+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 13:2-3
Theme: Beyond Understanding
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Faith should not be set in opposition to knowledge. Faith does not scorn knowledge; it goes beyond its limits. And it does so precisely by venturing reliance in the trustworthiness of Christ. Yet this is no simple dynamic to engage. We are confronted with things beyond our capacity and control. Though explanations exist we are often not privy to them. Tragedies, accidents, events- often referred to as natural disasters- are the direct result of the fallen-ness of creation. But Christ is the Lord of creation.
Today Jesus is asked if there is a direct relationship between sin and punishment. Do some people suffer tragedy because they are more ungodly than others? Knowing their motives Jesus warned them to repent. Certain transgressions may lead to very direct consequences; i.e., drunk driving (the sin) may result in a car accident (the punishment); armed robbery may lead to a prison sentence. If you abuse your body with drugs or alcohol or live recklessly you are more likely to suffer from illness or injury. This correlation is common sense to most people.
But that’s hardly the end of the story and the correlation only extends so far. What about the seemingly innocent victim? What about the innumerable instances where the innocent by-stander seems to be collateral damage? What about the stillborn infant or the healthy 20 year old that dies in a plane crash? These are not unimportant questions. In fact, this issue is a stumbling block for many. For into this category soon comes the accusation that if God were a loving God He would prevent such things from happening. If you’ve lived very long on this earth you’ve heard these queries before.
More than just suspicion about God’s motives is often raised here. God is put on trial. Is He really too impotent, apathetic, or ignorant to intervene? The direct evidence can be convincing. One person may need only to experience or witness one personal tragedy to be overcome with anger or despair. Others may be persuaded by an accumulation of things over the course of time. So what are we to make of these arguments? Where does the Bible stand?
Statements like, “If that’s what God’s like I don’t want to have anything to do with Him.” Or, “How could a God of love allow these things to happen?” reveal the skepticism of the human spirit. They may be convenient excuses- ways of justifying disobedience to God’s will. Or they may be heartfelt and ‘genuine’ grievances against the Almighty’s lack of intervention. But even as such they uncover our angst at dealing with our inadequacies. We do not like to accept limitations of our intellect. Even less do we like to accept the limitations of our desires. But inevitably we come up against forces far beyond our means to handle. The web of sin is too tangled for us to comprehend or to escape based on our presumed innocence. Christ died for the ungodly. Thanks be to God His grace is sufficient for us as sinners!
God is not a tit-for-tat God. He is not in the business of petty rejoinders as punishment for individual indiscretions. We are much more valuable to Him than that. All sin and so all will be punished. This reality begins with Adam. The Scripture says, “Just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned..”1 All are born originally as sinners. Death is the punishment for sin. Separation from God happens both spiritually in this life, and eternally if the problem of sin is not resolved.
The Scripture goes on, “If the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!”2 And the apostle John says, “Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them.”3 The first resurrection is the spiritual resurrection we have with Christ through baptism. In the waters of baptism our sinful nature is drowned and we are raised to new life. The second death is eternal separation from God in hell. That threat has no power over believers because Christ has silenced it.
Of course Satan is still busy in the short time that he has. He always fights his wars against the church on many fronts. He does the same thing with us individually. He is always using every opportunity to help us on our way, to obscure our view of the cross. The devil is more active in the lives of Christians and tries all the harder the more the fruits of the gospel flourish in our lives. Awareness of this struggle indicates a maturing faith.
In all the fruits of faith Christ is gloried- something we never accomplish on our own. Our Lutheran confessions say, “Even in this life the regenerate advance to the point that they want to do what is good and love it, and even do good and grow in it. Still, this is not of our will and ability but of the Holy Spirit.”4 The Holy Spirit comforts and counsels us. Christ bears our burdens. He absolves every sin and lifts our guilt away.
But it is not easy for us to let go. Consider the story of the Christian in the Philippines who was on his way to market driving a wagon full of produce when he overtook an old man carrying a heavy load on his back. Taking compassion on him, the driver invited the old man to ride in the wagon. Gratefully the old man accepted. After a few minutes, the driver turned to see how the man was doing. To his surprise, he found him still straining under the heavy weight, for he had not let the burden off his shoulders.
Perhaps we keep carrying our burdens because we don’t trust Christ will really bear them? Perhaps we want to be martyrs, praised by others and recognized by God for our great perseverance. Yet in so doing we are missing the full implications of the grace of God in Christ. The problem is not Christ’s ability, His willingness, or His faithfulness. He is quite capable. He has already suffered to the point of death on the cross. He has already overcome the grave by His resurrection. He has bested Satan and triumphed over hell. The problem lies with our skepticism that these great and sacred truths are directly relevant to us-today! Even the separation of many centuries of time since the Biblical events is not really the issue it’s made out to be. The issue is a more direct struggle between the flesh and the Spirit; between our need for control and the confidence that God has things in His control.
Tragedies will occur. But we need not fret about placing blame or making hasty judgments. Nor need we worry that God is uninformed or apathetic. He comes to the aide of His people. We stand in the conviction that “in all things God works for the good of those who love Him.”5 This is possible only because of Christ who still intercedes for us. The entire journey of Lent could be viewed as an exercise in learning how God really can be working good in the darkest and most desperate of circumstances. We pursue a better understanding. But we also pray for a stronger faith when those limits are reached. We pray for a faith that sees things through the cross and empty tomb; a faith that is strengthened through sacred bread and wine; a faith that rejoices in all circumstances. May God grant it for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Third Sunday in Lent
3 March 2013
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Romans 5:12
2 Romans 5:15
3 Revelation 20:6
4 SD II Free Will
5 Romans 8:28
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Second Sunday in Lent (C) 2013
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 13:34
Theme: Grief Before Glory
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Life has pivotal moments. Often they are preceded by extensive preparation or planning. Sometimes they come swiftly. Whether we are rejoicing at a birth or a wedding, or grieving because of a funeral or accident we seek to acquire a greater understanding of God’s presence in Christ. Lent helps us to appraise the pivotal events in life and see them not only as personal joys or tragedies but from the perspective of the kingdom.
Today Jesus stood at a pivotal juncture as He reflected on the past and contemplated the future. Jesus was filled with sorrow regarding the hard-heartedness of the people of Jerusalem. Rebellious and recalcitrant they spurned the overtures of the prophets and established their own religious legalism. Judgment would soon be rendered. It always is. But we must take it on faith. Remember how the Psalmist grappled with the prosperity of the wicked. They never seemed to be judged. They always seem to be successful- healthy, wealthy, and wise. He even questions his own walk of faith, “Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain I have washed my hands in innocence.”1 But then he says, “When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.”2
How staggering is the record of injustices accumulated in the history of humanity? How wickedly those with power have mistreated those who have none? How ruthless has been the shedding of blood for the sake of greed and glory! Genocide, enslavement, and oppression have characterized dictatorships and corrupt governments throughout history. Then there is the chronicle of personal acts of wickedness. They are too numerous to mention. How can they be measured, let alone rectified? What about appraising their relative harm or malice? Who can say if a legal, but immoral abortion is more tragic than a desperate suicide or an act of premeditated murder? Paul pulls no punches when he speaks of the ungodly as “senseless, faithless, heartless, [and] ruthless.”3
Who will weigh these things in the balance? Who will bring justice? It takes a mighty faith to believe that the Almighty God will sort it all out. Just this hope is written in the creed of Christian confession. Christ doesn’t leave humanity to perish in its own chaos and failure. Justice is adjudicated at the cross. But who can understand it? The Lamb of God becomes the scapegoat. The Son becomes the sacrifice. Yet justice is not ignored. The repentant are freed by grace- their punishment falling on Christ. The impenitent will bear their own guilt into eternity. It’s not without reason that these words are declared to us, “God forbid that any of you reject his grace and forgiveness by refusing to repent and believe, and your sins therefore remain unforgiven. May he comfort you with his holy absolution, and strengthen you with his Sacrament, that your joy may be full.”4
Christ sorrowed over Jerusalem. He lamented the cold unbelief of many of His own people. But He did not give up in despair. He did not throw in the towel. He stayed the course. He steadfastly met opposition with perseverance, hostility with gentleness, arrogance with humility, and selfishness with servanthood. Christ was not side-tracked by the failures or opposition of others- friend or foe.
God’s kingdom has many foes. We pray in the Lord’s Prayer to be delivered from evil, including the evil one- Satan. Believers seek protection from all of the devil’s tactics- especially anything that would destroy faith. While we can and should rejoice over God’s suppression of evil we cannot gloat over it or relish in it in regards to personal matters. “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is Mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.”5
In regards to personal offenses- the sins others commit against us- we always leave penalties to God. We too are in need of forgiveness. We are not in the business of making comparisons for the purpose satisfaction or fairness. We rejoice in repentance and reconciliation. As soon as we look for qualifications we go right off the track. This usually amounts to a thinly veiled attempt to, justify, excuse or exonerate ourselves. “Who is my neighbour?” asked the rich young ruler. Why? To narrow the scope of responsibility. If the bar isn’t set too high perhaps we can reach it?
But Christ doesn’t lower the bar; He carries us right over it. We don’t side-step God’s law; we are credited with observing it for Christ’s sake. Consider these words from the Lutheran reformers, “It must always be regarded as certain that we are counted righteous through faith for Christ’s sake. If the regenerate afterward think that they will be accepted because of fulfilling the Law, when would a conscience be certain that it pleased God? We never satisfy the Law! So we must always run back to the promise.”AP V (III)
What is the promise? Not simply some generic pledges made by God. The promise is The Gospel- even Christ Himself, crucified and risen! The promise was made to Adam and Eve, to Noah, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Messiah would come. People would be made right with God not through obedience to the law, not through the outward act of circumcision, but through God’s own Son. The wrath of God would be appeased. The promise of God is the irrevocable oath that the Father in heaven is pleased with the sacrifice of His Son. Nothing more needs to be done to open the gates of heaven or bar the gates to hell. Christ will never forsake His people. This is pivotal, sacred, and life-changing truth!
Oh, but give apathy its due! We still find ourselves fumbling around dallying in our indulgences hardly giving a thought to the things that matter for eternity. Lent is a corrective for this loss of perspective. Sin can never be dismissed as a minor matter. Christianity is not a matter of pacifying the conscience because your name is on the church membership rolls. It’s not about appearances. It involves a constant struggle against sin, a daily bearing of the cross, a continual witness to the truth, a faithful bearing of the burdens of others, and a steady engagement with the challenges that face the community of faith locally and on a broader level.
No one is indispensable to the common good. In spite of our failings, our ignorance, or even our absence the Holy Spirit will continue to find the means to build up the body of Christ. Christ is the head, and no one else. But no one is insignificant. There are no irrelevant or inconsequential members of Christ’s body. We all have our part, without which the whole body suffers. We are beneficiaries of the same baptismal inheritance- and co-heirs with Christ Himself. We participate in the one bread- His body broken; and the one blood poured out from His veins. These are not personal possessions but property of the Christian “commonwealth”.
Dear friends, life has only a certain number of pivotal moments. Mortality has its limitations. But the mercy of God is unlimited. His love has very real consequences. Christ prepares us to share in His immortality as the apostle says, “Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.”7 May Christ fulfill this promise according to the will of the Father. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Second Sunday in Lent
24 February 2013
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Psalm 73:13
2 Psalm 73:16-17
3 Romans 1:31
4 LHS, p.7
5 Romans 12:19
6 AP V (III)
7 Philippians 3:20-21
Text: Luke 13:34
Theme: Grief Before Glory
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Life has pivotal moments. Often they are preceded by extensive preparation or planning. Sometimes they come swiftly. Whether we are rejoicing at a birth or a wedding, or grieving because of a funeral or accident we seek to acquire a greater understanding of God’s presence in Christ. Lent helps us to appraise the pivotal events in life and see them not only as personal joys or tragedies but from the perspective of the kingdom.
Today Jesus stood at a pivotal juncture as He reflected on the past and contemplated the future. Jesus was filled with sorrow regarding the hard-heartedness of the people of Jerusalem. Rebellious and recalcitrant they spurned the overtures of the prophets and established their own religious legalism. Judgment would soon be rendered. It always is. But we must take it on faith. Remember how the Psalmist grappled with the prosperity of the wicked. They never seemed to be judged. They always seem to be successful- healthy, wealthy, and wise. He even questions his own walk of faith, “Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain I have washed my hands in innocence.”1 But then he says, “When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.”2
How staggering is the record of injustices accumulated in the history of humanity? How wickedly those with power have mistreated those who have none? How ruthless has been the shedding of blood for the sake of greed and glory! Genocide, enslavement, and oppression have characterized dictatorships and corrupt governments throughout history. Then there is the chronicle of personal acts of wickedness. They are too numerous to mention. How can they be measured, let alone rectified? What about appraising their relative harm or malice? Who can say if a legal, but immoral abortion is more tragic than a desperate suicide or an act of premeditated murder? Paul pulls no punches when he speaks of the ungodly as “senseless, faithless, heartless, [and] ruthless.”3
Who will weigh these things in the balance? Who will bring justice? It takes a mighty faith to believe that the Almighty God will sort it all out. Just this hope is written in the creed of Christian confession. Christ doesn’t leave humanity to perish in its own chaos and failure. Justice is adjudicated at the cross. But who can understand it? The Lamb of God becomes the scapegoat. The Son becomes the sacrifice. Yet justice is not ignored. The repentant are freed by grace- their punishment falling on Christ. The impenitent will bear their own guilt into eternity. It’s not without reason that these words are declared to us, “God forbid that any of you reject his grace and forgiveness by refusing to repent and believe, and your sins therefore remain unforgiven. May he comfort you with his holy absolution, and strengthen you with his Sacrament, that your joy may be full.”4
Christ sorrowed over Jerusalem. He lamented the cold unbelief of many of His own people. But He did not give up in despair. He did not throw in the towel. He stayed the course. He steadfastly met opposition with perseverance, hostility with gentleness, arrogance with humility, and selfishness with servanthood. Christ was not side-tracked by the failures or opposition of others- friend or foe.
God’s kingdom has many foes. We pray in the Lord’s Prayer to be delivered from evil, including the evil one- Satan. Believers seek protection from all of the devil’s tactics- especially anything that would destroy faith. While we can and should rejoice over God’s suppression of evil we cannot gloat over it or relish in it in regards to personal matters. “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is Mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.”5
In regards to personal offenses- the sins others commit against us- we always leave penalties to God. We too are in need of forgiveness. We are not in the business of making comparisons for the purpose satisfaction or fairness. We rejoice in repentance and reconciliation. As soon as we look for qualifications we go right off the track. This usually amounts to a thinly veiled attempt to, justify, excuse or exonerate ourselves. “Who is my neighbour?” asked the rich young ruler. Why? To narrow the scope of responsibility. If the bar isn’t set too high perhaps we can reach it?
But Christ doesn’t lower the bar; He carries us right over it. We don’t side-step God’s law; we are credited with observing it for Christ’s sake. Consider these words from the Lutheran reformers, “It must always be regarded as certain that we are counted righteous through faith for Christ’s sake. If the regenerate afterward think that they will be accepted because of fulfilling the Law, when would a conscience be certain that it pleased God? We never satisfy the Law! So we must always run back to the promise.”AP V (III)
What is the promise? Not simply some generic pledges made by God. The promise is The Gospel- even Christ Himself, crucified and risen! The promise was made to Adam and Eve, to Noah, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Messiah would come. People would be made right with God not through obedience to the law, not through the outward act of circumcision, but through God’s own Son. The wrath of God would be appeased. The promise of God is the irrevocable oath that the Father in heaven is pleased with the sacrifice of His Son. Nothing more needs to be done to open the gates of heaven or bar the gates to hell. Christ will never forsake His people. This is pivotal, sacred, and life-changing truth!
Oh, but give apathy its due! We still find ourselves fumbling around dallying in our indulgences hardly giving a thought to the things that matter for eternity. Lent is a corrective for this loss of perspective. Sin can never be dismissed as a minor matter. Christianity is not a matter of pacifying the conscience because your name is on the church membership rolls. It’s not about appearances. It involves a constant struggle against sin, a daily bearing of the cross, a continual witness to the truth, a faithful bearing of the burdens of others, and a steady engagement with the challenges that face the community of faith locally and on a broader level.
No one is indispensable to the common good. In spite of our failings, our ignorance, or even our absence the Holy Spirit will continue to find the means to build up the body of Christ. Christ is the head, and no one else. But no one is insignificant. There are no irrelevant or inconsequential members of Christ’s body. We all have our part, without which the whole body suffers. We are beneficiaries of the same baptismal inheritance- and co-heirs with Christ Himself. We participate in the one bread- His body broken; and the one blood poured out from His veins. These are not personal possessions but property of the Christian “commonwealth”.
Dear friends, life has only a certain number of pivotal moments. Mortality has its limitations. But the mercy of God is unlimited. His love has very real consequences. Christ prepares us to share in His immortality as the apostle says, “Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.”7 May Christ fulfill this promise according to the will of the Father. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Second Sunday in Lent
24 February 2013
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Psalm 73:13
2 Psalm 73:16-17
3 Romans 1:31
4 LHS, p.7
5 Romans 12:19
6 AP V (III)
7 Philippians 3:20-21
Sunday, February 17, 2013
First Sunday In Lent (C) 2013
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 4:1-13
Theme: By Word and Spirit
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Lent is the season of renewal. We reset our watches. We reboot our smart phones. We restart our computers. We recalibrate the instruments and tools of our trade. Sometimes this is done for minor adjustments. Other times we need to wipe the slate clean. Lent is such a time. It’s the time for a no holds barred candid gut-check about the things that drive us and the things that captivate us; the things we idolize and the things we despise; our fears, our temptations and our hopes.
The gospel reading before us is a starting point for our journey. Christ is clashing with Satan. Here we have the earthly embodiment- a small-scale representation- of the cosmic struggle. The Son of radiance face to face with the prince of darkness. The defender of truth confronting the Father of lies. The incarnate God opposing the epitome of evil.
So what is Satan’s approach? It’s not as brash as we might imagine. But it is, of course, sinister. First he appeals to Christ’s human needs. Just a little unassuming miracle to satisfy the hunger of the stomach, he suggests. We are beset by such temptations constantly; greed and lust, frivolity and indulgence, our self-centred ambitions and the need to convince our conscience that they’re all for the common good. These sins of the flesh are often quite obvious.
But the devil’s second and third temptations raise the bar. He now appeals to Jesus’ higher sense of purpose, even His trust in the Father’s plan. “The devil led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the highest point of the temple. ‘If you are the Son of God,’ he said, ‘throw yourself down from here. For it is written: ‘He will command His angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ Jesus answered, ‘It says, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”1
Could Jesus be led to second-guess, to adopt a different perspective? Maybe there was another way? Would the heavenly Father be flexible? Would He bend to certain conditions? Why could Jesus not have His cake (gain victory over Satan) and eat it too (avoid suffering and sacrifice)? We know He did not yield. As He agonized in the Garden of Gethsemane He prayed, “Not My will, but Yours be done.”2
There can be no bargaining with God; yet how often we try it. If God blesses me in such and such a way then, I promise I will show my obedience in a certain manner. If God gives me a sign (specially, one of my own designation), then I will respond accordingly. After all, don’t I deserve to have God prove Himself to me first! This mindset does not amount to testing God, but negotiating with Him, bartering- trying to set conditions and place demands that He must first meet. The stark truth is such attempts are not expressions of faith.
Our Lenten journey cannot be fruitful if we deny that our most damning sins involve those which seek to wield control from God. This is where unbelief seeks to reassert itself. Not that we would be so bold as to attempt to wrest from God His control over the sweeping events of history. But we seek to do it in the immediate sphere of influence in our own lives. We like to be lord of our own manor.
Dear friends, our faith exists in penitence. Faith is never arrogant but always humble. This entails not only a recognition of our sin but the trust that God’s ways are superior to ours even when we cannot see it. Humility is evidenced in patience. “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord,”3 says David the Psalmist. We have God’s promise of deliverance. No threat or fear can gainsay God’s oath.
Remember the words of the apostle today, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”4 To confess Jesus as Lord was to risk everything in a First Century society saturated with polytheistic teaching and the expectation of venerating the Caesar as the exclusive ruler of the land. Perhaps those who exalted the stability of the empire- the pax Romana- would have allowed this Jesus a place in the pantheon, the large collection of gods and goddess to whom was attributed jurisdiction of everything from the fertility of the livestock to the protection of the army. But to acclaim Him as Lord was akin to political treason and religious insanity. Pilate cared little about Christ’s confession of truth but was keen to understand His concept of kingship. The Jews accused Him of blasphemy.
We are moving again towards a polytheistic culture. There are legitimate fears about the ravages of atheism and secularism, but mystical, supernatural, and spiritual pursuits have by no means been abandoned. Yet they are moving quickly away from Christian foundations. Many still seek a spiritualist connection, but one custom-made to suit their fancy. Some want tolerance without judgment, forgiveness without atonement, empowerment without responsibility, salvation without sacrifice. They may seek to glean from Christian truth certain elements that can be reimaged.
More and more look for divinity in the earth, stars, and sky or within themselves.
Fortune-telling, mediums and contacting or channeling the deceased are making a resurgence. People want to feel in touch with and in control of their destiny. All there better if one can be convinced everything from relationships to careers is written in the stars! Though personal, they prefer their spirituality to be creedless, cross-less, and Christ-less.
It is in the context of this worldview that you bear a confession. You are led by the Spirit in a spiritual wilderness. You learn to carry around your yoke of mortality in a different way than those who have no hope, those who have false hope, and those who are completely preoccupied with the indulgences of this world. We learn to make godly assessments and not evaluate as the world does. A busy life is not necessarily a godly life- Paul warns of busybodies. A fulfilling life is not necessarily a pious life. Whose agenda is being served?
The Spirit led Christ into His contest with Satan. The Spirit leads us in our daily struggle with sin. We can accomplish nothing without Him. But in faith we have the confidence that God uses us everywhere and in every way. Everything a believer does out of faith is a good work. It is a good work not because of some quality we lend to it even with our best intentions and motivations but because it flows from the trust that Christ has done THE good work. The law can be followed because the law has been fulfilled. The baptized can serve because they have been served. We can be living sacrifices5 because Christ, our sacrifice6, lives. He was crucified. He is risen!
And He continues to intercede to reset, recalibrate and restore us. He does this through the forgiveness of our sins which has real impact in countless ways. Christ brings light into dark places. He calms the anxious. He settles the restless. He welcomes the outcast. He feeds the hungry. He restores the sick. Those He chooses not to restore in this life, He nurses. Those who remain restless, He accompanies. Those who are still anxious, He soothes. Those who linger as outcasts, He embraces. To those who are yet famished He offers His own body and blood for nourishment. And for all who fail of strength to any longer contest this world of sin He prepares not a respite, but a repose of eternal rest of a celestial caliber. For remember, the end of Lent is Easter and the mortal will be clothed with immortality. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
First Sunday in Lent
17 February 2013
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 4:9-12
2 Luke 22:42
3 Psalm 27:14
4 Romans 10:9
5 See Romans 12:1
6 See 1 Corinthians 5:7
Text: Luke 4:1-13
Theme: By Word and Spirit
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Lent is the season of renewal. We reset our watches. We reboot our smart phones. We restart our computers. We recalibrate the instruments and tools of our trade. Sometimes this is done for minor adjustments. Other times we need to wipe the slate clean. Lent is such a time. It’s the time for a no holds barred candid gut-check about the things that drive us and the things that captivate us; the things we idolize and the things we despise; our fears, our temptations and our hopes.
The gospel reading before us is a starting point for our journey. Christ is clashing with Satan. Here we have the earthly embodiment- a small-scale representation- of the cosmic struggle. The Son of radiance face to face with the prince of darkness. The defender of truth confronting the Father of lies. The incarnate God opposing the epitome of evil.
So what is Satan’s approach? It’s not as brash as we might imagine. But it is, of course, sinister. First he appeals to Christ’s human needs. Just a little unassuming miracle to satisfy the hunger of the stomach, he suggests. We are beset by such temptations constantly; greed and lust, frivolity and indulgence, our self-centred ambitions and the need to convince our conscience that they’re all for the common good. These sins of the flesh are often quite obvious.
But the devil’s second and third temptations raise the bar. He now appeals to Jesus’ higher sense of purpose, even His trust in the Father’s plan. “The devil led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the highest point of the temple. ‘If you are the Son of God,’ he said, ‘throw yourself down from here. For it is written: ‘He will command His angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ Jesus answered, ‘It says, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”1
Could Jesus be led to second-guess, to adopt a different perspective? Maybe there was another way? Would the heavenly Father be flexible? Would He bend to certain conditions? Why could Jesus not have His cake (gain victory over Satan) and eat it too (avoid suffering and sacrifice)? We know He did not yield. As He agonized in the Garden of Gethsemane He prayed, “Not My will, but Yours be done.”2
There can be no bargaining with God; yet how often we try it. If God blesses me in such and such a way then, I promise I will show my obedience in a certain manner. If God gives me a sign (specially, one of my own designation), then I will respond accordingly. After all, don’t I deserve to have God prove Himself to me first! This mindset does not amount to testing God, but negotiating with Him, bartering- trying to set conditions and place demands that He must first meet. The stark truth is such attempts are not expressions of faith.
Our Lenten journey cannot be fruitful if we deny that our most damning sins involve those which seek to wield control from God. This is where unbelief seeks to reassert itself. Not that we would be so bold as to attempt to wrest from God His control over the sweeping events of history. But we seek to do it in the immediate sphere of influence in our own lives. We like to be lord of our own manor.
Dear friends, our faith exists in penitence. Faith is never arrogant but always humble. This entails not only a recognition of our sin but the trust that God’s ways are superior to ours even when we cannot see it. Humility is evidenced in patience. “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord,”3 says David the Psalmist. We have God’s promise of deliverance. No threat or fear can gainsay God’s oath.
Remember the words of the apostle today, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”4 To confess Jesus as Lord was to risk everything in a First Century society saturated with polytheistic teaching and the expectation of venerating the Caesar as the exclusive ruler of the land. Perhaps those who exalted the stability of the empire- the pax Romana- would have allowed this Jesus a place in the pantheon, the large collection of gods and goddess to whom was attributed jurisdiction of everything from the fertility of the livestock to the protection of the army. But to acclaim Him as Lord was akin to political treason and religious insanity. Pilate cared little about Christ’s confession of truth but was keen to understand His concept of kingship. The Jews accused Him of blasphemy.
We are moving again towards a polytheistic culture. There are legitimate fears about the ravages of atheism and secularism, but mystical, supernatural, and spiritual pursuits have by no means been abandoned. Yet they are moving quickly away from Christian foundations. Many still seek a spiritualist connection, but one custom-made to suit their fancy. Some want tolerance without judgment, forgiveness without atonement, empowerment without responsibility, salvation without sacrifice. They may seek to glean from Christian truth certain elements that can be reimaged.
More and more look for divinity in the earth, stars, and sky or within themselves.
Fortune-telling, mediums and contacting or channeling the deceased are making a resurgence. People want to feel in touch with and in control of their destiny. All there better if one can be convinced everything from relationships to careers is written in the stars! Though personal, they prefer their spirituality to be creedless, cross-less, and Christ-less.
It is in the context of this worldview that you bear a confession. You are led by the Spirit in a spiritual wilderness. You learn to carry around your yoke of mortality in a different way than those who have no hope, those who have false hope, and those who are completely preoccupied with the indulgences of this world. We learn to make godly assessments and not evaluate as the world does. A busy life is not necessarily a godly life- Paul warns of busybodies. A fulfilling life is not necessarily a pious life. Whose agenda is being served?
The Spirit led Christ into His contest with Satan. The Spirit leads us in our daily struggle with sin. We can accomplish nothing without Him. But in faith we have the confidence that God uses us everywhere and in every way. Everything a believer does out of faith is a good work. It is a good work not because of some quality we lend to it even with our best intentions and motivations but because it flows from the trust that Christ has done THE good work. The law can be followed because the law has been fulfilled. The baptized can serve because they have been served. We can be living sacrifices5 because Christ, our sacrifice6, lives. He was crucified. He is risen!
And He continues to intercede to reset, recalibrate and restore us. He does this through the forgiveness of our sins which has real impact in countless ways. Christ brings light into dark places. He calms the anxious. He settles the restless. He welcomes the outcast. He feeds the hungry. He restores the sick. Those He chooses not to restore in this life, He nurses. Those who remain restless, He accompanies. Those who are still anxious, He soothes. Those who linger as outcasts, He embraces. To those who are yet famished He offers His own body and blood for nourishment. And for all who fail of strength to any longer contest this world of sin He prepares not a respite, but a repose of eternal rest of a celestial caliber. For remember, the end of Lent is Easter and the mortal will be clothed with immortality. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
First Sunday in Lent
17 February 2013
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 4:9-12
2 Luke 22:42
3 Psalm 27:14
4 Romans 10:9
5 See Romans 12:1
6 See 1 Corinthians 5:7
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Transfiguration of our Lord (C) 2013
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 9:31
Theme: Lord of the Harvest
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Jesus stood on the mountain of transfiguration preparing for the harvest of the end of the age. It was a dramatic preview. Still, the glory of God remains hidden in the humanity of Jesus. His human nature was witnessed by all. His divine nature cannot be comprehended by sinners. So what was His mission? To reach sinners! “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”1 It’s a messy task.
The reason our sins seldom appear sinister in our own eyes isn’t only due to our arrogance. Many sins are so familiar to us they simply seen mundane. We become desensitized, even numb. Our apathy then leads to a sense of unfairness for being rebuked. Isn’t God being too harsh? What’s the big deal? As with declining vision we lose sight of the clear picture of our condition. The foggier our grasp the greater our need to be driven to repentance. We can easily be convinced we are self-made people and a self-made society. How readily, on this Harvest Thanksgiving, do we recognize we are still dependent on God even for our daily bread?
In the same way the spiritual harvest is dependent on His word. St. Peter says, “You have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For ‘All men are like grass and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.’ And this is the word that was preached to you.”2
God causes the seed of the sower to germinate in the Mallee soil. The Holy Spirit causes the seed of the word to germinate in the human heart. Both require a divine power. Science may have delineated the ideal conditions for germination- the temperature, the moisture, the sunlight- yet the deeper cause of a seed’s sprouting is, and will remain, a mystery. So too is the miracle of faith’s germination- as well as its establishment and maturity. And the maturing of our faith as an activity of the Holy Spirit is no small matter to overlook. The heavenly Father doesn’t see to the conception of believers and then send them out to fend for themselves. They have a mother; the church.
When faith becomes self-reflective it is in immediate danger of decline. Here we don’t mean the faith as reference to the content of the church’s teaching- the creedal confessions about the Holy Trinity and Jesus Christ and His work of sacrifice, suffering, resurrection, enthronement, and promised return- these truths are the very foundation of godly reflection. Nor does it mean that we cannot question. We wonder, we query, we ponder, we want to know why- God’s motives and rationale. We want to understand better. The Scriptures are an inexhaustible treasure house teaching us the wisdom of God.
We are referring, rather, to personal faith. When faith becomes too self-reflective it may be inclined (tempted) to become self-supporting- even independent. Risky questions may be asked. How is my faith measuring up? Is it strong enough for the next challenge? Is it keeping pace with other believers I know? How will I muster the courage, the energy, the ingenuity, the strength to keep my faith vibrant? So we look for new barometers to give us the sense that we’re still doing enough, maybe even doing better than others. People can go on for some time in this delusion. Tragically some eventually come to believe they are saved because they have faith in their faith rather than faith in Christ.
The disciples thought their faith was so strong they would die with Christ rather than deny Him. We know how that ended. In the time of trial they abandoned Him. But they were restored! His first post-resurrection words to them were words of absolution. You are not justified- declared righteous and holy in God’s sight because your faith is strong enough, or because it is stronger than others. You are justified because of Christ’s sacrifice and this is appropriated by your faith which simply is. Your faith exists as a Spirit-given miracle.
Yes, your faith does grow and mature. It is tempered by trials and refined by challenges. But you can only recognize this in retrospect as you look back on all the ways God has carried you through the difficulties of life. Like the sun, you cannot look directly at your own faith without being blinded. Yet it is immediately self-evident and generally clear to others that it is there- reflected in your life in countless ways.
Don’t fret about the condition of your faith. Focus intently on Christ. This is precisely the implication for the disciples on the mount of transfiguration today. The heavenly Father says, “This is My Son, whom I have chosen; listen to Him.”3 This is the sum and substance. In your illness, in your grieving, in your brokenness don’t sigh and throw out a desperate prayer that your faith will be good enough. Take refuge in His promises. Can you demand healing? Can you demand joy? Can you demand immediate restoration? No, but you can be certain of His presence. You are baptized. You can be sure Christ has planned for you more than a transfiguration, He has planned a resurrection. You will be elevated to the place and purpose for which you were created. His power to do so is already foreshadowed for us.
Just as Jesus wined the water of Cana lifting it beyond the ordinary, so He consecrates the wine of the vineyard investing it with the sacred. In the sacrament the wine remains; but present in, with, and under it is the blood of Christ. It is the same with the bread. Surely there is no better way to celebrate God’s bounty at Harvest Thanksgiving than to receive the nourishment that also benefits us for the life to come. Our spiritual life is not sustained by the yield of orchards and paddocks but by the fruit of His veins. The Garden of Eden is re-entered through this sacrament opened by His death and resurrection.
It is only through these appointed means that we can see God in faith. We hear Him in the promise of forgiveness. We taste His mercy in the bread and wine. We learn His voice in the word proclaimed. We are foolish to try and construct an image of Him with our own opinions. The little girl was working furiously during craft time at Sunday School. The teacher came over and asked, “Suzie, what are you so intensely working on?” Suzie replied, “I’m drawing a picture of God.” “But Suzie, we don’t know what God looks like,” said the teacher. At that Suzie said confidently, “Well you will when I’m finished!”
Dear friends, the farmer who sows the seed does not know what the harvest will look like. Will it be poor? Will it be prosperous? The final harvest at the end of the age is shrouded in mystery too. What terror and what rejoicing when Christ comes again! The extent of both we do not know. But we know Him who will separate the wheat from the tares. We know the glimpse the disciples had on the mount of Transfiguration was but a shadow of what we will experience when we see Him face to face.4 When Christ reveals the finish we will know.
Jesus said, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”5 He was speaking of His own death. The royal Seed of Abraham was buried in the soil of Golgotha and in His death provided the power for new life to spring. The tomb of Jesus was no crypt, only the seedbed for the firstfruits6 of the resurrection. In that resurrection we have our part. The man who dazzled on the mountain, hung from the cross, and walked out of the grave is the Lord of the harvest. His already, we look forward to being kept safe in His granary forevermore. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Transfiguration of our Lord
(Harvest Thanksgiving)
10 February 2013
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 10:2
2 1 Peter 1:23-25
3 Luke 9:35
4 See 1 Corinthians 13:12
5 John 12:24
6 See 1 Corinthians 15:20
Text: Luke 9:31
Theme: Lord of the Harvest
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Jesus stood on the mountain of transfiguration preparing for the harvest of the end of the age. It was a dramatic preview. Still, the glory of God remains hidden in the humanity of Jesus. His human nature was witnessed by all. His divine nature cannot be comprehended by sinners. So what was His mission? To reach sinners! “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”1 It’s a messy task.
The reason our sins seldom appear sinister in our own eyes isn’t only due to our arrogance. Many sins are so familiar to us they simply seen mundane. We become desensitized, even numb. Our apathy then leads to a sense of unfairness for being rebuked. Isn’t God being too harsh? What’s the big deal? As with declining vision we lose sight of the clear picture of our condition. The foggier our grasp the greater our need to be driven to repentance. We can easily be convinced we are self-made people and a self-made society. How readily, on this Harvest Thanksgiving, do we recognize we are still dependent on God even for our daily bread?
In the same way the spiritual harvest is dependent on His word. St. Peter says, “You have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For ‘All men are like grass and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.’ And this is the word that was preached to you.”2
God causes the seed of the sower to germinate in the Mallee soil. The Holy Spirit causes the seed of the word to germinate in the human heart. Both require a divine power. Science may have delineated the ideal conditions for germination- the temperature, the moisture, the sunlight- yet the deeper cause of a seed’s sprouting is, and will remain, a mystery. So too is the miracle of faith’s germination- as well as its establishment and maturity. And the maturing of our faith as an activity of the Holy Spirit is no small matter to overlook. The heavenly Father doesn’t see to the conception of believers and then send them out to fend for themselves. They have a mother; the church.
When faith becomes self-reflective it is in immediate danger of decline. Here we don’t mean the faith as reference to the content of the church’s teaching- the creedal confessions about the Holy Trinity and Jesus Christ and His work of sacrifice, suffering, resurrection, enthronement, and promised return- these truths are the very foundation of godly reflection. Nor does it mean that we cannot question. We wonder, we query, we ponder, we want to know why- God’s motives and rationale. We want to understand better. The Scriptures are an inexhaustible treasure house teaching us the wisdom of God.
We are referring, rather, to personal faith. When faith becomes too self-reflective it may be inclined (tempted) to become self-supporting- even independent. Risky questions may be asked. How is my faith measuring up? Is it strong enough for the next challenge? Is it keeping pace with other believers I know? How will I muster the courage, the energy, the ingenuity, the strength to keep my faith vibrant? So we look for new barometers to give us the sense that we’re still doing enough, maybe even doing better than others. People can go on for some time in this delusion. Tragically some eventually come to believe they are saved because they have faith in their faith rather than faith in Christ.
The disciples thought their faith was so strong they would die with Christ rather than deny Him. We know how that ended. In the time of trial they abandoned Him. But they were restored! His first post-resurrection words to them were words of absolution. You are not justified- declared righteous and holy in God’s sight because your faith is strong enough, or because it is stronger than others. You are justified because of Christ’s sacrifice and this is appropriated by your faith which simply is. Your faith exists as a Spirit-given miracle.
Yes, your faith does grow and mature. It is tempered by trials and refined by challenges. But you can only recognize this in retrospect as you look back on all the ways God has carried you through the difficulties of life. Like the sun, you cannot look directly at your own faith without being blinded. Yet it is immediately self-evident and generally clear to others that it is there- reflected in your life in countless ways.
Don’t fret about the condition of your faith. Focus intently on Christ. This is precisely the implication for the disciples on the mount of transfiguration today. The heavenly Father says, “This is My Son, whom I have chosen; listen to Him.”3 This is the sum and substance. In your illness, in your grieving, in your brokenness don’t sigh and throw out a desperate prayer that your faith will be good enough. Take refuge in His promises. Can you demand healing? Can you demand joy? Can you demand immediate restoration? No, but you can be certain of His presence. You are baptized. You can be sure Christ has planned for you more than a transfiguration, He has planned a resurrection. You will be elevated to the place and purpose for which you were created. His power to do so is already foreshadowed for us.
Just as Jesus wined the water of Cana lifting it beyond the ordinary, so He consecrates the wine of the vineyard investing it with the sacred. In the sacrament the wine remains; but present in, with, and under it is the blood of Christ. It is the same with the bread. Surely there is no better way to celebrate God’s bounty at Harvest Thanksgiving than to receive the nourishment that also benefits us for the life to come. Our spiritual life is not sustained by the yield of orchards and paddocks but by the fruit of His veins. The Garden of Eden is re-entered through this sacrament opened by His death and resurrection.
It is only through these appointed means that we can see God in faith. We hear Him in the promise of forgiveness. We taste His mercy in the bread and wine. We learn His voice in the word proclaimed. We are foolish to try and construct an image of Him with our own opinions. The little girl was working furiously during craft time at Sunday School. The teacher came over and asked, “Suzie, what are you so intensely working on?” Suzie replied, “I’m drawing a picture of God.” “But Suzie, we don’t know what God looks like,” said the teacher. At that Suzie said confidently, “Well you will when I’m finished!”
Dear friends, the farmer who sows the seed does not know what the harvest will look like. Will it be poor? Will it be prosperous? The final harvest at the end of the age is shrouded in mystery too. What terror and what rejoicing when Christ comes again! The extent of both we do not know. But we know Him who will separate the wheat from the tares. We know the glimpse the disciples had on the mount of Transfiguration was but a shadow of what we will experience when we see Him face to face.4 When Christ reveals the finish we will know.
Jesus said, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”5 He was speaking of His own death. The royal Seed of Abraham was buried in the soil of Golgotha and in His death provided the power for new life to spring. The tomb of Jesus was no crypt, only the seedbed for the firstfruits6 of the resurrection. In that resurrection we have our part. The man who dazzled on the mountain, hung from the cross, and walked out of the grave is the Lord of the harvest. His already, we look forward to being kept safe in His granary forevermore. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Transfiguration of our Lord
(Harvest Thanksgiving)
10 February 2013
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 10:2
2 1 Peter 1:23-25
3 Luke 9:35
4 See 1 Corinthians 13:12
5 John 12:24
6 See 1 Corinthians 15:20
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Fourth Sunday After Epiphany (C) 2013
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 4:29
Theme: Ready For Harvest?
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The Holy Spirit has only one device for harvesting: The Word of God. Wielding it today in the power of the Spirit Jesus found that the Nazarenes were a difficult spiritual harvest. They were familiar with Jesus, the son of Joseph, the carpenter. Doubtless this coloured their opinion of Jesus’ interpretation of the Scriptures. In the end they rise up in anger, drive Him out of town, and even try to push Him over a cliff.
Up to that point Jesus had been well received. So what changes? The residents of Nazareth quickly realized Jesus wasn’t just an eloquent speaker who had a gift for making the Scriptures come alive. They were the target of His declarations. In short, Jesus got personal. His condemnations were no longer generic. And it didn’t go over well.
It’s easy to receive God’s word of judgment when we believe it is intended for somebody else. We even relish in the thought of other people getting their just deserts. “Wow, the preacher really laid into so and so about such and such. Good for him, those sinners deserve to learn a thing or two!” But the Holy Spirit doesn’t allow for generic application of God’s Word. We don’t have the authority to distance ourselves from its relevance.
It’s all well and good to say that, but that’s exactly what our sinful natures seek to do. It is second-nature to us, a reflex of self-defense. Only the Holy Spirit can teach us otherwise. We like to think of ourselves as above, or at least outside of the law. Like the Nazarenes we balk at being labeled as transgressors. But don’t believe for a second, dear friends, that when the Bible says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”1 that it doesn’t include you. Don’t think for a moment that when Christ says, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is near,”2 that you are exempt.
But by the same token never think that the grace of God may not be meant for you. The human heart and will are so easily twisted into thinking the gospel- the Good News of salvation- is conditional, their power to doubt and question must be annihilated. That’s why your initial access to God is through drowning. Death before life! Death to the Old Adam, the idolatrous will. You cannot will Him into receiving you. No one can exert their will on God. We must first be acted upon. In the waters of baptism the sinful self is drown- put to death in Christ’s own crucifixion and buried with Him. Then from those spiritual ashes He raises new life. Christianity does not involve any type of reincarnation in the sense of multiple lives in multiple bodies; it involves renewal, restoration, and even resurrection. The Scripture says, “Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”3
Even in this new life we struggle on. Our new life continues to become stained with sin and Christ continues to wash us clean. Our new life continues to accumulate scars but Christ continues to heal. Our new life continues to be vulnerable to captivation by dark forces but Christ continues to release us. All this involves the daily living of our baptism; light beamed into our darkness, hope lifting us out of despair. In a sense the demand on us is greater because we are no longer custodians of our own ambitions but of the kingdom’s treasures. And this the secular world does not appreciate. But in another sense we have the ultimate freedom. We finally have nothing to fear, not even death itself.
And because we have nothing to fear we can really live- to really live means to love. Our reading from 1 Corinthians extols the virtues of love. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking…It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”4 Now love is not something separated from faith but is the expression of it. Love is a fruit. Love is simply faith in action. But is it surely not simple. It is the grand, sophisticated manifestation of Christ’s power and presence shining through believers in countless humble and joyful ways. It can be as easy as a friendly smile or as involved sacrificing all of one’s dreams to care for another. But it is always, in some way, even when it is not recognized as such, an expression of our belief that God has first loved us in Christ. Otherwise it is not Christian love at all but an attempt either to polish our egos or hedge our fears.
Today as we celebrate Harvest Thanksgiving we are reminded that in spite of all of our toil or ingenuity the providence of God must still provide us with our daily bread. Farming, like the ordained ministry, is truly a vocation of faith. We are wholly dependent on Him. In the same way the spiritual harvest is dependent on His word. But we have the assurance He will not fail. Isaiah says, “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is My word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”5
The word never returns empty even when we cannot appreciate what has been achieved. We might even be insensitive to the word’s work on us. We may feel unmoved or indifferent but God promises we will not be unaffected. The sacrament of Holy Communion is a great example today. Christ chose the fruit of the vine to be the carrier of the fruit of His passion. The wine of the vineyard bears the blood that was sacrificed. It’s more than an informed choice. It’s a nexus of the fruit of creation with the sacrifice of redemption.
Just as Jesus wined the water of Cana lifting it beyond the ordinary, so He consecrates the wine of the vineyard investing it with the sacred. Surely there is no better way to celebrate God’s bounty at Harvest Thanksgiving than to receive the nourishment that also benefits us for the life to come. Our spiritual life is not sustained by the yield of orchards and paddocks but by the fruit of His veins. The Garden of Eden is re-entered through this sacrament opened by His death and resurrection.
Today the residents of Nazareth attempted to throw Jesus off a cliff. It was a preview of the rejection He would face at His trial and crucifixion. But in the end it was Satan who was thrown down when Christ was lifted up on the cross. The royal Seed of Abraham was buried in the soil of Golgotha and in His death provided the power for new life to spring. The tomb of Jesus was no crypt, only the seedbed for the firstfruits6 of the resurrection. In that resurrection we have our part. Thanks be to God! Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Fourth Sunday After the Epiphany
(Harvest Thanksgiving)
3 February 2013
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Romans 3:22
2 Matthew 4:17
3 Romans 6:11
4 1 Corinthians 13:4-5, 7
5 Isaiah 55:10-11
6 See 1 Corinthians 15:20
Text: Luke 4:29
Theme: Ready For Harvest?
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The Holy Spirit has only one device for harvesting: The Word of God. Wielding it today in the power of the Spirit Jesus found that the Nazarenes were a difficult spiritual harvest. They were familiar with Jesus, the son of Joseph, the carpenter. Doubtless this coloured their opinion of Jesus’ interpretation of the Scriptures. In the end they rise up in anger, drive Him out of town, and even try to push Him over a cliff.
Up to that point Jesus had been well received. So what changes? The residents of Nazareth quickly realized Jesus wasn’t just an eloquent speaker who had a gift for making the Scriptures come alive. They were the target of His declarations. In short, Jesus got personal. His condemnations were no longer generic. And it didn’t go over well.
It’s easy to receive God’s word of judgment when we believe it is intended for somebody else. We even relish in the thought of other people getting their just deserts. “Wow, the preacher really laid into so and so about such and such. Good for him, those sinners deserve to learn a thing or two!” But the Holy Spirit doesn’t allow for generic application of God’s Word. We don’t have the authority to distance ourselves from its relevance.
It’s all well and good to say that, but that’s exactly what our sinful natures seek to do. It is second-nature to us, a reflex of self-defense. Only the Holy Spirit can teach us otherwise. We like to think of ourselves as above, or at least outside of the law. Like the Nazarenes we balk at being labeled as transgressors. But don’t believe for a second, dear friends, that when the Bible says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”1 that it doesn’t include you. Don’t think for a moment that when Christ says, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is near,”2 that you are exempt.
But by the same token never think that the grace of God may not be meant for you. The human heart and will are so easily twisted into thinking the gospel- the Good News of salvation- is conditional, their power to doubt and question must be annihilated. That’s why your initial access to God is through drowning. Death before life! Death to the Old Adam, the idolatrous will. You cannot will Him into receiving you. No one can exert their will on God. We must first be acted upon. In the waters of baptism the sinful self is drown- put to death in Christ’s own crucifixion and buried with Him. Then from those spiritual ashes He raises new life. Christianity does not involve any type of reincarnation in the sense of multiple lives in multiple bodies; it involves renewal, restoration, and even resurrection. The Scripture says, “Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”3
Even in this new life we struggle on. Our new life continues to become stained with sin and Christ continues to wash us clean. Our new life continues to accumulate scars but Christ continues to heal. Our new life continues to be vulnerable to captivation by dark forces but Christ continues to release us. All this involves the daily living of our baptism; light beamed into our darkness, hope lifting us out of despair. In a sense the demand on us is greater because we are no longer custodians of our own ambitions but of the kingdom’s treasures. And this the secular world does not appreciate. But in another sense we have the ultimate freedom. We finally have nothing to fear, not even death itself.
And because we have nothing to fear we can really live- to really live means to love. Our reading from 1 Corinthians extols the virtues of love. “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking…It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”4 Now love is not something separated from faith but is the expression of it. Love is a fruit. Love is simply faith in action. But is it surely not simple. It is the grand, sophisticated manifestation of Christ’s power and presence shining through believers in countless humble and joyful ways. It can be as easy as a friendly smile or as involved sacrificing all of one’s dreams to care for another. But it is always, in some way, even when it is not recognized as such, an expression of our belief that God has first loved us in Christ. Otherwise it is not Christian love at all but an attempt either to polish our egos or hedge our fears.
Today as we celebrate Harvest Thanksgiving we are reminded that in spite of all of our toil or ingenuity the providence of God must still provide us with our daily bread. Farming, like the ordained ministry, is truly a vocation of faith. We are wholly dependent on Him. In the same way the spiritual harvest is dependent on His word. But we have the assurance He will not fail. Isaiah says, “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is My word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”5
The word never returns empty even when we cannot appreciate what has been achieved. We might even be insensitive to the word’s work on us. We may feel unmoved or indifferent but God promises we will not be unaffected. The sacrament of Holy Communion is a great example today. Christ chose the fruit of the vine to be the carrier of the fruit of His passion. The wine of the vineyard bears the blood that was sacrificed. It’s more than an informed choice. It’s a nexus of the fruit of creation with the sacrifice of redemption.
Just as Jesus wined the water of Cana lifting it beyond the ordinary, so He consecrates the wine of the vineyard investing it with the sacred. Surely there is no better way to celebrate God’s bounty at Harvest Thanksgiving than to receive the nourishment that also benefits us for the life to come. Our spiritual life is not sustained by the yield of orchards and paddocks but by the fruit of His veins. The Garden of Eden is re-entered through this sacrament opened by His death and resurrection.
Today the residents of Nazareth attempted to throw Jesus off a cliff. It was a preview of the rejection He would face at His trial and crucifixion. But in the end it was Satan who was thrown down when Christ was lifted up on the cross. The royal Seed of Abraham was buried in the soil of Golgotha and in His death provided the power for new life to spring. The tomb of Jesus was no crypt, only the seedbed for the firstfruits6 of the resurrection. In that resurrection we have our part. Thanks be to God! Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Fourth Sunday After the Epiphany
(Harvest Thanksgiving)
3 February 2013
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Romans 3:22
2 Matthew 4:17
3 Romans 6:11
4 1 Corinthians 13:4-5, 7
5 Isaiah 55:10-11
6 See 1 Corinthians 15:20
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Third Sunday After Epiphany (C) 2013
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 4:18
Theme: Release for the Oppressed
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Jesus was hardly a hometown hero. It appears most residents of Nazareth thought His ego had gotten a little too big. It’s easy to understand why. He preaches at the synagogue soon after His baptism. They hadn’t yet witnessed His miracles. He hadn’t yet acquired a name for Himself. And still He tells them that He is the fulfillment of the Scriptures- the long-awaited Messiah. It was a bold proposition- a lot to consider.
Those first century hearers of Jesus were at the threshold of the transition from the era of the old covenant to that of the new. We can hardly expect them to fully understand what Jesus had come to fulfill. His death and resurrection were the defining events of history. They still lay ahead. We have the benefit of hindsight which they did not possess. Nevertheless, faithful Jews should have been expecting the Messiah and soon people began making the relevant associations with Jesus.
In spite of the hindsight we enjoy we’re no less sinners than people of any era. The sinful nature remains fundamentally unchanged. For example, it is difficult for us as sinners to give up the juvenile idea that we can keep secrets from God. If other people aren’t privy to our faults than it allows us to sit as judge and jury over our own transgressions. It’s a dangerous deception. When the accusation of God’s law corners you, you have nowhere to hide. He knows your shortcomings. He knows your selfish motivations.
Yes, there are within your heart those deep, inaccessible enclaves reached only via a twisting and turning labyrinth where no one knows the entrance point or the exit. Such darkness may dwell there that you hope to never find the way there yourself. But the gaze of the Almighty pierces through as if your armor were transparent. The Scripture says, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”1
All are accountable. But Christ came to show how things could be resolved. While addressing the hometown crowd Jesus pulled no punches. Explaining the words of Isaiah Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”2
Here Christ indicates that He will become the answer to every doubt and the solver of every crisis. Ultimately He brings release from sin’s power and consequences.
We might just consider the problem of guilt. Guilt fills us with regret. It turns us inward and cripples our ability to think clearly. If we think there is no resolution we may begin to lose hope. Guilt should not be wished away or forever ignored. In the end some people even try to blame God. Even for many Christians the defining image of God is that of a judgmental ogre who finally demands moral rectitude from His subjects. For others God is like a lenient grandfather who condones or excuses all of our transgressions. Both miss the point almost entirely because the person and work of Christ is lost sight of.
Yes, God does demand perfect obedience to the law on penalty of eternal death. But Christ has fulfilled God’s law for us. And His substitutionary death atones for our guilt. Hear the word of God again: Christ has come to release the oppressed. The defining image of God is seen at the crucifixion. There we see humility and sacrifice in purity and truth. And this truth is not just theoretical, it is not abstract; it changes things. It transforms us.
Hear the words of the apostle, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above…set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”3 Now this is a remarkable turn of events. The unbeliever seeks to hide from God. The Christian is now hidden in Christ. The sinner flees. The believer takes refuge. In what manner, then, are you hidden with Christ?
You’re not leading a clandestine Christianity. You’re not part of a secret cult. Your faith is on display for the world to see. You’re now free to live on behalf of others. But this is nonsensical to the world and even the Christian has to grasp it by faith. Spiritually raised already, you look forward to a bodily resurrection made possible by Christ’s resurrection. You are hidden from sin’s condemning power because you are shadowed by the cross. You are also concealed from Satan’s accusations because Christ has answered for you. And He continues to intercede on your behalf.
You can now have purpose and meaning in life that is not self-focused. You can avoid being a pawn in secular game of chess or just another rat in the rat-race of life. You can be confident as St. Paul says “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.”4 The Holy Spirit leads us in our daily struggle. The Holy Spirit cannot be programed, but He does not choose to work haphazardly or directly. The Spirit does not handle things on an ad hoc basis and He doesn’t operate without means. He works purposefully and Scripturally.
This should be a great comfort to us but it also eliminates the often-cherished desire of exceptional contact with the Holy Spirit. That is, we have no basis to think that the Holy Spirit moves, directs, or enlightens us independently, apart from the word of God- and specifically the word as it reveals God’s will in Christ. Certainty is not based on an instinctive sense we have about what the Spirit wills. Certainty stands on what is written.
Dear friends, it is a marvelous thing that Christianity is communal. You are part of the body of Christ. You are a living stone in His temple,5 a worker in His vineyard, a guest at his wedding banquet, a diner at His sacred table. Your identity is defined baptismally. You are a new creature in Christ called to live in the scheme of this old eon. You live in the temporal with the power of the eternal.
And you don’t simply just live; you are salt and light in the world. You are a reflected ray of light that shines into someone’s darkness. You are an anchor of hope that lifts someone sinking in despair. You are a bearer of peace for someone captive to a life of turmoil. These aren’t your own natural capabilities but the result of Christ living in you by faith. Jesus says, “Blessed are the meek.”6 “Blessed are the merciful.”7 “Blessed are the peacemakers.”8 He is not only the standard but the source and substance.
Probably few that day in Nazareth could have guessed that when Jesus was crucified outside of Jerusalem a reference to their town would hang over His cross: “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”9 But it’s not our prerogative to second-guess the intentions of God. It’s our privilege to be embraced by His love. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Third Sunday After the Epiphany
27 January 2013
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Hebrews 4:13
2 Luke 4:18-19
3 Colossians 3:1-4
4 Philippians 1:6 5 See 1 Peter 2:5 6 Matthew 5:5
7 Matthew 5:7 8 Matthew 5:9 9 John 19:19
Text: Luke 4:18
Theme: Release for the Oppressed
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Jesus was hardly a hometown hero. It appears most residents of Nazareth thought His ego had gotten a little too big. It’s easy to understand why. He preaches at the synagogue soon after His baptism. They hadn’t yet witnessed His miracles. He hadn’t yet acquired a name for Himself. And still He tells them that He is the fulfillment of the Scriptures- the long-awaited Messiah. It was a bold proposition- a lot to consider.
Those first century hearers of Jesus were at the threshold of the transition from the era of the old covenant to that of the new. We can hardly expect them to fully understand what Jesus had come to fulfill. His death and resurrection were the defining events of history. They still lay ahead. We have the benefit of hindsight which they did not possess. Nevertheless, faithful Jews should have been expecting the Messiah and soon people began making the relevant associations with Jesus.
In spite of the hindsight we enjoy we’re no less sinners than people of any era. The sinful nature remains fundamentally unchanged. For example, it is difficult for us as sinners to give up the juvenile idea that we can keep secrets from God. If other people aren’t privy to our faults than it allows us to sit as judge and jury over our own transgressions. It’s a dangerous deception. When the accusation of God’s law corners you, you have nowhere to hide. He knows your shortcomings. He knows your selfish motivations.
Yes, there are within your heart those deep, inaccessible enclaves reached only via a twisting and turning labyrinth where no one knows the entrance point or the exit. Such darkness may dwell there that you hope to never find the way there yourself. But the gaze of the Almighty pierces through as if your armor were transparent. The Scripture says, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”1
All are accountable. But Christ came to show how things could be resolved. While addressing the hometown crowd Jesus pulled no punches. Explaining the words of Isaiah Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”2
Here Christ indicates that He will become the answer to every doubt and the solver of every crisis. Ultimately He brings release from sin’s power and consequences.
We might just consider the problem of guilt. Guilt fills us with regret. It turns us inward and cripples our ability to think clearly. If we think there is no resolution we may begin to lose hope. Guilt should not be wished away or forever ignored. In the end some people even try to blame God. Even for many Christians the defining image of God is that of a judgmental ogre who finally demands moral rectitude from His subjects. For others God is like a lenient grandfather who condones or excuses all of our transgressions. Both miss the point almost entirely because the person and work of Christ is lost sight of.
Yes, God does demand perfect obedience to the law on penalty of eternal death. But Christ has fulfilled God’s law for us. And His substitutionary death atones for our guilt. Hear the word of God again: Christ has come to release the oppressed. The defining image of God is seen at the crucifixion. There we see humility and sacrifice in purity and truth. And this truth is not just theoretical, it is not abstract; it changes things. It transforms us.
Hear the words of the apostle, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above…set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”3 Now this is a remarkable turn of events. The unbeliever seeks to hide from God. The Christian is now hidden in Christ. The sinner flees. The believer takes refuge. In what manner, then, are you hidden with Christ?
You’re not leading a clandestine Christianity. You’re not part of a secret cult. Your faith is on display for the world to see. You’re now free to live on behalf of others. But this is nonsensical to the world and even the Christian has to grasp it by faith. Spiritually raised already, you look forward to a bodily resurrection made possible by Christ’s resurrection. You are hidden from sin’s condemning power because you are shadowed by the cross. You are also concealed from Satan’s accusations because Christ has answered for you. And He continues to intercede on your behalf.
You can now have purpose and meaning in life that is not self-focused. You can avoid being a pawn in secular game of chess or just another rat in the rat-race of life. You can be confident as St. Paul says “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.”4 The Holy Spirit leads us in our daily struggle. The Holy Spirit cannot be programed, but He does not choose to work haphazardly or directly. The Spirit does not handle things on an ad hoc basis and He doesn’t operate without means. He works purposefully and Scripturally.
This should be a great comfort to us but it also eliminates the often-cherished desire of exceptional contact with the Holy Spirit. That is, we have no basis to think that the Holy Spirit moves, directs, or enlightens us independently, apart from the word of God- and specifically the word as it reveals God’s will in Christ. Certainty is not based on an instinctive sense we have about what the Spirit wills. Certainty stands on what is written.
Dear friends, it is a marvelous thing that Christianity is communal. You are part of the body of Christ. You are a living stone in His temple,5 a worker in His vineyard, a guest at his wedding banquet, a diner at His sacred table. Your identity is defined baptismally. You are a new creature in Christ called to live in the scheme of this old eon. You live in the temporal with the power of the eternal.
And you don’t simply just live; you are salt and light in the world. You are a reflected ray of light that shines into someone’s darkness. You are an anchor of hope that lifts someone sinking in despair. You are a bearer of peace for someone captive to a life of turmoil. These aren’t your own natural capabilities but the result of Christ living in you by faith. Jesus says, “Blessed are the meek.”6 “Blessed are the merciful.”7 “Blessed are the peacemakers.”8 He is not only the standard but the source and substance.
Probably few that day in Nazareth could have guessed that when Jesus was crucified outside of Jerusalem a reference to their town would hang over His cross: “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”9 But it’s not our prerogative to second-guess the intentions of God. It’s our privilege to be embraced by His love. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Third Sunday After the Epiphany
27 January 2013
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Hebrews 4:13
2 Luke 4:18-19
3 Colossians 3:1-4
4 Philippians 1:6 5 See 1 Peter 2:5 6 Matthew 5:5
7 Matthew 5:7 8 Matthew 5:9 9 John 19:19
Monday, January 21, 2013
Second Sunday After Epiphany (C) 2013
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 2:2
Theme: A Hallowed Guest
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Some people have a flair for the dramatic. Most at least have a fascination with it. Unfortunately this is usually an expression of our sinful natures. Yet God, who holds the potential for drama beyond our wildest imaginations, is characteristically unpretentious.
Jesus’ first public sign occurred at a wedding banquet. Weddings always carry the opportunity for drama. But Jesus is unassuming. He doesn’t make a spectacle. He doesn’t announce ahead of time that He is going to perform a miracle. He quietly blesses their celebration and in so doing subtly reveals Himself as the Messiah.
When you study the signs and miracles Jesus performed in the New Testament you will notice that He never advertises them first. He doesn’t look to draw a crowd. He doesn’t use hype. It was common practice in ancient times to make table wine by adding water to the thick syrupy vintage stored for long term keeping. At wedding celebrations- which typically ran for days- the poorer wine was normally served last. But for this honoured couple in Cana Jesus provides a delightful surprise. Nothing He put His hand to was ever second-rate.
Jesus’ presence at the wedding of Cana reminds us that God instituted and blesses marriage. Furthermore, from the beginning to the end of the biblical witness marriage is used as an analogy to describe the relationship between God, the husband, and His people, the bride. Yet the history of humanity has a sad spiritual record and tells a sorry nuptial tale. It’s a litany full of disappointment and angst, betrayal, regret and renewal. Think of the centuries and centuries of steadfast patience displayed as the Almighty stood by His chosen people.
Now we are part of the saga. We are descendants of Adam and like him have rebellious and selfish natures. It’s not just that we are prone to unfaithfulness- we inherit it! Many places the Old Testament calls insolence and spiritual unfaithfulness adultery. Every motivation we pursue that caters to our self-centeredness is a departure from the covenant of His unconditional love. There is more than enough here to occupy our repentance. Yet God remains a faithful husband to His bride in spite of her faults, failings, and even unfaithfulness.
At the Cana wedding Mary didn’t know the details of what Jesus planned to do but she knew He was capable. Her advice to the servants remains the simple directive of faith and obedience. “Do whatever He tells you,”1 she said. Faith does not question the motives of God but delights in following His ways. As such it is always active in seeking our neighbours’ welfare. Our activities of faith are not orchestrated by the determination of our will but flow automatically from gratitude for God’s mercy. Even when opposed and frowned on by the world we commit our way to God who alone has the power to judge the motives of hearts. We draw strength and encouragement from fellow believers as together we travel through the valley of the shadow of death.
Even when we cannot fully discern or understand what God is accomplishing or the way He brings it to pass we nevertheless learn to patiently wait on His promises. There was once a pastor who had a little five year old daughter. The little girl noticed that every time her dad stood behind the pulpit while getting ready to preach he would bow his head for moment before he began. The little girl noticed that he did this every time. So one day after the service the little girl went to her dad and asked him, “Why do you bow your head right before you preach your sermon?” “Well Honey” the preacher answered, “I am asking the Lord to help me preach a good sermon.” The little girl looked up at her father and asked, “Then how come he doesn’t do it?”
Indeed, the Holy Spirit doesn’t disclose every mystery to every person at the same time. Recall what the apostle says today, “There are different kinds of gift but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.”2 Knowledge is a reward of faith but not a prerequisite for it.
Is there not a spiritual lesson that can be drawn from the handling of the wine? Our incompetence is contrasted with Christ’s skillfulness. It is characteristic of humans to take something pure and water it down. We can of our own efforts never attain any measure of spiritual purity. We cannot justify ourselves. We cannot purge the guilt from our souls. But the blood of Christ flows redder than wine. Christ takes that which is corrupted, stained, and fouled and makes it holy, spotless, and pure.
Yes, you, the sinner defiled by immorality, tarnished by selfishness, sullied and polluted by falsehood and greed, racked by regret; you the rebel driven by desire; the renegade not to be trusted; the scoundrel not worthy to be loved; yes, you- you are immaculate, pristine, unblemished; your soul purified by the blood of the Lamb. You are cherished with an uncompromising love, treasured with an immovable affection. You are the object of His sacrifice and passion. You are freed and forgiven- granted a new lease on life.
And how can we speak of the miracle of the wine without thinking of the wine of immortality that we receive straight from the Bridegroom’s table! Holy Communion is not an add-on or ad hoc ritual that serves as a sort of spiritual object lesson. It is a divinely ordained means of participating in the life of God. When you receive Christ’s body and blood you receive the power of His life. Of course the unbelieving heart receives it as a judgmental power. Could one invite more guilt on himself or herself than to despise the sacred body and blood? But the trusting heart receives this power as a means of salvation. Through it we have a preview of the celestial joy to come.
Dear friends, the word of God is unassuming. But it is powerful. It is immensely powerful, infinitely powerful- powerful beyond imagination. Not in the sense that we think of raw, physical strength or force but rather in its potency and persuasion. It sheds light into darkness, brings order out of chaos and turns hostility to peace. It answers Satan’s accusations and bars the gates to hell. The word is powerful because it is inhabited by the mind of Christ and wielded by the Holy Spirit. God’s word is finally the ultimate power because it is the antidote for death. It is a redemptive word because it is living.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ isn’t simply an amazing historical fact- the sensation of which has worn off over the centuries. It is a present reality that gives vitality and hope to all who sojourn in this fallen existence. The crucifixion is the power of forgiveness in our baptism and the resurrection is its life-giving power. The Bible says, “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”3 And again, “In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”4
Jesus chose to be present at a wedding for His first miracle. The sign He performed was a modest epiphany. He chooses to remain united to His people now; present for them and promising a transformation to a heavenly wedding celebration that far exceeds all earthly ones. In His blessed name, Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Second Sunday After the Epiphany
20 January 2013
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 2:5
2 1 Corinthians 12:4-6
3 Romans 4:25
5 1 Peter 1:3
Text: John 2:2
Theme: A Hallowed Guest
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Some people have a flair for the dramatic. Most at least have a fascination with it. Unfortunately this is usually an expression of our sinful natures. Yet God, who holds the potential for drama beyond our wildest imaginations, is characteristically unpretentious.
Jesus’ first public sign occurred at a wedding banquet. Weddings always carry the opportunity for drama. But Jesus is unassuming. He doesn’t make a spectacle. He doesn’t announce ahead of time that He is going to perform a miracle. He quietly blesses their celebration and in so doing subtly reveals Himself as the Messiah.
When you study the signs and miracles Jesus performed in the New Testament you will notice that He never advertises them first. He doesn’t look to draw a crowd. He doesn’t use hype. It was common practice in ancient times to make table wine by adding water to the thick syrupy vintage stored for long term keeping. At wedding celebrations- which typically ran for days- the poorer wine was normally served last. But for this honoured couple in Cana Jesus provides a delightful surprise. Nothing He put His hand to was ever second-rate.
Jesus’ presence at the wedding of Cana reminds us that God instituted and blesses marriage. Furthermore, from the beginning to the end of the biblical witness marriage is used as an analogy to describe the relationship between God, the husband, and His people, the bride. Yet the history of humanity has a sad spiritual record and tells a sorry nuptial tale. It’s a litany full of disappointment and angst, betrayal, regret and renewal. Think of the centuries and centuries of steadfast patience displayed as the Almighty stood by His chosen people.
Now we are part of the saga. We are descendants of Adam and like him have rebellious and selfish natures. It’s not just that we are prone to unfaithfulness- we inherit it! Many places the Old Testament calls insolence and spiritual unfaithfulness adultery. Every motivation we pursue that caters to our self-centeredness is a departure from the covenant of His unconditional love. There is more than enough here to occupy our repentance. Yet God remains a faithful husband to His bride in spite of her faults, failings, and even unfaithfulness.
At the Cana wedding Mary didn’t know the details of what Jesus planned to do but she knew He was capable. Her advice to the servants remains the simple directive of faith and obedience. “Do whatever He tells you,”1 she said. Faith does not question the motives of God but delights in following His ways. As such it is always active in seeking our neighbours’ welfare. Our activities of faith are not orchestrated by the determination of our will but flow automatically from gratitude for God’s mercy. Even when opposed and frowned on by the world we commit our way to God who alone has the power to judge the motives of hearts. We draw strength and encouragement from fellow believers as together we travel through the valley of the shadow of death.
Even when we cannot fully discern or understand what God is accomplishing or the way He brings it to pass we nevertheless learn to patiently wait on His promises. There was once a pastor who had a little five year old daughter. The little girl noticed that every time her dad stood behind the pulpit while getting ready to preach he would bow his head for moment before he began. The little girl noticed that he did this every time. So one day after the service the little girl went to her dad and asked him, “Why do you bow your head right before you preach your sermon?” “Well Honey” the preacher answered, “I am asking the Lord to help me preach a good sermon.” The little girl looked up at her father and asked, “Then how come he doesn’t do it?”
Indeed, the Holy Spirit doesn’t disclose every mystery to every person at the same time. Recall what the apostle says today, “There are different kinds of gift but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.”2 Knowledge is a reward of faith but not a prerequisite for it.
Is there not a spiritual lesson that can be drawn from the handling of the wine? Our incompetence is contrasted with Christ’s skillfulness. It is characteristic of humans to take something pure and water it down. We can of our own efforts never attain any measure of spiritual purity. We cannot justify ourselves. We cannot purge the guilt from our souls. But the blood of Christ flows redder than wine. Christ takes that which is corrupted, stained, and fouled and makes it holy, spotless, and pure.
Yes, you, the sinner defiled by immorality, tarnished by selfishness, sullied and polluted by falsehood and greed, racked by regret; you the rebel driven by desire; the renegade not to be trusted; the scoundrel not worthy to be loved; yes, you- you are immaculate, pristine, unblemished; your soul purified by the blood of the Lamb. You are cherished with an uncompromising love, treasured with an immovable affection. You are the object of His sacrifice and passion. You are freed and forgiven- granted a new lease on life.
And how can we speak of the miracle of the wine without thinking of the wine of immortality that we receive straight from the Bridegroom’s table! Holy Communion is not an add-on or ad hoc ritual that serves as a sort of spiritual object lesson. It is a divinely ordained means of participating in the life of God. When you receive Christ’s body and blood you receive the power of His life. Of course the unbelieving heart receives it as a judgmental power. Could one invite more guilt on himself or herself than to despise the sacred body and blood? But the trusting heart receives this power as a means of salvation. Through it we have a preview of the celestial joy to come.
Dear friends, the word of God is unassuming. But it is powerful. It is immensely powerful, infinitely powerful- powerful beyond imagination. Not in the sense that we think of raw, physical strength or force but rather in its potency and persuasion. It sheds light into darkness, brings order out of chaos and turns hostility to peace. It answers Satan’s accusations and bars the gates to hell. The word is powerful because it is inhabited by the mind of Christ and wielded by the Holy Spirit. God’s word is finally the ultimate power because it is the antidote for death. It is a redemptive word because it is living.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ isn’t simply an amazing historical fact- the sensation of which has worn off over the centuries. It is a present reality that gives vitality and hope to all who sojourn in this fallen existence. The crucifixion is the power of forgiveness in our baptism and the resurrection is its life-giving power. The Bible says, “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”3 And again, “In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”4
Jesus chose to be present at a wedding for His first miracle. The sign He performed was a modest epiphany. He chooses to remain united to His people now; present for them and promising a transformation to a heavenly wedding celebration that far exceeds all earthly ones. In His blessed name, Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Second Sunday After the Epiphany
20 January 2013
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 2:5
2 1 Corinthians 12:4-6
3 Romans 4:25
5 1 Peter 1:3
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