+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Mark 5:28
Theme: Hope and Life
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
She still had hope. He clung to a desperate prayer. She was intimately familiar with her grief caused by 18 years of suffering- a personal ongoing saga. He faced the loss of His daughter- painful, heart-wrenching, a suffering external to his own person. Both looked to Christ- Jairus, the synagogue ruler, and the woman who bled- neither were disappointed. Where there is life there is hope. And in the case of Jesus, even where there is death He calls forth life.
Miracles are not just proofs of Christ’s divinity; they are consequences of His presence. That is, they were not just carefully chosen displays of omnipotence as much as they were organically consistent expressions of God’s existence in human flesh. That is not to say that in the person of Jesus the Godhead isn’t still veiled. Never was Jesus’ majesty and glory fully unleashed- mortals simply couldn’t bear it. Even the transfiguration was only a shadowy preview. Still, Christ always exuded restorative power. His compassion could not be contained. Everywhere He went the reversal of the fall was in progress. Even during His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus restored the ear of Malchus that had been severed by Peter in the initial melee.
Today Jesus addresses sickness and death. We tend to think we are only victims of sickness and disease. But in fact, sickness is part of the tangled pathology of sin. We are beset by sickness and death because we are sinners, not simply by chance. Though we rejoice in the knowledge God gives to mankind to address the vast range of physical and psychological dangers that confront us, as Christians we can never be duped into believing we will achieve the ultimate cure for the human condition.
Otherwise we would be in denial of the potency of original sin. Here we can only take God at His word. People will always be drawn more naturally to humanistic philosophy than they will biblical revelation. Yet sin is a chasm we have no means to bridge, power we have no strength to defeat, and a sickness for which we have no cure. Every effort to ignore or downplay the seriousness of our conundrum as sinners undermines what we should really be doing- repenting! You and I are sinners and that is something we must keep confessing until the Second Coming of our Lord makes it no longer true. Sin is the sickness of humanity. But Christ has the resources of divinity.
Today the suffering woman was restored just by touching Jesus’ garment. Jesus knew that power, healing strength, restorative energy, had gone out from Him. It was not spent on a curiosity seeker or skeptic. Nor is it possible to snatch something from the Almighty that He is not willing to give. We are told, “She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.”1
When her secrecy was shattered she came trembling to confess and revealed her plight. Christ allowed this for the advantage of the crowd not because of His own ignorance. His response was life-changing, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”2 The situation with Jairus’s daughter was even more stunning. The young girl had died. The commotion and wailing precipitated by death had already commenced. It was no barrier to Christ’s compassion and power. Nothing is insurmountable for Him who creates, redeems, and restores.
Now, what is the consequence of this peace and freedom that He grants? It is not something we are entitled to abuse. It is a privilege we exercise. The Scripture warns about those “who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only sovereign and Lord.”3 Forgiveness, that holy and precious gift, remains just that- a gift. It is never a tool we can manipulate.
Less than four months after his inauguration in 1881, James Garfield, the 20th President of the United States was shot twice at a Washington railroad depot. One grazed Garfield's arm; the other lodged in his abdomen. A leading Washington doctor came and inserted a metal probe into the wound, turning it slowly, searching for the bullet. The probe became stuck between the shattered fragments of Garfield's eleventh rib, and was removed only with a great deal of difficulty, causing great pain. Then Bliss inserted his finger into the wound, widening the hole in another unsuccessful probe.
Leading doctors of the age flocked to Washington to aid in his recovery, sixteen in all. Most probed the wound with their fingers or dirty instruments. Though the president complained of numbness in the legs and feet, which implied the bullet was lodged near the spinal cord, most thought it was resting in the abdomen. Garfield's condition only got worse. The doctors reopened the wound and enlarged it hoping to find the bullet. They were unsuccessful.
By the time Garfield died on September 19, his doctors had turned a three-inch-deep, harmless wound into a twenty-inch-long contaminated gash stretching from his ribs to his groin. The famous inventor, Alexander Graham Bell even invented a metal-detecting instrument to try and find the bullet. This was later found to be unsuccessful because of the metal bed frame the president was lying on.
If we keep probing our spiritual wounds sin festers and the wounds will not heal. And yet why do we return again, and again, and again? Is it not because we more easily gravitate to that which we are familiar with? We dwell in the past because that is where we are comfortable. Sin chains us to the hurts and pains, the decay caused by that which remains unforgiven. We keep probing the opening in hopes we will find justice, revenge, or validation. Perhaps we try to play the martyr in secret hope of being recognized. But only Christ can give us release. Forgiveness can and does heal fractured relationships because Christ has reconciled us to the Father. No human relationship can be broken beyond repair because the sacrifice for humanity’s affront to God is complete. The crucifixion is the unalterable expression of divine love and grace that cannot be surpassed. The risen, living, and ruling Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal testament to this truth.
Dear friends, God knows our sufferings. His concern for our suffering is not a matter of abstract knowledge. Jesus Christ embraced the fullness of our human condition, experiencing everything we endure, yet remained without sin. He knows the dark places we’ve been. He has been to the edge of the abyss and beyond. He will not abandon you in your sickness, uncertainty, or despair. He reminds you that the trouble of this life is short. He focuses you on the promises to come- the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.
The healing of the woman who bled and the raising of Jairus’s daughter were previews of what is come; examples of the body being healed in view of the soul. But here where the Spirit is at work the soul is healed in view of the body. In holy baptism the mortal wound of sin is absorbed into the life of Him who was mortally wounded for us. In baptism your decaying soul is regenerated by the same life-giving Spirit who attended Jesus’ own resurrection. He gives you too His own body and blood as a participation in the covenant of life that He instituted.
Where there is life there is hope. Where Christ is even death, the final sickness, has no power to do us any harm. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Fifth Sunday After Pentecost
1 July 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Mark 5:27
2 Mark 5:34
3 Jude 4
Monday, July 16, 2012
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Pentecost 2012
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 16:7
Theme: The ‘Proceeding’ Spirit
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Pentecost unshackled the Holy Spirit. The Father’s sending of the Son advances with the sending of the Spirit. As long as this dimension of creation endures the Holy Spirit is at work. We will know with absolute certainty when the work of the Holy Spirit is finished because we will see Christ in glory. Today is the Day of Pentecost. Pentecost means ‘fiftieth’. Fifty days after His resurrection from the dead Christ gifted His fledgling church with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit appeared as tongues of fire resting on the disciples. His work was immediately evidenced in their ability to speak the gospel in different languages. The Holy Spirit works no differently today. He attends the preaching of the Word- convicts people of sin, grants faith, and nourishes the faith He gives. From baptism to the grave the Holy Spirit connects us with the work of Christ.
The evidence of the Holy Spirit’s outpouring in Acts today is not an historical footnote. Visible as tongues of fire the Spirit enabled the apostles to speak in foreign languages. They were not muttering or babbling. They were not drunk as some on-lookers supposed. They were articulating the gospel to those who were not yet followers of Christ. From Rome to Mesopotamia, Libya to Asia- all visitors to Jerusalem- they heard the gospel being expounded in their native language. The faith of Abraham was now to be disseminated to the world. The Royal Son of David was now forging a global kingdom. Satan’s dark haunts now had the light of truth breaking upon them. That light continues to penetrate today whenever and wherever the Holy Spirit uncovers idolatry, convicts of immorality, illuminates ignorance, emboldens the faint-hearted, comforts the anxious, grants peace to those in turmoil, etc., etc.
Pentecost, then, is never simply about historical remembrance. It is the penultimate act of the Holy Trinity’s concerted effort to rescue humanity from self-interest and Satan’s deceptions. It is penultimate because we look for noting more except Christ’s return in glory. His return is what the Holy Spirit seeks to prepare the world for. It is largely as thankless task. Sinners are not easily severed from their idols. And once converted, we are not easily kept from wandering back into the darkness.
Dear friends, consider closely what the Scripture says about the Holy Spirit today, “When He comes He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.”1 As long us unbelief and self-righteousness hold sway in the human heart the Holy Spirit has only one message. He preaches the law to break down hardened hearts and self-serving wills. For those hardened in unbelief He decrees only judgment. Only in this way will sinners despair of finding salvation in themselves or elsewhere. But immediately when help is sought, when the seed of faith begins to swell and sprout, the promise of grace is His recurring theme.
He brings life out of death. “Son of man,” the Almighty queried Ezekiel, “can these bones live? O Lord, God, You alone know.”2 Yes, in Christ. How? Baptism is the Spirit’s means of connecting the individual with the salvation of Christ. As such, it is a mandate and consequence of Pentecost. The Jews used designated water for ritual and ceremonial cleansing- an external preparation showing the individual was receptive to God. The Spirit uses baptismal water for spiritual regeneration- an inward sanctification showing God is receptive to the individual.
Despite a firm belief in the divinity of the Holy Spirit and His presence among God’s people, the nature of how the Holy Spirit is present and works is often misunderstood. We live in an age when value and credibility are measured largely by emotional experience. Feeling dominates reason and the heart takes precedent over the mind. Mass marketing is efficient at capitalizing on this phenomenon. Advertising is directed at your emotions, not your intellect. We are told at every turn to satiate our desires and do what makes us feel good and not worry about the consequences. This explains why people with incomes considerably above average are still often in debt. Or why people become addicted to habits they clearly understand are bad for their well-being.
Spiritually, people’s desire to measure truth and value by their feelings often seeks legitimacy by reference to the Holy Spirit. It may be assumed that if one feels strongly led to do or not do something, the Holy Spirit must be the cause. Taken to the extreme, every whim or desire can be claimed to be a motivation of the Spirit (or God generally). When this inner and individual subjectivism reigns supreme, there is then no objective or external standard by which to measure truth. This is always a dangerous scenario for it may lead to direct contradiction of the will of God. Regardless of how strongly I feel that another person’s spouse is meant to be with me, adultery is always wrong. No matter how strongly my feelings justify my addiction, it is still wrong and I can’t claim the Holy Spirit allows otherwise. The Holy Spirit never leads us into anything that is in contradiction to God’s external, revealed will.
Nor is the Holy Spirit merely a validator of personal decision-making. To state it quite frankly, the Holy Spirit is probably not that concerned with the mundane decisions of our lives. We may fret and worry about whether we should keep our current job or seek a different one; get a new car or fix the old one; meet the current request or a different one. We may desperately want to know what God’s will is in a certain matter. But as long as either choice doesn’t involve dishonesty or unrighteousness, God will bless our decision either way. That doesn’t mean that through prayer we shouldn’t seek God’s will, we should. But the Holy Spirit’s chief concern is our life of sanctification. Our decisions regularly involve the teachings of Scripture and that is where the Holy Spirit’s work is essential. Jesus said, “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, He will testify about Me.”3 This testimony happens through word and water, bread and wine.
The end goal of the Holy Spirit is always the same. The Holy Spirit always seeks to lead the unbeliever to Christ. And the Holy Spirit always seeks to lead the believer back to Christ and to be more obedient to Christ. There is no independent agenda or activity of the Holy Spirit. Like the apostles, the Holy Spirit has no other message, no other power, no other persuasion, no other comfort than the crucified, risen, ascended, and coming Lord Jesus Christ. His was the suffering, His the humiliation, His the sacrifice, His the atonement and these redound to the Father’s glory and the Holy Spirit’s praise. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Day of Pentecost
27 May 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 16:8
2 Ezekiel 37:3
3 John 15:26
Text: John 16:7
Theme: The ‘Proceeding’ Spirit
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Pentecost unshackled the Holy Spirit. The Father’s sending of the Son advances with the sending of the Spirit. As long as this dimension of creation endures the Holy Spirit is at work. We will know with absolute certainty when the work of the Holy Spirit is finished because we will see Christ in glory. Today is the Day of Pentecost. Pentecost means ‘fiftieth’. Fifty days after His resurrection from the dead Christ gifted His fledgling church with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit appeared as tongues of fire resting on the disciples. His work was immediately evidenced in their ability to speak the gospel in different languages. The Holy Spirit works no differently today. He attends the preaching of the Word- convicts people of sin, grants faith, and nourishes the faith He gives. From baptism to the grave the Holy Spirit connects us with the work of Christ.
The evidence of the Holy Spirit’s outpouring in Acts today is not an historical footnote. Visible as tongues of fire the Spirit enabled the apostles to speak in foreign languages. They were not muttering or babbling. They were not drunk as some on-lookers supposed. They were articulating the gospel to those who were not yet followers of Christ. From Rome to Mesopotamia, Libya to Asia- all visitors to Jerusalem- they heard the gospel being expounded in their native language. The faith of Abraham was now to be disseminated to the world. The Royal Son of David was now forging a global kingdom. Satan’s dark haunts now had the light of truth breaking upon them. That light continues to penetrate today whenever and wherever the Holy Spirit uncovers idolatry, convicts of immorality, illuminates ignorance, emboldens the faint-hearted, comforts the anxious, grants peace to those in turmoil, etc., etc.
Pentecost, then, is never simply about historical remembrance. It is the penultimate act of the Holy Trinity’s concerted effort to rescue humanity from self-interest and Satan’s deceptions. It is penultimate because we look for noting more except Christ’s return in glory. His return is what the Holy Spirit seeks to prepare the world for. It is largely as thankless task. Sinners are not easily severed from their idols. And once converted, we are not easily kept from wandering back into the darkness.
Dear friends, consider closely what the Scripture says about the Holy Spirit today, “When He comes He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.”1 As long us unbelief and self-righteousness hold sway in the human heart the Holy Spirit has only one message. He preaches the law to break down hardened hearts and self-serving wills. For those hardened in unbelief He decrees only judgment. Only in this way will sinners despair of finding salvation in themselves or elsewhere. But immediately when help is sought, when the seed of faith begins to swell and sprout, the promise of grace is His recurring theme.
He brings life out of death. “Son of man,” the Almighty queried Ezekiel, “can these bones live? O Lord, God, You alone know.”2 Yes, in Christ. How? Baptism is the Spirit’s means of connecting the individual with the salvation of Christ. As such, it is a mandate and consequence of Pentecost. The Jews used designated water for ritual and ceremonial cleansing- an external preparation showing the individual was receptive to God. The Spirit uses baptismal water for spiritual regeneration- an inward sanctification showing God is receptive to the individual.
Despite a firm belief in the divinity of the Holy Spirit and His presence among God’s people, the nature of how the Holy Spirit is present and works is often misunderstood. We live in an age when value and credibility are measured largely by emotional experience. Feeling dominates reason and the heart takes precedent over the mind. Mass marketing is efficient at capitalizing on this phenomenon. Advertising is directed at your emotions, not your intellect. We are told at every turn to satiate our desires and do what makes us feel good and not worry about the consequences. This explains why people with incomes considerably above average are still often in debt. Or why people become addicted to habits they clearly understand are bad for their well-being.
Spiritually, people’s desire to measure truth and value by their feelings often seeks legitimacy by reference to the Holy Spirit. It may be assumed that if one feels strongly led to do or not do something, the Holy Spirit must be the cause. Taken to the extreme, every whim or desire can be claimed to be a motivation of the Spirit (or God generally). When this inner and individual subjectivism reigns supreme, there is then no objective or external standard by which to measure truth. This is always a dangerous scenario for it may lead to direct contradiction of the will of God. Regardless of how strongly I feel that another person’s spouse is meant to be with me, adultery is always wrong. No matter how strongly my feelings justify my addiction, it is still wrong and I can’t claim the Holy Spirit allows otherwise. The Holy Spirit never leads us into anything that is in contradiction to God’s external, revealed will.
Nor is the Holy Spirit merely a validator of personal decision-making. To state it quite frankly, the Holy Spirit is probably not that concerned with the mundane decisions of our lives. We may fret and worry about whether we should keep our current job or seek a different one; get a new car or fix the old one; meet the current request or a different one. We may desperately want to know what God’s will is in a certain matter. But as long as either choice doesn’t involve dishonesty or unrighteousness, God will bless our decision either way. That doesn’t mean that through prayer we shouldn’t seek God’s will, we should. But the Holy Spirit’s chief concern is our life of sanctification. Our decisions regularly involve the teachings of Scripture and that is where the Holy Spirit’s work is essential. Jesus said, “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, He will testify about Me.”3 This testimony happens through word and water, bread and wine.
The end goal of the Holy Spirit is always the same. The Holy Spirit always seeks to lead the unbeliever to Christ. And the Holy Spirit always seeks to lead the believer back to Christ and to be more obedient to Christ. There is no independent agenda or activity of the Holy Spirit. Like the apostles, the Holy Spirit has no other message, no other power, no other persuasion, no other comfort than the crucified, risen, ascended, and coming Lord Jesus Christ. His was the suffering, His the humiliation, His the sacrifice, His the atonement and these redound to the Father’s glory and the Holy Spirit’s praise. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Day of Pentecost
27 May 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 16:8
2 Ezekiel 37:3
3 John 15:26
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Seventh Sunday of Easter (B) 2012
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 17:6-19
Theme: Holy Pray-er, Holy Prayer
Dear friends of the Risen Lord,
God gives the greatest opportunities. The sinful human tendency is to exploit them. God gives sinners opportunity for repentance. The Holy Spirit prompts us to seize such opportunities immediately. The window for repentance may seem so large that its frames are not in our field of vision. But it could close in an instant. God’s patience may appear parameter-less, but it will reach its limit in the blink of an eye. God is not absent-minded, preoccupied, or inattentive. The boundlessness of His compassion does not mean His tolerance of godlessness is open-ended.
If you are making light of your sinfulness on the assumption that God doesn’t really care, can’t be bothered, or won’t judge you; you are laboring under a very dangerous false understanding. Your sins are never overlooked or excused. They must be forgiven. In fact, His justice necessitates an end to all evil and wickedness. The Father will act for the sake of the Son on behalf of the faithful. Christ is never lax in fulfilling the Father’s will.
Today’s gospel contains one of the most passionate and profound examples of prayer in the Holy Scriptures. Christ is in fervent prayer to the heavenly Father just hours before His crucifixion. His focus is on the well-being of His followers. He says, “They are not of the world anymore that I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”1 Prayer is our communication line with the Father and we have access to Him through Christ.
As in the Lord’s Prayer, Christ prays today for protection from Satan and evil. He prays for holiness, attained only through His word of truth. These spiritual concerns are always uppermost in our prayer life. We believe that when the spiritual aspects of our lives are given priority temporal matters will follow consequentially. Our temporal concerns might be more mundane, but that makes them no less burdensome. We may struggle daily with strained relationships, difficult work situations, personal failures or addictions. These will all affect our faith too. Prayer involves the privilege of calling on God as Father- not something to take for granted.
Many people are apathetic about their devotional life because they believe it fails the pragmatic test. Unless they are convinced of some practical result- some advantage- why bother? There may appear to be little hope of return on the investment. To put it quite bluntly, it seems to be a waste of time- that precious commodity is such short supply already. Can’t we always call on God if we really need Him? Otherwise, why be too fussed? Remember last week the titles for the lukewarm Christian hymnal. Here are a few more: “My Faith Looks Around for Thee”, “I'm Fairly Certain That My Redeemer Lives”, “Self-Esteem to the World! The Lord is Come”, and “Blest Be the Tie That Doesn't Cramp My Style”.
But even the posing of the question betrays a misapprehension of the whole matter. Can a person call on God as a last resort and still do so in faith? Would it be nothing more than a hollow exercise in desperation? Will the expectation be motivated by trust and acceptance of God’s will or a last-ditch effort at averting disaster? God knows all things. He hears every secret conspiracy. He knows our words before we speak them. Are we brazen enough to presume upon God if our motives are insincere?
When we stand at the precipice of mortality there is use for neither wishful thinking nor naïve speculation. There is no automatic transition across the threshold of death. Science, human wisdom, and personal merit all have nothing to offer in this regard. Our absolute fragility is laid bare. Nothing short of the Redeemer’s own blood will do. We have hope because we have Christ. The last thing the Bible suggests is that bland, religious platitudes will give us true peace of mind. Kind words may be soothing and positive thoughts might ease anxiety but only truth will carry the day. The soul rests in the merits of Christ’s sacrifice for sinners.
This peace of mind cannot be generated by any ability or resources we possess. Church attendance or charitable activities may add an outward decorum to life, stroke the ego, and serve practical goals, but certainty of salvation can be found only at the cross. Christ reconciles sinners to the Father through the cost of His blood. His sacrifice was not a sentimental gesture. It was the price of redemption. Christ was not constrained by angelic powers, subdued by earthly rulers, driven by self-interest, or goaded by peer pressure. Freely- to the greatest extent that we can describe or understand the freedom of a self-existing being- He yielded His life to the point of collapse so that death might be overthrown. To this extent we now possess freedom from sin’s guilt and death’s power. It is never an independent freedom but the ultimate liberty enjoyed because of the security we have in Christ. Forgiveness is not a fine-sounding cliché. It is a promise sealed in blood. It is a living fruit of Christ’s resurrection.
Through neglect prayer life can grow cold and perish. It is often a symptom of anemic faith. In a Spanish town called Segovia there is a Roman aqueduct built in A.D. 109. For eighteen hundred years, it carried cool water from the mountains to the hot and thirsty city. Nearly sixty generations of men drank from its flow. Then came another generation, a recent one, who said, “This aqueduct is so great a marvel that it ought to be preserved for our children, as a museum piece. We shall relieve it of its centuries-long labour.” They did; they laid modern iron pipes. They gave the ancient bricks and mortar a reverent rest. And the aqueduct began to fall apart. The sun beating on the dry mortar caused it to crumble. The bricks and stone sagged and threatened to fall. What ages of service could not destroy idleness disintegrated.
Guess what? You are still useful. Despite any arguments you may offer to the contrary, you are still useful to God. You know that because you are still here. God has not taken you to glory. It may be a simple fact but it still has profound and very practical consequences. Remember what St. Paul said in his mature years, “I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith.”2 The Lord still had a purpose for Paul. He was still a useful instrument in the struggle. You remain on in the body because you still have a purpose in His church militant.
Today we meet in God’s house of prayer between the celebration of Christ’s ascension and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. In the creeds of the church the ascension is connected chronologically and theologically with Christ’s enthronement. This is expressed in the phrase referring to His “sitting at the right hand of God [the Father].” As the victorious Redeemer Christ now rules the cosmos and especially intercedes for the church. He provides for the preaching of the gospel and the proclamation of the forgiveness of sins. We do not know when the window for the Spirit’s work will close. But we know Him who intercedes for us and has opened the gate of heaven. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Seventh Sunday of Easter
20 May 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 17:14-17
2 Philippians 1:23-25
Text: John 17:6-19
Theme: Holy Pray-er, Holy Prayer
Dear friends of the Risen Lord,
God gives the greatest opportunities. The sinful human tendency is to exploit them. God gives sinners opportunity for repentance. The Holy Spirit prompts us to seize such opportunities immediately. The window for repentance may seem so large that its frames are not in our field of vision. But it could close in an instant. God’s patience may appear parameter-less, but it will reach its limit in the blink of an eye. God is not absent-minded, preoccupied, or inattentive. The boundlessness of His compassion does not mean His tolerance of godlessness is open-ended.
If you are making light of your sinfulness on the assumption that God doesn’t really care, can’t be bothered, or won’t judge you; you are laboring under a very dangerous false understanding. Your sins are never overlooked or excused. They must be forgiven. In fact, His justice necessitates an end to all evil and wickedness. The Father will act for the sake of the Son on behalf of the faithful. Christ is never lax in fulfilling the Father’s will.
Today’s gospel contains one of the most passionate and profound examples of prayer in the Holy Scriptures. Christ is in fervent prayer to the heavenly Father just hours before His crucifixion. His focus is on the well-being of His followers. He says, “They are not of the world anymore that I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”1 Prayer is our communication line with the Father and we have access to Him through Christ.
As in the Lord’s Prayer, Christ prays today for protection from Satan and evil. He prays for holiness, attained only through His word of truth. These spiritual concerns are always uppermost in our prayer life. We believe that when the spiritual aspects of our lives are given priority temporal matters will follow consequentially. Our temporal concerns might be more mundane, but that makes them no less burdensome. We may struggle daily with strained relationships, difficult work situations, personal failures or addictions. These will all affect our faith too. Prayer involves the privilege of calling on God as Father- not something to take for granted.
Many people are apathetic about their devotional life because they believe it fails the pragmatic test. Unless they are convinced of some practical result- some advantage- why bother? There may appear to be little hope of return on the investment. To put it quite bluntly, it seems to be a waste of time- that precious commodity is such short supply already. Can’t we always call on God if we really need Him? Otherwise, why be too fussed? Remember last week the titles for the lukewarm Christian hymnal. Here are a few more: “My Faith Looks Around for Thee”, “I'm Fairly Certain That My Redeemer Lives”, “Self-Esteem to the World! The Lord is Come”, and “Blest Be the Tie That Doesn't Cramp My Style”.
But even the posing of the question betrays a misapprehension of the whole matter. Can a person call on God as a last resort and still do so in faith? Would it be nothing more than a hollow exercise in desperation? Will the expectation be motivated by trust and acceptance of God’s will or a last-ditch effort at averting disaster? God knows all things. He hears every secret conspiracy. He knows our words before we speak them. Are we brazen enough to presume upon God if our motives are insincere?
When we stand at the precipice of mortality there is use for neither wishful thinking nor naïve speculation. There is no automatic transition across the threshold of death. Science, human wisdom, and personal merit all have nothing to offer in this regard. Our absolute fragility is laid bare. Nothing short of the Redeemer’s own blood will do. We have hope because we have Christ. The last thing the Bible suggests is that bland, religious platitudes will give us true peace of mind. Kind words may be soothing and positive thoughts might ease anxiety but only truth will carry the day. The soul rests in the merits of Christ’s sacrifice for sinners.
This peace of mind cannot be generated by any ability or resources we possess. Church attendance or charitable activities may add an outward decorum to life, stroke the ego, and serve practical goals, but certainty of salvation can be found only at the cross. Christ reconciles sinners to the Father through the cost of His blood. His sacrifice was not a sentimental gesture. It was the price of redemption. Christ was not constrained by angelic powers, subdued by earthly rulers, driven by self-interest, or goaded by peer pressure. Freely- to the greatest extent that we can describe or understand the freedom of a self-existing being- He yielded His life to the point of collapse so that death might be overthrown. To this extent we now possess freedom from sin’s guilt and death’s power. It is never an independent freedom but the ultimate liberty enjoyed because of the security we have in Christ. Forgiveness is not a fine-sounding cliché. It is a promise sealed in blood. It is a living fruit of Christ’s resurrection.
Through neglect prayer life can grow cold and perish. It is often a symptom of anemic faith. In a Spanish town called Segovia there is a Roman aqueduct built in A.D. 109. For eighteen hundred years, it carried cool water from the mountains to the hot and thirsty city. Nearly sixty generations of men drank from its flow. Then came another generation, a recent one, who said, “This aqueduct is so great a marvel that it ought to be preserved for our children, as a museum piece. We shall relieve it of its centuries-long labour.” They did; they laid modern iron pipes. They gave the ancient bricks and mortar a reverent rest. And the aqueduct began to fall apart. The sun beating on the dry mortar caused it to crumble. The bricks and stone sagged and threatened to fall. What ages of service could not destroy idleness disintegrated.
Guess what? You are still useful. Despite any arguments you may offer to the contrary, you are still useful to God. You know that because you are still here. God has not taken you to glory. It may be a simple fact but it still has profound and very practical consequences. Remember what St. Paul said in his mature years, “I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith.”2 The Lord still had a purpose for Paul. He was still a useful instrument in the struggle. You remain on in the body because you still have a purpose in His church militant.
Today we meet in God’s house of prayer between the celebration of Christ’s ascension and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. In the creeds of the church the ascension is connected chronologically and theologically with Christ’s enthronement. This is expressed in the phrase referring to His “sitting at the right hand of God [the Father].” As the victorious Redeemer Christ now rules the cosmos and especially intercedes for the church. He provides for the preaching of the gospel and the proclamation of the forgiveness of sins. We do not know when the window for the Spirit’s work will close. But we know Him who intercedes for us and has opened the gate of heaven. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Seventh Sunday of Easter
20 May 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 17:14-17
2 Philippians 1:23-25
Monday, May 14, 2012
Sixth Sunday of Easter (B) 2012
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 15:13
Theme: The Image of Love
Dear friends of the Risen Lord,
God formulates the definitions. We have the privilege of apprehending them. We do so not in theory, but in participation by faith and the Spirit. Today Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”1 As a reference to His own death and resurrection it was a concise definition of the gospel. His life-given freely and abundantly- is the heart of Christian teaching.
As Christians we are called to lay down our lives for others. This doesn’t necessarily happen in a dramatic way resulting in the sudden loss of our life. It happens every day as we sacrifice our own interests for the well-being of others- especially their spiritual welfare. St. Paul said, “In view of God’s mercy…offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God- this is your spiritual act of worship.”2 These words of Christ cannot be dismissed as being inapplicable just because we may never be called upon to be a hero in a life-threating situation.
Little by little, piece, by piece, bit by bit, day by day we expend the energies and abilities, the talents and blessings God has given to us in service to others. Isn’t this the lifelong vocation of motherhood also? The concept is not complicated: Faith is never evidenced in idleness. It is always active in good works. What do the Scriptures say, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.”3
But the execution is another matter altogether. The heart, mind, and will struggle as the Holy Spirit wrestles with our sinful natures. Self-sacrifice on behalf of others happens simultaneously with two other important phenomena: The crucifying of our sinful natures, and our spiritual maturity in the faith. The apostle says, “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”4 All the manifold expressions of unrighteousness look for opportunities to reassert dominance. Repentance is the lifelong vocation of every Christian.
Identifying which particular maladies plague the wider church is another challenge before us. The Lord warned the church at Laodicea about apathy, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold- I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”5 How applicable is the concern of apathy still today!
One forward-thinking Christian suggests (in jest) that some of the most well-known hymns of the church should be revised to more honestly reflect the state of being lukewarm. Some of the proposals are as follows, “Sit Up, Sit Up for Jesus”, “A Comfy Mattress Is Our God”, “Above Average is Thy Faithfulness”, “Lord, Keep Us Loosely Connected to Your Word”, “My Hope is Built on Nothing Much” and, “Praise God from Whom All Affirmations Flow”- just to name a few. Would this not be a more genuine expression of some of the lip service that is offered throughout the breadth of Christianity? God grant that the Spirit would cultivate in His people a passion for the truth!
Dear friends, Christ continually reaffirmed with His disciples the living dynamic of union with Himself. Christians are constantly pruning the mindset of worldliness. Affinity for worldliness is also found within. Our soul-searching must always lead to the realization of a greater need for God’s mercy. Such searching always serves as a check, a corrective. Never will we discover godliness within. The quest for internal answers will lead eventually and inevitably to darkness and doubt. The deeper we pry into the well-guarded motivations of our hearts the more we will uncover uncertainty and suspicion. If we are honest, the more we will clearly we see sin. And who doesn’t know instinctively that death is a horror against which we can mount no defence? Only the self-deluded or those with seared consciences could believe otherwise. Surely at the precipice of mortality there is use for neither unfounded possibilities nor naïve gambles. Nothing short of the Redeemer’s own blood will do. The Scriptures continually redirect us back to objective truths.
Instead of wringing your hands agonizing over whether your faith will hold up, focus on Him who was hung upon the cross and upon whom was hung the sins of the world. It depends not on your strength, but His might. Instead of doubting whether you are good enough to qualify to be in His company, marvel that He was so eager be in yours that He underwent humiliation, suffering, and death. It depends not on your piety, but His purity. Instead of trying to forge your own identity and purpose in life through the means the world provides, appreciate your baptismal identity by which you become a bearer of His name and His holy purposes. It depends not on your legacy, but on the dynasty of His eternal kingdom.
The apostle reminds us today that in Christ we have already overcome the world. Christ participates in our humanity that we may share His immortality. He was sentenced that we might be acquitted. He tasted bitter gall that we may enjoy sacred food. He wore the crown of thorns that we may wear the crown of life. He quenched Satan’s fury that we may be spared from his scorching accusations. He re-opened paradise so that we won’t be left in exile.
At the beginning of His public ministry Jesus announced the kingdom of God was near6. The time had come for the Father’s plan to be completed. At Jesus’ death God gives warning that time will be rendered obsolete. The death knell is delivered. In Christ the new era has commenced and we participate in its benefits even now. In Holy Communion the sacredness of eternity breaks into the mundane chronology of our daily lives. We drink the fruit of the cross of Him who reigns eternally in the Father’s kingdom. The very image of love, He moves us towards the day of the full consummation of His divine compassion: Union with Him as resurrected saints in heaven. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Sixth Sunday of Easter
13 May 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 15:13
2 Romans 12:1
3 Romans 12:6-8
4 1 Corinthians 5:19-21
5 Revelation 3:15-16
6 See Mark 1:15
Text: John 15:13
Theme: The Image of Love
Dear friends of the Risen Lord,
God formulates the definitions. We have the privilege of apprehending them. We do so not in theory, but in participation by faith and the Spirit. Today Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”1 As a reference to His own death and resurrection it was a concise definition of the gospel. His life-given freely and abundantly- is the heart of Christian teaching.
As Christians we are called to lay down our lives for others. This doesn’t necessarily happen in a dramatic way resulting in the sudden loss of our life. It happens every day as we sacrifice our own interests for the well-being of others- especially their spiritual welfare. St. Paul said, “In view of God’s mercy…offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God- this is your spiritual act of worship.”2 These words of Christ cannot be dismissed as being inapplicable just because we may never be called upon to be a hero in a life-threating situation.
Little by little, piece, by piece, bit by bit, day by day we expend the energies and abilities, the talents and blessings God has given to us in service to others. Isn’t this the lifelong vocation of motherhood also? The concept is not complicated: Faith is never evidenced in idleness. It is always active in good works. What do the Scriptures say, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.”3
But the execution is another matter altogether. The heart, mind, and will struggle as the Holy Spirit wrestles with our sinful natures. Self-sacrifice on behalf of others happens simultaneously with two other important phenomena: The crucifying of our sinful natures, and our spiritual maturity in the faith. The apostle says, “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”4 All the manifold expressions of unrighteousness look for opportunities to reassert dominance. Repentance is the lifelong vocation of every Christian.
Identifying which particular maladies plague the wider church is another challenge before us. The Lord warned the church at Laodicea about apathy, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold- I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”5 How applicable is the concern of apathy still today!
One forward-thinking Christian suggests (in jest) that some of the most well-known hymns of the church should be revised to more honestly reflect the state of being lukewarm. Some of the proposals are as follows, “Sit Up, Sit Up for Jesus”, “A Comfy Mattress Is Our God”, “Above Average is Thy Faithfulness”, “Lord, Keep Us Loosely Connected to Your Word”, “My Hope is Built on Nothing Much” and, “Praise God from Whom All Affirmations Flow”- just to name a few. Would this not be a more genuine expression of some of the lip service that is offered throughout the breadth of Christianity? God grant that the Spirit would cultivate in His people a passion for the truth!
Dear friends, Christ continually reaffirmed with His disciples the living dynamic of union with Himself. Christians are constantly pruning the mindset of worldliness. Affinity for worldliness is also found within. Our soul-searching must always lead to the realization of a greater need for God’s mercy. Such searching always serves as a check, a corrective. Never will we discover godliness within. The quest for internal answers will lead eventually and inevitably to darkness and doubt. The deeper we pry into the well-guarded motivations of our hearts the more we will uncover uncertainty and suspicion. If we are honest, the more we will clearly we see sin. And who doesn’t know instinctively that death is a horror against which we can mount no defence? Only the self-deluded or those with seared consciences could believe otherwise. Surely at the precipice of mortality there is use for neither unfounded possibilities nor naïve gambles. Nothing short of the Redeemer’s own blood will do. The Scriptures continually redirect us back to objective truths.
Instead of wringing your hands agonizing over whether your faith will hold up, focus on Him who was hung upon the cross and upon whom was hung the sins of the world. It depends not on your strength, but His might. Instead of doubting whether you are good enough to qualify to be in His company, marvel that He was so eager be in yours that He underwent humiliation, suffering, and death. It depends not on your piety, but His purity. Instead of trying to forge your own identity and purpose in life through the means the world provides, appreciate your baptismal identity by which you become a bearer of His name and His holy purposes. It depends not on your legacy, but on the dynasty of His eternal kingdom.
The apostle reminds us today that in Christ we have already overcome the world. Christ participates in our humanity that we may share His immortality. He was sentenced that we might be acquitted. He tasted bitter gall that we may enjoy sacred food. He wore the crown of thorns that we may wear the crown of life. He quenched Satan’s fury that we may be spared from his scorching accusations. He re-opened paradise so that we won’t be left in exile.
At the beginning of His public ministry Jesus announced the kingdom of God was near6. The time had come for the Father’s plan to be completed. At Jesus’ death God gives warning that time will be rendered obsolete. The death knell is delivered. In Christ the new era has commenced and we participate in its benefits even now. In Holy Communion the sacredness of eternity breaks into the mundane chronology of our daily lives. We drink the fruit of the cross of Him who reigns eternally in the Father’s kingdom. The very image of love, He moves us towards the day of the full consummation of His divine compassion: Union with Him as resurrected saints in heaven. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Sixth Sunday of Easter
13 May 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 15:13
2 Romans 12:1
3 Romans 12:6-8
4 1 Corinthians 5:19-21
5 Revelation 3:15-16
6 See Mark 1:15
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
LWSA Convention
Lutheran Women of South Australia
Forty Sixth Convention, May 3rd, 2012
St. Peter’s Lutheran, Loxton
Afternoon Devotion
Text: John 13:12-17
Love has form and it has focus. Christianity is incarnational in its essence. In the person of Jesus the infinite God became contained in human flesh and blood. “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.” (Colossians 2:9) Christ is not a motionless idol to be venerated but the vivacious exemplar of servitude.
Socrates said, “Know thyself.” The narcissist says, “Love thyself.” Such self-absorption is the bane of our times. It is fatal and self-defeating. The beloved no longer requires a lover, but only a mirror for self-reflection. Christ is THE LOVER, the selfless, sacrificial servant par excellence. He reflects only the will of the Father.
No one can remain in their own spiritual nativity. Faith either forges forward in fits and starts, struggling, pressing on, clawing forward; or it atrophies, withers, and dies. In Christ faith finds its focus and the power to love.
To the one who believes, love is already flooding like water over the dam into the parched low-lying areas of our neighbour’s lives. To the one who doesn’t, no amount of pushing will move the tide of love upstream. In its chemical composition water is one-third oxygen. But it has no airspace. It cannot be compressed. So too the law cannot force the hand of love. But heat will turn water into steam and then it will quickly fill the empty space. So too, the believer, when warmed by the Spirit’s glow moves to fill the cold and empty world around.
How do we love as Christ loved? Consider His own words. “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:13)
The Holy Spirit will lead us to Christ. And there let us remain until the shadows lengthen and the sun sets on this mortal life. Let us remain in Christ not in motionless apathy, or fear of venture, but in dynamic self-giving; learning and believing that the more we are surrendered for our neighbour, the greater our glory in Christ. Let us love with the forfeiture of the bottomless compassion of the Saviour. When His crucified body was pierced there issued from His side a flow of water and blood; and thus every Christian font was filled and every communion chalice supplied. The well of His mercy will not run dry. We will be lifted by the rising Jordan, the baptismal flood that will buoy us in the ark of the church that anchors in the glassy sea of the heavenly Jerusalem. Amen.
Forty Sixth Convention, May 3rd, 2012
St. Peter’s Lutheran, Loxton
Afternoon Devotion
Text: John 13:12-17
Love has form and it has focus. Christianity is incarnational in its essence. In the person of Jesus the infinite God became contained in human flesh and blood. “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.” (Colossians 2:9) Christ is not a motionless idol to be venerated but the vivacious exemplar of servitude.
Socrates said, “Know thyself.” The narcissist says, “Love thyself.” Such self-absorption is the bane of our times. It is fatal and self-defeating. The beloved no longer requires a lover, but only a mirror for self-reflection. Christ is THE LOVER, the selfless, sacrificial servant par excellence. He reflects only the will of the Father.
No one can remain in their own spiritual nativity. Faith either forges forward in fits and starts, struggling, pressing on, clawing forward; or it atrophies, withers, and dies. In Christ faith finds its focus and the power to love.
To the one who believes, love is already flooding like water over the dam into the parched low-lying areas of our neighbour’s lives. To the one who doesn’t, no amount of pushing will move the tide of love upstream. In its chemical composition water is one-third oxygen. But it has no airspace. It cannot be compressed. So too the law cannot force the hand of love. But heat will turn water into steam and then it will quickly fill the empty space. So too, the believer, when warmed by the Spirit’s glow moves to fill the cold and empty world around.
How do we love as Christ loved? Consider His own words. “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:13)
The Holy Spirit will lead us to Christ. And there let us remain until the shadows lengthen and the sun sets on this mortal life. Let us remain in Christ not in motionless apathy, or fear of venture, but in dynamic self-giving; learning and believing that the more we are surrendered for our neighbour, the greater our glory in Christ. Let us love with the forfeiture of the bottomless compassion of the Saviour. When His crucified body was pierced there issued from His side a flow of water and blood; and thus every Christian font was filled and every communion chalice supplied. The well of His mercy will not run dry. We will be lifted by the rising Jordan, the baptismal flood that will buoy us in the ark of the church that anchors in the glassy sea of the heavenly Jerusalem. Amen.
Fifth Sunday of Easter (B) 2012
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 15:2
Theme: Fruitful in the Vine
Dear friends of the Risen Lord,
God is the great ‘reversalist’. This truth reveals the fact that sinful humans always get things back to front. We consider our own skin. Then, if we’re not too self-absorbed, we look at how everything else might fit in. This is so in private and public life. Public worship is not firstly an expression of our love for God, but His love for us. In worship God gives, we receive. The Scripture says, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”1 Yet, we’d like to have ‘the goods’ and then negotiate how God might be connected.
Herein lies one of Satan’s great deceptions: the promise of heavenly treasures apart heaven’s Benefactor. The object of your faith is not heaven, or eternal life. The object of your faith is Christ. Eternal life is the final goal and consequence. The distinction is important. Heaven cannot be acquired as an independent possession. Jesus is not a broker or an agent negotiating for you some type of spiritual portfolio. There is no inheritance without a family. We will be bodily resurrected and glorified in Christ. Believers are not welfare recipients. They are cherished members of the family. The older brother of the prodigal son complained to his father saying, “You never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends,”2 To which the father replied, “My son…you are always with, and everything I have is yours.”3
A living connection with Him is Jesus’ emphasis in John 15 today. Using the botanical particulars of the grapevine He teaches about the kingdom. He compares Himself to the vine and the Father to the vinedresser. The analogy is straightforward. “He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit.”4If there is no fruit there is no life. The dead wood must be cut out for the sake of the health of the vine. The detached branch will never bear fruit on its own. There must be new life; new growth. We are fruitless apart from Christ, spiritually barren apart from the Holy Spirit. The Redeemer sums it up directly and succinctly, “Apart from Me you can do nothing.”5
But these things are only partly open to our observation. We cannot infallibly judge the spiritual pulse of another. God alone is the coroner. The patient is covered with flesh so the physician cannot always perceive the integrity of the skeleton. But the X-Ray shows which bones are broken. The sinner is clothed in facades and pretenses so the observer cannot always witness the integrity of the spirit. But the Word reveals fractures of the soul. The Holy Spirit’s instrument is the law which readily diagnoses the malady. The integrity of the heart is always found wanting- the pathology of a spiritual heart failure. Immediate and comprehensive action is required.
Again, “He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”6 Here Jesus uses pruning as an analogy for spiritual purification of the believer. The life of faith does not grow free of the pollutants of all kinds of impurities. The heavenly Father chastises those whom He loves. He tests and refines. Our integrity is put to the test. Will we suffer the pruning of our wild growth? Will we forsake our inclinations to idolatry, the veneration of our material wealth, the indulgences of or our carnal appetites, the pursuit of our selfish ambitions? Will our lives be characterized by the repentance and humility that adjusts to God’s will for us, or by stubborn adherence to our own agendas?
Pruning reinvigorates the vine. Cleansing revitalizes the soul. Jesus continues, “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.”7 The word of Christ is the means by which the believer is justified and sanctified. The Word cleanses. It pardons. It frees. It forgives. It extends the power of the Forgiver and kindles new life in the forgiven. It is not a hollow word but a substantive word. It is not a static word but a per formative word. It is not ceremonial, but creative. God’s word has the authority of Christ- the Word-become-flesh. The Holy Spirit always attends it.
Finally, Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit.”8 He says abide. Remain with Him. At least six times He mentions it. Hold to the constancy of your conviction. Let it be unmoved by the glitter of worldly charm. Let be unyielding in the face of change and decay. Let it be resolute at the hour of death. Through all the activities of our “remaining” the sanctified life is played out.
Our life of faith takes shape as we love our neighbour. To claim to love God without loving others is merely a spiritual abstraction. Christ’s body was hung on the cross. The crucifixion involved no abstraction but a bodily sacrifice on behalf of others. On the cross we see Christ bleeding, broken, yet housing the power of incorruptible life. Abused and forsaken He models faithfulness and truth. From the 6th hour darkness fell, the earth trembled, the rocks split, death was put on notice, Satan held his breath. Would everything be gained? Would his rebellion acquire an insurmountable power? Or would all be lost? The answer was clear on Easter morning. Love had triumphed over evil.
We share in that victory not as possessors of an inanimate gift but as envoys to the loveless corners of the world. In what manner is our neighbour to be loved? In sincerity and in truth! Christian love is controlled but not casual; not forced, but flowing; not contrived, but transparent; sincere, not superficial; even in urgency- calm. Christian love appears natural because it is motivated by the supernatural. The Vine does not fail to bear fruit. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”9
Dear friends, the teaching of the gospel is new wine. It cannot be housed in old wineskins. The gospel is not a philosophy of human invention, but the counter-intuitive, counter-cultural, divinely authoritative acquittal of repentant sinners for the sake of God’s glory in Christ. As the world vainly seeks a new look styled by its misplaced trust of science and collective human cleverness the believer knows we must be fitted with a more sacred wardrobe.
Spiritual nakedness can only be covered with heavenly apparel. We cover ourselves with fig leaves but the Father outfits us with baptismal garments10. On our own merits we’re not fit to approach the lowest ranking angel. On the basis of Christ’s merits we become beneficiaries of such a mystifying salvation angels long to be privy to its details11. Already now we participate in the inheritance. We have at every Divine Service an invitation to His banquet- His own body and blood poured out for the forgiveness of sins. To His disciples on that Thursday of Holy Week Jesus said, “I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in My Father’s kingdom.”12 God grant that soon the vintage would be complete so that we might recline in His presence! Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Fifth Sunday of Easter
6 May 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 1 John 4:10
2 Luke 15:29
3 Luke 15:31
4 John 15:2 5 John 15:5 6 John 15:2
7 John 15:3 8 John 15:5 9 Galatians 5:22-23
10 See Galatians 3:27 11 See 1Peter 1:12 12 Matthew 26:29
Text: John 15:2
Theme: Fruitful in the Vine
Dear friends of the Risen Lord,
God is the great ‘reversalist’. This truth reveals the fact that sinful humans always get things back to front. We consider our own skin. Then, if we’re not too self-absorbed, we look at how everything else might fit in. This is so in private and public life. Public worship is not firstly an expression of our love for God, but His love for us. In worship God gives, we receive. The Scripture says, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”1 Yet, we’d like to have ‘the goods’ and then negotiate how God might be connected.
Herein lies one of Satan’s great deceptions: the promise of heavenly treasures apart heaven’s Benefactor. The object of your faith is not heaven, or eternal life. The object of your faith is Christ. Eternal life is the final goal and consequence. The distinction is important. Heaven cannot be acquired as an independent possession. Jesus is not a broker or an agent negotiating for you some type of spiritual portfolio. There is no inheritance without a family. We will be bodily resurrected and glorified in Christ. Believers are not welfare recipients. They are cherished members of the family. The older brother of the prodigal son complained to his father saying, “You never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends,”2 To which the father replied, “My son…you are always with, and everything I have is yours.”3
A living connection with Him is Jesus’ emphasis in John 15 today. Using the botanical particulars of the grapevine He teaches about the kingdom. He compares Himself to the vine and the Father to the vinedresser. The analogy is straightforward. “He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit.”4If there is no fruit there is no life. The dead wood must be cut out for the sake of the health of the vine. The detached branch will never bear fruit on its own. There must be new life; new growth. We are fruitless apart from Christ, spiritually barren apart from the Holy Spirit. The Redeemer sums it up directly and succinctly, “Apart from Me you can do nothing.”5
But these things are only partly open to our observation. We cannot infallibly judge the spiritual pulse of another. God alone is the coroner. The patient is covered with flesh so the physician cannot always perceive the integrity of the skeleton. But the X-Ray shows which bones are broken. The sinner is clothed in facades and pretenses so the observer cannot always witness the integrity of the spirit. But the Word reveals fractures of the soul. The Holy Spirit’s instrument is the law which readily diagnoses the malady. The integrity of the heart is always found wanting- the pathology of a spiritual heart failure. Immediate and comprehensive action is required.
Again, “He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”6 Here Jesus uses pruning as an analogy for spiritual purification of the believer. The life of faith does not grow free of the pollutants of all kinds of impurities. The heavenly Father chastises those whom He loves. He tests and refines. Our integrity is put to the test. Will we suffer the pruning of our wild growth? Will we forsake our inclinations to idolatry, the veneration of our material wealth, the indulgences of or our carnal appetites, the pursuit of our selfish ambitions? Will our lives be characterized by the repentance and humility that adjusts to God’s will for us, or by stubborn adherence to our own agendas?
Pruning reinvigorates the vine. Cleansing revitalizes the soul. Jesus continues, “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.”7 The word of Christ is the means by which the believer is justified and sanctified. The Word cleanses. It pardons. It frees. It forgives. It extends the power of the Forgiver and kindles new life in the forgiven. It is not a hollow word but a substantive word. It is not a static word but a per formative word. It is not ceremonial, but creative. God’s word has the authority of Christ- the Word-become-flesh. The Holy Spirit always attends it.
Finally, Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit.”8 He says abide. Remain with Him. At least six times He mentions it. Hold to the constancy of your conviction. Let it be unmoved by the glitter of worldly charm. Let be unyielding in the face of change and decay. Let it be resolute at the hour of death. Through all the activities of our “remaining” the sanctified life is played out.
Our life of faith takes shape as we love our neighbour. To claim to love God without loving others is merely a spiritual abstraction. Christ’s body was hung on the cross. The crucifixion involved no abstraction but a bodily sacrifice on behalf of others. On the cross we see Christ bleeding, broken, yet housing the power of incorruptible life. Abused and forsaken He models faithfulness and truth. From the 6th hour darkness fell, the earth trembled, the rocks split, death was put on notice, Satan held his breath. Would everything be gained? Would his rebellion acquire an insurmountable power? Or would all be lost? The answer was clear on Easter morning. Love had triumphed over evil.
We share in that victory not as possessors of an inanimate gift but as envoys to the loveless corners of the world. In what manner is our neighbour to be loved? In sincerity and in truth! Christian love is controlled but not casual; not forced, but flowing; not contrived, but transparent; sincere, not superficial; even in urgency- calm. Christian love appears natural because it is motivated by the supernatural. The Vine does not fail to bear fruit. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”9
Dear friends, the teaching of the gospel is new wine. It cannot be housed in old wineskins. The gospel is not a philosophy of human invention, but the counter-intuitive, counter-cultural, divinely authoritative acquittal of repentant sinners for the sake of God’s glory in Christ. As the world vainly seeks a new look styled by its misplaced trust of science and collective human cleverness the believer knows we must be fitted with a more sacred wardrobe.
Spiritual nakedness can only be covered with heavenly apparel. We cover ourselves with fig leaves but the Father outfits us with baptismal garments10. On our own merits we’re not fit to approach the lowest ranking angel. On the basis of Christ’s merits we become beneficiaries of such a mystifying salvation angels long to be privy to its details11. Already now we participate in the inheritance. We have at every Divine Service an invitation to His banquet- His own body and blood poured out for the forgiveness of sins. To His disciples on that Thursday of Holy Week Jesus said, “I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in My Father’s kingdom.”12 God grant that soon the vintage would be complete so that we might recline in His presence! Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Fifth Sunday of Easter
6 May 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 1 John 4:10
2 Luke 15:29
3 Luke 15:31
4 John 15:2 5 John 15:5 6 John 15:2
7 John 15:3 8 John 15:5 9 Galatians 5:22-23
10 See Galatians 3:27 11 See 1Peter 1:12 12 Matthew 26:29
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Fourth Sunday of Easter (B) 2012
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 10:11
Theme: The Matchless Shepherd
Dear friends of the Risen Lord,
Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd. How can this truth be to our ears anything more than an affectionate but obsolete analogy of the biblical past? Is it an image of the Saviour that’s gone past its use-by date? Perhaps we’ve done well to emphasize the providential aspects of Christ’s shepherding- His bestowal of stability and sustenance represented by “green pastures and quiet waters”1- but what of His role in defending us from danger? We pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Deliver us from evil,”2 that is, [also] the evil one- Satan.
Every age is subject to heresies and false teaching which, though not new in their essentials, take on different guises. The church stands as a sentinel, alerting all to the dangers that confront the human race. Truth cannot be safeguarded without defending against the opposing falsehoods that undermine it. It’s no simple task. And it’s naïve to think that conflicting claims of truth can be harmonized. Some will be subjugated and others will capitulate.
There’s no shortage of false teachings prevalent in society today. Some are brash and clamor out with loud voices. Others are more subtle, cloaked in plausible-sounding propositions. The church and the individual Christian who fail to identify and assess them do so at their own peril. One of the more influential philosophies which has for some time been making inroads from the intellectual elite into the general populace is the teaching of relativism.
The idea is that one possibility is only more or less true (or real) than an alternative-perhaps depending on the individual circumstances. Reality is your own construction. Absolutes are absolutely unallowable. A philosophy of relativism relies on uncertainty. It preys upon lack of conviction; absence of certitude. “Whatever works for you,” is a catch phrase. Undoubtedly some relativity in thinking is the result of the desire for personal rights in society. But the deeper implication here is not just a matter of personal freedoms, but the skepticism that there is any one right answer or solution even to fundamental questions. How much do we cower in fear of political correctness in society today!
Again, what we mean here is not the self-contradiction or loss of perspective that is a general liability of sinfulness. As sinners we are always subject to inconsistency and unfairness. What we are considering here is the idea that truth is not definable. Life is approached basically from an ad hoc perspective based on how people feel or react to any given situation. Why is it so difficult to get clear support for the sanctity of life or for the biblical definition of marriage even among Christians? In short, because they doubt whether God’s truths apply to all people. The certainties of Scripture become only guidelines or possibilities. The individual becomes the judge, not the word of God. This is the mindset of relativism.
The heart and centre of the gospel and its implications become disconnected not only from the social and ecclesiastical activities of the believer, but even from their worldview. The perspective on time and eternity becomes imbalanced- disconnected from creedal foundations. More than a logical inconsistency it either signals a double-minded, duplicitous approach to God, or betrays a nominal connection with the faith. In Western society there is a rapidly diminishing correlation between peoples’ church affiliation and their actual belief about truth and morality.
It’s not a new problem. It’s as old as the first sinner, Adam, who tried to justify himself before the Almighty. The moment we adopt an attitude of relativism towards our status with God we are in grave danger. Yet it’s easily and commonly done because it is a painless way to excuse and justify our sins in general and ourselves as sinners in particular. We want to believe God will be more lenient with us than He will be with other, more serious sinners. Our rationalizations are better and isn’t it all relative anyway! The call to repentance rings out against all such efforts. The last thing we would want to be relativized is the amount of compassion God shows to one person as opposed to another. We each need the fullness of His grace.
Obviously two mutually exclusive propositions cannot both be true. For example, at death a person either enters into some type of afterlife, heaven or hell, or he or she ceases to exist. It can’t be both. Jesus Christ spoke with conviction, not to give otherwise ignorant and despairing people a false sense of hope, but because He embodied truth. He lived it. He ratified it. He clarified it. He made it clear that though people may go on living aside from truth or in denial of its existence this is only a temporary situation. One which will be completely resolved at His Second Coming.
Some claim that truth and morality can only be defined within practical circumstances and Christianity is too dogmatic in this regard. But these claims are misguided. Jesus Christ appeared alive after His crucifixion showing Himself to more than five hundred at one time. What could be more tangible, more practical, than that for a foundation for Christianity? Christianity is immanently practical because He lived truthfully in the real world and He bids us to do the same. The more mysterious teachings of the Scripture should not detract from that realism. St. John said today, “Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”1 John 3:18
The believer is declared justified before God on the basis of Christ’s atoning death on the cross. St. Peter reminds us, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”3 He or she is then freed to live selflessly by virtue of Christ’s resurrection from the dead. These are the ramifications of baptism through which we are incorporated into the life of the triune God. This life of cross-bearing is sustained by the Spirit through Christ’s gift of absolution and body and blood of the Lord’s Supper. The Office of the Ministry was instituted to attend to these matters. Three times did the risen Lord direct Peter to take care of His sheep4.
Satan will take no holiday from his schemes against the faithful. If he cannot break down your trust from without he will try to do it from within. He would like us to stand self-condemned. But here is the good news: God is greater than your heart. Your tendency to self-condemnation cannot carry more weight with God than the condemnation of His Son for your sins. Your anxiety and worry cannot wield more influence on the heart of the Father than the peace achieved by the reconciliation of the Son. All of your inconsistencies and contradictions, all of the conflicted tensions and emotions that beset the heart and mind will be resolved in the light and clarity of the resurrection to eternal life. We have a foretaste of this peace already.
It may seem redundant, even irreverent to ask in what sense Christ is the Good Shepherd. Yet it is an opportunity to comfort anxious hearts with the truth of the gospel. He is not tending the sheep for personal gain. He is not driven by self-interest. He never expresses ill-will, impatience, or malice towards His flock. His compassion is so complete He sacrifices His own life that theirs might be spared. Finally, Jesus is not simply one good shepherd among a host of many others in that category. He is the Chief Shepherd, the guardian and curator of souls. He is the only protection from the wolfery of Satan and the only refuge from the fires of hell. The Holy Spirit Himself is His staff. Heaven is His holy pasture. We are His redeemed people. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Fourth Sunday of Easter
29 April 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 See Psalm 23
2 Matthew 6:13
3 Acts 4:12
4 See John Ch 21
Text: John 10:11
Theme: The Matchless Shepherd
Dear friends of the Risen Lord,
Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd. How can this truth be to our ears anything more than an affectionate but obsolete analogy of the biblical past? Is it an image of the Saviour that’s gone past its use-by date? Perhaps we’ve done well to emphasize the providential aspects of Christ’s shepherding- His bestowal of stability and sustenance represented by “green pastures and quiet waters”1- but what of His role in defending us from danger? We pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “Deliver us from evil,”2 that is, [also] the evil one- Satan.
Every age is subject to heresies and false teaching which, though not new in their essentials, take on different guises. The church stands as a sentinel, alerting all to the dangers that confront the human race. Truth cannot be safeguarded without defending against the opposing falsehoods that undermine it. It’s no simple task. And it’s naïve to think that conflicting claims of truth can be harmonized. Some will be subjugated and others will capitulate.
There’s no shortage of false teachings prevalent in society today. Some are brash and clamor out with loud voices. Others are more subtle, cloaked in plausible-sounding propositions. The church and the individual Christian who fail to identify and assess them do so at their own peril. One of the more influential philosophies which has for some time been making inroads from the intellectual elite into the general populace is the teaching of relativism.
The idea is that one possibility is only more or less true (or real) than an alternative-perhaps depending on the individual circumstances. Reality is your own construction. Absolutes are absolutely unallowable. A philosophy of relativism relies on uncertainty. It preys upon lack of conviction; absence of certitude. “Whatever works for you,” is a catch phrase. Undoubtedly some relativity in thinking is the result of the desire for personal rights in society. But the deeper implication here is not just a matter of personal freedoms, but the skepticism that there is any one right answer or solution even to fundamental questions. How much do we cower in fear of political correctness in society today!
Again, what we mean here is not the self-contradiction or loss of perspective that is a general liability of sinfulness. As sinners we are always subject to inconsistency and unfairness. What we are considering here is the idea that truth is not definable. Life is approached basically from an ad hoc perspective based on how people feel or react to any given situation. Why is it so difficult to get clear support for the sanctity of life or for the biblical definition of marriage even among Christians? In short, because they doubt whether God’s truths apply to all people. The certainties of Scripture become only guidelines or possibilities. The individual becomes the judge, not the word of God. This is the mindset of relativism.
The heart and centre of the gospel and its implications become disconnected not only from the social and ecclesiastical activities of the believer, but even from their worldview. The perspective on time and eternity becomes imbalanced- disconnected from creedal foundations. More than a logical inconsistency it either signals a double-minded, duplicitous approach to God, or betrays a nominal connection with the faith. In Western society there is a rapidly diminishing correlation between peoples’ church affiliation and their actual belief about truth and morality.
It’s not a new problem. It’s as old as the first sinner, Adam, who tried to justify himself before the Almighty. The moment we adopt an attitude of relativism towards our status with God we are in grave danger. Yet it’s easily and commonly done because it is a painless way to excuse and justify our sins in general and ourselves as sinners in particular. We want to believe God will be more lenient with us than He will be with other, more serious sinners. Our rationalizations are better and isn’t it all relative anyway! The call to repentance rings out against all such efforts. The last thing we would want to be relativized is the amount of compassion God shows to one person as opposed to another. We each need the fullness of His grace.
Obviously two mutually exclusive propositions cannot both be true. For example, at death a person either enters into some type of afterlife, heaven or hell, or he or she ceases to exist. It can’t be both. Jesus Christ spoke with conviction, not to give otherwise ignorant and despairing people a false sense of hope, but because He embodied truth. He lived it. He ratified it. He clarified it. He made it clear that though people may go on living aside from truth or in denial of its existence this is only a temporary situation. One which will be completely resolved at His Second Coming.
Some claim that truth and morality can only be defined within practical circumstances and Christianity is too dogmatic in this regard. But these claims are misguided. Jesus Christ appeared alive after His crucifixion showing Himself to more than five hundred at one time. What could be more tangible, more practical, than that for a foundation for Christianity? Christianity is immanently practical because He lived truthfully in the real world and He bids us to do the same. The more mysterious teachings of the Scripture should not detract from that realism. St. John said today, “Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”1 John 3:18
The believer is declared justified before God on the basis of Christ’s atoning death on the cross. St. Peter reminds us, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”3 He or she is then freed to live selflessly by virtue of Christ’s resurrection from the dead. These are the ramifications of baptism through which we are incorporated into the life of the triune God. This life of cross-bearing is sustained by the Spirit through Christ’s gift of absolution and body and blood of the Lord’s Supper. The Office of the Ministry was instituted to attend to these matters. Three times did the risen Lord direct Peter to take care of His sheep4.
Satan will take no holiday from his schemes against the faithful. If he cannot break down your trust from without he will try to do it from within. He would like us to stand self-condemned. But here is the good news: God is greater than your heart. Your tendency to self-condemnation cannot carry more weight with God than the condemnation of His Son for your sins. Your anxiety and worry cannot wield more influence on the heart of the Father than the peace achieved by the reconciliation of the Son. All of your inconsistencies and contradictions, all of the conflicted tensions and emotions that beset the heart and mind will be resolved in the light and clarity of the resurrection to eternal life. We have a foretaste of this peace already.
It may seem redundant, even irreverent to ask in what sense Christ is the Good Shepherd. Yet it is an opportunity to comfort anxious hearts with the truth of the gospel. He is not tending the sheep for personal gain. He is not driven by self-interest. He never expresses ill-will, impatience, or malice towards His flock. His compassion is so complete He sacrifices His own life that theirs might be spared. Finally, Jesus is not simply one good shepherd among a host of many others in that category. He is the Chief Shepherd, the guardian and curator of souls. He is the only protection from the wolfery of Satan and the only refuge from the fires of hell. The Holy Spirit Himself is His staff. Heaven is His holy pasture. We are His redeemed people. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Fourth Sunday of Easter
29 April 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 See Psalm 23
2 Matthew 6:13
3 Acts 4:12
4 See John Ch 21
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)