+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti Amen +
Text: Matthew 5:3
Theme: True Poverty and Wealth
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God is rich. We are poor. But these truths are not fundamentally financial or economic statements. Only the poor will receive God’s riches. That is what Jesus says today. What does He mean? Have you ever considered yourself to be poor in spirit? You cannot fake a true sense of poverty of soul. Lip service will get you nowhere. The Holy Spirit must drive you to it. And He will do this only through the word. “This is the one I esteem; he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.”1
In these beatitudes today Christ is not demanding the adoption of a set of virtues or principles; He is describing the condition and status of the repentant sinner before God. He is giving hope to those normally devalued by in the world’s eyes. Christ teaches what it really means to be blessed. Material prosperity is no substitute for spiritual rewards. But we must be careful about ignoring the connection between physical and spiritual things. Jesus rebuked demons. He rebuked bodily fever. He rebuked the tempestuous sea. His release from the bondage to sin was holistic. Evil spirits, physical ailments, and the forces of nature were subject to Him. Christ is not a spiritual specialist who has no real impact on the physical realm. He is not a mystical guru who seeks to deny or annul the material creation. He is the flesh and blood Redeemer who promises to resurrect our bodies. We will see Him with our own eyes.2
Yet this promise can presently be embraced only in faith. The deception of salvation by proxy is a persistent challenge for those who want the benefits of Christianity without the relationship it involves. Such desire is nothing new. The Israelites were condemned for it on a regular basis. The modern church must also assess this criticism. You cannot maintain your spiritual life through the faith of another. The religious devotion of your ancestors will not save you. Nor can Christian faith be only an intellectual or ideological exercise. Our opinions cannot foster or sustain spiritual life.
Christianity involves incorporation not surrogacy. Altruism cannot be a proxy for faith. A dispassionate believer is an oxymoron. Yes, believers can and do get down, become temporarily apathetic, even become depressed, as Luther himself did. Yet Christians always have a concern for the well-being of God’s people and the spiritual state of the world alike. Such concern is evidenced by more than just lip-service. Faith is never static, it is active in love.
On this day, February 2nd, many Christians have historically celebrated the Presentation of our Lord. This festival commemorates the presentation in the temple of the infant Jesus 40 days after His birth. Luke records the reason for the event, “When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord.”3 Mary and Joseph were God-fearing believers who honoured the Law of Moses.
Significantly, the presentation in the temple has an important connection with the church’s liturgy. And so it has had an enduring impact even if the direct correlation is often unknown. In the temple the holy family was greeted by a man named Simeon who had been waiting to see the Messiah. When Simeon held the baby Jesus he said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all people…”4 It’s these words of Simeon that we sing and confess after we too have held the Saviour in the receiving of His body and blood. Like Simeon we can go in peace because we have been assured of our salvation.
Mary offered a pair of doves or young pigeons5 as a sacrifice for her purification. It was evidence of Mary and Joseph’s relative poverty. But like the widow who offered her mites it was an esteemed offering. Christianity is never the beneficiary of a ‘left-overs’ mentality. The thinking goes like this, “I will utilize every means to resource my goals and my agenda and if there is some excess left-over (time or money) the church might be helped by it.” I can feel good about donating my time or money and the church should be grateful too! Dear friends, far from reflecting positively on the vitality of the church this mindset actually exposes a church in decline. That is not to say the resources of the church are not benefitted by charitable generosity. But the key is the motivation. The church has never thrived on the excesses of the ambivalent but on the passion of the purposeful.
Christians are purposeful even (and we might say especially) in the midst of struggle. God never promises to immediately relieve you of all your adversities. If you demand God prove Himself to you by alleviating some difficult circumstance upon your request, your relationship with God has slipped from that of faith to that of pagan negotiation. Idols are given sacrifices in return for favours. Plea-bargaining was a standard part of idol worship. But our God is no idol. You may not be relieved of your adversities, but rest assured Christ Himself is privy to the full-range of human distress. He has measured it. He has embraced it. He will resolve it. He hung upon the cross; He walked out of the tomb for this very purpose.
The minor detail that causes us so much angst is the timing. Our egos and agendas struggle in time. Faith embraces eternity. God will resolve those things which appear to us to be tangled beyond sorting out. Where human capacity fails and hope fades, God accomplishes the seemingly impossible. Your greatest adversity- you know what it is; betrayal, infidelity, treachery, committed by you or against you or both: These offences characterize your poverty, your complete and utter destitution, your beggarly status before God. They are proof that you are both a sinner and the victim of sin. But that grace prevails now and in eternity because Christ forgives every transgression proves how extravagant His love is.
Dear friends, the cry of the impoverished soul never falls on deaf ears. Christ hears the contrite. He knows that we have nothing to offer. God desires nothing more than to free what is bound, reconcile what is separated, heal what is sick, restore what is broken, order what is chaotic, illumine those in darkness, inform those in ignorance, calm those in fear, secure the ones in danger, find those who are lost, and bequeath to those who are poor. As sinners we face an insurmountable debt. It demands either perfection or the forfeiture of our life. The penalty is hell. Yet Christ meets the obligation, frees us from our liability and even endures our sentence. He lays down His own life. He opens heaven. He endows us with unspeakable riches. We are the beloved children of the Father. We are blessed. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 Isaiah 66:2
2 See Job 19:27
3 Luke 2:22
4 Luke 2:29-31
5 See Luke 2:24
Fourth Sunday After Epiphany
Presentation of our Lord
2 February 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Monday, January 27, 2014
Third Sunday After Epiphany (A) 2014
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti Amen +
Text: Matthew 4:18-20
Theme: First Follower’s Faith
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The Scriptures are coherent and consistent. From the outset the public preaching of Jesus is characterized by a call to repudiate all aspects of false believing and its consequences. The Scripture says, “From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’”1 It was a call for transparency and single-heartedness. No subject can serve two masters at once. No athlete can play for two teams at the same time. No lawyer can prosecute and defend simultaneously. The conflict of interest excludes it. Truth and falsehood can coexist only in the fallen human realm; uneasily and with great struggle. God suffers this tragedy only temporarily. Christ promises to deliver His people from the friction of conflict and bring the baptized to a full realization of their inheritance. This will come to pass.
The unconverted scoff at or dismiss these promises as being ludicrous or artificial. Unbelief can only deal with life on the basis of what is tangible or at least considered probable. Heaven doesn’t seem to meet either criterion. The unbelieving heart must first be convicted of sin. The Christian too is confronted by God’s law in a way that is not fundamentally different than that of an unbeliever. Sin always seeks to get the upper hand. Temptations will never cease.
Regardless of your maturity, you will never be an exception. Reflect honestly. Is your mind swept clean of lust? Is your heart cleansed of greed? Do your actions show that you love God above all things and love your neighbour as yourself? Is the mirror you look into the warped kind you can find at a circus or do you seek to avoid seeing your true reflection at all? No matter how clearly you understand God’s perfect will; no matter how keenly you desire to please Him precisely and perpetually, you can never attain to such perfection. We are never exempted from the necessity of God’s grace in Christ. We are always debtors. Don’t try to rationalize that your moral indebtedness is at least not as great as that of others. That approach only sinks you lower. Repent whole-heartedly.
The law demands perfection but gives no power to achieve it. It therefore always convicts us for falling short. The gospel, conversely, calls us to trust and grants us the very thing which it demands: faith. Faith is not a self-chosen virtue. It is not the result of blending all the right ingredients. Faith is not a by-product of affluence. Faith is a Spirit-given certainty for struggling sinners. It is not a conclusion drawn from the most logical-sounding theories available. Nor is it a psychological or emotional tool- a crutch- to ease the crises of life. These types of so-called faith are eventually shown to be human fabrications and deceptions that people hoped would prosper or ease their temporal existence. Such counterfeits will crumble at the threshold of mortality if not before.
In Christ we need not psychoanalyze our faith at all. He is its creator, object, and completion. He calls us from darkness and His light is never extinguished. To the fishermen Peter and Andrew the Lord said, “Come, follow Me…and I will make you fishers of men.”2 and in so doing He supplied what He required. He freed them to serve. Their fragile faith was evidenced immediately: “At once they left their nets and followed Him.”3 They did so because they believed they were following the One who would lead them into truth.
Christianity is about a relationship that lives from absolute truth. The life of faith cannot be negotiated from a pragmatic standpoint. That is, Christianity is not a matter of what works, but what is true. God won’t ask if we were successful but if we were faithful. He won’t ask how clever we were at out-maneuvering others but how compassionate we were in serving them. When the church adapts its teachings to the philosophies and the morals of the times it generally meets with welcome from the world. The world is never so interested in what is true as it is in those things which prosper its happiness in the here and now.
“The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”4 The ultimate truth, the difference-making truth, the life-altering truth is that Christ is the only sacrifice for sins. There is nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. His mercy for you is unlimited and unconditional. Believers will enjoy the bliss of eternity in the presence of the triune God. But we don’t sit around dawdling in spiritual daydreams naively thinking these realities are achieved without strife. While we “eagerly await a Saviour from (heaven)”5 and set our “hearts on things above”6 we are still fully immersed in the fray. His forgiveness empowers us. We live the life He has called us to to the fullest. We never pre-empt His plans.
An elderly man was at home, upstairs, dying in bed. He smelled the aroma of his favourite chocolate chip cookies baking. He wanted one last cookie before he died. He fell out of bed, crawled to the landing, rolled down the stairs and drug himself into the kitchen where his wife was busily baking cookies. With his last remaining strength he crawled to the table and was just barely able to lift his withered arm to reach one. As he grasped a warm, moist chocolate chip cookie, his wife suddenly whacked his hand with the spatula. Gasping for breath, he asked her, "Why did you do that?" She replied, "Those are for the funeral."
Dear friends, do not fear to be living sacrifices for the kingdom’s sake. Christ will supply your needs. You are armed for spiritual warfare. You confront unbelief and contest irreverence. It is never easy to be at odds with the world. It never has been. It never will be. But even the brazen audacities of societies, egos, and empires are no match for the one Lamb who was slain. Humility triumphs over vanity; sacrifice over self-interest. Our King is crowned with thorns. He doesn’t impose legislation. He bestows vindication.
Biblical faith also gives us place in the community of believers. What does the Bible say, “A Father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families.”7He does that through His people. We are the temple of God, the household of faith. From cradle to grave Christ lived, died, rose and reigns for you. You are baptized into His name, His death, His resurrection, and His kingdom. You eat His life-giving food- not the delicacies of earth’s bounty- but the very source of life itself, His own body and blood. In the words of the apostle, “The Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.”8 Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 Matthew 4:17
2 Matthew 4:19
3 Matthew 4:20
4 1 Corinthians 1:18
5 Philippians 3:20
6 Colossians 3:1
7 Psalm 68:5-6
8 2 Thessalonians 3:3
Third Sunday After Epiphany
26 January 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Text: Matthew 4:18-20
Theme: First Follower’s Faith
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The Scriptures are coherent and consistent. From the outset the public preaching of Jesus is characterized by a call to repudiate all aspects of false believing and its consequences. The Scripture says, “From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’”1 It was a call for transparency and single-heartedness. No subject can serve two masters at once. No athlete can play for two teams at the same time. No lawyer can prosecute and defend simultaneously. The conflict of interest excludes it. Truth and falsehood can coexist only in the fallen human realm; uneasily and with great struggle. God suffers this tragedy only temporarily. Christ promises to deliver His people from the friction of conflict and bring the baptized to a full realization of their inheritance. This will come to pass.
The unconverted scoff at or dismiss these promises as being ludicrous or artificial. Unbelief can only deal with life on the basis of what is tangible or at least considered probable. Heaven doesn’t seem to meet either criterion. The unbelieving heart must first be convicted of sin. The Christian too is confronted by God’s law in a way that is not fundamentally different than that of an unbeliever. Sin always seeks to get the upper hand. Temptations will never cease.
Regardless of your maturity, you will never be an exception. Reflect honestly. Is your mind swept clean of lust? Is your heart cleansed of greed? Do your actions show that you love God above all things and love your neighbour as yourself? Is the mirror you look into the warped kind you can find at a circus or do you seek to avoid seeing your true reflection at all? No matter how clearly you understand God’s perfect will; no matter how keenly you desire to please Him precisely and perpetually, you can never attain to such perfection. We are never exempted from the necessity of God’s grace in Christ. We are always debtors. Don’t try to rationalize that your moral indebtedness is at least not as great as that of others. That approach only sinks you lower. Repent whole-heartedly.
The law demands perfection but gives no power to achieve it. It therefore always convicts us for falling short. The gospel, conversely, calls us to trust and grants us the very thing which it demands: faith. Faith is not a self-chosen virtue. It is not the result of blending all the right ingredients. Faith is not a by-product of affluence. Faith is a Spirit-given certainty for struggling sinners. It is not a conclusion drawn from the most logical-sounding theories available. Nor is it a psychological or emotional tool- a crutch- to ease the crises of life. These types of so-called faith are eventually shown to be human fabrications and deceptions that people hoped would prosper or ease their temporal existence. Such counterfeits will crumble at the threshold of mortality if not before.
In Christ we need not psychoanalyze our faith at all. He is its creator, object, and completion. He calls us from darkness and His light is never extinguished. To the fishermen Peter and Andrew the Lord said, “Come, follow Me…and I will make you fishers of men.”2 and in so doing He supplied what He required. He freed them to serve. Their fragile faith was evidenced immediately: “At once they left their nets and followed Him.”3 They did so because they believed they were following the One who would lead them into truth.
Christianity is about a relationship that lives from absolute truth. The life of faith cannot be negotiated from a pragmatic standpoint. That is, Christianity is not a matter of what works, but what is true. God won’t ask if we were successful but if we were faithful. He won’t ask how clever we were at out-maneuvering others but how compassionate we were in serving them. When the church adapts its teachings to the philosophies and the morals of the times it generally meets with welcome from the world. The world is never so interested in what is true as it is in those things which prosper its happiness in the here and now.
“The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”4 The ultimate truth, the difference-making truth, the life-altering truth is that Christ is the only sacrifice for sins. There is nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. His mercy for you is unlimited and unconditional. Believers will enjoy the bliss of eternity in the presence of the triune God. But we don’t sit around dawdling in spiritual daydreams naively thinking these realities are achieved without strife. While we “eagerly await a Saviour from (heaven)”5 and set our “hearts on things above”6 we are still fully immersed in the fray. His forgiveness empowers us. We live the life He has called us to to the fullest. We never pre-empt His plans.
An elderly man was at home, upstairs, dying in bed. He smelled the aroma of his favourite chocolate chip cookies baking. He wanted one last cookie before he died. He fell out of bed, crawled to the landing, rolled down the stairs and drug himself into the kitchen where his wife was busily baking cookies. With his last remaining strength he crawled to the table and was just barely able to lift his withered arm to reach one. As he grasped a warm, moist chocolate chip cookie, his wife suddenly whacked his hand with the spatula. Gasping for breath, he asked her, "Why did you do that?" She replied, "Those are for the funeral."
Dear friends, do not fear to be living sacrifices for the kingdom’s sake. Christ will supply your needs. You are armed for spiritual warfare. You confront unbelief and contest irreverence. It is never easy to be at odds with the world. It never has been. It never will be. But even the brazen audacities of societies, egos, and empires are no match for the one Lamb who was slain. Humility triumphs over vanity; sacrifice over self-interest. Our King is crowned with thorns. He doesn’t impose legislation. He bestows vindication.
Biblical faith also gives us place in the community of believers. What does the Bible say, “A Father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families.”7He does that through His people. We are the temple of God, the household of faith. From cradle to grave Christ lived, died, rose and reigns for you. You are baptized into His name, His death, His resurrection, and His kingdom. You eat His life-giving food- not the delicacies of earth’s bounty- but the very source of life itself, His own body and blood. In the words of the apostle, “The Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.”8 Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 Matthew 4:17
2 Matthew 4:19
3 Matthew 4:20
4 1 Corinthians 1:18
5 Philippians 3:20
6 Colossians 3:1
7 Psalm 68:5-6
8 2 Thessalonians 3:3
Third Sunday After Epiphany
26 January 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Monday, January 20, 2014
Second Sunday After Epiphany (A) 2014
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti Amen +
Text: John 1:29
Theme: The Lamb of God
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God accompanies us through the volatilities of life. Yet the necessity of faith remains.
The significance of some things can only been seen in hindsight. Predictableness in life will always be elusive. God plans for us wonderful surprises. “We have found the Messiah,”1 said Andrew to Simon Peter. It was a magnificent find; an unparalleled discovery. Of course it wasn’t really the result any exhaustive search on their part. The advent of Christ in historical time revealed them as chosen witnesses. The grace of God is always more fully appreciated in retrospect.
Epiphany continues today with a transfer of disciples from the baptizer to the Redeemer. John will now diminish and Christ will increase. Epiphany is about radiating, unveiling, and illuminating Christ in and to the world. It spotlights the unveiling of Christ’s holiness for humanity. His holiness is revealed not as a motionless quality of divinity to be adored, but as the dynamic and transforming presence of the Son of God in the world. Christ is the lover of humanity. He doesn’t sit statically on our altars demanding gifts to pacify Him. He lives and works and moves among us. Wherever and whenever the Holy Spirit convicts and crucifies, revives and vivifies through the Holy Scriptures- Christ is active.
At the peak of his ministry, John the Baptist now utters his most momentous words, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”2 With these words the Messiah prepares for His journey to the altar of the cross where His blood was shed. With these words we prepare- as Christians have done for centuries- to approach His holy altar where that blood is received. And in our reception we have the benefit of hindsight. We receive in actuality what John could only speak of prophetically. We receive the medicine of immortality; the antidote for sin’s poison.
How did people receive the Lamb of God as He walked along the Jordan? The appearance of Christ in the flesh challenged people to immediately consider how they saw their status with God and assess their priorities in life. How do you go about assessing the value of your life? What are your criteria for significance? Which things are indispensable? Do these resonate with what God decrees as essential? Are you living in the world in such a way, that in the end you concede death its victory, as long as you can savor your bit of glory? Do we want our headstones to glorify our achievements so that our legacies might be remembered? Or do we daily die to the fleeting indulgences of the world knowing that in the end we will be crowned with life? Tombstones mark the places of the dead not the achievements of the living.
The more you delight in your indulgences; the more you cherish your materialism; the more you seek solace in your successes; the further you stray from the sacrificial life to which you are called and the more irrelevant is your witness to the world. Now God certainly wants us to enjoy the fruit of labour and glorify Him in gratitude. But a graciously received gift is not the same as a selfishly prized idol. The lips are a long way from the heart. They often deliver praises the heart has not conceived.
God is not a passive companion. He changes us; sometimes in preparation, sometimes in chastisement, sometimes out of pure compassion. Could Peter and Andrew have envisioned how radically their lives would be changed? Could John the Baptist foresee his gruesome demise? Life is full of vexing and inconvenient questions? We must learn to live with uncertainty. Sin limits our capacity to understand. It doesn’t do justice to this problem to simply say God or Jesus has or is the answer. Of course! But such attempts are trite and patronizing. They do not well serve the body of believers in their life-long journey of appreciating the mystery of divine revelation in Christ.
We learn to grapple with questions biblically. Pilate said, “Behold, the man!”3 John said, “Behold the Lamb!”4 Pilate asked, “What is truth?”5 Jesus said, “I am the truth.”6 Satan queried, “Did God really say?”7 The Spirit replies, “The Word of our God stands forever.”8Sometimes Jesus answered questions with another question9. In doing so He moved the formulator from a position of control to an encounter with truth.
You see, we only hope to get all the answers we want when we formulate the questions. We tend to construct the questions so that God is seen to be agreeing with what we’ve already determined to be best for us. Doesn’t God always want me to be healthy, gratified, and free from struggle? Yet that is precisely what we’re not allowed to do. How often have you asked the question, “What does God want me to learn from this hardship?” Or, “What can I sacrifice to help those more vulnerable than myself?” Pilate’s question about truth is not simply cynical; it is irreverent. It is dismissive of the idea that there is an ultimate truth to be known, engaged, or believed.
By all means, use the Bible as the answer-book for your questions (the catechism is certainly a distillation composed with this mindset), but better still feed on it like you do wholesome food and breathe it like you do fresh air- lest the forgiveness of sins and your relationship with the Lamb diminish to minor importance. If we do not breathe the air of His absolution we will suffocate.
Dear friends, the greatest import of Christ’s epiphany is our altered relationship with the Father. Faith puts us in a most blessed position. By faith we live in forgiveness not under legality. The law is not inoperative; it is fulfilled. The law continues to convict us and guide us but it promises no hope of reparation. Christ alone accomplishes that. The Holy Spirit lives and moves within and among us. Of what good is the command when the desire to do what is commanded is already present? What need is there to command the famished person to eat? “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled,”10 says the Saviour. What need is there to demand that the eager lover cherish the beloved? “We love because He first loved us,”11 says the apostle. The law commands the defiant not the willing; it convicts the recalcitrant not those who yearn to be forgiven.
Each day you stand at the coalface. You may not be bubbling over with enthusiasm for the kingdom at every moment, but the believer nevertheless desires God’s mercy and seeks His will even in the midst of the greatest temptations. You are baptized into the death and resurrection of Christ. You embody a confession of truth. You are clothed with a blood-bought decorum. The Saviour designates you to be of inestimable worth.
Some things are costly because nobody likes to do them. Underground coal mining isn’t high on many job seekers lists. Other things are costly because few are capable of doing them.
Brain surgery isn’t for those with average skills. The disciples of Jesus would pay the greatest price. Their lives would be forfeited for the sake of the gospel. Yet only Christ is matchless in His domain. No one else was capable of bearing the sins of the world. Only His life was precious enough to recompense the debt of the human race. He doesn’t relieve us of all volatility but He does accompany us with integrity. His crucifixion shattered the power of evil. His resurrection secures the vigor of life. He is both the slain Lamb and the Shepherd and you are His flock. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 John 1:41 2 John 1:29 3 John 19:5
4 John 1:29 5 John 18:38 6 See John 14:6
7 Genesis 3:1 8 Isaiah 40:8 9 See Mark 11:27-33
10 Matthew 5:6 11 1 John 4:19
Second Sunday After Epiphany
19 January 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Text: John 1:29
Theme: The Lamb of God
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God accompanies us through the volatilities of life. Yet the necessity of faith remains.
The significance of some things can only been seen in hindsight. Predictableness in life will always be elusive. God plans for us wonderful surprises. “We have found the Messiah,”1 said Andrew to Simon Peter. It was a magnificent find; an unparalleled discovery. Of course it wasn’t really the result any exhaustive search on their part. The advent of Christ in historical time revealed them as chosen witnesses. The grace of God is always more fully appreciated in retrospect.
Epiphany continues today with a transfer of disciples from the baptizer to the Redeemer. John will now diminish and Christ will increase. Epiphany is about radiating, unveiling, and illuminating Christ in and to the world. It spotlights the unveiling of Christ’s holiness for humanity. His holiness is revealed not as a motionless quality of divinity to be adored, but as the dynamic and transforming presence of the Son of God in the world. Christ is the lover of humanity. He doesn’t sit statically on our altars demanding gifts to pacify Him. He lives and works and moves among us. Wherever and whenever the Holy Spirit convicts and crucifies, revives and vivifies through the Holy Scriptures- Christ is active.
At the peak of his ministry, John the Baptist now utters his most momentous words, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”2 With these words the Messiah prepares for His journey to the altar of the cross where His blood was shed. With these words we prepare- as Christians have done for centuries- to approach His holy altar where that blood is received. And in our reception we have the benefit of hindsight. We receive in actuality what John could only speak of prophetically. We receive the medicine of immortality; the antidote for sin’s poison.
How did people receive the Lamb of God as He walked along the Jordan? The appearance of Christ in the flesh challenged people to immediately consider how they saw their status with God and assess their priorities in life. How do you go about assessing the value of your life? What are your criteria for significance? Which things are indispensable? Do these resonate with what God decrees as essential? Are you living in the world in such a way, that in the end you concede death its victory, as long as you can savor your bit of glory? Do we want our headstones to glorify our achievements so that our legacies might be remembered? Or do we daily die to the fleeting indulgences of the world knowing that in the end we will be crowned with life? Tombstones mark the places of the dead not the achievements of the living.
The more you delight in your indulgences; the more you cherish your materialism; the more you seek solace in your successes; the further you stray from the sacrificial life to which you are called and the more irrelevant is your witness to the world. Now God certainly wants us to enjoy the fruit of labour and glorify Him in gratitude. But a graciously received gift is not the same as a selfishly prized idol. The lips are a long way from the heart. They often deliver praises the heart has not conceived.
God is not a passive companion. He changes us; sometimes in preparation, sometimes in chastisement, sometimes out of pure compassion. Could Peter and Andrew have envisioned how radically their lives would be changed? Could John the Baptist foresee his gruesome demise? Life is full of vexing and inconvenient questions? We must learn to live with uncertainty. Sin limits our capacity to understand. It doesn’t do justice to this problem to simply say God or Jesus has or is the answer. Of course! But such attempts are trite and patronizing. They do not well serve the body of believers in their life-long journey of appreciating the mystery of divine revelation in Christ.
We learn to grapple with questions biblically. Pilate said, “Behold, the man!”3 John said, “Behold the Lamb!”4 Pilate asked, “What is truth?”5 Jesus said, “I am the truth.”6 Satan queried, “Did God really say?”7 The Spirit replies, “The Word of our God stands forever.”8Sometimes Jesus answered questions with another question9. In doing so He moved the formulator from a position of control to an encounter with truth.
You see, we only hope to get all the answers we want when we formulate the questions. We tend to construct the questions so that God is seen to be agreeing with what we’ve already determined to be best for us. Doesn’t God always want me to be healthy, gratified, and free from struggle? Yet that is precisely what we’re not allowed to do. How often have you asked the question, “What does God want me to learn from this hardship?” Or, “What can I sacrifice to help those more vulnerable than myself?” Pilate’s question about truth is not simply cynical; it is irreverent. It is dismissive of the idea that there is an ultimate truth to be known, engaged, or believed.
By all means, use the Bible as the answer-book for your questions (the catechism is certainly a distillation composed with this mindset), but better still feed on it like you do wholesome food and breathe it like you do fresh air- lest the forgiveness of sins and your relationship with the Lamb diminish to minor importance. If we do not breathe the air of His absolution we will suffocate.
Dear friends, the greatest import of Christ’s epiphany is our altered relationship with the Father. Faith puts us in a most blessed position. By faith we live in forgiveness not under legality. The law is not inoperative; it is fulfilled. The law continues to convict us and guide us but it promises no hope of reparation. Christ alone accomplishes that. The Holy Spirit lives and moves within and among us. Of what good is the command when the desire to do what is commanded is already present? What need is there to command the famished person to eat? “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled,”10 says the Saviour. What need is there to demand that the eager lover cherish the beloved? “We love because He first loved us,”11 says the apostle. The law commands the defiant not the willing; it convicts the recalcitrant not those who yearn to be forgiven.
Each day you stand at the coalface. You may not be bubbling over with enthusiasm for the kingdom at every moment, but the believer nevertheless desires God’s mercy and seeks His will even in the midst of the greatest temptations. You are baptized into the death and resurrection of Christ. You embody a confession of truth. You are clothed with a blood-bought decorum. The Saviour designates you to be of inestimable worth.
Some things are costly because nobody likes to do them. Underground coal mining isn’t high on many job seekers lists. Other things are costly because few are capable of doing them.
Brain surgery isn’t for those with average skills. The disciples of Jesus would pay the greatest price. Their lives would be forfeited for the sake of the gospel. Yet only Christ is matchless in His domain. No one else was capable of bearing the sins of the world. Only His life was precious enough to recompense the debt of the human race. He doesn’t relieve us of all volatility but He does accompany us with integrity. His crucifixion shattered the power of evil. His resurrection secures the vigor of life. He is both the slain Lamb and the Shepherd and you are His flock. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 John 1:41 2 John 1:29 3 John 19:5
4 John 1:29 5 John 18:38 6 See John 14:6
7 Genesis 3:1 8 Isaiah 40:8 9 See Mark 11:27-33
10 Matthew 5:6 11 1 John 4:19
Second Sunday After Epiphany
19 January 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Monday, January 13, 2014
The Baptism Of Our Lord 2014
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti Amen. +
Text: Matthew 3:13-17
Theme: A Substitutionary Baptism
Dear Friends in Christ Jesus,
Today is the first Sunday in the season of Epiphany. Epiphany means literally “revelation,” or “showing forth.” The season of Epiphany highlights those events in the life of Christ that reveal Him to be God in the flesh. The Epiphany season is framed and highlighted by two events; Christ’s baptism at the Jordan River and His transfiguration on the mountain. The Child of Bethlehem has been proclaimed by angels, looked upon by shepherds and visited by wisemen. Jesus, now approximately thirty years of age, begins His public ministry. Jesus’ public mission begins with the event of His baptism.
Preliminary to the baptism of Jesus and Christian baptism was the work of John the Baptist. His work was preparatory. The people who came to John heard a message of repentance. The coming of the Messiah was imminent. His coming would involve judgment against all unrighteousness. “He will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire.”1 The hearts and lives of all are laid bare before the all-knowing Lord. Nothing we have or are or do is hidden from Him. We dare not allow our consciences to become desensitized to the power of sin in our lives and God’s promise to judge it. The Law of God leaves room for no exceptions, all are unworthy of God’s grace. The truly convicted heart takes seriously God’s wrath and longs for mercy. True repentance involves not only shame and embarrassment for being caught, but a genuine desire for compassion and desire to please God. The Bible says, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.”2 The Holy Spirit grants the repentant person faith to trust in Christ. Baptism is a means by which this happens. Trust in Christ is never misplaced. Our gospel elucidates why.
John announces the approach of Jesus to the banks of the Jordan with the words which found their way into the church’s worship in song, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”3 In the act of His baptism, Jesus unites in solidarity with sinful humanity. He submits Himself to this sacrament of repentance and forgiveness for which He has no need. He is not a sinner. He has committed no transgression. He was born with no original guilt. Precisely for this reason He humbles Himself as He does. The entire earthly life of Jesus Christ was a substitutionary endeavor. He took our place under the Law. He bore the punishment of the Father’s wrath. He endured the torment of judgment. He did this on our behalf. He was our scapegoat. He was our sacrificial Lamb. “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”4 Christ lived, died, rose and ascended so that we might live in holiness with the triune God.
Overt expressions of the Trinity are perceptible at Jesus’ baptism. The Holy Spirit is visible in the form of a dove. He descends and Matthew tells us lights upon Jesus. At the creation the Holy Spirit hovered over the waters and during the flood Noah send out a dove to mark beginning of new life. The voice of the Father is audible at Jesus’ baptism. It was reminiscent of many manifestations in the Old Testament. Yet these distinctions of persons are not to be overshadowed by unity of purpose. Here we see Father, Son and Holy Spirit united in the plan of redemption to be completed by the Son in the flesh. This is the key to true and meaningful knowledge about God.
The revelation of the Trinity is tied directly with the revelation of the Son. We know the disposition of the triune God towards us, we know God in a saving way only as He is revealed through Jesus. We do not learn what we know about Christ from general knowledge of God. We learn what we know about God from specific knowledge of Christ.
Our relationship with Christ must define and characterize our entire lives. He initiates and sustains this relationship through His appointed means. Baptism is not an auxiliary teaching of Scripture. Baptism is foundational for understanding the manner in which God relates to humanity. Baptism is a specific administration of the gospel. It is a tangible, visible way in which God comes into contact with people in a saving manner. The Word and promise of God are clear and firm. “How can water do such great things?” Certainly not just water, but the word of God in and with the water does these things, along with faith which trusts this word of God in the water. For without God’s word the water is plain water and no Baptism. But with the word of God it is a Baptism, that is, a life-giving water, rich in grace, and a washing of new birth in the Holy Spirit.”5 What happens in baptism is not magic, but it is miraculous. Faith is always the greatest miracle for an infant or an adult. It means that God is willing and able to overcome the bondage of sins by which we are held.
Spiritual freedom, true freedom, radically changes our perspective on life and our relationship with God and one another. Our membership in the kingdom of God transcends all earthly associations. God desires this for all people. Recall the words of our Scripture from Acts, “Then Peter began to speak: ‘I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear Him and do what is right. You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.’”6
Dear Friends, we should not overlook the significance of Saint Peter’s words regarding the fact that in His love, God shows no favoritism, but accepts all who repent and believe. How difficult this was for the Jewish Christians who looked down upon Gentile believers! How difficult to believe that God receives manifest sinners as readily as those who strive to be righteous. Jesus Himself said to the chief priests, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.”7 Yet that is the reality of God’s undeserved love in Christ. It is undeserved for great and small alike.
In Christ we all reach parity in regards to redemption. This equality is achieved in baptism and it is the basis of our fellowship and unity. Though we are all different, none of us is of greater or lesser importance to the body of Christ. At Jesus’ baptism the fellowship of the Trinity is manifested. In the body of Christ, our fellowship with one another must be manifested. We are called upon to put others ahead of ourselves, their interests ahead of ours. The Scripture gives these directives, “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in heed. Practice hospitality.”8 And trust firmly in the promise that your labour in the Lord is never in vain9. It depends never on you but always on Christ and He will not fail us. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
The Baptism of Our Lord
12 January 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 3:17
2 2 Corinthians 7:10 3 John 1:29
4 2 Corinthians 5:21 5 Luther’s Small Catechism
6 Acts 10:34-36 7 Matthew 21:31
8 Romans 12:9-13 9 See 1 Corinthians 15:58
Text: Matthew 3:13-17
Theme: A Substitutionary Baptism
Dear Friends in Christ Jesus,
Today is the first Sunday in the season of Epiphany. Epiphany means literally “revelation,” or “showing forth.” The season of Epiphany highlights those events in the life of Christ that reveal Him to be God in the flesh. The Epiphany season is framed and highlighted by two events; Christ’s baptism at the Jordan River and His transfiguration on the mountain. The Child of Bethlehem has been proclaimed by angels, looked upon by shepherds and visited by wisemen. Jesus, now approximately thirty years of age, begins His public ministry. Jesus’ public mission begins with the event of His baptism.
Preliminary to the baptism of Jesus and Christian baptism was the work of John the Baptist. His work was preparatory. The people who came to John heard a message of repentance. The coming of the Messiah was imminent. His coming would involve judgment against all unrighteousness. “He will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire.”1 The hearts and lives of all are laid bare before the all-knowing Lord. Nothing we have or are or do is hidden from Him. We dare not allow our consciences to become desensitized to the power of sin in our lives and God’s promise to judge it. The Law of God leaves room for no exceptions, all are unworthy of God’s grace. The truly convicted heart takes seriously God’s wrath and longs for mercy. True repentance involves not only shame and embarrassment for being caught, but a genuine desire for compassion and desire to please God. The Bible says, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.”2 The Holy Spirit grants the repentant person faith to trust in Christ. Baptism is a means by which this happens. Trust in Christ is never misplaced. Our gospel elucidates why.
John announces the approach of Jesus to the banks of the Jordan with the words which found their way into the church’s worship in song, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”3 In the act of His baptism, Jesus unites in solidarity with sinful humanity. He submits Himself to this sacrament of repentance and forgiveness for which He has no need. He is not a sinner. He has committed no transgression. He was born with no original guilt. Precisely for this reason He humbles Himself as He does. The entire earthly life of Jesus Christ was a substitutionary endeavor. He took our place under the Law. He bore the punishment of the Father’s wrath. He endured the torment of judgment. He did this on our behalf. He was our scapegoat. He was our sacrificial Lamb. “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”4 Christ lived, died, rose and ascended so that we might live in holiness with the triune God.
Overt expressions of the Trinity are perceptible at Jesus’ baptism. The Holy Spirit is visible in the form of a dove. He descends and Matthew tells us lights upon Jesus. At the creation the Holy Spirit hovered over the waters and during the flood Noah send out a dove to mark beginning of new life. The voice of the Father is audible at Jesus’ baptism. It was reminiscent of many manifestations in the Old Testament. Yet these distinctions of persons are not to be overshadowed by unity of purpose. Here we see Father, Son and Holy Spirit united in the plan of redemption to be completed by the Son in the flesh. This is the key to true and meaningful knowledge about God.
The revelation of the Trinity is tied directly with the revelation of the Son. We know the disposition of the triune God towards us, we know God in a saving way only as He is revealed through Jesus. We do not learn what we know about Christ from general knowledge of God. We learn what we know about God from specific knowledge of Christ.
Our relationship with Christ must define and characterize our entire lives. He initiates and sustains this relationship through His appointed means. Baptism is not an auxiliary teaching of Scripture. Baptism is foundational for understanding the manner in which God relates to humanity. Baptism is a specific administration of the gospel. It is a tangible, visible way in which God comes into contact with people in a saving manner. The Word and promise of God are clear and firm. “How can water do such great things?” Certainly not just water, but the word of God in and with the water does these things, along with faith which trusts this word of God in the water. For without God’s word the water is plain water and no Baptism. But with the word of God it is a Baptism, that is, a life-giving water, rich in grace, and a washing of new birth in the Holy Spirit.”5 What happens in baptism is not magic, but it is miraculous. Faith is always the greatest miracle for an infant or an adult. It means that God is willing and able to overcome the bondage of sins by which we are held.
Spiritual freedom, true freedom, radically changes our perspective on life and our relationship with God and one another. Our membership in the kingdom of God transcends all earthly associations. God desires this for all people. Recall the words of our Scripture from Acts, “Then Peter began to speak: ‘I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear Him and do what is right. You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.’”6
Dear Friends, we should not overlook the significance of Saint Peter’s words regarding the fact that in His love, God shows no favoritism, but accepts all who repent and believe. How difficult this was for the Jewish Christians who looked down upon Gentile believers! How difficult to believe that God receives manifest sinners as readily as those who strive to be righteous. Jesus Himself said to the chief priests, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.”7 Yet that is the reality of God’s undeserved love in Christ. It is undeserved for great and small alike.
In Christ we all reach parity in regards to redemption. This equality is achieved in baptism and it is the basis of our fellowship and unity. Though we are all different, none of us is of greater or lesser importance to the body of Christ. At Jesus’ baptism the fellowship of the Trinity is manifested. In the body of Christ, our fellowship with one another must be manifested. We are called upon to put others ahead of ourselves, their interests ahead of ours. The Scripture gives these directives, “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in heed. Practice hospitality.”8 And trust firmly in the promise that your labour in the Lord is never in vain9. It depends never on you but always on Christ and He will not fail us. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
The Baptism of Our Lord
12 January 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 3:17
2 2 Corinthians 7:10 3 John 1:29
4 2 Corinthians 5:21 5 Luther’s Small Catechism
6 Acts 10:34-36 7 Matthew 21:31
8 Romans 12:9-13 9 See 1 Corinthians 15:58
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Second Sunday After Christmas (A) 2014
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti Amen +
Text: John 1:1-18
Theme: Dwelling Among Us
Dear Friends in Christ Jesus,
In the Scriptures Jesus Christ is referred to as the Word of God. In the beginning God spoke and creation came into existence out of nothing. Essential to the meaning of His incarnation, of Christmas, is the understanding that in these events all creation is taken back to the beginning. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.”1 In the flesh of Christ, a perfect state of material being again exists. In the person of Jesus, the image of true humanity is restored. Our continued celebration of Christmas involves the promise that believers will be restored in both body and soul for eternity according to the words of the Spirit, “Christ…will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.”2 This future is God’s original intent for us.
Fundamental to understanding the Biblical perspective of existence is understanding that what is commonly known as the natural state of things is actually an estrangement from God. Human beings, as they are in and of themselves, are not in the state God originally intended and created. We are born divorced from proper fellowship with God. His ways and works are alien to our instincts and desires. This is true not just for those who are willfully and outwardly evil, but even for those who appear to be honest and godly in their actions. Since this truth cannot be empirically proven, it must be believed. Our Scripture says, “He [that is, Christ] was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him.”3
The creation does not, in fact, cannot, recognize her Creator. To acknowledge the existence of God intellectually is not the same as believing in Him, as loving Him. The First Commandment says, “You shall have no other gods.”4 “What does this mean? We should fear, love and trust in God above all things.”5 It means to look to Him for our only hope and security, our only source of life and strength. Faith in Christ necessarily involves the repudiation of self and all other sources of hope. In Christ, we then become what we are meant to be. Our gospel says, “To all who received Him, to those who believe in His name, He gave the right to become the children of God- children born not of natural decent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”6
Spiritual conversion is a wholly supernatural activity. The Bible excludes any place for human ability and capacity when it comes to gathering people into His kingdom. Just as we are born to parents, born into a family completely apart from our choosing or cooperation, so too are we brought into the family of God. It should not be surprising that baptism, the means by which this takes place, is described as bringing about a new birth. “He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior.”7 Thus from start to finish God is, as the Bible says, “the author and perfecter of our faith.”8 “He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”9
The forgiveness we have is not some theoretical platitude. It was earned through the suffering of Christ’s body and His sacrifice unto death. The promise of absolution has the guarantee of His flesh and blood. The sins of repentant believers, sins great and small, truly are forgiven, removed, washed away. Even as Christ is risen from the dead, we too are raised to a new spiritual life here and now. Dear Friends, do not take it lightly that by faith you are resurrected beings. Christ has bestowed on humans an honour higher than that of angels.
In due time, our spiritual resurrection will give way to a physical resurrection when we pass through death into life. We should long for this each and every day. Our life here is but temporary. Our life there is forever. Then all the frailties of the human body, all the weakness of the human mind, all that torments heart and soul will be resolved. The blindness that strikes the eyes, the deafness that strikes the ear, the confusion that mutes the tongue, the lameness that hinders the limb, the atrophy that cripples the joints, the cancer that commandeers the flesh, the Alzheimer’s that decimates the mind, the frailty that simply drains strength, all the bitterness and hardship with which we must cope will vanish in an instant. There is noting that we suffer now that will not quickly become a vanishing and fleeting memory.
Yes, in this life we will struggle. But the point of Christmas is that Christ is with us. “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.”10 We can now live in such away so as to bring the presence of God to others. The year 2014 is before us and we are faced with great challenge and opportunity. Despite the affluence (or we may say also because of it) real human need is as great as ever. People live in open ungodliness and societal values become more secular. There is a vast mission field right at our doorstep. Across the world some nations and people groups suffer great physical want while others have never heard the gospel proclaimed or the word of God taught. As individual Christians and as a church, we are held to account. We must prioritize our resources and energies in sacrifice of our neighbor and in honor of God’s name. No effort, regardless how small, is insignificant. In Christ, we can meet the future with determination and excitement.
It is appropriate that during the season of Christmas, one calendar year comes to an end and a new year begins. We go forward knowing that Christ is with us. Through water and the word, through His Spirit, through the sacramental bread and wine, He dwells in and among us. We go forward knowing that in the Lord, even the most menial daily tasks are not in vain. We go forward with the boldness to hold high the Light of the world in a spiritually dark age. We go forward with the eagerness to more fully understand His will. We go forward with the comfort and confidence of knowing the future is secured. We go forward with the prayer of St. Paul who said, “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe.”11
Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Second Sunday After Christmas
January 5, 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 1:1-2
2 Philippians 3:20-21
3 John 1:10-11 4 Exodus 20:3
5 Martin Luther 6 John 1:12-13
7 Titus 3:5-6 8 Hebrews 12:2
9 Colossians 1:13-14 10 John 1:14
11 Ephesians 1:18-19
Text: John 1:1-18
Theme: Dwelling Among Us
Dear Friends in Christ Jesus,
In the Scriptures Jesus Christ is referred to as the Word of God. In the beginning God spoke and creation came into existence out of nothing. Essential to the meaning of His incarnation, of Christmas, is the understanding that in these events all creation is taken back to the beginning. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.”1 In the flesh of Christ, a perfect state of material being again exists. In the person of Jesus, the image of true humanity is restored. Our continued celebration of Christmas involves the promise that believers will be restored in both body and soul for eternity according to the words of the Spirit, “Christ…will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.”2 This future is God’s original intent for us.
Fundamental to understanding the Biblical perspective of existence is understanding that what is commonly known as the natural state of things is actually an estrangement from God. Human beings, as they are in and of themselves, are not in the state God originally intended and created. We are born divorced from proper fellowship with God. His ways and works are alien to our instincts and desires. This is true not just for those who are willfully and outwardly evil, but even for those who appear to be honest and godly in their actions. Since this truth cannot be empirically proven, it must be believed. Our Scripture says, “He [that is, Christ] was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him.”3
The creation does not, in fact, cannot, recognize her Creator. To acknowledge the existence of God intellectually is not the same as believing in Him, as loving Him. The First Commandment says, “You shall have no other gods.”4 “What does this mean? We should fear, love and trust in God above all things.”5 It means to look to Him for our only hope and security, our only source of life and strength. Faith in Christ necessarily involves the repudiation of self and all other sources of hope. In Christ, we then become what we are meant to be. Our gospel says, “To all who received Him, to those who believe in His name, He gave the right to become the children of God- children born not of natural decent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”6
Spiritual conversion is a wholly supernatural activity. The Bible excludes any place for human ability and capacity when it comes to gathering people into His kingdom. Just as we are born to parents, born into a family completely apart from our choosing or cooperation, so too are we brought into the family of God. It should not be surprising that baptism, the means by which this takes place, is described as bringing about a new birth. “He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior.”7 Thus from start to finish God is, as the Bible says, “the author and perfecter of our faith.”8 “He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”9
The forgiveness we have is not some theoretical platitude. It was earned through the suffering of Christ’s body and His sacrifice unto death. The promise of absolution has the guarantee of His flesh and blood. The sins of repentant believers, sins great and small, truly are forgiven, removed, washed away. Even as Christ is risen from the dead, we too are raised to a new spiritual life here and now. Dear Friends, do not take it lightly that by faith you are resurrected beings. Christ has bestowed on humans an honour higher than that of angels.
In due time, our spiritual resurrection will give way to a physical resurrection when we pass through death into life. We should long for this each and every day. Our life here is but temporary. Our life there is forever. Then all the frailties of the human body, all the weakness of the human mind, all that torments heart and soul will be resolved. The blindness that strikes the eyes, the deafness that strikes the ear, the confusion that mutes the tongue, the lameness that hinders the limb, the atrophy that cripples the joints, the cancer that commandeers the flesh, the Alzheimer’s that decimates the mind, the frailty that simply drains strength, all the bitterness and hardship with which we must cope will vanish in an instant. There is noting that we suffer now that will not quickly become a vanishing and fleeting memory.
Yes, in this life we will struggle. But the point of Christmas is that Christ is with us. “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.”10 We can now live in such away so as to bring the presence of God to others. The year 2014 is before us and we are faced with great challenge and opportunity. Despite the affluence (or we may say also because of it) real human need is as great as ever. People live in open ungodliness and societal values become more secular. There is a vast mission field right at our doorstep. Across the world some nations and people groups suffer great physical want while others have never heard the gospel proclaimed or the word of God taught. As individual Christians and as a church, we are held to account. We must prioritize our resources and energies in sacrifice of our neighbor and in honor of God’s name. No effort, regardless how small, is insignificant. In Christ, we can meet the future with determination and excitement.
It is appropriate that during the season of Christmas, one calendar year comes to an end and a new year begins. We go forward knowing that Christ is with us. Through water and the word, through His Spirit, through the sacramental bread and wine, He dwells in and among us. We go forward knowing that in the Lord, even the most menial daily tasks are not in vain. We go forward with the boldness to hold high the Light of the world in a spiritually dark age. We go forward with the eagerness to more fully understand His will. We go forward with the comfort and confidence of knowing the future is secured. We go forward with the prayer of St. Paul who said, “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and His incomparably great power for us who believe.”11
Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Second Sunday After Christmas
January 5, 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 1:1-2
2 Philippians 3:20-21
3 John 1:10-11 4 Exodus 20:3
5 Martin Luther 6 John 1:12-13
7 Titus 3:5-6 8 Hebrews 12:2
9 Colossians 1:13-14 10 John 1:14
11 Ephesians 1:18-19
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
First Sunday After Christmas (A) 2013
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Matthew 2:13-23
Theme: Flight of the Newborn
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The shepherds depart. The angels ascend. The holy family retreats. The announcement of peace soon turns to a threat of danger. The celebration of Christ’s birth into the world does not long remain open for public participation. The Prince of Peace soon meets with hostility. It wasn’t long after Jesus’ birth that a price was put on His head. Wanted: Dead or alive- but preferably dead! King Herod, hopeful of help from the Magi, sought to terminate His young life. Why would Herod fear this child born not to royalty but to common Jewish people? What chance would this son of a carpenter have of coming to reign? Still, the prophecy had reached his ears and he was in no mood to take any chances.
Already the words of Simeon were coming to fulfillment, “This Child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.1 The person and work of Jesus still causes great hostility because He is a threat to the power structures of the world and the way in which they operate. Yet His kingdom is not of this world. He comes to rule hearts, not command armies.
So, early in His life the Lord of Creation becomes a fugitive in a foreign land. Joseph is told by an angel to take the family and flee to Egypt. The hope of Israel, the deliverer of God’s people had to take refuge in the very place the Israelites had once been held in slavery for over 400 years. Reflecting on their exodus St. Paul reminds us, “Our forefathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and all ate the same spiritual food; and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.”2 Now that same Christ returns as a child clothed in human flesh.
Jesus was fugitive from earthly rulers so that we might be freed from satanic powers. The Scripture says, “But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.”3 Jesus Christ allowed Himself to be placed under the law so that He might fulfill it perfectly; and do so on our behalf. He was perfectly obedient to the Father and we are credited with His holiness. In addition, all the prophecies of old have come to fulfillment in Him. He said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”4
Apart from Christ we are always fugitives from the law. There is no place to run to, no place to hide. All transgressions are transparent to God. We find refuge only in Christ. Dear friends, you can never be comfortable about meeting the requirements of the law. You can never be confident you have satisfied it. But you can be at peace. The law always condemns you; always finds you guilty. But the one who made entrance into the world through a dark little nook in Bethlehem has fulfilled it. He has not made the law obsolete. He has fulfilled it.
God knows when we try to play Him as the fool. We should never confuse forgiveness with apathy. Absolution is never a license to sin. Exoneration of guilt is never to be taken as evidence that fault was misplaced. Forgiveness, rightly received, never inflates the ego (as if somehow we deserved to be forgiven), but always cultivates humility. In other words, as a forgiven child of God I cannot debate or negotiate the necessity of divine pardon. The moment I do the sincerity of my repentance is called into question. We cannot feign ignorance or weakness; we are all alike condemned. A person of ego never fulfills the law of God or the law of love. The person of faith always does.
The person of faith always does because faith is a Spirit-given gift that anchors us to Christ who has offered perfect obedience on our behalf. Christ’s perfect obedience and sacrifice is more than just a supernatural but immaterial truth. The Bible says, “Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death- that is, the devil- and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death”5
Freed from the ultimate fear we can forego our self-interests to serve others. Consider how Luther teaches vocation using the circumstances of the Bethlehem shepherds. “Who would have thought that men whose job was tending unreasonable animals would be so praised that not a pope or bishop is worthy to hand them a cup of water? It is the very devil that no one wants to follow the shepherds. The married man wants to be without a wife or the nobleman a prince. It is: ‘If I were this! If I were that! You fool! The best job is the one you have. If you are married, you cannot have higher status. If you are a servant, you are in the very best position. Be diligent and know that there are no greater saints on earth than servants. Do not say, ‘If I were,’ say, ‘I am.’ Luther wants us to see that God is pleased with whatever vocation we are in, no matter how lowly or seemingly insignificant it is. Luther continues, “Next to faith this is the highest art- to be content with the calling in which God has placed you.” The person who is godly in his or her vocation is not the one who always wishes they had someone else’s position, but the one who fulfills his own position to the best of his ability, to the benefit of neighbours and to the glory of God.
Dear friends, like our Lord Himself as an infant we are always fleeing the dark powers of this world. But we are neither running scared or helpless. Rather, through the Spirit’s power we are salt; we are light; we are vessels of mercy, we are beacons of hope to those caught in vicious cycles of darkness, addiction and despair. We are baptized for these very tasks. We are people of the incarnation. “To us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”6 “Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things.”7
+ In nomine Jesu +
First Sunday After Christmas
29 December 2013
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 2:34-35
2 1 Corinthians 10:1-4
3 Galatians 4:4-5
4 Matthew 5:17
5 Hebrews 2:14-15
6 Isaiah 9:6
7 Psalm 98:1
Text: Matthew 2:13-23
Theme: Flight of the Newborn
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The shepherds depart. The angels ascend. The holy family retreats. The announcement of peace soon turns to a threat of danger. The celebration of Christ’s birth into the world does not long remain open for public participation. The Prince of Peace soon meets with hostility. It wasn’t long after Jesus’ birth that a price was put on His head. Wanted: Dead or alive- but preferably dead! King Herod, hopeful of help from the Magi, sought to terminate His young life. Why would Herod fear this child born not to royalty but to common Jewish people? What chance would this son of a carpenter have of coming to reign? Still, the prophecy had reached his ears and he was in no mood to take any chances.
Already the words of Simeon were coming to fulfillment, “This Child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.1 The person and work of Jesus still causes great hostility because He is a threat to the power structures of the world and the way in which they operate. Yet His kingdom is not of this world. He comes to rule hearts, not command armies.
So, early in His life the Lord of Creation becomes a fugitive in a foreign land. Joseph is told by an angel to take the family and flee to Egypt. The hope of Israel, the deliverer of God’s people had to take refuge in the very place the Israelites had once been held in slavery for over 400 years. Reflecting on their exodus St. Paul reminds us, “Our forefathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and all ate the same spiritual food; and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.”2 Now that same Christ returns as a child clothed in human flesh.
Jesus was fugitive from earthly rulers so that we might be freed from satanic powers. The Scripture says, “But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.”3 Jesus Christ allowed Himself to be placed under the law so that He might fulfill it perfectly; and do so on our behalf. He was perfectly obedient to the Father and we are credited with His holiness. In addition, all the prophecies of old have come to fulfillment in Him. He said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”4
Apart from Christ we are always fugitives from the law. There is no place to run to, no place to hide. All transgressions are transparent to God. We find refuge only in Christ. Dear friends, you can never be comfortable about meeting the requirements of the law. You can never be confident you have satisfied it. But you can be at peace. The law always condemns you; always finds you guilty. But the one who made entrance into the world through a dark little nook in Bethlehem has fulfilled it. He has not made the law obsolete. He has fulfilled it.
God knows when we try to play Him as the fool. We should never confuse forgiveness with apathy. Absolution is never a license to sin. Exoneration of guilt is never to be taken as evidence that fault was misplaced. Forgiveness, rightly received, never inflates the ego (as if somehow we deserved to be forgiven), but always cultivates humility. In other words, as a forgiven child of God I cannot debate or negotiate the necessity of divine pardon. The moment I do the sincerity of my repentance is called into question. We cannot feign ignorance or weakness; we are all alike condemned. A person of ego never fulfills the law of God or the law of love. The person of faith always does.
The person of faith always does because faith is a Spirit-given gift that anchors us to Christ who has offered perfect obedience on our behalf. Christ’s perfect obedience and sacrifice is more than just a supernatural but immaterial truth. The Bible says, “Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death- that is, the devil- and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death”5
Freed from the ultimate fear we can forego our self-interests to serve others. Consider how Luther teaches vocation using the circumstances of the Bethlehem shepherds. “Who would have thought that men whose job was tending unreasonable animals would be so praised that not a pope or bishop is worthy to hand them a cup of water? It is the very devil that no one wants to follow the shepherds. The married man wants to be without a wife or the nobleman a prince. It is: ‘If I were this! If I were that! You fool! The best job is the one you have. If you are married, you cannot have higher status. If you are a servant, you are in the very best position. Be diligent and know that there are no greater saints on earth than servants. Do not say, ‘If I were,’ say, ‘I am.’ Luther wants us to see that God is pleased with whatever vocation we are in, no matter how lowly or seemingly insignificant it is. Luther continues, “Next to faith this is the highest art- to be content with the calling in which God has placed you.” The person who is godly in his or her vocation is not the one who always wishes they had someone else’s position, but the one who fulfills his own position to the best of his ability, to the benefit of neighbours and to the glory of God.
Dear friends, like our Lord Himself as an infant we are always fleeing the dark powers of this world. But we are neither running scared or helpless. Rather, through the Spirit’s power we are salt; we are light; we are vessels of mercy, we are beacons of hope to those caught in vicious cycles of darkness, addiction and despair. We are baptized for these very tasks. We are people of the incarnation. “To us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”6 “Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things.”7
+ In nomine Jesu +
First Sunday After Christmas
29 December 2013
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 2:34-35
2 1 Corinthians 10:1-4
3 Galatians 4:4-5
4 Matthew 5:17
5 Hebrews 2:14-15
6 Isaiah 9:6
7 Psalm 98:1
Friday, December 27, 2013
Christmas Day 2013
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti Amen. +
Text: Hebrews 1:3
Theme: God, Christ, Love
Dear Worshippers of the Newborn King,
“God is love.”1 This is at once the most simple and the most complex truth that exists. It is also the most relevant truth. God is love. What does this mean? Christmas begins to give us a picture. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”2 Good Friday is the most vivid image. “God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”3 Easter is the celebration of its truth. “Because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ…and God raised us up with Christ.”4 Only in eternity will it be revealed completely to our senses. “Beloved, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”5
Pure love is completely non-reflexive, that is, it never focuses on itself, but always upon another. It is never self-directed. Even God’s love within the Trinity is not self-directed. The Father loves the Son and the Son the Father through the Spirit.
Because God’s pure love could not be self-contained, it flowed out to creation. Human beings especially, as beings created in God’s image, were the recipients of God’s love. His desire was to have that love freely returned. It lasted only for a while.
Our sin necessitated a new expression of God’s unconditional love. Jesus Christ in the flesh is that expression. Jesus Christ, love incarnate, is the centre of Christmas. He is love. In baptism we are embraced in His love. In communion we are nurtured with it.
The rest of this sermon is in its entirety a quotation of Holy Scripture on love, false and true. I invite you to listen afresh to these words of the Spirit, hearing His voice not in the form of obligatory verses peppered throughout a sermon, but as the life-giving declarations of God. “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world- the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does- comes not from the Father but from the world.”6 “The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished.”7 “The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and My people love it this way. But what will they do in the end?”8
“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.”9 “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace.”10 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”11
“We love because He first loved us. If anyone says, ‘I love God, yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.”12 “Dear children, let us love not with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”13 “This is love for God: to obey His commands. And His commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”14
“God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like Him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear”15
“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. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.”16 “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”17
“When the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”18 “This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might have life through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”19
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?”20 “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”21
Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
The Nativity of Our Lord
December 25, 2013
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
11 John 4:16 2 John 3:16 3 Romans 5:8 4 Ephesians 2:4-6
5 1 John 3:2 6 1 John 2:15-16 7 Numbers 14:18 8 Jeremiah 5:31
9 2 Timothy 3:1-4 10 2 Timothy 2:22 11 Matthew 22:37-40 12 1 John 4:19-20
13 1 John 3:18 14 1 John 5:3-4 15 1 John 4:16-18 16 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
17 1 Corinthians 13:13
18 Titus 3:4-7 19 1 John 4:9-10 20 Romans 8:35 21 Romans 8:37-39
Text: Hebrews 1:3
Theme: God, Christ, Love
Dear Worshippers of the Newborn King,
“God is love.”1 This is at once the most simple and the most complex truth that exists. It is also the most relevant truth. God is love. What does this mean? Christmas begins to give us a picture. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”2 Good Friday is the most vivid image. “God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”3 Easter is the celebration of its truth. “Because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ…and God raised us up with Christ.”4 Only in eternity will it be revealed completely to our senses. “Beloved, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”5
Pure love is completely non-reflexive, that is, it never focuses on itself, but always upon another. It is never self-directed. Even God’s love within the Trinity is not self-directed. The Father loves the Son and the Son the Father through the Spirit.
Because God’s pure love could not be self-contained, it flowed out to creation. Human beings especially, as beings created in God’s image, were the recipients of God’s love. His desire was to have that love freely returned. It lasted only for a while.
Our sin necessitated a new expression of God’s unconditional love. Jesus Christ in the flesh is that expression. Jesus Christ, love incarnate, is the centre of Christmas. He is love. In baptism we are embraced in His love. In communion we are nurtured with it.
The rest of this sermon is in its entirety a quotation of Holy Scripture on love, false and true. I invite you to listen afresh to these words of the Spirit, hearing His voice not in the form of obligatory verses peppered throughout a sermon, but as the life-giving declarations of God. “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world- the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does- comes not from the Father but from the world.”6 “The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished.”7 “The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and My people love it this way. But what will they do in the end?”8
“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.”9 “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace.”10 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”11
“We love because He first loved us. If anyone says, ‘I love God, yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.”12 “Dear children, let us love not with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”13 “This is love for God: to obey His commands. And His commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”14
“God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like Him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear”15
“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. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.”16 “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”17
“When the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”18 “This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might have life through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”19
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?”20 “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”21
Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
The Nativity of Our Lord
December 25, 2013
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
11 John 4:16 2 John 3:16 3 Romans 5:8 4 Ephesians 2:4-6
5 1 John 3:2 6 1 John 2:15-16 7 Numbers 14:18 8 Jeremiah 5:31
9 2 Timothy 3:1-4 10 2 Timothy 2:22 11 Matthew 22:37-40 12 1 John 4:19-20
13 1 John 3:18 14 1 John 5:3-4 15 1 John 4:16-18 16 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
17 1 Corinthians 13:13
18 Titus 3:4-7 19 1 John 4:9-10 20 Romans 8:35 21 Romans 8:37-39
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