+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 20:20-26
Theme: Jesus, the Single Grain
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all He created.”1 Everything good is from above. The first of these gifts is the Son of God Himself. He condescended to us in pure grace and incarnate love. With and through Him comes every other blessing of body and soul, physical and spiritual. Included in these blessings are those foundational things needed to sustain life; the sun, the rain, the fertility of the soil, the virility of the seed. Local farmers now turn their focus to these things and the wider community depends on them.
Without the Life-giver acting through these means no creature on earth could be nourished. You are inextricably connected to the soil. Everyone is. There are no exceptions. It’s not surprising Jesus used agricultural references to teach spiritual truths. He says, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain- first the stalk, then the head…”2 Of course, the soil doesn’t do it all by itself. No created thing does anything by itself, especially us sinful mortals. The earth is part of creation. It doesn’t have the power of life. But God works so winsomely and imperceptibly most of the time that we don’t discern His power, His presence, and His purpose in the daily activities of life as we should.
That truth is a double-edged sword. God keeps the world ticking over even when we’re ignorant, apathetic, or incapacitated. Our lack of observation or comprehension doesn’t prevent God from working towards our good. Think of how many blessings we receive before we’re even conscious of them? Conversely, to take something for granted, means, by definition, that we don’t recognize it as a gift. Ingratitude is not only a culpable offence before God, it is a particularly powerful poison in human relationship. No one likes to be unceasingly unappreciated.
Mercifully, God is able to handle the insult of ingratitude much more affably than we are. The Spirit is grieved by ungratefulness- it is a fruit of unbelief- but it doesn’t put Him off His goal of reconciling sinners. In recognition of both our limitations and our needs we look to God. We have prayed for rain and look how the Lord has provided! We pray for a favourable growing season and entrust that to His care. Farming is a vocation of faith. May God give us the faith to see that in seasons of drought or seasons of plenty, His blessings are generous far beyond what we deserve. We pray “Give us today our daily bread.”3 What does this mean? “God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people, but we pray in this petition that God would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.”4 God “sends rain on the righteous and unrighteous.”5
Jesus compares Himself to a grain of wheat that falls into the soil and dies6. Unless it dies, unless it ‘sacrifices’ itself, it remains only a single seed. To provide life for others, its own life must be consumed. Of course, it was no figure of speech when Jesus was hung upon the cross. His life was sacrificed to atone for the sins of the world. All of our fretting and praying, our seeding and reaping, our grumbling and rejoicing, our fears and our hopes mean nothing if we’ve lost sight of Him who both created and redeems.
Dear friends, Jesus is risen! He is living! Life will prevail not because we’ll be able to save the world from collapse through human ingenuity; not because we’ve developed better farming practices or have more competent industries and governance. Life will prevail because all existence is reliant on Christ and His life is incorruptible. The Scripture says, “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest…will never cease.”7 And when that happens, when the sowing and the reaping are done, a fuller enjoyment of His blessing will have just begun. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Fourth Sunday of Easter
3 May 2020
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 James 1:17-18
2 Mark 4:26-28
3 Matthew 6:11
4 Luther’s Small Catechism
5 Matthew 5:45
6 See John 12:23-24
7 Genesis 8:22
Sunday, May 3, 2020
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
Third Sunday of Easter (A) 2020
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 24:15
Theme: A Fellow Traveler
Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Dear followers to the empty tomb,
It’s more than a little remarkable- this short interlude of travelling to Emmaus. On the very day of His resurrection, the third day after His scourging and mocking, ending with the bloodletting and asphyxiation of His dreadful crucifixion, the day in which He asserts Himself not only against gravity, but against the immeasurable weight of death, the day on which He’s already announced His victory in hell and served notice to Satan, that day, Sunday, Jesus Christ, the conqueror of all catastrophe, and subjugator of all villainy… decides to go for a walk! He joins two locals on their way to a village called Emmaus. Do you see how lacking in grandeur, formality, and ceremony that is? Do you see how understated His re-entry into human affairs was? Nevertheless, faith sees the concealed Son of God here and cannot be prevented from expressing its alleluias. Jesus lives, never to die again.
The first Easter Sunday wasn’t demonstrably dramatic. Jesus doesn’t send a vanguard of angels ahead of Him to announce His resurrection with great fanfare. He certainly had them at His disposal. During His arrest He said, “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?”1 At the time a Roman legion contained about 5000 soldiers. Meaning Jesus readily had over 70,000 angels at His beck and call. He could have marshalled an army of followers to proclaim His triumph also. Instead, He casually integrates Himself back into the routine of humanity. It was a humanity whose worldview view He was about to radically alter.
So, even in His immortalized body His glory still remains hidden. He does pass through locked doors. But no fanfare is made of it. Dear friends, stop looking for God to impress you with His majesty, and start believing He’s with you in abject unpretentiousness. God doesn’t present bombastically, but humbly. God doesn’t need to overawe you with His power- you have the biblical accounts, and He will continue to intervene as He wishes-, but God doesn’t need to overawe you because faith is born of water and the Spirit. We don’t know God can deliver us from anything because He’s omnipotent but because we are baptised. We have the Spirit.
The followers on the way to Emmaus were visibly disappointed in how recent events transpired. They said to Jesus, “But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.”2 What did their hopes in His redeeming work entail? Did they think He would raise an army, overthrown the Romans and reestablish the Davidic dynasty? Did they think He would reconstitute the theocracy as it was under the leadership of Moses? Or did they understand Him to be the Messiah, whose kingdom is not of this world?
Jesus doesn’t initially comfort them, He chastises them. "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!”3 He does not scold them though for not believing the signs, words, works, and miracles that He Himself had performed. He doesn’t admonish them for not supporting Him during His trial or following Him to the cross. No, He convicts them in reference to the established word of Scripture. He calls on them to consider the basis of their trust. Why did they think their hopes were dashed?
If Jesus were to confront you about your sluggish faith and/or misplaced hopes, could you identify the problem areas? Are you aware of your idols? What are those things and those people, when looked at honestly, that we put more trust in than we do God Himself? He says, "You shall have no other gods before me.”4 It’s the foundational commandment. Consider the current context. Is the government, science, or the healthcare system going to deliver us from the present threat? Certainly, they all have a role to play and God works through human agency. Yet, when it comes to the only ‘deliverances’ that matter, human agency is as worthless as a paddle for a boat that’s already sunk. The forgiveness of sins cannot be obtained by any means within our power. Christ appeased the wrath of God. No one else can. No one else will.
Notice, also, that Jesus doesn’t enlighten them with new information. It’s not like He says to them, “Now that I’m risen, I’m free to explain to you how all the predictions and prophecies don’t really apply, but here’s the real story.” No, our account says, “Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself.”5 It’s parallel to the response Abraham gives to the rich man, “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.”6 It’s no coincidence.
Even with such explanation Cleopas and his companion still did not recognize Jesus. Now, we cannot fault them, because Jesus didn’t allow it, not yet. It wasn’t until He broke bread that their eyes were opened. You see, in Holy Communion we “see” Jesus as He wishes to be seen. In the sacred meal He is still veiled, but fully present with the power of His forgiving word, just as He is through the Spirit.
No one can recognize Christ as Saviour without the Holy Spirit. Wherever the word is, the Spirit is there. And wherever the Spirit is, there is life. What does Peter say today? “You have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God.”7 Again, the Bible says, “The word of God is living and active.”8 Only the word of God can change lives. Only the gospel can breathe life into spiritually dead souls. And He does.
Dear friends, in the circumstances of the current pandemic God is opening up an exceptional opportunity for the church. Our natural tendency is to see ourselves as victims, but shouldn’t we also see ourselves as beneficiaries? At the moment many people have more time on their hands than usual. That fact provides another great opportunity to reassess what the main objectives in life are. Is this also meant to be a quiet time for our faith? There isn’t any question that Christians aren’t called to sit back passively and watch the world go by until the Lord returns. If we were meant to be passive observers why would God equip us with such outstanding spiritual armor? Why would He gift us with so much to offer to others? He gives you a heart to serve.
Of course, if we believe we have to change the world we can easily feel overwhelmed. The sheer enormity of the task is beyond grasping, let alone accomplishing. Imagine what needs, what challenges, what opportunities will arise all around the world as a result of the coronavirus? Yet, we’re not called to save the world. Christ has done that. Still, God will use you to make life-changing differences for particular people. Understanding the limited scope of God’s expectation in our vocational lives helps us to focus on the quality of the task. A panoramic view of the forest may not allow us to see individual trees. Similarly, if we view humanity en masse, in all its fallenness, we might be unable to see how our Christian vocations can make any real difference. How can we really help when so many are in need and we can’t even manage our own issues?
But God calls us to see the individual trees in our neck of the woods. He calls us to believe that in helping others we are helped. When you are feeling low, despondent, or depressed, don’t throw yourself a pity-party. Put your burdens on God and support someone who may be going through a tougher time than you. In serving others God will serve you. In loving, you will be loved. Maybe all you’re able to do is pray, but the Holy Spirit uses your prayer for the benefit of others.
Jesus Christ utterly abolishes all divine to human social distancing. What do the Scriptures say? “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?”9 Not angels or demons, life, or death! The are no solitary travelers on the narrow road. In your journey with, in, or through addiction, Christ is there. In your journey supporting, or enduring someone with addiction, Christ is there. In the saga of strained, conflicted, and broken relationships, the risen Lord is present. Through all the trials and adversities, we encounter, He is faithful. And He’s not present merely as an observer, a cheerleader, or a spiritual life coach. And He’s not just a listening ear. He has authority to eradicate all the consequences of sin, including death. Would the Saviour who has died and risen again for you suddenly abandon you?
Therefore, we join with the prophet who said, “He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces...In that day they will say, ‘Surely this is our God; we trusted in Him and He saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in Him; let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”10 The journey to Emmaus was only seven miles. Jesus isn’t concerned about the length of our journey, only the road we are on and the destination to which we are headed. Amen.
Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
+ In nomine Jesu +
Third Sunday of Easter
26 April 2020
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Matthew 26:53 2 Luke 24:21
3 Luke 24:25 4 Deuteronomy 5:7
5 Luke 24:27 6 Luke 16:29
7 1 Peter 1:23 8 Hebrews 4:12
9 Romans 8:35 10 Isaiah 25:8-9
Text: Luke 24:15
Theme: A Fellow Traveler
Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Dear followers to the empty tomb,
It’s more than a little remarkable- this short interlude of travelling to Emmaus. On the very day of His resurrection, the third day after His scourging and mocking, ending with the bloodletting and asphyxiation of His dreadful crucifixion, the day in which He asserts Himself not only against gravity, but against the immeasurable weight of death, the day on which He’s already announced His victory in hell and served notice to Satan, that day, Sunday, Jesus Christ, the conqueror of all catastrophe, and subjugator of all villainy… decides to go for a walk! He joins two locals on their way to a village called Emmaus. Do you see how lacking in grandeur, formality, and ceremony that is? Do you see how understated His re-entry into human affairs was? Nevertheless, faith sees the concealed Son of God here and cannot be prevented from expressing its alleluias. Jesus lives, never to die again.
The first Easter Sunday wasn’t demonstrably dramatic. Jesus doesn’t send a vanguard of angels ahead of Him to announce His resurrection with great fanfare. He certainly had them at His disposal. During His arrest He said, “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?”1 At the time a Roman legion contained about 5000 soldiers. Meaning Jesus readily had over 70,000 angels at His beck and call. He could have marshalled an army of followers to proclaim His triumph also. Instead, He casually integrates Himself back into the routine of humanity. It was a humanity whose worldview view He was about to radically alter.
So, even in His immortalized body His glory still remains hidden. He does pass through locked doors. But no fanfare is made of it. Dear friends, stop looking for God to impress you with His majesty, and start believing He’s with you in abject unpretentiousness. God doesn’t present bombastically, but humbly. God doesn’t need to overawe you with His power- you have the biblical accounts, and He will continue to intervene as He wishes-, but God doesn’t need to overawe you because faith is born of water and the Spirit. We don’t know God can deliver us from anything because He’s omnipotent but because we are baptised. We have the Spirit.
The followers on the way to Emmaus were visibly disappointed in how recent events transpired. They said to Jesus, “But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.”2 What did their hopes in His redeeming work entail? Did they think He would raise an army, overthrown the Romans and reestablish the Davidic dynasty? Did they think He would reconstitute the theocracy as it was under the leadership of Moses? Or did they understand Him to be the Messiah, whose kingdom is not of this world?
Jesus doesn’t initially comfort them, He chastises them. "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!”3 He does not scold them though for not believing the signs, words, works, and miracles that He Himself had performed. He doesn’t admonish them for not supporting Him during His trial or following Him to the cross. No, He convicts them in reference to the established word of Scripture. He calls on them to consider the basis of their trust. Why did they think their hopes were dashed?
If Jesus were to confront you about your sluggish faith and/or misplaced hopes, could you identify the problem areas? Are you aware of your idols? What are those things and those people, when looked at honestly, that we put more trust in than we do God Himself? He says, "You shall have no other gods before me.”4 It’s the foundational commandment. Consider the current context. Is the government, science, or the healthcare system going to deliver us from the present threat? Certainly, they all have a role to play and God works through human agency. Yet, when it comes to the only ‘deliverances’ that matter, human agency is as worthless as a paddle for a boat that’s already sunk. The forgiveness of sins cannot be obtained by any means within our power. Christ appeased the wrath of God. No one else can. No one else will.
Notice, also, that Jesus doesn’t enlighten them with new information. It’s not like He says to them, “Now that I’m risen, I’m free to explain to you how all the predictions and prophecies don’t really apply, but here’s the real story.” No, our account says, “Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself.”5 It’s parallel to the response Abraham gives to the rich man, “They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.”6 It’s no coincidence.
Even with such explanation Cleopas and his companion still did not recognize Jesus. Now, we cannot fault them, because Jesus didn’t allow it, not yet. It wasn’t until He broke bread that their eyes were opened. You see, in Holy Communion we “see” Jesus as He wishes to be seen. In the sacred meal He is still veiled, but fully present with the power of His forgiving word, just as He is through the Spirit.
No one can recognize Christ as Saviour without the Holy Spirit. Wherever the word is, the Spirit is there. And wherever the Spirit is, there is life. What does Peter say today? “You have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God.”7 Again, the Bible says, “The word of God is living and active.”8 Only the word of God can change lives. Only the gospel can breathe life into spiritually dead souls. And He does.
Dear friends, in the circumstances of the current pandemic God is opening up an exceptional opportunity for the church. Our natural tendency is to see ourselves as victims, but shouldn’t we also see ourselves as beneficiaries? At the moment many people have more time on their hands than usual. That fact provides another great opportunity to reassess what the main objectives in life are. Is this also meant to be a quiet time for our faith? There isn’t any question that Christians aren’t called to sit back passively and watch the world go by until the Lord returns. If we were meant to be passive observers why would God equip us with such outstanding spiritual armor? Why would He gift us with so much to offer to others? He gives you a heart to serve.
Of course, if we believe we have to change the world we can easily feel overwhelmed. The sheer enormity of the task is beyond grasping, let alone accomplishing. Imagine what needs, what challenges, what opportunities will arise all around the world as a result of the coronavirus? Yet, we’re not called to save the world. Christ has done that. Still, God will use you to make life-changing differences for particular people. Understanding the limited scope of God’s expectation in our vocational lives helps us to focus on the quality of the task. A panoramic view of the forest may not allow us to see individual trees. Similarly, if we view humanity en masse, in all its fallenness, we might be unable to see how our Christian vocations can make any real difference. How can we really help when so many are in need and we can’t even manage our own issues?
But God calls us to see the individual trees in our neck of the woods. He calls us to believe that in helping others we are helped. When you are feeling low, despondent, or depressed, don’t throw yourself a pity-party. Put your burdens on God and support someone who may be going through a tougher time than you. In serving others God will serve you. In loving, you will be loved. Maybe all you’re able to do is pray, but the Holy Spirit uses your prayer for the benefit of others.
Jesus Christ utterly abolishes all divine to human social distancing. What do the Scriptures say? “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?”9 Not angels or demons, life, or death! The are no solitary travelers on the narrow road. In your journey with, in, or through addiction, Christ is there. In your journey supporting, or enduring someone with addiction, Christ is there. In the saga of strained, conflicted, and broken relationships, the risen Lord is present. Through all the trials and adversities, we encounter, He is faithful. And He’s not present merely as an observer, a cheerleader, or a spiritual life coach. And He’s not just a listening ear. He has authority to eradicate all the consequences of sin, including death. Would the Saviour who has died and risen again for you suddenly abandon you?
Therefore, we join with the prophet who said, “He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces...In that day they will say, ‘Surely this is our God; we trusted in Him and He saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in Him; let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”10 The journey to Emmaus was only seven miles. Jesus isn’t concerned about the length of our journey, only the road we are on and the destination to which we are headed. Amen.
Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
+ In nomine Jesu +
Third Sunday of Easter
26 April 2020
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Matthew 26:53 2 Luke 24:21
3 Luke 24:25 4 Deuteronomy 5:7
5 Luke 24:27 6 Luke 16:29
7 1 Peter 1:23 8 Hebrews 4:12
9 Romans 8:35 10 Isaiah 25:8-9
Tuesday, April 14, 2020
The Resurrection of our Lord (A) 2020
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Matthew 28:8
Theme: Fear and Joy
Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Dear followers to the empty tomb,
Joy is never without evidence. That doesn’t mean the existence of joy is always easily substantiated. People can be so happy they shed tears. Yet, tears are much more commonly associated with grief or pain. Still, people can be filled with joy even when their expression of it is very subtle. When the Marys got to the tomb on Easter morning what did they find? They were expecting a detachment of Romans soldiers following strict protocol about access to the crypt. Instead they were greeted by someone of much higher authority. “The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said.’”1 Imagine their shock! We can appreciate how they would be dumbfounded and filled with confusion. They had come to venerate the corpse of their Master. Instead they are told He’s not even there. What’s more, that He was alive! They left filled with fear and joy2.
The city of New Orleans is well-known for the striking above-ground vaults in its cemeteries. Many interesting historical accounts accompany the picturesque tombs. An 1875 issue of the New Orleans Bulletin details the following amazing incident. A victim of a smallpox outbreak was being carted to the cemetery in what was called a charity wagon. A charity wagon was a horse and wagon type hearse for those who couldn’t afford their own funerals. In route to the cemetery, the victim suddenly revived from his supposed state of death and got into a fight with the wagon driver. A serious altercation ensued. The driver, insisting the man was legally dead (and perhaps fearful of contracting smallpox), finally smothered the man in an attempt to subdue him. The wagon driver was subsequently charged with murdering a man who had previously been declared dead. What a paradox! How can you murder a man who is already dead?
Dear friends, a similar paradox lies at the heart of Christian truth. Yes, Jesus Christ was executed under the authority of Pontius Pilate, He, a living man, was put to death. But, from the divine perspective, and let us say, divine legal perspective, He was as good as dead because He was bearing the sins of the world. His condition was terminal. Remember, the reason Jesus was put on the cross and laid in a grave in the first place was because of our sins. There was nothing for Him to personally gain by His sacrifice.
Already when Mary was anointing His feet with expensive perfume, palliative care was taking place. Had He ‘recovered’, had He avoided death, our fate would have been sealed. But Jesus was never going to offload our sins. He wasn’t going to ‘recover’ from the mortal syndrome of vicariously bearing the punishment of fallen humanity. He wasn’t going to turn back. He loves us too much to shirk from dying for us.
The Marys left the tomb filled with fear and joy- and perhaps a touch of panic? The word panic sounds a little familiar, doesn’t it? The devil absolutely delights in panic. People are seldom more vulnerable than when they are filled with terror. But, do you think that Satan doesn’t know that the coronavirus is also a huge liability to his agenda? Remember, the only real weapon in Satan’s arsenal is deception. He has no actual power over us, only the art of trickery. So, it’s a massive risk for him to over-play the coronavirus. How is that so? Remember, unbelievers don’t really occupy much of the devil’s time. But…what if unbelievers start to reassess their priorities? What if people start digging a little deeper for meaning in life?
What if people’s faith in ‘the goodness of humanity’ starts to falter. What if they start to recognize how corrupted human nature really is? What if the increasingly popular tenets of universalism- that is, the belief that everyone is going to be saved regardless of what they believe in or what they have done- begins to fall out of favour? What if people’s structures of self-reliance become so unstable, so unreliable, so unworkable, that they start searching, really searching for alternatives? What if they become open to hearing the gospel?
And, what if Christians who have become lukewarm in their faith, those who have become lax or even estranged return resolutely and humbly like the Prodigal Son? Do you see the risk for Satan now? Economically and politically the coronavirus might be a disaster, but what about spiritually? To be clear, we’re not dealing here- in this coronavirus anomaly- with a deliberate persecution of the church. Yet, the opportunity is certainly there to permanently withhold freedoms that were temporarily suspended. Some in society would like more restrictions on Christian witness. But witness is often most effective in conditions of oppression.
A unique individual by the name of Luigi Tarisio was found dead one morning in his home. He had very few earthly possessions except for one unique collection. He had hoarded in his home 246 exquisite violins collected during his lifetime. None of them had been played for decades. Most of them were stored in the attic, but the rarest was in the bottom drawer of an old rickety dresser. Ironically, in his devotion to violins he robbed the world of the great music they could have produced. When his greatest violin, a Stradivarius, was played it had been silent for 147 years. When finally played it was a delight to the ears.
Dear friends, Christian truth isn’t meant for admiration, but for confession. Yes, we admire, adore, praise and worship, we love and venerate our God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But we don’t do so by hiding away His truth and the joy and peace it brings. We are instruments of the Holy Spirit and through us He plays a celestial tune. Yes, it’s a tune that’s often unharmonious to the ears of unbelievers. Yet, when filtered by faith it’s part of a beautiful symphony.
The world is still full of skeptics. It always will be. Christ doesn’t fit into their boxes. But He didn’t fit into the tomb either. Who are we, as humans facing the inevitability of mortality, to question Him who shattered death’s power? Who are we, as creatures of the shadows, to interrogate Him who is the eternal source of light? Yes, the complaints will always remain: God is too apathetic, or inattentive, or impotent- and even the strongest believers have their doubts- but what alternative can we offer? Will we charge recklessly, stumbling headlong into the world of unbelief and anxiety? Will we rush into the darkness unarmed and unprotected?
Christ commanded the storm and the sea, and they were stilled. He ordered demons and they were silenced. He addressed, the lame and the blind, the deaf and the mute, the diseased and the possessed, and they were healed. He rebuked Satan and he fled. This same Redeemer, divine, immortal, immutable, stepped out of the grave, and- as far as we know- said not a word, the weight of His steps crushing the empire of death, its scaffolding and foundations, abolishing the dominion of sin and its fictitious sovereignty. The Scripture says, “The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”3
Jesus lives! And the indestructible quality of His life is not a private possession. Easter isn’t simply the commemoration of this one noteworthy person who overcame the supremacy of death. As if the main thing we were rejoicing about was honouring this legendary hero who inspires us to new achievements. His life, the divine, immortal life, is the sustaining power of ALL life. Believers already participate in the immortal property of that life.
The living Jesus is the living water that continually refreshes you in your baptismal faith. The living Jesus is the living Word that absolves you of your sins and lifts away your guilt. The living Jesus offers you His own body and blood, endowed with His lifeforce for the strengthening of your souls. The living Jesus guards your heavenly inheritance, unspoiled and undefiled until you join Him in celestial glory.
We possess these blessings now in faith- that’s the hard part, that’s the struggle- but we possess them in actuality, nonetheless. We are baptized. The Spirit dwells in us. What does the apostle say? “Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power the enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.”4 Our lives now are but a shadow of what they will be.
Dear friends, because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, death has no power over you. How that joy is articulated in your life- whether conspicuously or with subtlety, in fits and starts, or with constant consistency, lucidly, or obliquely, whether it’s with self-conscious recognition, or with sub-conscious ambiguity, or (like the majority of us), a combination of all these- is going to depend on what point you are in the journey of bearing your cross. But, rest, assured, you won’t be deprived of the knowledge or experience of that joy in eternity. Jesus hung upon THE cross for you and the grave could not hold Him. Join your alleluias with all the people of God. He has triumphed and we are free. Amen.
Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
+ In nomine Jesu +
The Resurrection of Our Lord
12 April 2020
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Matthew 28:5-6 2 See Matthew 28:8
3 1 Corinthians 15:26 4 Philippians 3:20-21
Text: Matthew 28:8
Theme: Fear and Joy
Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Dear followers to the empty tomb,
Joy is never without evidence. That doesn’t mean the existence of joy is always easily substantiated. People can be so happy they shed tears. Yet, tears are much more commonly associated with grief or pain. Still, people can be filled with joy even when their expression of it is very subtle. When the Marys got to the tomb on Easter morning what did they find? They were expecting a detachment of Romans soldiers following strict protocol about access to the crypt. Instead they were greeted by someone of much higher authority. “The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said.’”1 Imagine their shock! We can appreciate how they would be dumbfounded and filled with confusion. They had come to venerate the corpse of their Master. Instead they are told He’s not even there. What’s more, that He was alive! They left filled with fear and joy2.
The city of New Orleans is well-known for the striking above-ground vaults in its cemeteries. Many interesting historical accounts accompany the picturesque tombs. An 1875 issue of the New Orleans Bulletin details the following amazing incident. A victim of a smallpox outbreak was being carted to the cemetery in what was called a charity wagon. A charity wagon was a horse and wagon type hearse for those who couldn’t afford their own funerals. In route to the cemetery, the victim suddenly revived from his supposed state of death and got into a fight with the wagon driver. A serious altercation ensued. The driver, insisting the man was legally dead (and perhaps fearful of contracting smallpox), finally smothered the man in an attempt to subdue him. The wagon driver was subsequently charged with murdering a man who had previously been declared dead. What a paradox! How can you murder a man who is already dead?
Dear friends, a similar paradox lies at the heart of Christian truth. Yes, Jesus Christ was executed under the authority of Pontius Pilate, He, a living man, was put to death. But, from the divine perspective, and let us say, divine legal perspective, He was as good as dead because He was bearing the sins of the world. His condition was terminal. Remember, the reason Jesus was put on the cross and laid in a grave in the first place was because of our sins. There was nothing for Him to personally gain by His sacrifice.
Already when Mary was anointing His feet with expensive perfume, palliative care was taking place. Had He ‘recovered’, had He avoided death, our fate would have been sealed. But Jesus was never going to offload our sins. He wasn’t going to ‘recover’ from the mortal syndrome of vicariously bearing the punishment of fallen humanity. He wasn’t going to turn back. He loves us too much to shirk from dying for us.
The Marys left the tomb filled with fear and joy- and perhaps a touch of panic? The word panic sounds a little familiar, doesn’t it? The devil absolutely delights in panic. People are seldom more vulnerable than when they are filled with terror. But, do you think that Satan doesn’t know that the coronavirus is also a huge liability to his agenda? Remember, the only real weapon in Satan’s arsenal is deception. He has no actual power over us, only the art of trickery. So, it’s a massive risk for him to over-play the coronavirus. How is that so? Remember, unbelievers don’t really occupy much of the devil’s time. But…what if unbelievers start to reassess their priorities? What if people start digging a little deeper for meaning in life?
What if people’s faith in ‘the goodness of humanity’ starts to falter. What if they start to recognize how corrupted human nature really is? What if the increasingly popular tenets of universalism- that is, the belief that everyone is going to be saved regardless of what they believe in or what they have done- begins to fall out of favour? What if people’s structures of self-reliance become so unstable, so unreliable, so unworkable, that they start searching, really searching for alternatives? What if they become open to hearing the gospel?
And, what if Christians who have become lukewarm in their faith, those who have become lax or even estranged return resolutely and humbly like the Prodigal Son? Do you see the risk for Satan now? Economically and politically the coronavirus might be a disaster, but what about spiritually? To be clear, we’re not dealing here- in this coronavirus anomaly- with a deliberate persecution of the church. Yet, the opportunity is certainly there to permanently withhold freedoms that were temporarily suspended. Some in society would like more restrictions on Christian witness. But witness is often most effective in conditions of oppression.
A unique individual by the name of Luigi Tarisio was found dead one morning in his home. He had very few earthly possessions except for one unique collection. He had hoarded in his home 246 exquisite violins collected during his lifetime. None of them had been played for decades. Most of them were stored in the attic, but the rarest was in the bottom drawer of an old rickety dresser. Ironically, in his devotion to violins he robbed the world of the great music they could have produced. When his greatest violin, a Stradivarius, was played it had been silent for 147 years. When finally played it was a delight to the ears.
Dear friends, Christian truth isn’t meant for admiration, but for confession. Yes, we admire, adore, praise and worship, we love and venerate our God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But we don’t do so by hiding away His truth and the joy and peace it brings. We are instruments of the Holy Spirit and through us He plays a celestial tune. Yes, it’s a tune that’s often unharmonious to the ears of unbelievers. Yet, when filtered by faith it’s part of a beautiful symphony.
The world is still full of skeptics. It always will be. Christ doesn’t fit into their boxes. But He didn’t fit into the tomb either. Who are we, as humans facing the inevitability of mortality, to question Him who shattered death’s power? Who are we, as creatures of the shadows, to interrogate Him who is the eternal source of light? Yes, the complaints will always remain: God is too apathetic, or inattentive, or impotent- and even the strongest believers have their doubts- but what alternative can we offer? Will we charge recklessly, stumbling headlong into the world of unbelief and anxiety? Will we rush into the darkness unarmed and unprotected?
Christ commanded the storm and the sea, and they were stilled. He ordered demons and they were silenced. He addressed, the lame and the blind, the deaf and the mute, the diseased and the possessed, and they were healed. He rebuked Satan and he fled. This same Redeemer, divine, immortal, immutable, stepped out of the grave, and- as far as we know- said not a word, the weight of His steps crushing the empire of death, its scaffolding and foundations, abolishing the dominion of sin and its fictitious sovereignty. The Scripture says, “The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”3
Jesus lives! And the indestructible quality of His life is not a private possession. Easter isn’t simply the commemoration of this one noteworthy person who overcame the supremacy of death. As if the main thing we were rejoicing about was honouring this legendary hero who inspires us to new achievements. His life, the divine, immortal life, is the sustaining power of ALL life. Believers already participate in the immortal property of that life.
The living Jesus is the living water that continually refreshes you in your baptismal faith. The living Jesus is the living Word that absolves you of your sins and lifts away your guilt. The living Jesus offers you His own body and blood, endowed with His lifeforce for the strengthening of your souls. The living Jesus guards your heavenly inheritance, unspoiled and undefiled until you join Him in celestial glory.
We possess these blessings now in faith- that’s the hard part, that’s the struggle- but we possess them in actuality, nonetheless. We are baptized. The Spirit dwells in us. What does the apostle say? “Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power the enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.”4 Our lives now are but a shadow of what they will be.
Dear friends, because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, death has no power over you. How that joy is articulated in your life- whether conspicuously or with subtlety, in fits and starts, or with constant consistency, lucidly, or obliquely, whether it’s with self-conscious recognition, or with sub-conscious ambiguity, or (like the majority of us), a combination of all these- is going to depend on what point you are in the journey of bearing your cross. But, rest, assured, you won’t be deprived of the knowledge or experience of that joy in eternity. Jesus hung upon THE cross for you and the grave could not hold Him. Join your alleluias with all the people of God. He has triumphed and we are free. Amen.
Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
+ In nomine Jesu +
The Resurrection of Our Lord
12 April 2020
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Matthew 28:5-6 2 See Matthew 28:8
3 1 Corinthians 15:26 4 Philippians 3:20-21
Friday, April 10, 2020
Maundy Thursday (9 April 2020)
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Exodus 12:13
Theme: The Blood of the Passover
Dear followers of the Saviour,
There are very few truly unprecedented global events in the history of humanity. A couple come to mind- the flood at the time of Noah, and the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The coronavirus pandemic is widely described as unprecedented. Undoubtedly, these claims have some justification. No one knows how far-reaching it might be or how the situation will end up. History repeats itself. Certainly, there have been many significant plagues throughout the ages. The plague that particularly concerns us on this Maundy Thursday, was the tenth and final plague on the Egyptians, the death of the firstborn. It was the final measure to force Pharaoh’s hand. God Himself would not spare His own Firstborn Son. Only Jesus’ sacrifice could end the plague of eternal death.
Historically, we may feel far removed from these events that happened some 1500 years before the time of Christ. But the entire scope of the exodus and all that it entailed was pointing forward. It was pointing forward to the one sacrifice, to the one Lamb whose blood could truly redeem. God told Moses, “I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD. “1 The deliverance of God’s people from bondage wasn’t simply a rescue operation. It was an execution of judgment against pagan idolatry. The ten plagues were judgments against the idols of Egypt.
The ancient Egyptians recognized a multitude of greater and lesser deities. Their idols were believed to control all aspects of life, the weather, the agricultural seasons, birth, death, all expressions of good and evil. Cultic rituals were carefully followed to appease them. Yet, at every turn, they were bested by the God of Israel, these slave people upon whose forced labor the Egyptians had built their empire over the previous four hundred years. The God of the Hebrews played second fiddle to no one, prompting Pharaoh’s magicians to say, “This is the finger of God.”2
Since the Hebrew slaves lived among the Egyptians, it took some precise action to spare them. The principal identification for allegiance to Yahweh was lamb’s (or goat’s) blood smeared over the doors of their dwellings. That truth can be shot like an arrow whizzing through centuries of time until it lodges in the proclamation of John the Baptist announcing, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”3 God said to the Israelites, “When I see the blood I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you.”4 They were then to eat in haste, staff in hand, sandals on their feet ready to leave for the Promises Land. Through the of the blood of THE Lamb, the angel of death passes over us. We’ve been delivered from the tyranny of slavery to sin. We’re welcomed at the gate to the Promised Land above.
It was no coincidence that Jesus was crucified during the Passover. His was the final bloodletting and it was part of planned obsolescence for cultic sacrifices. It was also no accident that Jesus established Holy Communion at this time. Here we are on Thursday of Holy Week, the day of the Last Supper and the institution of the Lord’s Supper and we are unable to celebrate the sacrament. How long our celebrations will be delayed no one knows at this point. We are foregoing the Lord’s Supper in the interest of protecting the vulnerable. It’s a deprivation we accept under some duress and with great yeaning. Our time of fasting can also be a time of strengthening. Fasting has long been a discipline with spiritual and physical benefit. If ‘distance makes the heart grow fonder’ our hearts should be truly raptured when we’re freed to receive this blessing again. The Israelites had the manna and the quail. We have the body and blood of Christ. They had the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. We have the word and Spirit. Even while isolated from other people, God is near to us.
Social distancing was also prescribed in biblical times, particularly for different types of leprosy. Jesus was frequently criticized for His contact with those who were unclean, including those who had communicable diseases. From the standpoint of the Holy God every one of us has a disease much worse than the coronavirus. Sin makes us unclean. It is a terminal illness. We may think we are asymptotic. We may think we’re not a threat to ourselves or others. We may think we’re not contagious. But the truth is otherwise. We spread our sin everywhere in every faithless act, in every selfish deed. When sin causes consequences we can’t avoid, we’re apt to manage it by relying on human effort.
Just as the short-sighted Israelites were foolish to want to return to Egypt, we’re foolish to want to turn from the gospel of grace. When offered freedom, yet with temporal uncertainty, they still longed to return to the familiarity of slavery. Our natural selves are always tempted to return to the agenda of the law. That is, we naturally think that if only we’re a little better, that we try a little harder, that we make an honest effort, God will be impressed and grant us His blessing. Thus, we look for security from God based on our efforts, judged by our own standards of righteousness. In foolish self-confidence we think God is obliged to recognize our good works. The apostle Paul strongly rebuked this tendency in the Galatians when he said, “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? ...Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?...After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort.”5 No, dear friends, the goal has already been attained and the Saviour gifts it to us.
Adversity builds the resilience of faith. For some believers this is an exceptional time of adversity. Pillars of certainty are being toppled: financial stability, medical and health security, relationship normalcy. Can we recognize which ones have become idols that we worship instead of blessings for which we give thanks? Will these events cause us to reassess what we value most? One of the Scriptures for this Sunday’s celebration of Easter encourages us to set our minds on high and holy things, not on fleeting and worldly things. Many silver linings will be found in this dark cloud of turmoil.
Life is in the blood. The life of Jesus was sacrificed for you. His blood was poured out for you. He died a physical, historical death. He rose bodily from the grave. He ascended to the Father’s hand of power. He possesses an indestructible life. The plaque we’re experiencing known as the coronavirus will go down in history as a notable pandemic. Still, it too, will pass. But the Father’s kingdom will never pass away. Nothing can separate us from the Lamb of God, Jesus, the Saviour, Christ, the Redeemer, not even death. He leads His people on one final exodus to the Promised Land of heaven. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Maundy Thursday
9 April 2020
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Exodus 12:12 2 Exodus 8:19
3 John 1:29 4 Hebrews 12:13
5 Galatians 3:1-3
Text: Exodus 12:13
Theme: The Blood of the Passover
Dear followers of the Saviour,
There are very few truly unprecedented global events in the history of humanity. A couple come to mind- the flood at the time of Noah, and the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The coronavirus pandemic is widely described as unprecedented. Undoubtedly, these claims have some justification. No one knows how far-reaching it might be or how the situation will end up. History repeats itself. Certainly, there have been many significant plagues throughout the ages. The plague that particularly concerns us on this Maundy Thursday, was the tenth and final plague on the Egyptians, the death of the firstborn. It was the final measure to force Pharaoh’s hand. God Himself would not spare His own Firstborn Son. Only Jesus’ sacrifice could end the plague of eternal death.
Historically, we may feel far removed from these events that happened some 1500 years before the time of Christ. But the entire scope of the exodus and all that it entailed was pointing forward. It was pointing forward to the one sacrifice, to the one Lamb whose blood could truly redeem. God told Moses, “I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD. “1 The deliverance of God’s people from bondage wasn’t simply a rescue operation. It was an execution of judgment against pagan idolatry. The ten plagues were judgments against the idols of Egypt.
The ancient Egyptians recognized a multitude of greater and lesser deities. Their idols were believed to control all aspects of life, the weather, the agricultural seasons, birth, death, all expressions of good and evil. Cultic rituals were carefully followed to appease them. Yet, at every turn, they were bested by the God of Israel, these slave people upon whose forced labor the Egyptians had built their empire over the previous four hundred years. The God of the Hebrews played second fiddle to no one, prompting Pharaoh’s magicians to say, “This is the finger of God.”2
Since the Hebrew slaves lived among the Egyptians, it took some precise action to spare them. The principal identification for allegiance to Yahweh was lamb’s (or goat’s) blood smeared over the doors of their dwellings. That truth can be shot like an arrow whizzing through centuries of time until it lodges in the proclamation of John the Baptist announcing, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”3 God said to the Israelites, “When I see the blood I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you.”4 They were then to eat in haste, staff in hand, sandals on their feet ready to leave for the Promises Land. Through the of the blood of THE Lamb, the angel of death passes over us. We’ve been delivered from the tyranny of slavery to sin. We’re welcomed at the gate to the Promised Land above.
It was no coincidence that Jesus was crucified during the Passover. His was the final bloodletting and it was part of planned obsolescence for cultic sacrifices. It was also no accident that Jesus established Holy Communion at this time. Here we are on Thursday of Holy Week, the day of the Last Supper and the institution of the Lord’s Supper and we are unable to celebrate the sacrament. How long our celebrations will be delayed no one knows at this point. We are foregoing the Lord’s Supper in the interest of protecting the vulnerable. It’s a deprivation we accept under some duress and with great yeaning. Our time of fasting can also be a time of strengthening. Fasting has long been a discipline with spiritual and physical benefit. If ‘distance makes the heart grow fonder’ our hearts should be truly raptured when we’re freed to receive this blessing again. The Israelites had the manna and the quail. We have the body and blood of Christ. They had the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. We have the word and Spirit. Even while isolated from other people, God is near to us.
Social distancing was also prescribed in biblical times, particularly for different types of leprosy. Jesus was frequently criticized for His contact with those who were unclean, including those who had communicable diseases. From the standpoint of the Holy God every one of us has a disease much worse than the coronavirus. Sin makes us unclean. It is a terminal illness. We may think we are asymptotic. We may think we’re not a threat to ourselves or others. We may think we’re not contagious. But the truth is otherwise. We spread our sin everywhere in every faithless act, in every selfish deed. When sin causes consequences we can’t avoid, we’re apt to manage it by relying on human effort.
Just as the short-sighted Israelites were foolish to want to return to Egypt, we’re foolish to want to turn from the gospel of grace. When offered freedom, yet with temporal uncertainty, they still longed to return to the familiarity of slavery. Our natural selves are always tempted to return to the agenda of the law. That is, we naturally think that if only we’re a little better, that we try a little harder, that we make an honest effort, God will be impressed and grant us His blessing. Thus, we look for security from God based on our efforts, judged by our own standards of righteousness. In foolish self-confidence we think God is obliged to recognize our good works. The apostle Paul strongly rebuked this tendency in the Galatians when he said, “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? ...Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?...After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort.”5 No, dear friends, the goal has already been attained and the Saviour gifts it to us.
Adversity builds the resilience of faith. For some believers this is an exceptional time of adversity. Pillars of certainty are being toppled: financial stability, medical and health security, relationship normalcy. Can we recognize which ones have become idols that we worship instead of blessings for which we give thanks? Will these events cause us to reassess what we value most? One of the Scriptures for this Sunday’s celebration of Easter encourages us to set our minds on high and holy things, not on fleeting and worldly things. Many silver linings will be found in this dark cloud of turmoil.
Life is in the blood. The life of Jesus was sacrificed for you. His blood was poured out for you. He died a physical, historical death. He rose bodily from the grave. He ascended to the Father’s hand of power. He possesses an indestructible life. The plaque we’re experiencing known as the coronavirus will go down in history as a notable pandemic. Still, it too, will pass. But the Father’s kingdom will never pass away. Nothing can separate us from the Lamb of God, Jesus, the Saviour, Christ, the Redeemer, not even death. He leads His people on one final exodus to the Promised Land of heaven. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Maundy Thursday
9 April 2020
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Exodus 12:12 2 Exodus 8:19
3 John 1:29 4 Hebrews 12:13
5 Galatians 3:1-3
Thursday, April 2, 2020
Midweek Lent 5 (April 2020)
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Matthew 28:12
Theme: The Truth Comes Out
Dear followers to the cross,
This evening we conclude our midweek Lenten series, ‘Promises kept, promises broken’ with a look at the guards posted at Jesus’ tomb. The world has changed dramatically since Ash Wednesday kicked off our Lenten season back on the 26th of February. No one could have foreseen how rapidly one virus would spread across the globe and how radically people’s lives would be impacted. Western society is facing levels of anxiety, and instability not felt since the world wars of the last century. People’s confidence in many of society’s structures has been shaken. Let us pray that in the weeks and months ahead many hearts would be open to the unshakeable truth of salvation in Jesus Christ.
What can be said about the guards at Jesus’ tomb? Their poise was shaken by an earthquake. Their task was simple, but it was a highly responsible charge: No one was to interfere with the body of this Jesus, the King of the Jews. The qualifications for the job weren’t particularly demanding, but competence was paramount, and soldiers sometimes needed to have nerves of steel. The penalty for failure was severe. Such liability came with the territory. We have more than anecdotal evidence to suggest that capital punishment was an expected penalty for failure.
The example of the jailer of Philippi in Acts 16 is sufficient to illustrate. This public servant needed only to guard Paul and Silas who were imprisoned at his location. The Scripture says, “About midnight…there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, ‘Don’t harm yourself!’”1 Then, he enquired of Paul about salvation.
The jailer in Philippi went from ‘initiated suicide’ to baptism. Now, that’s absolutely astounding, but that’s the power of the gospel. It can instantly change a situation of despair into an occasion for rejoicing. His sword was drawn, his life was forfeit. But then, miraculously, a higher power took over. Baptism’s power is in the promise of Jesus and the work of the Spirit, a power authenticated in the crucifixion and resurrection, a power which transformed the jailer’s life that memorable night.
Unfortunately, fleeing was not the end of the story for the guards at Jesus’ tomb. They became involved in a conspiracy to cover up their failure. The Bible says, “When they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers.”2 Money talks. Of course, you might argue they deserved danger pay anyway! Their lives were certainly on the line. And, humanly speaking, what could they have done differently? Nevertheless, the cover up is a reminder of human sinfulness. The temptation to cover our tracks is endemic to all of us. The first inclination of the sinful nature, when there is threat of punishment, is to exonerate oneself. The problem is our self-acquittals have no authority. They are just specific examples of what the apostle John means when he says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”3 Our self-acquittals have no authority. Christ alone can absolve us.
He is the only One with the power to forgive because He is the only One who has earned the authority. Lent is preparation to better appreciate the sacrifice of Jesus. But the crucifixion is not just about an event, it’s about a person. It’s about the exertion of the one Person who is also divine, incarnate love. In the incarnation the visiting God becomes the residential God. And, in the crucifixion, the sovereign God becomes the ransoming God; He becomes the Redeemer of humanity, not just the Creator. Said differently, in the incarnation He becomes Immanuel- ‘God with us’. In the crucifixion He becomes Substitute- ‘God for us’. And, subsequently, through the Holy Spirit He becomes immanent, ‘God in us’. Not that at any point previously He was remiss of any of His responsibilities. But the promise to send a Messiah in the flesh had to become fulfilment so that mortality could be swallowed up by life.
Only the structures He establishes are invincible. And we’re not talking about ethereal, religious ‘mumbo-jumbo’ here. Dear friends, neither the present nor the future are or will be purely metaphysical existences, that is, disembodied, spiritual-only states of being. The incarnation guaranteed that matter- physical existence- is here to stay; despite world wars, despite the coronavirus, despite whatever other catastrophe might still commence. We are corporeal beings and we will be resurrected as such, though, of course, perfected. Even now Jesus retains His physical body, eternally glorified as it is. He bears the wounds of His passion.
So, did the guards keep their promise? Were they faithful in their duty? Well, it was impossible for them to comply with orders. A superior power intervened, and they could do nothing but flee. Confronted with seismic activity and angelic hosts it’s difficult to fault them for dereliction of duty. None of us could have bested them. No mortal can withstand the divine majesty.
The well-known phrase “promises are made to be broken” is attributed to a man named Jonathan Swift. Swift, who lived between the late 17th and mid-18th centuries was an Anglo-Irish poet, a cleric, and satirist. Witty with a very dry style he penned many influential publications and novels including Gulliver’s Travels. Though effective for literary purposes, the phrase, of course, isn’t actually true. Promises aren’t made to be broken, unless one is engaging in intentional deceit. But promises are certainly bound to be broken. There are only two categories of beings that make promises. Humans will fail again and again in keeping theirs because human beings are sinners. God’s promises, however, remain inviolate. The Scripture says, “God is not a man, that He should lie”4 And again, “Let us hold unswervingly to the to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.”5
As this midweek Lenten series draws to a close, the coronavirus rages on. It’s leaving a path of destruction in its wake and no one knows how much carnage is still to follow. But true hope is never lost. We can be robbed of optimism; but we can’t be robbed of eternal hope. We can be robbed of freedom; but we can’t be robbed of the liberty of knowing we are reconciled to God through His Son. We can be robbed of material provisions, the ‘creature comforts’ we’ve become so accustomed to; but we can’t be robbed of our baptismal and heavenly inheritance. We can even be ‘robbed’ of the rest our temporal lives (and don’t assume our local communities will remain untouched by this scourge); but we can never be robbed of life in that higher dimension.
Jesus Christ is not entombed. He’s not practicing ‘social-distancing’. The Father has raised Him. The Spirit has released Him. He lives to make continual intercession for us before the Father’s throne. He’ll never fail in His duty of guarding us, body or soul. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Midweek Lent 2020- The Guards
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Acts 16:25-28
2 Matthew 28:12
3 1 John 1:8
4 Numbers 23:19
5 Hebrews 10:23
Text: Matthew 28:12
Theme: The Truth Comes Out
Dear followers to the cross,
This evening we conclude our midweek Lenten series, ‘Promises kept, promises broken’ with a look at the guards posted at Jesus’ tomb. The world has changed dramatically since Ash Wednesday kicked off our Lenten season back on the 26th of February. No one could have foreseen how rapidly one virus would spread across the globe and how radically people’s lives would be impacted. Western society is facing levels of anxiety, and instability not felt since the world wars of the last century. People’s confidence in many of society’s structures has been shaken. Let us pray that in the weeks and months ahead many hearts would be open to the unshakeable truth of salvation in Jesus Christ.
What can be said about the guards at Jesus’ tomb? Their poise was shaken by an earthquake. Their task was simple, but it was a highly responsible charge: No one was to interfere with the body of this Jesus, the King of the Jews. The qualifications for the job weren’t particularly demanding, but competence was paramount, and soldiers sometimes needed to have nerves of steel. The penalty for failure was severe. Such liability came with the territory. We have more than anecdotal evidence to suggest that capital punishment was an expected penalty for failure.
The example of the jailer of Philippi in Acts 16 is sufficient to illustrate. This public servant needed only to guard Paul and Silas who were imprisoned at his location. The Scripture says, “About midnight…there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, ‘Don’t harm yourself!’”1 Then, he enquired of Paul about salvation.
The jailer in Philippi went from ‘initiated suicide’ to baptism. Now, that’s absolutely astounding, but that’s the power of the gospel. It can instantly change a situation of despair into an occasion for rejoicing. His sword was drawn, his life was forfeit. But then, miraculously, a higher power took over. Baptism’s power is in the promise of Jesus and the work of the Spirit, a power authenticated in the crucifixion and resurrection, a power which transformed the jailer’s life that memorable night.
Unfortunately, fleeing was not the end of the story for the guards at Jesus’ tomb. They became involved in a conspiracy to cover up their failure. The Bible says, “When they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers.”2 Money talks. Of course, you might argue they deserved danger pay anyway! Their lives were certainly on the line. And, humanly speaking, what could they have done differently? Nevertheless, the cover up is a reminder of human sinfulness. The temptation to cover our tracks is endemic to all of us. The first inclination of the sinful nature, when there is threat of punishment, is to exonerate oneself. The problem is our self-acquittals have no authority. They are just specific examples of what the apostle John means when he says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”3 Our self-acquittals have no authority. Christ alone can absolve us.
He is the only One with the power to forgive because He is the only One who has earned the authority. Lent is preparation to better appreciate the sacrifice of Jesus. But the crucifixion is not just about an event, it’s about a person. It’s about the exertion of the one Person who is also divine, incarnate love. In the incarnation the visiting God becomes the residential God. And, in the crucifixion, the sovereign God becomes the ransoming God; He becomes the Redeemer of humanity, not just the Creator. Said differently, in the incarnation He becomes Immanuel- ‘God with us’. In the crucifixion He becomes Substitute- ‘God for us’. And, subsequently, through the Holy Spirit He becomes immanent, ‘God in us’. Not that at any point previously He was remiss of any of His responsibilities. But the promise to send a Messiah in the flesh had to become fulfilment so that mortality could be swallowed up by life.
Only the structures He establishes are invincible. And we’re not talking about ethereal, religious ‘mumbo-jumbo’ here. Dear friends, neither the present nor the future are or will be purely metaphysical existences, that is, disembodied, spiritual-only states of being. The incarnation guaranteed that matter- physical existence- is here to stay; despite world wars, despite the coronavirus, despite whatever other catastrophe might still commence. We are corporeal beings and we will be resurrected as such, though, of course, perfected. Even now Jesus retains His physical body, eternally glorified as it is. He bears the wounds of His passion.
So, did the guards keep their promise? Were they faithful in their duty? Well, it was impossible for them to comply with orders. A superior power intervened, and they could do nothing but flee. Confronted with seismic activity and angelic hosts it’s difficult to fault them for dereliction of duty. None of us could have bested them. No mortal can withstand the divine majesty.
The well-known phrase “promises are made to be broken” is attributed to a man named Jonathan Swift. Swift, who lived between the late 17th and mid-18th centuries was an Anglo-Irish poet, a cleric, and satirist. Witty with a very dry style he penned many influential publications and novels including Gulliver’s Travels. Though effective for literary purposes, the phrase, of course, isn’t actually true. Promises aren’t made to be broken, unless one is engaging in intentional deceit. But promises are certainly bound to be broken. There are only two categories of beings that make promises. Humans will fail again and again in keeping theirs because human beings are sinners. God’s promises, however, remain inviolate. The Scripture says, “God is not a man, that He should lie”4 And again, “Let us hold unswervingly to the to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.”5
As this midweek Lenten series draws to a close, the coronavirus rages on. It’s leaving a path of destruction in its wake and no one knows how much carnage is still to follow. But true hope is never lost. We can be robbed of optimism; but we can’t be robbed of eternal hope. We can be robbed of freedom; but we can’t be robbed of the liberty of knowing we are reconciled to God through His Son. We can be robbed of material provisions, the ‘creature comforts’ we’ve become so accustomed to; but we can’t be robbed of our baptismal and heavenly inheritance. We can even be ‘robbed’ of the rest our temporal lives (and don’t assume our local communities will remain untouched by this scourge); but we can never be robbed of life in that higher dimension.
Jesus Christ is not entombed. He’s not practicing ‘social-distancing’. The Father has raised Him. The Spirit has released Him. He lives to make continual intercession for us before the Father’s throne. He’ll never fail in His duty of guarding us, body or soul. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Midweek Lent 2020- The Guards
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Acts 16:25-28
2 Matthew 28:12
3 1 John 1:8
4 Numbers 23:19
5 Hebrews 10:23
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Midweek Lent 3 & 4 (March 2020)
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Matthew 27:26
Theme: Delivered to be Crucified
Dear friends of the Suffering Servant,
The release of Barabbas was the fulfillment of a promise. Barabbas was a robber and had also been imprisoned for insurrection and for murder. The choice between this unsavory character and the itinerant prophet from Nazareth was a ‘no-brainer’. Pilate knew that. Yet, Pilate made good on his word. But what kind of execution or dereliction of duty was it? The Bible tells us it was a custom, a sort of concession on the part of Pilate to appease the Jews. The release of any prisoner the crowd wished was an annual feature at the time of Passover celebration. Undoubtedly it was a crowd-pleaser, as they could make a least one yearly decision of governance.
It’s clear Pilate suffered some serious angst while rendering his decision about Jesus. He was conflicted, recognizing that Jesus had committed no crime under Roman law meriting capital punishment. But he also wanted to satisfy the Jewish leadership and calm the crowds. Jerusalem was his jurisdiction and law and order was the number one priority. The Jewish celebration of the Passover had a long-established reputation of becoming unruly as throngs of pilgrims crowded into the area. It would not be a good look if Pilate failed to keep order.
So, Pilate kept his promise. He washed his hands, released Barabbas and delivered Jesus over to be crucified. But it’s also fair to say that insofar as Pilate was charged with executing justice according to Roman civil law, he broke a different promise. Jesus was not guilty of treason against the state and Pilate knew it and declared so publicly. So, what does He do? He caves to political pressure and shifts the responsibility to the Jews. He washes his hands.
Humans have always been vulnerable to political pressure. “Promises, promises!” You’ve heard it said sarcastically and with incredulity. You’ve probably said it yourself. The record of human interaction is a litany of broken promises. Politicians especially, are famous, infamous actually, for broken promises and breaking promises. Promises made while campaigning are easily broken or forgotten when the business of governing is engaged in earnest. When trying to gain the favour of a wide audience, it’s easy to make multiple pledges that soon contradict each other.
Yet, remember that politics involves the business of human interaction for the achievement of common purpose. None of us, aside from genuine hermits- and if you are one you wouldn’t even be here- are exempt from political reality. Nor would we want to be. God calls on us to look after one another. The question is whether we interact with others out of self-interest or with self-sacrifice. Because the reality of being simultaneously saints and sinners necessarily plays out in a very practical way both are always in play. While washing your hands is helpful in preventing the spread of the Corona virus, it will do nothing to prevent spreading the virus of sin. That’s why even the baptized, even the redeemed still need the forgiveness of sins. Even those who are God’s people according to the promise still need the body and blood of Christ to deal with broken promises.
Dear friends, when it’s said that someone “shows promise” that commonly means expectations are raised based on some things that have already been observed. Imagine the expectations on Jesus. People witnessed the healings, miracles and power of Christ. Many wanted Him to be their King. He ended up being crucified like a criminal. It’s not how humans would plan things. God does things differently.
If you’re planning to climb Mount Everest it’s advisable to go in April or May. The rest of the year is considered too dangerous and difficult to climb the world’s highest peak. Jesus was planning to climb a much more daunting mountain: Calvary. He didn’t have the luxury of waiting for ideal conditions. They weren’t forthcoming. The deep winter of fallen humanity was only growing darker. The need for redemption was paramount. The prophetic promise was nearing its fulfilment. The weight of humanity’s sins burdened His every step. The enormity of the task was immeasurable.
But He did not falter. “He went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha.”1 Later He was assisted by the Cyrene. But when the cross was lifted there was no one to help. Pilate had washed his hands of the matter. The six hours He hung there were the loneliest ever to be experienced in the history of time. Yes, others hung near Him, condemned to the same fate. Significantly, one would join Him in Paradise. But never had anyone been so alone in any task. The work of atonement was His alone to face. No one could contribute. No one could help. He cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?”2
In standing alone, Jesus stood for us. He was parted from the Father that we might be united to Him. There is no pain of separation that He doesn’t understand. He knows your loneliness; the loneliness of grief, the loneliness of shattered relationships that seem long past mending, and in these times of high anxiety He knows the loneliness of those who feel vulnerable or isolated. He knows the emptiness of being abandoned and the hurt of betrayal. He experienced the horrors of the cross so that believers would never have to experience the pain of separation from Him.
The name of Pontius Pilate lives in infamy. In 1961 a damaged limestone block was uncovered in Israel at an excavation site of an ancient theater built by the decree of Herod the Great. The stone, known commonly as the ‘Pilate Stone’ bore the inscription of Pontius Pilate, governor of Judea. The discovery was remarkable and significant as it corroborated the biblical witness. It silenced- or at least gave pause- to many skeptics of the gospel accounts who held parts of them to be historical fabrications.
Through not only the Scriptures, but also the creeds of the church, the names of Jesus and Pilate are forever intertwined. Is it not God’s will that every time the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds are confessed the name of Pilate is remembered? Pilate, the local, temporal authority, executes sentence on Jesus, the eternal, cosmic authority. It was part of the Father’s plan. It is part of the Spirit’s work, of the mission of the church to teach the historical record of these events in the interest of calling people to faith, hope, and salvation found only in God’s Son.
The bones of Pilate lie somewhere in the earth or have turned to dust. But Jesus, with His true physical body, lives. Pontius Pilate kept a promise. It was kept under duress. It was weighted with uncertainty, indecision, some regret and arrogance. Yet, it was a prelude to the fulfillment of a much greater promise. Jesus Christ atoned for the sins of the world. He lives to give you life. The grave could not hold Him. He also promises to return and raise you to glory. The Scripture says, “No matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through Him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God.”3
+ In nomine Jesu +
Midweek Lent 2020- Pilate
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 19:17
2 Psalm 22:1
3 2 Corinthians 1:20
Text: Matthew 27:26
Theme: Delivered to be Crucified
Dear friends of the Suffering Servant,
The release of Barabbas was the fulfillment of a promise. Barabbas was a robber and had also been imprisoned for insurrection and for murder. The choice between this unsavory character and the itinerant prophet from Nazareth was a ‘no-brainer’. Pilate knew that. Yet, Pilate made good on his word. But what kind of execution or dereliction of duty was it? The Bible tells us it was a custom, a sort of concession on the part of Pilate to appease the Jews. The release of any prisoner the crowd wished was an annual feature at the time of Passover celebration. Undoubtedly it was a crowd-pleaser, as they could make a least one yearly decision of governance.
It’s clear Pilate suffered some serious angst while rendering his decision about Jesus. He was conflicted, recognizing that Jesus had committed no crime under Roman law meriting capital punishment. But he also wanted to satisfy the Jewish leadership and calm the crowds. Jerusalem was his jurisdiction and law and order was the number one priority. The Jewish celebration of the Passover had a long-established reputation of becoming unruly as throngs of pilgrims crowded into the area. It would not be a good look if Pilate failed to keep order.
So, Pilate kept his promise. He washed his hands, released Barabbas and delivered Jesus over to be crucified. But it’s also fair to say that insofar as Pilate was charged with executing justice according to Roman civil law, he broke a different promise. Jesus was not guilty of treason against the state and Pilate knew it and declared so publicly. So, what does He do? He caves to political pressure and shifts the responsibility to the Jews. He washes his hands.
Humans have always been vulnerable to political pressure. “Promises, promises!” You’ve heard it said sarcastically and with incredulity. You’ve probably said it yourself. The record of human interaction is a litany of broken promises. Politicians especially, are famous, infamous actually, for broken promises and breaking promises. Promises made while campaigning are easily broken or forgotten when the business of governing is engaged in earnest. When trying to gain the favour of a wide audience, it’s easy to make multiple pledges that soon contradict each other.
Yet, remember that politics involves the business of human interaction for the achievement of common purpose. None of us, aside from genuine hermits- and if you are one you wouldn’t even be here- are exempt from political reality. Nor would we want to be. God calls on us to look after one another. The question is whether we interact with others out of self-interest or with self-sacrifice. Because the reality of being simultaneously saints and sinners necessarily plays out in a very practical way both are always in play. While washing your hands is helpful in preventing the spread of the Corona virus, it will do nothing to prevent spreading the virus of sin. That’s why even the baptized, even the redeemed still need the forgiveness of sins. Even those who are God’s people according to the promise still need the body and blood of Christ to deal with broken promises.
Dear friends, when it’s said that someone “shows promise” that commonly means expectations are raised based on some things that have already been observed. Imagine the expectations on Jesus. People witnessed the healings, miracles and power of Christ. Many wanted Him to be their King. He ended up being crucified like a criminal. It’s not how humans would plan things. God does things differently.
If you’re planning to climb Mount Everest it’s advisable to go in April or May. The rest of the year is considered too dangerous and difficult to climb the world’s highest peak. Jesus was planning to climb a much more daunting mountain: Calvary. He didn’t have the luxury of waiting for ideal conditions. They weren’t forthcoming. The deep winter of fallen humanity was only growing darker. The need for redemption was paramount. The prophetic promise was nearing its fulfilment. The weight of humanity’s sins burdened His every step. The enormity of the task was immeasurable.
But He did not falter. “He went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha.”1 Later He was assisted by the Cyrene. But when the cross was lifted there was no one to help. Pilate had washed his hands of the matter. The six hours He hung there were the loneliest ever to be experienced in the history of time. Yes, others hung near Him, condemned to the same fate. Significantly, one would join Him in Paradise. But never had anyone been so alone in any task. The work of atonement was His alone to face. No one could contribute. No one could help. He cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?”2
In standing alone, Jesus stood for us. He was parted from the Father that we might be united to Him. There is no pain of separation that He doesn’t understand. He knows your loneliness; the loneliness of grief, the loneliness of shattered relationships that seem long past mending, and in these times of high anxiety He knows the loneliness of those who feel vulnerable or isolated. He knows the emptiness of being abandoned and the hurt of betrayal. He experienced the horrors of the cross so that believers would never have to experience the pain of separation from Him.
The name of Pontius Pilate lives in infamy. In 1961 a damaged limestone block was uncovered in Israel at an excavation site of an ancient theater built by the decree of Herod the Great. The stone, known commonly as the ‘Pilate Stone’ bore the inscription of Pontius Pilate, governor of Judea. The discovery was remarkable and significant as it corroborated the biblical witness. It silenced- or at least gave pause- to many skeptics of the gospel accounts who held parts of them to be historical fabrications.
Through not only the Scriptures, but also the creeds of the church, the names of Jesus and Pilate are forever intertwined. Is it not God’s will that every time the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds are confessed the name of Pilate is remembered? Pilate, the local, temporal authority, executes sentence on Jesus, the eternal, cosmic authority. It was part of the Father’s plan. It is part of the Spirit’s work, of the mission of the church to teach the historical record of these events in the interest of calling people to faith, hope, and salvation found only in God’s Son.
The bones of Pilate lie somewhere in the earth or have turned to dust. But Jesus, with His true physical body, lives. Pontius Pilate kept a promise. It was kept under duress. It was weighted with uncertainty, indecision, some regret and arrogance. Yet, it was a prelude to the fulfillment of a much greater promise. Jesus Christ atoned for the sins of the world. He lives to give you life. The grave could not hold Him. He also promises to return and raise you to glory. The Scripture says, “No matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through Him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God.”3
+ In nomine Jesu +
Midweek Lent 2020- Pilate
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 19:17
2 Psalm 22:1
3 2 Corinthians 1:20
Monday, March 16, 2020
Third Sunday in Lent (A) 2020
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Romans 5:8
Theme: “While We Were Still Sinners…”
Dear followers of the Saviour,
The Spirit says, “God demonstrates His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”1 This God, this Christ, is in the serious business of reconciling sinners and rectifying the destruction of sin. Yet, His love is often not what the popular imagination would like it to be. Many people want a God who doles out lollies indiscriminately like Santa at Christmas. They want a God who is nothing more than a fairy godmother or a genie in a bottle granting wishes without regard to reason or responsibility. They want a God who guarantees prosperity without measure. They want a God who keeps His distance, who allows autonomy in running our own affairs, but is at our beck and call when we need Him. They want a God who will intervene to stop the corona virus or other threats, but only according to their parameters.
No such God exists. Such a being is a pure fabrication, a human construct of a magical, mythical power beholden to human definition. Even the ancient heathens recognized that such constructs of divine beings were foolish. That’s why they were always seeking to appease their idols when they became angry or working to prevent them from becoming so in the first place. Dear friends, the true God is much more faithful and capable than anything the human imagination can construct. He cannot be duped. His manner of operating cannot be circumvented. We cannot sidestep what He ordains.
So, when it comes to spiritual matters, we should never take detours and never look for short-cuts. It’s a big ask in a society that prizes convenience above almost everything else. Everything worth having resolved must be resolved through the crucified Jesus. That means we shouldn’t hide in the bushes like Adam and Eve for fear of being found spiritually naked before God. It means not trying to cover our sins with fig leaves- these are evasions.
It means owning our sins- not seeking to redefine sin on terms more favourable to us- and then taking them to God who absolves penitents through the power of the cross.
It means not trying to justify or down-play the hurt and pain we cause others- these too are attempts at circumnavigating the truth. Not detouring around the cross means making ourselves vulnerable to the contempt of the world for whom the message of the cross is foolishness.
The cross reveals the entire mission of God. There is no greater thing that God desires to do than to reconcile sinners. What does our Scripture say? “When we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son.”2 Think of how profound that truth is! Of course, that reconciliation includes an impressive retinue of encumbrances and consequences. The entire creation will be judged, destroyed, restored, and immortalized. Death, hell, sin, and Satan will be eternally incarcerated. The saints and the angels with the Trinity will enjoy celestial and everlasting communion, magnificent beyond comprehension. Yes, our God, the Maker of heaven and earth, who has designed a universe too immense to be measured, too inaccessible to be delineated, too magnificent to be truly appreciated; who has endowed just this one planet with living things fantastically marvelous in their array of beauty and complexity... Who could go on to create worlds and dimensions, wonders and mysteries to further boggle the mind... this God is concerned most of all, about YOU!
You, the sinner-made-saint by grace through faith. You are the object of His passion. You are the target of His mission. You are engraved on the palms of His hands. Jesus says you are worth more than many sparrows. The hairs of your head are all numbered. The days of your life are all measured. And these things are so not because it’s God’s duty to keep a forensic account of the limitations of all His creatures. It’s so because God has intimately planned the entirety of your existence and loves you beyond comprehension. You are His baptized. That’s why the apostle says, “Hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.”3
Brokenness can never be holistically addressed by bypassing the power of the crucified and risen Jesus. There will always be no end of therapies for this, programs for that, and self-help regimes for countless other things. Many will be pragmatic, insightful, and cathartic. But nothing that detours around the crucifixion of Jesus will bring meaningful healing from the consequences of sin. The cross is the crucible that purifies, the sieve that separates, the surgical device that removes the cancer. The cross is the settlement that pays the debt, the key that unlocks the prison, the black hole that swallows the darkness.
The cross does not do this abstractly, the cross is not magical. It does it because the Son of God was hung there. The purposes of God are not found behind or beyond the death of Jesus. (To try and see God beyond the cross is to be like the not-quite-yet-healed blind man of Bethsaida who said, "I see people, but they look like trees, walking.") In this life we can’t see beyond the God of the cross. That is, we see only Jesus who died that we might live and lives that death may have no power over us. “God demonstrates His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”4
So, what does it mean, practically, to not detour around the message of the cross? It has nothing to do with trying to ‘step back in time’ and imagine what it was like at Calvary in hopes of sourcing some reverence from the experience. That would be a naive effort at accessing God’s blessing through historical re-enactment. We cannot draw near to God through a mere meditation on the past.
It means taking Christ at His word when He says your sins are forgiven and that there is much rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents. It means receiving the bread and wine in humble acceptance that Christ is present there with His body and blood. Doubting Christ’s genuineness undercuts the promise of forgiveness. Not bypassing the crucified Jesus means seeing things as they are not as we imagine them to be. Not detouring the cross means seeking the Spirit’s help in loving others humbly and allowing ourselves to be loved by others graciously. It means seeking always to be transformed and renewed with the mind and will of the Saviour.
Not deviating from the message of the sacrificial Lamb does not mean we should’t eagerly anticipate the glory of the future kingdom- as if we knew only the suffering Jesus and had forgotten about the resurrection. But it does mean believing that the crucifixion is the definitive expression of God’s love, His will, His purpose. The crucifixion was not arbitrary. It was indispensable. God could not authentically redeem humanity in any other way.
Dear friends, the blessings of prosperity, whether they be good health, longevity, a good reputation, financial or vocational stability, meaningful and godly relationships or anything else we could name; they are not proof that God loves us unconditionally. God could take some or all of these things away and He would love us no less. Note that carefully: Blessings (as we typically define them) or the lack thereof are not the definitive proof of God’s love. His love is only certain through the forgiveness of sins earned at the cross. So, not detouring the cross means accepting that our sufferings are not evidence of God’s absence or apathy but of His sanctifying work within us. That is, the cross (and this includes the resurrection) does not catapult us to glory- as if all the consequences of sin suddenly disappeared from our lives once we believe that this Jesus died and rose for us- but immerses us in the struggle and contentment of faith.
“God demonstrates His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”5
+ In nomine Jesu +
Third Sunday in Lent
15 March 2020
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Romans 5:8 2 Romans 5:10
3 Romans 5:5 4 Romans 5:8
5 Romans 5:8
Text: Romans 5:8
Theme: “While We Were Still Sinners…”
Dear followers of the Saviour,
The Spirit says, “God demonstrates His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”1 This God, this Christ, is in the serious business of reconciling sinners and rectifying the destruction of sin. Yet, His love is often not what the popular imagination would like it to be. Many people want a God who doles out lollies indiscriminately like Santa at Christmas. They want a God who is nothing more than a fairy godmother or a genie in a bottle granting wishes without regard to reason or responsibility. They want a God who guarantees prosperity without measure. They want a God who keeps His distance, who allows autonomy in running our own affairs, but is at our beck and call when we need Him. They want a God who will intervene to stop the corona virus or other threats, but only according to their parameters.
No such God exists. Such a being is a pure fabrication, a human construct of a magical, mythical power beholden to human definition. Even the ancient heathens recognized that such constructs of divine beings were foolish. That’s why they were always seeking to appease their idols when they became angry or working to prevent them from becoming so in the first place. Dear friends, the true God is much more faithful and capable than anything the human imagination can construct. He cannot be duped. His manner of operating cannot be circumvented. We cannot sidestep what He ordains.
So, when it comes to spiritual matters, we should never take detours and never look for short-cuts. It’s a big ask in a society that prizes convenience above almost everything else. Everything worth having resolved must be resolved through the crucified Jesus. That means we shouldn’t hide in the bushes like Adam and Eve for fear of being found spiritually naked before God. It means not trying to cover our sins with fig leaves- these are evasions.
It means owning our sins- not seeking to redefine sin on terms more favourable to us- and then taking them to God who absolves penitents through the power of the cross.
It means not trying to justify or down-play the hurt and pain we cause others- these too are attempts at circumnavigating the truth. Not detouring around the cross means making ourselves vulnerable to the contempt of the world for whom the message of the cross is foolishness.
The cross reveals the entire mission of God. There is no greater thing that God desires to do than to reconcile sinners. What does our Scripture say? “When we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son.”2 Think of how profound that truth is! Of course, that reconciliation includes an impressive retinue of encumbrances and consequences. The entire creation will be judged, destroyed, restored, and immortalized. Death, hell, sin, and Satan will be eternally incarcerated. The saints and the angels with the Trinity will enjoy celestial and everlasting communion, magnificent beyond comprehension. Yes, our God, the Maker of heaven and earth, who has designed a universe too immense to be measured, too inaccessible to be delineated, too magnificent to be truly appreciated; who has endowed just this one planet with living things fantastically marvelous in their array of beauty and complexity... Who could go on to create worlds and dimensions, wonders and mysteries to further boggle the mind... this God is concerned most of all, about YOU!
You, the sinner-made-saint by grace through faith. You are the object of His passion. You are the target of His mission. You are engraved on the palms of His hands. Jesus says you are worth more than many sparrows. The hairs of your head are all numbered. The days of your life are all measured. And these things are so not because it’s God’s duty to keep a forensic account of the limitations of all His creatures. It’s so because God has intimately planned the entirety of your existence and loves you beyond comprehension. You are His baptized. That’s why the apostle says, “Hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.”3
Brokenness can never be holistically addressed by bypassing the power of the crucified and risen Jesus. There will always be no end of therapies for this, programs for that, and self-help regimes for countless other things. Many will be pragmatic, insightful, and cathartic. But nothing that detours around the crucifixion of Jesus will bring meaningful healing from the consequences of sin. The cross is the crucible that purifies, the sieve that separates, the surgical device that removes the cancer. The cross is the settlement that pays the debt, the key that unlocks the prison, the black hole that swallows the darkness.
The cross does not do this abstractly, the cross is not magical. It does it because the Son of God was hung there. The purposes of God are not found behind or beyond the death of Jesus. (To try and see God beyond the cross is to be like the not-quite-yet-healed blind man of Bethsaida who said, "I see people, but they look like trees, walking.") In this life we can’t see beyond the God of the cross. That is, we see only Jesus who died that we might live and lives that death may have no power over us. “God demonstrates His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”4
So, what does it mean, practically, to not detour around the message of the cross? It has nothing to do with trying to ‘step back in time’ and imagine what it was like at Calvary in hopes of sourcing some reverence from the experience. That would be a naive effort at accessing God’s blessing through historical re-enactment. We cannot draw near to God through a mere meditation on the past.
It means taking Christ at His word when He says your sins are forgiven and that there is much rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents. It means receiving the bread and wine in humble acceptance that Christ is present there with His body and blood. Doubting Christ’s genuineness undercuts the promise of forgiveness. Not bypassing the crucified Jesus means seeing things as they are not as we imagine them to be. Not detouring the cross means seeking the Spirit’s help in loving others humbly and allowing ourselves to be loved by others graciously. It means seeking always to be transformed and renewed with the mind and will of the Saviour.
Not deviating from the message of the sacrificial Lamb does not mean we should’t eagerly anticipate the glory of the future kingdom- as if we knew only the suffering Jesus and had forgotten about the resurrection. But it does mean believing that the crucifixion is the definitive expression of God’s love, His will, His purpose. The crucifixion was not arbitrary. It was indispensable. God could not authentically redeem humanity in any other way.
Dear friends, the blessings of prosperity, whether they be good health, longevity, a good reputation, financial or vocational stability, meaningful and godly relationships or anything else we could name; they are not proof that God loves us unconditionally. God could take some or all of these things away and He would love us no less. Note that carefully: Blessings (as we typically define them) or the lack thereof are not the definitive proof of God’s love. His love is only certain through the forgiveness of sins earned at the cross. So, not detouring the cross means accepting that our sufferings are not evidence of God’s absence or apathy but of His sanctifying work within us. That is, the cross (and this includes the resurrection) does not catapult us to glory- as if all the consequences of sin suddenly disappeared from our lives once we believe that this Jesus died and rose for us- but immerses us in the struggle and contentment of faith.
“God demonstrates His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”5
+ In nomine Jesu +
Third Sunday in Lent
15 March 2020
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Romans 5:8 2 Romans 5:10
3 Romans 5:5 4 Romans 5:8
5 Romans 5:8
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