+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: 1 Corinthians 10:4
Theme: “That Rock Was Christ”
Dear family, friends and loved ones of Austin; Alan and Simon, his sons, and especially you, Leslie;
Aussie has reached maturity. He hasn’t done it under his own steam. The Almighty has swiftly carried him out of this life. Aussie was baptized, right here in this church as a mature-aged man and the promise of his baptism has now been realized. You probably noticed that his baptism text was quite an unusual one, including God’s warnings and promises, and that is probably because of that maturity. At that point he’d already experienced a thing or too in life. He knew the dangers and temptations that were out there. He wanted to avoid them. Now all of his worries, struggles, or regrets are finished.
The Scripture says, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”1 That’s it! The way of salvation is not complicated. Cast yourself on Christ’s mercy, believe in His promises, He is “the way and the truth and the life.”2 But, dear friends, it is also unimaginably difficult. The devil, the world, and our sinful natures throw at us a million different distractions, priorities, and temptations. The Holy Spirit always tries to draw our focus beyond the fallenness of this life to the salvation Jesus brings. To do this He directs us to the cross. Only Jesus can forgive sins.
Without the cross there could be no salvation, only darkness, death and despair. Only the atoning sacrifice of Jesus paid the price for our sins and opened the gates of heaven. In His resurrection Jesus gained victory over the power of death. All who believe in Him can look forward to sharing in the immortality of His life.
Dear friends, reflecting on mortality should always cause us to reassess our priorities in life. What do we value, and why? Where are our time and energy invested? In what or who do we ultimately trust? Do we have our blinders on, or are our heads buried in the sand? Are we happy to just live with sin and brokenness, or do we want them resolved?
Aussie’s sudden passing is a vivid reminder that tomorrow is not guaranteed to us. Each day is a gift. Unless the Lord comes back first- and that is His prerogative- all of us are going to be part of this scene we’re experiencing right now. There are no exceptions. No power that we have, individually or collectively, can bring us across the threshold to the heavenly life. Only Christ can do that. He does it by grace through faith.
Aussie’s congenial personality and amiable ways endeared him to those he met. We thank God for the blessing that he was to those who knew and loved him. Austin has been relieved of all the burden’s and cares of this mortal life. He’s at peace. He’s enjoying the inheritance of his baptism. But we’re still here and grieving is clear evidence of our humanity. Aussie won’t be replaced, no one can be. But life must go on. We are here to farewell and take leave of Aussie, but there’s nothing more we can do for him. God’s words, His truths, His warnings, His promises are directed at us.
Leslie, you’ve had more than your share of grief, having lost two husbands previously and a son. You’re a veteran of these affairs. But that doesn’t automatically make it easier. Grief brings scars, and scars, by definition are something we carry with us for the rest of our lives. Indeed, nobody goes through this life without accumulating scars. We might think we can cover them with cosmetic solutions much like those who chase eternal youth resort to all kinds of cosmetic enhancements to make themselves look younger (and supposedly better) than they really are. But that doesn’t work in the end.
Responses to losing a loved one can include denial, withdrawal, anger, apathy, and despair. Everyone is different. There is no formula for grieving, but grief is best faced head on. If we try to deny it, it won’t go away. If we try to suppress it, it will boil over at some point. But Christ can bear the burden, He can carry the weight. God is bigger than death. Christ was not and will never be defeated. The Holy Spirit gives us light and hope even in the darkest times. God created the universe out of nothing. He can raise the dead just as easily and He promises to do it. “God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”3 In the Saviour’s blessed name, Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Funeral of Austin (Aussie) Craig Atkinson
19 September 2019
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Romans 10:9 2 John 14:6
3 John 3:16
Thursday, September 19, 2019
Monday, September 16, 2019
Installation of Pastor Dean Mills Berri-Barmera 15 September 2019
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Romans 12:4-8
Theme: One Body, Different Vocations
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God wants us to have certainty about the most important things. He desires that we have a confident trust in His promises. The Holy Spirit is always working towards this goal. Sin, of course, is always destabilizing our confidence and Satan works that angle relentlessly and often, efficiently. The devil’s tool is doubt. Surely God is impotent, careless, or apathetic! Just look at the balance of the empirical evidence. But God is unfazed. His powers to create, to forgive, to resurrect from death will be vindicated in due course. Meanwhile, faith perseveres through the prosperities and adversities of life.
We’re here today because God wants us to have conviction that His truth is both relevant and reliable. Therefore, God ordains locations of access to His blessings. The primary ones are the word, baptism, and Holy Communion. He does this for the purpose of certainty. He wants us to know that in and through those gifts the Holy Spirit is present and working. We don’t have to search clumsily or desperately around wondering where we might make contact with God’s truth. Don’t get me wrong, people will continue to search in all different kinds of interesting and uninteresting, innocent and dangerous, places to find God. But these will prove fruitless in the end.
When was the last time uncertainty made you feel vulnerable? Maybe you lost your keys, your mobile phone, your handbag, or your wallet. Maybe your financial stability is as risk due to unforeseen circumstances. Maybe an important relationship is full of tension and unease. Maybe the medical tests are in and you’re waiting for the results? We go to great lengths to mitigate uncertainty. That’s why people purchase insurance for such a wide range of things. If you knew for certain that the contents of your home would never be damaged by theft, fire, or flood, would you still pay for home and contents insurance? And why would you? If you knew for sure that you would never be sick for a day in your life, but that God would swiftly call you home when you reached the century mark, would you take out health cover? What happens when people don’t know where to turn for answers, where to go for assurance?
Today, we’re here to celebrate a particular way that God provides certainty: Through the gift of pastors and their vocation. The certainty that comes with the office of the ministry is probably not appreciated for what it is. But think only of the implication of your pastor standing before you in the Divine Service and saying, “I, as a called and ordained servant of the Word, announce the grace of God to all of you, and on behalf of my Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”1 You’ll note that the word ‘Word’ is capitalized. Jesus is the Word. So, it’s no small privilege or insignificant responsibility. You have called Pastor Dean for the very specific reason of speaking Jesus’ words to you.
Now, you may, over the course of time, find that Pastor Dean has limited capacities. You may even notice tendencies, preferences, and God forbid- biases. You might even disagree or become offended by something he says or does. (I do pray that the merger of the two congregations has initiated a new honeymoon phase and that it will last for a very long time.) But, in stressful times, remember that he is a fallible, sinful human being just like you and me. He’s not Superman; but he is entrusted with the stewardship of supernatural things. The Holy Spirit has, through the agency of these congregations (not through the sanctity of his personal character) called him to this office of service.
Remember that like you, he is a child of God. He holds the office, but he doesn’t have a mark of indelibility. He too is restored and sustained by the same forgiveness. Remember he has a wife and family, and that they are not called to the same office. No one can be all things to all people. In the body of Christ each one is gifted in a way that contributes to the well-being of the whole. Pastor Dean, like you, is baptized. That makes him, like you, part of the priesthood of all believers. Baptism gives all believers equal status before the Almighty. All are justified by grace, through faith, for Jesus’s sake. God declares believers righteous and He does so not by mere fiat, that is., force of will, but on the basis of the atoning death and life-giving resurrection of Jesus. Baptism makes us participants of these powers and blessings. But baptism doesn’t determine vocation. God has other ways to determine vocational identity.
The apostle Paul says in Romans, “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts according to the grace given us.”2 You see, we’re in this together. Each of you is gifted in a way that contributes to the common good of God’s people. Pastor Dean is not here to do your work. He’s not here to take over the witness, the worship, and the identity of the people of these congregations. And don’t think for a moment that God considers Pastor Dean’s vocation more holy than yours.
In teaching about the importance of everyone’s vocation, everyone’s contribution, everyone’s gift in service of the whole, Luther used this example from his day, “I recall two leading jurists at Erfurt. When the time came for them to die, they said to each other, sighing deeply: ‘Oh, if we had not been doctors of law but monks, how much more blessedly we would die!’ …And so it was that only one remedy remained. They demanded that, in addition to the sacred rites which they bought at a high price, their bodies should be shrouded in a monk’s cowl so that they would be buried in the monastic habit. Did these men not show clearly enough that they did not know they had served God in their own office?”3
Dear friends, uneasiness and uncertainty will always be part of the human condition. We’re inclined to dip a toe in the water instead of taking a leap of faith. It’s a little like Uncle Oscar who was apprehensive about his first airplane ride. His grandchildren, eager to hear how it went, asked if he enjoyed the flight. "Well," commented Uncle Oscar, "it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be, but I'll tell you this. I never did put all my weight down!" Dear friends, we can put all our weight down on Christ. His plan of salvation is not going to crash to the ground. His mission is not going to fail. He will not leave us behind when the going gets tough. He’s been to the cross. He triumphed over death. He desires that we share in His immortal life. Pastor Dean is not here to push you, but he is here to hold your hand as you take the leap of faith.
It would be remiss of us to overlook the fact that today’s appointed gospel reading contains the parable of the lost sheep. The Greek word for pastor is the word for shepherd. It’s one of the most endearing images in the Scriptures. The seeking Shepherd locates the lost sheep and brings it home. Your minister speaks to you the words of the Good Shepherd, cautions you with His warning, assures you of His promises, communicates His wisdom. That doesn’t make him a plagiarist, a copy-cat or a redundancy. It makes him a pastor, an undershepherd of the Chief Shepherd. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Installation of Dean Mills Berri-Barmera
15 September 2019
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 LH p.7 2 Romans 12:4-6
3 LW 12, p71
Text: Romans 12:4-8
Theme: One Body, Different Vocations
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God wants us to have certainty about the most important things. He desires that we have a confident trust in His promises. The Holy Spirit is always working towards this goal. Sin, of course, is always destabilizing our confidence and Satan works that angle relentlessly and often, efficiently. The devil’s tool is doubt. Surely God is impotent, careless, or apathetic! Just look at the balance of the empirical evidence. But God is unfazed. His powers to create, to forgive, to resurrect from death will be vindicated in due course. Meanwhile, faith perseveres through the prosperities and adversities of life.
We’re here today because God wants us to have conviction that His truth is both relevant and reliable. Therefore, God ordains locations of access to His blessings. The primary ones are the word, baptism, and Holy Communion. He does this for the purpose of certainty. He wants us to know that in and through those gifts the Holy Spirit is present and working. We don’t have to search clumsily or desperately around wondering where we might make contact with God’s truth. Don’t get me wrong, people will continue to search in all different kinds of interesting and uninteresting, innocent and dangerous, places to find God. But these will prove fruitless in the end.
When was the last time uncertainty made you feel vulnerable? Maybe you lost your keys, your mobile phone, your handbag, or your wallet. Maybe your financial stability is as risk due to unforeseen circumstances. Maybe an important relationship is full of tension and unease. Maybe the medical tests are in and you’re waiting for the results? We go to great lengths to mitigate uncertainty. That’s why people purchase insurance for such a wide range of things. If you knew for certain that the contents of your home would never be damaged by theft, fire, or flood, would you still pay for home and contents insurance? And why would you? If you knew for sure that you would never be sick for a day in your life, but that God would swiftly call you home when you reached the century mark, would you take out health cover? What happens when people don’t know where to turn for answers, where to go for assurance?
Today, we’re here to celebrate a particular way that God provides certainty: Through the gift of pastors and their vocation. The certainty that comes with the office of the ministry is probably not appreciated for what it is. But think only of the implication of your pastor standing before you in the Divine Service and saying, “I, as a called and ordained servant of the Word, announce the grace of God to all of you, and on behalf of my Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”1 You’ll note that the word ‘Word’ is capitalized. Jesus is the Word. So, it’s no small privilege or insignificant responsibility. You have called Pastor Dean for the very specific reason of speaking Jesus’ words to you.
Now, you may, over the course of time, find that Pastor Dean has limited capacities. You may even notice tendencies, preferences, and God forbid- biases. You might even disagree or become offended by something he says or does. (I do pray that the merger of the two congregations has initiated a new honeymoon phase and that it will last for a very long time.) But, in stressful times, remember that he is a fallible, sinful human being just like you and me. He’s not Superman; but he is entrusted with the stewardship of supernatural things. The Holy Spirit has, through the agency of these congregations (not through the sanctity of his personal character) called him to this office of service.
Remember that like you, he is a child of God. He holds the office, but he doesn’t have a mark of indelibility. He too is restored and sustained by the same forgiveness. Remember he has a wife and family, and that they are not called to the same office. No one can be all things to all people. In the body of Christ each one is gifted in a way that contributes to the well-being of the whole. Pastor Dean, like you, is baptized. That makes him, like you, part of the priesthood of all believers. Baptism gives all believers equal status before the Almighty. All are justified by grace, through faith, for Jesus’s sake. God declares believers righteous and He does so not by mere fiat, that is., force of will, but on the basis of the atoning death and life-giving resurrection of Jesus. Baptism makes us participants of these powers and blessings. But baptism doesn’t determine vocation. God has other ways to determine vocational identity.
The apostle Paul says in Romans, “Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts according to the grace given us.”2 You see, we’re in this together. Each of you is gifted in a way that contributes to the common good of God’s people. Pastor Dean is not here to do your work. He’s not here to take over the witness, the worship, and the identity of the people of these congregations. And don’t think for a moment that God considers Pastor Dean’s vocation more holy than yours.
In teaching about the importance of everyone’s vocation, everyone’s contribution, everyone’s gift in service of the whole, Luther used this example from his day, “I recall two leading jurists at Erfurt. When the time came for them to die, they said to each other, sighing deeply: ‘Oh, if we had not been doctors of law but monks, how much more blessedly we would die!’ …And so it was that only one remedy remained. They demanded that, in addition to the sacred rites which they bought at a high price, their bodies should be shrouded in a monk’s cowl so that they would be buried in the monastic habit. Did these men not show clearly enough that they did not know they had served God in their own office?”3
Dear friends, uneasiness and uncertainty will always be part of the human condition. We’re inclined to dip a toe in the water instead of taking a leap of faith. It’s a little like Uncle Oscar who was apprehensive about his first airplane ride. His grandchildren, eager to hear how it went, asked if he enjoyed the flight. "Well," commented Uncle Oscar, "it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be, but I'll tell you this. I never did put all my weight down!" Dear friends, we can put all our weight down on Christ. His plan of salvation is not going to crash to the ground. His mission is not going to fail. He will not leave us behind when the going gets tough. He’s been to the cross. He triumphed over death. He desires that we share in His immortal life. Pastor Dean is not here to push you, but he is here to hold your hand as you take the leap of faith.
It would be remiss of us to overlook the fact that today’s appointed gospel reading contains the parable of the lost sheep. The Greek word for pastor is the word for shepherd. It’s one of the most endearing images in the Scriptures. The seeking Shepherd locates the lost sheep and brings it home. Your minister speaks to you the words of the Good Shepherd, cautions you with His warning, assures you of His promises, communicates His wisdom. That doesn’t make him a plagiarist, a copy-cat or a redundancy. It makes him a pastor, an undershepherd of the Chief Shepherd. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Installation of Dean Mills Berri-Barmera
15 September 2019
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 LH p.7 2 Romans 12:4-6
3 LW 12, p71
Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost (C) 2019
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 15:5-7
Theme: The Seeking Shepherd
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The angels are prayerfully hopeful. About what? What are angels hopeful about? They are hopeful about the conversion of sinners. Angels are not self-absorbed. They are neither oblivious to, nor uninterested in human fate. The image of guardian angels assisting people in need is widely understood, so it would be inaccurate to claim that people think angels are completely aloof. But apart from their vocational role of assisting us on an ad hoc basis, it’s easy to assume they are mostly absorbed with the worship of God. The Scripture describes “thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly.”1 Yet here, Jesus tells us about something else that fills the angels with joy. He says, “There is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents."2 It’s a marvelous mystery that angels are concerned with our welfare and it will be awesome to share their company in heaven.
The angelic joy is occasioned by the finding of the lost which Jesus connects here with repentance. Remember, the occasion for Jesus speaking this parable of the seeking shepherd is the disgust of the Pharisees and scribes that tax collectors and sinners were coming to Jesus. They deemed them to be unclean and unworthy; lost causes. They judged them to be beyond the scope of interaction for anyone who claimed- as Jesus did- to be a messenger of God. In short, they thought the holy blessings of God were not meant for the sinful people of the world. The lost would have to see to themselves.
But, dear friends, Jesus Christ comes seeking the lost. Many are distant from God, lost in sin, and they don’t even know it. God doesn’t wait. He doesn’t sit around fretting about whether people will miss Him in their lives. He goes looking. He doesn’t set up a control centre so He can remotely direct a search and rescue operation. God didn’t remain in heaven hoping for the best after Adam and Eve fell into sin. Jesus came searching. He came to the darkness. He left the place of perfection and came to the state of corruption. He left unity and came to discord. He left the communion of truth and came to the chaos of falsehood. He left the realm of life and came to the dimension of death.
The Bible makes it clear that in spite of all that we experience in this world that is good and beautiful and desirable, we live under the specter of death. The vitality of this existence is a borrowed vitality. We do not possess it independently or autonomously. In short, the Scriptures call on us to recognize that life- in all its aspects and with all its struggles- is truly a gift from the Almighty. There is not a single child that is conceived and born that we should not consider to be a miracle. (Kye Jachmann is certainly no exception.) There is not a ray of sun that shines or a drop of rain that falls that we should fail to credit to the generosity of God. Can we bring these things to pass under our own power? Can we cause the heart to beat one single time apart from the power of God? And in spite of this preserving power of God, the consequence of sin is still death. No one can escape it.
So, Jesus came bringing the power of incorruptible life. He didn’t come with an attitude of self-preservation but of sacrifice. He didn’t come in arrogance, but humility. Jesus came, the all-powerful Son of God wrapped in swaddling clothes. He came, the holy and blameless Messiah, and subjected Himself to a cruel and unethical crucifixion. But not even that- not even His death- could stop His pursuit of our salvation. He marched right out of the grave securing for believers immortal life. He lives. He reigns. He will come again in glory.
Meanwhile, through His word and His Spirit and His sacraments, He is seeking the lost. In baptism He comes to those still in the darkness of unbelief and gives them the light of faith. The Scripture says, “He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son.”3 In Holy Communion He comes to baptized, instructed, and repentant believers with food for the journey. It is easier for Satan to lead the spiritually emaciated off the narrow road. God fortifies us against his schemes.
Maybe you’re feeling a bit lost? Maybe that’s why God has brought you to His house today? Maybe some of your most important relationships are fragile or full of conflict? Maybe your financial footing is not very stable? Maybe you’re struggling with temptation, addiction, or depression? Maybe you’ve suffered abuse or have yourself been hurtful or domineering towards others? Maybe you’re anxious about what the future holds?
Active Christians too, can feel lost. Temptation is always before us and even faithful believers head off in the wrong direction away from the will of God. The biblical examples can be multiplied many times. Noah got lost in drunkenness after his epic journey on the ark. Lot’s wife got lost in regret turning back to what was instead of forward to what would be and turned into a pillar of salt. King David was lost in the sins of adultery and murder. God sent Nathan the prophet to him and turned him in repentance. Hannah was lost in grief, God sent her a son. Thomas was lost in doubt, Peter was lost in denial, Judas was lost in betrayal. Only Judas despaired, hardening His heart and remaining determined to not be found by the Lord.
So, don’t hide from your sins. Don’t deny your shortcomings. Don’t waste time and energy trying to justify yourself before God or others. Christ is the one who justifies you. He gave His life for it. Don’t pretend to be someone or something you’re not. God knows you inside out anyway. Nothing can be hidden from Him. And people figure us out too- sooner or later. So, it’s no good trying to keep up appearances.
Believe God when He says to you, “Now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation.”4 Again, when He says, “Everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins though His name.”5 And again, “I, even I, am He who blots our your transgressions, for My own sake, and remembers your sins no more.”6 Christ never turns away those who cast themselves on His mercy. The repentance of one sinner fills angels’ hearts with joy. Even more importantly, it fills the Saviour’s heart with joy and that of the entire community. What does Jesus say about finding the lost sheep today? “When he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbours together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’”7 Jesus is the Seeking Shepherd. He intends to bring us home. Thanks be to God!
+ In nomine Jesu +
Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost
15 September 2019
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Hebrews 12:22 2 Luke 15:10
3 Colossians 1:13 4 2 Corinthians 6:2
5 Acts 10:43 6 Isaiah 43:25
7 Luke 15:5-6
Text: Luke 15:5-7
Theme: The Seeking Shepherd
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The angels are prayerfully hopeful. About what? What are angels hopeful about? They are hopeful about the conversion of sinners. Angels are not self-absorbed. They are neither oblivious to, nor uninterested in human fate. The image of guardian angels assisting people in need is widely understood, so it would be inaccurate to claim that people think angels are completely aloof. But apart from their vocational role of assisting us on an ad hoc basis, it’s easy to assume they are mostly absorbed with the worship of God. The Scripture describes “thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly.”1 Yet here, Jesus tells us about something else that fills the angels with joy. He says, “There is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents."2 It’s a marvelous mystery that angels are concerned with our welfare and it will be awesome to share their company in heaven.
The angelic joy is occasioned by the finding of the lost which Jesus connects here with repentance. Remember, the occasion for Jesus speaking this parable of the seeking shepherd is the disgust of the Pharisees and scribes that tax collectors and sinners were coming to Jesus. They deemed them to be unclean and unworthy; lost causes. They judged them to be beyond the scope of interaction for anyone who claimed- as Jesus did- to be a messenger of God. In short, they thought the holy blessings of God were not meant for the sinful people of the world. The lost would have to see to themselves.
But, dear friends, Jesus Christ comes seeking the lost. Many are distant from God, lost in sin, and they don’t even know it. God doesn’t wait. He doesn’t sit around fretting about whether people will miss Him in their lives. He goes looking. He doesn’t set up a control centre so He can remotely direct a search and rescue operation. God didn’t remain in heaven hoping for the best after Adam and Eve fell into sin. Jesus came searching. He came to the darkness. He left the place of perfection and came to the state of corruption. He left unity and came to discord. He left the communion of truth and came to the chaos of falsehood. He left the realm of life and came to the dimension of death.
The Bible makes it clear that in spite of all that we experience in this world that is good and beautiful and desirable, we live under the specter of death. The vitality of this existence is a borrowed vitality. We do not possess it independently or autonomously. In short, the Scriptures call on us to recognize that life- in all its aspects and with all its struggles- is truly a gift from the Almighty. There is not a single child that is conceived and born that we should not consider to be a miracle. (Kye Jachmann is certainly no exception.) There is not a ray of sun that shines or a drop of rain that falls that we should fail to credit to the generosity of God. Can we bring these things to pass under our own power? Can we cause the heart to beat one single time apart from the power of God? And in spite of this preserving power of God, the consequence of sin is still death. No one can escape it.
So, Jesus came bringing the power of incorruptible life. He didn’t come with an attitude of self-preservation but of sacrifice. He didn’t come in arrogance, but humility. Jesus came, the all-powerful Son of God wrapped in swaddling clothes. He came, the holy and blameless Messiah, and subjected Himself to a cruel and unethical crucifixion. But not even that- not even His death- could stop His pursuit of our salvation. He marched right out of the grave securing for believers immortal life. He lives. He reigns. He will come again in glory.
Meanwhile, through His word and His Spirit and His sacraments, He is seeking the lost. In baptism He comes to those still in the darkness of unbelief and gives them the light of faith. The Scripture says, “He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son.”3 In Holy Communion He comes to baptized, instructed, and repentant believers with food for the journey. It is easier for Satan to lead the spiritually emaciated off the narrow road. God fortifies us against his schemes.
Maybe you’re feeling a bit lost? Maybe that’s why God has brought you to His house today? Maybe some of your most important relationships are fragile or full of conflict? Maybe your financial footing is not very stable? Maybe you’re struggling with temptation, addiction, or depression? Maybe you’ve suffered abuse or have yourself been hurtful or domineering towards others? Maybe you’re anxious about what the future holds?
Active Christians too, can feel lost. Temptation is always before us and even faithful believers head off in the wrong direction away from the will of God. The biblical examples can be multiplied many times. Noah got lost in drunkenness after his epic journey on the ark. Lot’s wife got lost in regret turning back to what was instead of forward to what would be and turned into a pillar of salt. King David was lost in the sins of adultery and murder. God sent Nathan the prophet to him and turned him in repentance. Hannah was lost in grief, God sent her a son. Thomas was lost in doubt, Peter was lost in denial, Judas was lost in betrayal. Only Judas despaired, hardening His heart and remaining determined to not be found by the Lord.
So, don’t hide from your sins. Don’t deny your shortcomings. Don’t waste time and energy trying to justify yourself before God or others. Christ is the one who justifies you. He gave His life for it. Don’t pretend to be someone or something you’re not. God knows you inside out anyway. Nothing can be hidden from Him. And people figure us out too- sooner or later. So, it’s no good trying to keep up appearances.
Believe God when He says to you, “Now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation.”4 Again, when He says, “Everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins though His name.”5 And again, “I, even I, am He who blots our your transgressions, for My own sake, and remembers your sins no more.”6 Christ never turns away those who cast themselves on His mercy. The repentance of one sinner fills angels’ hearts with joy. Even more importantly, it fills the Saviour’s heart with joy and that of the entire community. What does Jesus say about finding the lost sheep today? “When he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbours together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’”7 Jesus is the Seeking Shepherd. He intends to bring us home. Thanks be to God!
+ In nomine Jesu +
Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost
15 September 2019
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Hebrews 12:22 2 Luke 15:10
3 Colossians 1:13 4 2 Corinthians 6:2
5 Acts 10:43 6 Isaiah 43:25
7 Luke 15:5-6
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