+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti Amen +
Text: Genesis 45:5
Theme: Sent Ahead By God
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
It was a family fractured by sin. Jealousy, deceit, anger, and selfishness had characterized the dynamic between Joseph and his brothers. Does it sound familiar? There was little reason for the brothers to be hopeful. And yet when Joseph reveals himself he says, “Do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.”1 The brothers were at first too crippled with fear to respond. After all they had left him for dead and now he had the power to execute them
Joseph was looking for humility in his brothers but he was not seeking revenge. Had you walked a mile in the shoes of Joseph would you have come to the same destination? Having the upper hand would you have wielded it with such wisdom and humility? The urge to get revenge never helps to facilitate repentance in the person who has wronged us. Forgiving others is not optional; it is a command. “If you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”2 These are the words of Jesus. He isn’t saying that the forgiveness He offers is contingent upon ours. His pardon is complete, perfect, and entirely independent of our actions. But an unwillingness to forgive others is a cause to question whether we really believe God has forgiven us. We have no power to forgive if we don’t believe God has forgiven us. When we hold grudges we usually hurt ourselves more than others.
But the crux of the narrative is not that it’s an example of a moral imperative we are bound to follow; that is, because Joseph forgave his brothers we must forgive others. The scope is much larger than that of the dynamic of a restored family. The life of Joseph is one thread woven into a rich tapestry depicting God’s plan of salvation. Joseph believed that God sent him to Egypt so that a remnant of the faithful might be preserved. The actions of God are at the centre of the story. His brothers sold Joseph into slavery but God transferred him to a position of authority. There is a view from below and a view from above. The eyes of faith see in Joseph an image of Christ.
But the blindness of sin can only attribute the events of history to chance or the triumph or defeat of human endeavor. Dear friends, as we seek to honestly assess the shortcomings which characterize the times in which we live we must consider whether we truly believe that God is at work in human affairs. Do we believe that in Christ God has made tangible intervention into our world? Or are we playing religious games and trying to keep up moral appearances? Jesus said, “When a man believes in Me, he does not believe in Me only, but in the One who sent me. When he looks at Me, he sees the One who sent Me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should stay in darkness.”3
Christ sheds light into our darkness. God embraces us in our brokenness. Christ was sent ahead to the cross. He was sent ahead to bear the judgment of God’s righteous wrath against all humanity. He has gone ahead of us as the first one to be resurrected from the dead. The Scripture says, “Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; He entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence.”4 It says, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already.”5
Where there is forgiveness there is freedom. It was a hard-fought freedom secured at the price of Christ’s blood. But we shouldn’t think for a minute this freedom means an effortless existence. The baptismal life is a life of struggle. The Holy Spirit must continually fortify us to resist the temptations that surround us and engage the opportunities before us. Old habits die hard. Like caged animals that crawl back to the safety of what they know even though freed, we have the tendency to crawl back to the ‘safety’ of the law and live under the legalism of self-determination and self-focus.
Dear friends, the gospel changes things. It frees us to see things from God’s perspective. If it doesn’t change things then it’s not the message of Christ crucified, of Christ for us, of Christ the Redeemer and Deliverer, of Christ the wellspring of grace, life and peace that we are trusting in but some fabrication of false hope. Every falsification of the gospel has this trait: It denies to us the certainty of God’s unlimited compassion and the freedom that it brings. It always does so by robbing Christ of His glory in some measure. Only in knowing that “God our Saviour, (who) desires all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”6 can we have absolute certainty. God reveals His will for us in the work of Christ.
Was it God’s will that Joseph was treated so unfairly and sold into slavery by his brothers? It was certainly God’s will that he became ruler in Egypt. And it was certainly God’s will that through his provision the Israelites would be spared during the famine. It is never God’s will that evil would befall us yet it is always God’s will to accomplish His purposes even in the most difficult of circumstances. He seeks always to draw us closer to Himself. Adversity is often the best occasion for this. The Psalmist cries out to the Lord saying, “I pour out my complaint before Him; before Him I tell my trouble. When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who know my way.”7 It is always God’s will that we know His Son who is the “way and the truth and the life”8
A sincere Christian will always want to know the will of God also for their personal situation. Here we must understand that God molds us to our circumstances. People too often set up a false dichotomy- a right verses wrong, good verses bad choice. Then they agonize about “finding” out what God’s will is so that they don’t make the wrong choice. We must be careful not to confuse our strong desires or fears with God’s will. In fact, Christian freedom often allows us many options that may be equally God-pleasing. We’re better off asking how our opportunity to witness to His name might be affected. Does the change we’re considering- change of career, change of location, change of the way we use our time, talents or treasures, change of perspective- give us greater opportunity to impact people’s spiritual well-being?
Joseph was sent ahead to Egypt to prepare for a seven-year famine. There is never famine in God’s presence. We have the feast of His body and blood. We have the nurture of His word and Spirit. We can have a temporal famine while enjoying a spiritual feast. He restores the fractured human race through Jesus. He promises to resurrect our broken mortal frames. Christ has been sent ahead and He prepares the way for us. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 Genesis 45:5 2 Matthew 6:15 3 John 12:44-46
4 Hebrews 9:24 5 John 3:17-18 6 1 Timothy 2:3-4
7 Psalm 142:2-3 8 John 14:6
Tenth Sunday After Pentecost
17 August 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Monday, August 18, 2014
Sunday, August 10, 2014
Ninth Sunday After Pentecost (A) 2014
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti Amen +
Text: Matthew 14:27
Theme: “Take Courage!”
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Christ is present with His people. Our confidence should be no less than that of the disciples on the lake of Galilee. It was no magician’s trick as Jesus walked on the sea towards their fishing vessel. His divinity was soon to be definitively verified by His resurrection.
It wasn’t the first time they had witnessed Jesus’ command over nature. Previously they saw Him calm the storm at sea and they marveled and questioned what kind of man He could be. Now their response is much more resolute- they bow down and worship Him, they confess Him to be the Son of God. Though it will falter in days to come, their faith is strengthening.
Jesus bid Peter to come out to Him on the water. What would you have done? The rest of the disciples remained huddled in the boat. Who dares to claim the courage and audacity of Peter! Yet faith is not constituted by its owner, but by its object. Our command from God, though lacking the immediate context of Peter, is no less authentic. In the midst of the chaos and turmoil of the world and while the storms of life whip up winds and waves all around we are told to remain tethered to the anchor. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.”1
Easier said than done! Especially when we’re eager to play around in deep water out of sight of the shore or the boat! The untamed sea has always been a biblical symbol of a world gone feral because of sin. In this fallen world right and wrong, truth and falsehood, good and evil can only be distinguished by the declaration of God. We can debate all we want about appropriate values and ethics for a free and democratic society. We can seek consensus on those things that contribute to the common good. It is necessary that we do these things. But all agreements and conclusions cannot ease the conscience of the believer if they conflict with the clear word of God. Neither strength of sentiment nor degree of popularity trump the decrees of the Almighty.
We must face the truth, for instance, that there is pressure to change the definition of marriage partly because Christians have long since been complicit in the abandonment of fidelity in marriage. Perhaps the handwriting was on the wall and we didn’t see it. We can hardly complain when the sanctity of life is not honoured when we stand by as euthanasia, abortion, and violence gain legal protection. Sinners sink in an ocean of sin just as Peter sunk in a sea of water. For these failures we are called to repentance.
Peter had an experience reminiscent of his baptism. Baptism involves a drowning of the sinful, doubting nature and a rising of faith that finds new life in Christ. Every time we cry out to God in repentance, every time we petition Him for deliverance, we return to the baptismal promise. Jesus’ rescue of Peter is immediate. He chastises him for doubting but he doesn’t let Him drown. The Holy Spirit will never snuff out even the most tenuous flicker of faith.
Dear friends, our faith does not rest on the mere possibility that Christ may one day be summoned before us to prove His divinity. Nor does it rely on a mental image of God appearing to us. Nor is it contingent upon our efforts to prove God’s existence. We have the Word. We have the testimony of many witnesses. Christ has been raised from the dead. The Messiah that was foretold was sacrificed for the sins of the world. He bore the penalty of all humanity’s guilt. The Holy Spirit connects us to the benefits of this redemption through the word and sacraments. Through the same Spirit we confess a suffering Saviour who went to the cross.
Consider carefully the words of the apostle. “The righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?” (that is, to bring Christ down) or “Who will descend into the deep?” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? ‘The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,’ that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That 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.”2
Such confession has connotations of a public witness that has very tangible and serious consequences. The more Christianity gets pushed to the fringes the more courage it will take to confess Christ. A believer is never a strictly private being. The heart is moved and the mouth speaks. The heart is moved and the arms reach out. The heart is moved and the feet stride forth. The righteousness of Christ dwelling in an individual by faith is like a beam of light that cannot be completely concealed because it will bounce around actively and vibrantly until it finds an angle to shine forth.
The more Christianity gets pushed to the fringes the more courage it will take to confess Christ. Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised at the decline of the churches over the recent decades. It’s comfortable to associate with things that aren’t opposed or questioned by the majority in society. That is no longer the case for Christian truth. Is the Holy Spirt purging Christ’s church? Is He doing so to make it stronger in the face of what’s to come? In a warning to the church at Laodicea Christ said, “Because you are lukewarm- neither hot nor cold- I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”3 There weren’t may half-hearted Christians in the centuries of the Roman persecutions. There probably aren’t many half-hearted Christians in Iraq or Syria today.
The Bible contains a catalogue of testimonies of people throughout the millennia who faced harrowing circumstances. Hebrews says they were, “destitute, persecuted and mistreated- the world was not worthy of them.”4 But we have more than the encouragement of the saints; we have the promise of Him who is the victor over death. This truth keeps everything in perspective, as the Psalmist says, “The Lord is my light and my salvation- whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life- of whom shall I be afraid?”5And Isaiah the prophet says, “Do not call conspiracy everything these people call conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it.” The Lord Almighty is the One you are to regard as holy, He is the One you are to fear, He is the One you are to dread.”6 “We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.”7 He will not fail us.
Come illness, injury, or loss; accident, incident or misfortune, persecution or suffering; come what may, still, nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. Finally, we can be intrepid though the prospect of death looms over us. Humanly we may tremble and our faith may near the limits of its elasticity but the truth to which that faith clings cannot be moved. “We are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken.”8 The Scripture says, “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”9 Those arms that were stretched out on the cross for us will embrace us for eternity. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 Hebrews 12:2 2 Romans 10:6-9 3 Revelation 3:17
4 Hebrews 11:37-38 5 Psalm 27:1 6 Isiah 8:12-13
7 Luther’s Small Catechism 8 Hebrews 12:28 9Deuteronomy 33:27
Ninth Sunday After Pentecost
10 August 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Text: Matthew 14:27
Theme: “Take Courage!”
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Christ is present with His people. Our confidence should be no less than that of the disciples on the lake of Galilee. It was no magician’s trick as Jesus walked on the sea towards their fishing vessel. His divinity was soon to be definitively verified by His resurrection.
It wasn’t the first time they had witnessed Jesus’ command over nature. Previously they saw Him calm the storm at sea and they marveled and questioned what kind of man He could be. Now their response is much more resolute- they bow down and worship Him, they confess Him to be the Son of God. Though it will falter in days to come, their faith is strengthening.
Jesus bid Peter to come out to Him on the water. What would you have done? The rest of the disciples remained huddled in the boat. Who dares to claim the courage and audacity of Peter! Yet faith is not constituted by its owner, but by its object. Our command from God, though lacking the immediate context of Peter, is no less authentic. In the midst of the chaos and turmoil of the world and while the storms of life whip up winds and waves all around we are told to remain tethered to the anchor. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.”1
Easier said than done! Especially when we’re eager to play around in deep water out of sight of the shore or the boat! The untamed sea has always been a biblical symbol of a world gone feral because of sin. In this fallen world right and wrong, truth and falsehood, good and evil can only be distinguished by the declaration of God. We can debate all we want about appropriate values and ethics for a free and democratic society. We can seek consensus on those things that contribute to the common good. It is necessary that we do these things. But all agreements and conclusions cannot ease the conscience of the believer if they conflict with the clear word of God. Neither strength of sentiment nor degree of popularity trump the decrees of the Almighty.
We must face the truth, for instance, that there is pressure to change the definition of marriage partly because Christians have long since been complicit in the abandonment of fidelity in marriage. Perhaps the handwriting was on the wall and we didn’t see it. We can hardly complain when the sanctity of life is not honoured when we stand by as euthanasia, abortion, and violence gain legal protection. Sinners sink in an ocean of sin just as Peter sunk in a sea of water. For these failures we are called to repentance.
Peter had an experience reminiscent of his baptism. Baptism involves a drowning of the sinful, doubting nature and a rising of faith that finds new life in Christ. Every time we cry out to God in repentance, every time we petition Him for deliverance, we return to the baptismal promise. Jesus’ rescue of Peter is immediate. He chastises him for doubting but he doesn’t let Him drown. The Holy Spirit will never snuff out even the most tenuous flicker of faith.
Dear friends, our faith does not rest on the mere possibility that Christ may one day be summoned before us to prove His divinity. Nor does it rely on a mental image of God appearing to us. Nor is it contingent upon our efforts to prove God’s existence. We have the Word. We have the testimony of many witnesses. Christ has been raised from the dead. The Messiah that was foretold was sacrificed for the sins of the world. He bore the penalty of all humanity’s guilt. The Holy Spirit connects us to the benefits of this redemption through the word and sacraments. Through the same Spirit we confess a suffering Saviour who went to the cross.
Consider carefully the words of the apostle. “The righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?” (that is, to bring Christ down) or “Who will descend into the deep?” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? ‘The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,’ that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That 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.”2
Such confession has connotations of a public witness that has very tangible and serious consequences. The more Christianity gets pushed to the fringes the more courage it will take to confess Christ. A believer is never a strictly private being. The heart is moved and the mouth speaks. The heart is moved and the arms reach out. The heart is moved and the feet stride forth. The righteousness of Christ dwelling in an individual by faith is like a beam of light that cannot be completely concealed because it will bounce around actively and vibrantly until it finds an angle to shine forth.
The more Christianity gets pushed to the fringes the more courage it will take to confess Christ. Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised at the decline of the churches over the recent decades. It’s comfortable to associate with things that aren’t opposed or questioned by the majority in society. That is no longer the case for Christian truth. Is the Holy Spirt purging Christ’s church? Is He doing so to make it stronger in the face of what’s to come? In a warning to the church at Laodicea Christ said, “Because you are lukewarm- neither hot nor cold- I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”3 There weren’t may half-hearted Christians in the centuries of the Roman persecutions. There probably aren’t many half-hearted Christians in Iraq or Syria today.
The Bible contains a catalogue of testimonies of people throughout the millennia who faced harrowing circumstances. Hebrews says they were, “destitute, persecuted and mistreated- the world was not worthy of them.”4 But we have more than the encouragement of the saints; we have the promise of Him who is the victor over death. This truth keeps everything in perspective, as the Psalmist says, “The Lord is my light and my salvation- whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life- of whom shall I be afraid?”5And Isaiah the prophet says, “Do not call conspiracy everything these people call conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it.” The Lord Almighty is the One you are to regard as holy, He is the One you are to fear, He is the One you are to dread.”6 “We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.”7 He will not fail us.
Come illness, injury, or loss; accident, incident or misfortune, persecution or suffering; come what may, still, nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. Finally, we can be intrepid though the prospect of death looms over us. Humanly we may tremble and our faith may near the limits of its elasticity but the truth to which that faith clings cannot be moved. “We are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken.”8 The Scripture says, “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”9 Those arms that were stretched out on the cross for us will embrace us for eternity. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 Hebrews 12:2 2 Romans 10:6-9 3 Revelation 3:17
4 Hebrews 11:37-38 5 Psalm 27:1 6 Isiah 8:12-13
7 Luther’s Small Catechism 8 Hebrews 12:28 9Deuteronomy 33:27
Ninth Sunday After Pentecost
10 August 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Monday, August 4, 2014
Eighth Sunday After Pentecost (A) 2014
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti Amen +
Text: Genesis 32:30
Theme: Struggle and Blessing
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God is not secretive. Yet His blessings are often wrapped in mystery. As we live in the tension of already being God’s redeemed children but not yet being released from the effects of sin, life inevitably involves struggle. Satan seeks to hide God’s promises and blessings from our sight. He wants to create doubt. He has no ability to derail God’s plans but that doesn’t stop him from trying. Often we allow ourselves to be easy targets because we are so absorbed with the mundane issues of life. We may find ourselves wondering what happened to God.
“Out of sight out of mind.” You’ve probably said it yourself many times; undoubtedly you’ve experienced the truth that it contains. It is easy to lose track of, lose focus on, or forget about all together things that are not in our immediate field of vision or have no triggers to recall our attention to them. We have limited capacity. The age of technology is meant to assist us but it can also confuse us and give us a false sense of being organized. Think how many millions of dollars of super have been lost track of which if people had right in their grasp they would never let go of! But out of sight out of mind!
Today the patriarch Jacob is an intriguing example of struggling with the hiddenness of God’s blessings. Afraid of the imminent meeting with his brother Esau whom he had deceived out of his birthright Jacob put his affairs in order and settled in for the night. There Jacob was alone. He had sent his family and possessions ahead in preparation for appeasing his brother. That night he wrestled with God. The exact nature of the encounter is hard to visualize. It is certainly described as a physical tussle. We can see in it an analogy for the struggle of faith.
It’s important to realize that it’s our sinfulness that makes faith a struggle at all. Were we not blinded by love for self and love for idols our trust in God would be unimpeded. If we claim that our trust in God never meets with any challenge or misgiving then we are only fooling ourselves. Your sin cannot be lightly passed over and faith that is only a mental exercise or religious association is not authentic. Christ came for real sinners and to believe that we are real sinners and Christ is the real Saviour is exactly where the struggle lies. Only the Holy Spirit can bridge that chasm.
At the end of the encounter Jacob had his named changed to Israel. Implicit in the name is the idea of struggle. It becomes the covenant name for God’s people. The Israelites become the people blessed by God since the establishment of the covenant with Abraham, though the promise of deliverance goes back to Adam and Eve. St. Paul refers to the New Testament church also as “the Israel of God.”1 Jews do not become Gentiles, but in the proper spiritual sense Gentiles become Jews, true believers. Strictly secular Jews however, are excluded from the benefits of the covenant because of their rejection of the Messiah. Baptismal water is thicker than Jewish blood.
More importantly, Jesus becomes Israel reduced to one. He alone embodies faithfulness to Yahweh. In Him is reconstituted the true church and in Him humanity is re-ordered. Christ is the new Adam, the ruler par excellance in the line of David, the prophet that supersedes Moses and the true heir of Abraham. As the second, or new Adam He restores the image of God. As the King in David’s line He rules over an eternal kingdom that eliminates all sin, death, and decay. As the greatest of all prophets He is the Word become flesh who continues to proclaim His gospel of salvation through word and sacrament. As the seed of Abraham He is the fulfillment of God’s covenant forged with His own blood. Christ “was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”2
Christ is your Lord and Master, but He is the Servant King. “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”3 That was a radical message for His age. To the extent that it doesn’t sound radical to us credit is due to centuries of Christian influence on society. The concept of rulers understanding their vocations as one of service is a thoroughly Christian understanding of leadership. Culture is quickly departing again from that understanding. Modern humanistic philosophies of the welfare state and their claims to be motivated by compassion have only superficial similarities. Secular humanism recognizes no objective truth, is answerable to no higher power, and fears no divine judgment. The power of coercion is finally how it rules. Might makes right. We’re seeing already that policy isn’t necessarily driven by consensus or democratic processes, but rather by those who have the means and the will to push their agenda on others.
One of the greatest misunderstandings of Christians is to correlate faith with a life of ease or success. Temporal prosperity is not a promised reward of faith. Perhaps you’ve heard it before: If only your faith is strong enough you will be healthy, wealthy, and wise. If only you’re obedient you will be spared from trial and struggle. Wrong! No! Not even close! The Bible teaches exactly the opposite correlation. Obedience to God will bring conflict with the world.
God’s blessings are often revealed most clearly in the midst of struggle. In fact, sometimes that’s the only way we see them at all. Precious metal is purified by extreme heat. Faith is refined as it passes through the crucible of life’s trials. Testing helps us sort out our priorities and reminds us who and what we believe in. What does the Redeemer say? The One who delivers His people? “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”4
Jacob called the place where He wrestled with God Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.’”5 Dear friends, you will see God face to face. The Scripture says this of the saints in glory, “They will be with His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”6 But even now God’s baptized people see Him in the person of His Son. “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”7 And not only with the eyes of faith but with the mouth and tongue you meet Him as you receive His body and blood for the forgiveness of your sins.
Just as we can call this place Bethel, meaning ‘house of God’ so too we can call it Peniel, meaning ‘face of God’. How appropriate that we are sent out into God’s mission field to live as His witnesses with those words of blessing- words which denote our reconciliation with Him- that have rung in His people’s ears for thousands of years, “The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”8 Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 Galatians 6:16 2 Romans 4:25 3 Matthew 20:28
4 John 16:33 5 Genesis 32:30 6 Revelation 21:3-4
7 2 Corinthians 4:6
8 Number 6:25-26
Eighth Sunday After Pentecost
3 August 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Text: Genesis 32:30
Theme: Struggle and Blessing
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God is not secretive. Yet His blessings are often wrapped in mystery. As we live in the tension of already being God’s redeemed children but not yet being released from the effects of sin, life inevitably involves struggle. Satan seeks to hide God’s promises and blessings from our sight. He wants to create doubt. He has no ability to derail God’s plans but that doesn’t stop him from trying. Often we allow ourselves to be easy targets because we are so absorbed with the mundane issues of life. We may find ourselves wondering what happened to God.
“Out of sight out of mind.” You’ve probably said it yourself many times; undoubtedly you’ve experienced the truth that it contains. It is easy to lose track of, lose focus on, or forget about all together things that are not in our immediate field of vision or have no triggers to recall our attention to them. We have limited capacity. The age of technology is meant to assist us but it can also confuse us and give us a false sense of being organized. Think how many millions of dollars of super have been lost track of which if people had right in their grasp they would never let go of! But out of sight out of mind!
Today the patriarch Jacob is an intriguing example of struggling with the hiddenness of God’s blessings. Afraid of the imminent meeting with his brother Esau whom he had deceived out of his birthright Jacob put his affairs in order and settled in for the night. There Jacob was alone. He had sent his family and possessions ahead in preparation for appeasing his brother. That night he wrestled with God. The exact nature of the encounter is hard to visualize. It is certainly described as a physical tussle. We can see in it an analogy for the struggle of faith.
It’s important to realize that it’s our sinfulness that makes faith a struggle at all. Were we not blinded by love for self and love for idols our trust in God would be unimpeded. If we claim that our trust in God never meets with any challenge or misgiving then we are only fooling ourselves. Your sin cannot be lightly passed over and faith that is only a mental exercise or religious association is not authentic. Christ came for real sinners and to believe that we are real sinners and Christ is the real Saviour is exactly where the struggle lies. Only the Holy Spirit can bridge that chasm.
At the end of the encounter Jacob had his named changed to Israel. Implicit in the name is the idea of struggle. It becomes the covenant name for God’s people. The Israelites become the people blessed by God since the establishment of the covenant with Abraham, though the promise of deliverance goes back to Adam and Eve. St. Paul refers to the New Testament church also as “the Israel of God.”1 Jews do not become Gentiles, but in the proper spiritual sense Gentiles become Jews, true believers. Strictly secular Jews however, are excluded from the benefits of the covenant because of their rejection of the Messiah. Baptismal water is thicker than Jewish blood.
More importantly, Jesus becomes Israel reduced to one. He alone embodies faithfulness to Yahweh. In Him is reconstituted the true church and in Him humanity is re-ordered. Christ is the new Adam, the ruler par excellance in the line of David, the prophet that supersedes Moses and the true heir of Abraham. As the second, or new Adam He restores the image of God. As the King in David’s line He rules over an eternal kingdom that eliminates all sin, death, and decay. As the greatest of all prophets He is the Word become flesh who continues to proclaim His gospel of salvation through word and sacrament. As the seed of Abraham He is the fulfillment of God’s covenant forged with His own blood. Christ “was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”2
Christ is your Lord and Master, but He is the Servant King. “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”3 That was a radical message for His age. To the extent that it doesn’t sound radical to us credit is due to centuries of Christian influence on society. The concept of rulers understanding their vocations as one of service is a thoroughly Christian understanding of leadership. Culture is quickly departing again from that understanding. Modern humanistic philosophies of the welfare state and their claims to be motivated by compassion have only superficial similarities. Secular humanism recognizes no objective truth, is answerable to no higher power, and fears no divine judgment. The power of coercion is finally how it rules. Might makes right. We’re seeing already that policy isn’t necessarily driven by consensus or democratic processes, but rather by those who have the means and the will to push their agenda on others.
One of the greatest misunderstandings of Christians is to correlate faith with a life of ease or success. Temporal prosperity is not a promised reward of faith. Perhaps you’ve heard it before: If only your faith is strong enough you will be healthy, wealthy, and wise. If only you’re obedient you will be spared from trial and struggle. Wrong! No! Not even close! The Bible teaches exactly the opposite correlation. Obedience to God will bring conflict with the world.
God’s blessings are often revealed most clearly in the midst of struggle. In fact, sometimes that’s the only way we see them at all. Precious metal is purified by extreme heat. Faith is refined as it passes through the crucible of life’s trials. Testing helps us sort out our priorities and reminds us who and what we believe in. What does the Redeemer say? The One who delivers His people? “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”4
Jacob called the place where He wrestled with God Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.’”5 Dear friends, you will see God face to face. The Scripture says this of the saints in glory, “They will be with His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”6 But even now God’s baptized people see Him in the person of His Son. “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”7 And not only with the eyes of faith but with the mouth and tongue you meet Him as you receive His body and blood for the forgiveness of your sins.
Just as we can call this place Bethel, meaning ‘house of God’ so too we can call it Peniel, meaning ‘face of God’. How appropriate that we are sent out into God’s mission field to live as His witnesses with those words of blessing- words which denote our reconciliation with Him- that have rung in His people’s ears for thousands of years, “The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.”8 Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 Galatians 6:16 2 Romans 4:25 3 Matthew 20:28
4 John 16:33 5 Genesis 32:30 6 Revelation 21:3-4
7 2 Corinthians 4:6
8 Number 6:25-26
Eighth Sunday After Pentecost
3 August 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Seventh Sunday After Pentecost (A) 2014
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti Amen +
Text: Matthew 13:49
Theme: “The Angels Will Come.”
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Humanity moves towards a divinely determined end. It is moving towards finality. That is the belief of Christians. Life doesn’t unfold randomly, chaotically, open-endedly with no organized purpose or aim. Though no one knows when Christ will return we do know that we don’t have to worry about the triumph of uncertainty or indefiniteness. Christ has been vested with immortality and He promises the same to all of His followers. The Scripture says, “When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true, ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’”1
Again today Jesus teaches about these things in parables. Mustard seeds, yeast, treasure, pearls, and catches of fish are all points of comparison. All illustrate some aspect or dimension of the kingdom of God. Its blessings cannot be assessed by worldly standards; it’s presence measured by human wisdom; or its final consummation understood by human logic. The parables describe joy for those who hold dear heavenly treasures and weeping and gnashing of teeth for those who do not. The wicked and the evil will be sorted in the end. The angels will come.
Angels will be key players at the Second Coming of Christ. But we need not think that in the meantime their role is insignificant or irrelevant. Angels are not the delicate cherubs depicted in some medieval artwork. They don’t flit around trying to facilitate romantic connections or hover about like celestial birds. Angels are creatures of stature and purpose. They are commissioned with great tasks and vested with awe-inspiring power. They serve the King of kings and bear the authority of their master. We would do well to be more cognizant of their presence and more appreciative of their assistance. They are God’s agents for our benefit.
It is not the ministry of angels, however, that brings us to repentance. That is the work of the Spirit through the clear teaching of God’s word. The Spirit has a deeply entrenched worldview to overcome- one that puts the individual at the centre of existence. The sooner we understand that we are not self-existing, self-supporting, and self-directed the sooner we understand truth. There is no other path to healing; no other avenue to grace. We can say all the right things, play all the right games, make all the appropriate appearances in church, participate in all available works of service and charity, take all the right steps to pacify our consciences and still be living a facade. Why? Because we haven’t come to terms with or we have forgotten who and what we really are. Grace doesn’t exist for the self-righteous. It’s not in their vocabulary. It’s certainly not in our genes.
Therefore, sinners cannot be self-diagnosed. Like the sufferer of brain trauma we cannot accurately assess our own condition. Don’t draw in that breath that will attempt to breathe out some justification for your sins. The Old Adam must be suffocated. Take God at His word. He knows the evil that hides in your heart and takes form in your deeds. Don’t raise your ego to confront Him, bow your heart before Him.
He knows the seriousness of your guilt because He endured it. Christ has been in deeper darkness that we can ever know; His pain more profound than we can begin to image. He endured the weight of humanity’s transgressions. He was the sacrifice and He made atonement not with cooperation, but alone with His own blood. He willingly gave Himself over to death for our sins and for our salvation. He triumphed over death draining it of its power. Hear again the words of the Spirit, “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all- how will He not also, long with Him, graciously give us all things…Christ Jesus, who died- more than that, who was raised to life-is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”2
And so in His grace you stand. You stand not under your own power, not vested with your own armor, not equipped with your own strategies, not needing to endure unspecified trials; you stand resurrected, you stand in the RISEN One, you stand in His truth, His light, His love; you stand in your baptismal promise. You stand in the Spirit embraced by the arms of the Father. Apart from Him we would fall into the abyss of darkness, pushed over like a house of cards, flattened an ant under the sole of a shoe; demolished like a sandcastle before a tidal wave.
Believers can stare down death. Our confidence is not arrogance. And our confidence cannot be maintained independently or indefinitely under its own steam. The church is always a hospital for sinners. Sensible people know they cannot survive without food and water. Honest Christians know their spiritual lives cannot survive without Christ’s body and blood, without the continual renewal and restoration of His forgiveness. His word and sacraments continually sustain our faith. Detached from them we fall into immediate spiritual decline.
The church is at times more or less compromised by many believers remaining in a state of suspended spiritual adolescence. It’s up to the experts or future historians to determine where we are on the scale today. But what is abundantly clear biblically is that faith can never be stagnant. Faith that remains in a state of suspended animation is a sham. Faith is living, breathing, and active. It cannot be still.
Even for the newly baptized infant the activities of the heart are dynamic. They are being influenced by the Spirit’s activity through God’s word; through hearing and learning the truth of God’s love. The activities of the heart are also being influenced by the corrosive power of sin and selfishness as sin always tries to reassert its dominance. While the believer rests in Christ and the promise of sins forgiven, he or she is at the same time engaged in the tension and struggle of living in the world but no longer being of the world. Christians yearn for a permanent home.
But we don’t sit around idly pondering heavenly mysteries. We are purposeful member of the kingdom. The more surgeons advance in their skill and experience the more opportunity they have to make a remarkable difference in peoples’ lives. But they also have more responsibility and the cost of making a mistake is greater. The more military personnel advance in their training the more opportunity they have to protect and rescue those at risk. But they also have greater responsibility and the consequence of failure is more significant. The more believers mature through the challenges they face the more responsibility God gives them to share the burdens of others. The Bible says, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”3 Of course the resultant damage from failure is greater too, but Christ more than covers the risk.
Today’s final parable describes a net with the angels separating the fish at the end of the age. For the believer this brings together three realities; the eternal purpose of God before creation, the saving work of Christ on the cross, and the baptism of the believer into His death and resurrection. In baptism the Holy Spirit goes fishing. He pulls sinners out of the vast ocean of aimlessness and self-servitude and places them in communion with Himself and proper order with one another. The fish was one of the earliest symbols of the Christian faith. The Greek letters formed an acronym that meant Jesus Christ God’s Son, Saviour. This Saviour, our Saviour will not fail us. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 1 Corinthians 15:54
2 Romans 8:31-32, 34
3 Galatians 6:2
4 1 Corinthians 5:12
5 Genesis 28:17
6 Romans 8:18
Seventh Sunday After Pentecost
27 July 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Text: Matthew 13:49
Theme: “The Angels Will Come.”
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Humanity moves towards a divinely determined end. It is moving towards finality. That is the belief of Christians. Life doesn’t unfold randomly, chaotically, open-endedly with no organized purpose or aim. Though no one knows when Christ will return we do know that we don’t have to worry about the triumph of uncertainty or indefiniteness. Christ has been vested with immortality and He promises the same to all of His followers. The Scripture says, “When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true, ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’”1
Again today Jesus teaches about these things in parables. Mustard seeds, yeast, treasure, pearls, and catches of fish are all points of comparison. All illustrate some aspect or dimension of the kingdom of God. Its blessings cannot be assessed by worldly standards; it’s presence measured by human wisdom; or its final consummation understood by human logic. The parables describe joy for those who hold dear heavenly treasures and weeping and gnashing of teeth for those who do not. The wicked and the evil will be sorted in the end. The angels will come.
Angels will be key players at the Second Coming of Christ. But we need not think that in the meantime their role is insignificant or irrelevant. Angels are not the delicate cherubs depicted in some medieval artwork. They don’t flit around trying to facilitate romantic connections or hover about like celestial birds. Angels are creatures of stature and purpose. They are commissioned with great tasks and vested with awe-inspiring power. They serve the King of kings and bear the authority of their master. We would do well to be more cognizant of their presence and more appreciative of their assistance. They are God’s agents for our benefit.
It is not the ministry of angels, however, that brings us to repentance. That is the work of the Spirit through the clear teaching of God’s word. The Spirit has a deeply entrenched worldview to overcome- one that puts the individual at the centre of existence. The sooner we understand that we are not self-existing, self-supporting, and self-directed the sooner we understand truth. There is no other path to healing; no other avenue to grace. We can say all the right things, play all the right games, make all the appropriate appearances in church, participate in all available works of service and charity, take all the right steps to pacify our consciences and still be living a facade. Why? Because we haven’t come to terms with or we have forgotten who and what we really are. Grace doesn’t exist for the self-righteous. It’s not in their vocabulary. It’s certainly not in our genes.
Therefore, sinners cannot be self-diagnosed. Like the sufferer of brain trauma we cannot accurately assess our own condition. Don’t draw in that breath that will attempt to breathe out some justification for your sins. The Old Adam must be suffocated. Take God at His word. He knows the evil that hides in your heart and takes form in your deeds. Don’t raise your ego to confront Him, bow your heart before Him.
He knows the seriousness of your guilt because He endured it. Christ has been in deeper darkness that we can ever know; His pain more profound than we can begin to image. He endured the weight of humanity’s transgressions. He was the sacrifice and He made atonement not with cooperation, but alone with His own blood. He willingly gave Himself over to death for our sins and for our salvation. He triumphed over death draining it of its power. Hear again the words of the Spirit, “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all- how will He not also, long with Him, graciously give us all things…Christ Jesus, who died- more than that, who was raised to life-is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”2
And so in His grace you stand. You stand not under your own power, not vested with your own armor, not equipped with your own strategies, not needing to endure unspecified trials; you stand resurrected, you stand in the RISEN One, you stand in His truth, His light, His love; you stand in your baptismal promise. You stand in the Spirit embraced by the arms of the Father. Apart from Him we would fall into the abyss of darkness, pushed over like a house of cards, flattened an ant under the sole of a shoe; demolished like a sandcastle before a tidal wave.
Believers can stare down death. Our confidence is not arrogance. And our confidence cannot be maintained independently or indefinitely under its own steam. The church is always a hospital for sinners. Sensible people know they cannot survive without food and water. Honest Christians know their spiritual lives cannot survive without Christ’s body and blood, without the continual renewal and restoration of His forgiveness. His word and sacraments continually sustain our faith. Detached from them we fall into immediate spiritual decline.
The church is at times more or less compromised by many believers remaining in a state of suspended spiritual adolescence. It’s up to the experts or future historians to determine where we are on the scale today. But what is abundantly clear biblically is that faith can never be stagnant. Faith that remains in a state of suspended animation is a sham. Faith is living, breathing, and active. It cannot be still.
Even for the newly baptized infant the activities of the heart are dynamic. They are being influenced by the Spirit’s activity through God’s word; through hearing and learning the truth of God’s love. The activities of the heart are also being influenced by the corrosive power of sin and selfishness as sin always tries to reassert its dominance. While the believer rests in Christ and the promise of sins forgiven, he or she is at the same time engaged in the tension and struggle of living in the world but no longer being of the world. Christians yearn for a permanent home.
But we don’t sit around idly pondering heavenly mysteries. We are purposeful member of the kingdom. The more surgeons advance in their skill and experience the more opportunity they have to make a remarkable difference in peoples’ lives. But they also have more responsibility and the cost of making a mistake is greater. The more military personnel advance in their training the more opportunity they have to protect and rescue those at risk. But they also have greater responsibility and the consequence of failure is more significant. The more believers mature through the challenges they face the more responsibility God gives them to share the burdens of others. The Bible says, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”3 Of course the resultant damage from failure is greater too, but Christ more than covers the risk.
Today’s final parable describes a net with the angels separating the fish at the end of the age. For the believer this brings together three realities; the eternal purpose of God before creation, the saving work of Christ on the cross, and the baptism of the believer into His death and resurrection. In baptism the Holy Spirit goes fishing. He pulls sinners out of the vast ocean of aimlessness and self-servitude and places them in communion with Himself and proper order with one another. The fish was one of the earliest symbols of the Christian faith. The Greek letters formed an acronym that meant Jesus Christ God’s Son, Saviour. This Saviour, our Saviour will not fail us. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 1 Corinthians 15:54
2 Romans 8:31-32, 34
3 Galatians 6:2
4 1 Corinthians 5:12
5 Genesis 28:17
6 Romans 8:18
Seventh Sunday After Pentecost
27 July 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Monday, July 21, 2014
Sixth Sunday After Pentecost (A) 2014
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti Amen +
Text: Matthew 13:36-43
Theme: Growing To Maturity
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God allows us to live in ambiguity and uncertainty. But how magnificent will it be when we enjoy the clarity and certitude of His unveiled presence! Paul encourages the baptized, saying, “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.”1 Christian hope is nothing less than the confidence that these things will come to pass.
But we are not spectators in this divine drama we are participants. Chapter 13 of Matthew is a collection of parables that together give a sweeping view of the mission of Christ and the consummation of His kingdom. Jesus was not a simpleton. His use of parables was not a way to simplify the truths of the kingdom for the illiterate or uninitiated. Instead they often revealed truths that weren’t easily digestible. The disciples themselves often struggled to comprehend. Again today they asked Jesus to explain it to them. The parable of the weeds and the wheat echoes the parable of the sower. It is, however, more confronting because it draws the listener past the human time-line to the final judgment and the consummation of His kingdom.
Jesus changes the points of comparison slightly. Now the good seed is the “sons of the kingdom”2, that is, believers. The weeds are the wicked, children of the devil, sown by him. Both are growing together and until the harvest nears and look much the same to the naked eye. The pivotal question of the parable is what should be done? The servants ask the master if they should go pull up the weeds. He says no “because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them.”3 God suffers an evil world to endure for the sake of the elect. But in the final measure, the angels will come to reap and everything will be sorted.
Meanwhile, life for believers is not tidy. Satan sees to that. The devil’s plans are not haphazard. His work is focused and intentional. And His troops are not always marshalled in clear and obvious distinction to the saints of the kingdom. Often they are scattered as spies or undercover agents in the midst of God’s people. Christ warns us not to make us panicked or paranoid but so that we have a sober and authentic understanding of spiritual realities that are often hidden from plain sight.
The good things of life, the blessings of God are often so inextricably enmeshed and entangled with the evil things, with those things Satan poisons and controls that they cannot be easily separated in this life. We persevere in the midst of evil. We are not objective observers standing aloof or watching from the outside. Your baptism clothes you with a spiritual armor. You don’t sit idly by in some separated enclave. You rub shoulders with the people of the world. We are always in the fray.
But, dear friends, we should never think that we have a leg up, some inherent spiritual advantage over any other person that exists. We are all equally sinners. We are all equally under the demands of the law. Any transgression of God’s will invites judgment. The dilemma is serious. The scripture is unequivocally clear that we are to love God above all things. Yet if we seek to love God strictly out of fear of hell or hope of going to heaven we are not really loving God at all. What we are actually doing is loving ourselves; looking out for our own best interests. Under the guise of piety we are seeking to save our own skin. The good news is any fear of judgment shows there is evidence of contrition in the heart. It’s in this kind of soil that the seed of the gospel grows. Only a repentant person is ready to hear the gospel.
The Holy Spirit sings a sweet tune for ears that are aching for the comfort of God. Christ has made known to us the Father’s unconditional love. In the clarity of His grace we see that our sins have been paid for because we see the cross. We see in the blackness of the crucifixion the light of His profound mercy. He forever rules as the risen Lord to continually intercede for us. Our lives are often marked by greyness and shadow but His presence ensures that we are never alone. Christ can never lose His own way so we need never fear being lost in the chaos of the world.
The parable today teaches us that the world is moving towards the final judgment. We cannot expect humanity to be characterized by truth and light or even civility. As we anticipate the advent of the Son of Man coming in glory we have confidence that the most heinous crimes committed in the history of humanity will be brought into the light and divine retribution will be rendered. We have no illusions of creating a utopia on earth. While we are salt, light, and leaven in the world we have no power to convert anyone, let alone control an evil society. St. Paul says, “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?”4 God is the judge. We have confidence in this.
So how can the faithful be distinguished from the wicked in the here and now? A superficial glance often won’t reveal. But faith does have fruits and God can discern our motives. Faith is evidenced in the desires and efforts of Christians to look to the well-being of others. Excluded, of course, are all efforts to gain notoriety through ostentatious generosity or hidden pride in our own charitableness. Both reveal perverse motives. We are transparent before God. But from faith flows concern for the spiritual well-being of others which is substantiated by our support for the proclamation and dissemination of God’s truth at home and abroad.
We must expect and prepare for increasing resistance to Christian truth. Christians can easily be overcome by a sense of injustice. Horrifying things go on in the world and often with the approval of the highest authorities. We may feel powerless to help, disheartened, and even begin to lose hope. The instantaneous nature of communication makes us more aware of evil in the world and gives focus to our prayer. But it should also make us mindful that we have limitations. We cannot take on the burdens of everyone. Christ bears the sins of the world on His shoulders, we don’t. We gather here because here God gives strength and life to His people.
Today the patriarch Jacob laid his head upon a stone and there God met him. Jacob set up the stone as a memorial and called it Bethel. Every place the Spirit gathers His people in worship could rightly be called Bethel. Bethel means ‘house of God’. The residents of God’s house receive the blessings of the King of kings and Lord of lords. Jacob said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”5 Every time you are absolved of your sins you are at the gate of heaven. Each time you take Christ body and blood upon your lips you have a foretaste of the heavenly feast. God’s word brings to pass what it promises. Yes, the weeds continue to grow all around us. And that will cause us strife. The testing of our faith will also be necessary. But take heart in the words of the apostle who says, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”6 Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 Colossians 1:1-4
2 Matthew 13:38
3 Matthew 13:39
4 1 Corinthians 5:12
5 Genesis 28:17
6 Romans 8:18
Sixth Sunday After Pentecost
20 July 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Text: Matthew 13:36-43
Theme: Growing To Maturity
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God allows us to live in ambiguity and uncertainty. But how magnificent will it be when we enjoy the clarity and certitude of His unveiled presence! Paul encourages the baptized, saying, “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.”1 Christian hope is nothing less than the confidence that these things will come to pass.
But we are not spectators in this divine drama we are participants. Chapter 13 of Matthew is a collection of parables that together give a sweeping view of the mission of Christ and the consummation of His kingdom. Jesus was not a simpleton. His use of parables was not a way to simplify the truths of the kingdom for the illiterate or uninitiated. Instead they often revealed truths that weren’t easily digestible. The disciples themselves often struggled to comprehend. Again today they asked Jesus to explain it to them. The parable of the weeds and the wheat echoes the parable of the sower. It is, however, more confronting because it draws the listener past the human time-line to the final judgment and the consummation of His kingdom.
Jesus changes the points of comparison slightly. Now the good seed is the “sons of the kingdom”2, that is, believers. The weeds are the wicked, children of the devil, sown by him. Both are growing together and until the harvest nears and look much the same to the naked eye. The pivotal question of the parable is what should be done? The servants ask the master if they should go pull up the weeds. He says no “because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them.”3 God suffers an evil world to endure for the sake of the elect. But in the final measure, the angels will come to reap and everything will be sorted.
Meanwhile, life for believers is not tidy. Satan sees to that. The devil’s plans are not haphazard. His work is focused and intentional. And His troops are not always marshalled in clear and obvious distinction to the saints of the kingdom. Often they are scattered as spies or undercover agents in the midst of God’s people. Christ warns us not to make us panicked or paranoid but so that we have a sober and authentic understanding of spiritual realities that are often hidden from plain sight.
The good things of life, the blessings of God are often so inextricably enmeshed and entangled with the evil things, with those things Satan poisons and controls that they cannot be easily separated in this life. We persevere in the midst of evil. We are not objective observers standing aloof or watching from the outside. Your baptism clothes you with a spiritual armor. You don’t sit idly by in some separated enclave. You rub shoulders with the people of the world. We are always in the fray.
But, dear friends, we should never think that we have a leg up, some inherent spiritual advantage over any other person that exists. We are all equally sinners. We are all equally under the demands of the law. Any transgression of God’s will invites judgment. The dilemma is serious. The scripture is unequivocally clear that we are to love God above all things. Yet if we seek to love God strictly out of fear of hell or hope of going to heaven we are not really loving God at all. What we are actually doing is loving ourselves; looking out for our own best interests. Under the guise of piety we are seeking to save our own skin. The good news is any fear of judgment shows there is evidence of contrition in the heart. It’s in this kind of soil that the seed of the gospel grows. Only a repentant person is ready to hear the gospel.
The Holy Spirit sings a sweet tune for ears that are aching for the comfort of God. Christ has made known to us the Father’s unconditional love. In the clarity of His grace we see that our sins have been paid for because we see the cross. We see in the blackness of the crucifixion the light of His profound mercy. He forever rules as the risen Lord to continually intercede for us. Our lives are often marked by greyness and shadow but His presence ensures that we are never alone. Christ can never lose His own way so we need never fear being lost in the chaos of the world.
The parable today teaches us that the world is moving towards the final judgment. We cannot expect humanity to be characterized by truth and light or even civility. As we anticipate the advent of the Son of Man coming in glory we have confidence that the most heinous crimes committed in the history of humanity will be brought into the light and divine retribution will be rendered. We have no illusions of creating a utopia on earth. While we are salt, light, and leaven in the world we have no power to convert anyone, let alone control an evil society. St. Paul says, “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?”4 God is the judge. We have confidence in this.
So how can the faithful be distinguished from the wicked in the here and now? A superficial glance often won’t reveal. But faith does have fruits and God can discern our motives. Faith is evidenced in the desires and efforts of Christians to look to the well-being of others. Excluded, of course, are all efforts to gain notoriety through ostentatious generosity or hidden pride in our own charitableness. Both reveal perverse motives. We are transparent before God. But from faith flows concern for the spiritual well-being of others which is substantiated by our support for the proclamation and dissemination of God’s truth at home and abroad.
We must expect and prepare for increasing resistance to Christian truth. Christians can easily be overcome by a sense of injustice. Horrifying things go on in the world and often with the approval of the highest authorities. We may feel powerless to help, disheartened, and even begin to lose hope. The instantaneous nature of communication makes us more aware of evil in the world and gives focus to our prayer. But it should also make us mindful that we have limitations. We cannot take on the burdens of everyone. Christ bears the sins of the world on His shoulders, we don’t. We gather here because here God gives strength and life to His people.
Today the patriarch Jacob laid his head upon a stone and there God met him. Jacob set up the stone as a memorial and called it Bethel. Every place the Spirit gathers His people in worship could rightly be called Bethel. Bethel means ‘house of God’. The residents of God’s house receive the blessings of the King of kings and Lord of lords. Jacob said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”5 Every time you are absolved of your sins you are at the gate of heaven. Each time you take Christ body and blood upon your lips you have a foretaste of the heavenly feast. God’s word brings to pass what it promises. Yes, the weeds continue to grow all around us. And that will cause us strife. The testing of our faith will also be necessary. But take heart in the words of the apostle who says, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”6 Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 Colossians 1:1-4
2 Matthew 13:38
3 Matthew 13:39
4 1 Corinthians 5:12
5 Genesis 28:17
6 Romans 8:18
Sixth Sunday After Pentecost
20 July 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Fifth Sunday After Pentecost (A) 2014
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti Amen +
Text: Matthew 13:18-23
Theme: An Implausible Spiritual Harvest
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The wisdom of God always turns human judgment on its head. It’s, therefore, always prudent and beneficial to restate the fundamental teachings of the faith. The gospel is not second nature to us. We can receive spiritual truths only through Spirit who gives discernment. In the context of the parable today we must be reminded that God causes things to grow. He alone gives life. Basic, yes, but not to be taken for granted. The sower goes out to sow the seed. The seed is the word of God. But it is a perilous journey from sowing to harvest. Maturity is not a foregone conclusion but a miraculous accomplishment. And so it is also with the Christian journey.
In the midst of a season with a flourishing crop Christ’s analogy of sowing and growing should be easily pictured in our minds. When the seed is sown there are a number of possible outcomes. Jesus mentions four and from these draws direct comparison to spiritual realities. First to be noted is that most of the seed that is sown comes to ruin. It produces no harvest. Some is snatched immediately before even sprouting. Other seeds germinate and show promise but fail to reach maturity. These facts would seem to contradict the assumption that at the coming of Christ the kingdom of God would spread vigorously with little resistance. The assumption is false. Christ is the rejected Messiah and remains so today
But the seeds that do reach maturity produce an abundant crop. By ancient standards it would be considered a miraculous crop. Often when we least expect it, and usually when we’re unable to conceive of it, God’s blessings are sprung upon us. As with all the analogies of Jesus we can’t push them too far. For example, we can’t say that the good soil is good because of some inherent worth in the person. That would contradict the clear and broad teaching of Scripture. No one is naturally good soil nor can they make themselves into it. The key is in the hearing and understanding. Jesus doesn’t teach us merely so that we can conceptualize spiritual things. His words are intended to penetrate, to transform and invigorate us.
So, just as the seed’s contact with the soil is critical, so is our contact with the word of God. Spiritual life and growth cannot be taken for granted. You and I are called to humility and integrity. Are you so learned that you do not need to regularly hear the word of God taught and preached? Are you so holy that you only occasionally need the forgiveness of sins? Does following the commandments come easy for you? Are you immune to lust, jealously, greed, dishonesty, bitterness, selfishness, and fear? Does loving God above all things and loving your neighbour as yourself come naturally to you? The words of Scripture are a reality check for us, “The sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.”1 These truths call us to repentance. They bid us to cease pretending and believing we are something we’re not.
Dear friends, spiritual life and growth do not happen automatically or programmatically. Today Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife Rebekah. Why? Because she was barren. So here we go again! Isaac himself was the son of the promise but his mother Sarah was past child-bearing age. Nevertheless, God brought life out of death. We might assume things would go easier with the next generation. It was still many centuries until Christ was to be born. Instead, the wisdom and might of God remained hidden in human weakness as it still is today. The conception of Isaac and the conception of Jacob both pointed to the miraculous conception of Jesus by the Holy Spirit. Woven throughout the narrative is the feebleness, frailty, and skepticism of humanity which is counter-balanced and mitigated by the grace, gentleness, and vitality of God. From start to finish God uses frail and foolish humans to accomplish His work in the world. That truth gives us hope.
And we have more than hope; we have the accomplished work of the Lamb of God for the salvation of the world. The apostle says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”2“What the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.”3 Christ died and rose again to set you free from death’s power. Sin does not have jurisdiction over the baptized.
Does that mean you will not sin? No! But sin does not control you. It does not have free reign. You do not serve the sinful nature. You are set free. The struggle rages. You are not relieved of the struggle, but you are relieved of the burden of gaining God’s favour. You are relieved of the fear of punishment. You are released from doubt about who holds the future. And in the context of living the baptismal life, the sanctified life, you are free from a dependence on the quality of your own faith. When meeting the challenges of life we don’t tap into our faith for strength, we tap into Christ. To rely on our own resources- especially spiritual ones-is just another recourse to the law.
When it comes to motivating humans to achieve holiness the law is impotent. We are too corrupt. The nature of that corruption means that the operation of the law is written into our psyche. It’s in our DNA. The law will always fill the void. When the clear articulation of the gospel is absent some application of the law will always fill the gap. Bereft of the gospel we have no other mode of operation than the law. We have no other way to understand how things work. Like instinct during a panic we revert to what we know. The disciples went back to fishing before Pentecost. Spiritual vitality is always the result of the gospel’s power. The seed germinates and is brought to maturity by God alone.
That doesn’t mean faith is unimportant. It’s just a matter of understanding how things relate and how they are sustained. Faith is not a distillation of your emotions, an accomplishment of your will, or a feat of your determination. Faith is descriptive of a relationship. You are no longer at pains to right yourself with God. Christ has done it. You are forgiven. Faith is trust in the unconditional mercy of God in Christ. He was crucified for you. He rose to give you life. He sent the Spirit to accompany you at all times.
He has provided the means to bring you to maturity. The resurrection is always in view. In anticipation of fulfillment you come to receive the body and blood of Christ. And why do we come? We come because Christ bids us to come; He invites us saying, “Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”4 But even more importantly, we come because here we have a precious treasure. Here we have a profound, mysterious and unalterable promise. We have distributed to us the forgiveness of sins sealed in this tangible and intimate way. We need not look for a window into heaven for God is with us right here on earth. Christ the sacrifice. Christ the priest. Christ the shepherd. Immanuel, God with us.
And today, Christ, the Word of God is sown in our hearts. The Scripture says, “Other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop- a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”5 May God make it so for Christ’s sake, amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 Romans 8:7-8
2 Romans 8:1
3 Romans 8:3
4 1 Corinthians 11:25
5 Matthew 13:8
Fifth Sunday After Pentecost
13 July 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Text: Matthew 13:18-23
Theme: An Implausible Spiritual Harvest
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The wisdom of God always turns human judgment on its head. It’s, therefore, always prudent and beneficial to restate the fundamental teachings of the faith. The gospel is not second nature to us. We can receive spiritual truths only through Spirit who gives discernment. In the context of the parable today we must be reminded that God causes things to grow. He alone gives life. Basic, yes, but not to be taken for granted. The sower goes out to sow the seed. The seed is the word of God. But it is a perilous journey from sowing to harvest. Maturity is not a foregone conclusion but a miraculous accomplishment. And so it is also with the Christian journey.
In the midst of a season with a flourishing crop Christ’s analogy of sowing and growing should be easily pictured in our minds. When the seed is sown there are a number of possible outcomes. Jesus mentions four and from these draws direct comparison to spiritual realities. First to be noted is that most of the seed that is sown comes to ruin. It produces no harvest. Some is snatched immediately before even sprouting. Other seeds germinate and show promise but fail to reach maturity. These facts would seem to contradict the assumption that at the coming of Christ the kingdom of God would spread vigorously with little resistance. The assumption is false. Christ is the rejected Messiah and remains so today
But the seeds that do reach maturity produce an abundant crop. By ancient standards it would be considered a miraculous crop. Often when we least expect it, and usually when we’re unable to conceive of it, God’s blessings are sprung upon us. As with all the analogies of Jesus we can’t push them too far. For example, we can’t say that the good soil is good because of some inherent worth in the person. That would contradict the clear and broad teaching of Scripture. No one is naturally good soil nor can they make themselves into it. The key is in the hearing and understanding. Jesus doesn’t teach us merely so that we can conceptualize spiritual things. His words are intended to penetrate, to transform and invigorate us.
So, just as the seed’s contact with the soil is critical, so is our contact with the word of God. Spiritual life and growth cannot be taken for granted. You and I are called to humility and integrity. Are you so learned that you do not need to regularly hear the word of God taught and preached? Are you so holy that you only occasionally need the forgiveness of sins? Does following the commandments come easy for you? Are you immune to lust, jealously, greed, dishonesty, bitterness, selfishness, and fear? Does loving God above all things and loving your neighbour as yourself come naturally to you? The words of Scripture are a reality check for us, “The sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.”1 These truths call us to repentance. They bid us to cease pretending and believing we are something we’re not.
Dear friends, spiritual life and growth do not happen automatically or programmatically. Today Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife Rebekah. Why? Because she was barren. So here we go again! Isaac himself was the son of the promise but his mother Sarah was past child-bearing age. Nevertheless, God brought life out of death. We might assume things would go easier with the next generation. It was still many centuries until Christ was to be born. Instead, the wisdom and might of God remained hidden in human weakness as it still is today. The conception of Isaac and the conception of Jacob both pointed to the miraculous conception of Jesus by the Holy Spirit. Woven throughout the narrative is the feebleness, frailty, and skepticism of humanity which is counter-balanced and mitigated by the grace, gentleness, and vitality of God. From start to finish God uses frail and foolish humans to accomplish His work in the world. That truth gives us hope.
And we have more than hope; we have the accomplished work of the Lamb of God for the salvation of the world. The apostle says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”2“What the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.”3 Christ died and rose again to set you free from death’s power. Sin does not have jurisdiction over the baptized.
Does that mean you will not sin? No! But sin does not control you. It does not have free reign. You do not serve the sinful nature. You are set free. The struggle rages. You are not relieved of the struggle, but you are relieved of the burden of gaining God’s favour. You are relieved of the fear of punishment. You are released from doubt about who holds the future. And in the context of living the baptismal life, the sanctified life, you are free from a dependence on the quality of your own faith. When meeting the challenges of life we don’t tap into our faith for strength, we tap into Christ. To rely on our own resources- especially spiritual ones-is just another recourse to the law.
When it comes to motivating humans to achieve holiness the law is impotent. We are too corrupt. The nature of that corruption means that the operation of the law is written into our psyche. It’s in our DNA. The law will always fill the void. When the clear articulation of the gospel is absent some application of the law will always fill the gap. Bereft of the gospel we have no other mode of operation than the law. We have no other way to understand how things work. Like instinct during a panic we revert to what we know. The disciples went back to fishing before Pentecost. Spiritual vitality is always the result of the gospel’s power. The seed germinates and is brought to maturity by God alone.
That doesn’t mean faith is unimportant. It’s just a matter of understanding how things relate and how they are sustained. Faith is not a distillation of your emotions, an accomplishment of your will, or a feat of your determination. Faith is descriptive of a relationship. You are no longer at pains to right yourself with God. Christ has done it. You are forgiven. Faith is trust in the unconditional mercy of God in Christ. He was crucified for you. He rose to give you life. He sent the Spirit to accompany you at all times.
He has provided the means to bring you to maturity. The resurrection is always in view. In anticipation of fulfillment you come to receive the body and blood of Christ. And why do we come? We come because Christ bids us to come; He invites us saying, “Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”4 But even more importantly, we come because here we have a precious treasure. Here we have a profound, mysterious and unalterable promise. We have distributed to us the forgiveness of sins sealed in this tangible and intimate way. We need not look for a window into heaven for God is with us right here on earth. Christ the sacrifice. Christ the priest. Christ the shepherd. Immanuel, God with us.
And today, Christ, the Word of God is sown in our hearts. The Scripture says, “Other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop- a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”5 May God make it so for Christ’s sake, amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 Romans 8:7-8
2 Romans 8:1
3 Romans 8:3
4 1 Corinthians 11:25
5 Matthew 13:8
Fifth Sunday After Pentecost
13 July 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Sunday, July 6, 2014
Fourth Sunday After Pentecost (A) 2014
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti Amen +
Text: Matthew 11:28
Theme: The Search Ends In Christ
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The world is rife with discontent. Affluence more often fuels it than quenches it. People are searching. Some targets of acquisition are age-old and obvious; wealth, health, power, influence, and control. These are typically sensory and worldly. Others are more transcendent and philosophical; meaning, purpose, and even immortality. These more spiritual convictions tend to interpret seemingly ordinary pursuits. The Saviour promises rest for the soul. Sinners can be at ease only in the presence of Christ. In Him the quest ends. In Him eternity begins.
Jesus was not timid about condemning evil and unbelief in His generation. Though direct, His condemnations were often witty. He sought to engage people in thought-provoking ways. We should not be surprised that His assessments are still relevant and appropriate today. The word of God is never obsolete. He says, “To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.”1 Music and dancing characterized wedding celebrations, rejoicing and happiness, the presence of bride and groom. Funeral dirges and grieving accompanied death and sorrow, loss and mortality. Representing opposite ends of the spectrum of human existence Jesus contrasts these two to highlight opposition to the gospel and His mission and ministry.
The religious rulers were unpleasable. John the Baptist was viewed as a somber preacher of repentance; Jesus as too accepting of the unclean and outcast. John led an ascetic life-style- not overly-indulgent or gluttonous- yet they demonized him. Jesus enjoyed the hospitality of all classes of people and they labeled Him a glutton, drunkard, and friend of tax-collectors and sinners2. Human nature is no different today. Malcontent is endemic. It vexes the human psyche. Hardened unbelief is never satisfied. The self-absorbed are never satisfied. Those who construct idols are never satisfied. Those searching for ultimate fulfillment other than in God will never be satisfied.
The Spirit’s call to repentance is never simply a call to be content. It is a call to recognize, to admit, to confess that in our sinful, selfish natures we desire to determine what should make us content. We desire to set our own rules. We do it to the harm and detriment of others. That desire does not cease even in the baptized. The baptismal life is a daily struggle. The apostle says today, “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good but I cannot carry it out.”3 Dare we assume that we may fare better than St. Paul?
Some try to shift the blame. Why is there still so much brokenness in the world, they ask? God is not the cause of sin. But, dear friends, we cannot defend that truth with logic and we certainly cannot defend it empirically. It is not self-evident. It is an article of faith. How can a good and gracious God allow so much evil to exist? Is He not truly omnipotent? Is He not comprehensively compassionate? We have a hard time seeing the connection between God’s omnipotence and His benevolence. His apparent lack of intervention is at times quite noticeable. Can we really attribute the cause of all tragedies to natural disasters or Satan’s meddling? We can’t write everything off as chance, luck, coincidence, or satanic scheming. God is not inept but we are left with some irreducible complexities.
Long ago a false teacher named Marcion proposed two gods; one who created evil and one who created good. It was his way of trying to make logical sense of what seemed to him to be irreconcilable contradictions in the Bible. His solution was to dismiss the entire Old Testament and significant parts of the New. The spirit of his approach is alive and well as seen by the widespread crisis of credibility in the Scriptures. Here our hubris must be kept in check. We’ll never succeed in making sense of God. He won’t be put into a box. His ways are not directly accessible to our reason. We cannot tame or domesticate Him. His truths are not manageable. He won’t be slotted into our schemes. His justice is too perfect and His grace too profound to allow it.
God doesn’t always offer explanations, but He offers hope. He doesn’t promise we’ll comprehend all His ways but He promises He’ll be faithful. He doesn’t always prevent sickness, but He promises complete healing. He doesn’t always prevent death, but He offers life. Christ didn’t come to resolve paradoxes; He came to reveal them. Jesus said, “All things have been committed to me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.”4
All human quests for the divine, for definitive meaning, for ultimate security, for final contentment are futile. As in the eye of a cyclone there is no direction we can take. But God intervenes. Christ draws sinners to Himself. He pulls us through the maelstrom. The Spirit gives life and hope in baptismal water. It’s not so much our search that ends, but God’s. The Redeemer says, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”5 Our Lutheran confessions make this comment, “There are two parts here. Labor and being heavy-laden means contrition, anxiety, and the terrors of sin and death. To come to Christ means to believe that for His sake sins are forgiven.”6 The Holy Spirit’s goal is always to drive us into the arms of the Good Shepherd. True rest is the peace that comes from being reconciled to God in Christ.
Dear friends, think of the magnificence of the truth that is revealed in Him! The immutable God- the eternal, changeless Deity unaffected by time or decay, unencumbered by the limitations of mortality- nevertheless assumed frail human flesh, God became man, clothing Himself with a mortal body. A manger in Bethlehem became the dwelling of the Prince of Heaven. An instrument of torture became His throne and there He was crowned king. On the altar of the cross this holy and blameless Son of God, the immortal and invincible Second Person of the Trinity, died as the greatest of sinners. He then rose victorious over death. As the epitome of all paradoxes it’s not one we solve, but one we worship. God and man, in Christ succumbing to death but giving life, bearing transgression while freeing from sin, humble but exalted He secured our salvation.
The Holy Spirit reveals these truths to us in the Scriptures. He reveals them in the sacraments. The promises He attaches create and fortify our faith. Paul reminds us, “We live by faith, not by sight.”7What you see is on the altar bread and wine. What you are promised is the body and blood of Christ. The divergence between what is seen and what actually is is the power of the incarnate word. Christ is here. Here is contentment. Here the search ends. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 Matthew 11:16-17
2 See Matthew 11:18-19
3 Romans 7:18
4 Matthew 11:27
5 Matthew 11:28-29
6 Tappert, AP XII, 187, 44
7 2 Corinthians 5:7
Fourth Sunday After Pentecost
6 July 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Text: Matthew 11:28
Theme: The Search Ends In Christ
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The world is rife with discontent. Affluence more often fuels it than quenches it. People are searching. Some targets of acquisition are age-old and obvious; wealth, health, power, influence, and control. These are typically sensory and worldly. Others are more transcendent and philosophical; meaning, purpose, and even immortality. These more spiritual convictions tend to interpret seemingly ordinary pursuits. The Saviour promises rest for the soul. Sinners can be at ease only in the presence of Christ. In Him the quest ends. In Him eternity begins.
Jesus was not timid about condemning evil and unbelief in His generation. Though direct, His condemnations were often witty. He sought to engage people in thought-provoking ways. We should not be surprised that His assessments are still relevant and appropriate today. The word of God is never obsolete. He says, “To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.”1 Music and dancing characterized wedding celebrations, rejoicing and happiness, the presence of bride and groom. Funeral dirges and grieving accompanied death and sorrow, loss and mortality. Representing opposite ends of the spectrum of human existence Jesus contrasts these two to highlight opposition to the gospel and His mission and ministry.
The religious rulers were unpleasable. John the Baptist was viewed as a somber preacher of repentance; Jesus as too accepting of the unclean and outcast. John led an ascetic life-style- not overly-indulgent or gluttonous- yet they demonized him. Jesus enjoyed the hospitality of all classes of people and they labeled Him a glutton, drunkard, and friend of tax-collectors and sinners2. Human nature is no different today. Malcontent is endemic. It vexes the human psyche. Hardened unbelief is never satisfied. The self-absorbed are never satisfied. Those who construct idols are never satisfied. Those searching for ultimate fulfillment other than in God will never be satisfied.
The Spirit’s call to repentance is never simply a call to be content. It is a call to recognize, to admit, to confess that in our sinful, selfish natures we desire to determine what should make us content. We desire to set our own rules. We do it to the harm and detriment of others. That desire does not cease even in the baptized. The baptismal life is a daily struggle. The apostle says today, “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good but I cannot carry it out.”3 Dare we assume that we may fare better than St. Paul?
Some try to shift the blame. Why is there still so much brokenness in the world, they ask? God is not the cause of sin. But, dear friends, we cannot defend that truth with logic and we certainly cannot defend it empirically. It is not self-evident. It is an article of faith. How can a good and gracious God allow so much evil to exist? Is He not truly omnipotent? Is He not comprehensively compassionate? We have a hard time seeing the connection between God’s omnipotence and His benevolence. His apparent lack of intervention is at times quite noticeable. Can we really attribute the cause of all tragedies to natural disasters or Satan’s meddling? We can’t write everything off as chance, luck, coincidence, or satanic scheming. God is not inept but we are left with some irreducible complexities.
Long ago a false teacher named Marcion proposed two gods; one who created evil and one who created good. It was his way of trying to make logical sense of what seemed to him to be irreconcilable contradictions in the Bible. His solution was to dismiss the entire Old Testament and significant parts of the New. The spirit of his approach is alive and well as seen by the widespread crisis of credibility in the Scriptures. Here our hubris must be kept in check. We’ll never succeed in making sense of God. He won’t be put into a box. His ways are not directly accessible to our reason. We cannot tame or domesticate Him. His truths are not manageable. He won’t be slotted into our schemes. His justice is too perfect and His grace too profound to allow it.
God doesn’t always offer explanations, but He offers hope. He doesn’t promise we’ll comprehend all His ways but He promises He’ll be faithful. He doesn’t always prevent sickness, but He promises complete healing. He doesn’t always prevent death, but He offers life. Christ didn’t come to resolve paradoxes; He came to reveal them. Jesus said, “All things have been committed to me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.”4
All human quests for the divine, for definitive meaning, for ultimate security, for final contentment are futile. As in the eye of a cyclone there is no direction we can take. But God intervenes. Christ draws sinners to Himself. He pulls us through the maelstrom. The Spirit gives life and hope in baptismal water. It’s not so much our search that ends, but God’s. The Redeemer says, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”5 Our Lutheran confessions make this comment, “There are two parts here. Labor and being heavy-laden means contrition, anxiety, and the terrors of sin and death. To come to Christ means to believe that for His sake sins are forgiven.”6 The Holy Spirit’s goal is always to drive us into the arms of the Good Shepherd. True rest is the peace that comes from being reconciled to God in Christ.
Dear friends, think of the magnificence of the truth that is revealed in Him! The immutable God- the eternal, changeless Deity unaffected by time or decay, unencumbered by the limitations of mortality- nevertheless assumed frail human flesh, God became man, clothing Himself with a mortal body. A manger in Bethlehem became the dwelling of the Prince of Heaven. An instrument of torture became His throne and there He was crowned king. On the altar of the cross this holy and blameless Son of God, the immortal and invincible Second Person of the Trinity, died as the greatest of sinners. He then rose victorious over death. As the epitome of all paradoxes it’s not one we solve, but one we worship. God and man, in Christ succumbing to death but giving life, bearing transgression while freeing from sin, humble but exalted He secured our salvation.
The Holy Spirit reveals these truths to us in the Scriptures. He reveals them in the sacraments. The promises He attaches create and fortify our faith. Paul reminds us, “We live by faith, not by sight.”7What you see is on the altar bread and wine. What you are promised is the body and blood of Christ. The divergence between what is seen and what actually is is the power of the incarnate word. Christ is here. Here is contentment. Here the search ends. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 Matthew 11:16-17
2 See Matthew 11:18-19
3 Romans 7:18
4 Matthew 11:27
5 Matthew 11:28-29
6 Tappert, AP XII, 187, 44
7 2 Corinthians 5:7
Fourth Sunday After Pentecost
6 July 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
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