ANZAC DAY ADDRESS 2015
“He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.” (Psalm 9:12) The Holy Scripture says God does not forget. Neither should we. “At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.” One hundred years on, and their memory still lives. One hundred years on, and their sacrifice is still honoured. Gallipoli is the rallying point that galvanised the collective consciousness of two nations. It rightly has prominent place in our memories. But there were other campaigns that suffered terrible loss. The fields of Flanders in France received the blood of more than 5500 ANZACS, killed or wounded, in a single day. Honoured too are those whose lives were forfeit in forgotten corners of the globe. All can bathe in the glow of Gallipoli’s fame, but their specific acts of heroism are not thereby diminished. More than 100,000 service personnel in total have made the supreme sacrifice, including our Aboriginal brothers who often suffered greatly.
No one is left untouched by war. Survivors bear scars and by them they are transformed. The wounds of the body are seldom as deep as the wounds of the heart. Many who fought uttered not a word about the atrocities they witnessed. Often more is said with silence than the multiplication of many words. The memories are too vivid, the hurt is too painful; the grief is too profound. But their stories are still told. They may live and breathe and walk in the normalcy of civilian life but they bear on their individual frames, with the victorious dead, the weight of freedom for the masses.
First light or dusk was often embraced as the opportunity for attack. Soldiers were, accordingly, ordered to be ready, manning their posts as the dawn broke or the sun set. This came to be known as the ‘stand to’, short for ‘stand-to-arms’. It often marked the hour of peril; the moment of truth. Would courage falter? Would strength fail? Who can value life as it should be valued save for God alone? At the moment of truth God does not abandon us to the ‘stand to’. He does not forget. Christ stood in solidarity with sinful humanity and allowed Himself to be hung from a cross. In the gathering light of Easter dawn He stood forth from the grave; the battle completed, peace secured. Only in Christ can the grieving have hope. Only in Christ can the wounded find healing. Only in Christ has the promise of the resurrection of the dead been secured. Time and place are not barriers to Christ, who is immortal. To us, they are the parameters which define our reality.
One hundred years on and the world is still marred by conflict. Some will say the Great War was never ours to fight. We are not here to judge the motivations of diplomacy or duty. We are here to honour those who were faithful in their service. One hundred years on and the appreciation still grows. The ANZACS are not forgotten. We will honour their sacrifice. We will cherish their legacy. We will defend their cause. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. The Almighty will not forget.
Pastor Darrin Kohrt Concordia & Outlying Lutheran Churches, Loxton
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Sunday, April 19, 2015
Third Sunday of Easter (B) 2015
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 24:46
Theme: The Old Testament Christ
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The risen Christ is among us. Each Sunday is a celebration of the resurrection. God’s people changed from gathering on Saturday, the Sabbath, to the day the tomb was found empty. There was no requirement to do so. In fact, since the redemptive work of Christ has been completed, every day is holy to the Lord. Nevertheless, Sunday seemed most appropriate for the public assembly of the saints. Our hope and salvation rest not in memories of the historical Jesus but in the living Christ who rules and intercedes on behalf of His church.
Again today, we find Jesus with His disciples on that first Easter Sunday. It’s very telling that the risen Jesus did not simply let His astonishing triumph over death speak for itself. He explained Himself on the basis of the Scriptures. Far from indicting that the Old Testament could be dispensed with now that the new era had come, He established its importance. He says, “Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”1 He knew the apostles would need to witness to the work of Christ not only on the basis of their personal interaction with Him, but also through the Old Testament Scriptures. Easter Sunday was a time of intense catechesis.
The Old Testament doesn’t make casual or occasional reference to Christ. He is its heart and centre. The Old Testament is God’s inspired word. Any effort to relegate it to a second-rate status, whether intentionally or inadvertently, fails to recognize it as the continually relevant revelation of God to the human race. God didn’t come up with a new idea in the sending of Jesus; Christ was the divine plan from the beginning, from eternity. Luke says today, “Then He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, ‘This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name.”2
God’s plans are not random or arbitrary. The forgiveness of sins is God’s mode of operation from start to finish. But don’t ever assume that the forgiveness of sins is easily grasped or readily received. In fact, as sinners, we cannot grasp it at all without the Holy Spirit. Even after conversion, the powerful draw of the sinful will seeks to pull us away from God’s purposes and plans. God’s law is never done convicting and correcting us. The gospel is never done consoling us. You will never out grow your baptism.
Jesus came so that the last would be first and the first, last. Christ reverses the order for the penitent. Forgiveness is an equalizer beyond human comprehension. That’s what makes the gospel so subversive and at the same time so magnificent. God reconciles the sinner to Himself and in so doing abolishes all human constructions of rank, status, and worthiness. In contrition and faith the prostitute enters heaven while the pope and pastor stand outside. The murderer is received while the federal judge is expelled. The widow and her mite are honoured while the philanthropist and his money are shunned. The one who washes the foot is esteemed above the one who demands others bow at his feet. The exalted are humbled and the humbled are exalted. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”3
We are wandering sheep that have been gathered safely into the fold. We are rebellious children that have been restored to the family. We are refugees from the dominion of Satan that have been given asylum in the kingdom of Christ. More than that, we are paupers who have been made princes, orphans who have been adopted; outcasts who have been given an inheritance. We brought nothing into the world and we will take nothing out of it. But in Christ we have all that we need- and more!
After the resurrection life was a struggle for the early followers of Jesus. Undoubtedly they would have liked all of their challenges to be over. But their Master did not institute a Utopia on earth. We tread the same path they walked. We eat the same sacred food as the Emmaus disciples. But we continue to walk by faith, not by sight. Like them we look forward to Christ’s return in glory. Meanwhile, we do not wait passively nor can we expect life to be problem-free.
Sometimes we do not see the future benefits that result from the struggles of the present. The trials of the day often prepare us for the challenges of the future. Life is full of hidden blessings. Consider the example of the man who was celebrating his 100th birthday. He was married on the same day and had his wife still been living it would have been their 75th anniversary. Healthy and spry for a centenarian his guests asked his secret to remaining so fit. He said, “On the day my wife and I were married we promised each other that the person who was decided to be the loser of an argument would go outside for a walk in the fresh air. I’ve been out in the fresh air ever since.”
The Bible is full of examples of God’s people living by sheer faith and clinging to hope that defied the evidence. Could Joseph see the blessings that would come from being sold into slavery by his jealous brothers? Not only was he elevated to a position of authority, the whole family of Jacob was spared from famine through his protection. Could Daniel have foreseen the blessings that would result from being taken into captivity in Babylon? He gave such powerful testimony after God spared him from the den of lions that King Darius said, “I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. For He is the living God and He endures forever; His kingdom will not be destroyed, His dominion will never end.”4
Think, dear friends, how cherished we are in God’s sight! The apostle says, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”5 And that sets us apart from a world of unbelief. It sets us apart from a world that lives only for the moment. It separates us from those whose view of the future is a false security that all will go to a better place. It also distinguishes us from those whose interest in the present involves the dead end of self-indulgence. Note how John continues, “The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. Dear friends, 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.”6 For then we shall be resurrected in body and soul. His promise will not fail for He has already passed through death. Amen
+ In nomine Jesu +
Third Sunday of Easter
19 April, 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 24:44
2 Luke 24:45-47
3 Matthew 5:7
4 Daniel 6:26
5 1 John 3:1
6 1 John 3:2
Text: Luke 24:46
Theme: The Old Testament Christ
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The risen Christ is among us. Each Sunday is a celebration of the resurrection. God’s people changed from gathering on Saturday, the Sabbath, to the day the tomb was found empty. There was no requirement to do so. In fact, since the redemptive work of Christ has been completed, every day is holy to the Lord. Nevertheless, Sunday seemed most appropriate for the public assembly of the saints. Our hope and salvation rest not in memories of the historical Jesus but in the living Christ who rules and intercedes on behalf of His church.
Again today, we find Jesus with His disciples on that first Easter Sunday. It’s very telling that the risen Jesus did not simply let His astonishing triumph over death speak for itself. He explained Himself on the basis of the Scriptures. Far from indicting that the Old Testament could be dispensed with now that the new era had come, He established its importance. He says, “Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”1 He knew the apostles would need to witness to the work of Christ not only on the basis of their personal interaction with Him, but also through the Old Testament Scriptures. Easter Sunday was a time of intense catechesis.
The Old Testament doesn’t make casual or occasional reference to Christ. He is its heart and centre. The Old Testament is God’s inspired word. Any effort to relegate it to a second-rate status, whether intentionally or inadvertently, fails to recognize it as the continually relevant revelation of God to the human race. God didn’t come up with a new idea in the sending of Jesus; Christ was the divine plan from the beginning, from eternity. Luke says today, “Then He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, ‘This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name.”2
God’s plans are not random or arbitrary. The forgiveness of sins is God’s mode of operation from start to finish. But don’t ever assume that the forgiveness of sins is easily grasped or readily received. In fact, as sinners, we cannot grasp it at all without the Holy Spirit. Even after conversion, the powerful draw of the sinful will seeks to pull us away from God’s purposes and plans. God’s law is never done convicting and correcting us. The gospel is never done consoling us. You will never out grow your baptism.
Jesus came so that the last would be first and the first, last. Christ reverses the order for the penitent. Forgiveness is an equalizer beyond human comprehension. That’s what makes the gospel so subversive and at the same time so magnificent. God reconciles the sinner to Himself and in so doing abolishes all human constructions of rank, status, and worthiness. In contrition and faith the prostitute enters heaven while the pope and pastor stand outside. The murderer is received while the federal judge is expelled. The widow and her mite are honoured while the philanthropist and his money are shunned. The one who washes the foot is esteemed above the one who demands others bow at his feet. The exalted are humbled and the humbled are exalted. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”3
We are wandering sheep that have been gathered safely into the fold. We are rebellious children that have been restored to the family. We are refugees from the dominion of Satan that have been given asylum in the kingdom of Christ. More than that, we are paupers who have been made princes, orphans who have been adopted; outcasts who have been given an inheritance. We brought nothing into the world and we will take nothing out of it. But in Christ we have all that we need- and more!
After the resurrection life was a struggle for the early followers of Jesus. Undoubtedly they would have liked all of their challenges to be over. But their Master did not institute a Utopia on earth. We tread the same path they walked. We eat the same sacred food as the Emmaus disciples. But we continue to walk by faith, not by sight. Like them we look forward to Christ’s return in glory. Meanwhile, we do not wait passively nor can we expect life to be problem-free.
Sometimes we do not see the future benefits that result from the struggles of the present. The trials of the day often prepare us for the challenges of the future. Life is full of hidden blessings. Consider the example of the man who was celebrating his 100th birthday. He was married on the same day and had his wife still been living it would have been their 75th anniversary. Healthy and spry for a centenarian his guests asked his secret to remaining so fit. He said, “On the day my wife and I were married we promised each other that the person who was decided to be the loser of an argument would go outside for a walk in the fresh air. I’ve been out in the fresh air ever since.”
The Bible is full of examples of God’s people living by sheer faith and clinging to hope that defied the evidence. Could Joseph see the blessings that would come from being sold into slavery by his jealous brothers? Not only was he elevated to a position of authority, the whole family of Jacob was spared from famine through his protection. Could Daniel have foreseen the blessings that would result from being taken into captivity in Babylon? He gave such powerful testimony after God spared him from the den of lions that King Darius said, “I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. For He is the living God and He endures forever; His kingdom will not be destroyed, His dominion will never end.”4
Think, dear friends, how cherished we are in God’s sight! The apostle says, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”5 And that sets us apart from a world of unbelief. It sets us apart from a world that lives only for the moment. It separates us from those whose view of the future is a false security that all will go to a better place. It also distinguishes us from those whose interest in the present involves the dead end of self-indulgence. Note how John continues, “The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. Dear friends, 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.”6 For then we shall be resurrected in body and soul. His promise will not fail for He has already passed through death. Amen
+ In nomine Jesu +
Third Sunday of Easter
19 April, 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 24:44
2 Luke 24:45-47
3 Matthew 5:7
4 Daniel 6:26
5 1 John 3:1
6 1 John 3:2
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Second Sunday Of Easter (B) 2015
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 20:20
Theme: Joy In His Presence
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Christ is risen!
There was bound to be fall out. Collateral damage was unavoidable. An ordinary person doesn’t come back from the dead without causing a stir, let alone, someone of Jesus’ significance. The media would have a field day today. Those first hours were a blur of confusion, uncertainty, excitement, fear, bewilderment, and doubt. Was it really true! What did it all mean! How would the Roman authorities react? What would the Jewish leaders do? The disciples were huddled together in fear. It was still Easter Sunday.
The resurrection is not a truth you can wrap your head around overnight. The apostles were nearly dumbfounded until Pentecost. Proclaiming the risen Jesus, and in Him forgiveness, life and salvation, was then the all-consuming focus of the rest of their ministries. All but one were reportedly martyred for the cause. The Book of Acts records the activity that typified their ministry. “Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead.”1
The preaching of the resurrection was marked with a sense of urgency, with tenacity, and a willingness to suffer rejection. The suffering Servant was living. He had overcome the power of death. It was news that could not be kept quiet. It could not be muzzled. St. Paul says, “When I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!”2 That continues to be the mission of the church.
It’s convenient, obviously, to use Thomas as the reference point for those who are skeptical that Jesus rose bodily from the dead. Thomas has the benefit of putting his fingers into the flesh of the risen Lord and his doubt is quickly overturned. The evidence was indisputable. Today’s cynics, however, should not be singled-out as being unique. It is the temptation of every generation to see itself as more enlightened than all previous ones. But Christianity is no respecter of generations in this regard. Accumulated knowledge does not translate into a more superior status in relation to God. We may have supercomputers and spaceships but these don’t make God more accessible. As science discloses more of the mysteries of creation we are finding that the wisdom and power of God is not being eliminated but being made all the more necessary. The scientific enterprise is in the process of coming full circle.
How then to proclaim the resurrection to people whose bellies are full, bank accounts are overflowing, egos are over-inflated, and sense of holiness is being destroyed by a largely vulgar secular society? The appetite for spiritual truth is not easily whetted. Personal reflection is a good starting point. It’s easy to become a too-comfortable Christian. The same applies for pastors. Certainty of salvation is not the same as complacency in our sins. “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word has no place in our lives.”3
We’re not necessarily meant to always fill comfortable even in the house of God. God’s holy word is confronting. It is convicting. It penetrates our hearts and reveals our motives. As it operates in that capacity it doesn’t result in a relaxing process for us. It names us as sinners and goes to work on us. We don’t come into His presence to have our egos stroked. We don’t gather in a casual atmosphere.
But we are most certainly to believe that God’s house is a refuge for us. It is here that Christ is among us as one who serves. If your life is lacking in happiness, here you find joy. If your life is full of turmoil, here you find peace. If your life is beset with conflict and contention, here you have the comfort of knowing you are reconciled to the heavenly Father through Christ. Here the forgiveness of sins binds us together, heals us, and empowers us. Luther says, “Satan will more easily put up with all other articles than this one concerning the forgiveness of sins.”4 The devil cannot bear to see people reconciled to God. But that’s exactly what Christ has done. “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”5
When the conscience, flooded with doubt, burdened with anxiety, knows not where to turn it can recede into itself like a turtle disappearing into its shell. Or, it can grope aimlessly about for any offer of support. Both are dangerous decisions. The bottling up of fear, doubt, and anxiety only cripples our ability to mend and engage relationships. Grasping at options that might ease the pain but not address the ailment- engaging in fantasy, overindulgence in alcohol or drugs, pursuing distractions to the point of obsession- only compound the problem in the long run. Christianity is the truth for realists. A real God interacts with real people. Here the baptized gather with a family that transcends bloodlines. Here our faith is nourished by Christ’s body and blood, the equivalent of putting our fingers into the side of the risen Jesus.
Dear friends, no one can stand aloof from the truth of the resurrection. The crucified Jesus was not a tragic failure; death could not hold Him. Because this truth makes a claim on humanity it makes a claim on each of us. Christ shares our human nature. He did not relinquish it after His ascension. He remains the one Christ, God and man forever as the Athanasian Creed says, “not by changing the Godhead into flesh but by taking on the humanity into God.” The implication is universal. “At his coming all men shall rise with their bodies and give an account of their own deeds.”6 Neither the believer nor the unbeliever is exempt from the bodily resurrection; the difference is the eternal destination.
The resurrection is the bedrock upon which our hope is built. The Israelites celebrated a jubilee year every 50th year7. It was the year in which debts were forgiven, grievances were put aside, and property returned to its original owners. So too, the season of Easter involves 50 days of jubilee. Holiness and joy mark our celebrations of the resurrection. Hallelujahs roll off our tongues and elation fills our hearts. Even in the midst of adversity we have life; and we have it abundantly. Amen.
Christ is risen!
+ In nomine Jesu +
Second Sunday of Easter
12 April, 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Acts 17:2-3
2 1 Corinthians 9:16
3 1 John 1:8-10
4 AE 44:21, 115
5 Romans 4:25
6 The Athanasian Creed
7 See Leviticus 25:11
Text: John 20:20
Theme: Joy In His Presence
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Christ is risen!
There was bound to be fall out. Collateral damage was unavoidable. An ordinary person doesn’t come back from the dead without causing a stir, let alone, someone of Jesus’ significance. The media would have a field day today. Those first hours were a blur of confusion, uncertainty, excitement, fear, bewilderment, and doubt. Was it really true! What did it all mean! How would the Roman authorities react? What would the Jewish leaders do? The disciples were huddled together in fear. It was still Easter Sunday.
The resurrection is not a truth you can wrap your head around overnight. The apostles were nearly dumbfounded until Pentecost. Proclaiming the risen Jesus, and in Him forgiveness, life and salvation, was then the all-consuming focus of the rest of their ministries. All but one were reportedly martyred for the cause. The Book of Acts records the activity that typified their ministry. “Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead.”1
The preaching of the resurrection was marked with a sense of urgency, with tenacity, and a willingness to suffer rejection. The suffering Servant was living. He had overcome the power of death. It was news that could not be kept quiet. It could not be muzzled. St. Paul says, “When I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!”2 That continues to be the mission of the church.
It’s convenient, obviously, to use Thomas as the reference point for those who are skeptical that Jesus rose bodily from the dead. Thomas has the benefit of putting his fingers into the flesh of the risen Lord and his doubt is quickly overturned. The evidence was indisputable. Today’s cynics, however, should not be singled-out as being unique. It is the temptation of every generation to see itself as more enlightened than all previous ones. But Christianity is no respecter of generations in this regard. Accumulated knowledge does not translate into a more superior status in relation to God. We may have supercomputers and spaceships but these don’t make God more accessible. As science discloses more of the mysteries of creation we are finding that the wisdom and power of God is not being eliminated but being made all the more necessary. The scientific enterprise is in the process of coming full circle.
How then to proclaim the resurrection to people whose bellies are full, bank accounts are overflowing, egos are over-inflated, and sense of holiness is being destroyed by a largely vulgar secular society? The appetite for spiritual truth is not easily whetted. Personal reflection is a good starting point. It’s easy to become a too-comfortable Christian. The same applies for pastors. Certainty of salvation is not the same as complacency in our sins. “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word has no place in our lives.”3
We’re not necessarily meant to always fill comfortable even in the house of God. God’s holy word is confronting. It is convicting. It penetrates our hearts and reveals our motives. As it operates in that capacity it doesn’t result in a relaxing process for us. It names us as sinners and goes to work on us. We don’t come into His presence to have our egos stroked. We don’t gather in a casual atmosphere.
But we are most certainly to believe that God’s house is a refuge for us. It is here that Christ is among us as one who serves. If your life is lacking in happiness, here you find joy. If your life is full of turmoil, here you find peace. If your life is beset with conflict and contention, here you have the comfort of knowing you are reconciled to the heavenly Father through Christ. Here the forgiveness of sins binds us together, heals us, and empowers us. Luther says, “Satan will more easily put up with all other articles than this one concerning the forgiveness of sins.”4 The devil cannot bear to see people reconciled to God. But that’s exactly what Christ has done. “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”5
When the conscience, flooded with doubt, burdened with anxiety, knows not where to turn it can recede into itself like a turtle disappearing into its shell. Or, it can grope aimlessly about for any offer of support. Both are dangerous decisions. The bottling up of fear, doubt, and anxiety only cripples our ability to mend and engage relationships. Grasping at options that might ease the pain but not address the ailment- engaging in fantasy, overindulgence in alcohol or drugs, pursuing distractions to the point of obsession- only compound the problem in the long run. Christianity is the truth for realists. A real God interacts with real people. Here the baptized gather with a family that transcends bloodlines. Here our faith is nourished by Christ’s body and blood, the equivalent of putting our fingers into the side of the risen Jesus.
Dear friends, no one can stand aloof from the truth of the resurrection. The crucified Jesus was not a tragic failure; death could not hold Him. Because this truth makes a claim on humanity it makes a claim on each of us. Christ shares our human nature. He did not relinquish it after His ascension. He remains the one Christ, God and man forever as the Athanasian Creed says, “not by changing the Godhead into flesh but by taking on the humanity into God.” The implication is universal. “At his coming all men shall rise with their bodies and give an account of their own deeds.”6 Neither the believer nor the unbeliever is exempt from the bodily resurrection; the difference is the eternal destination.
The resurrection is the bedrock upon which our hope is built. The Israelites celebrated a jubilee year every 50th year7. It was the year in which debts were forgiven, grievances were put aside, and property returned to its original owners. So too, the season of Easter involves 50 days of jubilee. Holiness and joy mark our celebrations of the resurrection. Hallelujahs roll off our tongues and elation fills our hearts. Even in the midst of adversity we have life; and we have it abundantly. Amen.
Christ is risen!
+ In nomine Jesu +
Second Sunday of Easter
12 April, 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Acts 17:2-3
2 1 Corinthians 9:16
3 1 John 1:8-10
4 AE 44:21, 115
5 Romans 4:25
6 The Athanasian Creed
7 See Leviticus 25:11
Monday, April 6, 2015
Easter Sunday (B) 2015
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Mark 16:8
Theme: Stunned Silence
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Christ is risen!
Temporary paralysis! That was the condition that overtook the women who went to Jesus’ tomb early on Easter morning. They came with practical concerns, bearing the spices, gaining access to the tomb, anointing Jesus’ body. What they encountered shook them to the core. Their Lord, their Master, their Redeemer, their King who had been crowned with thorns was not there. Instead the angelic messenger greets them with the resurrection gospel. “He has risen! He is not here.”1
The account of the resurrection from St Mark ends initially with the sentiment of fear. Commanded to go and tell the disciples the women initially said nothing to anyone. Clinically, they were in a state of shock. They had no precedent upon which to draw on. People commonly relate to things on the basis of experience. We all know how quickly people relate to the subject matter of a conversation based on some similar experience they have had even if sometimes it’s stretching the comparison more than a little.
Whether it involves significant things like getting married, becoming parents, being involved in an accident, or facing a terminal illness; or more mundane and trivial things such as what we did on the weekend, the new car we bought, or how we like our coffee, associating with another’s experience is how we evaluate and process common experience. I did that once. I had that too. I experienced that also. For me it was more like this. My experience was more like that. This mode of operating is, of course, natural and can help us to build relationships when properly exercised. It can also be evidence of self-centredness. It’s a convenient way to turn the focus back on oneself.
The miracle of Christ’s triumph over death leaves us without opportunity for comparison. We have no point of reference for the resurrection. There is nothing in our past that we can link it too. No one can say, “This is what it was like for me.” We have no framework with which to evaluate it based on experience; no connections with which to measure it. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is completely and utterly beyond us. Many saw Jesus raise people- Lazarus, Jairus’s daughter, the son of the widow of Nain- from the dead. These were arresting displays of His power and a boon to the faith of many. Even so, those people were resuscitated to mortality and still faced death and decay.
Facing that reality for what it is, is what makes the resurrection of Christ earth-shattering and life-transforming. Otherwise it remains but a remarkable and curious footnote in history. But Christ didn’t just come to make history; He came to give meaning to the present and secure the future. The whole creation is in bondage to decay2 and no part of creation is more acutely aware of this than the human race.
The once spritely parents who found themselves stooping over dozens of times a day to pick up their children now pause and bend at the knee. The once robust athlete at the peak of prowess and endurance has now lost a step and gained niggling pains and strains. The once ambitious professional with a clear mind and sharp memory now finds himself or herself taking longer to manage the schedule and needing to write things down. We find we need four eyes to do the job of two; three and then four legs, then wheels, to do the job of two legs; extra ears, and stents, stitches, plates, pins, and pace-makers to keep the internal parts intact and working. These are not theoretical examples. These are applicable me and you.
The world simply understands all these things to be natural (though their affects are strenuously resisted). Christians understand a deeper reality at work. The natural world is living off the capital invested in the original creation. But permanent vitality exists only in Christ. Have you ever done a double-take when one of those ageing Hollywood stars you haven’t seen in a while appears on screen so done over by cosmetic surgery they look alien and artificial? Ponce de Leon has many followers. The fabled fountain of youth is the holy grail for a world bent on extracting (regardless of how artificially and vainly) every last ounce of youthfulness from a decaying existence. But the hegemony of sin’s maturing consequences is not so easily halted.
It involves much more than the ageing of our physical bodies and mental faculties. We know the symptoms. Addiction of every sort; addiction to drugs, alcohol, pornography, gambling, or work. Obsession of every kind; obsession with our appearance, our bank account, our social image, our status, is at the core an addiction and obsession to and with ourselves. The sinful nature serves itself above anything and anyone else. Repentance is not a matter of pious posturing before God; it is dead serious wrangling with the power of sin. We must stop assuming that thinking, speaking, and acting in a holy and righteous was is within our own power. The crucified and risen Christ breaks the power of sin. He frees us for the privilege of serving others.
All attempts to relate to the resurrection by experience must be named for what they are: Fabrications! They are projections of mortal sentiment onto the reality of divine existence. Faith cannot be pushed out of the equation. Through it the Spirit teaches us the mind of God. That too is beyond us; until….Christ! The gospel is a foreign language. It is not our mother tongue. It’s too counterintuitive to our sense of justice. It’s too unfamiliar to our natural way of thinking. It’s too drenched with mercy, laden with grace, and dripping with compassion to resonate with human ideals.
But the resurrection, the experience of which is beyond us, is our very possession in faith. It is the consummation of our hope. Beyond us now it will be our mode of existence in the future. When the mortal has been clothed with “immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’”3 The mystery of baptism ties these truths together. St. Peter says that baptism saves us, “By the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand.”4 It is the body and blood of the resurrected and enthroned Lord that we receive at this altar. He is present in His deity and His humanity to forgive, comfort, and empower. It’s not that believers will be saved through Christ’s resurrection; they are saved and live in that power now.
The concerns of the Marys are the concerns of the church. Who will roll the stone away from the secured unbelieving heart? How will access be gained to the soul galvanized against contact with God? God is beyond our experience. Faith to believe that He embraces us in Christ is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Who has that power? The Lord, God Almighty, the prophetic and apostolic word-wielding Spirit alone has such power. The Spirit says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws.”5
Luther saw clearly how tangible and personal the promise of the resurrection is. “Now if I know this and believe it, my heart or conscience and soul have already passed through death and grave and are in heaven with Christ, dwell there and rejoice over it. And in that way we have the two best parts, much more than half, of the resurrection behind us. And because Christ animates and renews the heart by faith, He will surely drag the decomposed rascal after Him and clothe him again, so that we can behold Him and live with Him. For that is His word and work on which we are baptized and live and die.”6
Perfect newness! That truth should stun us as much as the women at the tomb. We possess it now by faith; we look forward to enjoying its full benefits in the future. Our Redeemer is victorious over the grave. Hallelujah! Amen.
Christ is risen!
+ In nomine Jesu +
The Resurrection of Our Lord
5 April, 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Text: Mark 16:8
Theme: Stunned Silence
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Christ is risen!
Temporary paralysis! That was the condition that overtook the women who went to Jesus’ tomb early on Easter morning. They came with practical concerns, bearing the spices, gaining access to the tomb, anointing Jesus’ body. What they encountered shook them to the core. Their Lord, their Master, their Redeemer, their King who had been crowned with thorns was not there. Instead the angelic messenger greets them with the resurrection gospel. “He has risen! He is not here.”1
The account of the resurrection from St Mark ends initially with the sentiment of fear. Commanded to go and tell the disciples the women initially said nothing to anyone. Clinically, they were in a state of shock. They had no precedent upon which to draw on. People commonly relate to things on the basis of experience. We all know how quickly people relate to the subject matter of a conversation based on some similar experience they have had even if sometimes it’s stretching the comparison more than a little.
Whether it involves significant things like getting married, becoming parents, being involved in an accident, or facing a terminal illness; or more mundane and trivial things such as what we did on the weekend, the new car we bought, or how we like our coffee, associating with another’s experience is how we evaluate and process common experience. I did that once. I had that too. I experienced that also. For me it was more like this. My experience was more like that. This mode of operating is, of course, natural and can help us to build relationships when properly exercised. It can also be evidence of self-centredness. It’s a convenient way to turn the focus back on oneself.
The miracle of Christ’s triumph over death leaves us without opportunity for comparison. We have no point of reference for the resurrection. There is nothing in our past that we can link it too. No one can say, “This is what it was like for me.” We have no framework with which to evaluate it based on experience; no connections with which to measure it. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is completely and utterly beyond us. Many saw Jesus raise people- Lazarus, Jairus’s daughter, the son of the widow of Nain- from the dead. These were arresting displays of His power and a boon to the faith of many. Even so, those people were resuscitated to mortality and still faced death and decay.
Facing that reality for what it is, is what makes the resurrection of Christ earth-shattering and life-transforming. Otherwise it remains but a remarkable and curious footnote in history. But Christ didn’t just come to make history; He came to give meaning to the present and secure the future. The whole creation is in bondage to decay2 and no part of creation is more acutely aware of this than the human race.
The once spritely parents who found themselves stooping over dozens of times a day to pick up their children now pause and bend at the knee. The once robust athlete at the peak of prowess and endurance has now lost a step and gained niggling pains and strains. The once ambitious professional with a clear mind and sharp memory now finds himself or herself taking longer to manage the schedule and needing to write things down. We find we need four eyes to do the job of two; three and then four legs, then wheels, to do the job of two legs; extra ears, and stents, stitches, plates, pins, and pace-makers to keep the internal parts intact and working. These are not theoretical examples. These are applicable me and you.
The world simply understands all these things to be natural (though their affects are strenuously resisted). Christians understand a deeper reality at work. The natural world is living off the capital invested in the original creation. But permanent vitality exists only in Christ. Have you ever done a double-take when one of those ageing Hollywood stars you haven’t seen in a while appears on screen so done over by cosmetic surgery they look alien and artificial? Ponce de Leon has many followers. The fabled fountain of youth is the holy grail for a world bent on extracting (regardless of how artificially and vainly) every last ounce of youthfulness from a decaying existence. But the hegemony of sin’s maturing consequences is not so easily halted.
It involves much more than the ageing of our physical bodies and mental faculties. We know the symptoms. Addiction of every sort; addiction to drugs, alcohol, pornography, gambling, or work. Obsession of every kind; obsession with our appearance, our bank account, our social image, our status, is at the core an addiction and obsession to and with ourselves. The sinful nature serves itself above anything and anyone else. Repentance is not a matter of pious posturing before God; it is dead serious wrangling with the power of sin. We must stop assuming that thinking, speaking, and acting in a holy and righteous was is within our own power. The crucified and risen Christ breaks the power of sin. He frees us for the privilege of serving others.
All attempts to relate to the resurrection by experience must be named for what they are: Fabrications! They are projections of mortal sentiment onto the reality of divine existence. Faith cannot be pushed out of the equation. Through it the Spirit teaches us the mind of God. That too is beyond us; until….Christ! The gospel is a foreign language. It is not our mother tongue. It’s too counterintuitive to our sense of justice. It’s too unfamiliar to our natural way of thinking. It’s too drenched with mercy, laden with grace, and dripping with compassion to resonate with human ideals.
But the resurrection, the experience of which is beyond us, is our very possession in faith. It is the consummation of our hope. Beyond us now it will be our mode of existence in the future. When the mortal has been clothed with “immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’”3 The mystery of baptism ties these truths together. St. Peter says that baptism saves us, “By the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand.”4 It is the body and blood of the resurrected and enthroned Lord that we receive at this altar. He is present in His deity and His humanity to forgive, comfort, and empower. It’s not that believers will be saved through Christ’s resurrection; they are saved and live in that power now.
The concerns of the Marys are the concerns of the church. Who will roll the stone away from the secured unbelieving heart? How will access be gained to the soul galvanized against contact with God? God is beyond our experience. Faith to believe that He embraces us in Christ is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Who has that power? The Lord, God Almighty, the prophetic and apostolic word-wielding Spirit alone has such power. The Spirit says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws.”5
Luther saw clearly how tangible and personal the promise of the resurrection is. “Now if I know this and believe it, my heart or conscience and soul have already passed through death and grave and are in heaven with Christ, dwell there and rejoice over it. And in that way we have the two best parts, much more than half, of the resurrection behind us. And because Christ animates and renews the heart by faith, He will surely drag the decomposed rascal after Him and clothe him again, so that we can behold Him and live with Him. For that is His word and work on which we are baptized and live and die.”6
Perfect newness! That truth should stun us as much as the women at the tomb. We possess it now by faith; we look forward to enjoying its full benefits in the future. Our Redeemer is victorious over the grave. Hallelujah! Amen.
Christ is risen!
+ In nomine Jesu +
The Resurrection of Our Lord
5 April, 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Friday, April 3, 2015
Good Friday 2015
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti Amen +
Text: John 19:19
Theme: Glory of the Nazarene
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The glory of God is revealed on a cruel instrument of death. The depth of the Father’s mercy is exposed in the agony of the Son. “Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.”1 The glory of the Nazarene was His willing sacrifice for sinners. His crown of thorns makes possible your crown of life. The impenetrable mysteries of Good Friday will always be beyond our comprehension but the central truth is inescapable: His death secures our salvation.
Here are the facts: Christ was betrayed by Judas. He was arrested in the Garden called Gethsemane. He was questioned by the high priest. He was denied by Peter. He was sent to Herod. He was tried, condemned, and sentenced to death by Pontius Pilate. He was led to a rubbish heap outside Jerusalem named Golgotha. He was nailed to a cross. Roman soldiers kept watch under the authority of a centurion. He cried out in angst from the cross. He died and His death was verified by one of the soldiers. With Pilate’s permission His body was taken down and placed in the grave of Joseph of Arimathea. Soldiers guarded His tomb. There are many others details which are not unimportant. Those are the historical facts.
Here is the meaning: “God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him [Christ], and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.”2 “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”3Your sentence of condemnation has been suspended. Your liability has been exempted. Your debt has been paid. Your guilt has been removed. Satan cannot convict you. Sin cannot shackle you. Death itself cannot be victorious over you. You are reconciled to the heavenly Father. Your baptismal inheritance has been secured. The gate to heaven is open. Christ’s life was forfeit. Your life is freed. You are liberated.
And what is it you are freed from? What are you freed for? Firstly, you are free from the curse of mortality. The fear of death is Satan’s tool. The fear of facing mortality is indelibly ingrained on the heart and mind of every member of the human race. It can be held at arms-length during the vibrant times of life, it can be numbed by unforeseen traumas or deliberate abuses, it can be denied through avid pursuit of philosophical propositions, but the fear of death will always surface at some point in some way. It is part of the curse of the Fall. “You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”4 We all participate in that legacy of Adam. Just as Eve was bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh5 so we are bone of Adam’s bone and the flesh of Eve’s womb.
Christ, too, participates in this reality. But He recovers what was lost and re-establishes what was destroyed. The Scripture 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.”6 Christ has re-opened the way to Paradise. We are on pilgrimage to take up residence there.
The Tree of Life has been transplanted from the Garden of Eden to the hill of Calvary. The fruit of that tree gives forgiveness, life, and salvation. These are not distant or disconnected truths. The Spirit speaks life to you. The Holy Spirit conceives believers in the womb of the church. His promises are as unalterable as they are powerful. Here, where Christ serves you through His undershepherd and apostolic word, you are offered perfect peace, sacred food, and Sabbath rest. You will find these gifts nowhere else. He embraces you when you feel deserted. He cheers you when your heart is weighted with sorrow. He carries you when you cannot stand.
Dear friends, all the evidence of how God deals with people is amassed at the cross. If you are looking for evidence that sin- disobedience to God’s will- is punishable by a fate worse than death, you have found it on the cross. Eternal separation from God is the definitive measure of His justice. And if you are looking for good news that defies all human achievement and imagination you have also found it on the cross. God designated the formation of Adam and Eve as very good at the end of creation. Imagine with what superlatives He designates the sacrifice of the Son of God and Son of Man in which he inaugurates the new creation! In view of the intent perhaps Good Friday should be called “Great” Friday, “Stupendous” Friday or even “Unprecedented, Unrepeatable, and Incomparable.” Friday?
The early church designated that first Sunday after Good Friday the 8th day, the eternal day. They understood that the resurrection of Jesus Christ was the beginning of the final era. God’s original intention for humanity finally comes to fruition in Jesus. The glory of the Nazarene is a glory that never fades. St. John saw, in the timelessness of heaven, “A Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne.”7 Yes, the very same Saviour who stands among His people now and forevermore. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 John 19:19
2 Colossians 1:19-20
3 Mark 10:45
4 Genesis 2:17
5 See Genesis 2:23
6 Hebrews 2:14-15
7 Revelation 5:6
Good Friday
3 April 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Text: John 19:19
Theme: Glory of the Nazarene
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The glory of God is revealed on a cruel instrument of death. The depth of the Father’s mercy is exposed in the agony of the Son. “Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.”1 The glory of the Nazarene was His willing sacrifice for sinners. His crown of thorns makes possible your crown of life. The impenetrable mysteries of Good Friday will always be beyond our comprehension but the central truth is inescapable: His death secures our salvation.
Here are the facts: Christ was betrayed by Judas. He was arrested in the Garden called Gethsemane. He was questioned by the high priest. He was denied by Peter. He was sent to Herod. He was tried, condemned, and sentenced to death by Pontius Pilate. He was led to a rubbish heap outside Jerusalem named Golgotha. He was nailed to a cross. Roman soldiers kept watch under the authority of a centurion. He cried out in angst from the cross. He died and His death was verified by one of the soldiers. With Pilate’s permission His body was taken down and placed in the grave of Joseph of Arimathea. Soldiers guarded His tomb. There are many others details which are not unimportant. Those are the historical facts.
Here is the meaning: “God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him [Christ], and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.”2 “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”3Your sentence of condemnation has been suspended. Your liability has been exempted. Your debt has been paid. Your guilt has been removed. Satan cannot convict you. Sin cannot shackle you. Death itself cannot be victorious over you. You are reconciled to the heavenly Father. Your baptismal inheritance has been secured. The gate to heaven is open. Christ’s life was forfeit. Your life is freed. You are liberated.
And what is it you are freed from? What are you freed for? Firstly, you are free from the curse of mortality. The fear of death is Satan’s tool. The fear of facing mortality is indelibly ingrained on the heart and mind of every member of the human race. It can be held at arms-length during the vibrant times of life, it can be numbed by unforeseen traumas or deliberate abuses, it can be denied through avid pursuit of philosophical propositions, but the fear of death will always surface at some point in some way. It is part of the curse of the Fall. “You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”4 We all participate in that legacy of Adam. Just as Eve was bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh5 so we are bone of Adam’s bone and the flesh of Eve’s womb.
Christ, too, participates in this reality. But He recovers what was lost and re-establishes what was destroyed. The Scripture 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.”6 Christ has re-opened the way to Paradise. We are on pilgrimage to take up residence there.
The Tree of Life has been transplanted from the Garden of Eden to the hill of Calvary. The fruit of that tree gives forgiveness, life, and salvation. These are not distant or disconnected truths. The Spirit speaks life to you. The Holy Spirit conceives believers in the womb of the church. His promises are as unalterable as they are powerful. Here, where Christ serves you through His undershepherd and apostolic word, you are offered perfect peace, sacred food, and Sabbath rest. You will find these gifts nowhere else. He embraces you when you feel deserted. He cheers you when your heart is weighted with sorrow. He carries you when you cannot stand.
Dear friends, all the evidence of how God deals with people is amassed at the cross. If you are looking for evidence that sin- disobedience to God’s will- is punishable by a fate worse than death, you have found it on the cross. Eternal separation from God is the definitive measure of His justice. And if you are looking for good news that defies all human achievement and imagination you have also found it on the cross. God designated the formation of Adam and Eve as very good at the end of creation. Imagine with what superlatives He designates the sacrifice of the Son of God and Son of Man in which he inaugurates the new creation! In view of the intent perhaps Good Friday should be called “Great” Friday, “Stupendous” Friday or even “Unprecedented, Unrepeatable, and Incomparable.” Friday?
The early church designated that first Sunday after Good Friday the 8th day, the eternal day. They understood that the resurrection of Jesus Christ was the beginning of the final era. God’s original intention for humanity finally comes to fruition in Jesus. The glory of the Nazarene is a glory that never fades. St. John saw, in the timelessness of heaven, “A Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne.”7 Yes, the very same Saviour who stands among His people now and forevermore. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 John 19:19
2 Colossians 1:19-20
3 Mark 10:45
4 Genesis 2:17
5 See Genesis 2:23
6 Hebrews 2:14-15
7 Revelation 5:6
Good Friday
3 April 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Maundy Thursday 2015
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti Amen +
Text: John 13:1
Theme: The End and Beginning of Love
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The love of Christ is never deficient. Heavy in heart, tired in body and burdened in spirit, Jesus gathered His fledgling band of disciples to entrust them with the most sacred gift the church possesses. On the eve of His sacrificial death He instituted the sacrament of life. He celebrated with them the final Passover meal. No longer would they wait for God’s redemption. It had arrived. They would be the first to partake of this blessed meal that the church enjoys to the end of time.
Why did God choose bread and wine? Bread was essential to maintain life. Wine helped to make life palatable. Bread was critical for survival, wine was useful for celebration. After disembarking from the ark Noah planted a vineyard. Unfortunately he also overindulged. All things- godly things, that is- in moderation. Bread and wine were always at the heart of the Passover meal. Manna bread was supplied by God for the Israelites during their journey in the wilderness. It was provisional food until they reached the Promised Land. Now the true spiritual food was given by Jesus.
“What is the benefit of this eating and drinking? These words, ‘Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins,’ show us that in the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given through these words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.”1 The Lord’s Supper is a perpetual, life-sustaining, soul-nurturing gift to the church. It establishes the consciences of the faithful in the certainty that Christ is among us. At His ascension Christ entered fully into the sacramental life of the church. When we avail ourselves of this sacred blessing we are participating in the life of the triune God through the only Man who is God.
This participation is only possible because Christ removes the offence of sin for the believer. Evil and unbelief cannot coexist peacefully in the presence of the Holy One. Some people believe they can avoid facing the guilt of sin. But that is only a temporary situation. All will be present at the Last Judgment. Attendance is compulsory. There will be no apologies. To believe otherwise is to live in a dangerous deception. Yet there are many who still believe they are masters of their own destiny. God alone can break through such idolatry. Only the Holy Spirit can correct the falsehoods of the spirit of the age.
Has the food of the church gotten stale? Is the heavenly banquet out of date? Are so many souls so gorged with the delicacies of the world that there is no appetite for the meal of immortality? Have spiritual taste buds become dulled? These questions have obvious, but not simple answers. Fewer people are at the dinner table because they don’t see the value of being part of the family at all. Often the reason given is there are more important things to do.
What makes God’s truth, His promises and His presence relevant and important? The cry for relevance must be framed in a way that reveals selfish ulterior motives. Invalid assumptions must be deconstructed. Prerequisites and preconditions that censure God must be named for what they are- idolatry. The will of God is always relevant. It is not, however, pliable. It is not subject to human consensus and manipulation. Holy Week brings us face to face with these questions.
The timid conscience sometimes shies away from approaching the altar. The devil would have us to believe that some measure of holiness is necessary first. His temptations are sinister. Repentant souls should rush to the rail like lovers rushing to embrace after a long absence apart. To be sure, the self-righteous and unrepentant will only bring judgment on themselves and should refrain. So too, those who do not hold the public teaching of the church where the sacrament is offered. A false motive is not hidden from the Lord and neither can a hardened heart be concealed from the Spirit.
But Holy Communion is the best antidote for a struggling faith. Baptism washes sins away. Communion poisons them. The pure blood of Christ is a potent remedy to sin’s ailment. His body is the food of immortality. The Israelites gained access to the presence of God through the sacrificial blood. Not even the high priest entered into the Holy of Holies without the blood of atonement. But now the baptized receive the blood of Christ Himself. His blood justifies us before God and empowers us to love one another. The Christian community is a forgiven fellowship. Its members do not seek honour for themselves but the well-being of others. Christ modeled that in the Upper Room.
The disciples were not sure how they would face tomorrow. What did Jesus say to them? “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth.”2. He said, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”3 How will you face tomorrow? You will have the sacrament today. How will you handle the regrets of the past? You will receive the comfort of the present. How will the failures of yesterday be resolved? They will be relieved by the gifts of the present day. How will doubts about the future be laid to rest? They will be shouldered by Him who possesses eternity. You have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. You now receive Him as immortal food. The mountaintop is not reached without treading through the valleys. Christ has done that for us. He has passed through the valley of the shadow of death.4 He is our Light at the end of the tunnel. He lives! Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 Luther’s Small Catechism
2 John 16:12-13
3John 14:18
4 See Psalm 23:4
Maundy Thursday
2 April 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Text: John 13:1
Theme: The End and Beginning of Love
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The love of Christ is never deficient. Heavy in heart, tired in body and burdened in spirit, Jesus gathered His fledgling band of disciples to entrust them with the most sacred gift the church possesses. On the eve of His sacrificial death He instituted the sacrament of life. He celebrated with them the final Passover meal. No longer would they wait for God’s redemption. It had arrived. They would be the first to partake of this blessed meal that the church enjoys to the end of time.
Why did God choose bread and wine? Bread was essential to maintain life. Wine helped to make life palatable. Bread was critical for survival, wine was useful for celebration. After disembarking from the ark Noah planted a vineyard. Unfortunately he also overindulged. All things- godly things, that is- in moderation. Bread and wine were always at the heart of the Passover meal. Manna bread was supplied by God for the Israelites during their journey in the wilderness. It was provisional food until they reached the Promised Land. Now the true spiritual food was given by Jesus.
“What is the benefit of this eating and drinking? These words, ‘Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins,’ show us that in the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given through these words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.”1 The Lord’s Supper is a perpetual, life-sustaining, soul-nurturing gift to the church. It establishes the consciences of the faithful in the certainty that Christ is among us. At His ascension Christ entered fully into the sacramental life of the church. When we avail ourselves of this sacred blessing we are participating in the life of the triune God through the only Man who is God.
This participation is only possible because Christ removes the offence of sin for the believer. Evil and unbelief cannot coexist peacefully in the presence of the Holy One. Some people believe they can avoid facing the guilt of sin. But that is only a temporary situation. All will be present at the Last Judgment. Attendance is compulsory. There will be no apologies. To believe otherwise is to live in a dangerous deception. Yet there are many who still believe they are masters of their own destiny. God alone can break through such idolatry. Only the Holy Spirit can correct the falsehoods of the spirit of the age.
Has the food of the church gotten stale? Is the heavenly banquet out of date? Are so many souls so gorged with the delicacies of the world that there is no appetite for the meal of immortality? Have spiritual taste buds become dulled? These questions have obvious, but not simple answers. Fewer people are at the dinner table because they don’t see the value of being part of the family at all. Often the reason given is there are more important things to do.
What makes God’s truth, His promises and His presence relevant and important? The cry for relevance must be framed in a way that reveals selfish ulterior motives. Invalid assumptions must be deconstructed. Prerequisites and preconditions that censure God must be named for what they are- idolatry. The will of God is always relevant. It is not, however, pliable. It is not subject to human consensus and manipulation. Holy Week brings us face to face with these questions.
The timid conscience sometimes shies away from approaching the altar. The devil would have us to believe that some measure of holiness is necessary first. His temptations are sinister. Repentant souls should rush to the rail like lovers rushing to embrace after a long absence apart. To be sure, the self-righteous and unrepentant will only bring judgment on themselves and should refrain. So too, those who do not hold the public teaching of the church where the sacrament is offered. A false motive is not hidden from the Lord and neither can a hardened heart be concealed from the Spirit.
But Holy Communion is the best antidote for a struggling faith. Baptism washes sins away. Communion poisons them. The pure blood of Christ is a potent remedy to sin’s ailment. His body is the food of immortality. The Israelites gained access to the presence of God through the sacrificial blood. Not even the high priest entered into the Holy of Holies without the blood of atonement. But now the baptized receive the blood of Christ Himself. His blood justifies us before God and empowers us to love one another. The Christian community is a forgiven fellowship. Its members do not seek honour for themselves but the well-being of others. Christ modeled that in the Upper Room.
The disciples were not sure how they would face tomorrow. What did Jesus say to them? “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth.”2. He said, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”3 How will you face tomorrow? You will have the sacrament today. How will you handle the regrets of the past? You will receive the comfort of the present. How will the failures of yesterday be resolved? They will be relieved by the gifts of the present day. How will doubts about the future be laid to rest? They will be shouldered by Him who possesses eternity. You have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. You now receive Him as immortal food. The mountaintop is not reached without treading through the valleys. Christ has done that for us. He has passed through the valley of the shadow of death.4 He is our Light at the end of the tunnel. He lives! Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
1 Luther’s Small Catechism
2 John 16:12-13
3John 14:18
4 See Psalm 23:4
Maundy Thursday
2 April 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Palm Sunday (B) 2015
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Mark 11:10
Theme: The Coming Kingdom
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The approach of God never goes unnoticed. Today He is met with heightened anticipation. Hosanna means “Lord, save!” It is a prayer of hope and an acclamation of truth. It is the mantra of Palm Sunday. Already by Jesus time it was an ancient utterance. It is a phrase weighted with such significance that the church chose to incorporate it into the song which accompanies our approach to the altar for Holy Communion, “Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.”1
Today begins the holiest week of the year for Christians. Our Redeemer will be lifted upon a cross. He will succumb to death. His followers will teeter on the precipice of despair. But Easter will resurrect their shattered hopes. The decisiveness of the events before us can hardly be overstated. Without Good Friday the wrath of God remains unappeased. Without the resurrection the power of death remains unbroken. Without a living Saviour who bears the marks of sacrifice we would be only dying souls with no future beyond this present life.
But our God comes. Lacking the pomp and circumstance of a royal visitation the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem was the antithesis of worldly ceremony, outward similarities excepted. Cheering crowds welcomed Him. Palms were waved. Garments were strewn. Expectations were raised. Yet His retinue was hardly regal. His devotees included a core group of fisherman, a tax collector, a religious zealot, and a traitor. The donkey upon which He rode previewed the cross upon which He would be hung. A donkey was a beast of burden not a royal steed. Jerusalem was the venue for divine sacrifice. Pilate was soon to have a volatile situation on his hands.
The approach of God never goes unnoticed. His word exacts response. The arrogant mock it. The apathetic ignore it. The baptized cherish it. Christ came not with swords but with words. He came not to coerce but to convince. He came not to be served but to serve. He came not with ideas but with truth. His own followers harbored false aspirations about His kingdom.
Their deceived ambitions were quickly dashed. Their Messiah was arrested, sentenced to death, and hung on a cross like a common criminal. Their misplaced ideas are not unique. Do we too hold misinformed expectations about ultimate things? Sin is like an aggressive cancer that continually attacks our faith. We can never be comfortable with sin; never make peace with it.
The world forthrightly challenges our reason for joining this palm-wielding crowd; and along with it our repentance, our hope, our devotion, our anticipation. It seems to many people to be hopelessly out-of-step with the world’s agenda. Our world remains full of bloodshed and strife, violence and dissension. Ideological clashes within society are fomenting unrest. Traditional values are being turned upside-down. Belief in universal truth continues to decline. A general increase in affluence has brought opportunity for indulgence but not more meaning to life. Relationships are fractured, children are left vulnerable; families are often in disarray. Lives remain broken. We seem to have more opportunities available to us than ever before but less stability. It would seem to be a big leap to believe that all of these crises can be brought to justice and healing, wholeness and resolution by this one man who was hung upon a cross. It seems out-of-sync to raise our voices and say, “Hosanna! Blessed in He who comes in the name of the Lord…hosanna in the highest!”2
But the approach of God always elicits response. The response of faith must part ways with the response of unbelief. The mission field is at our doorstep. People are looking for answers. They are seeking help. Society is witnessing a resurgence of interest in mediators. Palm-readers, fortune-tellers, channeling mediums, wiccan priestesses; all enjoy renewed attention from those looking for contact with the supernatural. We can only help if we are wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Dabbling in the demonic is not an innocuous activity. It opens people to spiritual attack. It desensitizes people to the power of evil. Satan is masterful at giving the outward appearance that everything is being held together while inwardly there is chaos and pain. Jesus condemned the Pharisees for being nicely decorated tombs but on the inside full of death.
But we have the Lord of life! Born in Bethlehem, protected in Egypt, raised in Nazareth, crucified in Jerusalem, ascended from Bethany, and enthroned in the heavenly Jerusalem this Saviour also dwells in the heart of every believer regardless of time or place.
“He was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, and the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures.”3 These words ground the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ in the context of history. The foundations of Christian truth are not based on unverifiable claims of cult leaders or the untenable ideals of humanistic philosophers. Christian teaching is based on plain, historical fact; truth which transformed the world. The historical circumstances themselves do not command peoples’ devotion. Christians are not materialists. That is, we believe there is more to reality than meets the eye; more than we can measure with our senses or comprehend with our intellect. Yet through these events -which crescendo to a climax with the cross and resurrection- the Holy Spirit incorporates believers into the life of God.
It seems remarkable that the crowds who welcomed Jesus with shouts of hosanna on Palm Sunday could so quickly be shouting “Crucify Him!”4 by Good Friday. Exactly which people were involved we don’t know. Clearly there was widespread and acute disillusionment. Many were misguided in their expectations of the Messiah. People are fickle by nature. They are easily turned away from defending the truth and we are no different. We may even boldly stand up with Peter and say to the Lord, “Even if I have to die with You, I will never disown you.”5 It was easy to do when Peter believed Christ would squash all worldly resistance with His power. When suffering was involved it was another matter altogether. Are we willing to conform our lives to the ways of honesty and integrity in the face of pressure in society, at work, in school, and even within the family? Are we willing to defend the name of Christ and the teachings of the Christian faith when ridiculed or challenged?
Dear friends, the only unassailable source of strength for you is found in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. His sacrificial death was the darkest tragedy ever witnessed, but also the power of salvation. The crucifixion is the basis on which the Holy Spirit converts unbelieving hearts. The crucifixion is the reason baptismal water is effective. The crucifixion is the source of the forgiveness offered in the bread and wine of Holy Communion. The crucifixion is the power by which our sinful desires are put to death and our lives are sanctified. The Spirit says, “For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.”6
The Messiah comes for you. You are not saved because you know or are related to someone who believes. You are not nourished by watching someone else eat. Your God comes to you. He is with you in the presence of the Spirit. He is for you in the promise of forgiveness. He is in you in the power of the sacrament. In Christ the kingdom of God has come. You are a citizen of that kingdom. Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Palm Sunday
29 March, 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 LH, p. 16, from the sanctus
2 Mark 11:9-10
3 Nicene Creed
4 Mark 15:14
5Matthew 26:35
6Romans 6:6
Text: Mark 11:10
Theme: The Coming Kingdom
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The approach of God never goes unnoticed. Today He is met with heightened anticipation. Hosanna means “Lord, save!” It is a prayer of hope and an acclamation of truth. It is the mantra of Palm Sunday. Already by Jesus time it was an ancient utterance. It is a phrase weighted with such significance that the church chose to incorporate it into the song which accompanies our approach to the altar for Holy Communion, “Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.”1
Today begins the holiest week of the year for Christians. Our Redeemer will be lifted upon a cross. He will succumb to death. His followers will teeter on the precipice of despair. But Easter will resurrect their shattered hopes. The decisiveness of the events before us can hardly be overstated. Without Good Friday the wrath of God remains unappeased. Without the resurrection the power of death remains unbroken. Without a living Saviour who bears the marks of sacrifice we would be only dying souls with no future beyond this present life.
But our God comes. Lacking the pomp and circumstance of a royal visitation the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem was the antithesis of worldly ceremony, outward similarities excepted. Cheering crowds welcomed Him. Palms were waved. Garments were strewn. Expectations were raised. Yet His retinue was hardly regal. His devotees included a core group of fisherman, a tax collector, a religious zealot, and a traitor. The donkey upon which He rode previewed the cross upon which He would be hung. A donkey was a beast of burden not a royal steed. Jerusalem was the venue for divine sacrifice. Pilate was soon to have a volatile situation on his hands.
The approach of God never goes unnoticed. His word exacts response. The arrogant mock it. The apathetic ignore it. The baptized cherish it. Christ came not with swords but with words. He came not to coerce but to convince. He came not to be served but to serve. He came not with ideas but with truth. His own followers harbored false aspirations about His kingdom.
Their deceived ambitions were quickly dashed. Their Messiah was arrested, sentenced to death, and hung on a cross like a common criminal. Their misplaced ideas are not unique. Do we too hold misinformed expectations about ultimate things? Sin is like an aggressive cancer that continually attacks our faith. We can never be comfortable with sin; never make peace with it.
The world forthrightly challenges our reason for joining this palm-wielding crowd; and along with it our repentance, our hope, our devotion, our anticipation. It seems to many people to be hopelessly out-of-step with the world’s agenda. Our world remains full of bloodshed and strife, violence and dissension. Ideological clashes within society are fomenting unrest. Traditional values are being turned upside-down. Belief in universal truth continues to decline. A general increase in affluence has brought opportunity for indulgence but not more meaning to life. Relationships are fractured, children are left vulnerable; families are often in disarray. Lives remain broken. We seem to have more opportunities available to us than ever before but less stability. It would seem to be a big leap to believe that all of these crises can be brought to justice and healing, wholeness and resolution by this one man who was hung upon a cross. It seems out-of-sync to raise our voices and say, “Hosanna! Blessed in He who comes in the name of the Lord…hosanna in the highest!”2
But the approach of God always elicits response. The response of faith must part ways with the response of unbelief. The mission field is at our doorstep. People are looking for answers. They are seeking help. Society is witnessing a resurgence of interest in mediators. Palm-readers, fortune-tellers, channeling mediums, wiccan priestesses; all enjoy renewed attention from those looking for contact with the supernatural. We can only help if we are wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Dabbling in the demonic is not an innocuous activity. It opens people to spiritual attack. It desensitizes people to the power of evil. Satan is masterful at giving the outward appearance that everything is being held together while inwardly there is chaos and pain. Jesus condemned the Pharisees for being nicely decorated tombs but on the inside full of death.
But we have the Lord of life! Born in Bethlehem, protected in Egypt, raised in Nazareth, crucified in Jerusalem, ascended from Bethany, and enthroned in the heavenly Jerusalem this Saviour also dwells in the heart of every believer regardless of time or place.
“He was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, and the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures.”3 These words ground the suffering, death, and resurrection of Christ in the context of history. The foundations of Christian truth are not based on unverifiable claims of cult leaders or the untenable ideals of humanistic philosophers. Christian teaching is based on plain, historical fact; truth which transformed the world. The historical circumstances themselves do not command peoples’ devotion. Christians are not materialists. That is, we believe there is more to reality than meets the eye; more than we can measure with our senses or comprehend with our intellect. Yet through these events -which crescendo to a climax with the cross and resurrection- the Holy Spirit incorporates believers into the life of God.
It seems remarkable that the crowds who welcomed Jesus with shouts of hosanna on Palm Sunday could so quickly be shouting “Crucify Him!”4 by Good Friday. Exactly which people were involved we don’t know. Clearly there was widespread and acute disillusionment. Many were misguided in their expectations of the Messiah. People are fickle by nature. They are easily turned away from defending the truth and we are no different. We may even boldly stand up with Peter and say to the Lord, “Even if I have to die with You, I will never disown you.”5 It was easy to do when Peter believed Christ would squash all worldly resistance with His power. When suffering was involved it was another matter altogether. Are we willing to conform our lives to the ways of honesty and integrity in the face of pressure in society, at work, in school, and even within the family? Are we willing to defend the name of Christ and the teachings of the Christian faith when ridiculed or challenged?
Dear friends, the only unassailable source of strength for you is found in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. His sacrificial death was the darkest tragedy ever witnessed, but also the power of salvation. The crucifixion is the basis on which the Holy Spirit converts unbelieving hearts. The crucifixion is the reason baptismal water is effective. The crucifixion is the source of the forgiveness offered in the bread and wine of Holy Communion. The crucifixion is the power by which our sinful desires are put to death and our lives are sanctified. The Spirit says, “For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.”6
The Messiah comes for you. You are not saved because you know or are related to someone who believes. You are not nourished by watching someone else eat. Your God comes to you. He is with you in the presence of the Spirit. He is for you in the promise of forgiveness. He is in you in the power of the sacrament. In Christ the kingdom of God has come. You are a citizen of that kingdom. Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Palm Sunday
29 March, 2015
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 LH, p. 16, from the sanctus
2 Mark 11:9-10
3 Nicene Creed
4 Mark 15:14
5Matthew 26:35
6Romans 6:6
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