+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti Amen +
Text: Matthew 4:1-11
Theme: The Battle Engaged
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God determines the parameters of reality. He gifts us with faith to believe that, in spite of what we often sense and see, things really are as He says. Wednesday began the Season of Lent. Lent is a time for removing facades, to see things as they are. It entails a march to the apex of the church year. God’s people of old observed the Passover. The saints of the new covenant celebrate Christ’s completion of redemption’s plan. The journey will take us to the lowest depth- the brutal death of God’s own Son- and the highest height, the glory of the resurrection.
The journey begins with a pivotal reality check: Jesus confronts Satan in the wilderness. Many people of this era disconnect already at this point. Satan is happy to be considered an imaginary character. It makes his power of deception that much more potent. Fictitious foes are of little concern to those who already believe they are masters of their own destiny. Such is the mindset of the modern soul so sanitized by rationalism that it often sees scientific empiricism as the final authority. To state the skeptical perspective succinctly: “If science can’t prove it, it doesn’t exist. “
Yet a deep yearning for things spiritual still exists. Here people look not for proof of existence, but value and meaning. Society is so permeated with an ideology of relativism that spirituality too is subjugated to its influence. In practice this means there are no absolutes for the individual when it comes to moral judgments or spiritual assessments. The individual’s perception of how they feel- their sense of fairness or discontent- is the determining factor. This leaves little room for objective truth, standards of right and wrong or categorizations of good and evil. All determinations of value have a fluid premise. It’s difficult to build a house of cards on a platform floating in the sea not to mention unwise to build your house on the sand.
So, for the post-modern, self-referenced cynic it’s not enough to wonder at the magnificent complexity of the universe, the mechanism by which it came to exist must be proven. But, ironically, moral judgments or spiritual valuations require little or no standard of authority. Everything becomes tangled, confused and provisional. Faith becomes a mystical self-awareness, loves becomes tolerance, morality is contextual, and absolutes are nearly completely denied. If all this sounds a little beyond the pale of good common sense, let alone basic Christian teaching, there’s good reason for it. The loonies are taking over the asylum.
Such is the milieu we find ourselves in as we bear witness to the unchanging truth in this turbulent age. Christianity is a tough sell not only because of all the things on offer in a secular, affluent society, but because Christians themselves don’t know or can’t agree on what they believe. Yet, there’s nothing new under the sun. “Did God really say?”1That was the question posed to Eve from the tempter.
Satan was an angel once; a ranking member of that class of spiritual beings created to serve and glorify God. In rebellion he turned a vast company of angels against the Creator. In punishment they are forever banished from God’s kingdom. Their state of residency is called hell. Yet they will not cease their deceptions until Christ returns in glory.
Don’t even consider trying to stand up to Satan on your own. Only foolish arrogance would lead one to believe they can match the devil stride for stride. He’s no fool. But before Christ he must submit. By the Spirit’s word and promise he is driven away. He has no real power over Christ’s own people.
The manner in which Jesus resists Satan is not only exemplary, it is programmatic for Christians. He says, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”2Christ was a man of the book. He quoted the Scriptures. He interpreted the Scriptures. He fulfilled the Scriptures. He validated them as the words of the Spirit, the words of the Father and His own words. Jesus was not confined or limited by the Scriptures, rather He identified with them even as they reveal Him to be their source and centre. He said to the Jews, “These are the Scriptures that testify about Me.”3
In Lent these Scriptures issue to us a non-negotiable call. We cannot live a life that testifies to Christ if we’re living a life of falsehood. We can’t be generous if we’re intentionally self-indulged. We can’t be kind if we’re habitually hard-hearted. We can’t be humble if we’re deliberately seeking praise. We can’t be obedient if we’re enslaved to our worldly agendas. We can make no excuse for our sins or ourselves as sinners. At least not any that will qualify with God. Thank God that in Lent grace is seen clearly for what it is.
Lent is often construed as a time when sinners identify more closely with the humility, suffering, and poverty of Christ. And this is so. More importantly, it is a time to recognize that Jesus was willing to identify with us. Leaving the glory of heaven He came to us in our need. He did not abandon us in our time of desperation. Rather, He was abandoned on the cross. There He became the sacrifice for the sins of the world. There He became your Saviour.
From baptism to the desert, the Jordan to the wilderness: That’s the route to the cross. It’s the way to the promised land. It’s also the itinerary of our Christian life. What does the Bible say about the power and significance of baptism? It is “a life-giving water, rich in grace, and a washing of the new birth in the Holy Spirit,” and our sinful nature “should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned.”4
Dear friends, when you are baptized you are cast into the wilderness; that is, exposed to the attacks of Satan. Yes, this is what the church does to infants who are baptized; children, and, adults young and old. It is what she (the church) must do. The faith of the baptized is confronted head on. You see, unbelievers do not fall within the scope of the devil’s operations because they are already under his power. But Jesus is there, in the wilderness. He is on the front line. If He weren’t we’d immediately be torn to bits. Where He is Satan has no power, death has no sting, and falsehood gets no hearing.
Lent is a time for the refocusing of motivations and priorities. God grant that we would hunger for His word and sacrament with the purity and intensity with which Christ met Satan’s challenge. Satan offered bread (though of the Saviour’s own making), a morsel to satisfy the stomach. We are offered the food of immortality- the true and living bread from heaven- nourishment for the soul.
Especially in Lent we are alert to the fact that Satan doesn’t miss his opportunities. But the equal of Christ he is not. His schemes cannot prevail. The apostle Paul strengthened the Christians in Rome saying, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.”5 Indeed, the head of Satan, that is, his power and rule, have been crushed by the sacrifice and immortality of Jesus the Christ. May this truth fortify our resolve and give peace to our souls during this sacred season. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 Genesis 3:1
2 Matthew 4:4
3 John 5:39
4 Luther’s Small Catechism
5 Romans 16:20
First Sunday in Lent
9 March 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Ash Wednesday 2014
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti Amen +
Text: Joel 2:12-17
Theme: Divine Summons
Dear fellow travelers to the cross,
Christ did not die for fictitious sinners. Ash Wednesday is a call to honesty. Your Redeemer in flesh and blood is God and man for real people needing real help. So if we’re here to simulate an outward show of piety or to touch up the public face of our moral image, then we’ve come only to rehearse a hypocritical and meaningless ritual. God already knows who we are. Lent is a time for transparency of the heart.
The prophet summons people to a sacred fast. Joel’s decree is so urgent the clergy must suspend their regular duties and bride and groom must delay their wedding plans. “Return to Me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning…return to the Lord your God for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love.”1 This is Lent. This is a holy God embracing a frail and damaged humanity.
The theme for our Lenten series this year is “A Wounded Saviour for a Wounded People.” In the coming weeks we’ll take a closer look at how Christ was wounded by betrayal, apathy, denial, mockery, and abandonment during His passion. Isaiah chides the stubborn-hearted saying, “Why do you persist in your rebellion? Your whole head is injured, your whole heart is afflicted. From the sole of your foot to top of your head there is no soundness- only wounds and welts and open sores, not cleansed or bandaged or soothed with oil.”2 This is a sickness unto death.
Ashes are unmistakable symbols of mortality. If you are certain of nothing else in this chaotic and often confusing world of human ideals and aspirations, you can be certain of this: You are dying. In spite of the efforts of cosmetologists to cover it up and some scientist’s hopes to arrest it; you will not stop the process of dying. The disease of sin is terminal. It is not natural; it is the consequence of judgment. What further evidence do we need to drive our repentance? The Holy Spirit intends to drive us into the arms of Christ. In His grip there is life.
Lent is a time for duplicity to meet its mortality. Our secret double-lives often go far beyond the shallow hypocrisy of being respectable citizens by day and self-indulged scoundrels at night. The public life of honourable, professional virtue often coexists with the hidden life of addiction and self-destructive behavior. We know who we are. The prophet issues the categorical call to be freed from the double life. He promises hope and healing not on a whim but on the premise of the blood of the cross. Dear friends, the miracle of His grace means that He receives us not as the people we pretend to be- pious enough to save face publicly- but as the people we really are. He said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick…I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”3
There are no exceptions and no exclusions. No one is too fragile for Christ’s gentleness. No one too scarred for His restorative power. There is no one so far from the church that His arm cannot reach him. There is no one in such darkness that His light cannot find him. No one is so hardened that Christ cannot soften him. God has His time, His ways; His means.
But patience isn’t a particularly common virtue among us. We always want a quick fix; an easy solution. And we’re taught to believe that this can not only magically happen but that we even deserve it. It’s like the man from the back woods of Tennessee who went to the big city and found himself for the first time standing outside of an elevator. He watched as an old, haggard woman hobbled on, and the doors closed. A few minutes later the doors opened and a young, attractive woman marched smartly off. The father quickly yelled to his youngest son, "Billy, go get mother."
There are no quick fixes for real sinners. To expect instant cures shows we do not understand the complexity and depth of the problem. But our Physician of bodies and Curator of souls is equal to the need. He didn’t come to only own our sin, He assumed our humanity. Christ is not a personal or family counselor; He is the head of the family. He took to Himself our flesh and blood as the Second Adam so that our reconciliation to the Father would be achieved by one who stood in solidarity with sinners. Therefore His love is not incidental it is resident. “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.”4
And here He abides through His word and sacraments. The baptismal river that first drowned your sinful nature still flows. The cleansing water of the font still washes away your transgressions. It forgives. It heals. It restores. It does so by the death and resurrection of Jesus. The Christian lives between the font and the altar. The Psalmist writes, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.”5 In a secular, mundane and evil world the holy God dines joyfully with His people.
Who sets the table at your house? Perhaps no one sets the table at all because your family, or your children or grandchildren seldom or rarely have meals together. Life in the family of believers is different. Christ sets the table for us. For food He offers Himself. He is life-giving bread. Immortality flows through the blood of His veins. He is the host and He is the meal.
Dear friends, the Scripture says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.”6 Rest assured on this Ash Wednesday that hope is not deferred. Yes, life involves the accumulation of scars. We are a wounded people. But our wounded Saviour is more than up to the task. “He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.”7The time of ashes is temporary. The resurrected life is eternal. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 Joel 2:12-13
2 Isaiah 1:5-6
3 Matthew 9:12-13
4 John 1:14
5 Psalm 23:5
6 Proverbs 13:12
7 Isaiah 53:5
Ash Wednesday
5 March 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Text: Joel 2:12-17
Theme: Divine Summons
Dear fellow travelers to the cross,
Christ did not die for fictitious sinners. Ash Wednesday is a call to honesty. Your Redeemer in flesh and blood is God and man for real people needing real help. So if we’re here to simulate an outward show of piety or to touch up the public face of our moral image, then we’ve come only to rehearse a hypocritical and meaningless ritual. God already knows who we are. Lent is a time for transparency of the heart.
The prophet summons people to a sacred fast. Joel’s decree is so urgent the clergy must suspend their regular duties and bride and groom must delay their wedding plans. “Return to Me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning…return to the Lord your God for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love.”1 This is Lent. This is a holy God embracing a frail and damaged humanity.
The theme for our Lenten series this year is “A Wounded Saviour for a Wounded People.” In the coming weeks we’ll take a closer look at how Christ was wounded by betrayal, apathy, denial, mockery, and abandonment during His passion. Isaiah chides the stubborn-hearted saying, “Why do you persist in your rebellion? Your whole head is injured, your whole heart is afflicted. From the sole of your foot to top of your head there is no soundness- only wounds and welts and open sores, not cleansed or bandaged or soothed with oil.”2 This is a sickness unto death.
Ashes are unmistakable symbols of mortality. If you are certain of nothing else in this chaotic and often confusing world of human ideals and aspirations, you can be certain of this: You are dying. In spite of the efforts of cosmetologists to cover it up and some scientist’s hopes to arrest it; you will not stop the process of dying. The disease of sin is terminal. It is not natural; it is the consequence of judgment. What further evidence do we need to drive our repentance? The Holy Spirit intends to drive us into the arms of Christ. In His grip there is life.
Lent is a time for duplicity to meet its mortality. Our secret double-lives often go far beyond the shallow hypocrisy of being respectable citizens by day and self-indulged scoundrels at night. The public life of honourable, professional virtue often coexists with the hidden life of addiction and self-destructive behavior. We know who we are. The prophet issues the categorical call to be freed from the double life. He promises hope and healing not on a whim but on the premise of the blood of the cross. Dear friends, the miracle of His grace means that He receives us not as the people we pretend to be- pious enough to save face publicly- but as the people we really are. He said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick…I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”3
There are no exceptions and no exclusions. No one is too fragile for Christ’s gentleness. No one too scarred for His restorative power. There is no one so far from the church that His arm cannot reach him. There is no one in such darkness that His light cannot find him. No one is so hardened that Christ cannot soften him. God has His time, His ways; His means.
But patience isn’t a particularly common virtue among us. We always want a quick fix; an easy solution. And we’re taught to believe that this can not only magically happen but that we even deserve it. It’s like the man from the back woods of Tennessee who went to the big city and found himself for the first time standing outside of an elevator. He watched as an old, haggard woman hobbled on, and the doors closed. A few minutes later the doors opened and a young, attractive woman marched smartly off. The father quickly yelled to his youngest son, "Billy, go get mother."
There are no quick fixes for real sinners. To expect instant cures shows we do not understand the complexity and depth of the problem. But our Physician of bodies and Curator of souls is equal to the need. He didn’t come to only own our sin, He assumed our humanity. Christ is not a personal or family counselor; He is the head of the family. He took to Himself our flesh and blood as the Second Adam so that our reconciliation to the Father would be achieved by one who stood in solidarity with sinners. Therefore His love is not incidental it is resident. “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.”4
And here He abides through His word and sacraments. The baptismal river that first drowned your sinful nature still flows. The cleansing water of the font still washes away your transgressions. It forgives. It heals. It restores. It does so by the death and resurrection of Jesus. The Christian lives between the font and the altar. The Psalmist writes, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.”5 In a secular, mundane and evil world the holy God dines joyfully with His people.
Who sets the table at your house? Perhaps no one sets the table at all because your family, or your children or grandchildren seldom or rarely have meals together. Life in the family of believers is different. Christ sets the table for us. For food He offers Himself. He is life-giving bread. Immortality flows through the blood of His veins. He is the host and He is the meal.
Dear friends, the Scripture says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.”6 Rest assured on this Ash Wednesday that hope is not deferred. Yes, life involves the accumulation of scars. We are a wounded people. But our wounded Saviour is more than up to the task. “He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.”7The time of ashes is temporary. The resurrected life is eternal. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 Joel 2:12-13
2 Isaiah 1:5-6
3 Matthew 9:12-13
4 John 1:14
5 Psalm 23:5
6 Proverbs 13:12
7 Isaiah 53:5
Ash Wednesday
5 March 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Monday, March 3, 2014
Transfiguration Of Our Lord (A) 2014
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti Amen +
Text: Matthew 17
Theme: The Living Body
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God may lead us on a mountaintop visit, but He resides with us in the valleys. We may be inspired by high-octane encounters, but our faith is sustained by the more mundane manner of His promise and presence. We are conditioned to expect that supernatural things should leave us gob-smacked, yet the Holy Spirit works miraculously through the word of truth in a most unassuming way. Should we not marvel that in spite of the chaos that presses in God continues to keep some degree of order in the universe!
Today we celebrate that unique event in the earthly life of Jesus called the transfiguration. In a momentary display of glory Christ’s majesty is disclosed to Peter, James, and John. An affirmation of His Sonship by the heavenly Father, it paralleled His baptism in the Jordan River. Present with Jesus are Moses and Elijah. Representing the breadth and depth of the old covenant Jesus summons them to rehearse the coming fulfillment of the plan of salvation. The critical juncture- the cross- is looming.
The church as a living organism is witnessed as Jesus is seen by these three disciples speaking with Moses and Elijah on the mountain. Peter, taken by the magnitude of the experience, wants to stay and savor the moment of splendour. In his desire he exemplifies the logical human longing to know God by experience. Such yearning is never satisfied by miracles, it is only cured by faith. Though they see a glimpse of His majesty as He emanates with light, Jesus’ path to glory will run through the cross. Life is secured through the humility of His sacrifice. We know God, only in Christ, and only through the humble means of word and sacrament.
Dear friends, without the Word there is no certainty. Our hope and salvation reside here and nowhere else. All other certainties we have only possess temporary significance. Yes, we have confidence in the predictability of the laws of nature (which God Himself maintains). We understand the temperature at which water freezes, the gestation period of ewes, the hardness of steel, and the capacity of silicon chips. With high degrees of certainty we traverse the skies, predict the tides, and poison the flies. The accumulated wisdom of experience allows humans to build skyscrapers, rocketships, and supercomputers. Yet not a sparrow falls to the ground apart from the Father’s will and every hair on your head is numbered. The Scripture says of Christ, “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”1
Without the certainty of the word there is no confidence in forgiveness, and finally, no assurance of salvation. We are left to our own devices. We might relish that thought- to be left to our own devices- it seems to be an opportunity, an expression of independence. But soon we stumble in the darkness. Apart from God’s decree we would have to make do with the relative standards of the world. Who makes the rules? Who determines right and wrong? Who is justified and who is condemned and on what basis? How would we know if we were hell-bound sinners or heaven-bound saints? Your conscience can give you a sense of wrong-doing, but the authority to sentence belongs to God. The laws of society can call you out in guilt and shame, yet it is the Holy Spirit using them to convict your heart. Remorse over getting caught in some public indiscretion is not the same as contrition over offending a holy God. We’re not simply civic meddlers, we are hard-core transgressors. We need redeeming.
Apart from the clear declaration of the gospel- the Good News that Jesus Christ has come to make intercession- God would remain an enigma, and ultimately a fear-invoking judge. But the Spirit speaks through the words of Scripture. Saint Peter says today, “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”2 You might ask, “What does this have to do with me?” Everything in every way. God speaks grace and He brings to pass what He promises. “The greatest possible comfort comes from this doctrine that the highest worship in the Gospel is the desire to receive forgiveness of sins, grace, and righteousness.” 3 The promise of your baptism- made by the crucified and risen Christ to you- is a fortress of security amidst the instabilities of life.
Christ never loses concentration. He is single-minded in His compassion. He seeks for you as for a lost sheep. He searches for you as for a lost coin. He hunts for you as for a hidden treasure. He embraces you like a prodigal son. You are the target of His love and the object of His mercy. He didn’t go to the cross merely to attract attention or gain sympathy. He went to square off with death, hell, and Satan. Once they tried to throw Him over a cliff, but today He stands upon the mountain. Once they tried to stone Him, but He became the cornerstone of the eternal kingdom. They taunted Him to come down from the cross, but He hung there and brought down the kingdom of devil.
And yet to the naked eye the meaning of these things is hidden. God wishes to be trusted in this way. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”4If God continually revealed Himself in power and majesty there would be no place for faith. Many would welcome the ‘clarity’ that would bring. But that is not the nature of divine love. God is not the master of Marionettes, but the God who convicts sinners and woos them. His love is not a legalistic system of litigation and mitigation, but a monolith of sheer grace. The crucifixion was not a tragedy salvaged by the selfless act of an opportunistic martyr, but the willful sacrifice of the Lamb of God for the sins of the world.
The Mount of Transfiguration was a prelude to the Hill of Calvary. It was also a glimpse into the “one holy Christian and apostolic church.”5 Moses, Elijah, Peter, James, John, Mary the mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, Adam and Eve, the saints across the centuries; they’re all part of the living entity called the church which spans time and space. Jesus was not on the mountain consulting the dead. He was conferring with members of the church triumphant. We also gather with them in worship as we commune with “angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven.”5 Here we participate already now in eternal realities. May God grant us a rich measure of His Spirit as we still contest temporal obstacles during our journey of faith. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 Colossians 1:17
2 2 Peter 1:20-21
3 AP IV, 310 Tappert
4 John 20:29
5 LH, page 16
Transfiguration of Our Lord
2 March 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Text: Matthew 17
Theme: The Living Body
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God may lead us on a mountaintop visit, but He resides with us in the valleys. We may be inspired by high-octane encounters, but our faith is sustained by the more mundane manner of His promise and presence. We are conditioned to expect that supernatural things should leave us gob-smacked, yet the Holy Spirit works miraculously through the word of truth in a most unassuming way. Should we not marvel that in spite of the chaos that presses in God continues to keep some degree of order in the universe!
Today we celebrate that unique event in the earthly life of Jesus called the transfiguration. In a momentary display of glory Christ’s majesty is disclosed to Peter, James, and John. An affirmation of His Sonship by the heavenly Father, it paralleled His baptism in the Jordan River. Present with Jesus are Moses and Elijah. Representing the breadth and depth of the old covenant Jesus summons them to rehearse the coming fulfillment of the plan of salvation. The critical juncture- the cross- is looming.
The church as a living organism is witnessed as Jesus is seen by these three disciples speaking with Moses and Elijah on the mountain. Peter, taken by the magnitude of the experience, wants to stay and savor the moment of splendour. In his desire he exemplifies the logical human longing to know God by experience. Such yearning is never satisfied by miracles, it is only cured by faith. Though they see a glimpse of His majesty as He emanates with light, Jesus’ path to glory will run through the cross. Life is secured through the humility of His sacrifice. We know God, only in Christ, and only through the humble means of word and sacrament.
Dear friends, without the Word there is no certainty. Our hope and salvation reside here and nowhere else. All other certainties we have only possess temporary significance. Yes, we have confidence in the predictability of the laws of nature (which God Himself maintains). We understand the temperature at which water freezes, the gestation period of ewes, the hardness of steel, and the capacity of silicon chips. With high degrees of certainty we traverse the skies, predict the tides, and poison the flies. The accumulated wisdom of experience allows humans to build skyscrapers, rocketships, and supercomputers. Yet not a sparrow falls to the ground apart from the Father’s will and every hair on your head is numbered. The Scripture says of Christ, “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”1
Without the certainty of the word there is no confidence in forgiveness, and finally, no assurance of salvation. We are left to our own devices. We might relish that thought- to be left to our own devices- it seems to be an opportunity, an expression of independence. But soon we stumble in the darkness. Apart from God’s decree we would have to make do with the relative standards of the world. Who makes the rules? Who determines right and wrong? Who is justified and who is condemned and on what basis? How would we know if we were hell-bound sinners or heaven-bound saints? Your conscience can give you a sense of wrong-doing, but the authority to sentence belongs to God. The laws of society can call you out in guilt and shame, yet it is the Holy Spirit using them to convict your heart. Remorse over getting caught in some public indiscretion is not the same as contrition over offending a holy God. We’re not simply civic meddlers, we are hard-core transgressors. We need redeeming.
Apart from the clear declaration of the gospel- the Good News that Jesus Christ has come to make intercession- God would remain an enigma, and ultimately a fear-invoking judge. But the Spirit speaks through the words of Scripture. Saint Peter says today, “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”2 You might ask, “What does this have to do with me?” Everything in every way. God speaks grace and He brings to pass what He promises. “The greatest possible comfort comes from this doctrine that the highest worship in the Gospel is the desire to receive forgiveness of sins, grace, and righteousness.” 3 The promise of your baptism- made by the crucified and risen Christ to you- is a fortress of security amidst the instabilities of life.
Christ never loses concentration. He is single-minded in His compassion. He seeks for you as for a lost sheep. He searches for you as for a lost coin. He hunts for you as for a hidden treasure. He embraces you like a prodigal son. You are the target of His love and the object of His mercy. He didn’t go to the cross merely to attract attention or gain sympathy. He went to square off with death, hell, and Satan. Once they tried to throw Him over a cliff, but today He stands upon the mountain. Once they tried to stone Him, but He became the cornerstone of the eternal kingdom. They taunted Him to come down from the cross, but He hung there and brought down the kingdom of devil.
And yet to the naked eye the meaning of these things is hidden. God wishes to be trusted in this way. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”4If God continually revealed Himself in power and majesty there would be no place for faith. Many would welcome the ‘clarity’ that would bring. But that is not the nature of divine love. God is not the master of Marionettes, but the God who convicts sinners and woos them. His love is not a legalistic system of litigation and mitigation, but a monolith of sheer grace. The crucifixion was not a tragedy salvaged by the selfless act of an opportunistic martyr, but the willful sacrifice of the Lamb of God for the sins of the world.
The Mount of Transfiguration was a prelude to the Hill of Calvary. It was also a glimpse into the “one holy Christian and apostolic church.”5 Moses, Elijah, Peter, James, John, Mary the mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene, Adam and Eve, the saints across the centuries; they’re all part of the living entity called the church which spans time and space. Jesus was not on the mountain consulting the dead. He was conferring with members of the church triumphant. We also gather with them in worship as we commune with “angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven.”5 Here we participate already now in eternal realities. May God grant us a rich measure of His Spirit as we still contest temporal obstacles during our journey of faith. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 Colossians 1:17
2 2 Peter 1:20-21
3 AP IV, 310 Tappert
4 John 20:29
5 LH, page 16
Transfiguration of Our Lord
2 March 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Seventh Sunday After Epiphany (A) 2014
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti Amen +
Text: Matthew 5:38-48
Theme: Christ and the Law
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God is a patient instructor. If He weren’t we’d all be dismissed from His tutelage. More importantly, He is long-suffering in His compassion. He is faithful to His promise. He steadfastly restores frail and fallen sinners. Christ sees us through our journey from beginning to end. The more we mature in our faith the more we recognize the need for His grace.
In today’s Scripture reading as recorded in Matthew Christ concludes a remarkable interpretation of the Mosaic law. A cursory reading of this chapter could give one the impression that Jesus goes beyond what the law given through Moses demands. For example, He says it’s not enough to refrain from murder, one must not be angry; it’s not enough to refrain from adultery one must not lust; it’s not enough to keep one’s oath, better to not swear at all. Jesus cuts right to the heart of the issue. Christ’s interpretation of the law is not meant to relax the standard or make it sound more achievable. Rather, His explanation of the intent of the law makes it more unattainable still. He is not engaging in clever rhetoric, but a surgically precise diagnosis.
Our sinful nature is always looking for a way to lower the bar; to make the standard more achievable. Yet, whenever our intent is only to meet the letter of the law we’ve failed to see the spirit of the command. If I am able to restrain myself from murdering someone but inwardly I’m seething with rage then I’ve already transgressed the command in a fundamental way. The very root and heart of sin is revealed. We’re not simply dynamic sinners, that is, sinful because of ungodly actions and activities. We are inveterate sinners, that is, we are sinners by nature, from conception. When we sin we’re only being who we naturally are.
God wants us to be other than who we naturally are; godly even in our motivations. Now we must be clear that keeping the law outwardly does have important benefits. Some are obvious. If I’m contemplating murder but I don’t actually carry it out then my victim is spared. If I begrudging pay the taxes I’d rather not pay, the system is still supported. If I give reluctantly to charity the cause is still benefitted. But the issue of motivation is still not solved. You see, we can never be freely or properly motivated by the law. We may obediently concede out of fear of punishment or we may comply out of hope for reward. This can go on for a lifetime in a situation dominated by fear or legalism.
Societies have a long history of making laws, some which soon sound absurd. Here’s a sampling of a few obsolete and current ones. In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts it is against the law to eat peanuts in church. In Baltimore, it’s illegal to take a lion to the movies. In Hartford, Connecticut, you aren't allowed to cross a street while walking on your hands. In Kansas an old law states that you cannot eat snakes on Sunday. A sign in the middle of the Royal Gorge bridge in Colorado, the tallest suspension bridge in the world, rising 1053 feet above the water level: "No Fishing From This Bridge.” Apparently in the outer Melbourne suburb of Brimbank it is against the law to vacuum clean your house between 10pm and 7am on weekdays and 10pm and 9am on weekends, pending an immediate fine. And perhaps the clincher; in 2012 the Queensland LNP Government re-instated the law that makes it illegal for a politician to lie; the law had been abolished by the Labor Government in 2006.
So where do we stand with God’s law, His immutable will? Our Lutheran Confessions say, “Merely preaching the Law, without Christ, either makes proud people, who imagine they can fulfill the Law by outward works, or forces them utterly to despair.”1 God’s law makes demands on us but gives us no power to meet those demands and offers no forgiveness. So, as sinners, we tend to look for loopholes and excuses. “Everybody does it,” is a common rationale even Christians use to justify something unlawful, unethical, or immoral. Bad company corrupts good morals.
So, finally, the Holy Spirit intends to use the law to crush our self-reliance, our selfishness, and all schemes to make excuses for our behavior. Repent, no ifs or buts; Christ then becomes a Saviour. His work then becomes redeeming. He is no longer a tired historical figure or an extraneous moral guru, but the unique and all-sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the world. If there was no act of intervention, no promise that reconciliation had been made, the law would drive us all to hopelessness. It would be an unbearable burden.
But Christ is the end. He is the fulfillment. He is the completion. The cross has the final word. Noting else pays the debt of sin. Easter is pure light, joy, and vitality. All this depends not on us, but on His mercy and power as our Confessions say, “Without His grace, and If He does not grant the increase, our willing and running, our planting, sowing, and watering- are all nothing. As Christ says in John 15:5, ‘Apart from Me you can do nothing.’ With these brief words the Spirit denies free will and its powers and ascribes everything to God’s grace, in order that no one may boast before God.”2
IN HIM you are perfect. In Him you are holy. In Him you are righteous. In Him your obedience is complete. But only in Him. Christ is your righteousness, holiness, and redemption. In baptism you are buried and raised with Him. You are already a citizen of heaven. You already have a place in the heavenly courts. You are fed by His body and blood. You are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses and are supported by a community of believers.
So now, everything is transformed. We’re under the law, but not legalism. We live in grace. We want others to know the life we know. That’s why Jesus could say today, “Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”3 Is such a seemingly extreme view of pacifism realistic? What about self-dense in the interest of protecting a loved one? What about an abusive situation? Remember, your own life is a gift from God that you are charged with taking care of. Christ is not saying to intentionally endanger your own life. But He most certainly is directing believers not to respond in kind. The individual Christian does not respond to violence with violence or aggression with aggression. We are not to be commended for doing only the things unbelievers also do.
The Holy Spirit leads believers in a truly freed life of service. What does the apostle say, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?”4 Christians strive to make a difference in peoples’ lives. It’s no small charge to love selflessly. Christ calls believers salt and light. St. Paul calls them living sacrifices. Christ shines through us.
Dear friends, the Bible says, “Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.”5 It says, “No matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ.”6 Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 Augsburg Confession
2 Formula of Concord
3 Matthew 5:39
4 1 Corinthians 3:16
5 Romans 10:5
6 2 Corinthians 1:20
Seventh Sunday After Epiphany
23 February 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Text: Matthew 5:38-48
Theme: Christ and the Law
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God is a patient instructor. If He weren’t we’d all be dismissed from His tutelage. More importantly, He is long-suffering in His compassion. He is faithful to His promise. He steadfastly restores frail and fallen sinners. Christ sees us through our journey from beginning to end. The more we mature in our faith the more we recognize the need for His grace.
In today’s Scripture reading as recorded in Matthew Christ concludes a remarkable interpretation of the Mosaic law. A cursory reading of this chapter could give one the impression that Jesus goes beyond what the law given through Moses demands. For example, He says it’s not enough to refrain from murder, one must not be angry; it’s not enough to refrain from adultery one must not lust; it’s not enough to keep one’s oath, better to not swear at all. Jesus cuts right to the heart of the issue. Christ’s interpretation of the law is not meant to relax the standard or make it sound more achievable. Rather, His explanation of the intent of the law makes it more unattainable still. He is not engaging in clever rhetoric, but a surgically precise diagnosis.
Our sinful nature is always looking for a way to lower the bar; to make the standard more achievable. Yet, whenever our intent is only to meet the letter of the law we’ve failed to see the spirit of the command. If I am able to restrain myself from murdering someone but inwardly I’m seething with rage then I’ve already transgressed the command in a fundamental way. The very root and heart of sin is revealed. We’re not simply dynamic sinners, that is, sinful because of ungodly actions and activities. We are inveterate sinners, that is, we are sinners by nature, from conception. When we sin we’re only being who we naturally are.
God wants us to be other than who we naturally are; godly even in our motivations. Now we must be clear that keeping the law outwardly does have important benefits. Some are obvious. If I’m contemplating murder but I don’t actually carry it out then my victim is spared. If I begrudging pay the taxes I’d rather not pay, the system is still supported. If I give reluctantly to charity the cause is still benefitted. But the issue of motivation is still not solved. You see, we can never be freely or properly motivated by the law. We may obediently concede out of fear of punishment or we may comply out of hope for reward. This can go on for a lifetime in a situation dominated by fear or legalism.
Societies have a long history of making laws, some which soon sound absurd. Here’s a sampling of a few obsolete and current ones. In the Commonwealth of Massachusetts it is against the law to eat peanuts in church. In Baltimore, it’s illegal to take a lion to the movies. In Hartford, Connecticut, you aren't allowed to cross a street while walking on your hands. In Kansas an old law states that you cannot eat snakes on Sunday. A sign in the middle of the Royal Gorge bridge in Colorado, the tallest suspension bridge in the world, rising 1053 feet above the water level: "No Fishing From This Bridge.” Apparently in the outer Melbourne suburb of Brimbank it is against the law to vacuum clean your house between 10pm and 7am on weekdays and 10pm and 9am on weekends, pending an immediate fine. And perhaps the clincher; in 2012 the Queensland LNP Government re-instated the law that makes it illegal for a politician to lie; the law had been abolished by the Labor Government in 2006.
So where do we stand with God’s law, His immutable will? Our Lutheran Confessions say, “Merely preaching the Law, without Christ, either makes proud people, who imagine they can fulfill the Law by outward works, or forces them utterly to despair.”1 God’s law makes demands on us but gives us no power to meet those demands and offers no forgiveness. So, as sinners, we tend to look for loopholes and excuses. “Everybody does it,” is a common rationale even Christians use to justify something unlawful, unethical, or immoral. Bad company corrupts good morals.
So, finally, the Holy Spirit intends to use the law to crush our self-reliance, our selfishness, and all schemes to make excuses for our behavior. Repent, no ifs or buts; Christ then becomes a Saviour. His work then becomes redeeming. He is no longer a tired historical figure or an extraneous moral guru, but the unique and all-sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the world. If there was no act of intervention, no promise that reconciliation had been made, the law would drive us all to hopelessness. It would be an unbearable burden.
But Christ is the end. He is the fulfillment. He is the completion. The cross has the final word. Noting else pays the debt of sin. Easter is pure light, joy, and vitality. All this depends not on us, but on His mercy and power as our Confessions say, “Without His grace, and If He does not grant the increase, our willing and running, our planting, sowing, and watering- are all nothing. As Christ says in John 15:5, ‘Apart from Me you can do nothing.’ With these brief words the Spirit denies free will and its powers and ascribes everything to God’s grace, in order that no one may boast before God.”2
IN HIM you are perfect. In Him you are holy. In Him you are righteous. In Him your obedience is complete. But only in Him. Christ is your righteousness, holiness, and redemption. In baptism you are buried and raised with Him. You are already a citizen of heaven. You already have a place in the heavenly courts. You are fed by His body and blood. You are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses and are supported by a community of believers.
So now, everything is transformed. We’re under the law, but not legalism. We live in grace. We want others to know the life we know. That’s why Jesus could say today, “Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”3 Is such a seemingly extreme view of pacifism realistic? What about self-dense in the interest of protecting a loved one? What about an abusive situation? Remember, your own life is a gift from God that you are charged with taking care of. Christ is not saying to intentionally endanger your own life. But He most certainly is directing believers not to respond in kind. The individual Christian does not respond to violence with violence or aggression with aggression. We are not to be commended for doing only the things unbelievers also do.
The Holy Spirit leads believers in a truly freed life of service. What does the apostle say, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?”4 Christians strive to make a difference in peoples’ lives. It’s no small charge to love selflessly. Christ calls believers salt and light. St. Paul calls them living sacrifices. Christ shines through us.
Dear friends, the Bible says, “Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.”5 It says, “No matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ.”6 Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 Augsburg Confession
2 Formula of Concord
3 Matthew 5:39
4 1 Corinthians 3:16
5 Romans 10:5
6 2 Corinthians 1:20
Seventh Sunday After Epiphany
23 February 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Christian Burial of Beryl Bullock
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 11:26
Theme: Death Overcome
Dear family, friends and loved ones of Beryl, and especially you Ann, Brian, and Gaynor;
In the end it all happens so quickly and with such finality. In the blink of an eye mortality is realized. A lifetime of struggles and joys, challenges and accomplishments, apologies and restorations suddenly comes to an end. When Beryl was baptized as an infant in Morook no one had any idea where life would take her. Who would she marry? Would her life be full of prosperity or adversity? Would she be blessed with good health or fight illness? Our view into the future is dim and murky at best. But God knew the hardships and joys she would experience, and, more importantly, her final destination. Beryl is a peace. She is at rest. Thanks be to God!
But we struggle on. Nothing should cause us greater humility than to face our mortality. We cannot challenge it. We cannot negotiate with it. We cannot charm it. We cannot circumvent it. We can do nothing at all. Death is no small problem because it doesn’t simply mean that a human life has ceased to exist or that one’s spirit has magically passed into some mystical place. Death is part of the guilt and punishment for sin. The Scripture says, “The wages of sin is death.”1
If God does not have the power over death then the strength of our love and the intensity of our hate; our victories and our failures; our joys and our sorrows only have temporary significance. And many have resigned themselves to accept this very condition. Therefore the world teaches us to live it up now because this is all there is. One comedian put it crassly when he said, “When I die I hope people at my funeral say, ‘That man still owed me a lot of money.’” Though tongue-in-cheek it contains an important element of truth. Why not live while you can at the expense of others! If death has the last word then the future is dark and hope is lost. If death prevails then we are no different than animals. Separation from God will be final.
In times of need it can be comforting to construct an image of God that soothes our hurts and answers our doubts. But the real question is whether or not what we wish about God is actually true or is just wishful thinking, a stereotype, or a misrepresentation? If so, then it’s nothing but a grand deception. Constructing foundations on shifting sand eventually comes to ruin.
There’s only one foundation on which to build. Jesus Christ was crucified for sinners. He bore our guilt. He bore our shame. He exchanged His glory for your depravity. And there on the cross He was abandoned by the Father so that we might not be left as orphans. When many were turning away from Christ because He was an offense to their sensibilities He asked His disciples, “You do not want to leave too, do you?”2 To which Peter replied, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that You are the Holy One of God.”3
Beryl, like believers of every time and age, was saved only by grace. You and I will be no exception either. The gates of heaven cannot be opened by our moral integrity, our generous acts of kindness, our intellectual acuity, or our good intentions. Our politeness, civility, or large-heartedness dos not qualify us. The fortress remains impenetrable except by grace. We are all beggars before the Almighty. And only beggars are received into His kingdom. May the Holy Spirit gently but firmly teach us what this means.
Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies.”4. This truth alone allows joy to overshadow our sorrow. The casket contains Beryl’s bodily remains. These will be resurrected and reunited with her soul on the Last Day. The resurrection is the bedrock of Christian truth. It is our reason for hope. We could never hope to contest the powers of death. But Christ could. He has; He did! God does not fail us in the crucial moment. On that morning, the day after the Sabbath, at dawn, the women went to the grave and the body of Jesus Christ was not in the tomb. His corpse did not meet with decay. After His resurrection more than 500 people at once saw Him alive. He ate with His disciples on different occasions before His ascension.
In one sense we can say that everybody is special in his or her own particular way. We are all unique and Beryl was no exception. She was a special wife to John, a distinctive mother to her children, an irreplaceable grandmother to her grandchildren. She had her passions and interests; bowing, cooking, music. Beryl is also a unique member of the kingdom of God. Yet, in the end, we all have an essential similarity. In the end we’re all reduced to a complete dependence, a need for divine intervention; no exceptions. And that’s what makes the compassion of God so exceptional. It’s His estimation of us that matters. He does not love because we are lovable; He’s not drawn to us. Rather, in the sheer purity of His mercy He makes us objects of His love. Yet not in some distant way; but through His Son in flesh and blood. He loves so deeply and completely that He left the realms of heaven and assumed our human flesh. He did so to suffer, die, and rise again.
Beryl is no more in need of our prayers. She has been freed from the bondage and decay of sin. Easter morning showed life had triumphed. Love had conquered. Death’s grip had been broken. Beryl now understands what Easter means. Not a glimpse. Not a preview. Not a trial; but a complete participation in immortality is what awaits those who believe. The faithful are not guests or visitors in heaven, but residents. It all happens in an instant. The Holy Scripture says, “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.”5 Death has been defeated. May God grant you comfort and strength as you embrace this truth. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Christian Burial of Beryl Dulcie Bullock
17 February 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Romans 6:23
2 John 6:67
3 John 6:68-69
4 John 11:25
5 1 Corinthians 15:51-53
Text: John 11:26
Theme: Death Overcome
Dear family, friends and loved ones of Beryl, and especially you Ann, Brian, and Gaynor;
In the end it all happens so quickly and with such finality. In the blink of an eye mortality is realized. A lifetime of struggles and joys, challenges and accomplishments, apologies and restorations suddenly comes to an end. When Beryl was baptized as an infant in Morook no one had any idea where life would take her. Who would she marry? Would her life be full of prosperity or adversity? Would she be blessed with good health or fight illness? Our view into the future is dim and murky at best. But God knew the hardships and joys she would experience, and, more importantly, her final destination. Beryl is a peace. She is at rest. Thanks be to God!
But we struggle on. Nothing should cause us greater humility than to face our mortality. We cannot challenge it. We cannot negotiate with it. We cannot charm it. We cannot circumvent it. We can do nothing at all. Death is no small problem because it doesn’t simply mean that a human life has ceased to exist or that one’s spirit has magically passed into some mystical place. Death is part of the guilt and punishment for sin. The Scripture says, “The wages of sin is death.”1
If God does not have the power over death then the strength of our love and the intensity of our hate; our victories and our failures; our joys and our sorrows only have temporary significance. And many have resigned themselves to accept this very condition. Therefore the world teaches us to live it up now because this is all there is. One comedian put it crassly when he said, “When I die I hope people at my funeral say, ‘That man still owed me a lot of money.’” Though tongue-in-cheek it contains an important element of truth. Why not live while you can at the expense of others! If death has the last word then the future is dark and hope is lost. If death prevails then we are no different than animals. Separation from God will be final.
In times of need it can be comforting to construct an image of God that soothes our hurts and answers our doubts. But the real question is whether or not what we wish about God is actually true or is just wishful thinking, a stereotype, or a misrepresentation? If so, then it’s nothing but a grand deception. Constructing foundations on shifting sand eventually comes to ruin.
There’s only one foundation on which to build. Jesus Christ was crucified for sinners. He bore our guilt. He bore our shame. He exchanged His glory for your depravity. And there on the cross He was abandoned by the Father so that we might not be left as orphans. When many were turning away from Christ because He was an offense to their sensibilities He asked His disciples, “You do not want to leave too, do you?”2 To which Peter replied, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that You are the Holy One of God.”3
Beryl, like believers of every time and age, was saved only by grace. You and I will be no exception either. The gates of heaven cannot be opened by our moral integrity, our generous acts of kindness, our intellectual acuity, or our good intentions. Our politeness, civility, or large-heartedness dos not qualify us. The fortress remains impenetrable except by grace. We are all beggars before the Almighty. And only beggars are received into His kingdom. May the Holy Spirit gently but firmly teach us what this means.
Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies.”4. This truth alone allows joy to overshadow our sorrow. The casket contains Beryl’s bodily remains. These will be resurrected and reunited with her soul on the Last Day. The resurrection is the bedrock of Christian truth. It is our reason for hope. We could never hope to contest the powers of death. But Christ could. He has; He did! God does not fail us in the crucial moment. On that morning, the day after the Sabbath, at dawn, the women went to the grave and the body of Jesus Christ was not in the tomb. His corpse did not meet with decay. After His resurrection more than 500 people at once saw Him alive. He ate with His disciples on different occasions before His ascension.
In one sense we can say that everybody is special in his or her own particular way. We are all unique and Beryl was no exception. She was a special wife to John, a distinctive mother to her children, an irreplaceable grandmother to her grandchildren. She had her passions and interests; bowing, cooking, music. Beryl is also a unique member of the kingdom of God. Yet, in the end, we all have an essential similarity. In the end we’re all reduced to a complete dependence, a need for divine intervention; no exceptions. And that’s what makes the compassion of God so exceptional. It’s His estimation of us that matters. He does not love because we are lovable; He’s not drawn to us. Rather, in the sheer purity of His mercy He makes us objects of His love. Yet not in some distant way; but through His Son in flesh and blood. He loves so deeply and completely that He left the realms of heaven and assumed our human flesh. He did so to suffer, die, and rise again.
Beryl is no more in need of our prayers. She has been freed from the bondage and decay of sin. Easter morning showed life had triumphed. Love had conquered. Death’s grip had been broken. Beryl now understands what Easter means. Not a glimpse. Not a preview. Not a trial; but a complete participation in immortality is what awaits those who believe. The faithful are not guests or visitors in heaven, but residents. It all happens in an instant. The Holy Scripture says, “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.”5 Death has been defeated. May God grant you comfort and strength as you embrace this truth. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Christian Burial of Beryl Dulcie Bullock
17 February 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Romans 6:23
2 John 6:67
3 John 6:68-69
4 John 11:25
5 1 Corinthians 15:51-53
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Harvest Thanksgiving (A) 2014
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti Amen +
Text: Luke 17:16
Theme: Giving Thanks
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
In the beginning there were no weeds. There were no droughts. There were no crop failures. There were no famines. While we might not be strangers to crop failures and droughts, we’re certainly not familiar with starvation. But parts of the world are. Starvation is a direct and ugly consequence of sin. We must be nourished-and in a timely manner- or we perish. Food security is understandably a high priority for developed nations, but ingratitude is the consequential danger. Harvest Thanksgiving is an appropriate time to reflect upon the blessings we have from God in Christ. The Scripture says, “Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.”1
Harvest Thanksgiving is an observance that has ancient roots. Two of the three major festivals of the Israelites related directly to agriculture. God commands the Israelites through Moses saying, “Take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the Lord your God is giving you…then go to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for His Name…and set it down in front of the altar of the Lord your God.”2 The created order reflects God’s goodness in this way. In David’s Psalms creation is often personified in praise of the Creator. He says today, “The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing.”3
Harvest thanksgiving, therefore, involves a return to the foundations. Adam was made from the dust of the earth. That same earth would sustain him by the sweat of his brow. In a world in which a greater and greater percentage of the world’s population is becoming ignorant of how food is produced our recognition of God’s blessing in this regard is more important than ever. Survival TV shows have been popular in recent years but how may could really manage if they had to fend for themselves? Are we as self-sufficient as we think we are?
Gratitude for our daily provisions is one of the most basic responses of faith. Ingratitude is no trivial transgression. Today’s account of the lepers is a pertinent illustration. One out of ten isn’t a particularly good statistic for an attainable objective. Yet that was the case with ten lepers cured by the Physician of bodies and Healer of souls. Only one was reawakened in faith. Only one returned to give thanks. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet. It’s noteworthy that he was a Samaritan. Christ never missed an opportunity to warn the Jews that their ancestry was no free ticket to heaven. Conversely, the Gentiles were given access to the kingdom by grace through faith.
The teachings of Jesus are replete with agricultural analogies. He makes a petition for daily bread a central part of the Lord’s Prayer. Luther explains how this relates to thankfulness in the Fourth Petition. “God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people, but we pray in this petition that God would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.” Why? Lest we become callous and presumptuous!
Greed is one of the most prevalent expressions of sin. What is the limit of material prosperity? Would it ever be enough? Even if we had the whole world under our control we could never experience, understand, or enjoy what it had to offer. It would be far beyond our capacity. If we tried to indulge everything available we would not be happy. Instead we would become riddled with anxiety, lose a sense of purpose, and lament all that we had missed out on. The Scriptures tutor us to be content.
Gratitude is a movement of the heart. For the believer it should also become a priority of the mind and an exercise of the will. That is, we should become habitual paragons of thankfulness. Gratefulness is a particularly becoming fruit of the Spirit. Despite all claims or protests to the contrary, it doesn’t come naturally. The appearance of gratefulness can be self-serving. Hypocrisy often communicates with politeness. The Pharisees were whitewashed tombs, and many people honoured Jesus with their lips while their hearts were far from Him.
But hypocrisy doesn’t exclude exploitation. Sinners don’t necessarily avoid God; they just seek to manage Him. People sought to make Jesus their breadwinner by force. It seemed to be a prudent public policy. If He was willing and able to feed more than 5000 from meager means what other qualifications did He need? How the nation would flourish under His miraculous power! Instead, God mediates our daily bread. He blesses us with the ability to work. And for this we are thankful. Through the vocations God provides we are truly able to serve our neighbour. In our serving we are truly salt and light.
The leper threw himself at Jesus’ feet in heartfelt gratitude. Let us follow his example and cast ourselves upon the mercy of Christ. From Him we receive forgiveness, life and salvation. He has given us His identity in baptism. He has sent to us the Holy Spirit for comfort and counsel. He continues to empower and nourish us with His truth in the bread and wine of His heavenly meal. The fruit of the vine carries the blood of the cross; the bread grown from the soil holds His sacrificed body. The former sustain the life of the body, the latter the life of body and soul.
Adam and Eve could eat fruit from every tree but one. That tree brought death. So, too, we now receive life from only the one tree, the tree on which was hung the Saviour of the world. The Tree of Life was relocated from the Garden of Eden to Calvary. The Bible says, “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness.”4 Christ is the firstborn from the dead, the “firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”5 He ascended to the throne of the Father victorious over the grave. We share in His victory. Our resurrection awaits us. Jesus says, “Behold, I am coming soon…Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.”6 “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His mercy endures forever.”7
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 Hebrews 12:28
2 Deuteronomy 26:2, 4
3 Psalm 65:13
4 1 Peter 2:24
5 1 Corinthians 15:20
6 Revelation 22:16
7 Psalm 107:1
Sixth Sunday After Epiphany
Harvest Thanksgiving
16 February 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Text: Luke 17:16
Theme: Giving Thanks
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
In the beginning there were no weeds. There were no droughts. There were no crop failures. There were no famines. While we might not be strangers to crop failures and droughts, we’re certainly not familiar with starvation. But parts of the world are. Starvation is a direct and ugly consequence of sin. We must be nourished-and in a timely manner- or we perish. Food security is understandably a high priority for developed nations, but ingratitude is the consequential danger. Harvest Thanksgiving is an appropriate time to reflect upon the blessings we have from God in Christ. The Scripture says, “Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.”1
Harvest Thanksgiving is an observance that has ancient roots. Two of the three major festivals of the Israelites related directly to agriculture. God commands the Israelites through Moses saying, “Take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the Lord your God is giving you…then go to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for His Name…and set it down in front of the altar of the Lord your God.”2 The created order reflects God’s goodness in this way. In David’s Psalms creation is often personified in praise of the Creator. He says today, “The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing.”3
Harvest thanksgiving, therefore, involves a return to the foundations. Adam was made from the dust of the earth. That same earth would sustain him by the sweat of his brow. In a world in which a greater and greater percentage of the world’s population is becoming ignorant of how food is produced our recognition of God’s blessing in this regard is more important than ever. Survival TV shows have been popular in recent years but how may could really manage if they had to fend for themselves? Are we as self-sufficient as we think we are?
Gratitude for our daily provisions is one of the most basic responses of faith. Ingratitude is no trivial transgression. Today’s account of the lepers is a pertinent illustration. One out of ten isn’t a particularly good statistic for an attainable objective. Yet that was the case with ten lepers cured by the Physician of bodies and Healer of souls. Only one was reawakened in faith. Only one returned to give thanks. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet. It’s noteworthy that he was a Samaritan. Christ never missed an opportunity to warn the Jews that their ancestry was no free ticket to heaven. Conversely, the Gentiles were given access to the kingdom by grace through faith.
The teachings of Jesus are replete with agricultural analogies. He makes a petition for daily bread a central part of the Lord’s Prayer. Luther explains how this relates to thankfulness in the Fourth Petition. “God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people, but we pray in this petition that God would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.” Why? Lest we become callous and presumptuous!
Greed is one of the most prevalent expressions of sin. What is the limit of material prosperity? Would it ever be enough? Even if we had the whole world under our control we could never experience, understand, or enjoy what it had to offer. It would be far beyond our capacity. If we tried to indulge everything available we would not be happy. Instead we would become riddled with anxiety, lose a sense of purpose, and lament all that we had missed out on. The Scriptures tutor us to be content.
Gratitude is a movement of the heart. For the believer it should also become a priority of the mind and an exercise of the will. That is, we should become habitual paragons of thankfulness. Gratefulness is a particularly becoming fruit of the Spirit. Despite all claims or protests to the contrary, it doesn’t come naturally. The appearance of gratefulness can be self-serving. Hypocrisy often communicates with politeness. The Pharisees were whitewashed tombs, and many people honoured Jesus with their lips while their hearts were far from Him.
But hypocrisy doesn’t exclude exploitation. Sinners don’t necessarily avoid God; they just seek to manage Him. People sought to make Jesus their breadwinner by force. It seemed to be a prudent public policy. If He was willing and able to feed more than 5000 from meager means what other qualifications did He need? How the nation would flourish under His miraculous power! Instead, God mediates our daily bread. He blesses us with the ability to work. And for this we are thankful. Through the vocations God provides we are truly able to serve our neighbour. In our serving we are truly salt and light.
The leper threw himself at Jesus’ feet in heartfelt gratitude. Let us follow his example and cast ourselves upon the mercy of Christ. From Him we receive forgiveness, life and salvation. He has given us His identity in baptism. He has sent to us the Holy Spirit for comfort and counsel. He continues to empower and nourish us with His truth in the bread and wine of His heavenly meal. The fruit of the vine carries the blood of the cross; the bread grown from the soil holds His sacrificed body. The former sustain the life of the body, the latter the life of body and soul.
Adam and Eve could eat fruit from every tree but one. That tree brought death. So, too, we now receive life from only the one tree, the tree on which was hung the Saviour of the world. The Tree of Life was relocated from the Garden of Eden to Calvary. The Bible says, “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness.”4 Christ is the firstborn from the dead, the “firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”5 He ascended to the throne of the Father victorious over the grave. We share in His victory. Our resurrection awaits us. Jesus says, “Behold, I am coming soon…Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.”6 “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His mercy endures forever.”7
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 Hebrews 12:28
2 Deuteronomy 26:2, 4
3 Psalm 65:13
4 1 Peter 2:24
5 1 Corinthians 15:20
6 Revelation 22:16
7 Psalm 107:1
Sixth Sunday After Epiphany
Harvest Thanksgiving
16 February 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Fifth Sunday After Epiphany (A) 2014
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti Amen +
Text: Matthew 5:13-16
Theme: Christ’s Salt And Light
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God is not quantifiable. His power cannot be measured. His wisdom cannot be fathomed. His compassion has no limits. These truths are vivid reminders of our miniscule status in relation to the Almighty. We cannot sit back and analyze God objectively. We are fragile dust. He is infinite and indestructible power. He is the Creator. We are His handiwork. Our access to Him hinges completely on the person and work of Christ. Jesus is the true image of the Father and the embodiment of sinless humanity.
The unchanging truth for each new generation is that there will never be any other way to approach Him. We can banter around all kinds of opinions and speculations. We can exalt our great learning and acumen. We can praise the great inventions and achievements of society. We can promote our optimism for the future of technology. Yet all the cumulative wisdom of humanity is silenced by one word from the Almighty. Guilty! Give an account of your rebellion. Explain your self-centeredness. Justify your neglect of others. Defend your disregard for God’s truth. How will you face the judgment? Death is your punishment. The Scripture says, “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.”1
There is no civil or well-intentioned way to opt out of this condemnation. We are called to repent. Denial of God doesn’t require washing your hands like Pilate, planting the fatal kiss like Judas, or repudiating the Saviour like Peter. It may involve only you and your neighbour. The place where our confidence lies, the place we look to for help- there is found either God or an idol. All are bound to one or the other. There’s no use whitewashing falsehood. Yet it is the way the world is bound to operate.
The church cannot compete with the world on the world’s terms. Nor should it try to. The world wants to sell you something. It has its own agenda. It makes its own rules. The church has Christ’s agenda. It lives from and follows His truth. The uncertain, ambivalent, and apathetic can never be wooed by a life of discipleship that sounds more enticing than what the world has to offer. No matter how you dress it up, make it sound exciting, or allege that one is missing out by not being part of the Christian church the attempt is misguided. Explanations of cross-bearing are not evangelism tools.
The ego must be slain. The puffed up personality must be deflated. The Holy Spirit must crucify the sinful nature. Then we can see clearly with the eyes of faith. Then we see the cross changes things in a radical, unequivocal way. The apostle Paul said today, “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”2
Then we see everything from a different perspective. We learn both what it means that we are salt and light and that the struggle of life has eternal consequences for ourselves and others. Salt can become contaminated. It then becomes useless. Light that is coved up serves no purpose. The vicinity remains in darkness. With these analogies Christ encourages His people in their public witness.
The believer is justified in an instant and faith is created in an instant and both are complete. They are the perfect work of the Spirit. They cannot be augmented or altered by human input. But mature faith takes time and struggle. Rome was not built in a day and neither can wisdom become accumulated in an instant. We are tested and tried, refined and reworked. Christians are not trophy pieces God tucks away in some cosmic display case. We are in the midst of competition, the heat of battle, and the struggle of pilgrimage. We are followers, voyagers, and battlers because this world is fallen and evil is prevalent. The tares grow with the wheat, the goats are mixed with the sheep, and the good fish swim with the bad. But the Lord knows those who are His3. And the devil can make a pretty good guess too.
Satan never relaxes in some distant corner of hell. He prowls about among the people of God with subtlety and full of devious intent. No one gets a free pass from His temptations. He knows just when to inflame our anger, fuel our insensitivity, prompt our dishonesty, and support us in our self-righteousness. His ploys drive us back to God’s word and cause us to seek His forgiveness. In this way God uses Satan as His lackey to purify our faith.
The Christian never advances past struggling with temptation. The tension between the Old Adam and the regenerate life always remains. There is no way to leave the cross in the past. Believers are always becoming. We have never arrived; not in this life. Even the resurrection doesn’t relieve us of our fallen condition. We are baptized and we continually return to the power and promise of baptism. Therefore, the forgiveness of sins is always redeeming, always life-giving; always essential. Absolution is never a dead promise, never a hollow formality. You are justified in present time when the words are spoken. Christ forgives your sins through the mouths of His servants, His pastors, but the words and the power are His. He feeds you with that forgiveness in Holy Communion the moment it touches your lips.
His forgiveness continually gives you a clean slate and an untainted motivation to love unconditionally. The Christian is always a servant but ever free. Believers are always under obligation to love their neighbour, but always free from the burden of atoning for their own sins. We are free to forgive because we have been forgiven. Never underestimate the importance or impact of your service to others. Your most important service to the church might be your faithful life of prayer. It might be caring for an ageing parent or a frail spouse. It might be setting a good example for children by making their spiritual lives a priority. It might be supporting foreign missions. It might involve a hands-on presence in the community. It might involve making sacrifices for work mates. It may be combinations of many of the above. We all have multiple vocations. Some of your vocations may change, others will be life-long.
Jesus says, “You are the light of the world.”4 No one else bears the life of Him who is the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. You, baptized child of God, called, justified, sanctified, led by the Spirit, wearing the armor of God; you reflect the light of Him who pierces the world’s darkness. Could there be a greater privilege or more awesome responsibility! Christ has not ignited us and set us blazing with His love so that we would be covered up or hid away. He has not invested His spiritual salt with the preserving power of His Spirit just to be thrown in the compost heap. No, indeed, He longs to greet us with these words, “Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.”5 He is faithful and He will do it. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 Romans 3:19
2 1 Corinthians 2:2
3 See 2 Timothy 2:19
4 Matthew 5:14
5 Matthew 25:34
Fifth Sunday After Epiphany
9 February 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Text: Matthew 5:13-16
Theme: Christ’s Salt And Light
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God is not quantifiable. His power cannot be measured. His wisdom cannot be fathomed. His compassion has no limits. These truths are vivid reminders of our miniscule status in relation to the Almighty. We cannot sit back and analyze God objectively. We are fragile dust. He is infinite and indestructible power. He is the Creator. We are His handiwork. Our access to Him hinges completely on the person and work of Christ. Jesus is the true image of the Father and the embodiment of sinless humanity.
The unchanging truth for each new generation is that there will never be any other way to approach Him. We can banter around all kinds of opinions and speculations. We can exalt our great learning and acumen. We can praise the great inventions and achievements of society. We can promote our optimism for the future of technology. Yet all the cumulative wisdom of humanity is silenced by one word from the Almighty. Guilty! Give an account of your rebellion. Explain your self-centeredness. Justify your neglect of others. Defend your disregard for God’s truth. How will you face the judgment? Death is your punishment. The Scripture says, “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.”1
There is no civil or well-intentioned way to opt out of this condemnation. We are called to repent. Denial of God doesn’t require washing your hands like Pilate, planting the fatal kiss like Judas, or repudiating the Saviour like Peter. It may involve only you and your neighbour. The place where our confidence lies, the place we look to for help- there is found either God or an idol. All are bound to one or the other. There’s no use whitewashing falsehood. Yet it is the way the world is bound to operate.
The church cannot compete with the world on the world’s terms. Nor should it try to. The world wants to sell you something. It has its own agenda. It makes its own rules. The church has Christ’s agenda. It lives from and follows His truth. The uncertain, ambivalent, and apathetic can never be wooed by a life of discipleship that sounds more enticing than what the world has to offer. No matter how you dress it up, make it sound exciting, or allege that one is missing out by not being part of the Christian church the attempt is misguided. Explanations of cross-bearing are not evangelism tools.
The ego must be slain. The puffed up personality must be deflated. The Holy Spirit must crucify the sinful nature. Then we can see clearly with the eyes of faith. Then we see the cross changes things in a radical, unequivocal way. The apostle Paul said today, “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”2
Then we see everything from a different perspective. We learn both what it means that we are salt and light and that the struggle of life has eternal consequences for ourselves and others. Salt can become contaminated. It then becomes useless. Light that is coved up serves no purpose. The vicinity remains in darkness. With these analogies Christ encourages His people in their public witness.
The believer is justified in an instant and faith is created in an instant and both are complete. They are the perfect work of the Spirit. They cannot be augmented or altered by human input. But mature faith takes time and struggle. Rome was not built in a day and neither can wisdom become accumulated in an instant. We are tested and tried, refined and reworked. Christians are not trophy pieces God tucks away in some cosmic display case. We are in the midst of competition, the heat of battle, and the struggle of pilgrimage. We are followers, voyagers, and battlers because this world is fallen and evil is prevalent. The tares grow with the wheat, the goats are mixed with the sheep, and the good fish swim with the bad. But the Lord knows those who are His3. And the devil can make a pretty good guess too.
Satan never relaxes in some distant corner of hell. He prowls about among the people of God with subtlety and full of devious intent. No one gets a free pass from His temptations. He knows just when to inflame our anger, fuel our insensitivity, prompt our dishonesty, and support us in our self-righteousness. His ploys drive us back to God’s word and cause us to seek His forgiveness. In this way God uses Satan as His lackey to purify our faith.
The Christian never advances past struggling with temptation. The tension between the Old Adam and the regenerate life always remains. There is no way to leave the cross in the past. Believers are always becoming. We have never arrived; not in this life. Even the resurrection doesn’t relieve us of our fallen condition. We are baptized and we continually return to the power and promise of baptism. Therefore, the forgiveness of sins is always redeeming, always life-giving; always essential. Absolution is never a dead promise, never a hollow formality. You are justified in present time when the words are spoken. Christ forgives your sins through the mouths of His servants, His pastors, but the words and the power are His. He feeds you with that forgiveness in Holy Communion the moment it touches your lips.
His forgiveness continually gives you a clean slate and an untainted motivation to love unconditionally. The Christian is always a servant but ever free. Believers are always under obligation to love their neighbour, but always free from the burden of atoning for their own sins. We are free to forgive because we have been forgiven. Never underestimate the importance or impact of your service to others. Your most important service to the church might be your faithful life of prayer. It might be caring for an ageing parent or a frail spouse. It might be setting a good example for children by making their spiritual lives a priority. It might be supporting foreign missions. It might involve a hands-on presence in the community. It might involve making sacrifices for work mates. It may be combinations of many of the above. We all have multiple vocations. Some of your vocations may change, others will be life-long.
Jesus says, “You are the light of the world.”4 No one else bears the life of Him who is the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. You, baptized child of God, called, justified, sanctified, led by the Spirit, wearing the armor of God; you reflect the light of Him who pierces the world’s darkness. Could there be a greater privilege or more awesome responsibility! Christ has not ignited us and set us blazing with His love so that we would be covered up or hid away. He has not invested His spiritual salt with the preserving power of His Spirit just to be thrown in the compost heap. No, indeed, He longs to greet us with these words, “Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.”5 He is faithful and He will do it. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 Romans 3:19
2 1 Corinthians 2:2
3 See 2 Timothy 2:19
4 Matthew 5:14
5 Matthew 25:34
Fifth Sunday After Epiphany
9 February 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
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