+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 16:15
Theme: The Father’s Patrimony
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The believer is tied directly to the mystery of the Trinity through baptism. The mystery of God’s being is that He is one God in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “All that belongs to the Father is Mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.”1 What a comforting thought to know that the Holy Spirit makes the grace of Christ known to us, and that Christ’s grace is the avenue to the Father. Baptism brings you into fellowship with the Trinity and allows you to share in all the blessings of His life. These gifts can only be appreciated through the insight of the Holy Spirit.
You’ve probably heard people say that religion is not for them; they’re not cut out for it. They may have in mind the caricature of tee-totaling, mindless moralist who mostly misses out on the pleasurable side of life. Sometimes it used be said, “Such and such person was born religious.” But, in fact, NO ONE is cut out for it. No one is naturally fitted for life in God’s kingdom. That is precisely the point. The truth of fallen humanity is that all are estranged from God from the time of conception. Original sin has consequences. Adam and Eve were banned from Eden. The wicked all perished in Noah’s flood. A generation of Israelites died before crossing the Jordan. The 21st Century person has no fewer consequences of sin to deal with. Temptations bombard us from all sides.
The likelihood of succumbing to some temptations changes with maturity. Some tendencies diminish. Other proclivities become more resistant to resolution. The rebellious child may come to appreciate the value of respecting proper authority later in life. The temptation to revolt may relax as the individual finds himself or herself in a position of responsibility and authority. Teenagers that were critical of their parents often find themselves imitating them once they have their own children. On the other hand, the self-centred person may be just as self-absorbed at the age of 70 as they were at 20. Greed isn’t cured by acquiring great fortunes. Long established habits are always more difficult to change. Much depends upon what informs our worldview.
Our society cries out for recognition. “Look at Me!” “Take notice of what I have done!” We are taught to scrape and claw, scream and fight for our place. In this way people hope to find meaning, value, purpose and fulfillment in life. But what is the edifice- the composition of things that value and define us- built on? If our true worth (call it self-worth if you like) doesn’t rest in Christ then we have an unstable foundation. We cannot indefinitely live in a building prone to collapse at the slightest tremor. The ageing process exempts no one.
It all comes to head with an honest reflection on mortality. Movie buffs and gamers are familiar with heroes that encounter fatality and yet emerge with all their former vibrancy; or the contestants who are endlessly reincarnated to fight again. Reality is something very different. We can sojourn in a fantasy world perhaps the better part of our temporal lives. But it doesn’t prepare us for the genuine crisis we must face. Christian maturity requires we recognize the limits of escapism.
But Christ has no limits. You need not stand at the graveside and ask, “Is this where it all ends?” “Is this the conclusion to a few short years on earth?” Christ has been to death and back. He speaks of what He knows. He doesn’t offer us a sympathetic hug as we draw our last breath but then leave us to face a future of despair. Instead He transports us through the dark evil of death unharmed. The Scripture says, “If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead.”2
Already, through forgiveness first granted in our baptism, we participate in that resurrection spiritually. Spiritually, but not theoretically. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.”3 Forgiveness is more than an act of will on God’s part. It is even more that a movement of the heart. It is an expression of His very nature. The crucifixion was a tearing open of the inner mystery of God. It was a rending of God’s holiness. Like a tsunami His compassion swept over a humanity suffocating in sin and self-centredness. Christ died and rose again not as an act of heroism but as the means to reconcile all humanity to the Father. We’re all in this together.
Your baptism identified you in Christ in relation to a local community of faith and the universal church. Remember Christianity from the time of Pentecost was designed to be a global faith. Christians who insulate themselves in parochial enclaves fail to appreciate the nature of God’s seeking and expansive love. The Good Shepherd searches for the lost sheep. Life in community, not as individuals is how God intends it. The Spirit inducts us into this community through baptism where Christ continues to feed us with His word and His body and blood. Here we are also united in an unbroken succession with those saints who went before us. The apostle writes, “I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers…were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.”4
Sadly, not all are interested in what Christ has to offer. It cramps their style. Those who follow religions of the law and atheist have something important in common. They both take matters into their own hands. They are self-reliant. The religious legalist seeks recognition from God- idolatry of self. The atheist must flatly deny God and recognize himself or herself- also the trappings of idolatry. In the end everyone comes down on one side of the equation or the other. There is no neutral ground between reverence for the true God and idolatry. There is no middle ground. In a wider sense this is what makes Christian truth so unbearable for some. You cannot flee to a ‘spiritual Switzerland’ and take up permanent residency there. You must cope with a clearly defined external existence; heaven or hell.
Your baptism is a mighty fortress. Satan cannot dismantle, demolish, or destroy the foundation upon which it is built. Hear what the Scripture says, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”5
This newness of life has authenticity and permanency. We live the baptismal life, bearing our crosses, sacrificing our extravagances, serving in humility, trusting that “our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”6 The biblical witness suggests that this real life is often much more engaging and enthralling than what the world has on offer. The parameters are not dependent on artificial schemes and structures. The rules of engagement aren’t always changing. The source of security is never unreliable. The future is never uncertain. God grant that our baptism is never a distant memory but a constant source of strength and life. It is not a matter of our aptitude but of His promise. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
The Holy Trinity
26 May 2013
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 16:15
2 1 Corinthians 15:19-20
3 Romans 5:1-2
4 1 Corinthians 10:2-4
5 Romans 6:3-4
6 2 Corinthians 4:17
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Sunday, May 19, 2013
The Day of Pentecost (C) 2013
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Genesis 11:9
Theme: Prelude to Pentecost
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God speaks! In His speaking He brings order out of chaos, faith out of unbelief, and life out of death. The event of Pentecost enhances our understanding of a God who wishes to make the gifting of His Son ‘intelligible’ to the world. Fifty days after his resurrection from the dead Jesus sent the promised Holy Spirit to His disciples. Manifested as tongues of fire the Spirit enabled the disciples to speak the gospel in different languages. Christianity was destined to be a truly global religion. Translation of the Scriptures continues in many parts of the world today including Aboriginal languages. “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”1 It is our privilege to support the articulation of the gospel in every tongue in every place.
God speaks. And in so doing He forms the witness of the believer. God who created the tongue also trains it for speech. The ability to articulate and understand the sounds the human voice is capable of producing are among the most complex realities of human existence. The combination of sounds possible to communicate human thoughts is essentially limitless. The fact that these become organized into coherent systems identifiable as languages, dialects or language-groups is surely a reflection of the truth that humanity was created in the image of God.
It was an image quickly lost in the rebellion of sin. Mutiny against God continues to be manifest in every possible way in private and public life. One of the most notable examples in the history of humanity is the building of the Tower of Babel. How high was the Tower of Babel before construction was divinely arrested? Spiritually it was high enough that the egos that built it had a mighty fall. The foolish man built his house on the sand “and it fell with a great crash.”2
Babel and Pentecost are contrasting events. As such they illustrate God’s mode of operating in the world. Babel involved God’s judgment on the conspiracy of sinful humanity. A common speech had facilitated their idolatrous efforts. They were unified in their efforts and communications to stand in insubordination and rebellion against the Almighty. He confused their language and scattered them. Pentecost involved the Spirit’s blessing of redeemed humanity. Extraordinary gifts facilitated their efforts to articulate the Gospel. They became unified in their efforts to communicate in the native languages of those assembled there. He illuminated their speech to gather them.
God speaks. Of course nothing can be said so clearly that those with evil intent cannot misinterpret or dismiss it. We often hear what we want to hear. This is a continual liability of our sinful nature for which we are called to repentance. Respect for the authority in question greatly influences the response. President Calvin Coolidge once invited friends from his hometown to dine with him at the White House. Unsure of their table manners, the guests decided to imitate the president. They watched closely to see which utensils he used, what foods he ate and when. Their strategy seemed to succeed until coffee was served. Coolidge poured some coffee into his saucer. They did the same. He added sugar and cream. His guests did, too. Then the president bent over and put his saucer on the floor for the cat!
If we are not careful whose example we follow we may find ourselves feeding the cat instead of honoring the proper authority. Is our allegiance to the world more influential than our reverence for God? We may imitate the world, even subconsciously, out of fear or the desire to fit in. To do so uncritically makes us vulnerable to mindless mimicking. Pressing issues in society demand our attention. If an expectant mother was murdered would the perpetrator be charged with only one murder if evidence is given that the mother was planning to have an abortion? Who will determine when value is placed on life and on what basis? Should the birth certificate of a child raised by lesbians have both their names listed at the expense of the biological father? Who will determine the rights of the most defenseless and on what basis?
God speaks. The Apostle Paul says, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me- put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”3
We speak with our tongues. We can speak with our hands. We most certainly speak with our actions. We even “speak” with our silence. The question is: What are we saying? God speaks for the vulnerable and He calls on those who bear His name to do the same.
Why? Because we seek to be true to that which we are part of: “the one holy, Christian and apostolic Church.”4 Not mindlessly following or giving hollow allegiance, but in the manner Paul encourages Timothy, “Continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of…and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”5
We can’t expect to be well-received by the world. It is natural that we have doubts. Today Philip is bold enough to ask Jesus the question that is on the minds of many, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”6 In other words, “Prove Yourself to us, Lord! Make your divinity more obvious! Show us a sign! Give us a glimpse of heaven! Then, we’ll believe without any doubt.” Jesus’ reply? “Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father.”7
Satan knows how to play upon uncertainty. Yet he has no answers to the message of the Messiah who came not in pomp and circumstance, but in humility. God does not wish to be found except on a cross. How does the Crucified One come to us now? The word of the cross comes to you in forgives proclaimed in all its fullness; in baptismal water poured for our cleansing; and in the body and blood given and shed for our salvation. These are His means of grace. The living Christ doesn’t expect sinners reach Him, appease Him, impress Him, or satisfy the debt of sin. He is the all-atoning sacrifice that has opened the way to the Father. The task of faith is to receive Him as He is.
Pentecost bolstered the fledgling Christian Church with fervor and focus. The Holy Spirit attends His people. The Spirit speaks the word of truth about Christ and apart from that He has nothing else to say. He has at His disposal every word of every age in every language- utterances and expressions that surpass the tongues of angels. He is never mute. He cannot be tongue-tied. He does not stammer. His speech is never muddled or chaotic. He is never a Maverick. A person cannot become or remain a believer apart from the work of the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit was not at work the Christian Church would not exist.
God speaks. The Scripture says, “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son.”8 This is the promise and power of Pentecost. In the Spirit’s time the confusion of Babel will be reversed to an expression of complete unity in Christ. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
The Day of Pentecost
19 May 2013
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Romans 10:17
2 Matthew 7:27
3 Philippians 4:9
4 The Nicene Creed
5 2 Timothy 3:14-15
6 John 14:8
7 John 14:9
8 Hebrews 1:1-2
Text: Genesis 11:9
Theme: Prelude to Pentecost
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God speaks! In His speaking He brings order out of chaos, faith out of unbelief, and life out of death. The event of Pentecost enhances our understanding of a God who wishes to make the gifting of His Son ‘intelligible’ to the world. Fifty days after his resurrection from the dead Jesus sent the promised Holy Spirit to His disciples. Manifested as tongues of fire the Spirit enabled the disciples to speak the gospel in different languages. Christianity was destined to be a truly global religion. Translation of the Scriptures continues in many parts of the world today including Aboriginal languages. “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”1 It is our privilege to support the articulation of the gospel in every tongue in every place.
God speaks. And in so doing He forms the witness of the believer. God who created the tongue also trains it for speech. The ability to articulate and understand the sounds the human voice is capable of producing are among the most complex realities of human existence. The combination of sounds possible to communicate human thoughts is essentially limitless. The fact that these become organized into coherent systems identifiable as languages, dialects or language-groups is surely a reflection of the truth that humanity was created in the image of God.
It was an image quickly lost in the rebellion of sin. Mutiny against God continues to be manifest in every possible way in private and public life. One of the most notable examples in the history of humanity is the building of the Tower of Babel. How high was the Tower of Babel before construction was divinely arrested? Spiritually it was high enough that the egos that built it had a mighty fall. The foolish man built his house on the sand “and it fell with a great crash.”2
Babel and Pentecost are contrasting events. As such they illustrate God’s mode of operating in the world. Babel involved God’s judgment on the conspiracy of sinful humanity. A common speech had facilitated their idolatrous efforts. They were unified in their efforts and communications to stand in insubordination and rebellion against the Almighty. He confused their language and scattered them. Pentecost involved the Spirit’s blessing of redeemed humanity. Extraordinary gifts facilitated their efforts to articulate the Gospel. They became unified in their efforts to communicate in the native languages of those assembled there. He illuminated their speech to gather them.
God speaks. Of course nothing can be said so clearly that those with evil intent cannot misinterpret or dismiss it. We often hear what we want to hear. This is a continual liability of our sinful nature for which we are called to repentance. Respect for the authority in question greatly influences the response. President Calvin Coolidge once invited friends from his hometown to dine with him at the White House. Unsure of their table manners, the guests decided to imitate the president. They watched closely to see which utensils he used, what foods he ate and when. Their strategy seemed to succeed until coffee was served. Coolidge poured some coffee into his saucer. They did the same. He added sugar and cream. His guests did, too. Then the president bent over and put his saucer on the floor for the cat!
If we are not careful whose example we follow we may find ourselves feeding the cat instead of honoring the proper authority. Is our allegiance to the world more influential than our reverence for God? We may imitate the world, even subconsciously, out of fear or the desire to fit in. To do so uncritically makes us vulnerable to mindless mimicking. Pressing issues in society demand our attention. If an expectant mother was murdered would the perpetrator be charged with only one murder if evidence is given that the mother was planning to have an abortion? Who will determine when value is placed on life and on what basis? Should the birth certificate of a child raised by lesbians have both their names listed at the expense of the biological father? Who will determine the rights of the most defenseless and on what basis?
God speaks. The Apostle Paul says, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me- put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”3
We speak with our tongues. We can speak with our hands. We most certainly speak with our actions. We even “speak” with our silence. The question is: What are we saying? God speaks for the vulnerable and He calls on those who bear His name to do the same.
Why? Because we seek to be true to that which we are part of: “the one holy, Christian and apostolic Church.”4 Not mindlessly following or giving hollow allegiance, but in the manner Paul encourages Timothy, “Continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of…and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”5
We can’t expect to be well-received by the world. It is natural that we have doubts. Today Philip is bold enough to ask Jesus the question that is on the minds of many, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”6 In other words, “Prove Yourself to us, Lord! Make your divinity more obvious! Show us a sign! Give us a glimpse of heaven! Then, we’ll believe without any doubt.” Jesus’ reply? “Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father.”7
Satan knows how to play upon uncertainty. Yet he has no answers to the message of the Messiah who came not in pomp and circumstance, but in humility. God does not wish to be found except on a cross. How does the Crucified One come to us now? The word of the cross comes to you in forgives proclaimed in all its fullness; in baptismal water poured for our cleansing; and in the body and blood given and shed for our salvation. These are His means of grace. The living Christ doesn’t expect sinners reach Him, appease Him, impress Him, or satisfy the debt of sin. He is the all-atoning sacrifice that has opened the way to the Father. The task of faith is to receive Him as He is.
Pentecost bolstered the fledgling Christian Church with fervor and focus. The Holy Spirit attends His people. The Spirit speaks the word of truth about Christ and apart from that He has nothing else to say. He has at His disposal every word of every age in every language- utterances and expressions that surpass the tongues of angels. He is never mute. He cannot be tongue-tied. He does not stammer. His speech is never muddled or chaotic. He is never a Maverick. A person cannot become or remain a believer apart from the work of the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit was not at work the Christian Church would not exist.
God speaks. The Scripture says, “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son.”8 This is the promise and power of Pentecost. In the Spirit’s time the confusion of Babel will be reversed to an expression of complete unity in Christ. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
The Day of Pentecost
19 May 2013
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Romans 10:17
2 Matthew 7:27
3 Philippians 4:9
4 The Nicene Creed
5 2 Timothy 3:14-15
6 John 14:8
7 John 14:9
8 Hebrews 1:1-2
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Seventh Sunday of Easter (C) 2013
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 17:20
Theme: For Those Who Will Believe
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God doesn’t suffer from tunnel-vision. He sees the entire picture. In His field of vision lies every sin and every sinner. He lacks none of the facts. His intelligence is never incomplete. Yet in spite of His comprehensive scrutiny of us fallen creatures His response is not a matter of aversion but of compassion. He does not abandon His image-bearers but attends to them. “God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”1 Here we have Christianity in its indispensable essence.
God attends to us proactively- before we have even the capability of thinking of Him. For the converted- whether they have been believers for one day or their entire lives- this truth can easily be relegated to the historical past. What takes the fore is the living of our Christian life, bearing the cross here and now. Yet an integral part of that is concern for those still unconverted. In Christ’s sacred prayer to the heavenly Father today He makes this petition, “My prayer is not for them(disciples) alone. I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message.”2
The Christian Church is a communion of the faithful that is yet incomplete. Your participation in the body of Christ is also for the sake of those who will believe. Rather than being nonsensical, this thought is biblical, even logical. How narrow is our vision compared with the greatness of God’s plans! Yet He wishes to make you a part. Your vocation in the world- through which you serve others according to the gifts and opportunities God has given you- also involves testifying to the truth for the sake of those who will believe. The Psalmist exclaims, “Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord.”3
Sometimes the task seems too daunting. Society often seems uninterested, even antagonistic towards the church. What progress can be made in situation where people don’t seem to be in the mood to even give Christianity a hearing? These considerations must occupy us. How can the uninterested by engaged in God’s truth?
It is important to assess the breadth and depth of the ideology of tolerance in our society. When the charge is made that society is becoming more secular and godless that does not mean people don’t have a standard by which they value things. Without valuations and distinctions life would become mindlessly meaningless. Their measuring stick is intensely personal, acutely sensitive to peer-review, and aware of the political hot-topics of society.
There is little belief in objective truth. All things are negotiable. All things are debatable. All things are tolerable except intolerance.
Within this context Christians are faced with the very practical challenge of seeking to live according to objective truth. Both God’s commands and His promises instruct our worldview. To do so requires honest reflection of our own motives. Are we prone to repent of our sins only when we meet with shame or failure? Do we recognize the deeper clash between our self-serving agendas and God’s call to self-sacrifice in Christ? Is the command of God easily set aside for the traditions of men?
We should never assume we know the motives of others. Speculation is fuelled by a burning desire to know or an uncharitable desire to condemn. In the latter, speculation is driven by suspicion. We are called to be truthful. The Eighth Commandment says, “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour.” Observing this command involves an attitude about how we approach things. In this context it means not only that we refrain from lying to or about our neighbour, but that we, as Luther says, “explain everything in the kindest way.”4
A woman walked into her bathroom at home. There she saw her husband weighing himself on the bathroom scales, sucking in his stomach. The woman thought to herself, "He foolishly thinks that he will weigh less by sucking his stomach in." So, she rather sarcastically said to her husband, "That’s not going to help." But her husband replied, "Sure it will. It’s the only way I can see the numbers." In all things we must be charitable.
Dear friends, the Word is never without effect. God is not in need of our ingenuity to accomplish His purposes. Today we were reminded that he freed Paul and Silas from prison through an earthquake. What a small thing it is for Him to rescue us from the perils we face. One implication of your baptism is that God promises to attend to you faithfully. The Scripture says even, “If we are faithless, He will remain faithful, for He cannot disown Himself.”5
This Thursday past marked the Ascension of our Lord. The ascension of Christ should rouse us from our spiritual slumber. It is a portent of things to come. His Second Coming will happen without advanced notice. At His ascension the angel said, “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.”6 Forewarned is forearmed. His bodily return in glory is incontestable. It is central to the Christian confession. “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.”7
The Christian’s life is prioritized accordingly. We keep our sights set on the promises He has made. “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and go through the gates of the city.”8 Jesus prayed, “Father, I want those you have given Me to be with Me where I am, and to see My glory.”9 This is our supreme confidence and unassailable source of joy. We stay nourished by His body and blood and renewed by His forgiveness.
Christ came not for the righteous, but for sinners. He came for the suspicious. He came for the skeptic. He came for the quick-tempered. He came for the timid. And He came for the naïve. He came to Thomas who doubted Him, Peter who renounced Him, and Nicodemus who queried Him. He came for the selfish. He came for the despairing. He came for forlorn. And He came for the forsaken. He came to the widow of Nain, the woman at the well, the blind and the lame, the deaf and the mute. He came for the Pharisees who cursed Him. He came for tax-collectors and prostitutes. Can you entertain the real possibility that He did not come for you? Can you best the claim of Paul who said “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners- of whom I am the worst?”10
Jesus Christ died and rose that you might have life. He awaits the appointed time to consummate the union with His bride, the church. But He does not sit idly by. He intercedes for sinners, one and all. There are those who are yet to believe. May God make us faithful witnesses to the truth on their behalf. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Seventh Sunday of Easter
12 May 2013
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Romans 5:8
2 John 17:20
3 Psalm 102:18
4 Luther’s Small Catechism
5 2 Timothy 2:13
6 Acts 1:11
7 The Nicene Creed
8 Revelation 22:14
9 John 17:24
10 1 Timothy 1:15
Text: John 17:20
Theme: For Those Who Will Believe
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God doesn’t suffer from tunnel-vision. He sees the entire picture. In His field of vision lies every sin and every sinner. He lacks none of the facts. His intelligence is never incomplete. Yet in spite of His comprehensive scrutiny of us fallen creatures His response is not a matter of aversion but of compassion. He does not abandon His image-bearers but attends to them. “God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”1 Here we have Christianity in its indispensable essence.
God attends to us proactively- before we have even the capability of thinking of Him. For the converted- whether they have been believers for one day or their entire lives- this truth can easily be relegated to the historical past. What takes the fore is the living of our Christian life, bearing the cross here and now. Yet an integral part of that is concern for those still unconverted. In Christ’s sacred prayer to the heavenly Father today He makes this petition, “My prayer is not for them(disciples) alone. I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message.”2
The Christian Church is a communion of the faithful that is yet incomplete. Your participation in the body of Christ is also for the sake of those who will believe. Rather than being nonsensical, this thought is biblical, even logical. How narrow is our vision compared with the greatness of God’s plans! Yet He wishes to make you a part. Your vocation in the world- through which you serve others according to the gifts and opportunities God has given you- also involves testifying to the truth for the sake of those who will believe. The Psalmist exclaims, “Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord.”3
Sometimes the task seems too daunting. Society often seems uninterested, even antagonistic towards the church. What progress can be made in situation where people don’t seem to be in the mood to even give Christianity a hearing? These considerations must occupy us. How can the uninterested by engaged in God’s truth?
It is important to assess the breadth and depth of the ideology of tolerance in our society. When the charge is made that society is becoming more secular and godless that does not mean people don’t have a standard by which they value things. Without valuations and distinctions life would become mindlessly meaningless. Their measuring stick is intensely personal, acutely sensitive to peer-review, and aware of the political hot-topics of society.
There is little belief in objective truth. All things are negotiable. All things are debatable. All things are tolerable except intolerance.
Within this context Christians are faced with the very practical challenge of seeking to live according to objective truth. Both God’s commands and His promises instruct our worldview. To do so requires honest reflection of our own motives. Are we prone to repent of our sins only when we meet with shame or failure? Do we recognize the deeper clash between our self-serving agendas and God’s call to self-sacrifice in Christ? Is the command of God easily set aside for the traditions of men?
We should never assume we know the motives of others. Speculation is fuelled by a burning desire to know or an uncharitable desire to condemn. In the latter, speculation is driven by suspicion. We are called to be truthful. The Eighth Commandment says, “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour.” Observing this command involves an attitude about how we approach things. In this context it means not only that we refrain from lying to or about our neighbour, but that we, as Luther says, “explain everything in the kindest way.”4
A woman walked into her bathroom at home. There she saw her husband weighing himself on the bathroom scales, sucking in his stomach. The woman thought to herself, "He foolishly thinks that he will weigh less by sucking his stomach in." So, she rather sarcastically said to her husband, "That’s not going to help." But her husband replied, "Sure it will. It’s the only way I can see the numbers." In all things we must be charitable.
Dear friends, the Word is never without effect. God is not in need of our ingenuity to accomplish His purposes. Today we were reminded that he freed Paul and Silas from prison through an earthquake. What a small thing it is for Him to rescue us from the perils we face. One implication of your baptism is that God promises to attend to you faithfully. The Scripture says even, “If we are faithless, He will remain faithful, for He cannot disown Himself.”5
This Thursday past marked the Ascension of our Lord. The ascension of Christ should rouse us from our spiritual slumber. It is a portent of things to come. His Second Coming will happen without advanced notice. At His ascension the angel said, “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.”6 Forewarned is forearmed. His bodily return in glory is incontestable. It is central to the Christian confession. “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.”7
The Christian’s life is prioritized accordingly. We keep our sights set on the promises He has made. “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and go through the gates of the city.”8 Jesus prayed, “Father, I want those you have given Me to be with Me where I am, and to see My glory.”9 This is our supreme confidence and unassailable source of joy. We stay nourished by His body and blood and renewed by His forgiveness.
Christ came not for the righteous, but for sinners. He came for the suspicious. He came for the skeptic. He came for the quick-tempered. He came for the timid. And He came for the naïve. He came to Thomas who doubted Him, Peter who renounced Him, and Nicodemus who queried Him. He came for the selfish. He came for the despairing. He came for forlorn. And He came for the forsaken. He came to the widow of Nain, the woman at the well, the blind and the lame, the deaf and the mute. He came for the Pharisees who cursed Him. He came for tax-collectors and prostitutes. Can you entertain the real possibility that He did not come for you? Can you best the claim of Paul who said “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners- of whom I am the worst?”10
Jesus Christ died and rose that you might have life. He awaits the appointed time to consummate the union with His bride, the church. But He does not sit idly by. He intercedes for sinners, one and all. There are those who are yet to believe. May God make us faithful witnesses to the truth on their behalf. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Seventh Sunday of Easter
12 May 2013
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Romans 5:8
2 John 17:20
3 Psalm 102:18
4 Luther’s Small Catechism
5 2 Timothy 2:13
6 Acts 1:11
7 The Nicene Creed
8 Revelation 22:14
9 John 17:24
10 1 Timothy 1:15
Friday, May 10, 2013
Christian Burial for Joyce Braun
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 14:6
Theme: Truth and Life
Dear family, friends and loved ones of Joyce, and especially you, Dean,
Joyce is now privy to the mysteries of God in Christ. She is home. She is embraced in His mercy. We lack the capacity to raise enough alleluias to sufficiently thank God for the unconditional love that has carried Joyce through prosperity and adversity in her earthly journey to her final destination. Her struggles have ended. Joyce Braun has been clothed with incorruptible life.
So another failure of Satan has been recorded. Still, he remains undaunted. And that leaves us no room for apathy. Satan’s most successful strategy is the “God-illusion”. It is the deception that God is an automatically accessible commodity. It is the falsehood that God works according to our terms and our conditions. God is nothing more than a do-as-you-please; I’ll overlook all of your transgressions, kindly grandfather figure. And so we go on our merry way constructing our own kingdoms all the while thinking we have God in our back pocket. We forget the words of the Master who warned, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the kingdom of heaven…I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you.’”1
Then when we recognize that need for change Satan tells us it’s too late. We’re too involved in our schedules now. We’re too committed! Too many people are depending on us. There’s too much pride and accomplishment at risk to make a change of direction now. But the Scripture says, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”2 God knows the requirements of this bodily life and He will not forsake us. We should never leave to our deathbed what should be addressed today.
The question then becomes: Can we face sin for what it is? More than the sum total of all the evil perpetrated throughout history- this is clear enough. It is the power which condemns us before the Almighty and to which we can give no answer. The question is one of our own sinfulness, our own mortality. Every sinner is silenced in the heavenly throne room.
But there is One who has authority to speak. He speaks from a cross, soaked in blood, crushed under the enormous weight of the world’s sins. He said, “It is finished!”3 This is the One who speaks on our behalf: The immortal Son of the Father, the Lamb of God, the Crucified, the Servant King. He said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”4 “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness.”5 “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies.”6 “I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”7
Who will gainsay what the Almighty has decreed! His is not a religious opinion; an ethical suggestion to be considered or disregarded. He offers no theory to be debated. He utters truth- infallible, incontestable, incorruptible. He speaks to you in the person of His Son who strides atop the hierarchies of evil that are determined to destroy the kingdom of God. Before His face earth and sky flee away and yet nursing children are gathered into His arms like precious lambs. Christ has spoken on Joyce’s behalf. He has named her as His own. And for this she was grateful.
No one can say that Joyce didn’t make industrious use of the physical strength and mental abilities God gave her. She engaged life to the full. She did it with gusto and she did it with joy. Farming, baking, gardening, show entries and countless family meals- Joyce was pleased to serve and be a blessing to others. She understood and cherished her vocation and her place in God’s kingdom. Joyce was never found killing time; she was killing dinner! Just ask Peg.
Underpinning it all was her steadfast Christian devotion. Her commitment to God’s truth in Christ was no secret. God’s house- this place in particular- was her spiritual home. And it was so not just for sentimental or social reasons but because here she drew on the source of divine strength. Here she received forgiveness through the promise of His word. Here she was nourished by His sacred body and blood. Here she knew she was at the threshold- the entrance to God’s dwelling in eternity. Here she found security and peace that passes all understanding.
If you are seeking security; if you are looking for peace of mind; if you want assurance that you are freed from the penetrating judgment of God; search no further than the One who was willing to bleed for you. He has borne your transgressions so that you might own His holiness. The sinner stands or falls on the righteousness of Christ. Joyce stands in His righteousness.
Joyce has done her hard yards. But as we shed tears of sorrow and tears of joy our task is not finished. We only truly grieve when we lose something- someone- irreplaceable. And this makes the task of grieving irreducible. You can attempt to reduce the poignancy of grief by grasping for hollow substitutes. You can medicate it, deny it or withdraw into isolation. But you cannot escape from facing a true loss. Grief will demand its pound of flesh. This is true even when you know in your mind that the deceased was a believer and is at peace. Grief is guttural. It is a scream of angst against God.
Yet God knows something more. He embraces our fragility with compassion. The Holy Spirit enters the darkness of grief and there He kindles a light. That light is sourced from the eternal flame- Jesus Christ- the Light of the World. Christ shoulders our loss and buoys us with hope. He directs us for comfort to those promises which seal us with His ownership and inheritance.
It may seem a small thing that Joyce was baptized. Yet nothing could be more central to life in Christ. The faith once given in baptism- that faith so precious and then just beginning to bloom- is now perfected. It has yielded a harvest far more than a hundredfold. Indeed, for Joyce, faith is now unnecessary altogether. Her faith has no more tasks. No more challenges. No more doubts. Joyce exists in the presence of the triune God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the saints and angels- and dare we speculate- surrounded with flowers and fragrances that far exceed even those she was involved with during her earthly life. Joyce lives. She still awaits the bodily resurrection, yes, but she is already at the destination. She has been given the crown of life. Thanks be to God! Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Christian Burial of Joyce Braun
9 May 2013
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Matthew 7:21-23
2 Matthew 6:33
3 John 19:30
4 John 10:7
5 John 8:12
6 John 11:25
7 Revelation 1:17
Text: John 14:6
Theme: Truth and Life
Dear family, friends and loved ones of Joyce, and especially you, Dean,
Joyce is now privy to the mysteries of God in Christ. She is home. She is embraced in His mercy. We lack the capacity to raise enough alleluias to sufficiently thank God for the unconditional love that has carried Joyce through prosperity and adversity in her earthly journey to her final destination. Her struggles have ended. Joyce Braun has been clothed with incorruptible life.
So another failure of Satan has been recorded. Still, he remains undaunted. And that leaves us no room for apathy. Satan’s most successful strategy is the “God-illusion”. It is the deception that God is an automatically accessible commodity. It is the falsehood that God works according to our terms and our conditions. God is nothing more than a do-as-you-please; I’ll overlook all of your transgressions, kindly grandfather figure. And so we go on our merry way constructing our own kingdoms all the while thinking we have God in our back pocket. We forget the words of the Master who warned, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’, will enter the kingdom of heaven…I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you.’”1
Then when we recognize that need for change Satan tells us it’s too late. We’re too involved in our schedules now. We’re too committed! Too many people are depending on us. There’s too much pride and accomplishment at risk to make a change of direction now. But the Scripture says, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”2 God knows the requirements of this bodily life and He will not forsake us. We should never leave to our deathbed what should be addressed today.
The question then becomes: Can we face sin for what it is? More than the sum total of all the evil perpetrated throughout history- this is clear enough. It is the power which condemns us before the Almighty and to which we can give no answer. The question is one of our own sinfulness, our own mortality. Every sinner is silenced in the heavenly throne room.
But there is One who has authority to speak. He speaks from a cross, soaked in blood, crushed under the enormous weight of the world’s sins. He said, “It is finished!”3 This is the One who speaks on our behalf: The immortal Son of the Father, the Lamb of God, the Crucified, the Servant King. He said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”4 “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness.”5 “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies.”6 “I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”7
Who will gainsay what the Almighty has decreed! His is not a religious opinion; an ethical suggestion to be considered or disregarded. He offers no theory to be debated. He utters truth- infallible, incontestable, incorruptible. He speaks to you in the person of His Son who strides atop the hierarchies of evil that are determined to destroy the kingdom of God. Before His face earth and sky flee away and yet nursing children are gathered into His arms like precious lambs. Christ has spoken on Joyce’s behalf. He has named her as His own. And for this she was grateful.
No one can say that Joyce didn’t make industrious use of the physical strength and mental abilities God gave her. She engaged life to the full. She did it with gusto and she did it with joy. Farming, baking, gardening, show entries and countless family meals- Joyce was pleased to serve and be a blessing to others. She understood and cherished her vocation and her place in God’s kingdom. Joyce was never found killing time; she was killing dinner! Just ask Peg.
Underpinning it all was her steadfast Christian devotion. Her commitment to God’s truth in Christ was no secret. God’s house- this place in particular- was her spiritual home. And it was so not just for sentimental or social reasons but because here she drew on the source of divine strength. Here she received forgiveness through the promise of His word. Here she was nourished by His sacred body and blood. Here she knew she was at the threshold- the entrance to God’s dwelling in eternity. Here she found security and peace that passes all understanding.
If you are seeking security; if you are looking for peace of mind; if you want assurance that you are freed from the penetrating judgment of God; search no further than the One who was willing to bleed for you. He has borne your transgressions so that you might own His holiness. The sinner stands or falls on the righteousness of Christ. Joyce stands in His righteousness.
Joyce has done her hard yards. But as we shed tears of sorrow and tears of joy our task is not finished. We only truly grieve when we lose something- someone- irreplaceable. And this makes the task of grieving irreducible. You can attempt to reduce the poignancy of grief by grasping for hollow substitutes. You can medicate it, deny it or withdraw into isolation. But you cannot escape from facing a true loss. Grief will demand its pound of flesh. This is true even when you know in your mind that the deceased was a believer and is at peace. Grief is guttural. It is a scream of angst against God.
Yet God knows something more. He embraces our fragility with compassion. The Holy Spirit enters the darkness of grief and there He kindles a light. That light is sourced from the eternal flame- Jesus Christ- the Light of the World. Christ shoulders our loss and buoys us with hope. He directs us for comfort to those promises which seal us with His ownership and inheritance.
It may seem a small thing that Joyce was baptized. Yet nothing could be more central to life in Christ. The faith once given in baptism- that faith so precious and then just beginning to bloom- is now perfected. It has yielded a harvest far more than a hundredfold. Indeed, for Joyce, faith is now unnecessary altogether. Her faith has no more tasks. No more challenges. No more doubts. Joyce exists in the presence of the triune God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the saints and angels- and dare we speculate- surrounded with flowers and fragrances that far exceed even those she was involved with during her earthly life. Joyce lives. She still awaits the bodily resurrection, yes, but she is already at the destination. She has been given the crown of life. Thanks be to God! Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Christian Burial of Joyce Braun
9 May 2013
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Matthew 7:21-23
2 Matthew 6:33
3 John 19:30
4 John 10:7
5 John 8:12
6 John 11:25
7 Revelation 1:17
Monday, May 6, 2013
Sixth Sunday of Easter (C) 2013
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 14:27
Theme: Saints in a Secular World
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The peace of Christ is our stability in a transient world. It is our strength in times of turmoil. It is our comfort at the gate of death. We have the opportunity in this setting today to reflect on the blessings of God in the past and His promises for us in the future. The prophet reminds us, “The earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But My salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail.”1
It can be difficult to gauge the passing of time and grasp a sense of history. Most of the history here at the historical village spans only a century or so. Consider a brief glimpse of the bigger scope. When Joseph (sold by his brothers into slavery) became an official in the Egyptian court he saw pyramids that had already been standing for 1,000 years. When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well they met at a watering spot that had been named as such for nearly 2,000 years. When modern pilgrims travel to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem they stand at the foundation of Solomon’s Temple built 3000 years before.
Times change; sometimes for the better, sometimes for worse. We must beware of the fallacy that new ideas, new inventions, and new innovations are necessarily betters one. So-called progression can in reality be digression. We might seek to measure change and its affects by a number of different parameters? Do people today live in more comfort than people did 100 or 1,000 years ago? Most would say yes? Do they have more happiness? Now that’s a different question. What about spiritual well-being? Certainty? Purpose? Meaning in life? How would we stack up? Is there less misery in the world?
Regardless of the pace, degree, or direction of the changing world human nature does not change. It is essentially no different than it was at the beginning. This is a basic teaching of Christianity. It may well be that in the future artificial intelligence (and we might wonder if a sort of ‘artificial intelligence’ has already replaced godly wisdom or at least common sense) may change life so dramatically to the extent that humans will become bizarre combinations of synthetic and natural ‘parts’. Yet human nature will remain un-phased in its selfishness. The curse of inherited sin cannot be modified or reformed by the individual or collective genius of humanity.
Therefore as we reflect on the past and what the future may hold the first order of business is always humility. We gather as sinners one and all. Yet is it never sufficient to just wear the collective label as if it were enough to be associated anonymously with a sinful people. Your transgressions, your guilt, cannot be passed off on another. Repentance is intimately personal. Each individual is accountable before the Almighty. The decline of private confession and absolution has undoubtedly been a detriment to our churches for many decades. It makes it easier to hide under a generic umbrella and thus discount the serious depravity of sin. The cancer my neighbour has is never as momentous as my own. Christ said, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.”2
Nostalgia for the past always runs the risk of attributing a glory to it that did not really exist. Forgetting the past can be just as problematic. Times Square in New York City was recently refurbished with a 1950’s theme; a venue at the cutting edge dressed in old clothes- but fondly remembered. Change is often difficult to digest. When the railroads were first introduced to the U.S., some folks feared that they'd be the downfall of the nation! Here's an excerpt from a letter to then President Jackson dated January 31, 1829: “As you may know, Mr. President, 'railroad' carriages are pulled at the enormous speed of 15 miles per hour by 'engines' which, in addition to endangering life and limb of passengers, roar and snort their way through the countryside, setting fire to crops, scaring the livestock and frightening women and children. The Almighty certainly never intended that people should travel at such breakneck speed.” Signed, Martin Van Buren Governor of New York
A traditional proverb says, “Some people will change when they see the light. Others change only when they feel the heat.” The saying is applicable to the Scripture’s teaching on how the word of God works. Those who only change when they “feel the heat” are amended by force. They are constrained by the threat of judgment. Authentic change happens when the Holy Spirit enlightens the soul with faith. Believers “see the light” when the Holy Spirit calls them out of spiritual darkness. This change re-orientates a person’s perspective and priorities. The baptismal life involves living as changed people in Christ. Christ said, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.”3 His peace has substance because He accomplished the sacrifice that reconciled us to the heavenly Father. He was crucified in humility but rose from the dead in victory.
We have the privilege of modeling this divine peace for a world that is harassed and harried. God’s love spans not only all of human history but eternity. We have been put in this place, in this time, to emulate His love. It doesn’t transpire by happenstance and it certainly doesn’t occur naturally. The mind of Christ cannot be bred into people. It must be formed supernaturally by the Holy Spirit. Dynasties can be impressive and bring stability to many generations but they cannot guarantee the tradition of the faith. The faith must be taught anew to each generation.
Dear friends, it is easy to become preoccupied by both the mundaneness and crises of life. It is therefore beneficial to reflect on the bigger picture, including the future. Life often marches on without us giving it much thought. There is stability in regularity. And this is important also for our liturgical life together. Yet in the very midst of this orderliness God lifts our hopes beyond the limitations of this existence. “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.”4 That word renews us with forgiveness and life. His body and blood nourishes us with sacred food.
We are mortals called to immortality. We are pilgrims in a transient and changing world but our hope is established in eternity. This certainty is grounded only in Christ. The Scripture says, “For you know that it was not with perishable things …that you were redeemed from the empty way of life…but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect…Through Him you believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him, and so your faith and hope are in God.”5 Jesus said, “Because I live, you also will live.”6
We are people with a history. We are people with a future. We are God’s people in Christ. We are a people with His peace. “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”7
Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Sixth Sunday of Easter
5 May 2013
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Isaiah 51:6
2 John 14:27
3 ibid
4 Isaiah 40:8
5 1 Peter 1:18-19, 21
6 John 14:19
7 John 14:27
Text: John 14:27
Theme: Saints in a Secular World
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The peace of Christ is our stability in a transient world. It is our strength in times of turmoil. It is our comfort at the gate of death. We have the opportunity in this setting today to reflect on the blessings of God in the past and His promises for us in the future. The prophet reminds us, “The earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But My salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail.”1
It can be difficult to gauge the passing of time and grasp a sense of history. Most of the history here at the historical village spans only a century or so. Consider a brief glimpse of the bigger scope. When Joseph (sold by his brothers into slavery) became an official in the Egyptian court he saw pyramids that had already been standing for 1,000 years. When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well they met at a watering spot that had been named as such for nearly 2,000 years. When modern pilgrims travel to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem they stand at the foundation of Solomon’s Temple built 3000 years before.
Times change; sometimes for the better, sometimes for worse. We must beware of the fallacy that new ideas, new inventions, and new innovations are necessarily betters one. So-called progression can in reality be digression. We might seek to measure change and its affects by a number of different parameters? Do people today live in more comfort than people did 100 or 1,000 years ago? Most would say yes? Do they have more happiness? Now that’s a different question. What about spiritual well-being? Certainty? Purpose? Meaning in life? How would we stack up? Is there less misery in the world?
Regardless of the pace, degree, or direction of the changing world human nature does not change. It is essentially no different than it was at the beginning. This is a basic teaching of Christianity. It may well be that in the future artificial intelligence (and we might wonder if a sort of ‘artificial intelligence’ has already replaced godly wisdom or at least common sense) may change life so dramatically to the extent that humans will become bizarre combinations of synthetic and natural ‘parts’. Yet human nature will remain un-phased in its selfishness. The curse of inherited sin cannot be modified or reformed by the individual or collective genius of humanity.
Therefore as we reflect on the past and what the future may hold the first order of business is always humility. We gather as sinners one and all. Yet is it never sufficient to just wear the collective label as if it were enough to be associated anonymously with a sinful people. Your transgressions, your guilt, cannot be passed off on another. Repentance is intimately personal. Each individual is accountable before the Almighty. The decline of private confession and absolution has undoubtedly been a detriment to our churches for many decades. It makes it easier to hide under a generic umbrella and thus discount the serious depravity of sin. The cancer my neighbour has is never as momentous as my own. Christ said, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.”2
Nostalgia for the past always runs the risk of attributing a glory to it that did not really exist. Forgetting the past can be just as problematic. Times Square in New York City was recently refurbished with a 1950’s theme; a venue at the cutting edge dressed in old clothes- but fondly remembered. Change is often difficult to digest. When the railroads were first introduced to the U.S., some folks feared that they'd be the downfall of the nation! Here's an excerpt from a letter to then President Jackson dated January 31, 1829: “As you may know, Mr. President, 'railroad' carriages are pulled at the enormous speed of 15 miles per hour by 'engines' which, in addition to endangering life and limb of passengers, roar and snort their way through the countryside, setting fire to crops, scaring the livestock and frightening women and children. The Almighty certainly never intended that people should travel at such breakneck speed.” Signed, Martin Van Buren Governor of New York
A traditional proverb says, “Some people will change when they see the light. Others change only when they feel the heat.” The saying is applicable to the Scripture’s teaching on how the word of God works. Those who only change when they “feel the heat” are amended by force. They are constrained by the threat of judgment. Authentic change happens when the Holy Spirit enlightens the soul with faith. Believers “see the light” when the Holy Spirit calls them out of spiritual darkness. This change re-orientates a person’s perspective and priorities. The baptismal life involves living as changed people in Christ. Christ said, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.”3 His peace has substance because He accomplished the sacrifice that reconciled us to the heavenly Father. He was crucified in humility but rose from the dead in victory.
We have the privilege of modeling this divine peace for a world that is harassed and harried. God’s love spans not only all of human history but eternity. We have been put in this place, in this time, to emulate His love. It doesn’t transpire by happenstance and it certainly doesn’t occur naturally. The mind of Christ cannot be bred into people. It must be formed supernaturally by the Holy Spirit. Dynasties can be impressive and bring stability to many generations but they cannot guarantee the tradition of the faith. The faith must be taught anew to each generation.
Dear friends, it is easy to become preoccupied by both the mundaneness and crises of life. It is therefore beneficial to reflect on the bigger picture, including the future. Life often marches on without us giving it much thought. There is stability in regularity. And this is important also for our liturgical life together. Yet in the very midst of this orderliness God lifts our hopes beyond the limitations of this existence. “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.”4 That word renews us with forgiveness and life. His body and blood nourishes us with sacred food.
We are mortals called to immortality. We are pilgrims in a transient and changing world but our hope is established in eternity. This certainty is grounded only in Christ. The Scripture says, “For you know that it was not with perishable things …that you were redeemed from the empty way of life…but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect…Through Him you believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him, and so your faith and hope are in God.”5 Jesus said, “Because I live, you also will live.”6
We are people with a history. We are people with a future. We are God’s people in Christ. We are a people with His peace. “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”7
Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Sixth Sunday of Easter
5 May 2013
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Isaiah 51:6
2 John 14:27
3 ibid
4 Isaiah 40:8
5 1 Peter 1:18-19, 21
6 John 14:19
7 John 14:27
Monday, April 29, 2013
Fifth Sunday of Easter C 2013 (from archive 2004)
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti Amen. +
Text: John 13:31-35
Theme: “As I have loved you.”
Dear Friends in Christ Jesus,
Central to understanding the person and work of Jesus Christ is understanding the newness that He effects. “He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new…for the old order of things has passed away.’”1 And, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.”2 This newness assumes a change from the previous condition. In Christ, something radically different has taken place. The results of this change are not seen in Christ Himself, for He is the unchanging, eternal God. It is creation that is made anew. Yet the power of this change is in Christ Himself as the one who lived, died and rose again on behalf of all who needed to be made anew.
The theme of the overthrow of the old powers and the restoration of past decay is an important aspect of how salvation is described. The new covenant brings to completion the old. Satan, whom the Bible calls the “ancient serpent” has been dethroned and will ultimately be rendered powerless. The New Testament believers constitute the new Israel. The old system of making sacrifice has been replaced by receiving the sacrifice of the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”3 Christ ushered in the new and final era which will endure for eternity.
Jesus refers to the sanctifying aspect of this newness in our gospel today. He said to His disciples, “A new command I give you: Love one another.”4 In what way can this be a new command? Certainly Jesus was not the first to advocate that people love one another. Moses was given the covenant of love on Mount Sinai many centuries before. The prophets preached extensively on the topic. The directive to love was nothing new to humanity. But the power to do so was. Unconditional love was made concrete in the Father’s gift of His Son to the world. That gift is the definitive expression of love. Only as believers can people love as Christ loved.
Yet the newness of the love of Christ does not mean a denial of the past. Sin still wreaks havoc in the world and in our personal lives. We cannot wish it away by simply claiming we live in new and enlightened times. The Biblical record contains past testimony for our current life and it cannot be dismissed. It is important that we learn from history lest we be doomed to repeat it. The passing of time, the desensitizing of our watchfulness, the searing of our consciences, the rejection of Christian teaching as outmoded and obsolete, endanger our ability to live and proclaim the radical newness of Christ’s love.
Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”5 We are called to give witness to our faith not by only loving those who love us, as even unbelievers do; but by loving even the unlovable, by loving those from whom we expect nothing in return. We should not be deceived into thinking we can compartmentalize our love. Nor can our love exist only in theory.
The Bible says, “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness.”6 Our claims, as sinners, do not necessarily correspond with reality. Love for God and hatred for people cannot coexist. We show our love for God in our deeds towards others. But if any of our thoughts, words and deeds are to be expressions of love, they must agree with the truth of God’s Word. Here is where the prevailing ideologies of relativism and pluralism lead even many well-many Christians astray. False philosophies subordinate truth to love in an impossible manner. There can never be a contradiction between truth and love. Proclaiming the truth, living the truth is ALWAYS an expression of love. That doesn’t mean doing it will be easy. The easy way is to tolerate or ignore sin and falsehood and call this tolerance or apathy love.
One example may suffice. The thinking is increasingly common that if parents discipline their children they are being too legalistic and not showing love. Parents, etch this in your mind and let it bolster your resolve: godly discipline is love. Take to heart these words of Scripture and put them into practice, “The Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes everyone He accepts as a son…for what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined, then you are illegitimate children and not true sons...no discipline seems pleasing at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”7
Dear friends, the tangible love Christ showed us in the past on the cross is the love that will sustain us for the future. Christians are people defined by events that came to completion in the past and give hope for the future. These events make us new. Jesus Christ died in the past, but He lives, now in the present and the eternal future. And He unites us to Himself through His dying and rising and living. Because we know where Christ has been, we know where we are going. And when we understand where we are going, we can have the confidence and freedom to live now.
For Christians, this life can only involve a continual crucifixion, resurrection and sanctification. True repentance daily plunges us into the baptismal water where our Old Adam is drowned. [Caleb is baptized only once but he will live in the power and promise of his baptism everyday]. Daily we are vivified by the promise of forgiveness. The Scripture says, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins…But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions.”8
The primacy of imitating Christ’s love is shown in those powerful words of 1 Corinthians 13 which should be etched on all our hearts and minds. “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging symbol. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If a give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails….And now these three remain: faith hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”9
“This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”10
+ In nomine Jesu +
Fifth Sunday of Easter
28 April 2013
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Revelation 21:5
2 2 Corinthians 5:17
3 John 1:29
4 John 13:34
5 John 13:34-35
6 1 John 2:9
7 Hebrews 12:6-8, 11
8 Ephesians 2:1, 4-5
9 1 Corinthians 13:1-8, 13
10 1 John 4:10
Text: John 13:31-35
Theme: “As I have loved you.”
Dear Friends in Christ Jesus,
Central to understanding the person and work of Jesus Christ is understanding the newness that He effects. “He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new…for the old order of things has passed away.’”1 And, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.”2 This newness assumes a change from the previous condition. In Christ, something radically different has taken place. The results of this change are not seen in Christ Himself, for He is the unchanging, eternal God. It is creation that is made anew. Yet the power of this change is in Christ Himself as the one who lived, died and rose again on behalf of all who needed to be made anew.
The theme of the overthrow of the old powers and the restoration of past decay is an important aspect of how salvation is described. The new covenant brings to completion the old. Satan, whom the Bible calls the “ancient serpent” has been dethroned and will ultimately be rendered powerless. The New Testament believers constitute the new Israel. The old system of making sacrifice has been replaced by receiving the sacrifice of the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”3 Christ ushered in the new and final era which will endure for eternity.
Jesus refers to the sanctifying aspect of this newness in our gospel today. He said to His disciples, “A new command I give you: Love one another.”4 In what way can this be a new command? Certainly Jesus was not the first to advocate that people love one another. Moses was given the covenant of love on Mount Sinai many centuries before. The prophets preached extensively on the topic. The directive to love was nothing new to humanity. But the power to do so was. Unconditional love was made concrete in the Father’s gift of His Son to the world. That gift is the definitive expression of love. Only as believers can people love as Christ loved.
Yet the newness of the love of Christ does not mean a denial of the past. Sin still wreaks havoc in the world and in our personal lives. We cannot wish it away by simply claiming we live in new and enlightened times. The Biblical record contains past testimony for our current life and it cannot be dismissed. It is important that we learn from history lest we be doomed to repeat it. The passing of time, the desensitizing of our watchfulness, the searing of our consciences, the rejection of Christian teaching as outmoded and obsolete, endanger our ability to live and proclaim the radical newness of Christ’s love.
Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”5 We are called to give witness to our faith not by only loving those who love us, as even unbelievers do; but by loving even the unlovable, by loving those from whom we expect nothing in return. We should not be deceived into thinking we can compartmentalize our love. Nor can our love exist only in theory.
The Bible says, “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness.”6 Our claims, as sinners, do not necessarily correspond with reality. Love for God and hatred for people cannot coexist. We show our love for God in our deeds towards others. But if any of our thoughts, words and deeds are to be expressions of love, they must agree with the truth of God’s Word. Here is where the prevailing ideologies of relativism and pluralism lead even many well-many Christians astray. False philosophies subordinate truth to love in an impossible manner. There can never be a contradiction between truth and love. Proclaiming the truth, living the truth is ALWAYS an expression of love. That doesn’t mean doing it will be easy. The easy way is to tolerate or ignore sin and falsehood and call this tolerance or apathy love.
One example may suffice. The thinking is increasingly common that if parents discipline their children they are being too legalistic and not showing love. Parents, etch this in your mind and let it bolster your resolve: godly discipline is love. Take to heart these words of Scripture and put them into practice, “The Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes everyone He accepts as a son…for what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined, then you are illegitimate children and not true sons...no discipline seems pleasing at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”7
Dear friends, the tangible love Christ showed us in the past on the cross is the love that will sustain us for the future. Christians are people defined by events that came to completion in the past and give hope for the future. These events make us new. Jesus Christ died in the past, but He lives, now in the present and the eternal future. And He unites us to Himself through His dying and rising and living. Because we know where Christ has been, we know where we are going. And when we understand where we are going, we can have the confidence and freedom to live now.
For Christians, this life can only involve a continual crucifixion, resurrection and sanctification. True repentance daily plunges us into the baptismal water where our Old Adam is drowned. [Caleb is baptized only once but he will live in the power and promise of his baptism everyday]. Daily we are vivified by the promise of forgiveness. The Scripture says, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins…But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions.”8
The primacy of imitating Christ’s love is shown in those powerful words of 1 Corinthians 13 which should be etched on all our hearts and minds. “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging symbol. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If a give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails….And now these three remain: faith hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”9
“This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”10
+ In nomine Jesu +
Fifth Sunday of Easter
28 April 2013
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Revelation 21:5
2 2 Corinthians 5:17
3 John 1:29
4 John 13:34
5 John 13:34-35
6 1 John 2:9
7 Hebrews 12:6-8, 11
8 Ephesians 2:1, 4-5
9 1 Corinthians 13:1-8, 13
10 1 John 4:10
Monday, April 8, 2013
Second Sunday of Easter (C) 2013
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 20:23
Theme: A Sacred Trust
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Let the one who has not sinned cast the first stone1 - at Thomas. The prudent will be reluctant to move their tongues or their arms. Why Thomas and why this doubting? Because he was human and he was chosen to bring glory to the risen Christ. There is no use in rushing to judgment. His doubt served as the occasion to teach the faith to many. “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”2
Today’s gospel account moves us to the evening of Easter Sunday. Fear turns to amazement and then to joy. Were the disciples not at least as happy as the father of the prodigal son? Their Master now stood among them again. After a greeting of peace weighted with pardon Jesus wastes no time commissioning His disciples for the task at hand. “As the Father has sent Me, I am sending you…If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”3
Here we have the bestowal of sacred authority. It is apostolic authority. It is pastoral authority. It is biblical authority. We should not be jaded by the negative connotation the term authority is often freighted with in modern usage. This is authority that tends only to the glory of God. It is the special authority Christ has given to His church on earth to forgive or retain sins according to Christ’s command.
Only certain men are called by the church to wield this authority on her behalf.
We are in danger- witlessly or intentionally- of propagating a view of the pastoral office that is essentially functional. That is, the belief that the minister is just there to perform certain functions. If it’s just a matter of practicality why can’t anyone do it? But the pastor is called to stand in the stead of Christ, bear the word, and be conscientious about the consequences. Some will reject God’s truth. Others will be brought to repentance. But regardless of the response the pastor is called to remain faithful to the truth; representing the faithfulness of Christ, the Bridegroom, to His Bride, the church.
The world always has and always will recoil at the Bible’s claim of exclusivity: “There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus who gave Himself as a ransom for all men.”4 There are no grey areas in matters of truth. There is no neutral ground between the dominion of darkness and the kingdom of light. God suffers no idols- least of all elevating ourselves onto pedestals. Shades of grey and illusions of neutrality are only expressions of our ignorance and incapacities. They are exactly as transient as we are mortal. There is no safety in some ‘middle ground’ between God and Satan. God’s call to repentance is never just a generic warning to curb sinfulness. It is a specific call to turn away from self-centeredness and Satan’s interests and turn to the triune God revealed only in Jesus Christ.
God doesn’t supply air to breathe also to the wicked because He intends to convert them through such indulgences. Nor does He intend to give them the impression that it doesn’t matter anyway; that all is well in the end. What He does intend, is to show the unbelieving that He is patient with evil because He is giving opportunity for repentance. “He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”5
To bring people to repentance and faith is exactly the on-going purpose and significance of this authority Jesus’ vested His disciples with? Our Lutheran Confessions say, “To obtain such faith God instituted the office of the ministry, that is, provided the Gospel and the sacraments. Through these, as through means, He gives the Holy Spirit, who works faith, when and where He pleases, in those who hear the Gospel.”6 Today Nathan Underwood hears the Gospel and the Holy Spirit is pleased to be present to forgive His sins and welcome Him into the kingdom. Today He is reborn of the Spirit. He has been baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection and now can live with Him. He is incorporated through the same order by which Christ opened the gates of heaven.
The sequence of Good Friday to Easter is not a presentation of possibilities, but the necessary order for the fulfillment of the promise. As Christians we understand this as a universal reality. That is, there can be no enduring life for mortals apart from the death of God’s Son. It wasn’t optional; it was necessary. God, in His infinite wisdom and compassion, determined that was the only way to redeem humanity. “He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to Him all are alive.”7 “In Him we live and move and have our being.”8
A soldier returning from Afghanistan had his left leg blown off in an explosion. Greeted by reporters at the airport he was asked how he felt about losing his leg in the conflict. His reply, “Sir, I didn’t lose my leg, I gave it.” It’s important as a matter of perspective. Christ didn’t simply lose His life, He gave it. He was crucified for us and for our salvation. Believers now live in expectation of a greater reality. We’re not looking to go back. We’re straddling two dimensions; being drawn into the future.
We spoke last week about the distinction between God’s work of restoration and His work of resurrection or recreation. Think of Lazarus- four days in the tomb. Could you, if you were Lazarus fully appreciate your resuscitation? Would it be a fog? Yes, it would be a mind-numbing joy to realize you were alive again. But could you grasp what you had returned from? The raising of Lazarus was for the purpose of glorifying Christ and engendering faith in those who saw it. His was a personal encounter with the Messiah that served the greater purpose of Christ’s mission. But rest assured, despite the claims of those in modern times who supposedly saw- or went to heaven and came back- it would never be our desire to return to this existence.
We must be careful not to confuse the general hardships we endure because we are part of the fallen creation (or the general goodness we enjoy because God is merciful to that creation) with the chastisements or sacred blessings that come because we are His children. Of course the two realities overlap. Christ came to release the creation from its bondage holistically. Physical healing only happens at His pleasure. Spiritual life is only accomplished with His blessing.
In church and in our baptismal living we are ‘practicing’ our resurrection. It is a spiritual reality every time we are absolved. It is a foretaste of the feast to come every time we commune. Your sins- the temptations particular to your weaknesses- still chase you, but they do not constitute your identity. They stalk you but they do not label you. Temptations will always accompany you in your Christian life. But the Holy Spirit is your companion. You cannot be free of temptations - Satan is persistent. But you can be free of the punishment of sin and the condemnation of God’s wrath. You can be free from the burden of guilt.
Again, the challenge lies in the fact that we are often expecting, praying for, and working towards restoration; when in fact what Christ is bestowing on us is resurrection. Christ is living and we have new life in Him. He bears the scars of His crucifixion. These are the trophies that give our lives meaning. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Second Sunday of Easter
7 April 2013
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 See John 8:7
2 John 20:29
3 John 20:21, 23
4 1 Timothy 2:5-6
5 2 Peter 3:9
6 Augsburg Confession, Article 5
7 Luke 20:38
8 Acts 17:28
Text: John 20:23
Theme: A Sacred Trust
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Let the one who has not sinned cast the first stone1 - at Thomas. The prudent will be reluctant to move their tongues or their arms. Why Thomas and why this doubting? Because he was human and he was chosen to bring glory to the risen Christ. There is no use in rushing to judgment. His doubt served as the occasion to teach the faith to many. “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”2
Today’s gospel account moves us to the evening of Easter Sunday. Fear turns to amazement and then to joy. Were the disciples not at least as happy as the father of the prodigal son? Their Master now stood among them again. After a greeting of peace weighted with pardon Jesus wastes no time commissioning His disciples for the task at hand. “As the Father has sent Me, I am sending you…If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”3
Here we have the bestowal of sacred authority. It is apostolic authority. It is pastoral authority. It is biblical authority. We should not be jaded by the negative connotation the term authority is often freighted with in modern usage. This is authority that tends only to the glory of God. It is the special authority Christ has given to His church on earth to forgive or retain sins according to Christ’s command.
Only certain men are called by the church to wield this authority on her behalf.
We are in danger- witlessly or intentionally- of propagating a view of the pastoral office that is essentially functional. That is, the belief that the minister is just there to perform certain functions. If it’s just a matter of practicality why can’t anyone do it? But the pastor is called to stand in the stead of Christ, bear the word, and be conscientious about the consequences. Some will reject God’s truth. Others will be brought to repentance. But regardless of the response the pastor is called to remain faithful to the truth; representing the faithfulness of Christ, the Bridegroom, to His Bride, the church.
The world always has and always will recoil at the Bible’s claim of exclusivity: “There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus who gave Himself as a ransom for all men.”4 There are no grey areas in matters of truth. There is no neutral ground between the dominion of darkness and the kingdom of light. God suffers no idols- least of all elevating ourselves onto pedestals. Shades of grey and illusions of neutrality are only expressions of our ignorance and incapacities. They are exactly as transient as we are mortal. There is no safety in some ‘middle ground’ between God and Satan. God’s call to repentance is never just a generic warning to curb sinfulness. It is a specific call to turn away from self-centeredness and Satan’s interests and turn to the triune God revealed only in Jesus Christ.
God doesn’t supply air to breathe also to the wicked because He intends to convert them through such indulgences. Nor does He intend to give them the impression that it doesn’t matter anyway; that all is well in the end. What He does intend, is to show the unbelieving that He is patient with evil because He is giving opportunity for repentance. “He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”5
To bring people to repentance and faith is exactly the on-going purpose and significance of this authority Jesus’ vested His disciples with? Our Lutheran Confessions say, “To obtain such faith God instituted the office of the ministry, that is, provided the Gospel and the sacraments. Through these, as through means, He gives the Holy Spirit, who works faith, when and where He pleases, in those who hear the Gospel.”6 Today Nathan Underwood hears the Gospel and the Holy Spirit is pleased to be present to forgive His sins and welcome Him into the kingdom. Today He is reborn of the Spirit. He has been baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection and now can live with Him. He is incorporated through the same order by which Christ opened the gates of heaven.
The sequence of Good Friday to Easter is not a presentation of possibilities, but the necessary order for the fulfillment of the promise. As Christians we understand this as a universal reality. That is, there can be no enduring life for mortals apart from the death of God’s Son. It wasn’t optional; it was necessary. God, in His infinite wisdom and compassion, determined that was the only way to redeem humanity. “He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to Him all are alive.”7 “In Him we live and move and have our being.”8
A soldier returning from Afghanistan had his left leg blown off in an explosion. Greeted by reporters at the airport he was asked how he felt about losing his leg in the conflict. His reply, “Sir, I didn’t lose my leg, I gave it.” It’s important as a matter of perspective. Christ didn’t simply lose His life, He gave it. He was crucified for us and for our salvation. Believers now live in expectation of a greater reality. We’re not looking to go back. We’re straddling two dimensions; being drawn into the future.
We spoke last week about the distinction between God’s work of restoration and His work of resurrection or recreation. Think of Lazarus- four days in the tomb. Could you, if you were Lazarus fully appreciate your resuscitation? Would it be a fog? Yes, it would be a mind-numbing joy to realize you were alive again. But could you grasp what you had returned from? The raising of Lazarus was for the purpose of glorifying Christ and engendering faith in those who saw it. His was a personal encounter with the Messiah that served the greater purpose of Christ’s mission. But rest assured, despite the claims of those in modern times who supposedly saw- or went to heaven and came back- it would never be our desire to return to this existence.
We must be careful not to confuse the general hardships we endure because we are part of the fallen creation (or the general goodness we enjoy because God is merciful to that creation) with the chastisements or sacred blessings that come because we are His children. Of course the two realities overlap. Christ came to release the creation from its bondage holistically. Physical healing only happens at His pleasure. Spiritual life is only accomplished with His blessing.
In church and in our baptismal living we are ‘practicing’ our resurrection. It is a spiritual reality every time we are absolved. It is a foretaste of the feast to come every time we commune. Your sins- the temptations particular to your weaknesses- still chase you, but they do not constitute your identity. They stalk you but they do not label you. Temptations will always accompany you in your Christian life. But the Holy Spirit is your companion. You cannot be free of temptations - Satan is persistent. But you can be free of the punishment of sin and the condemnation of God’s wrath. You can be free from the burden of guilt.
Again, the challenge lies in the fact that we are often expecting, praying for, and working towards restoration; when in fact what Christ is bestowing on us is resurrection. Christ is living and we have new life in Him. He bears the scars of His crucifixion. These are the trophies that give our lives meaning. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Second Sunday of Easter
7 April 2013
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 See John 8:7
2 John 20:29
3 John 20:21, 23
4 1 Timothy 2:5-6
5 2 Peter 3:9
6 Augsburg Confession, Article 5
7 Luke 20:38
8 Acts 17:28
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