. He died owing me $400, but he struggled to the end to pay off his debts. If anyone has gone to heaven, he has. "They walked on a bit further and then came to another grave. The old man pointed to the gravestone and said, "Now there's a different type of man altogether. He owed me $600, and he died without ever trying to pay me back. If anyone has gone to hell, he has." The little boy thought for a while and then said, "You know, Grandpa, you are very lucky." "Why?" asked the old man. "Well, whichever place you go to, you'll have some money to draw on."
That’s what you might call hedging your bets-spoken innocently by a child. But it doesn’t work that way with God. As soon as we wander off into the mindset of negotiation, or worst-case-scenario, or contingency plans we are not seeking to live in relationship with Christ but to assess our risks; we are not walking in the Spirit but stepping to the cadence of the Old Adam. You cannot assess the benefit or liability of keeping God at arm’s length. That is not the conviction of faith. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already.”7 “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”8
Dear friends, in this life we are always patients of the Great Physician. He treats us gently but He cures us permanently. The bronze serpent was a means God provided to strengthen the faith of His people. It was not magical. It was tied to God’s word and promise. Since the coming of Jesus we have still more certain means: the word of forgiveness, Holy Baptism and Holy Communion. These are of the lifeblood of the Christian life. They are so because the Crucified One lives and reigns eternally. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Fourth Sunday in Lent
18 March 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 AP II (I) original sin
2 Lutheran Hymnal, p.6
3 Galatians 3:27
4 Matthew 6:12
5 1 Corinthians 1:25
6 Lutheran Hymnal 493
7 John 3:18
8 John 3:36
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Third Sunday In Lent (B) 2012
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 2:13-22
Theme: Divine Cleansing
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
How can God’s capacity for compassion ever be understood? He never tires. He never fails. His limits are never reached. His passion for our souls is unsearchable. And yet for the well-being of His elect justice must also be rendered. His grace is not a bottomless, undiscerning, un-administered program of entitlement. His law cannot be scorned or minimized without consequences. He is nobody’s fool.
Today we get a taste of God’s anger against sinful activity that preyed on religious devotion. Jesus cleansed the temple by driving out those who were engaging in commerce for financial gain. Some had made a lucrative business out of trading animals necessary for temple sacrifices and changing money required for temple offerings. He wanted to return the temple activities to their proper focus. Christ was immediately questioned by the authorities. What credentials did He have? It was His Father’s house –He was the Son of God- and a much greater cleansing was soon to happen at His crucifixion. The barrier to God’s holy presence would be broken down when the curtain of the temple was torn in two.
Jesus, of course was not just concerned about proper and orderly temple practice. Many had lost the core understanding of why the temple was there. The church’s aim is to preach faith into people’s hearts. To do this sin must be condemned. Mortality must be recognized. Judgment must be feared. Different beliefs then lead to different actions. It is not the church’s job to legislate a Christian morality for the world. We pray for peace and stability in the world. That is a privilege and a duty of the Christian church. But we shouldn’t be so naïve as to think there will ever be harmony in this life. The Scriptures are explicitly clear on this. Again, Christianity influences not by coercion of actions but by making willing people out of previously unwilling ones.
But that doesn’t mean God’s law has no place in society. Today we heard the delineation of the Ten Commandments for God’s people. Not surprisingly the Ten Commandments overlap with the natural law. Basic protections for the well-being of people in general and the vulnerable in particular are shared (or at least should be) by Christians and unbelievers alike. If murder is allowed to go on unchecked within a society it quickly descends into anarchy. There can be little peace or stability. It is easily seen then, how the Fifth Commandment’s prohibition of murder finds common ground with the natural law. One would hope a consensus on such an issue would be consistently applied.
Unfortunately there are notable exceptions. Abortion is a particularly ruthless form of murder that stands outs. Those who have the power (adults) are willing to wield it selfishly over those who don’t (the unborn). The practice of abortion-on-demand exposes the glaring hypocrisy within societies that pride themselves on their humanitarian and egalitarian principles. The way the issue is spun by media power-brokers makes it more difficult for the average person to see though the veneer of ‘enlightened progress’. It would be more honest for Western Countries to say they sanction the murder of those who cannot defend themselves. Then the issue could be more easily faced for what it is.
Now you may become dismayed, annoyed, frustrated, even lose hope over the innumerable injustices in the world that seem to go unaddressed. Where is the fairness? …But God will render judgment. We may never witness it, but we believe it. Evil is not a human construct. Sin and the transgression of God’s will have lost much of their relevance in our very humanistic way of thinking. That makes the church’s mission all that more difficult and critical. Sinners need salvation but there seems to be precious few sinners around. Perhaps Lent is the season to find some?
Jesus soon brought the temple altercation to its critical juncture. The Jews wanted proof of His authority. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”1 Jesus body is the new temple that wields power over death itself. No logic can prepare the human mind for this. The apostle Paul reminds us, “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”2 The pastor preaches such ‘foolishness’, and His greatest challenge is to not marginalize the love of God by bland repetition or irrelevant generalities. The gospel is not religious speak for a doctrine of tolerance, sensitivity and political correctness.
The crucifixion is not a metaphor. Yes, there are many metaphors for the atonement. But the execution of this man is not an allegory for martyrdom that is otherwise empty of any real power of reconciliation. The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ were historical events that have power to effect present circumstances. The Scripture says, “God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ.”3 The Holy Spirit uses divine truth not simply as historical information but to regenerate hearts and minds. The repentant sinner is truly forgiven in Christ and there are present and future outcomes.
The gospel changes things or it is not actually the gospel that has taken root in peoples’ lives. It is some counterfeit balm of conscience that deludes people into thinking they possess God’s favour while allowing them to follow their own wills. How many people whose names have long graced the pages of church membership directories will find themselves on the left side of the judgment throne! To doubt that this is true is to doubt the words of Christ Himself who sought to cleanse the temple not only of the commercialization of the faith but the worshippers of callousness of heart.
Dear friends, Jesus Christ is not a point of entry for the construction of a religious theory or a baseline comparison to negotiate a better way forward for the modern church. Jesus Christ is the door to heaven itself. He is the First, and Last and Living One; the be all and end all. If we do not find the full favour and counsel of God in Him then we will find nothing; no lesser Utopia, no springboard to Nirvana, no flawed but tolerable existence in the hereafter, no better place after we die…only darkness, death, hell. If our faith isn’t being led to the fullness of God’s glory exclusively through Christ then it is not the Holy Spirit that is leading us.
It is necessary that the Holy Scriptures constantly reorient our perspective. It becomes warped, clouded, and myopic through continual contact with the world that is both overt and subtle as the circumstances dictate. Through this exposure our beliefs and values are challenged and undermined. The danger is especially urgent when we no longer recognize that our outlook has changed and are unable to assess the consequences that follow.
But to lose perspective is a particularly human weakness. A group of senior citizens were talking about their ailments: "My arms are so weak I can hardly hold this cup of coffee,” said one. "Yes, I know. My cataracts are so bad I can't even see my coffee" said another. A third added, "I can't turn my head because of the arthritis in my neck." And a fourth chimed in, "My blood pressure pills make my dizzy." They all agreed that's the price paid for getting old." Then the last member of the group said, "Well, it's not all bad. We should be thankful we can still drive!"
Yes, it is that bad, but Christ has it in hand. You are baptized. He has cleansed you from sin’s threat. You are shielded from death’s power because He lives. You are sustained by His holy and precious body and blood. You make a witness in the world because you bear Christ’s name. God’s capacity for compassion can never be understood but it is none the less our foundation for eternity. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Third Sunday in Lent
11 March 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 2:19
2 1 Corinthians 1:18
3 2 Corinthians 5:19
Text: John 2:13-22
Theme: Divine Cleansing
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
How can God’s capacity for compassion ever be understood? He never tires. He never fails. His limits are never reached. His passion for our souls is unsearchable. And yet for the well-being of His elect justice must also be rendered. His grace is not a bottomless, undiscerning, un-administered program of entitlement. His law cannot be scorned or minimized without consequences. He is nobody’s fool.
Today we get a taste of God’s anger against sinful activity that preyed on religious devotion. Jesus cleansed the temple by driving out those who were engaging in commerce for financial gain. Some had made a lucrative business out of trading animals necessary for temple sacrifices and changing money required for temple offerings. He wanted to return the temple activities to their proper focus. Christ was immediately questioned by the authorities. What credentials did He have? It was His Father’s house –He was the Son of God- and a much greater cleansing was soon to happen at His crucifixion. The barrier to God’s holy presence would be broken down when the curtain of the temple was torn in two.
Jesus, of course was not just concerned about proper and orderly temple practice. Many had lost the core understanding of why the temple was there. The church’s aim is to preach faith into people’s hearts. To do this sin must be condemned. Mortality must be recognized. Judgment must be feared. Different beliefs then lead to different actions. It is not the church’s job to legislate a Christian morality for the world. We pray for peace and stability in the world. That is a privilege and a duty of the Christian church. But we shouldn’t be so naïve as to think there will ever be harmony in this life. The Scriptures are explicitly clear on this. Again, Christianity influences not by coercion of actions but by making willing people out of previously unwilling ones.
But that doesn’t mean God’s law has no place in society. Today we heard the delineation of the Ten Commandments for God’s people. Not surprisingly the Ten Commandments overlap with the natural law. Basic protections for the well-being of people in general and the vulnerable in particular are shared (or at least should be) by Christians and unbelievers alike. If murder is allowed to go on unchecked within a society it quickly descends into anarchy. There can be little peace or stability. It is easily seen then, how the Fifth Commandment’s prohibition of murder finds common ground with the natural law. One would hope a consensus on such an issue would be consistently applied.
Unfortunately there are notable exceptions. Abortion is a particularly ruthless form of murder that stands outs. Those who have the power (adults) are willing to wield it selfishly over those who don’t (the unborn). The practice of abortion-on-demand exposes the glaring hypocrisy within societies that pride themselves on their humanitarian and egalitarian principles. The way the issue is spun by media power-brokers makes it more difficult for the average person to see though the veneer of ‘enlightened progress’. It would be more honest for Western Countries to say they sanction the murder of those who cannot defend themselves. Then the issue could be more easily faced for what it is.
Now you may become dismayed, annoyed, frustrated, even lose hope over the innumerable injustices in the world that seem to go unaddressed. Where is the fairness? …But God will render judgment. We may never witness it, but we believe it. Evil is not a human construct. Sin and the transgression of God’s will have lost much of their relevance in our very humanistic way of thinking. That makes the church’s mission all that more difficult and critical. Sinners need salvation but there seems to be precious few sinners around. Perhaps Lent is the season to find some?
Jesus soon brought the temple altercation to its critical juncture. The Jews wanted proof of His authority. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”1 Jesus body is the new temple that wields power over death itself. No logic can prepare the human mind for this. The apostle Paul reminds us, “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”2 The pastor preaches such ‘foolishness’, and His greatest challenge is to not marginalize the love of God by bland repetition or irrelevant generalities. The gospel is not religious speak for a doctrine of tolerance, sensitivity and political correctness.
The crucifixion is not a metaphor. Yes, there are many metaphors for the atonement. But the execution of this man is not an allegory for martyrdom that is otherwise empty of any real power of reconciliation. The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ were historical events that have power to effect present circumstances. The Scripture says, “God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ.”3 The Holy Spirit uses divine truth not simply as historical information but to regenerate hearts and minds. The repentant sinner is truly forgiven in Christ and there are present and future outcomes.
The gospel changes things or it is not actually the gospel that has taken root in peoples’ lives. It is some counterfeit balm of conscience that deludes people into thinking they possess God’s favour while allowing them to follow their own wills. How many people whose names have long graced the pages of church membership directories will find themselves on the left side of the judgment throne! To doubt that this is true is to doubt the words of Christ Himself who sought to cleanse the temple not only of the commercialization of the faith but the worshippers of callousness of heart.
Dear friends, Jesus Christ is not a point of entry for the construction of a religious theory or a baseline comparison to negotiate a better way forward for the modern church. Jesus Christ is the door to heaven itself. He is the First, and Last and Living One; the be all and end all. If we do not find the full favour and counsel of God in Him then we will find nothing; no lesser Utopia, no springboard to Nirvana, no flawed but tolerable existence in the hereafter, no better place after we die…only darkness, death, hell. If our faith isn’t being led to the fullness of God’s glory exclusively through Christ then it is not the Holy Spirit that is leading us.
It is necessary that the Holy Scriptures constantly reorient our perspective. It becomes warped, clouded, and myopic through continual contact with the world that is both overt and subtle as the circumstances dictate. Through this exposure our beliefs and values are challenged and undermined. The danger is especially urgent when we no longer recognize that our outlook has changed and are unable to assess the consequences that follow.
But to lose perspective is a particularly human weakness. A group of senior citizens were talking about their ailments: "My arms are so weak I can hardly hold this cup of coffee,” said one. "Yes, I know. My cataracts are so bad I can't even see my coffee" said another. A third added, "I can't turn my head because of the arthritis in my neck." And a fourth chimed in, "My blood pressure pills make my dizzy." They all agreed that's the price paid for getting old." Then the last member of the group said, "Well, it's not all bad. We should be thankful we can still drive!"
Yes, it is that bad, but Christ has it in hand. You are baptized. He has cleansed you from sin’s threat. You are shielded from death’s power because He lives. You are sustained by His holy and precious body and blood. You make a witness in the world because you bear Christ’s name. God’s capacity for compassion can never be understood but it is none the less our foundation for eternity. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Third Sunday in Lent
11 March 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 2:19
2 1 Corinthians 1:18
3 2 Corinthians 5:19
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Second Sunday In Lent (B) 2012
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Mark 8:31-33
Theme: Sifting the Truth
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The works of God are not immediately discernible to the naked eye. Luther once said, “Although the works of man always appear attractive and good, they are nevertheless likely to be mortal sins. Although the works of God always seem unattractive and appear evil, they are nevertheless really eternal merits.”1 In short, natural human reason normally gets the things of God backwards from what they really are. This truth is of central importance in the dialogue today between Jesus and Peter. It is also worth considering throughout our journey of Lent.
Today Jesus became deliberate about teaching His disciples that He would suffer and die. He was not at first well-received. Christ turned the idea of leadership on its head. He would not use power and position to acquire prosperity or boost His ego. He became the ultimate servant even to His enemies. Humanity often abuses positions of authority. As sinners we tend to serve our own motives through the power at our disposal. Lent shows us where we find forgiveness for seeking to rule over others. Calvary was Jesus’ earthly seat of power. Forgiveness is always the greatest power we have available to us.
At issue in our gospel account is recognition of God’s will even when it seems to run counter to human logic. This concern is not limited to the historical context of Jesus’ earthly ministry. It is the struggle of every believer. How is God’s will interpreted? Just because we are Christians doesn’t mean every notion we have is an impulse of the Holy Spirit. To operate in this way is to completely misunderstand the purpose of the Bible. Faith does not free you from the Bible but binds you to it. The believer does not become a self-validating spiritual entity; not even when a sincere effort is made to claim the inclination is a compulsion of the Holy Spirit.
Now it is indisputable that people feel moved by God to do certain things and such individual assertions can never be proven either way. The point is: How can you know God’s will with absolute veracity? How can you know with absolute certainty the will of the Holy Spirit? The Holy Scriptures- and the Scriptures alone! You may have a ‘gut instinct’. And this may well prove true because it is influenced by past experience and the wisdom of others. You may believe God is telling you something because your mind and your conscience have been well-informed by long years of having learned the faith. Perhaps you have identified ‘signs’. But Satan too can give you signs. He can be very convincing.
Peter thought he understood the will of God. He thought he knew the plan. The plan included a meteoric rise in his own power and status. It meant liberation from Roman control and a glorious earthly Messianic age. It was surely not just a matter of opinion or misunderstanding when Peter reacted vehemently to the Lord’s prediction of His suffering and death.
Peter’s whole vision for the Messianic kingdom was turned upside down. He had witnessed this man feed the multitudes, heal the sick, walk on water, cast out demons, even raise the dead. Peter himself confessed Him to be the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Surely this man intended to and was capable of bringing justice to Israel. Surely even the kingdom of Solomon would be surpassed with Jesus at the helm. But a crucifixion? Humiliation? A wretched criminal’s death? And no justice with the religious authorities?
Could this really be the plan? Jesus’ rebuke was sharp. He always addresses our sins with seriousness. Then He leads us into a greater trust of those intentions of God which we cannot fully understand.
Why does Jesus tell His followers to pray for the Holy Spirit? Not to become believers, which they already were. But that the Holy Spirit would strengthen their trust in His word and promise. It was a lesson to them that God would not withhold from them even the highest spiritual gift- the Holy Spirit Himself. How do we know that the Lord is constantly interceding for us? Jesus told Peter, “Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.”2
Dear friends, St. Paul reminds us today that the central premise of Christianity is directly opposite of the world’s “you get what you earn” philosophy. He writes, “If those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, because law brings wrath…Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring.”3 Through baptism you are an heir. You have the consolation of divine fellowship. You have a different perspective than that of the world. Jesus said today, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”4
Because you are redeemed you are free to pursue an endless range of possibilities that interest you and tend to the glory of God and the well-being of your neighbour. This is a glorious freedom. Having been justified in Christ we are released from the burdens of a regime under which it is necessary to curry His favour lest our eternal salvation be in jeopardy. What you are not free to do is pursue those goals which bring you into direct contradiction with bearing the cross Jesus speaks of; nor would you want to. Then no strength of feeling, peace of conscience, or appeal to the Holy Spirit’s impulse will hold water.
The work and way of Christ will never appeal to human logic: Victory through humility and life gained through death. The same pattern is scripted for His followers. We gain life as we die to the world. We can now sacrifice our self-interests because we know a resurrection awaits. Regardless of what the world throws at us we have the promise of God’s word, “[Christ] was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”5
Remember, Lent always carries with it a heighted awareness of our mortality. The purpose is not to curb our enthusiasm for life but to keep us from losing sight of the goal. We are travelers here. Let us be pilgrims not by concession but by conviction. The Holy Spirit leads us and the Shepherd carries us. After a particularly inspiring worship service, a church member greeted the pastor. "Reverend, that was a wonderful sermon. You should have it published." The pastor replied, "Actually, I'm planning to have all my sermons published posthumously." "Great!" enthused the church member. "The sooner the better!" “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust”…the sooner the better? Dare we believe it? Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Second Sunday in Lent
4 March 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Heidelberg Disputation
2 Luke 22:31
3 Romans 4:14-16
4 Mark 8:36-37
5 Romans 4:25
Text: Mark 8:31-33
Theme: Sifting the Truth
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The works of God are not immediately discernible to the naked eye. Luther once said, “Although the works of man always appear attractive and good, they are nevertheless likely to be mortal sins. Although the works of God always seem unattractive and appear evil, they are nevertheless really eternal merits.”1 In short, natural human reason normally gets the things of God backwards from what they really are. This truth is of central importance in the dialogue today between Jesus and Peter. It is also worth considering throughout our journey of Lent.
Today Jesus became deliberate about teaching His disciples that He would suffer and die. He was not at first well-received. Christ turned the idea of leadership on its head. He would not use power and position to acquire prosperity or boost His ego. He became the ultimate servant even to His enemies. Humanity often abuses positions of authority. As sinners we tend to serve our own motives through the power at our disposal. Lent shows us where we find forgiveness for seeking to rule over others. Calvary was Jesus’ earthly seat of power. Forgiveness is always the greatest power we have available to us.
At issue in our gospel account is recognition of God’s will even when it seems to run counter to human logic. This concern is not limited to the historical context of Jesus’ earthly ministry. It is the struggle of every believer. How is God’s will interpreted? Just because we are Christians doesn’t mean every notion we have is an impulse of the Holy Spirit. To operate in this way is to completely misunderstand the purpose of the Bible. Faith does not free you from the Bible but binds you to it. The believer does not become a self-validating spiritual entity; not even when a sincere effort is made to claim the inclination is a compulsion of the Holy Spirit.
Now it is indisputable that people feel moved by God to do certain things and such individual assertions can never be proven either way. The point is: How can you know God’s will with absolute veracity? How can you know with absolute certainty the will of the Holy Spirit? The Holy Scriptures- and the Scriptures alone! You may have a ‘gut instinct’. And this may well prove true because it is influenced by past experience and the wisdom of others. You may believe God is telling you something because your mind and your conscience have been well-informed by long years of having learned the faith. Perhaps you have identified ‘signs’. But Satan too can give you signs. He can be very convincing.
Peter thought he understood the will of God. He thought he knew the plan. The plan included a meteoric rise in his own power and status. It meant liberation from Roman control and a glorious earthly Messianic age. It was surely not just a matter of opinion or misunderstanding when Peter reacted vehemently to the Lord’s prediction of His suffering and death.
Peter’s whole vision for the Messianic kingdom was turned upside down. He had witnessed this man feed the multitudes, heal the sick, walk on water, cast out demons, even raise the dead. Peter himself confessed Him to be the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Surely this man intended to and was capable of bringing justice to Israel. Surely even the kingdom of Solomon would be surpassed with Jesus at the helm. But a crucifixion? Humiliation? A wretched criminal’s death? And no justice with the religious authorities?
Could this really be the plan? Jesus’ rebuke was sharp. He always addresses our sins with seriousness. Then He leads us into a greater trust of those intentions of God which we cannot fully understand.
Why does Jesus tell His followers to pray for the Holy Spirit? Not to become believers, which they already were. But that the Holy Spirit would strengthen their trust in His word and promise. It was a lesson to them that God would not withhold from them even the highest spiritual gift- the Holy Spirit Himself. How do we know that the Lord is constantly interceding for us? Jesus told Peter, “Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.”2
Dear friends, St. Paul reminds us today that the central premise of Christianity is directly opposite of the world’s “you get what you earn” philosophy. He writes, “If those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, because law brings wrath…Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring.”3 Through baptism you are an heir. You have the consolation of divine fellowship. You have a different perspective than that of the world. Jesus said today, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”4
Because you are redeemed you are free to pursue an endless range of possibilities that interest you and tend to the glory of God and the well-being of your neighbour. This is a glorious freedom. Having been justified in Christ we are released from the burdens of a regime under which it is necessary to curry His favour lest our eternal salvation be in jeopardy. What you are not free to do is pursue those goals which bring you into direct contradiction with bearing the cross Jesus speaks of; nor would you want to. Then no strength of feeling, peace of conscience, or appeal to the Holy Spirit’s impulse will hold water.
The work and way of Christ will never appeal to human logic: Victory through humility and life gained through death. The same pattern is scripted for His followers. We gain life as we die to the world. We can now sacrifice our self-interests because we know a resurrection awaits. Regardless of what the world throws at us we have the promise of God’s word, “[Christ] was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”5
Remember, Lent always carries with it a heighted awareness of our mortality. The purpose is not to curb our enthusiasm for life but to keep us from losing sight of the goal. We are travelers here. Let us be pilgrims not by concession but by conviction. The Holy Spirit leads us and the Shepherd carries us. After a particularly inspiring worship service, a church member greeted the pastor. "Reverend, that was a wonderful sermon. You should have it published." The pastor replied, "Actually, I'm planning to have all my sermons published posthumously." "Great!" enthused the church member. "The sooner the better!" “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust”…the sooner the better? Dare we believe it? Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Second Sunday in Lent
4 March 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Heidelberg Disputation
2 Luke 22:31
3 Romans 4:14-16
4 Mark 8:36-37
5 Romans 4:25
Monday, March 5, 2012
Midweek Lent 2012
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Psalm 107:20
Theme: “Sent Forth His Word”
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God does not easily command an audience these days. In many peoples’ minds there’s little to talk about. Apathy is not readily conquered. The task is formidable because the human heart is deeply duplicitous. But we dare not underestimate the penetrating power of His word forthrightly proclaimed. Fresh off the Ash Wednesday service we might consider how bold these ashes that constitute our mortal frames can become. Can the clay credibly say to the potter, “Why?” That is a question for Lent. Why did you allow this to happen to me? Why did you not intervene? Were you unwilling or unable? It is a question for Lent because it is a perennial question of sinners. Many seem confident that God is too inept or apathetic to answer? But who will have the last laugh.
Our Lenten series this year is about prayer. Specifically tonight we are focusing on prayers of thanksgiving. The Psalmist writes, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.”1 It is fitting that we let the Scriptures be our guide here. What is the most instructive, the most influential; the most telling prayer of thanksgiving in all of Holy Scripture? Is it the Lord’s Prayer taught by the Saviour Himself? Is it Solomon’s glorious prayer for the dedication of the temple? The pages of Holy Writ are peppered with prayers beseeching God’s mercy and blessing His name. The term Hallelujah is a one word Hebrew prayer of praise. The entire book of Psalms is a litany of prayer. Or is it perhaps the prayer of the Pharisee at the temple? “God, I thank you that I am not like other men- robbers, evildoers, adulterers- or even like this tax-collector.”2
That prayer of thanks may hit a little close to home. The famous actor Gregory Peck once was standing in line with a friend, waiting for a table in a crowded Los Angeles restaurant. They had been waiting for awhile; the diners seemed to be taking their time eating, and new tables weren't opening up very quickly. They weren't even that close to the front of the line. Peck's friend became impatient, and he said to Gregory, "Why don't you tell the maître d' who you are?" Gregory Peck responded with great wisdom. "If you have to tell them who you are, then you aren't."
Resist the temptation to point out your accomplishments to others. And curb your desire to be noticed and praised- and ‘thankful’ like the Pharisee. Others will take note sooner than you think without a word spoken by you. When your efforts for attention are successful and your craving fulfilled your accomplishments will nevertheless be cheapened in the eyes of others.
Above all, repent of trying to use your “moral capital” as leverage with the Almighty. Do you cry “Unfair!” to God on the basis of all the piety you’ve shown and the good things you’ve done. Shouldn’t God recognize your honest and generous approach to life? Has He somehow overlooked you accomplishments? Dear friends, He knows who you are. He knows what you have and haven’t done. The moment you seek acknowledgment for your good deeds before God is the moment all such efforts are ruined by self-righteousness. If you have to tell God who you are, then you aren’t!
But in Christ- you are! You are baptized. Your baptism was an act of God in which the Holy Spirit extended to you the grace of God and forgiveness of sins earned by Christ. The price of your salvation has been sacrificed. He has defeated death. All the host of heaven responds in endless petitions of thanksgiving. In baptism you are given His name and- you are! The message of Lent is that regardless of how far you have wandered from God it’s never too late. No matter how deeply you’ve fallen into sin, God’s love is deeper.
An orthopaedic surgeon was moving to a new office across town, and decided to carry the display skeleton in the front seat of his car. Concerned not to have the skeleton fall, he didn't pay enough attention to his driving and ran a stop sign, with a policeman looking on. The patrolman pulled up behind him, and as the traffic cop stepped to the driver's window the physician said, by way of explanation, "I'm a doctor and I'm taking him to my new office." The policeman replied, "I hate to tell you this, Doc, but I think you're too late."
When a person becomes dust and ash it’s too late. But as long as we have breath it’s not too late. You won’t learn to be thankful in prayer from a single sermon. That involves a life-long effort of the Holy Spirit to bring you to an understanding of exactly what Christ has done. Even people with no active faith may be thankful when some tragedy is averted, some illness cured, or some surprise brings them prosperity. But the motive is not yet the same as gratitude for God’s redeeming mercy. Gratefulness for pardon from eternal damnation is possible only for the repentant soul. This kind of thankfulness is worked by the Holy Spirit and is one of the fruits of faith. It is a gift from above. It is expressed in worship. Our Scripture says, “He sent forth His word and healed them; He rescued them from the grave. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love.”3
The Christian’s life is a litany of thanksgiving to God through Christ. The apostle says, “And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”4 What’s the best posture for prayer? Bowed heads? Or bended knees? Certainly prostrate hearts. What’s the best spirit for praying with gratitude? There is so much we could say. How about, “I’m all ears.” “Speak [Lord], for your servant is listening.”5
God will command an audience and many will be surprised to be part of it. Some thought it was too late for Jesus also. He had met His demise on Golgotha and would become a footnote in history. What’s the most important prayer in the Bible? How about Jesus’ words from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”6 Can you pray better a prayer than the thief net to Him? “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”7 Christ will not fail you. His is an unassailable, unending love. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Midweek Lenten Service
29 February 2012- 28 March 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Psalm 107:1
2 Luke 18:11
3 Psalm 107:20-21
4 Colossians 3:15-17
5 1 Samuel 3:10
6 Luke 23:34
7 Luke 23:42
Text: Psalm 107:20
Theme: “Sent Forth His Word”
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God does not easily command an audience these days. In many peoples’ minds there’s little to talk about. Apathy is not readily conquered. The task is formidable because the human heart is deeply duplicitous. But we dare not underestimate the penetrating power of His word forthrightly proclaimed. Fresh off the Ash Wednesday service we might consider how bold these ashes that constitute our mortal frames can become. Can the clay credibly say to the potter, “Why?” That is a question for Lent. Why did you allow this to happen to me? Why did you not intervene? Were you unwilling or unable? It is a question for Lent because it is a perennial question of sinners. Many seem confident that God is too inept or apathetic to answer? But who will have the last laugh.
Our Lenten series this year is about prayer. Specifically tonight we are focusing on prayers of thanksgiving. The Psalmist writes, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.”1 It is fitting that we let the Scriptures be our guide here. What is the most instructive, the most influential; the most telling prayer of thanksgiving in all of Holy Scripture? Is it the Lord’s Prayer taught by the Saviour Himself? Is it Solomon’s glorious prayer for the dedication of the temple? The pages of Holy Writ are peppered with prayers beseeching God’s mercy and blessing His name. The term Hallelujah is a one word Hebrew prayer of praise. The entire book of Psalms is a litany of prayer. Or is it perhaps the prayer of the Pharisee at the temple? “God, I thank you that I am not like other men- robbers, evildoers, adulterers- or even like this tax-collector.”2
That prayer of thanks may hit a little close to home. The famous actor Gregory Peck once was standing in line with a friend, waiting for a table in a crowded Los Angeles restaurant. They had been waiting for awhile; the diners seemed to be taking their time eating, and new tables weren't opening up very quickly. They weren't even that close to the front of the line. Peck's friend became impatient, and he said to Gregory, "Why don't you tell the maître d' who you are?" Gregory Peck responded with great wisdom. "If you have to tell them who you are, then you aren't."
Resist the temptation to point out your accomplishments to others. And curb your desire to be noticed and praised- and ‘thankful’ like the Pharisee. Others will take note sooner than you think without a word spoken by you. When your efforts for attention are successful and your craving fulfilled your accomplishments will nevertheless be cheapened in the eyes of others.
Above all, repent of trying to use your “moral capital” as leverage with the Almighty. Do you cry “Unfair!” to God on the basis of all the piety you’ve shown and the good things you’ve done. Shouldn’t God recognize your honest and generous approach to life? Has He somehow overlooked you accomplishments? Dear friends, He knows who you are. He knows what you have and haven’t done. The moment you seek acknowledgment for your good deeds before God is the moment all such efforts are ruined by self-righteousness. If you have to tell God who you are, then you aren’t!
But in Christ- you are! You are baptized. Your baptism was an act of God in which the Holy Spirit extended to you the grace of God and forgiveness of sins earned by Christ. The price of your salvation has been sacrificed. He has defeated death. All the host of heaven responds in endless petitions of thanksgiving. In baptism you are given His name and- you are! The message of Lent is that regardless of how far you have wandered from God it’s never too late. No matter how deeply you’ve fallen into sin, God’s love is deeper.
An orthopaedic surgeon was moving to a new office across town, and decided to carry the display skeleton in the front seat of his car. Concerned not to have the skeleton fall, he didn't pay enough attention to his driving and ran a stop sign, with a policeman looking on. The patrolman pulled up behind him, and as the traffic cop stepped to the driver's window the physician said, by way of explanation, "I'm a doctor and I'm taking him to my new office." The policeman replied, "I hate to tell you this, Doc, but I think you're too late."
When a person becomes dust and ash it’s too late. But as long as we have breath it’s not too late. You won’t learn to be thankful in prayer from a single sermon. That involves a life-long effort of the Holy Spirit to bring you to an understanding of exactly what Christ has done. Even people with no active faith may be thankful when some tragedy is averted, some illness cured, or some surprise brings them prosperity. But the motive is not yet the same as gratitude for God’s redeeming mercy. Gratefulness for pardon from eternal damnation is possible only for the repentant soul. This kind of thankfulness is worked by the Holy Spirit and is one of the fruits of faith. It is a gift from above. It is expressed in worship. Our Scripture says, “He sent forth His word and healed them; He rescued them from the grave. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love.”3
The Christian’s life is a litany of thanksgiving to God through Christ. The apostle says, “And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”4 What’s the best posture for prayer? Bowed heads? Or bended knees? Certainly prostrate hearts. What’s the best spirit for praying with gratitude? There is so much we could say. How about, “I’m all ears.” “Speak [Lord], for your servant is listening.”5
God will command an audience and many will be surprised to be part of it. Some thought it was too late for Jesus also. He had met His demise on Golgotha and would become a footnote in history. What’s the most important prayer in the Bible? How about Jesus’ words from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”6 Can you pray better a prayer than the thief net to Him? “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”7 Christ will not fail you. His is an unassailable, unending love. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Midweek Lenten Service
29 February 2012- 28 March 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Psalm 107:1
2 Luke 18:11
3 Psalm 107:20-21
4 Colossians 3:15-17
5 1 Samuel 3:10
6 Luke 23:34
7 Luke 23:42
Monday, February 27, 2012
First Sunday in Lent (B) 2012
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Mark 1:13
Theme: Passing the Test
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Calvary is the holy of holies through which believers pass with Jesus right through the grave to immortal life. Today is the First Sunday in Lent. Lent is a 40 day period (excluding Sundays) in which Christians have historically observed a time of special devotion in preparation for the events of Holy Week. This time of devotion often included fasting, prayers, vigils, and charity. “Giving up” something for Lent is still a valuable way to exercise discipline and self-denial. We do this remembering Christ sacrificed everything for our salvation. In today’s gospel after His baptism Jesus is led immediately into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. As our Saviour, fully human and fully divine, He resisted Satan, thus fulfilling the law for us and proving Himself worthy to atone for our sins.
It is no coincidence that Jesus is tempted immediately after his baptism. It indicates a pattern we should have our eyes wide-open to. Whenever and wherever the promises of God are confirmed the devil is immediately on the attack. As soon as the word of God is planted in the heart he seeks to snatch it away. If he cannot snatch it way he tries to ensure that it does not bear fruit. These truths are illustrated in the parable of the sower. In short, the person who is regenerated by the Holy Spirit is tempted more intensely by Satan and not less.
Repentance and self-denial usually receive special emphasis at this time. The entire significance of Easter is lost if the consequences of our sin are not taken to heart. No matter how many times we are told we are sinners and fall short of the glory of God it never becomes less important for these truths to drive us anew to the mercy of Christ. Of course working through Lent as a hollow ritual accomplishes nothing and serves to facilitate greater hypocrisy within us. Before God all guises and coverings are stripped away. He sees us as we are and what He sees is not pretty.
The world of course, can make self-indulgence seem dazzlingly beautiful. The Scriptures constantly warn against its temptations. “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world-the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.”1 Lent directs us away from our selfish ambitions to Christ’s agenda. Consider what the Scriptures say about Moses, “He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value then the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw Him who is invisible.”2
Lent therefore is a season for assessing our habits. The good ones we want to have sustained and strengthened. The bad ones we want address and abandon. It’s not nearly as easy as it sounds because of the very nature of habitual behavior. It changes brain pathways and body chemistry. Habits evoke strong cravings and emotive feelings. They often give a sense of comfort and security. They can become so controlling they cause ‘involuntary’ reactions. Consider the case of the passenger who tapped the taxi cab driver on the shoulder to ask him something. The driver screamed, lost control of the car, nearly hit a bus, went up on the sidewalk and stopped inches from a department store window. For a second everything went quiet in the cab, then the driver said, "Look mister, don't ever do that again. You scared me half to death!" The passenger apologized and said he didn't realize a little tap could scare him so much. After a moment the driver replied, "You're right. I'm sorry. Really, it's not your fault. Today is my first day as a cab driver. I've been driving a hearse for 25 years."
Indeed, the force of habit is not easily overcome. Thankfully, God has no bad habits.
God Himself is habitually gracious. He is perennially merciful. He is perpetually benevolent. He is unfailingly forgiving. He desires not death for the sinner, but life. Yet He never reacts involuntarily or mindlessly. With full knowledge of all things He works for the good of His people. If you wish to harbor reservations about His love then you must question the event of the crucifixion. There can be no assessment of God’s love apart from the sacrifice of Jesus. No speculation about whether God is sometimes generically good or selectively kind; no conjecture about whether a loving God would allow bad things to happen to supposedly good people. All guesswork and opinions are halted at the cross. The crucifixion is decisive. If we do not see there God’s true compassion and intent then we are forced to call it a sham or dismiss it as insignificant.
God made a promise to Adam and Eve that He ratified in a covenant with Noah. So He sent the rainbow after the flood. He re-affirmed it with Abraham and gave him a palpable preview of the fulfillment when he asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. Through the establishment of David’s kingdom He confirmed His intention to institute the reign of the Messiah. Through repeated rejection, betrayal, and apostasy of His chosen people He remained steadfast in His sacred oath. And when in the fullness of time His Son came He did not waver in carrying out the Father’s will. Christ recovered the immortality Adam lost. He sanctified more powerful water than that of Noah’s flood. He released from torment those consciences burdened in the manner of Abraham. His dominion surpasses that of David because it is built on eternal foundations.
There is no question as to whether Jesus ‘passed’ the test. He withstood every assault of Satan making Himself a worthy sacrifice for sins. He has risen from the grave and rules eternally in heaven. These truths are not simply interesting but irrelevant facts. Everything He accomplished was with our eternal redemption in view. Salvation history reaches its fulfillment in Christ with the aim of our inclusion. The Holy Spirit illuminates the sacred events of the past in such a way as to incorporate us into Christ’s dominion. In this way the Holy Spirit grants faith. For example today St. Peter makes this connection between the saving water of Noah’s flood and the sacrament of baptism, “This water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also- not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”3
Dear friends, the hill of Calvary was only conquered once. Yet we participate in the victory forever. The crucifixion and resurrection are not just footnotes in history. We just access their blessings in a different way. When we go to Holy Communion we go to the cross. More exactly when we are led by the Spirit to the altar like Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness the fruit of the cross comes to us. We find ourselves not in the desert but dining at the heavenly banquet. May this Lent, with its attendant reflection and self-denial, be a feast of truly biblical proportions! Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
First Sunday in Lent
26 February 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 1 John 2:15-17
2 Hebrews 11:26-27
3 1 Peter 3:21
Text: Mark 1:13
Theme: Passing the Test
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Calvary is the holy of holies through which believers pass with Jesus right through the grave to immortal life. Today is the First Sunday in Lent. Lent is a 40 day period (excluding Sundays) in which Christians have historically observed a time of special devotion in preparation for the events of Holy Week. This time of devotion often included fasting, prayers, vigils, and charity. “Giving up” something for Lent is still a valuable way to exercise discipline and self-denial. We do this remembering Christ sacrificed everything for our salvation. In today’s gospel after His baptism Jesus is led immediately into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. As our Saviour, fully human and fully divine, He resisted Satan, thus fulfilling the law for us and proving Himself worthy to atone for our sins.
It is no coincidence that Jesus is tempted immediately after his baptism. It indicates a pattern we should have our eyes wide-open to. Whenever and wherever the promises of God are confirmed the devil is immediately on the attack. As soon as the word of God is planted in the heart he seeks to snatch it away. If he cannot snatch it way he tries to ensure that it does not bear fruit. These truths are illustrated in the parable of the sower. In short, the person who is regenerated by the Holy Spirit is tempted more intensely by Satan and not less.
Repentance and self-denial usually receive special emphasis at this time. The entire significance of Easter is lost if the consequences of our sin are not taken to heart. No matter how many times we are told we are sinners and fall short of the glory of God it never becomes less important for these truths to drive us anew to the mercy of Christ. Of course working through Lent as a hollow ritual accomplishes nothing and serves to facilitate greater hypocrisy within us. Before God all guises and coverings are stripped away. He sees us as we are and what He sees is not pretty.
The world of course, can make self-indulgence seem dazzlingly beautiful. The Scriptures constantly warn against its temptations. “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world-the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.”1 Lent directs us away from our selfish ambitions to Christ’s agenda. Consider what the Scriptures say about Moses, “He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value then the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw Him who is invisible.”2
Lent therefore is a season for assessing our habits. The good ones we want to have sustained and strengthened. The bad ones we want address and abandon. It’s not nearly as easy as it sounds because of the very nature of habitual behavior. It changes brain pathways and body chemistry. Habits evoke strong cravings and emotive feelings. They often give a sense of comfort and security. They can become so controlling they cause ‘involuntary’ reactions. Consider the case of the passenger who tapped the taxi cab driver on the shoulder to ask him something. The driver screamed, lost control of the car, nearly hit a bus, went up on the sidewalk and stopped inches from a department store window. For a second everything went quiet in the cab, then the driver said, "Look mister, don't ever do that again. You scared me half to death!" The passenger apologized and said he didn't realize a little tap could scare him so much. After a moment the driver replied, "You're right. I'm sorry. Really, it's not your fault. Today is my first day as a cab driver. I've been driving a hearse for 25 years."
Indeed, the force of habit is not easily overcome. Thankfully, God has no bad habits.
God Himself is habitually gracious. He is perennially merciful. He is perpetually benevolent. He is unfailingly forgiving. He desires not death for the sinner, but life. Yet He never reacts involuntarily or mindlessly. With full knowledge of all things He works for the good of His people. If you wish to harbor reservations about His love then you must question the event of the crucifixion. There can be no assessment of God’s love apart from the sacrifice of Jesus. No speculation about whether God is sometimes generically good or selectively kind; no conjecture about whether a loving God would allow bad things to happen to supposedly good people. All guesswork and opinions are halted at the cross. The crucifixion is decisive. If we do not see there God’s true compassion and intent then we are forced to call it a sham or dismiss it as insignificant.
God made a promise to Adam and Eve that He ratified in a covenant with Noah. So He sent the rainbow after the flood. He re-affirmed it with Abraham and gave him a palpable preview of the fulfillment when he asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. Through the establishment of David’s kingdom He confirmed His intention to institute the reign of the Messiah. Through repeated rejection, betrayal, and apostasy of His chosen people He remained steadfast in His sacred oath. And when in the fullness of time His Son came He did not waver in carrying out the Father’s will. Christ recovered the immortality Adam lost. He sanctified more powerful water than that of Noah’s flood. He released from torment those consciences burdened in the manner of Abraham. His dominion surpasses that of David because it is built on eternal foundations.
There is no question as to whether Jesus ‘passed’ the test. He withstood every assault of Satan making Himself a worthy sacrifice for sins. He has risen from the grave and rules eternally in heaven. These truths are not simply interesting but irrelevant facts. Everything He accomplished was with our eternal redemption in view. Salvation history reaches its fulfillment in Christ with the aim of our inclusion. The Holy Spirit illuminates the sacred events of the past in such a way as to incorporate us into Christ’s dominion. In this way the Holy Spirit grants faith. For example today St. Peter makes this connection between the saving water of Noah’s flood and the sacrament of baptism, “This water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also- not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”3
Dear friends, the hill of Calvary was only conquered once. Yet we participate in the victory forever. The crucifixion and resurrection are not just footnotes in history. We just access their blessings in a different way. When we go to Holy Communion we go to the cross. More exactly when we are led by the Spirit to the altar like Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness the fruit of the cross comes to us. We find ourselves not in the desert but dining at the heavenly banquet. May this Lent, with its attendant reflection and self-denial, be a feast of truly biblical proportions! Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
First Sunday in Lent
26 February 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 1 John 2:15-17
2 Hebrews 11:26-27
3 1 Peter 3:21
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Ash Wednesday 2012
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Genesis 3:19
Theme: Ashes to Ashes
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Each of us is a complex collection of ashes destined to be riven from our immortal souls. But God intends to reconstitute us in the image of His Son who is the resurrection and the life. These truths comprise the full gist of the gospel. “Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust…” most of you have probably heard these words spoken more than once as you witnessed the coffin of someone you knew being lowered into the ground. After the fall into sin God issues to Adam this stinging declaration of his mortality, “For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”1 This is no trivial bit of information. It is the rendering of divine judgment.
Truly we are never more than one step from the grave. Without dismissing the truth of statistical averages we should recognize that age or health can give us a false sense of security. Probability may be on your side if you are young and healthy. But the curse of sin and its unpredictability is never on your side. Remember Christ’s response to those who queried about the victims killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them. Jesus offered no speculations. He said, “Do you think that they were more guilty than all the others…I tell you no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”2 Here we have the imperative of Lent; the ongoing urgency of Christian life. Forgiveness is never something we can do without.
When we stand at the graveside we view finality. Unable to comprehend or fully accept it we often react in a number of ways: anger, fear, denial, regret, sorrow, despair, even relief. Does that mean we should have a macabre pre-occupation with death? Should we be so concerned about the time or manner of our death that it causes anxiety or muddles our thinking? No, but we can have a more informed perspective on the present when we understand the end of the matter.
Human beings (in their faithless activities) are known for endlessly trying to delay or avoid the inevitable. Some are putting their corpses into the deep freeze in hopes that medicine will advance enough to cure their diseases so they can be resuscitated at a later date. According to recent information whole body cryogenic preservation costs about $150,000. Or for just 90 grand you can chose the neuropreservation option- but this involves the daunting reality of having your head severed from your body.
Others believe (as many have in centuries past) that the body is really of no concern at all. To them the soul is all that matters and once the soul is freed they will be released from all aspects of what we know as this physical existence. This can lead to an abuse of the body and an undervaluing of it as part of God’s creation. Still others believe in an endless cycle of reincarnation. Others somehow remain steadfastly in denial that what lies beyond the grave should concern them. Is it apathy because they believe nothing can be done about it anyway? Is it arrogance because they believe they have earned entrance to a better life beyond? Is it that they are simply dominated by the pursuits and indulgences of this life? Jesus says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth.”3 Are these not challenging words even for Christians? How are we faring?
At any rate the fundamental error is the idea that this life- essentially as we experience it- can be recovered or restored by some means that we have or hope to have at our disposal in the future. It is a denial of the invincible power of sin over our mortal frames. Our bodies march inevitably towards decay and death not because this is the ‘natural order or cycle” of things, but because humanity was severed from the life-giving Creator. Death is not nature’s way of propagating the next generation to take the place of the previous one. It is a verdict against evil gone chaotic.
But it is not the will of God to endlessly perpetuate this fallen existence. The truth of what Christ has accomplished is that sin is not invincible. Christ came to address just this crisis. Death does not have the final say. The Holy One was sacrificed on the altar of divine wrath so that believers might be spared the inevitable torment that would otherwise commence at death. The bible names this abysmal darkness- hell.
These are heavy things to consider. But it is the beginning of the season for reflecting on such weighty matters. God grant that the Holy Spirit would deepen our faith through such reflections during our Lenten journey this year. We will come 46 steps (the total number of days in Lent) closer to reaching our own mortality. But let us pray we are drawn closer to the Immortal One whose grip is eternal. Let us divest ourselves of the encumbrances that enmesh us in secular, trivial, and self-indulgent pursuits. Let us embrace our identity as the baptized children of God. Let us be buoyed by the wisdom of His word and feast on the body and blood of the Word become flesh. In these things we already participate in the power that overcomes the grave.
Christ has been crucified- for you and your salvation. His body did not succumb to decay. “Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust, in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Christ was sealed in an earthy grave so that we might be freed from that threat. The angel asked the women on Easter morning, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen!”4 There are no cemeteries in heaven; no funerals, no pain of watching gravity pull that first handful of soil onto the descending coffin.
After a particularly inspiring worship service, a church member greeted the pastor. "Reverend, that was a wonderful sermon. You should have it published." The pastor replied, "Actually, I'm planning to have all my sermons published posthumously." "Great!" enthused the church member. "The sooner the better!" “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust”…the sooner the better? Dare we believe it? Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Ash Wednesday
22 February 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Genesis 3:19
2 Luke 13:4-5
3 Matthew 6:19
4 Luke 24:5-6
Text: Genesis 3:19
Theme: Ashes to Ashes
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Each of us is a complex collection of ashes destined to be riven from our immortal souls. But God intends to reconstitute us in the image of His Son who is the resurrection and the life. These truths comprise the full gist of the gospel. “Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust…” most of you have probably heard these words spoken more than once as you witnessed the coffin of someone you knew being lowered into the ground. After the fall into sin God issues to Adam this stinging declaration of his mortality, “For dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”1 This is no trivial bit of information. It is the rendering of divine judgment.
Truly we are never more than one step from the grave. Without dismissing the truth of statistical averages we should recognize that age or health can give us a false sense of security. Probability may be on your side if you are young and healthy. But the curse of sin and its unpredictability is never on your side. Remember Christ’s response to those who queried about the victims killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them. Jesus offered no speculations. He said, “Do you think that they were more guilty than all the others…I tell you no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”2 Here we have the imperative of Lent; the ongoing urgency of Christian life. Forgiveness is never something we can do without.
When we stand at the graveside we view finality. Unable to comprehend or fully accept it we often react in a number of ways: anger, fear, denial, regret, sorrow, despair, even relief. Does that mean we should have a macabre pre-occupation with death? Should we be so concerned about the time or manner of our death that it causes anxiety or muddles our thinking? No, but we can have a more informed perspective on the present when we understand the end of the matter.
Human beings (in their faithless activities) are known for endlessly trying to delay or avoid the inevitable. Some are putting their corpses into the deep freeze in hopes that medicine will advance enough to cure their diseases so they can be resuscitated at a later date. According to recent information whole body cryogenic preservation costs about $150,000. Or for just 90 grand you can chose the neuropreservation option- but this involves the daunting reality of having your head severed from your body.
Others believe (as many have in centuries past) that the body is really of no concern at all. To them the soul is all that matters and once the soul is freed they will be released from all aspects of what we know as this physical existence. This can lead to an abuse of the body and an undervaluing of it as part of God’s creation. Still others believe in an endless cycle of reincarnation. Others somehow remain steadfastly in denial that what lies beyond the grave should concern them. Is it apathy because they believe nothing can be done about it anyway? Is it arrogance because they believe they have earned entrance to a better life beyond? Is it that they are simply dominated by the pursuits and indulgences of this life? Jesus says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth.”3 Are these not challenging words even for Christians? How are we faring?
At any rate the fundamental error is the idea that this life- essentially as we experience it- can be recovered or restored by some means that we have or hope to have at our disposal in the future. It is a denial of the invincible power of sin over our mortal frames. Our bodies march inevitably towards decay and death not because this is the ‘natural order or cycle” of things, but because humanity was severed from the life-giving Creator. Death is not nature’s way of propagating the next generation to take the place of the previous one. It is a verdict against evil gone chaotic.
But it is not the will of God to endlessly perpetuate this fallen existence. The truth of what Christ has accomplished is that sin is not invincible. Christ came to address just this crisis. Death does not have the final say. The Holy One was sacrificed on the altar of divine wrath so that believers might be spared the inevitable torment that would otherwise commence at death. The bible names this abysmal darkness- hell.
These are heavy things to consider. But it is the beginning of the season for reflecting on such weighty matters. God grant that the Holy Spirit would deepen our faith through such reflections during our Lenten journey this year. We will come 46 steps (the total number of days in Lent) closer to reaching our own mortality. But let us pray we are drawn closer to the Immortal One whose grip is eternal. Let us divest ourselves of the encumbrances that enmesh us in secular, trivial, and self-indulgent pursuits. Let us embrace our identity as the baptized children of God. Let us be buoyed by the wisdom of His word and feast on the body and blood of the Word become flesh. In these things we already participate in the power that overcomes the grave.
Christ has been crucified- for you and your salvation. His body did not succumb to decay. “Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust, in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Christ was sealed in an earthy grave so that we might be freed from that threat. The angel asked the women on Easter morning, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen!”4 There are no cemeteries in heaven; no funerals, no pain of watching gravity pull that first handful of soil onto the descending coffin.
After a particularly inspiring worship service, a church member greeted the pastor. "Reverend, that was a wonderful sermon. You should have it published." The pastor replied, "Actually, I'm planning to have all my sermons published posthumously." "Great!" enthused the church member. "The sooner the better!" “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust”…the sooner the better? Dare we believe it? Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Ash Wednesday
22 February 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Genesis 3:19
2 Luke 13:4-5
3 Matthew 6:19
4 Luke 24:5-6
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