+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 20:20
Theme: Joy In His Presence
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Christ is risen!
There was bound to be fall out. Collateral damage was unavoidable. An ordinary person doesn’t come back from the dead without causing a stir, let alone, someone of Jesus’ significance. The media would have a field day today. Those first hours were a blur of confusion, uncertainty, excitement, fear, bewilderment, and doubt. Was it really true! What did it all mean! How would the Roman authorities react? What would the Jewish leaders do? The disciples were huddled together in fear. It was still Easter Sunday.
The resurrection is not a truth you can wrap your head around overnight. The apostles were nearly dumbfounded until Pentecost. Proclaiming the risen Jesus, and in Him forgiveness, life and salvation, was then the all-consuming focus of the rest of their ministries. All but one were reportedly martyred for the cause. The Book of Acts records the activity that typified their ministry. “Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead.”1
The preaching of the resurrection was marked with a sense of urgency, with tenacity, and a willingness to suffer rejection. The suffering Servant was living. He had overcome the power of death. It was news that could not be kept quiet. It could not be muzzled. St. Paul says, “When I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!”2 That continues to be the mission of the church.
It’s convenient, obviously, to use Thomas as the reference point for those who are skeptical that Jesus rose bodily from the dead. Thomas has the benefit of putting his fingers into the flesh of the risen Lord and his doubt is quickly overturned. The evidence was indisputable. Today’s cynics, however, should not be singled-out as being unique. It is the temptation of every generation to see itself as more enlightened than all previous ones. But Christianity is no respecter of generations in this regard. Accumulated knowledge does not translate into a more superior status in relation to God. We may have supercomputers and spaceships but these don’t make God more accessible. As science discloses more of the mysteries of creation we are finding that the wisdom and power of God is not being eliminated but being made all the more necessary. The scientific enterprise is in the process of coming full circle.
How then to proclaim the resurrection to people whose bellies are full, bank accounts are overflowing, egos are over-inflated, and sense of holiness is being destroyed by a largely vulgar secular society? The appetite for spiritual truth is not easily whetted. Personal reflection is a good starting point. It’s easy to become a too-comfortable Christian. The same applies for pastors. Certainty of salvation is not the same as complacency in our sins. “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word has no place in our lives.”3
We’re not necessarily meant to always fill comfortable even in the house of God. God’s holy word is confronting. It is convicting. It penetrates our hearts and reveals our motives. As it operates in that capacity it doesn’t result in a relaxing process for us. It names us as sinners and goes to work on us. We don’t come into His presence to have our egos stroked. We don’t gather in a casual atmosphere.
But we are most certainly to believe that God’s house is a refuge for us. It is here that Christ is among us as one who serves. If your life is lacking in happiness, here you find joy. If your life is full of turmoil, here you find peace. If your life is beset with conflict and contention, here you have the comfort of knowing you are reconciled to the heavenly Father through Christ. Here the forgiveness of sins binds us together, heals us, and empowers us. Luther says, “Satan will more easily put up with all other articles than this one concerning the forgiveness of sins.”4 The devil cannot bear to see people reconciled to God. But that’s exactly what Christ has done. “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”5
When the conscience, flooded with doubt, burdened with anxiety, knows not where to turn it can recede into itself like a turtle disappearing into its shell. Or, it can grope aimlessly about for any offer of support. Both are dangerous decisions. The bottling up of fear, doubt, and anxiety only cripples our ability to mend and engage relationships. Grasping at options that might ease the pain but not address the ailment- engaging in fantasy, overindulgence in alcohol or drugs, pursuing distractions to the point of obsession- only compound the problem in the long run. Christianity is the truth for realists. A real God interacts with real people. Here the baptized gather with a family that transcends bloodlines. Here our faith is nourished by Christ’s body and blood, the equivalent of putting our fingers into the side of the risen Jesus.
Dear friends, no one can stand aloof from the truth of the resurrection. The crucified Jesus was not a tragic failure; death could not hold Him. Because this truth makes a claim on humanity it makes a claim on each of us. Christ shares our human nature. He did not relinquish it after His ascension. He remains the one Christ, God and man forever as the Athanasian Creed says, “not by changing the Godhead into flesh but by taking on the humanity into God.” The implication is universal. “At his coming all men shall rise with their bodies and give an account of their own deeds.”6 Neither the believer nor the unbeliever is exempt from the bodily resurrection; the difference is the eternal destination.
The resurrection is the bedrock upon which our hope is built. The Israelites celebrated a jubilee year every 50th year7. It was the year in which debts were forgiven, grievances were put aside, and property returned to its original owners. So too, the season of Easter involves 50 days of jubilee. Holiness and joy mark our celebrations of the resurrection. Hallelujahs roll off our tongues and elation fills our hearts. Even in the midst of adversity we have life; and we have it abundantly. Amen.
Christ is risen!
+ In nomine Jesu +
Second Sunday of Easter
12 April, 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Acts 17:2-3
2 1 Corinthians 9:16
3 1 John 1:8-10
4 AE 44:21, 115
5 Romans 4:25
6 The Athanasian Creed
7 See Leviticus 25:11
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Monday, April 6, 2015
Easter Sunday (B) 2015
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Mark 16:8
Theme: Stunned Silence
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Christ is risen!
Temporary paralysis! That was the condition that overtook the women who went to Jesus’ tomb early on Easter morning. They came with practical concerns, bearing the spices, gaining access to the tomb, anointing Jesus’ body. What they encountered shook them to the core. Their Lord, their Master, their Redeemer, their King who had been crowned with thorns was not there. Instead the angelic messenger greets them with the resurrection gospel. “He has risen! He is not here.”1
The account of the resurrection from St Mark ends initially with the sentiment of fear. Commanded to go and tell the disciples the women initially said nothing to anyone. Clinically, they were in a state of shock. They had no precedent upon which to draw on. People commonly relate to things on the basis of experience. We all know how quickly people relate to the subject matter of a conversation based on some similar experience they have had even if sometimes it’s stretching the comparison more than a little.
Whether it involves significant things like getting married, becoming parents, being involved in an accident, or facing a terminal illness; or more mundane and trivial things such as what we did on the weekend, the new car we bought, or how we like our coffee, associating with another’s experience is how we evaluate and process common experience. I did that once. I had that too. I experienced that also. For me it was more like this. My experience was more like that. This mode of operating is, of course, natural and can help us to build relationships when properly exercised. It can also be evidence of self-centredness. It’s a convenient way to turn the focus back on oneself.
The miracle of Christ’s triumph over death leaves us without opportunity for comparison. We have no point of reference for the resurrection. There is nothing in our past that we can link it too. No one can say, “This is what it was like for me.” We have no framework with which to evaluate it based on experience; no connections with which to measure it. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is completely and utterly beyond us. Many saw Jesus raise people- Lazarus, Jairus’s daughter, the son of the widow of Nain- from the dead. These were arresting displays of His power and a boon to the faith of many. Even so, those people were resuscitated to mortality and still faced death and decay.
Facing that reality for what it is, is what makes the resurrection of Christ earth-shattering and life-transforming. Otherwise it remains but a remarkable and curious footnote in history. But Christ didn’t just come to make history; He came to give meaning to the present and secure the future. The whole creation is in bondage to decay2 and no part of creation is more acutely aware of this than the human race.
The once spritely parents who found themselves stooping over dozens of times a day to pick up their children now pause and bend at the knee. The once robust athlete at the peak of prowess and endurance has now lost a step and gained niggling pains and strains. The once ambitious professional with a clear mind and sharp memory now finds himself or herself taking longer to manage the schedule and needing to write things down. We find we need four eyes to do the job of two; three and then four legs, then wheels, to do the job of two legs; extra ears, and stents, stitches, plates, pins, and pace-makers to keep the internal parts intact and working. These are not theoretical examples. These are applicable me and you.
The world simply understands all these things to be natural (though their affects are strenuously resisted). Christians understand a deeper reality at work. The natural world is living off the capital invested in the original creation. But permanent vitality exists only in Christ. Have you ever done a double-take when one of those ageing Hollywood stars you haven’t seen in a while appears on screen so done over by cosmetic surgery they look alien and artificial? Ponce de Leon has many followers. The fabled fountain of youth is the holy grail for a world bent on extracting (regardless of how artificially and vainly) every last ounce of youthfulness from a decaying existence. But the hegemony of sin’s maturing consequences is not so easily halted.
It involves much more than the ageing of our physical bodies and mental faculties. We know the symptoms. Addiction of every sort; addiction to drugs, alcohol, pornography, gambling, or work. Obsession of every kind; obsession with our appearance, our bank account, our social image, our status, is at the core an addiction and obsession to and with ourselves. The sinful nature serves itself above anything and anyone else. Repentance is not a matter of pious posturing before God; it is dead serious wrangling with the power of sin. We must stop assuming that thinking, speaking, and acting in a holy and righteous was is within our own power. The crucified and risen Christ breaks the power of sin. He frees us for the privilege of serving others.
All attempts to relate to the resurrection by experience must be named for what they are: Fabrications! They are projections of mortal sentiment onto the reality of divine existence. Faith cannot be pushed out of the equation. Through it the Spirit teaches us the mind of God. That too is beyond us; until….Christ! The gospel is a foreign language. It is not our mother tongue. It’s too counterintuitive to our sense of justice. It’s too unfamiliar to our natural way of thinking. It’s too drenched with mercy, laden with grace, and dripping with compassion to resonate with human ideals.
But the resurrection, the experience of which is beyond us, is our very possession in faith. It is the consummation of our hope. Beyond us now it will be our mode of existence in the future. When the mortal has been clothed with “immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’”3 The mystery of baptism ties these truths together. St. Peter says that baptism saves us, “By the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand.”4 It is the body and blood of the resurrected and enthroned Lord that we receive at this altar. He is present in His deity and His humanity to forgive, comfort, and empower. It’s not that believers will be saved through Christ’s resurrection; they are saved and live in that power now.
The concerns of the Marys are the concerns of the church. Who will roll the stone away from the secured unbelieving heart? How will access be gained to the soul galvanized against contact with God? God is beyond our experience. Faith to believe that He embraces us in Christ is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Who has that power? The Lord, God Almighty, the prophetic and apostolic word-wielding Spirit alone has such power. The Spirit says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws.”5
Luther saw clearly how tangible and personal the promise of the resurrection is. “Now if I know this and believe it, my heart or conscience and soul have already passed through death and grave and are in heaven with Christ, dwell there and rejoice over it. And in that way we have the two best parts, much more than half, of the resurrection behind us. And because Christ animates and renews the heart by faith, He will surely drag the decomposed rascal after Him and clothe him again, so that we can behold Him and live with Him. For that is His word and work on which we are baptized and live and die.”6
Perfect newness! That truth should stun us as much as the women at the tomb. We possess it now by faith; we look forward to enjoying its full benefits in the future. Our Redeemer is victorious over the grave. Hallelujah! Amen.
Christ is risen!
+ In nomine Jesu +
The Resurrection of Our Lord
5 April, 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Text: Mark 16:8
Theme: Stunned Silence
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Christ is risen!
Temporary paralysis! That was the condition that overtook the women who went to Jesus’ tomb early on Easter morning. They came with practical concerns, bearing the spices, gaining access to the tomb, anointing Jesus’ body. What they encountered shook them to the core. Their Lord, their Master, their Redeemer, their King who had been crowned with thorns was not there. Instead the angelic messenger greets them with the resurrection gospel. “He has risen! He is not here.”1
The account of the resurrection from St Mark ends initially with the sentiment of fear. Commanded to go and tell the disciples the women initially said nothing to anyone. Clinically, they were in a state of shock. They had no precedent upon which to draw on. People commonly relate to things on the basis of experience. We all know how quickly people relate to the subject matter of a conversation based on some similar experience they have had even if sometimes it’s stretching the comparison more than a little.
Whether it involves significant things like getting married, becoming parents, being involved in an accident, or facing a terminal illness; or more mundane and trivial things such as what we did on the weekend, the new car we bought, or how we like our coffee, associating with another’s experience is how we evaluate and process common experience. I did that once. I had that too. I experienced that also. For me it was more like this. My experience was more like that. This mode of operating is, of course, natural and can help us to build relationships when properly exercised. It can also be evidence of self-centredness. It’s a convenient way to turn the focus back on oneself.
The miracle of Christ’s triumph over death leaves us without opportunity for comparison. We have no point of reference for the resurrection. There is nothing in our past that we can link it too. No one can say, “This is what it was like for me.” We have no framework with which to evaluate it based on experience; no connections with which to measure it. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is completely and utterly beyond us. Many saw Jesus raise people- Lazarus, Jairus’s daughter, the son of the widow of Nain- from the dead. These were arresting displays of His power and a boon to the faith of many. Even so, those people were resuscitated to mortality and still faced death and decay.
Facing that reality for what it is, is what makes the resurrection of Christ earth-shattering and life-transforming. Otherwise it remains but a remarkable and curious footnote in history. But Christ didn’t just come to make history; He came to give meaning to the present and secure the future. The whole creation is in bondage to decay2 and no part of creation is more acutely aware of this than the human race.
The once spritely parents who found themselves stooping over dozens of times a day to pick up their children now pause and bend at the knee. The once robust athlete at the peak of prowess and endurance has now lost a step and gained niggling pains and strains. The once ambitious professional with a clear mind and sharp memory now finds himself or herself taking longer to manage the schedule and needing to write things down. We find we need four eyes to do the job of two; three and then four legs, then wheels, to do the job of two legs; extra ears, and stents, stitches, plates, pins, and pace-makers to keep the internal parts intact and working. These are not theoretical examples. These are applicable me and you.
The world simply understands all these things to be natural (though their affects are strenuously resisted). Christians understand a deeper reality at work. The natural world is living off the capital invested in the original creation. But permanent vitality exists only in Christ. Have you ever done a double-take when one of those ageing Hollywood stars you haven’t seen in a while appears on screen so done over by cosmetic surgery they look alien and artificial? Ponce de Leon has many followers. The fabled fountain of youth is the holy grail for a world bent on extracting (regardless of how artificially and vainly) every last ounce of youthfulness from a decaying existence. But the hegemony of sin’s maturing consequences is not so easily halted.
It involves much more than the ageing of our physical bodies and mental faculties. We know the symptoms. Addiction of every sort; addiction to drugs, alcohol, pornography, gambling, or work. Obsession of every kind; obsession with our appearance, our bank account, our social image, our status, is at the core an addiction and obsession to and with ourselves. The sinful nature serves itself above anything and anyone else. Repentance is not a matter of pious posturing before God; it is dead serious wrangling with the power of sin. We must stop assuming that thinking, speaking, and acting in a holy and righteous was is within our own power. The crucified and risen Christ breaks the power of sin. He frees us for the privilege of serving others.
All attempts to relate to the resurrection by experience must be named for what they are: Fabrications! They are projections of mortal sentiment onto the reality of divine existence. Faith cannot be pushed out of the equation. Through it the Spirit teaches us the mind of God. That too is beyond us; until….Christ! The gospel is a foreign language. It is not our mother tongue. It’s too counterintuitive to our sense of justice. It’s too unfamiliar to our natural way of thinking. It’s too drenched with mercy, laden with grace, and dripping with compassion to resonate with human ideals.
But the resurrection, the experience of which is beyond us, is our very possession in faith. It is the consummation of our hope. Beyond us now it will be our mode of existence in the future. When the mortal has been clothed with “immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’”3 The mystery of baptism ties these truths together. St. Peter says that baptism saves us, “By the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand.”4 It is the body and blood of the resurrected and enthroned Lord that we receive at this altar. He is present in His deity and His humanity to forgive, comfort, and empower. It’s not that believers will be saved through Christ’s resurrection; they are saved and live in that power now.
The concerns of the Marys are the concerns of the church. Who will roll the stone away from the secured unbelieving heart? How will access be gained to the soul galvanized against contact with God? God is beyond our experience. Faith to believe that He embraces us in Christ is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Who has that power? The Lord, God Almighty, the prophetic and apostolic word-wielding Spirit alone has such power. The Spirit says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws.”5
Luther saw clearly how tangible and personal the promise of the resurrection is. “Now if I know this and believe it, my heart or conscience and soul have already passed through death and grave and are in heaven with Christ, dwell there and rejoice over it. And in that way we have the two best parts, much more than half, of the resurrection behind us. And because Christ animates and renews the heart by faith, He will surely drag the decomposed rascal after Him and clothe him again, so that we can behold Him and live with Him. For that is His word and work on which we are baptized and live and die.”6
Perfect newness! That truth should stun us as much as the women at the tomb. We possess it now by faith; we look forward to enjoying its full benefits in the future. Our Redeemer is victorious over the grave. Hallelujah! Amen.
Christ is risen!
+ In nomine Jesu +
The Resurrection of Our Lord
5 April, 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Friday, April 3, 2015
Good Friday 2015
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti Amen +
Text: John 19:19
Theme: Glory of the Nazarene
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The glory of God is revealed on a cruel instrument of death. The depth of the Father’s mercy is exposed in the agony of the Son. “Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.”1 The glory of the Nazarene was His willing sacrifice for sinners. His crown of thorns makes possible your crown of life. The impenetrable mysteries of Good Friday will always be beyond our comprehension but the central truth is inescapable: His death secures our salvation.
Here are the facts: Christ was betrayed by Judas. He was arrested in the Garden called Gethsemane. He was questioned by the high priest. He was denied by Peter. He was sent to Herod. He was tried, condemned, and sentenced to death by Pontius Pilate. He was led to a rubbish heap outside Jerusalem named Golgotha. He was nailed to a cross. Roman soldiers kept watch under the authority of a centurion. He cried out in angst from the cross. He died and His death was verified by one of the soldiers. With Pilate’s permission His body was taken down and placed in the grave of Joseph of Arimathea. Soldiers guarded His tomb. There are many others details which are not unimportant. Those are the historical facts.
Here is the meaning: “God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him [Christ], and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.”2 “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”3Your sentence of condemnation has been suspended. Your liability has been exempted. Your debt has been paid. Your guilt has been removed. Satan cannot convict you. Sin cannot shackle you. Death itself cannot be victorious over you. You are reconciled to the heavenly Father. Your baptismal inheritance has been secured. The gate to heaven is open. Christ’s life was forfeit. Your life is freed. You are liberated.
And what is it you are freed from? What are you freed for? Firstly, you are free from the curse of mortality. The fear of death is Satan’s tool. The fear of facing mortality is indelibly ingrained on the heart and mind of every member of the human race. It can be held at arms-length during the vibrant times of life, it can be numbed by unforeseen traumas or deliberate abuses, it can be denied through avid pursuit of philosophical propositions, but the fear of death will always surface at some point in some way. It is part of the curse of the Fall. “You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”4 We all participate in that legacy of Adam. Just as Eve was bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh5 so we are bone of Adam’s bone and the flesh of Eve’s womb.
Christ, too, participates in this reality. But He recovers what was lost and re-establishes what was destroyed. The Scripture says, “Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death- that is, the devil- and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”6 Christ has re-opened the way to Paradise. We are on pilgrimage to take up residence there.
The Tree of Life has been transplanted from the Garden of Eden to the hill of Calvary. The fruit of that tree gives forgiveness, life, and salvation. These are not distant or disconnected truths. The Spirit speaks life to you. The Holy Spirit conceives believers in the womb of the church. His promises are as unalterable as they are powerful. Here, where Christ serves you through His undershepherd and apostolic word, you are offered perfect peace, sacred food, and Sabbath rest. You will find these gifts nowhere else. He embraces you when you feel deserted. He cheers you when your heart is weighted with sorrow. He carries you when you cannot stand.
Dear friends, all the evidence of how God deals with people is amassed at the cross. If you are looking for evidence that sin- disobedience to God’s will- is punishable by a fate worse than death, you have found it on the cross. Eternal separation from God is the definitive measure of His justice. And if you are looking for good news that defies all human achievement and imagination you have also found it on the cross. God designated the formation of Adam and Eve as very good at the end of creation. Imagine with what superlatives He designates the sacrifice of the Son of God and Son of Man in which he inaugurates the new creation! In view of the intent perhaps Good Friday should be called “Great” Friday, “Stupendous” Friday or even “Unprecedented, Unrepeatable, and Incomparable.” Friday?
The early church designated that first Sunday after Good Friday the 8th day, the eternal day. They understood that the resurrection of Jesus Christ was the beginning of the final era. God’s original intention for humanity finally comes to fruition in Jesus. The glory of the Nazarene is a glory that never fades. St. John saw, in the timelessness of heaven, “A Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne.”7 Yes, the very same Saviour who stands among His people now and forevermore. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 John 19:19
2 Colossians 1:19-20
3 Mark 10:45
4 Genesis 2:17
5 See Genesis 2:23
6 Hebrews 2:14-15
7 Revelation 5:6
Good Friday
3 April 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Text: John 19:19
Theme: Glory of the Nazarene
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The glory of God is revealed on a cruel instrument of death. The depth of the Father’s mercy is exposed in the agony of the Son. “Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.”1 The glory of the Nazarene was His willing sacrifice for sinners. His crown of thorns makes possible your crown of life. The impenetrable mysteries of Good Friday will always be beyond our comprehension but the central truth is inescapable: His death secures our salvation.
Here are the facts: Christ was betrayed by Judas. He was arrested in the Garden called Gethsemane. He was questioned by the high priest. He was denied by Peter. He was sent to Herod. He was tried, condemned, and sentenced to death by Pontius Pilate. He was led to a rubbish heap outside Jerusalem named Golgotha. He was nailed to a cross. Roman soldiers kept watch under the authority of a centurion. He cried out in angst from the cross. He died and His death was verified by one of the soldiers. With Pilate’s permission His body was taken down and placed in the grave of Joseph of Arimathea. Soldiers guarded His tomb. There are many others details which are not unimportant. Those are the historical facts.
Here is the meaning: “God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him [Christ], and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.”2 “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”3Your sentence of condemnation has been suspended. Your liability has been exempted. Your debt has been paid. Your guilt has been removed. Satan cannot convict you. Sin cannot shackle you. Death itself cannot be victorious over you. You are reconciled to the heavenly Father. Your baptismal inheritance has been secured. The gate to heaven is open. Christ’s life was forfeit. Your life is freed. You are liberated.
And what is it you are freed from? What are you freed for? Firstly, you are free from the curse of mortality. The fear of death is Satan’s tool. The fear of facing mortality is indelibly ingrained on the heart and mind of every member of the human race. It can be held at arms-length during the vibrant times of life, it can be numbed by unforeseen traumas or deliberate abuses, it can be denied through avid pursuit of philosophical propositions, but the fear of death will always surface at some point in some way. It is part of the curse of the Fall. “You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”4 We all participate in that legacy of Adam. Just as Eve was bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh5 so we are bone of Adam’s bone and the flesh of Eve’s womb.
Christ, too, participates in this reality. But He recovers what was lost and re-establishes what was destroyed. The Scripture says, “Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death- that is, the devil- and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.”6 Christ has re-opened the way to Paradise. We are on pilgrimage to take up residence there.
The Tree of Life has been transplanted from the Garden of Eden to the hill of Calvary. The fruit of that tree gives forgiveness, life, and salvation. These are not distant or disconnected truths. The Spirit speaks life to you. The Holy Spirit conceives believers in the womb of the church. His promises are as unalterable as they are powerful. Here, where Christ serves you through His undershepherd and apostolic word, you are offered perfect peace, sacred food, and Sabbath rest. You will find these gifts nowhere else. He embraces you when you feel deserted. He cheers you when your heart is weighted with sorrow. He carries you when you cannot stand.
Dear friends, all the evidence of how God deals with people is amassed at the cross. If you are looking for evidence that sin- disobedience to God’s will- is punishable by a fate worse than death, you have found it on the cross. Eternal separation from God is the definitive measure of His justice. And if you are looking for good news that defies all human achievement and imagination you have also found it on the cross. God designated the formation of Adam and Eve as very good at the end of creation. Imagine with what superlatives He designates the sacrifice of the Son of God and Son of Man in which he inaugurates the new creation! In view of the intent perhaps Good Friday should be called “Great” Friday, “Stupendous” Friday or even “Unprecedented, Unrepeatable, and Incomparable.” Friday?
The early church designated that first Sunday after Good Friday the 8th day, the eternal day. They understood that the resurrection of Jesus Christ was the beginning of the final era. God’s original intention for humanity finally comes to fruition in Jesus. The glory of the Nazarene is a glory that never fades. St. John saw, in the timelessness of heaven, “A Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne.”7 Yes, the very same Saviour who stands among His people now and forevermore. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 John 19:19
2 Colossians 1:19-20
3 Mark 10:45
4 Genesis 2:17
5 See Genesis 2:23
6 Hebrews 2:14-15
7 Revelation 5:6
Good Friday
3 April 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Maundy Thursday 2015
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti Amen +
Text: John 13:1
Theme: The End and Beginning of Love
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The love of Christ is never deficient. Heavy in heart, tired in body and burdened in spirit, Jesus gathered His fledgling band of disciples to entrust them with the most sacred gift the church possesses. On the eve of His sacrificial death He instituted the sacrament of life. He celebrated with them the final Passover meal. No longer would they wait for God’s redemption. It had arrived. They would be the first to partake of this blessed meal that the church enjoys to the end of time.
Why did God choose bread and wine? Bread was essential to maintain life. Wine helped to make life palatable. Bread was critical for survival, wine was useful for celebration. After disembarking from the ark Noah planted a vineyard. Unfortunately he also overindulged. All things- godly things, that is- in moderation. Bread and wine were always at the heart of the Passover meal. Manna bread was supplied by God for the Israelites during their journey in the wilderness. It was provisional food until they reached the Promised Land. Now the true spiritual food was given by Jesus.
“What is the benefit of this eating and drinking? These words, ‘Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins,’ show us that in the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given through these words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.”1 The Lord’s Supper is a perpetual, life-sustaining, soul-nurturing gift to the church. It establishes the consciences of the faithful in the certainty that Christ is among us. At His ascension Christ entered fully into the sacramental life of the church. When we avail ourselves of this sacred blessing we are participating in the life of the triune God through the only Man who is God.
This participation is only possible because Christ removes the offence of sin for the believer. Evil and unbelief cannot coexist peacefully in the presence of the Holy One. Some people believe they can avoid facing the guilt of sin. But that is only a temporary situation. All will be present at the Last Judgment. Attendance is compulsory. There will be no apologies. To believe otherwise is to live in a dangerous deception. Yet there are many who still believe they are masters of their own destiny. God alone can break through such idolatry. Only the Holy Spirit can correct the falsehoods of the spirit of the age.
Has the food of the church gotten stale? Is the heavenly banquet out of date? Are so many souls so gorged with the delicacies of the world that there is no appetite for the meal of immortality? Have spiritual taste buds become dulled? These questions have obvious, but not simple answers. Fewer people are at the dinner table because they don’t see the value of being part of the family at all. Often the reason given is there are more important things to do.
What makes God’s truth, His promises and His presence relevant and important? The cry for relevance must be framed in a way that reveals selfish ulterior motives. Invalid assumptions must be deconstructed. Prerequisites and preconditions that censure God must be named for what they are- idolatry. The will of God is always relevant. It is not, however, pliable. It is not subject to human consensus and manipulation. Holy Week brings us face to face with these questions.
The timid conscience sometimes shies away from approaching the altar. The devil would have us to believe that some measure of holiness is necessary first. His temptations are sinister. Repentant souls should rush to the rail like lovers rushing to embrace after a long absence apart. To be sure, the self-righteous and unrepentant will only bring judgment on themselves and should refrain. So too, those who do not hold the public teaching of the church where the sacrament is offered. A false motive is not hidden from the Lord and neither can a hardened heart be concealed from the Spirit.
But Holy Communion is the best antidote for a struggling faith. Baptism washes sins away. Communion poisons them. The pure blood of Christ is a potent remedy to sin’s ailment. His body is the food of immortality. The Israelites gained access to the presence of God through the sacrificial blood. Not even the high priest entered into the Holy of Holies without the blood of atonement. But now the baptized receive the blood of Christ Himself. His blood justifies us before God and empowers us to love one another. The Christian community is a forgiven fellowship. Its members do not seek honour for themselves but the well-being of others. Christ modeled that in the Upper Room.
The disciples were not sure how they would face tomorrow. What did Jesus say to them? “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth.”2. He said, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”3 How will you face tomorrow? You will have the sacrament today. How will you handle the regrets of the past? You will receive the comfort of the present. How will the failures of yesterday be resolved? They will be relieved by the gifts of the present day. How will doubts about the future be laid to rest? They will be shouldered by Him who possesses eternity. You have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. You now receive Him as immortal food. The mountaintop is not reached without treading through the valleys. Christ has done that for us. He has passed through the valley of the shadow of death.4 He is our Light at the end of the tunnel. He lives! Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 Luther’s Small Catechism
2 John 16:12-13
3John 14:18
4 See Psalm 23:4
Maundy Thursday
2 April 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Text: John 13:1
Theme: The End and Beginning of Love
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The love of Christ is never deficient. Heavy in heart, tired in body and burdened in spirit, Jesus gathered His fledgling band of disciples to entrust them with the most sacred gift the church possesses. On the eve of His sacrificial death He instituted the sacrament of life. He celebrated with them the final Passover meal. No longer would they wait for God’s redemption. It had arrived. They would be the first to partake of this blessed meal that the church enjoys to the end of time.
Why did God choose bread and wine? Bread was essential to maintain life. Wine helped to make life palatable. Bread was critical for survival, wine was useful for celebration. After disembarking from the ark Noah planted a vineyard. Unfortunately he also overindulged. All things- godly things, that is- in moderation. Bread and wine were always at the heart of the Passover meal. Manna bread was supplied by God for the Israelites during their journey in the wilderness. It was provisional food until they reached the Promised Land. Now the true spiritual food was given by Jesus.
“What is the benefit of this eating and drinking? These words, ‘Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins,’ show us that in the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given through these words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.”1 The Lord’s Supper is a perpetual, life-sustaining, soul-nurturing gift to the church. It establishes the consciences of the faithful in the certainty that Christ is among us. At His ascension Christ entered fully into the sacramental life of the church. When we avail ourselves of this sacred blessing we are participating in the life of the triune God through the only Man who is God.
This participation is only possible because Christ removes the offence of sin for the believer. Evil and unbelief cannot coexist peacefully in the presence of the Holy One. Some people believe they can avoid facing the guilt of sin. But that is only a temporary situation. All will be present at the Last Judgment. Attendance is compulsory. There will be no apologies. To believe otherwise is to live in a dangerous deception. Yet there are many who still believe they are masters of their own destiny. God alone can break through such idolatry. Only the Holy Spirit can correct the falsehoods of the spirit of the age.
Has the food of the church gotten stale? Is the heavenly banquet out of date? Are so many souls so gorged with the delicacies of the world that there is no appetite for the meal of immortality? Have spiritual taste buds become dulled? These questions have obvious, but not simple answers. Fewer people are at the dinner table because they don’t see the value of being part of the family at all. Often the reason given is there are more important things to do.
What makes God’s truth, His promises and His presence relevant and important? The cry for relevance must be framed in a way that reveals selfish ulterior motives. Invalid assumptions must be deconstructed. Prerequisites and preconditions that censure God must be named for what they are- idolatry. The will of God is always relevant. It is not, however, pliable. It is not subject to human consensus and manipulation. Holy Week brings us face to face with these questions.
The timid conscience sometimes shies away from approaching the altar. The devil would have us to believe that some measure of holiness is necessary first. His temptations are sinister. Repentant souls should rush to the rail like lovers rushing to embrace after a long absence apart. To be sure, the self-righteous and unrepentant will only bring judgment on themselves and should refrain. So too, those who do not hold the public teaching of the church where the sacrament is offered. A false motive is not hidden from the Lord and neither can a hardened heart be concealed from the Spirit.
But Holy Communion is the best antidote for a struggling faith. Baptism washes sins away. Communion poisons them. The pure blood of Christ is a potent remedy to sin’s ailment. His body is the food of immortality. The Israelites gained access to the presence of God through the sacrificial blood. Not even the high priest entered into the Holy of Holies without the blood of atonement. But now the baptized receive the blood of Christ Himself. His blood justifies us before God and empowers us to love one another. The Christian community is a forgiven fellowship. Its members do not seek honour for themselves but the well-being of others. Christ modeled that in the Upper Room.
The disciples were not sure how they would face tomorrow. What did Jesus say to them? “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth.”2. He said, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”3 How will you face tomorrow? You will have the sacrament today. How will you handle the regrets of the past? You will receive the comfort of the present. How will the failures of yesterday be resolved? They will be relieved by the gifts of the present day. How will doubts about the future be laid to rest? They will be shouldered by Him who possesses eternity. You have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. You now receive Him as immortal food. The mountaintop is not reached without treading through the valleys. Christ has done that for us. He has passed through the valley of the shadow of death.4 He is our Light at the end of the tunnel. He lives! Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 Luther’s Small Catechism
2 John 16:12-13
3John 14:18
4 See Psalm 23:4
Maundy Thursday
2 April 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Palm Sunday (B) 2015
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Mark 11:10
Theme: The Coming Kingdom
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The approach of God never goes unnoticed. Today He is met with heightened anticipation. Hosanna means “Lord, save!” It is a prayer of hope and an acclamation of truth. It is the mantra of Palm Sunday. Already by Jesus time it was an ancient utterance. It is a phrase weighted with such significance that the church chose to incorporate it into the song which accompanies our approach to the altar for Holy Communion, “Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.”1
Today begins the holiest week of the year for Christians. Our Redeemer will be lifted upon a cross. He will succumb to death. His followers will teeter on the precipice of despair. But Easter will resurrect their shattered hopes. The decisiveness of the events before us can hardly be overstated. Without Good Friday the wrath of God remains unappeased. Without the resurrection the power of death remains unbroken. Without a living Saviour who bears the marks of sacrifice we would be only dying souls with no future beyond this present life.
But our God comes. Lacking the pomp and circumstance of a royal visitation the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem was the antithesis of worldly ceremony, outward similarities excepted. Cheering crowds welcomed Him. Palms were waved. Garments were strewn. Expectations were raised. Yet His retinue was hardly regal. His devotees included a core group of fisherman, a tax collector, a religious zealot, and a traitor. The donkey upon which He rode previewed the cross upon which He would be hung. A donkey was a beast of burden not a royal steed. Jerusalem was the venue for divine sacrifice. Pilate was soon to have a volatile situation on his hands.
The approach of God never goes unnoticed. His word exacts response. The arrogant mock it. The apathetic ignore it. The baptized cherish it. Christ came not with swords but with words. He came not to coerce but to convince. He came not to be served but to serve. He came not with ideas but with truth. His own followers harbored false aspirations about His kingdom.
Their deceived ambitions were quickly dashed. Their Messiah was arrested, sentenced to death, and hung on a cross like a common criminal. Their misplaced ideas are not unique. Do we too hold misinformed expectations about ultimate things? Sin is like an aggressive cancer that continually attacks our faith. We can never be comfortable with sin; never make peace with it.
The world forthrightly challenges our reason for joining this palm-wielding crowd; and along with it our repentance, our hope, our devotion, our anticipation. It seems to many people to be hopelessly out-of-step with the world’s agenda. Our world remains full of bloodshed and strife, violence and dissension. Ideological clashes within society are fomenting unrest. Traditional values are being turned upside-down. Belief in universal truth continues to decline. A general increase in affluence has brought opportunity for indulgence but not more meaning to life. Relationships are fractured, children are left vulnerable; families are often in disarray. Lives remain broken. We seem to have more opportunities available to us than ever before but less stability. It would seem to be a big leap to believe that all of these crises can be brought to justice and healing, wholeness and resolution by this one man who was hung upon a cross. It seems out-of-sync to raise our voices and say, “Hosanna! Blessed in He who comes in the name of the Lord…hosanna in the highest!”2
But the approach of God always elicits response. The response of faith must part ways with the response of unbelief. The mission field is at our doorstep. People are looking for answers. They are seeking help. Society is witnessing a resurgence of interest in mediators. Palm-readers, fortune-tellers, channeling mediums, wiccan priestesses; all enjoy renewed attention from those looking for contact with the supernatural. We can only help if we are wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Dabbling in the demonic is not an innocuous activity. It opens people to spiritual attack. It desensitizes people to the power of evil. Satan is masterful at giving the outward appearance that everything is being held together while inwardly there is chaos and pain. Jesus condemned the Pharisees for being nicely decorated tombs but on the inside full of death.
But we have the Lord of life! Born in Bethlehem, protected in Egypt, raised in Nazareth, crucified in Jerusalem, ascended from Bethany, and enthroned in the heavenly Jerusalem this Saviour also dwells in the heart of every believer regardless of time or place.
“He was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, and the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures.”3 These words ground the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ in the context of history. The foundations of Christian truth are not based on unverifiable claims of cult leaders or the untenable ideals of humanistic philosophers. Christian teaching is based on plain, historical fact; truth which transformed the world. The historical circumstances themselves do not command peoples’ devotion. Christians are not materialists. That is, we believe there is more to reality than meets the eye; more than we can measure with our senses or comprehend with our intellect. Yet through these events -which crescendo to a climax with the cross and resurrection- the Holy Spirit incorporates believers into the life of God.
It seems remarkable that the crowds who welcomed Jesus with shouts of hosanna on Palm Sunday could so quickly be shouting “Crucify Him!”4 by Good Friday. Exactly which people were involved we don’t know. Clearly there was widespread and acute disillusionment. Many were misguided in their expectations of the Messiah. People are fickle by nature. They are easily turned away from defending the truth and we are no different. We may even boldly stand up with Peter and say to the Lord, “Even if I have to die with You, I will never disown you.”5 It was easy to do when Peter believed Christ would squash all worldly resistance with His power. When suffering was involved it was another matter altogether. Are we willing to conform our lives to the ways of honesty and integrity in the face of pressure in society, at work, in school, and even within the family? Are we willing to defend the name of Christ and the teachings of the Christian faith when ridiculed or challenged?
Dear friends, the only unassailable source of strength for you is found in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. His sacrificial death was the darkest tragedy ever witnessed, but also the power of salvation. The crucifixion is the basis on which the Holy Spirit converts unbelieving hearts. The crucifixion is the reason baptismal water is effective. The crucifixion is the source of the forgiveness offered in the bread and wine of Holy Communion. The crucifixion is the power by which our sinful desires are put to death and our lives are sanctified. The Spirit says, “For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.”6
The Messiah comes for you. You are not saved because you know or are related to someone who believes. You are not nourished by watching someone else eat. Your God comes to you. He is with you in the presence of the Spirit. He is for you in the promise of forgiveness. He is in you in the power of the sacrament. In Christ the kingdom of God has come. You are a citizen of that kingdom. Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Palm Sunday
29 March, 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 LH, p. 16, from the sanctus
2 Mark 11:9-10
3 Nicene Creed
4 Mark 15:14
5Matthew 26:35
6Romans 6:6
Text: Mark 11:10
Theme: The Coming Kingdom
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The approach of God never goes unnoticed. Today He is met with heightened anticipation. Hosanna means “Lord, save!” It is a prayer of hope and an acclamation of truth. It is the mantra of Palm Sunday. Already by Jesus time it was an ancient utterance. It is a phrase weighted with such significance that the church chose to incorporate it into the song which accompanies our approach to the altar for Holy Communion, “Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.”1
Today begins the holiest week of the year for Christians. Our Redeemer will be lifted upon a cross. He will succumb to death. His followers will teeter on the precipice of despair. But Easter will resurrect their shattered hopes. The decisiveness of the events before us can hardly be overstated. Without Good Friday the wrath of God remains unappeased. Without the resurrection the power of death remains unbroken. Without a living Saviour who bears the marks of sacrifice we would be only dying souls with no future beyond this present life.
But our God comes. Lacking the pomp and circumstance of a royal visitation the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem was the antithesis of worldly ceremony, outward similarities excepted. Cheering crowds welcomed Him. Palms were waved. Garments were strewn. Expectations were raised. Yet His retinue was hardly regal. His devotees included a core group of fisherman, a tax collector, a religious zealot, and a traitor. The donkey upon which He rode previewed the cross upon which He would be hung. A donkey was a beast of burden not a royal steed. Jerusalem was the venue for divine sacrifice. Pilate was soon to have a volatile situation on his hands.
The approach of God never goes unnoticed. His word exacts response. The arrogant mock it. The apathetic ignore it. The baptized cherish it. Christ came not with swords but with words. He came not to coerce but to convince. He came not to be served but to serve. He came not with ideas but with truth. His own followers harbored false aspirations about His kingdom.
Their deceived ambitions were quickly dashed. Their Messiah was arrested, sentenced to death, and hung on a cross like a common criminal. Their misplaced ideas are not unique. Do we too hold misinformed expectations about ultimate things? Sin is like an aggressive cancer that continually attacks our faith. We can never be comfortable with sin; never make peace with it.
The world forthrightly challenges our reason for joining this palm-wielding crowd; and along with it our repentance, our hope, our devotion, our anticipation. It seems to many people to be hopelessly out-of-step with the world’s agenda. Our world remains full of bloodshed and strife, violence and dissension. Ideological clashes within society are fomenting unrest. Traditional values are being turned upside-down. Belief in universal truth continues to decline. A general increase in affluence has brought opportunity for indulgence but not more meaning to life. Relationships are fractured, children are left vulnerable; families are often in disarray. Lives remain broken. We seem to have more opportunities available to us than ever before but less stability. It would seem to be a big leap to believe that all of these crises can be brought to justice and healing, wholeness and resolution by this one man who was hung upon a cross. It seems out-of-sync to raise our voices and say, “Hosanna! Blessed in He who comes in the name of the Lord…hosanna in the highest!”2
But the approach of God always elicits response. The response of faith must part ways with the response of unbelief. The mission field is at our doorstep. People are looking for answers. They are seeking help. Society is witnessing a resurgence of interest in mediators. Palm-readers, fortune-tellers, channeling mediums, wiccan priestesses; all enjoy renewed attention from those looking for contact with the supernatural. We can only help if we are wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Dabbling in the demonic is not an innocuous activity. It opens people to spiritual attack. It desensitizes people to the power of evil. Satan is masterful at giving the outward appearance that everything is being held together while inwardly there is chaos and pain. Jesus condemned the Pharisees for being nicely decorated tombs but on the inside full of death.
But we have the Lord of life! Born in Bethlehem, protected in Egypt, raised in Nazareth, crucified in Jerusalem, ascended from Bethany, and enthroned in the heavenly Jerusalem this Saviour also dwells in the heart of every believer regardless of time or place.
“He was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, and the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures.”3 These words ground the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ in the context of history. The foundations of Christian truth are not based on unverifiable claims of cult leaders or the untenable ideals of humanistic philosophers. Christian teaching is based on plain, historical fact; truth which transformed the world. The historical circumstances themselves do not command peoples’ devotion. Christians are not materialists. That is, we believe there is more to reality than meets the eye; more than we can measure with our senses or comprehend with our intellect. Yet through these events -which crescendo to a climax with the cross and resurrection- the Holy Spirit incorporates believers into the life of God.
It seems remarkable that the crowds who welcomed Jesus with shouts of hosanna on Palm Sunday could so quickly be shouting “Crucify Him!”4 by Good Friday. Exactly which people were involved we don’t know. Clearly there was widespread and acute disillusionment. Many were misguided in their expectations of the Messiah. People are fickle by nature. They are easily turned away from defending the truth and we are no different. We may even boldly stand up with Peter and say to the Lord, “Even if I have to die with You, I will never disown you.”5 It was easy to do when Peter believed Christ would squash all worldly resistance with His power. When suffering was involved it was another matter altogether. Are we willing to conform our lives to the ways of honesty and integrity in the face of pressure in society, at work, in school, and even within the family? Are we willing to defend the name of Christ and the teachings of the Christian faith when ridiculed or challenged?
Dear friends, the only unassailable source of strength for you is found in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. His sacrificial death was the darkest tragedy ever witnessed, but also the power of salvation. The crucifixion is the basis on which the Holy Spirit converts unbelieving hearts. The crucifixion is the reason baptismal water is effective. The crucifixion is the source of the forgiveness offered in the bread and wine of Holy Communion. The crucifixion is the power by which our sinful desires are put to death and our lives are sanctified. The Spirit says, “For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.”6
The Messiah comes for you. You are not saved because you know or are related to someone who believes. You are not nourished by watching someone else eat. Your God comes to you. He is with you in the presence of the Spirit. He is for you in the promise of forgiveness. He is in you in the power of the sacrament. In Christ the kingdom of God has come. You are a citizen of that kingdom. Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Palm Sunday
29 March, 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 LH, p. 16, from the sanctus
2 Mark 11:9-10
3 Nicene Creed
4 Mark 15:14
5Matthew 26:35
6Romans 6:6
Monday, March 23, 2015
Fifth Sunday In Lent (B) 2015
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 12:21
Theme: Consulting the Source
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
“Go to the source.” Have you ever given or received that advice? If you have, it’s good advice. It’s biblical advice. It’s the best way to find out the truth. Second-hand information is only as reliable as the messenger and people can be very unreliable. Strained relationships are especially vulnerable to hearsay. When speculation and uncertainty, gossip and even slander threaten to cause undo harm or needless offence we are wise to get our information from the source. Often it doesn’t happen because of fear. Sometimes it seems to require too much effort. Not infrequently we may even be avoiding the truth. But truth is the only stable foundation.
Perhaps that was the motivation today for the Greeks who sought an audience with Christ? How important were these Greeks? Did they have some vested interest in finding out who Jesus was? They were obviously God-fearers, for they had come to worship at the Passover feast. Many times the crowds were pressing on Jesus and undoubtedly often demanded a hearing from Him. What made them different? The circumstances, though intriguing, are not essential. We’re not even told if Jesus actually met with them. Christ’s response is what is significant. It was an opportunity to reveal the source.
And what does He reveal? His impending death! And furthermore the Father from heaven speaks and validates His Son. Could there be a more foolish way to institute a kingdom than to die a humiliating death? Is this not the kind of “wisdom” that would have been ridiculed by the Greeks? Imagine the mental and spiritual strain Christ endured when facing the cross. In the Garden of Gethsemane “His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”1 Today He says, “Now My heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!”2
Remember, dear friends, the Holy Spirit makes no effort to convince you of the logic of Jesus’ death. His goal is to teach you, that in spite of all the intellectual capacity you can muster to rationalize this event, that though contrary to your most refined sensibilities and counter to your innate sense of justice, the bloody sacrifice of this Man, who alone is God, was necessary to reconcile you to the Father. It was absolutely essential to rescue you from the power of sin and dominion of Satan. It was indispensable to prevent you from being consigned to the outer darkness where this is nothing but weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Sacrificial death and glorious resurrection of Jesus are the only source of true joy and hope. Repentance has the death of Christ as both its source and its goal. Everything else in which you put your trust in is idolatry. Consider the true nature of sin. Facing our transgressions of God’s will and being held accountable is not matter of tidying up a spiritual balance sheet, keeping up a good outward image, or refraining from blatant sins such as theft, deceit, adultery, or greed. The core problem is that our natural inclinations are deeply offensive to God, hopelessly self-centred, and damaging to the well-being of others.
Therefore the cry of the penitent is invariable, “God be merciful to me, a sinner!” The specific content with which that plea is filled relates to the circumstances of the individual. It may relate more personally to you in the context of your struggle with greed, jealously, addiction, keeping up appearances or being troubled by doubt, confusion, depression, or despair. But the fundamental premise always remains unchanged: The creature is at the mercy of the Creator, the sheep are dependent on the Shepherd; the sinner is lost without the Saviour. Our dependency on Him is never misplaced.
This Fifth Sunday in Lent is also the Sunday of the Annunciation. The angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would bear the Messiah. Dear friends, the words of the angel Gabriel spoken to Mary are true for you too. “The Lord is with you.”3 It’s not just that at Christmas He gets closer to the world. He becomes part of His creation. The first Adam was made of the dust and back to dust he doomed all humanity. The second Adam, the new Adam, was conceived in the flesh of the Virgin and in that flesh He has redeemed all humanity. Eve was the mother of all the living but she gave birth to those who would inherit death. Mary gave birth to the One who would die so we could inherit life. The vulnerable ChristChild, once protected in the sanctuary of Mary’s womb is now our fortress, our place of refuge from sin, death, and Satan’s power.
Zechariah spoke of these things. Here is his prophecy, “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In those days ten men from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you, because with have heard that God is with you.’”4 We have heard that God is with you. He is there, present among you, in the flesh. Pleas of yearning are heard. Cries of repentance are answered. Sin and darkness are scattered. We have heard that GOD IS WITH YOU. Does this sound familiar? Six hundred years later Matthew writes, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a Son, and they will call Him Immanuel”- which translated means “God with us.”5
The “one Jew” referred to by Zechariah is not Jesus. It is any believer in Jesus to whom an unbeliever, a doubter, a skeptic, a seeker comes to find contact with God. So convincing are the acts of God, so consoling are His promises, so respected are His people, His true remnant, that unbelievers are drawn to God through them. They have is word and where the word is the Holy Spirit is always in attendance. It is the source of forgiveness, salvation, and life.
Dear friends, in every way, by every means, we are directed to and connected with the source in our Christian life. The Holy Spirit uses the Scriptures to reveal Christ to us. Christ is our access to the Father. We are baptized into His family. We are fed at His table. His blood is not food for the anonymous masses; it is food for you the identified, called, and redeemed sinner- or it is no food at all. You are not nourished by watching someone else eat. You are not fed by merely recalling a historical event. You have the source. In Him you have life. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Fifth Sunday In Lent
The Annunciation
22 March, 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 22:44
2 John 12:27-28
3 Luke 1:28
4 Zechariah 8:23
5Matthew 1:22-23
Text: John 12:21
Theme: Consulting the Source
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
“Go to the source.” Have you ever given or received that advice? If you have, it’s good advice. It’s biblical advice. It’s the best way to find out the truth. Second-hand information is only as reliable as the messenger and people can be very unreliable. Strained relationships are especially vulnerable to hearsay. When speculation and uncertainty, gossip and even slander threaten to cause undo harm or needless offence we are wise to get our information from the source. Often it doesn’t happen because of fear. Sometimes it seems to require too much effort. Not infrequently we may even be avoiding the truth. But truth is the only stable foundation.
Perhaps that was the motivation today for the Greeks who sought an audience with Christ? How important were these Greeks? Did they have some vested interest in finding out who Jesus was? They were obviously God-fearers, for they had come to worship at the Passover feast. Many times the crowds were pressing on Jesus and undoubtedly often demanded a hearing from Him. What made them different? The circumstances, though intriguing, are not essential. We’re not even told if Jesus actually met with them. Christ’s response is what is significant. It was an opportunity to reveal the source.
And what does He reveal? His impending death! And furthermore the Father from heaven speaks and validates His Son. Could there be a more foolish way to institute a kingdom than to die a humiliating death? Is this not the kind of “wisdom” that would have been ridiculed by the Greeks? Imagine the mental and spiritual strain Christ endured when facing the cross. In the Garden of Gethsemane “His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”1 Today He says, “Now My heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!”2
Remember, dear friends, the Holy Spirit makes no effort to convince you of the logic of Jesus’ death. His goal is to teach you, that in spite of all the intellectual capacity you can muster to rationalize this event, that though contrary to your most refined sensibilities and counter to your innate sense of justice, the bloody sacrifice of this Man, who alone is God, was necessary to reconcile you to the Father. It was absolutely essential to rescue you from the power of sin and dominion of Satan. It was indispensable to prevent you from being consigned to the outer darkness where this is nothing but weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Sacrificial death and glorious resurrection of Jesus are the only source of true joy and hope. Repentance has the death of Christ as both its source and its goal. Everything else in which you put your trust in is idolatry. Consider the true nature of sin. Facing our transgressions of God’s will and being held accountable is not matter of tidying up a spiritual balance sheet, keeping up a good outward image, or refraining from blatant sins such as theft, deceit, adultery, or greed. The core problem is that our natural inclinations are deeply offensive to God, hopelessly self-centred, and damaging to the well-being of others.
Therefore the cry of the penitent is invariable, “God be merciful to me, a sinner!” The specific content with which that plea is filled relates to the circumstances of the individual. It may relate more personally to you in the context of your struggle with greed, jealously, addiction, keeping up appearances or being troubled by doubt, confusion, depression, or despair. But the fundamental premise always remains unchanged: The creature is at the mercy of the Creator, the sheep are dependent on the Shepherd; the sinner is lost without the Saviour. Our dependency on Him is never misplaced.
This Fifth Sunday in Lent is also the Sunday of the Annunciation. The angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would bear the Messiah. Dear friends, the words of the angel Gabriel spoken to Mary are true for you too. “The Lord is with you.”3 It’s not just that at Christmas He gets closer to the world. He becomes part of His creation. The first Adam was made of the dust and back to dust he doomed all humanity. The second Adam, the new Adam, was conceived in the flesh of the Virgin and in that flesh He has redeemed all humanity. Eve was the mother of all the living but she gave birth to those who would inherit death. Mary gave birth to the One who would die so we could inherit life. The vulnerable ChristChild, once protected in the sanctuary of Mary’s womb is now our fortress, our place of refuge from sin, death, and Satan’s power.
Zechariah spoke of these things. Here is his prophecy, “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In those days ten men from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you, because with have heard that God is with you.’”4 We have heard that God is with you. He is there, present among you, in the flesh. Pleas of yearning are heard. Cries of repentance are answered. Sin and darkness are scattered. We have heard that GOD IS WITH YOU. Does this sound familiar? Six hundred years later Matthew writes, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a Son, and they will call Him Immanuel”- which translated means “God with us.”5
The “one Jew” referred to by Zechariah is not Jesus. It is any believer in Jesus to whom an unbeliever, a doubter, a skeptic, a seeker comes to find contact with God. So convincing are the acts of God, so consoling are His promises, so respected are His people, His true remnant, that unbelievers are drawn to God through them. They have is word and where the word is the Holy Spirit is always in attendance. It is the source of forgiveness, salvation, and life.
Dear friends, in every way, by every means, we are directed to and connected with the source in our Christian life. The Holy Spirit uses the Scriptures to reveal Christ to us. Christ is our access to the Father. We are baptized into His family. We are fed at His table. His blood is not food for the anonymous masses; it is food for you the identified, called, and redeemed sinner- or it is no food at all. You are not nourished by watching someone else eat. You are not fed by merely recalling a historical event. You have the source. In Him you have life. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Fifth Sunday In Lent
The Annunciation
22 March, 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 22:44
2 John 12:27-28
3 Luke 1:28
4 Zechariah 8:23
5Matthew 1:22-23
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Fourth Sunday In Lent (B) 2015
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 3:21
Theme: Into The Light
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
“God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God,” with these words we confess the same truth with those who forged the Nicene Creed nearly 17 centuries ago concerning the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. We concur that Christ is Light out of Light1, the second Light referring to God the Father. Jesus possesses and participates in the same essential divinity as the Father. The allusion here is to a particular quality of that divinity denoted as light. Now lest we think this is much ado about nothing our gospel today instructs us otherwise. It says, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.”2 Light is required for vision. In Christ we see God, not with fleshly eyes, but through Spirit-given eyes of faith.
St Paul describes God as dwelling in unapproachable light.3 Human beings are not capable of peering into this light because it is qualitatively different than the created light to which we are accustomed. It is tied up with the magnificence of His glory. It is not proper for us to speculate about mysteries which are not yet disclosed to us so the question again follows: What benefit is there to linger longer on the topic except as a reference point to confess and give glory to God as we do in the Nicene Creed? Again, the reward is that Christ and His work are understood all the more clearly. God did not remain recessed in His own inaccessible light leaving us with only the fading light of the natural sun; rather, He clothed His own pure light in human flesh in the person of Jesus. Even as the Psalmist says, “He wraps Himself in light as with a garment.”4
Christ comes for a purpose and His work is twofold. Firstly, the Light exposes. Until this happens Jesus’ proper work of forgiveness and salvation comes to no effect. Christ came to a dark world. You know the darkness. It resonates with your natural self, your sinful nature, your devious spirit. You know what it means when your motives dart around in the shadows, when they look for concealment in the dark corners of your mind. You know when the darkness presses in, clouding your judgment and weighing on your conscience. The history of the darkness of sin is long and deep. How dark was the exit5 from the Garden of Eden for our first parents! How dark was the ninth plague on the Egyptians!6 How dark was the situation when Jesus said at the moment of His betrayal, “This is you hour-when darkness reigns.”7 How dark is the sinner who thinks they need no forgiveness from God!
Lest we think we can present our dark deeds as products of the light- and we are indeed led to such deception because the world fortifies us in such audacity- the holy law of God emphatically exposes our hypocrisy and deception. He says through Isaiah, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.”8
Our sins, you see, can never be cast in a good light, or in better light. Lent does not fit us with rose-coloured glasses. The Scriptures do not give us circus mirrors with which to view ourselves. Even if celebrated by the world our sins are condemned by Him who judges it. Under the light of divine judgment there are no shadows. He bends the light to reveal every angle. He sees the tangled web of lies we weave, the labyrinth in which we conceal our motives; and the arrogance and jealousy which fuels our egos. He knows the anger that boils in our blood, the bitterness that festers in our hearts; the regrets that darken our souls. He sees our neglect of the Sabbath, our disregard for authority, and our mistreatment of our spouses- all for what they really are.
The Light exposes. The Light also reveals. That is Christ’s second, but primary and proper work. He reveals truth. On public display is the Messiah, the King of the Jews hanging there on the cross being sacrificed for the sins of the world. Hear again the Scriptures, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ- by grace you have been saved- and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”9 “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”10
He is resurrected. He lives and so the light of Easter never fades. Jesus says today, “Whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”11 Christians do not have a hidden agenda. We’re not part of a secret society. We unapologetically, but with gentleness and respect, endeavor to shine His light into the dark places of people’s lives.
In every way believers are connected to Christ. To only pretend so is to just play clever but dangerous spiritual games. Christ is the Shepherd, the Vine, the Head, the Cornerstone, the Bridegroom, the Light of the World. The Shepherd has sheep. The vine has branches. The Head has a body. The Cornerstone has a temple. The Bridegroom has a bride. The Light has objects which it illumines. Those descriptions all refer to you, His baptized. You have no other purpose than to reflect His light. You are baptized, forgiven, and fed with His body and blood to be strengthened for that very purpose.
Dear friends when the servant of God, the pastor, lifts up his hands and says, “The Lord make His face shine on you…”12 the Holy Spirit can through that divine promise rekindle tenuous faith, brighten darkened souls, and cheer the downcast in heart. All of the glitz and glimmer of the world, the very best human resourcefulness has to offer- the capability of medicine, the proficiency of technology, the competency of psychiatric and psychological expertise- is all utter darkness in the presence of Him who is Life and Light. You, dear friends, are not in darkness for Christ is the Light no darkness can overcome. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Fourth Sunday In Lent
15 March, 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 φώς έκ φωτός, Light of Light, Greek
2 John 3:19
3 See 1 Timothy 6:16
4 Psalm 104:2
5See Genesis 3:23
6 See Exodus 10:21-23
7 Luke 22:53
8 Isaiah 5:20
9 Ephesians 2:4-6
10 John 3:16
11John 3:21
12Numbers 6:25
Text: John 3:21
Theme: Into The Light
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
“God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God,” with these words we confess the same truth with those who forged the Nicene Creed nearly 17 centuries ago concerning the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. We concur that Christ is Light out of Light1, the second Light referring to God the Father. Jesus possesses and participates in the same essential divinity as the Father. The allusion here is to a particular quality of that divinity denoted as light. Now lest we think this is much ado about nothing our gospel today instructs us otherwise. It says, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.”2 Light is required for vision. In Christ we see God, not with fleshly eyes, but through Spirit-given eyes of faith.
St Paul describes God as dwelling in unapproachable light.3 Human beings are not capable of peering into this light because it is qualitatively different than the created light to which we are accustomed. It is tied up with the magnificence of His glory. It is not proper for us to speculate about mysteries which are not yet disclosed to us so the question again follows: What benefit is there to linger longer on the topic except as a reference point to confess and give glory to God as we do in the Nicene Creed? Again, the reward is that Christ and His work are understood all the more clearly. God did not remain recessed in His own inaccessible light leaving us with only the fading light of the natural sun; rather, He clothed His own pure light in human flesh in the person of Jesus. Even as the Psalmist says, “He wraps Himself in light as with a garment.”4
Christ comes for a purpose and His work is twofold. Firstly, the Light exposes. Until this happens Jesus’ proper work of forgiveness and salvation comes to no effect. Christ came to a dark world. You know the darkness. It resonates with your natural self, your sinful nature, your devious spirit. You know what it means when your motives dart around in the shadows, when they look for concealment in the dark corners of your mind. You know when the darkness presses in, clouding your judgment and weighing on your conscience. The history of the darkness of sin is long and deep. How dark was the exit5 from the Garden of Eden for our first parents! How dark was the ninth plague on the Egyptians!6 How dark was the situation when Jesus said at the moment of His betrayal, “This is you hour-when darkness reigns.”7 How dark is the sinner who thinks they need no forgiveness from God!
Lest we think we can present our dark deeds as products of the light- and we are indeed led to such deception because the world fortifies us in such audacity- the holy law of God emphatically exposes our hypocrisy and deception. He says through Isaiah, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.”8
Our sins, you see, can never be cast in a good light, or in better light. Lent does not fit us with rose-coloured glasses. The Scriptures do not give us circus mirrors with which to view ourselves. Even if celebrated by the world our sins are condemned by Him who judges it. Under the light of divine judgment there are no shadows. He bends the light to reveal every angle. He sees the tangled web of lies we weave, the labyrinth in which we conceal our motives; and the arrogance and jealousy which fuels our egos. He knows the anger that boils in our blood, the bitterness that festers in our hearts; the regrets that darken our souls. He sees our neglect of the Sabbath, our disregard for authority, and our mistreatment of our spouses- all for what they really are.
The Light exposes. The Light also reveals. That is Christ’s second, but primary and proper work. He reveals truth. On public display is the Messiah, the King of the Jews hanging there on the cross being sacrificed for the sins of the world. Hear again the Scriptures, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ- by grace you have been saved- and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”9 “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”10
He is resurrected. He lives and so the light of Easter never fades. Jesus says today, “Whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”11 Christians do not have a hidden agenda. We’re not part of a secret society. We unapologetically, but with gentleness and respect, endeavor to shine His light into the dark places of people’s lives.
In every way believers are connected to Christ. To only pretend so is to just play clever but dangerous spiritual games. Christ is the Shepherd, the Vine, the Head, the Cornerstone, the Bridegroom, the Light of the World. The Shepherd has sheep. The vine has branches. The Head has a body. The Cornerstone has a temple. The Bridegroom has a bride. The Light has objects which it illumines. Those descriptions all refer to you, His baptized. You have no other purpose than to reflect His light. You are baptized, forgiven, and fed with His body and blood to be strengthened for that very purpose.
Dear friends when the servant of God, the pastor, lifts up his hands and says, “The Lord make His face shine on you…”12 the Holy Spirit can through that divine promise rekindle tenuous faith, brighten darkened souls, and cheer the downcast in heart. All of the glitz and glimmer of the world, the very best human resourcefulness has to offer- the capability of medicine, the proficiency of technology, the competency of psychiatric and psychological expertise- is all utter darkness in the presence of Him who is Life and Light. You, dear friends, are not in darkness for Christ is the Light no darkness can overcome. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Fourth Sunday In Lent
15 March, 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 φώς έκ φωτός, Light of Light, Greek
2 John 3:19
3 See 1 Timothy 6:16
4 Psalm 104:2
5See Genesis 3:23
6 See Exodus 10:21-23
7 Luke 22:53
8 Isaiah 5:20
9 Ephesians 2:4-6
10 John 3:16
11John 3:21
12Numbers 6:25
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