+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Colossians 2:12
Theme: Baptism: Final Destination
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God never grows weary. “Have you not heard?” says the prophet, “He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom.”1 But what about us? Dragging around this yoke of mortality can be exhausting. Physically, yes! But what of the heart? The emotions? The will? The Christian life is a marathon, not a sprint. The finish is all that matters. Thanks be to God that in Christ we have not only the source of our strength but the final destination!
So what is the nature of this marathon that we participate in everyday but often plod through in a spiritual sleepwalk? A genuine tension exists in the baptismal life. Baptismal life is a very deliberately chosen synonym for Christian life; the life of obedience and faith. A better analogy for our voyage than running might be swimming; for baptism defines and sustains the conditions for our travel.
The tensions of our baptismal life can be best understood in an already/ not yet framework. The Bible speaks in this way. We are already citizens of the celestial realm. The Scripture says, “Our citizenship is in heaven.”2 But we have not yet been released from the restrictions of this fallen nature. It says, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”3 We are already freed from sin’s condemnation, but we are not yet liberated from the temptation to sin. Christ is the One who has already come to redeem us. Through His sacrificial death our salvation is signed, sealed, and delivered. Yet He has not yet returned to endow us with the full experience of our inheritance.
Of course faith is the means by which we straddle this already/not yet tension; a tension that infallibly characterizes the Christian life. It is inescapable. We have peace; but there is no resting on our laurels. We have an inheritance; but there is no attitude of entitlement. We have grace; but there is no presumption that we are owed it. The genius of Satan is His ability to deceive people into thinking they’re either on a spiritual welfare system or they can have the recognition of earning their own way into God’s favour.
So instead of seeking God’s wisdom we often look to solve our spiritual problems in our own way. In doing so we usually create other problems. One day a traveler was driving down a back country road when he noticed that there was a three-legged chicken running alongside his car. He stepped on the pedal but at 50 kilometers per hour, the chicken was still keeping up. After about a mile of running, the chicken ran up a farm lane and into a barn behind an old farm house. The man turned around and drove up the farm lane. He knocked at the door and when the farmer answered he told him what he had just seen. The farmer said that his son was a geneticist and he had developed this breed of chicken because he, his wife and his son each like a drumstick when they have chicken and this way they only have to kill one chicken at a time." That's the most fantastic thing I've ever heard," said the tourist. "How do they taste?" "I don't know," said the farmer. "We've never caught one."
Dear friends, we can never outpace the temptation to sin. Sin is not overcome by negotiating with it. Just as addiction cannot be satiated by indulging it, so too, our sinful natures cannot be placated by catering to them. When the sinful nature grows an extra limb it is more agile than before. There is no human solution to the power of sin. It requires divine intervention. Our sinful tendencies can never just be managed, they must be crucified. The Spirit calls us to repentance, not compromise.
Christ made no compromises when He secured our salvation. The Scriptures say we can be absolutely confident of it. It depends completely on Christ. That’s why the promise of your baptism is more certain than any subjective measure of your faith. The historical fact that at a particular time and place (regardless of your remembrance of it) God’s promise to you was ratified through this sacrament is an unshakeable foundation. This is not a pedantic point but a crucial spiritual truth. It distinguishes a biblical, Lutheran understanding of where certainty lies from an emotional one that is often wrongly labeled as charismatic. Faith is only present where the Holy Spirit is present. And the Holy Spirit is only present where the word and promise of God are.
Faith is a vehicle but it is never itself the object. It is not the origin of truth or the basis of salvation. Just as it is not your faith that makes Christ’s body and blood present in Holy Communion, but rather God’s word; so too, baptism is valid by virtue of God’s promise upon which it is founded. The difference may sound subtle but it relates to the source and certainty of our knowledge. Faith is tested but is never to be subjectively measured. The person who begins reflecting on how humble they are is in immediate danger of losing that modesty; they are already in the process. But the person who reflects on God’s grace finds certainty and comfort.
Our gathering over the past few days has given us opportunity to be renewed in the baptismal life. Sadly, living it has fallen on hard times. Why are the recent generations becoming so distanced from organized church? I don’t claim to be privy to particular reasons for particular people or circumstances but some generalizations are worth pondering. People don’t believe the church speaks relevantly or authoritatively to the tension in which they live. The church herself has created doubt. When the words “I believe in God the Father Almighty Maker of heaven and earth”4 roll off the lips, how many Christians actually believe what they are saying?
When the authority of God’s word is conceded the church starts to float on a sea of human opinion. Commands become guidelines. Creeds become conjectures. Confessions become theories. Absolutes become opinions. Christ was never a consensus-builder. He was a truth-proclaimer. He had no interest in fairness according to human standards. He was just according to divine standards. He absolved prostitutes. He condemned Pharisees. He dined with tax-collectors.
When the forgiveness of sins is no longer valued as essential, the need for church can quickly fade. For many, church involves little more than an opportunity for social interaction and the chance to satisfy the ego by “doing their little bit for God.” Any talk of sin and grace, repentance and forgiveness, heaven and hell is simply tolerated as a pious scheme of by-gone days. But there’s little need to preach to the choir. Still, the better we understand the more faithful our witness can be.
We cannot disconnect Christ from the Scriptures. To do so is like disconnecting a marriage from any vows, communication, or relationship. It becomes a theoretical exercise and an absurd one at that! Truth cannot be found by looking deeper into our hearts. Christ is not merely a messenger pointing the way to heaven; He is the means and the destination. He is the crucified and risen Lord and we are incorporated into His death and resurrection through baptism. This is our access to Him.
The Scripture says you have been, “…buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him through your faith in the power of God, who raised Him from the dead.”5 With Christ we are never without hope. With the Spirit we are never without comfort. With the Father we are never without a future. We are baptized. We are redeemed. In baptism you have already reached the final destination. You are at the finish line. But you cannot yet fully enjoy the reward. It’s only a matter of time. A small obstacle for Him who has already triumphed over the grave! Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Second Sunday After Epiphany
Lutheran Women of SA Retreat
18 January, 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Isaiah 40:28 2 Philippians 3:20
3 Romans 8:18 4 Apostles’ Creed 5 Colossians 2:12
Monday, January 19, 2015
Sunday, January 11, 2015
The Baptism of our Lord (B) 2015
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Mark 1:10-11
Theme: God’s Public Notice
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Today is the first Sunday in the season of Epiphany. Epiphany means “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 explains 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.
Clear expressions of the Trinity are evident at Jesus’ baptism. The Holy Spirit is visible in the form of a dove. At the creation the Holy Spirit hovered over the waters and during the flood Noah sent out a dove to mark the 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 temperament 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. It 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. God, through His Word and Spirit can change the heart of every human being. 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 shows no favoritism, but receives 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 open 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.”6 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 illustrated. As the body of Christ our fellowship with one another mirrors that relationship. We are called upon to put others ahead of ourselves; their interests ahead of ours. The fruits of our faith ripen to maturity.
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. Honour 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 need. Practice hospitality.”7 And trust firmly in the promise that your labour in the Lord is never in vain8. Christ has been shown through manger, cross, and empty tomb to be the bearer of our sins and the giver of new life. He tends us as a Shepherd, feeds us with sacred food, and cleanses us with baptismal water. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
First Sunday After Epiphany
The Baptism of Our Lord
11 January, 2015
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 Matthew 21:31
7 Romans 12:9-13
8 1 Corinthians 15:58
Text: Mark 1:10-11
Theme: God’s Public Notice
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Today is the first Sunday in the season of Epiphany. Epiphany means “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 explains 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.
Clear expressions of the Trinity are evident at Jesus’ baptism. The Holy Spirit is visible in the form of a dove. At the creation the Holy Spirit hovered over the waters and during the flood Noah sent out a dove to mark the 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 temperament 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. It 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. God, through His Word and Spirit can change the heart of every human being. 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 shows no favoritism, but receives 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 open 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.”6 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 illustrated. As the body of Christ our fellowship with one another mirrors that relationship. We are called upon to put others ahead of ourselves; their interests ahead of ours. The fruits of our faith ripen to maturity.
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. Honour 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 need. Practice hospitality.”7 And trust firmly in the promise that your labour in the Lord is never in vain8. Christ has been shown through manger, cross, and empty tomb to be the bearer of our sins and the giver of new life. He tends us as a Shepherd, feeds us with sacred food, and cleanses us with baptismal water. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
First Sunday After Epiphany
The Baptism of Our Lord
11 January, 2015
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 Matthew 21:31
7 Romans 12:9-13
8 1 Corinthians 15:58
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Second Sunday After Christmas (B) 2015
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti Amen +
Text: John 1:1-18
Theme: Dwelling Among Us
Dear Friends in Christ Jesus,
Existence is reconstituted in the coming of Jesus. 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 the Biblical perspective of life is understanding that what is commonly known as the natural state of things is actually a state of 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. The 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 Saviour.”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 concept. 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 honor 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 among others. The year 2015 is before us and we are faced with great challenge and opportunity. Despite the affluence of our culture (or we may say somewhat because of it) human need is as great as ever. People live in open ungodliness and societal mores become more secular. Our own country is a vast mission field right at our doorstep. Across the world some nations and people groups suffer great physical want 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 neighbour and in honour 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. Christ is Immanuel, God with us, and He will never leave. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Second Sunday After Christmas
4 January, 2015
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, Explanation to the First Commandment
6 John 1:12-13
7 Titus 3:5-6
8 Hebrews 12:2
9 Colossians 1:13-14
10 John 1:14
Text: John 1:1-18
Theme: Dwelling Among Us
Dear Friends in Christ Jesus,
Existence is reconstituted in the coming of Jesus. 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 the Biblical perspective of life is understanding that what is commonly known as the natural state of things is actually a state of 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. The 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 Saviour.”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 concept. 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 honor 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 among others. The year 2015 is before us and we are faced with great challenge and opportunity. Despite the affluence of our culture (or we may say somewhat because of it) human need is as great as ever. People live in open ungodliness and societal mores become more secular. Our own country is a vast mission field right at our doorstep. Across the world some nations and people groups suffer great physical want 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 neighbour and in honour 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. Christ is Immanuel, God with us, and He will never leave. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Second Sunday After Christmas
4 January, 2015
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, Explanation to the First Commandment
6 John 1:12-13
7 Titus 3:5-6
8 Hebrews 12:2
9 Colossians 1:13-14
10 John 1:14
Sunday, January 4, 2015
New Year's Eve 2014
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: 1 Peter 1:23
Theme: God’s Living and Enduring Word
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”1 It’s a biblical maxim that can seem to ears trained to want something new and revolutionizing to be uninspiring and even irrelevant. The pace of change has so captivated our way of thinking and living that we often have false expectations. Change is often associated with progress; and often this is true. Other times it is nothing more than the re-emergence of Satan’s forgotten schemes.
The Year of Our Lord 2014 has come to a close. Think what can happen over the course of a year. The biblical record recalls momentous events. During the time of Noah the earth went from its daily business to being submerged in flood waters in forty days lasting for nearly four month. During the time of Moses the Israelites were released from centuries of bondage and journeyed across the Red Sea in haste before wandering in the desert. Christ Himself rose from virtual obscurity to being pursued by the masses in a matter of months. Things can quickly change. Over the course of a year wars are engaged, dictators are toppled, economies falter. The world sometimes lurches forward and then back. Over the course of a year students graduate, jobs are lost or secured; children are born or leave home, illness strikes or recovery progresses, death visits some that are prepared for it and some who are not. But at the end of the year as at the beginning God is with His people.
One thing that will never change is our need for God’s grace because sin too, is unrelenting. The human nature of the next child to be conceived in this town is essentially no different than that of the very first. Neither genetic, nor social, nor cultural, nor environmental circumstances can eliminate, mitigate, or circumvent the power and presence of original sin. The apple does not fall very far from the tree. We are all fruit of Adam’s tree. The next child conceived needs Christ just as much as the child conceived 100 years ago and 1,000 years ago. If we don’t believe that then we’ve lost sight of what the Scriptures mean when they say, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.”2 Original sin is not a genotype that can be bred out of the human race. It’s not a gap in civilized virtue that only needs mending. It’s not a flawed perspective on Utopian society. Original sin is the glaring truth that apart from intervention of divine proportions we would all be lost.
Oh yes, we can put on the appearance that everything is basically running smoothly. That also helps alleviate our urge for any true repentance. We are adept at justifying ourselves. There were four Christians. They were called: Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was job to do: Love God and love your neighbour as yourself. Everybody was asked to do it. But Everybody was sure Somebody would. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody.
If we have it all together what help do we need from God? But stability in the ceaseless cycle of the world’s activity is an illusion. Not that we should fail to pray for stability in the temporal sphere. God rules the civil sphere, the left-hand kingdom, with power and providence. We should pray for it, vote wisely to promote it, and do what we can to support it. Orderliness in society provides not only the basis of safety for all, but also the opportunity for the Word of God to be openly proclaimed- ideally with impunity. But we should not be misinformed about what it offers us.
Is the world a more dangerous place than a year ago? Terror touched the lives of people in places as far flung as Sydney, Ottawa, and Pakistan. War and civil unrest continue unabated in many parts of the world. People become unsettled and even filled with fear when disorder goes unchecked and strikes by surprise. Yet Christ Himself says, “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed…these are the beginning of birth pains.”3
Dear friends, in a world of uncertainty and instability Christ is an unfailing and immovable. Our Scripture for this New Years’ Eve says Christians now participate in His immortal power. “You have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.”4 Seeds are remarkable entities of God’s creation. A seed can lay dormant, imperious to dust and draught, wind and woe, quietly biding its time. Then it springs to life. When it takes root it can quickly establish a growing plant that soon bears fruit.
Perhaps you will be pursuing some kind of personal change in the coming year? What approaches will you take? What type of sacrifices will need to be made? What are your expectations? A woman went to the police station to report a missing husband. She described him as "29 years old, six foot three, athletic, and handsome." The sergeant shook his head. "Wait a minute, madam, I know your husband. He’s 50, short, and overweight." "Sure he is” the woman replied, "But I never said which husband!”
Christians are sometimes accused of looking at the world through rose-coloured glasses; of being idealistic and impractical. But Christian hope is not the same as false optimism. Cheerful conviction is not the same as childish naivety. As we mature in the faith we learn not to be reliant on fallible schemes of human wisdom. The Almighty God says, “When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep steady its pillars.”5 He says we are “receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken.”6 It is only because God is immutable that we can be transformed by the constancy of His love. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade- kept in heaven for you.”7
Viewed in biblical perspective Christians can face the coming year with hope and promise. The Year of Our Lord 2015 is the next calendar year in your baptismal journey. Yet in God’s time our days tick off in parallel with the timelessness of eternity. Constant in love; faithful in mercy, God in Christ will not fail to attend to us in prosperity and adversity. Your strength, forgiveness, and hope will continue to come from the same sources it always has: The Word, The Spirit, returning to the font, kneeling to receive the body and blood of the Saviour. Christ for us. Christ in us. Christ crucified. Christ risen. Christ living, interceding, and ruling on behalf of His redeemed people. In a few hours the calendar turns over but God’s favour is never turned away. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
New Year’s Eve
31 December 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Hebrews 13:8
2 Romans 5:12
3 Matthew 24:6, 8
4 1 Peter 1:23
5 Psalm 75:3
6 Hebrews 12:28
7 1 Peter 1:3-4
Text: 1 Peter 1:23
Theme: God’s Living and Enduring Word
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”1 It’s a biblical maxim that can seem to ears trained to want something new and revolutionizing to be uninspiring and even irrelevant. The pace of change has so captivated our way of thinking and living that we often have false expectations. Change is often associated with progress; and often this is true. Other times it is nothing more than the re-emergence of Satan’s forgotten schemes.
The Year of Our Lord 2014 has come to a close. Think what can happen over the course of a year. The biblical record recalls momentous events. During the time of Noah the earth went from its daily business to being submerged in flood waters in forty days lasting for nearly four month. During the time of Moses the Israelites were released from centuries of bondage and journeyed across the Red Sea in haste before wandering in the desert. Christ Himself rose from virtual obscurity to being pursued by the masses in a matter of months. Things can quickly change. Over the course of a year wars are engaged, dictators are toppled, economies falter. The world sometimes lurches forward and then back. Over the course of a year students graduate, jobs are lost or secured; children are born or leave home, illness strikes or recovery progresses, death visits some that are prepared for it and some who are not. But at the end of the year as at the beginning God is with His people.
One thing that will never change is our need for God’s grace because sin too, is unrelenting. The human nature of the next child to be conceived in this town is essentially no different than that of the very first. Neither genetic, nor social, nor cultural, nor environmental circumstances can eliminate, mitigate, or circumvent the power and presence of original sin. The apple does not fall very far from the tree. We are all fruit of Adam’s tree. The next child conceived needs Christ just as much as the child conceived 100 years ago and 1,000 years ago. If we don’t believe that then we’ve lost sight of what the Scriptures mean when they say, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.”2 Original sin is not a genotype that can be bred out of the human race. It’s not a gap in civilized virtue that only needs mending. It’s not a flawed perspective on Utopian society. Original sin is the glaring truth that apart from intervention of divine proportions we would all be lost.
Oh yes, we can put on the appearance that everything is basically running smoothly. That also helps alleviate our urge for any true repentance. We are adept at justifying ourselves. There were four Christians. They were called: Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was job to do: Love God and love your neighbour as yourself. Everybody was asked to do it. But Everybody was sure Somebody would. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody.
If we have it all together what help do we need from God? But stability in the ceaseless cycle of the world’s activity is an illusion. Not that we should fail to pray for stability in the temporal sphere. God rules the civil sphere, the left-hand kingdom, with power and providence. We should pray for it, vote wisely to promote it, and do what we can to support it. Orderliness in society provides not only the basis of safety for all, but also the opportunity for the Word of God to be openly proclaimed- ideally with impunity. But we should not be misinformed about what it offers us.
Is the world a more dangerous place than a year ago? Terror touched the lives of people in places as far flung as Sydney, Ottawa, and Pakistan. War and civil unrest continue unabated in many parts of the world. People become unsettled and even filled with fear when disorder goes unchecked and strikes by surprise. Yet Christ Himself says, “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed…these are the beginning of birth pains.”3
Dear friends, in a world of uncertainty and instability Christ is an unfailing and immovable. Our Scripture for this New Years’ Eve says Christians now participate in His immortal power. “You have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.”4 Seeds are remarkable entities of God’s creation. A seed can lay dormant, imperious to dust and draught, wind and woe, quietly biding its time. Then it springs to life. When it takes root it can quickly establish a growing plant that soon bears fruit.
Perhaps you will be pursuing some kind of personal change in the coming year? What approaches will you take? What type of sacrifices will need to be made? What are your expectations? A woman went to the police station to report a missing husband. She described him as "29 years old, six foot three, athletic, and handsome." The sergeant shook his head. "Wait a minute, madam, I know your husband. He’s 50, short, and overweight." "Sure he is” the woman replied, "But I never said which husband!”
Christians are sometimes accused of looking at the world through rose-coloured glasses; of being idealistic and impractical. But Christian hope is not the same as false optimism. Cheerful conviction is not the same as childish naivety. As we mature in the faith we learn not to be reliant on fallible schemes of human wisdom. The Almighty God says, “When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep steady its pillars.”5 He says we are “receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken.”6 It is only because God is immutable that we can be transformed by the constancy of His love. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade- kept in heaven for you.”7
Viewed in biblical perspective Christians can face the coming year with hope and promise. The Year of Our Lord 2015 is the next calendar year in your baptismal journey. Yet in God’s time our days tick off in parallel with the timelessness of eternity. Constant in love; faithful in mercy, God in Christ will not fail to attend to us in prosperity and adversity. Your strength, forgiveness, and hope will continue to come from the same sources it always has: The Word, The Spirit, returning to the font, kneeling to receive the body and blood of the Saviour. Christ for us. Christ in us. Christ crucified. Christ risen. Christ living, interceding, and ruling on behalf of His redeemed people. In a few hours the calendar turns over but God’s favour is never turned away. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
New Year’s Eve
31 December 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Hebrews 13:8
2 Romans 5:12
3 Matthew 24:6, 8
4 1 Peter 1:23
5 Psalm 75:3
6 Hebrews 12:28
7 1 Peter 1:3-4
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Christian Burial of Louise Jane Kershaw
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 5:24
Theme: Life Restored
Dear family, friends and loved ones of Louise; Robert, Sue; Declan, Ashton, Averyall; and especially you; Mark,
Silence is often the better part of wisdom. It is for fools, anyway, and before God we are all fools. What can be said that does not sound trite, inadequate, or redundant? What can be uttered to soothe such pain? Words are often insufficient to express the movements of the heart. Tears can say more. Silence does not extinguish anguish but it does honour grief. Louise Kershaw has finished her struggle. In the midst of our sorrow we are gathered to give thanks that she has now been released.
The struggle of grief is as old as the human race. The Bible presents to us the ancient figure of Job. Job was the quintessential man of suffering. Bereft of ten children, robbed of all possessions, victim of cruel infirmity; this Job pleads his cause. “If?” He says. “If I have put my trust in gold…if I have rejoiced over my great wealth…if I have I have rejoiced at my enemy’s misfortune…if I have concealed my sin.”1 If anyone can bring forth evidence of why I deserve to be burdened with such pain and loss…please make it known. When Job’s three friends came to comfort him the Scripture says this, “When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud…then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.”2
Dear friends, life is precious at all times and at every age. Span of life should not numb us to the vile nature of death. Our minds should not be at ease or our hearts at peace when we observe someone live to a so-called ripe old age. Death is still the devastating consequence of living in a fallen world; of being creatures fully vulnerable to the crisis of mortality. Death for any person, of any age, in any condition, and under every circumstance is always, always the result of sin reaching its maturity. No human can stand against the power of death. Mortality is an unbending reality.
Louise is a testimony to that truth. Louise had tenacity. She was vibrant and full of life. She had drive and determination. She always saw things through to completion. And no one could allege otherwise. She was meticulous, thorough, and organized. Louise’s life; her outlook, her training, her attitude were the epitome of physical health and well-being. Her will-power and conditioning undoubtedly gave her many extra days in the end. She was a devoted wife and loving mother. She had a passion for the well-being of others.
It is perhaps more tempting to glamourize someone we deem to have died prematurely or unfairly. Undisciplined sympathy can facilitate counterfeit portrayals of the historical past. But it’s not an authentic way to grieve. Nor is it an honest way to be remembered. Louise would not have wanted us to construct a flowery façade exaggerating or misrepresenting her personal qualities or life’s achievements. She knew her shortcomings. She knew she stood in need of God’s grace. She knew there was no way from here to there apart from that grace.
When Louise received Holy Communion for the final time she was asked to respond to this question: “Do you believe that Jesus Christ has redeemed you from all your sins, and do you desire forgiveness in his name?”3 Her answer was, “I do.” It was a Spirit-wrought response of conviction. She was frail, but forgiven. Her body was failing but her spirit was renewed. Louise recalled and recounted in those moments the promises that had been made to her. The pledge of her baptism was nearing its time of fulfillment. She was soon to receive her eternal inheritance and the crown of life.
Yes, words are often inadequate to express the movements of the heart. And yet God dares to speak. To the still presumptuous Job He says, “Who is this that darkens My counsel with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you and, and you shall answer Me. Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundations?”4 Indeed, who can stand with impunity before the holy One? But in the end spoken words were insufficient for God too. His heart was so moved, so filled with compassion, so rent with pity that Christ came to put flesh on God’s words. The Almighty, immortal, inaccessible God, pure spirit and untouchable divinity took up His throne in the humility of a manger. He came not simply to lament a world mired in sin but to redeem it. As that Word-made-flesh He became the sacrifice for the accumulated sins of all humanity. He came to be present with His struggling people.
His words, immortal words, are backed up by death and resurrection. He says, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”5 He said to the grieving Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies.”6
And the Holy Spirit says through the apostle Paul, “We do not want you… to grieve like the rest of men who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.”4 Louise fell asleep in the Saviour’s embrace.
She is no longer in need of our prayers. Restored to life she resides in the presence of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, saints and angels. We continue this earthly journey without her; pressing on through the shadows to the promised light. Grief will still accompany us. Each journey is unique. Who dares to claim that they have walked in Mark’s shoes and so understand his sorrow? Who dares to identity with Declan, Ashton, or Averyall at the loss of their mum? God alone reserves these rights. But we do not grieve as those who have no hope.
Louise Kershaw has crossed over from death to life. It’s a crossing that can only be made by traversing the wood of the cross. She has traversed her final Good Friday and last Easter dawn. The empty tomb is the portal to heaven. Silence is said to be golden. Our grieving is righty gilded with gold. But Louise now enjoys the laughter of the celestial realm. Such revelry we cannot begrudge her. She is at peace, whole again and waiting that great and grand resurrection on the Last Day. May both our silent contemplations and our lively reminiscences reflect grateful appreciation for God’s blessing of Louise and to Louise in her earthly time and now in eternity. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Christian Burial of Louise Jane Kershaw
31 December 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Job 31:24, 25, 29, 33
2 Job 2:12-13
3 Lutheran Hymnal, page 6
4 Job 38:2-4
5 John 5:24
6 John 11:25
7 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
Text: John 5:24
Theme: Life Restored
Dear family, friends and loved ones of Louise; Robert, Sue; Declan, Ashton, Averyall; and especially you; Mark,
Silence is often the better part of wisdom. It is for fools, anyway, and before God we are all fools. What can be said that does not sound trite, inadequate, or redundant? What can be uttered to soothe such pain? Words are often insufficient to express the movements of the heart. Tears can say more. Silence does not extinguish anguish but it does honour grief. Louise Kershaw has finished her struggle. In the midst of our sorrow we are gathered to give thanks that she has now been released.
The struggle of grief is as old as the human race. The Bible presents to us the ancient figure of Job. Job was the quintessential man of suffering. Bereft of ten children, robbed of all possessions, victim of cruel infirmity; this Job pleads his cause. “If?” He says. “If I have put my trust in gold…if I have rejoiced over my great wealth…if I have I have rejoiced at my enemy’s misfortune…if I have concealed my sin.”1 If anyone can bring forth evidence of why I deserve to be burdened with such pain and loss…please make it known. When Job’s three friends came to comfort him the Scripture says this, “When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud…then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.”2
Dear friends, life is precious at all times and at every age. Span of life should not numb us to the vile nature of death. Our minds should not be at ease or our hearts at peace when we observe someone live to a so-called ripe old age. Death is still the devastating consequence of living in a fallen world; of being creatures fully vulnerable to the crisis of mortality. Death for any person, of any age, in any condition, and under every circumstance is always, always the result of sin reaching its maturity. No human can stand against the power of death. Mortality is an unbending reality.
Louise is a testimony to that truth. Louise had tenacity. She was vibrant and full of life. She had drive and determination. She always saw things through to completion. And no one could allege otherwise. She was meticulous, thorough, and organized. Louise’s life; her outlook, her training, her attitude were the epitome of physical health and well-being. Her will-power and conditioning undoubtedly gave her many extra days in the end. She was a devoted wife and loving mother. She had a passion for the well-being of others.
It is perhaps more tempting to glamourize someone we deem to have died prematurely or unfairly. Undisciplined sympathy can facilitate counterfeit portrayals of the historical past. But it’s not an authentic way to grieve. Nor is it an honest way to be remembered. Louise would not have wanted us to construct a flowery façade exaggerating or misrepresenting her personal qualities or life’s achievements. She knew her shortcomings. She knew she stood in need of God’s grace. She knew there was no way from here to there apart from that grace.
When Louise received Holy Communion for the final time she was asked to respond to this question: “Do you believe that Jesus Christ has redeemed you from all your sins, and do you desire forgiveness in his name?”3 Her answer was, “I do.” It was a Spirit-wrought response of conviction. She was frail, but forgiven. Her body was failing but her spirit was renewed. Louise recalled and recounted in those moments the promises that had been made to her. The pledge of her baptism was nearing its time of fulfillment. She was soon to receive her eternal inheritance and the crown of life.
Yes, words are often inadequate to express the movements of the heart. And yet God dares to speak. To the still presumptuous Job He says, “Who is this that darkens My counsel with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you and, and you shall answer Me. Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundations?”4 Indeed, who can stand with impunity before the holy One? But in the end spoken words were insufficient for God too. His heart was so moved, so filled with compassion, so rent with pity that Christ came to put flesh on God’s words. The Almighty, immortal, inaccessible God, pure spirit and untouchable divinity took up His throne in the humility of a manger. He came not simply to lament a world mired in sin but to redeem it. As that Word-made-flesh He became the sacrifice for the accumulated sins of all humanity. He came to be present with His struggling people.
His words, immortal words, are backed up by death and resurrection. He says, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”5 He said to the grieving Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies.”6
And the Holy Spirit says through the apostle Paul, “We do not want you… to grieve like the rest of men who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.”4 Louise fell asleep in the Saviour’s embrace.
She is no longer in need of our prayers. Restored to life she resides in the presence of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, saints and angels. We continue this earthly journey without her; pressing on through the shadows to the promised light. Grief will still accompany us. Each journey is unique. Who dares to claim that they have walked in Mark’s shoes and so understand his sorrow? Who dares to identity with Declan, Ashton, or Averyall at the loss of their mum? God alone reserves these rights. But we do not grieve as those who have no hope.
Louise Kershaw has crossed over from death to life. It’s a crossing that can only be made by traversing the wood of the cross. She has traversed her final Good Friday and last Easter dawn. The empty tomb is the portal to heaven. Silence is said to be golden. Our grieving is righty gilded with gold. But Louise now enjoys the laughter of the celestial realm. Such revelry we cannot begrudge her. She is at peace, whole again and waiting that great and grand resurrection on the Last Day. May both our silent contemplations and our lively reminiscences reflect grateful appreciation for God’s blessing of Louise and to Louise in her earthly time and now in eternity. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Christian Burial of Louise Jane Kershaw
31 December 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Job 31:24, 25, 29, 33
2 Job 2:12-13
3 Lutheran Hymnal, page 6
4 Job 38:2-4
5 John 5:24
6 John 11:25
7 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
First Sunday After Christmas (B) 2014
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti Amen. +
Text: Matthew 2:13-15
Theme: “The Journey Begins”
Dear Followers of the Newborn King,
And so the journey began. Our newborn Saviour is soon on the run. December 28th is on the church calendar, the day for the recognition of the Holy Innocents. This day seldom receives much attention because of its proximity to Christmas. It affords us the opportunity to get a glimpse into the tumultuous early life of Jesus. Instead of settling down for a stable life in Palestine, Joseph is told by God that they must flee. “When they had gone [the Magi], an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. ‘Get up,’ he said, ‘take the Child and His mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill Him.’”1 And thus began the efforts of Satan to derail God’s plan of redemption in Christ.
We see that Herod must have been keenly aware of at least the substance of the prophecy spoken by Simeon in the temple when he held the baby Jesus. “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.”2 At any rate, in Herod’s determination to protect his throne from any threats, the heart of Satan was revealed. In the process, the innocent were caught in his tangled web of destruction. The infant boys in Bethlehem- how many there were we do not know- were sacrificed merely because of their “guilt by association.” They were put to death, simply because they lived in the town in which Jesus was born.
This ruthless act might understandably cause us to question how God could let it be so. Young, innocent lives are ended because it was thought Christ was among them. Through this act, prophecy was fulfilled. We should learn from this the degree to which sin has permeated and poisoned all creation. Nothing and no one is left unaffected by the consequences of living in this fallen world. The “innocent” perish along with the guilty; Sometimes believers along with the unbeliever alike. Yet we could never cry unfair to God’s. Firstly, no one can claim exemption from sin. The Scriptures says, “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.”3 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”4 Secondly, upon death, believers enter into eternal life. We should begrudge no one their eternal glory. When it may seem to us that a believer’s life is unfairly ended, we must consider that God may have been sparing them from future hardship and suffering. Isaiah says, “The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil.”5
The innocent boys put to death in Bethlehem forever stand as a testimony to Satan’s determination to thwart the plan of salvation and his disregard for human life. We who live in a time when society claims to value life highly, and yet leaves the most fragile of lives unprotected, should be driven to shame and repentance and action. The number of unborn children, the most vulnerable among us, whose lives are ended every year by abortion, is appalling. The prevalence of this practice shows that though we may sanitize things outwardly- shielding people from the graphic knowledge of what goes on- inwardly our hearts readily usurp the place of God in placing value on life. And so the most compromised are taken advantage of.
The fact that the Father shielded His Son from the wrath of Herod stands as a testimony to His mercy and His power to bring His will to fruition. The Child of Bethlehem would have to live to see Calvary. His young life would be spared temporal death at this time so that through His death, He could offer eternal life to all. He is risen and is no more vulnerable to the vile deeds of men or the ravings of Satan. Why certain people and places were involved along the way as they were rests only in the mind of God.
God has His reasons for leaving some things shrouded in mystery, but He is not the author of confusion. The nature of some matters He leaves for future explanation. We will find out in heaven. But other things He reveals to us with crystal clarity. The means of salvation is the most important of these things. The Saviour, whose life was spared by His flight into Egypt, spared the lives of all who believe when He eventually gave Himself over to death. God wants there to be no confusion about how it is that this salvation is yours. Our celebration of Christmas centres on the giving of the ultimate gift. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.”6 And again, “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age.”7 And again, “There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all men.”8
This gift is freely given, and it is received only through divine effort. God wants it to be clearly understood that only through the gospel proclaimed and the Holy Spirit working are the hearts and minds of people changed and transformed. Dear friends, faith; faith that avails unto salvation, is not the result of human striving, not the accomplishment of human effort; it is trust that the gift of Christmas was for the forgiveness of sins. Faith is not a tangible thing that can be put in a box and wrapped up like a Christmas present. Faith involves the embrace of Christ, who provides for every need and most of all for eternal salvation.
This is the third day of the celebration of our Lord’s birth. The difficult circumstances under which He was born get no easier as He becomes a fugitive in Egypt. He perhaps doesn’t seem worthy of acclaiming as King of kings and Lord of lords. How can one boast about a fugitive Saviour? How can one be impressed with a Messiah that will die a criminal’s death by crucifixion? But it has all come to pass and we have but to rejoice with exceedingly great joy like the wise men, worship Him as they did; make haste like the shepherds and tell of the good news like they did; join with the angels and sing glory to God as they did. “To us a child is born, to us a Son is given.”9 Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
First Sunday After Christmas
The Holy Innocents
28 December, 20014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1Matthew 2:13
2 Luke 2:34-35
3Romans 3:10-11
4 Romans 3:23
5 Isaiah 57:1
6 John 3:16
7 Galatians 1:3-4
8 1 Timothy 2:5-6
9 Isaiah 9:6
Text: Matthew 2:13-15
Theme: “The Journey Begins”
Dear Followers of the Newborn King,
And so the journey began. Our newborn Saviour is soon on the run. December 28th is on the church calendar, the day for the recognition of the Holy Innocents. This day seldom receives much attention because of its proximity to Christmas. It affords us the opportunity to get a glimpse into the tumultuous early life of Jesus. Instead of settling down for a stable life in Palestine, Joseph is told by God that they must flee. “When they had gone [the Magi], an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. ‘Get up,’ he said, ‘take the Child and His mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill Him.’”1 And thus began the efforts of Satan to derail God’s plan of redemption in Christ.
We see that Herod must have been keenly aware of at least the substance of the prophecy spoken by Simeon in the temple when he held the baby Jesus. “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.”2 At any rate, in Herod’s determination to protect his throne from any threats, the heart of Satan was revealed. In the process, the innocent were caught in his tangled web of destruction. The infant boys in Bethlehem- how many there were we do not know- were sacrificed merely because of their “guilt by association.” They were put to death, simply because they lived in the town in which Jesus was born.
This ruthless act might understandably cause us to question how God could let it be so. Young, innocent lives are ended because it was thought Christ was among them. Through this act, prophecy was fulfilled. We should learn from this the degree to which sin has permeated and poisoned all creation. Nothing and no one is left unaffected by the consequences of living in this fallen world. The “innocent” perish along with the guilty; Sometimes believers along with the unbeliever alike. Yet we could never cry unfair to God’s. Firstly, no one can claim exemption from sin. The Scriptures says, “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.”3 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”4 Secondly, upon death, believers enter into eternal life. We should begrudge no one their eternal glory. When it may seem to us that a believer’s life is unfairly ended, we must consider that God may have been sparing them from future hardship and suffering. Isaiah says, “The righteous perish, and no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil.”5
The innocent boys put to death in Bethlehem forever stand as a testimony to Satan’s determination to thwart the plan of salvation and his disregard for human life. We who live in a time when society claims to value life highly, and yet leaves the most fragile of lives unprotected, should be driven to shame and repentance and action. The number of unborn children, the most vulnerable among us, whose lives are ended every year by abortion, is appalling. The prevalence of this practice shows that though we may sanitize things outwardly- shielding people from the graphic knowledge of what goes on- inwardly our hearts readily usurp the place of God in placing value on life. And so the most compromised are taken advantage of.
The fact that the Father shielded His Son from the wrath of Herod stands as a testimony to His mercy and His power to bring His will to fruition. The Child of Bethlehem would have to live to see Calvary. His young life would be spared temporal death at this time so that through His death, He could offer eternal life to all. He is risen and is no more vulnerable to the vile deeds of men or the ravings of Satan. Why certain people and places were involved along the way as they were rests only in the mind of God.
God has His reasons for leaving some things shrouded in mystery, but He is not the author of confusion. The nature of some matters He leaves for future explanation. We will find out in heaven. But other things He reveals to us with crystal clarity. The means of salvation is the most important of these things. The Saviour, whose life was spared by His flight into Egypt, spared the lives of all who believe when He eventually gave Himself over to death. God wants there to be no confusion about how it is that this salvation is yours. Our celebration of Christmas centres on the giving of the ultimate gift. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.”6 And again, “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age.”7 And again, “There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all men.”8
This gift is freely given, and it is received only through divine effort. God wants it to be clearly understood that only through the gospel proclaimed and the Holy Spirit working are the hearts and minds of people changed and transformed. Dear friends, faith; faith that avails unto salvation, is not the result of human striving, not the accomplishment of human effort; it is trust that the gift of Christmas was for the forgiveness of sins. Faith is not a tangible thing that can be put in a box and wrapped up like a Christmas present. Faith involves the embrace of Christ, who provides for every need and most of all for eternal salvation.
This is the third day of the celebration of our Lord’s birth. The difficult circumstances under which He was born get no easier as He becomes a fugitive in Egypt. He perhaps doesn’t seem worthy of acclaiming as King of kings and Lord of lords. How can one boast about a fugitive Saviour? How can one be impressed with a Messiah that will die a criminal’s death by crucifixion? But it has all come to pass and we have but to rejoice with exceedingly great joy like the wise men, worship Him as they did; make haste like the shepherds and tell of the good news like they did; join with the angels and sing glory to God as they did. “To us a child is born, to us a Son is given.”9 Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
First Sunday After Christmas
The Holy Innocents
28 December, 20014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1Matthew 2:13
2 Luke 2:34-35
3Romans 3:10-11
4 Romans 3:23
5 Isaiah 57:1
6 John 3:16
7 Galatians 1:3-4
8 1 Timothy 2:5-6
9 Isaiah 9:6
Sunday, December 28, 2014
Christmas Day 2014
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 1:4
Theme: “In Him Was Life”
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God breathed new life into the wilting world. Bending, breaking, aching, smarting the weight of the world was hanging in suspended animation until the wood the manger could be shaped into the timber of the cross. It took 33 long years- a grueling test for Christ’s mortal frame but in God’s measure of time it was but a blink of an eye. The shadow of Calvary looms behind the cradle in Bethlehem. Like book ends they frame the earthly life of Him who rules a heavenly kingdom. The flickering light of the nativity is a tiny precursor of the brilliance of His eternal glory. In His life we know truth and through that truth the Spirit gives life. Spirit-given life always finds its place in the orderliness of His kingdom.
Life is not soulless. Dear friends, one of the great deceptions of our age is the claim that life came to exist through chaotic and purposeless cosmic forces. “It was all by chance,” many experts say; a random nexus of chemical and physical conditions ignited by some epic aberration and facilitated by eons of time. In short, the mystery and miracle of life is not divine, they say, but a mechanical and purposeless coincidence. No rhyme, no reason; just mindless forces of nature governing our world. The progression of such cold thinking threatens to drain the soul out of humanity.
The gentle embrace of an infant’s grip presents evidence of the contrary. Dear friends, until the Almighty God spoke no material even existed that could organize itself in any meaningful way. All life, created by the Godhead, exists only through divine providence and power. Human life has primacy and immortality only through Christ. The Holy Spirit spoke the promise to Mary and in her womb conceived the source and centre of all life. The mind-blowing complexity of what we observe is underpinned, upheld, and sustained by the sheer grace and power of Him alone. The Scripture says, “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.”1
The Child of Bethlehem gives meaning to our existence. Of course, that’s a matter for faith. The heart and mind detached from God cannot see or hear it. Sin blinds the eye and deafens the ear. It robs us of His life. It may be truer at Christmas than any other time of year that we can be deceived into thinking that the blessings we enjoy are deserved or self-achieved. And it is possible to ‘give’ in a way where you value more the praise you will receive than the value of the gift itself. The nostalgia of the scene at Bethlehem cannot be used to cover false motives. We can’t measure blessings strictly by human parameters. It’s not a matter of what we possess but who we are possessed by. The angels communicate to us good news of great joy: A Saviour has been born.
Perhaps one of the great ironies of the present age is the failure of communication technology to help reconcile and improve human relationships. Just think how family Christmas giving and receiving has changed over the last generation. It has transitioned from an emphasis on more practical, hands-on gifts to technological devices that wire us to a more virtual reality. Computers, iPad, iPhone, iPod, and extensive exposure to all things electronic now characterizes many Christmases. This is not wrong in and of itself. But we should be attentive to its influences among us.
We have nearly instantaneous communication and the power of social media so our relationships should be stronger than ever! Right? We have the tools. We have the technology. Yet marriages falter. Families are broken. Friendships are strained. Our conversations are not embodied in truth and marked with forgiveness. We don’t converse as if we were gathered around the manger. We are not filled with the joy of the angels. We don’t have the humility of the shepherds. We thrust ourselves to the centre of the conversation. Technology has no inherent ability to foster stronger relationships and can just as easily be used to tear them down.
One thing we can be certain of: Christ has reconciled us to the heavenly Father. Our Christmas joy comes from knowing He is ever-faithful. The prophet says, “Burst into songs of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem.”2 Yes, the prophet announces a joy that has no equal. Erupt into celebration you who despair of hope or happiness. A Redeemer has been born this day. Break forth into gladness you who are tormented by trial and temptation. A Saviour now dwells with you in the midst of your adversity. Launch into cheerfulness you who are weighed down with grief and sadness. The restorer of life now makes Himself known. Reflect joyfully, people of God, love incarnate, grace embodied, peace enfleshed has come to us.
Such joy can never be kept private. “Glory to God”3 sing the angels. In this tiny infant’s frame death’s supremacy is undone. “Hallelujah!”4 Shout the multitudes of heaven. “Salvation and glory and power belong to our God…Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory.” 5 He has overcome death and the grave. Christ was born for you. You’re not a distant observer peering into the manger from afar. He has you locked in His sights. You are the centre of His target; the aim of His mercy. You are the benefactor of His benevolence; the recipient of His healing love. You are His cherished bride; His found sheep; His resurrected son. You are the blind man seeing; the leper cured; the sinner absolved. You are His baptized. You are guests at His royal table.
Seeing the manger through the cross’s shadow and Easter’s morning light does not serve to kill the joy of Christmas. Rather it gives us the advantage of knowing the incarnation of Christ was not a failed sentimental attempt at reviving humanity. Christ entered into the fray in Bethlehem but He promises we will reside in the heavenly Jerusalem. “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”6 Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
The Nativity of Our Lord
Christmas Day
25 December 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Romans 11:36
2 Isaiah 52:9
3 Luke 2:14
4 Revelation 19:1
5 Revelation 19:1, 6-7
6 John 1:14
Text: John 1:4
Theme: “In Him Was Life”
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God breathed new life into the wilting world. Bending, breaking, aching, smarting the weight of the world was hanging in suspended animation until the wood the manger could be shaped into the timber of the cross. It took 33 long years- a grueling test for Christ’s mortal frame but in God’s measure of time it was but a blink of an eye. The shadow of Calvary looms behind the cradle in Bethlehem. Like book ends they frame the earthly life of Him who rules a heavenly kingdom. The flickering light of the nativity is a tiny precursor of the brilliance of His eternal glory. In His life we know truth and through that truth the Spirit gives life. Spirit-given life always finds its place in the orderliness of His kingdom.
Life is not soulless. Dear friends, one of the great deceptions of our age is the claim that life came to exist through chaotic and purposeless cosmic forces. “It was all by chance,” many experts say; a random nexus of chemical and physical conditions ignited by some epic aberration and facilitated by eons of time. In short, the mystery and miracle of life is not divine, they say, but a mechanical and purposeless coincidence. No rhyme, no reason; just mindless forces of nature governing our world. The progression of such cold thinking threatens to drain the soul out of humanity.
The gentle embrace of an infant’s grip presents evidence of the contrary. Dear friends, until the Almighty God spoke no material even existed that could organize itself in any meaningful way. All life, created by the Godhead, exists only through divine providence and power. Human life has primacy and immortality only through Christ. The Holy Spirit spoke the promise to Mary and in her womb conceived the source and centre of all life. The mind-blowing complexity of what we observe is underpinned, upheld, and sustained by the sheer grace and power of Him alone. The Scripture says, “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.”1
The Child of Bethlehem gives meaning to our existence. Of course, that’s a matter for faith. The heart and mind detached from God cannot see or hear it. Sin blinds the eye and deafens the ear. It robs us of His life. It may be truer at Christmas than any other time of year that we can be deceived into thinking that the blessings we enjoy are deserved or self-achieved. And it is possible to ‘give’ in a way where you value more the praise you will receive than the value of the gift itself. The nostalgia of the scene at Bethlehem cannot be used to cover false motives. We can’t measure blessings strictly by human parameters. It’s not a matter of what we possess but who we are possessed by. The angels communicate to us good news of great joy: A Saviour has been born.
Perhaps one of the great ironies of the present age is the failure of communication technology to help reconcile and improve human relationships. Just think how family Christmas giving and receiving has changed over the last generation. It has transitioned from an emphasis on more practical, hands-on gifts to technological devices that wire us to a more virtual reality. Computers, iPad, iPhone, iPod, and extensive exposure to all things electronic now characterizes many Christmases. This is not wrong in and of itself. But we should be attentive to its influences among us.
We have nearly instantaneous communication and the power of social media so our relationships should be stronger than ever! Right? We have the tools. We have the technology. Yet marriages falter. Families are broken. Friendships are strained. Our conversations are not embodied in truth and marked with forgiveness. We don’t converse as if we were gathered around the manger. We are not filled with the joy of the angels. We don’t have the humility of the shepherds. We thrust ourselves to the centre of the conversation. Technology has no inherent ability to foster stronger relationships and can just as easily be used to tear them down.
One thing we can be certain of: Christ has reconciled us to the heavenly Father. Our Christmas joy comes from knowing He is ever-faithful. The prophet says, “Burst into songs of joy together, you ruins of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem.”2 Yes, the prophet announces a joy that has no equal. Erupt into celebration you who despair of hope or happiness. A Redeemer has been born this day. Break forth into gladness you who are tormented by trial and temptation. A Saviour now dwells with you in the midst of your adversity. Launch into cheerfulness you who are weighed down with grief and sadness. The restorer of life now makes Himself known. Reflect joyfully, people of God, love incarnate, grace embodied, peace enfleshed has come to us.
Such joy can never be kept private. “Glory to God”3 sing the angels. In this tiny infant’s frame death’s supremacy is undone. “Hallelujah!”4 Shout the multitudes of heaven. “Salvation and glory and power belong to our God…Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory.” 5 He has overcome death and the grave. Christ was born for you. You’re not a distant observer peering into the manger from afar. He has you locked in His sights. You are the centre of His target; the aim of His mercy. You are the benefactor of His benevolence; the recipient of His healing love. You are His cherished bride; His found sheep; His resurrected son. You are the blind man seeing; the leper cured; the sinner absolved. You are His baptized. You are guests at His royal table.
Seeing the manger through the cross’s shadow and Easter’s morning light does not serve to kill the joy of Christmas. Rather it gives us the advantage of knowing the incarnation of Christ was not a failed sentimental attempt at reviving humanity. Christ entered into the fray in Bethlehem but He promises we will reside in the heavenly Jerusalem. “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”6 Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
The Nativity of Our Lord
Christmas Day
25 December 2014
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Romans 11:36
2 Isaiah 52:9
3 Luke 2:14
4 Revelation 19:1
5 Revelation 19:1, 6-7
6 John 1:14
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