Fourth Sunday After Epiphany (B) 2018

+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.

Text: Mark 1:24
Theme: The Holy One

Dear friends in Christ Jesus,

From the very start the ministry of Jesus was one of confrontation. It was confrontational not because He set about insulting people or being insensitive. Jesus never charged thoughtlessly into situations bulldozing over people’s feelings or convictions. It was necessarily adversarial because as the Holy One of God He was on a collision course with sin, its source, and its consequences. The Son of God didn’t come to live among us for curiosity’s sake or for celebrity status. He came to redeem the world from evil and restore people to God’s kingdom.

What is the source of sin? Sin is not God’s creation. Sin entered the world through the rebellion of Satan and the disobedience of Adam and Eve. The consequences have been felt ever since. But we can’t claim simply to be victims; we are participants. We are perpetrators of idolatry because we naturally construct our own agendas. There are not innocent bystanders when it comes to this tangled web of sin. No one is exempt from the call to repentance.

The demons become very agitated with Christ. “Have you come to destroy us?”1, they ask. They fear Him. And rightly so! Remember, demons are fallen angels, once servants of God, who followed their leader Lucifer in rebellion against the Almighty. They know beyond doubt that this Child of Bethlehem has come to abolish their rule of darkness. They know that their, nearly all-encompassing and unchallenged power over human hearts, is soon to be broken. The Bible says, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”2 And Jesus will say at the final judgment, “Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”3

Christ came to redeem people; not angels. Only He can separate the sin from the sinner. It is somewhat counter-intuitive to claim that a newborn infant could be tainted with sin. Every birth illustrates the miracle of life and the magnificence of God’s creative power. Nonetheless, all people are born sinful. In fact, the infection of sin begins at the time of conception. The Scripture says, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.”4 And Jesus says, “Flesh gives birth to flesh.”5 The poison of original sin means we are all born naturally self-centred, and without true fear, love and trust in God. If God didn’t break into our spheres of personal domination we would remain oblivious to both our need and His love.

But God is not remiss or remote. He sends to us His Son, His Spirit, and His word. In baptism He promises His Holy Spirit to wash away sins and grant faith. Counter-intuitive also is the truth that infants can have faith. It is not magical, but it is miraculous. It is a gift that enables a person to take God at His word. Faith can be strong or weak, but it is always complete. There are no half-measures when it comes to possessing salvation. Even the shakiest thread of faith connected to the mercy of God in Christ is a saving faith. Of course, we should always seek the Spirit’s help in strengthening our faith, it’s part of maturing spiritually.

We’ve been speaking the last couple of weeks about the nature of following God. What does it mean? What does it look like? Last week the Ninevites believed God’s threat of judgment, they were led to repentance, and they showed their obedience in sackcloth and humility. Jonah followed God, too, but less readily than the Ninevites. Again, following is an activity of faith. The person who trusts God wants to do His will. Our sinful nature, however, is always seeking to regain control. So, following the will of God always involves the struggle against temptation. It always involves the need for forgiveness and the desire to be more intimate with God. The struggle is the sign of active faith. If we refuse to recognize temptation for what it is, then we are likely in denial about our repentance.

Yet, we can still be in the heart of struggle and have peace of mind. We are declared righteous and holy in the Father’s sight, cleansed through the blood of the Son. But the moment we step off the highway of grace, we step right into the muck. We are freed from sin’s dominion and its eternal threats. And, As St. Paul notes today, we are free to serve our neighbour. But we’re never rid of our propensity towards idolatry. If it seems to you as though there is a contradiction in these claims, then you’re catching on to the paradoxes of being God’s redeemed people who still reside in this fallen world. Mortality is not a light burden. Christ promises us a resurrection. Both are true. Mortality will be superseded. But the resurrection will be the beginning of an everlasting reality.

Do you want your faith to be fortified, nurtured, and revitalized? Come to the sacrament. The Lord invites you to dine at His table and receive sacred food. He gives to you His body and blood. That body carried the weight of your sins. That blood was shed for your forgiveness. Jesus is the mana from heaven that never perishes. Do you want your trust to be broadened, deepened, and galvanized? Feast on His word. Hear it. Read it. Sing it. Pray it. Meditate upon it. The Holy Spirit is always in attendance whenever and wherever the word of God has airing.

Dear friends, Jesus was crucified and raised for you. He is the way into God’s holy presence. Lest we think the journey to the cross was just a formality, that it was an unnecessary spectacle intending to cast the light of humility onto Jesus falsely, we remember that He said, “Take this cup from Me. Yet not what I will, but what You will.”6, and a short time later from the cross, “May God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?”7 The crucifixion of Jesus was no mockery or façade. He endured great physical pain and immeasurable spiritual torment in His sacrifice for us and for our salvation. Without the cross the profound nature of God’s love would be denied to us. Offence against God’s holiness could be rectified in no other way.

The identity of Jesus as the Holy One of God may seem too high and lofty for us to relate to. And it is true that God’s holiness does mean He is set apart from sinners. And yet, dear friends, this Jesus loves us so profoundly that He was willing to immerse Himself into our fallen world, carry the burden of our muck and filth, shoulder the punishment for our lies and transgressions, and cover us with His won righteousness. The Scripture says, “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”8 The evil spirits fear Him. He is the Holy One of God. But those who have God’s Spirit revere Him. His holiness accomplishes our salvation. Amen.

+ In nomine Jesu +

Fourth Sunday After Epiphany
28 January 2018
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt

1 Mark 1:24 2 1 John 3:8
3 Matthew 25:41 4 Psalm 51:5
5 John 3:6 6 Mark 14:36
7 Mark 15:34 8 2 Corinthians 5:21