+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 10:39
Theme: At the Lord’s Feet
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The Word of God speaks for itself. The church has the command to proclaim it without spin or manipulation. When proclamation gives way to the gimmicks of commercial-style appeal then the church’s message degenerates into a conversation about the advantages and liabilities of a marketable Jesus. Christ becomes a “religious commodity” with a negotiable value to prospective buyers. In this approach people are taught to put a valuation on Christianity based on expected returns. Undoubtedly sinful human nature can never be completely free from this temptation. The tendency we have to make risk versus reward assessments even in spiritual things marks us as fundamentally fallen and self-serving creatures. The sinful heart looks to use others- with the exploitation of God Himself being no exception- to its own advantages. For all such approaches and activities we are called to judgment.
The Gospel is not a philosophical theory waiting for approval from like-minded individuals. Its truths are valid regardless of the prejudices and presuppositions people maintain. The Word of God acts upon the hearer. An encounter ensues in which the human heart and will are confronted with the revelation of God’s will. This exposure to God’s word is the critical event. Because God’s word acts upon the whole person and not only the intellect, people of any age and in any condition can be drawn into a relationship with Christ through the gospel.
In the sacrament of baptism God’s intention for that individual is revealed. God intends to receive that person as His child. The Holy Spirit grants the gift of faith and through the medium of this faith the person trusts God for his or her well-being. Through rejection, negligence, and apathy this trust can be broken and the faith lost. But through renewed exposure to God’s truth a person can be brought again to repentance and faith. Faith is not a static possession, but the dynamic of a living relationship.
It is in this reality that believers have their identity. The question is not whether (or even to what degree) the relationship with Christ affects one’s life in tangible and concrete ways- the evidence must be there or the person’s faith is called into question- but rather the nature of how such faith is expressed. How do I bear my cross in this context? How does my faith relate to that situation? How can I best follow God’s will in this matter? These questions and countless others characterize the challenges believers face every day. And how blessed we are to have such great freedom in these matters. Grace allows us to follow God’s will to the best of our ability without fear of retribution. Sometimes we make poor decisions and even sinful ones, but through repentance and faith God guides us back with His wisdom and compassion.
Consider the distinction Jesus makes between Mary and Martha today. We would do damage to the text if we tried to demonize Martha while attempting to elevate Mary to sainthood. Martha too is a believer. Yet Jesus clearly chastises her for being distracted while commending Mary for being focused on the right priority at the moment. Even the importance of providing hospitality cannot overshadow the necessity of receiving the instruction of Christ’s word. The former must flow from the latter, that is, only in being hearers of God’s word can we properly be doers of it. It would be wrong for Mary to be deprived of the opportunity to sit at Jesus’ feet in order to help Mary with the meal preparations.
The lesson, of course, remains applicable. We cannot divorce the source of our faith from the activity that flows from it. To offer our money or other material resources or even our time and energy to the work of the kingdom but to show little or no interest in growing in the knowledge of His truth betrays a misunderstanding of how our faith is nurtured. A marriage relationship isn’t complete when one party simply supplies material goods to the other. Our relationship with Christ involves the continual receiving of His gifts, chiefly; forgiveness, life and salvation. Without this lifeline our actions will become hollow or self-serving.
Remember that the context of Luke’s gospel at this point involves the proper way to receive and treat those itinerant missionaries that are sent in God’s name. Certainly the messenger of God should have his material needs attended to, but more important still is the reception of the teaching he brings. The best way to receive Christ is not to first serve Him, but be served by Him. To receive His blessings is the highest way we can honour and worship the Trinity. God desires to give and the greatest insult we can deliver is to spurn what He offers us.
An understanding of worship is relevant here. The primary activity of worship is God serving us. He consoles us, calms us, forgives us, instructs us, equips us, assures us, enlightens us, crucifies us, and resurrects us. He reminds us of our baptismal identity and feeds us with His holy body and precious blood. You come to leave your sins and go carrying His forgiveness. You come worn down by earthly trials and leave refreshed by heavenly blessings. You came beset with falsehoods; you leaved freed by truth. You come with pain and leave with healing. You come conflicted and leave in peace. You came with sorrow and leave with joy.
Then everything you do in response to His love- your financial offerings, your prayers, your witness to His truth, your helping of those in need, your commitment to the dissemination of His word, your visitation of the sick, your investment of time and resource in growing in His knowledge- flows from your confidence in His unconditional compassion. In His presence Christ would have us to be imitators of Mary. In our witness in the world the industriousness of Martha should be emulated.
Dear friends, Jesus Christ is the subject of God’s word and you are the object. The relationship the Holy Spirit creates and the promises He makes through that word are neither trivial nor temporary. The Scripture says, “He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation- if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.”1 And again, “We know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over Him.”2 Because Christ is your Saviour sin and death no longer have mastery over you either. Thanks be to God! Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Eighth Sunday After Pentecost
18 July 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Colossians 1:22-23
2 Romans 6:10
Monday, July 19, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
Seventh Sunday After Pentecost
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 10:25-37
Theme: The Image of God: A Samaritan?
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God never overlooks the suffering of His people. The perception that He sometimes fails to act in an appropriate or timely manner is due to a lack of perspective on our part. What we see as a tiny piece of the puzzle, He sees as grand, complete mosaic. Coming to terms with this truth is one of the great struggles of the Christian life. God’s apparent weakness or inaction seems to compromise our well-being. Faith must grapple with the reliability of His power and the integrity of His mercy. In the incarnation of Jesus these issues are resolved.
Jesus was known for answering questions with questions. Yet He carefully chose the context to open opportunities for teaching. In response to the question today about how to inherit eternal life Jesus directs the man to the Scriptures. Christ immediately turns the tables and puts this lawyer to the test. He is an expert; he should know what God’s word says. The correct answer was love and the lawyer names it. Love defines the activity of God and is to be reflected in the lives of His followers. God’s unconditional love for the world in Christ, or grace, is the cause of the salvation of all who believe.
The possibility certainly exists that when Jesus asked the man, “How do you read it?”1 He wasn’t only asking for his interpretation of the Scriptures, but asking Him to reflect on the very content of His worship. The faithful Jew recited the words of Deuteronomy 6:4 twice a day: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” The next verse contains the lawyer’s response: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”2 This insight stresses the importance of the content of our worship. That which we confess influences what we believe and the opposite is also true. The answer should have been simple for this expert for it was not only the subject of His professional life but the centre of his religious devotion.
Yet this is exactly where the problem lies for him. He seeks to interpret God’s word in such a way that eternal life can be attained by the obedience of love. In order to justify himself he wants to know exactly what the cut-off point is. As a typical legalist he wants to know the minimum amount required to get across the line. In other words, what quantity or degree of love is necessary to be acceptable to God, and thus gain entry into heaven? The defining of who the neighbour is is only one specific case in point. The problems and complications of this mindset universally infect and enslave human nature. Sin is characterized by any and every effort to justify ourselves before God. The belief that this can be done leads to pride, self-righteousness, and idolatry. The realization that we can never be successful at it must finally lead to despair or repentance.
Jesus presses the issue with the so-called story of the Good Samaritan. The Samaritan would have been stereotyped as the least likely person to offer help. The improbability of the event is reinforced by the lengths the Samaritan went to to help the injured man. It wasn’t just that he stopped to lend a hand and attend to his injuries. He took him to an inn, paid the expenses and pledged to come back and pay more if necessary. His compassion was comprehensive. His mercy was complete.
The story is misused if it is taught as a moralism. The Samaritan certainly did the ethical thing. But more importantly he did what was exceptional and unexpected because he was driven by grace and not limited by legalistic or ulterior motives. This Samaritan was an image of Christ Himself. The grace of Christ breaks all boundaries and shatters all limitations.
Christ loves sinners not because it should be expected of Him. Justice would demand that He condemn everyone for unrighteousness. In so doing the integrity of the law could be upheld. But instead Christ shoulders the condemnation in our place and on our behalf; and as our substitute the law is still upheld.
Dear friends, we do not measure our sanctification by keeping record of the activities that fulfill God’s law. The law begins to be kept the moment one believes. Faith grasps Christ and Christ is the one who kept the law for us perfectly. The apostle says, “Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.”3 In Christ the law loses its power to accuse and even death loses its sting. Whenever we try to stand before God- that is to try to justify ourselves, excuse ourselves, or promote ourselves (even if it involves the tiniest attempt at pacifying our consciences)- apart from Christ, we must rely on some aspect of the law for our defense. Despite the hope of approval the law can only condemn and judge us for our failures and inadequacies.
But Christ died and rose again to give us new life. The cross and resurrection free believers from sin’s curse. If you do not believe Christ you cannot know your neighbour. You will always be trying to establish boundaries of exclusion. Your love will be truncated by self-interest; driven by ulterior motives. But in Christ you have the freedom to sacrifice self-interests for others. The Holy Spirit doesn’t lead you back to the regulations of the law, but to Christ. Living in the promise of your baptism means continually drawing on the forgiveness that allows you the freedom to love and be loved. Remember what St. Paul said just weeks ago, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God.”4
Note the marvelous encouragement he gives the Colossians today in his ardent prayers, “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father…”5 And even with that Paul still hasn’t finished His thought.
Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, not only attends to our deepest needs, He tackles them head on; enduring suffering, shame, and contempt beyond what we can fathom. Paul continues by explaining the result, “He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”6 The Holy Trinity, by whom the universe was created and within who it exists, restores the intimacy once lost with humanity though Jesus.
He will never pass us by while stranded on the road of life. He tends to our wounds and feeds us with His own body and blood. More than reimbursing for the cost of temporary lodging, He pays the full cost for permanent residency in His heavenly home. Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Seventh Sunday After Pentecost
11 July 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 10:26
2 Deuteronomy 6:5
3 Romans 10:4
4 Galatians 2:20
5 Colossians 1:10-12
6 Colossians 1:13-14
Text: Luke 10:25-37
Theme: The Image of God: A Samaritan?
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God never overlooks the suffering of His people. The perception that He sometimes fails to act in an appropriate or timely manner is due to a lack of perspective on our part. What we see as a tiny piece of the puzzle, He sees as grand, complete mosaic. Coming to terms with this truth is one of the great struggles of the Christian life. God’s apparent weakness or inaction seems to compromise our well-being. Faith must grapple with the reliability of His power and the integrity of His mercy. In the incarnation of Jesus these issues are resolved.
Jesus was known for answering questions with questions. Yet He carefully chose the context to open opportunities for teaching. In response to the question today about how to inherit eternal life Jesus directs the man to the Scriptures. Christ immediately turns the tables and puts this lawyer to the test. He is an expert; he should know what God’s word says. The correct answer was love and the lawyer names it. Love defines the activity of God and is to be reflected in the lives of His followers. God’s unconditional love for the world in Christ, or grace, is the cause of the salvation of all who believe.
The possibility certainly exists that when Jesus asked the man, “How do you read it?”1 He wasn’t only asking for his interpretation of the Scriptures, but asking Him to reflect on the very content of His worship. The faithful Jew recited the words of Deuteronomy 6:4 twice a day: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” The next verse contains the lawyer’s response: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”2 This insight stresses the importance of the content of our worship. That which we confess influences what we believe and the opposite is also true. The answer should have been simple for this expert for it was not only the subject of His professional life but the centre of his religious devotion.
Yet this is exactly where the problem lies for him. He seeks to interpret God’s word in such a way that eternal life can be attained by the obedience of love. In order to justify himself he wants to know exactly what the cut-off point is. As a typical legalist he wants to know the minimum amount required to get across the line. In other words, what quantity or degree of love is necessary to be acceptable to God, and thus gain entry into heaven? The defining of who the neighbour is is only one specific case in point. The problems and complications of this mindset universally infect and enslave human nature. Sin is characterized by any and every effort to justify ourselves before God. The belief that this can be done leads to pride, self-righteousness, and idolatry. The realization that we can never be successful at it must finally lead to despair or repentance.
Jesus presses the issue with the so-called story of the Good Samaritan. The Samaritan would have been stereotyped as the least likely person to offer help. The improbability of the event is reinforced by the lengths the Samaritan went to to help the injured man. It wasn’t just that he stopped to lend a hand and attend to his injuries. He took him to an inn, paid the expenses and pledged to come back and pay more if necessary. His compassion was comprehensive. His mercy was complete.
The story is misused if it is taught as a moralism. The Samaritan certainly did the ethical thing. But more importantly he did what was exceptional and unexpected because he was driven by grace and not limited by legalistic or ulterior motives. This Samaritan was an image of Christ Himself. The grace of Christ breaks all boundaries and shatters all limitations.
Christ loves sinners not because it should be expected of Him. Justice would demand that He condemn everyone for unrighteousness. In so doing the integrity of the law could be upheld. But instead Christ shoulders the condemnation in our place and on our behalf; and as our substitute the law is still upheld.
Dear friends, we do not measure our sanctification by keeping record of the activities that fulfill God’s law. The law begins to be kept the moment one believes. Faith grasps Christ and Christ is the one who kept the law for us perfectly. The apostle says, “Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.”3 In Christ the law loses its power to accuse and even death loses its sting. Whenever we try to stand before God- that is to try to justify ourselves, excuse ourselves, or promote ourselves (even if it involves the tiniest attempt at pacifying our consciences)- apart from Christ, we must rely on some aspect of the law for our defense. Despite the hope of approval the law can only condemn and judge us for our failures and inadequacies.
But Christ died and rose again to give us new life. The cross and resurrection free believers from sin’s curse. If you do not believe Christ you cannot know your neighbour. You will always be trying to establish boundaries of exclusion. Your love will be truncated by self-interest; driven by ulterior motives. But in Christ you have the freedom to sacrifice self-interests for others. The Holy Spirit doesn’t lead you back to the regulations of the law, but to Christ. Living in the promise of your baptism means continually drawing on the forgiveness that allows you the freedom to love and be loved. Remember what St. Paul said just weeks ago, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God.”4
Note the marvelous encouragement he gives the Colossians today in his ardent prayers, “And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father…”5 And even with that Paul still hasn’t finished His thought.
Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, not only attends to our deepest needs, He tackles them head on; enduring suffering, shame, and contempt beyond what we can fathom. Paul continues by explaining the result, “He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”6 The Holy Trinity, by whom the universe was created and within who it exists, restores the intimacy once lost with humanity though Jesus.
He will never pass us by while stranded on the road of life. He tends to our wounds and feeds us with His own body and blood. More than reimbursing for the cost of temporary lodging, He pays the full cost for permanent residency in His heavenly home. Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Seventh Sunday After Pentecost
11 July 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 10:26
2 Deuteronomy 6:5
3 Romans 10:4
4 Galatians 2:20
5 Colossians 1:10-12
6 Colossians 1:13-14
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Sixth Sunday After Pentecost
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti Amen. +
Text: Luke 10:9
Theme: The Kingdom of God has Come Near
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Welcome! Welcome to the place where the kingdom of God has come near. The Holy Spirit gathers the faithful into the presence of Christ. The setting is unique. It is unmatched by anything the world has on offer. Here you participate in the holy things of God which define and sustain the mysterious reality of the body of Christ. Here you have a preview of things to come. God dwells already now in the midst of His people.
This profound truth is not something to take lightly. That we have these blessings is not the result of coincidence or happenstance. It is due only to Jesus’ sacrifice and determination to redeem a humanity separated from Him. Today Jesus prepares the towns and villages to which He will go by sending out missionaries in advance. Their task was to proclaim that the kingdom of God has come near. He sent them out with the directive, “Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves!”1 It was a daunting task that recognized the powerful opposition of an ungodly world.
The same truths must be recognized and assessed by the church today. It seems increasingly necessary to assert with clarity the nature and consequences of evil. In broadest terms anything and everything that is opposed to the good and gracious will of God is evil. Evil is not measured by differences in human opinion. Of course secular teaching would define evil more in terms of anything that causes harm or distress to others, limits personal choice and freedoms and generally impedes the quest for equality and prosperity in the world. But the objective reality is that evil entails everything that offends God’s holiness and alienates people from Him.
The problem of sin is not solved by human ingenuity. Underpinning the optimism for a humanity that can advance is the belief that people have the natural ability to desire, understand, and chose what is right. The philosophy of humanism puts confidence in an individual’s ability to “make the right choice.” But this is exactly the root of the problem. Because of the nature of original sin people are unable to even desire what’s right. Actually striving to do what’s right is another matter altogether. The desire to do God’s will- which always relates to the benefit of the neighbour- is a work of the Holy Spirit.
The real crises people face are profoundly spiritual. God’s law bring this to light. Nothing weighs heavier on the heart than unresolved sin. You know the sins that burden your conscience and the failures that haunt your memories. What can you do about the guilt that bothers you? You cannot excuse it. You cannot avoid it or go on like it is of no consequence. You cannot simply erase your sin. Least of all should you try to justify it.
So what do people do? Some stay away from the church because they feel guilty. Others avoid all things sacred and holy because they’ve attained no measurable results from such associations. God’s promises are brushed off as irrelevant; His forgiveness as unnecessary. People begin to believe they have matured past the need for such things. Religion is demoted to the realm of harmless activity for Sunday School children and a last resort for the elderly. Everyone else has serious living to do- so they think.
But “serious” living begins at God’s initiative. Starting first at baptism it continues with the ever-deepening practice of repentance and forgiveness that defines our life under the cross as God’s holy people. Today Chloe begins the life that really matters, the life of a child claimed and blessed by God. Baptism is not a decision she makes but something she suffers: The grace of God receiving her into His kingdom. Though she can only remain in it through faith, this too is a gift of the Holy Spirit.
Luther clarifies, “We carry the child to the font with the purpose and hope that he may believe, and we pray that God would give him faith; but it is not on the strength of that purpose, that hope, or that expected creation of faith in the child that we baptize the child, but simply because God has commanded it.”2 It all depends on God’s word and promise. He is serious in His declaration, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”3
The Church then remains the believer’s spiritual home, inn, and hospital through the entire journey of this life. Our time here always centres on those things which draw us near to God and enable us to be in His presence. Christians come labouring under the great weight of their sin and they unload a mighty millstone unto the shoulders of God. It is a weight that is transferred straight to the cross. Here Christ lifts the burden of sin from your soul and in so doing brings near the kingdom of God. In His declaration of forgiveness reconciliation takes place. The gap between sinful humans and a holy God is bridged. Jesus Christ opens the way to heaven through His death and resurrection. Assured of God’s acceptance in Christ our lives take on completely different meaning.
Christ, our suffering, but victorious Servant frees us to serve others. This then becomes the basis of your reconciliation with others. It is important to note that even those in today’s account that rejected the message still experienced the nearness of the kingdom. People can turn away from it, push it away or slowly drift away. God captures no heart by force. Rather, He draws with His profound and mysterious love.
Dear friends, you might be as close as some people have ever come to the kingdom of God. Don’t misinterpret that by flattering yourself. You’re just as fallen as anyone else. But in Christ you are also redeemed and you carry in your life and on your lips His Word and hope. Your witness to the truth might be the only one they ever hear or see. Without even saying a word, people who know you will know by your actions whether or not you are focused on building your own kingdom or the kingdom of God.
When those early missionaries came back they were filled with excitement. As bearers of God’s Word they witnessed the powers of sin and Satan being overthrown and people restored. Jesus even said, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”4 Think of this incredible power that was granted to them: In Christ’s name even demons submitted. And yet so they don’t lose focus Jesus makes this remarkable statement “However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”5
More significant than these impressive displays of miraculous power was their assurance of eternal security. Perhaps too Jesus was preparing them for the time after the apostles when miracles would fade in frequency and importance. The greatest ongoing miracle is always the Holy Spirit’s work of creating and sustaining spiritual life through the Gospel.
The kingdom of God is not an idealistic, but remote and inaccessible dreamland. It is not merely spoken of theoretically or described as a mysterious, remote locality. It is not something that exists only in the mind of God. The kingdom of God involves the presence of God breaking into our world through the person and activity of Jesus Christ. It denotes the advancement of the saving work of the gospel, the dispensing of forgiveness, and the manifestation of the Spirit. It is largely hidden to unbelieving eyes to be sure. Though the miracles that accompanied it early on were undeniable even by the harshest critics. It is an expression of the salvation Christ secured in the past , the blessings of word and sacrament we receive now, and the promise of what’s to come. Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Sixth Sunday After Pentecost
4 July, 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 10:3 2 Large Catechism, 106
3 Matthew 28:19 4 Luke 10:18 5 Luke 10:20
Text: Luke 10:9
Theme: The Kingdom of God has Come Near
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Welcome! Welcome to the place where the kingdom of God has come near. The Holy Spirit gathers the faithful into the presence of Christ. The setting is unique. It is unmatched by anything the world has on offer. Here you participate in the holy things of God which define and sustain the mysterious reality of the body of Christ. Here you have a preview of things to come. God dwells already now in the midst of His people.
This profound truth is not something to take lightly. That we have these blessings is not the result of coincidence or happenstance. It is due only to Jesus’ sacrifice and determination to redeem a humanity separated from Him. Today Jesus prepares the towns and villages to which He will go by sending out missionaries in advance. Their task was to proclaim that the kingdom of God has come near. He sent them out with the directive, “Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves!”1 It was a daunting task that recognized the powerful opposition of an ungodly world.
The same truths must be recognized and assessed by the church today. It seems increasingly necessary to assert with clarity the nature and consequences of evil. In broadest terms anything and everything that is opposed to the good and gracious will of God is evil. Evil is not measured by differences in human opinion. Of course secular teaching would define evil more in terms of anything that causes harm or distress to others, limits personal choice and freedoms and generally impedes the quest for equality and prosperity in the world. But the objective reality is that evil entails everything that offends God’s holiness and alienates people from Him.
The problem of sin is not solved by human ingenuity. Underpinning the optimism for a humanity that can advance is the belief that people have the natural ability to desire, understand, and chose what is right. The philosophy of humanism puts confidence in an individual’s ability to “make the right choice.” But this is exactly the root of the problem. Because of the nature of original sin people are unable to even desire what’s right. Actually striving to do what’s right is another matter altogether. The desire to do God’s will- which always relates to the benefit of the neighbour- is a work of the Holy Spirit.
The real crises people face are profoundly spiritual. God’s law bring this to light. Nothing weighs heavier on the heart than unresolved sin. You know the sins that burden your conscience and the failures that haunt your memories. What can you do about the guilt that bothers you? You cannot excuse it. You cannot avoid it or go on like it is of no consequence. You cannot simply erase your sin. Least of all should you try to justify it.
So what do people do? Some stay away from the church because they feel guilty. Others avoid all things sacred and holy because they’ve attained no measurable results from such associations. God’s promises are brushed off as irrelevant; His forgiveness as unnecessary. People begin to believe they have matured past the need for such things. Religion is demoted to the realm of harmless activity for Sunday School children and a last resort for the elderly. Everyone else has serious living to do- so they think.
But “serious” living begins at God’s initiative. Starting first at baptism it continues with the ever-deepening practice of repentance and forgiveness that defines our life under the cross as God’s holy people. Today Chloe begins the life that really matters, the life of a child claimed and blessed by God. Baptism is not a decision she makes but something she suffers: The grace of God receiving her into His kingdom. Though she can only remain in it through faith, this too is a gift of the Holy Spirit.
Luther clarifies, “We carry the child to the font with the purpose and hope that he may believe, and we pray that God would give him faith; but it is not on the strength of that purpose, that hope, or that expected creation of faith in the child that we baptize the child, but simply because God has commanded it.”2 It all depends on God’s word and promise. He is serious in His declaration, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”3
The Church then remains the believer’s spiritual home, inn, and hospital through the entire journey of this life. Our time here always centres on those things which draw us near to God and enable us to be in His presence. Christians come labouring under the great weight of their sin and they unload a mighty millstone unto the shoulders of God. It is a weight that is transferred straight to the cross. Here Christ lifts the burden of sin from your soul and in so doing brings near the kingdom of God. In His declaration of forgiveness reconciliation takes place. The gap between sinful humans and a holy God is bridged. Jesus Christ opens the way to heaven through His death and resurrection. Assured of God’s acceptance in Christ our lives take on completely different meaning.
Christ, our suffering, but victorious Servant frees us to serve others. This then becomes the basis of your reconciliation with others. It is important to note that even those in today’s account that rejected the message still experienced the nearness of the kingdom. People can turn away from it, push it away or slowly drift away. God captures no heart by force. Rather, He draws with His profound and mysterious love.
Dear friends, you might be as close as some people have ever come to the kingdom of God. Don’t misinterpret that by flattering yourself. You’re just as fallen as anyone else. But in Christ you are also redeemed and you carry in your life and on your lips His Word and hope. Your witness to the truth might be the only one they ever hear or see. Without even saying a word, people who know you will know by your actions whether or not you are focused on building your own kingdom or the kingdom of God.
When those early missionaries came back they were filled with excitement. As bearers of God’s Word they witnessed the powers of sin and Satan being overthrown and people restored. Jesus even said, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”4 Think of this incredible power that was granted to them: In Christ’s name even demons submitted. And yet so they don’t lose focus Jesus makes this remarkable statement “However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”5
More significant than these impressive displays of miraculous power was their assurance of eternal security. Perhaps too Jesus was preparing them for the time after the apostles when miracles would fade in frequency and importance. The greatest ongoing miracle is always the Holy Spirit’s work of creating and sustaining spiritual life through the Gospel.
The kingdom of God is not an idealistic, but remote and inaccessible dreamland. It is not merely spoken of theoretically or described as a mysterious, remote locality. It is not something that exists only in the mind of God. The kingdom of God involves the presence of God breaking into our world through the person and activity of Jesus Christ. It denotes the advancement of the saving work of the gospel, the dispensing of forgiveness, and the manifestation of the Spirit. It is largely hidden to unbelieving eyes to be sure. Though the miracles that accompanied it early on were undeniable even by the harshest critics. It is an expression of the salvation Christ secured in the past , the blessings of word and sacrament we receive now, and the promise of what’s to come. Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Sixth Sunday After Pentecost
4 July, 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 10:3 2 Large Catechism, 106
3 Matthew 28:19 4 Luke 10:18 5 Luke 10:20
Fifth Sunday After Pentecost
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti Amen. +
Text: Luke 9:57-62
Theme: Identity With Christ
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Reputations are indicators of how we are viewed by others. What associations do people make when they see you and speak of you to others? If others were called upon to describe your commitments and allegiances, what would they name? Do people identify you by worldly tags? Or do they first recognize you by your association with Christ? The Bible reminds us, “All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”1 The Holy Spirit empowers us to live accordingly.
Jesus speaks today of the urgency of following Him. Discipleship is a serious commitment. Human activities, even when they relate to family or career, cannot have a higher priority in life than faithfulness to the triune God. The struggle of living according to His truth is the struggle of having all of our temporal activities conformed to our identity as God’s people and not the other way around.
Christianity is not a hobby. The living of your Christian life is not an occasional, optional, or auxiliary pursuit. What things do you invest your time and resources in on a daily and weekly basis that matter the most in the end? God is always calling us to an evaluation of our priorities. That is part and parcel with daily repentance for sin and bearing the cross. At times He calls you to a more radical re-prioritization and restructuring of your life. This can rarely happen without discomfort or even pain. Christ says this about the way the Father tends His vineyard, the Church, “He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”2 The pruning off of our sinful and selfish ways is a painful, but necessary part of the maintenance our well-being and our training for usefulness in God’s kingdom.
The influence of selfishness in our culture is chronically underestimated. When our selfish desires go unchallenged they become expressed in all kinds of practices that become habitual. And when others concede to our ego-centric natures because of the need to be liked or out of fear or exasperation we may get the idea that carrying on in such a manner is perfectly acceptable. Our consciences become dulled. We become desensitized to the warped reality of “living in our own little world.”
How often do trivial and meaningless things dominate people’s lives? Recreation too has now become so endemic in our culture that most people can’t imagine their lives being structured in any other way. We might consider not just the hours frittered away watching TV or engaging in an endless range of spectator entertainments, but also of the time devoted to things which serve no useful or godly purpose. These realities hardly do justice to the biblical urgency to understand the times. The Bible says, “Be very careful, then, how you live- not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity.”3
Jesus illustrated this emphatically as He went on His way teaching about the kingdom. “He said to another man, ‘Follow Me.’ But the man replied, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’”4 The words of Jesus are demanding. They show a clear break with Jewish tradition which held that the burying of a family member took precedence over religious duties. Without showing disrespect to the deceased Jesus nevertheless gives clear priority to the mission of the gospel. The spiritually dead, unbelievers, can be left to attend to their own burials.
At the moment of death an individual’s eternal future is sealed. No change can be made. Nothing can be done. There is no existence between heaven and hell, no purgatory, no temporary place of waiting. Jesus emphatically stresses the importance of tending to the spiritual state of the living. The time for repentance cannot be squandered. For others there is still hope. That hope is anchored to the One who was lifted up on a cross on Calvary.
Christianity proclaims and defends the unique biblical teaching that God revealed Himself definitively in the person of the crucified Jesus. Jesus is not merely God’s messenger, His prophet, or His designated agent to facilitate His mission. Jesus Christ is of the same divinity of the Father and the Holy Spirit. The Scripture says, “In Him the fullness of the deity lives in bodily form.”5 Jesus is the enfleshed Word of God, the Gospel incarnate. Only His death and resurrection open the gates to heaven. He is the sacrifice for sins. He is the Mediator; He is our Advocate before the Father. Jesus said “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”6
Dear friends, the realm of unbelief is a vast expanse of chaos, confusion, and darkness. People wander to and fro not even knowing they are lost. But the Holy Spirit, with this one beaming light of truth- the gospel of the forgiveness of sins- pierces that darkness wherever the Word holds forth. And then the Spirit gathers lost, wandering, and injured sheep into His fold, the Church. Within this community ruled by the truth of His Word He heals the souls of the injured and feeds hearts hungry for His mercy. He separates truth from falsehood, good from evil, and faith from unbelief. When you eat and drink the bread and wine consecrated by His word you receive the sacramental body and blood of Jesus Christ. In that body and blood the believer receives forgiveness, life, and salvation, while the unbeliever invites judgment.
In this continual dynamic of the working of His word the Spirit calls unbelievers to faith, sinners to repentance, and the repentant to rest. And because we have spiritual rest we are strengthened to give our lives in sacrifice for others. Christians should not be as concerned about rights and entitlements as they are about privileges and responsibilities; gifts and stewardship. If we’re always focused on whether we’re getting our fair cut in life it is unlikely we are striving to love our neighbour as ourselves. You belong to Christ and nothing He possesses can be lost. Your life can be spent on others because you have an eternal inheritance.
A person’s reputation in life is very important. But it’s only God’s approval that really matters. We have the Father’s approval because of the sacrifice of the Son. All human influences are reduced to nothing. Who is going to stand with you before the throne of judgment and advocate on your behalf. Will it be any of those people your received accolades and praise from in this life? Will it be your spouse or children? Your boss or your employees? Do you think any mortal holds any persuasive influence over the Almighty? St. Paul said, “Am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.”7
Yet the poor and downtrodden will testify to the faith of Christians- precisely because believers act as Christ to those in need. The Bible says that at the judgment “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.”8 He will say, “Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.”9 Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
27 June 2010 Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Galatians 3:27 2 John 15:2
3 Ephesians 5:15-16 4 Luke 9:59-60
5 Colossians 2:9 6 Matthew 7:13-14
7 Galatians 1:10 8 Mathew 25:40 9 Matthew 25:34
Text: Luke 9:57-62
Theme: Identity With Christ
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Reputations are indicators of how we are viewed by others. What associations do people make when they see you and speak of you to others? If others were called upon to describe your commitments and allegiances, what would they name? Do people identify you by worldly tags? Or do they first recognize you by your association with Christ? The Bible reminds us, “All of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”1 The Holy Spirit empowers us to live accordingly.
Jesus speaks today of the urgency of following Him. Discipleship is a serious commitment. Human activities, even when they relate to family or career, cannot have a higher priority in life than faithfulness to the triune God. The struggle of living according to His truth is the struggle of having all of our temporal activities conformed to our identity as God’s people and not the other way around.
Christianity is not a hobby. The living of your Christian life is not an occasional, optional, or auxiliary pursuit. What things do you invest your time and resources in on a daily and weekly basis that matter the most in the end? God is always calling us to an evaluation of our priorities. That is part and parcel with daily repentance for sin and bearing the cross. At times He calls you to a more radical re-prioritization and restructuring of your life. This can rarely happen without discomfort or even pain. Christ says this about the way the Father tends His vineyard, the Church, “He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”2 The pruning off of our sinful and selfish ways is a painful, but necessary part of the maintenance our well-being and our training for usefulness in God’s kingdom.
The influence of selfishness in our culture is chronically underestimated. When our selfish desires go unchallenged they become expressed in all kinds of practices that become habitual. And when others concede to our ego-centric natures because of the need to be liked or out of fear or exasperation we may get the idea that carrying on in such a manner is perfectly acceptable. Our consciences become dulled. We become desensitized to the warped reality of “living in our own little world.”
How often do trivial and meaningless things dominate people’s lives? Recreation too has now become so endemic in our culture that most people can’t imagine their lives being structured in any other way. We might consider not just the hours frittered away watching TV or engaging in an endless range of spectator entertainments, but also of the time devoted to things which serve no useful or godly purpose. These realities hardly do justice to the biblical urgency to understand the times. The Bible says, “Be very careful, then, how you live- not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity.”3
Jesus illustrated this emphatically as He went on His way teaching about the kingdom. “He said to another man, ‘Follow Me.’ But the man replied, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’”4 The words of Jesus are demanding. They show a clear break with Jewish tradition which held that the burying of a family member took precedence over religious duties. Without showing disrespect to the deceased Jesus nevertheless gives clear priority to the mission of the gospel. The spiritually dead, unbelievers, can be left to attend to their own burials.
At the moment of death an individual’s eternal future is sealed. No change can be made. Nothing can be done. There is no existence between heaven and hell, no purgatory, no temporary place of waiting. Jesus emphatically stresses the importance of tending to the spiritual state of the living. The time for repentance cannot be squandered. For others there is still hope. That hope is anchored to the One who was lifted up on a cross on Calvary.
Christianity proclaims and defends the unique biblical teaching that God revealed Himself definitively in the person of the crucified Jesus. Jesus is not merely God’s messenger, His prophet, or His designated agent to facilitate His mission. Jesus Christ is of the same divinity of the Father and the Holy Spirit. The Scripture says, “In Him the fullness of the deity lives in bodily form.”5 Jesus is the enfleshed Word of God, the Gospel incarnate. Only His death and resurrection open the gates to heaven. He is the sacrifice for sins. He is the Mediator; He is our Advocate before the Father. Jesus said “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”6
Dear friends, the realm of unbelief is a vast expanse of chaos, confusion, and darkness. People wander to and fro not even knowing they are lost. But the Holy Spirit, with this one beaming light of truth- the gospel of the forgiveness of sins- pierces that darkness wherever the Word holds forth. And then the Spirit gathers lost, wandering, and injured sheep into His fold, the Church. Within this community ruled by the truth of His Word He heals the souls of the injured and feeds hearts hungry for His mercy. He separates truth from falsehood, good from evil, and faith from unbelief. When you eat and drink the bread and wine consecrated by His word you receive the sacramental body and blood of Jesus Christ. In that body and blood the believer receives forgiveness, life, and salvation, while the unbeliever invites judgment.
In this continual dynamic of the working of His word the Spirit calls unbelievers to faith, sinners to repentance, and the repentant to rest. And because we have spiritual rest we are strengthened to give our lives in sacrifice for others. Christians should not be as concerned about rights and entitlements as they are about privileges and responsibilities; gifts and stewardship. If we’re always focused on whether we’re getting our fair cut in life it is unlikely we are striving to love our neighbour as ourselves. You belong to Christ and nothing He possesses can be lost. Your life can be spent on others because you have an eternal inheritance.
A person’s reputation in life is very important. But it’s only God’s approval that really matters. We have the Father’s approval because of the sacrifice of the Son. All human influences are reduced to nothing. Who is going to stand with you before the throne of judgment and advocate on your behalf. Will it be any of those people your received accolades and praise from in this life? Will it be your spouse or children? Your boss or your employees? Do you think any mortal holds any persuasive influence over the Almighty? St. Paul said, “Am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.”7
Yet the poor and downtrodden will testify to the faith of Christians- precisely because believers act as Christ to those in need. The Bible says that at the judgment “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.”8 He will say, “Come, you who are blessed by My Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.”9 Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
27 June 2010 Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Galatians 3:27 2 John 15:2
3 Ephesians 5:15-16 4 Luke 9:59-60
5 Colossians 2:9 6 Matthew 7:13-14
7 Galatians 1:10 8 Mathew 25:40 9 Matthew 25:34
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Fourth Sunday After Pentecost
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti Amen. +
Text: 1 Kings 19:11
Theme: “The Presence of the Lord”
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God knows our weaknesses. We may fear to reveal how vulnerable we really are. But we should take great comfort in knowing God uses this knowledge to tenderly but passionately draw us to Himself. As fragile human beings we easily succumb to the temptation of self-pity. It’s the tactic of playing the sympathy card. People may feel they’ve been so beaten down, kicked around and the victims of such bad luck that God will surely take notice and make some exceptions for them. This is all the more true when people seem to suffer for doing what’s right. Elijah appears to be driven by this mindset. He was the one who remained faithful against all opposition and yet there he was fearing for his life.
So Elijah fled to Mount Sinai where God had issued the Ten Commandments to the people through Moses many years before. There He had ratified a covenant with them. It was a place that represented God’s power and judgment. Elijah was ready for God to render judgment again. The apostasy of the Israelites had been sufficiently documented. They had forsaken the Lord. They had turned away to other gods. Warning after warning went unheeded. There was little repentance. Note Elijah’s complaint, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”1
But Elijah wasn’t where he was supposed to be and didn’t yet understand God’s plan. God called Elijah to stand in His presence. Then God sent a windstorm, an earthquake, and a fire. All were violent displays of raw power; possible signs of God’s pending judgment. But God was not present in any of them. The last was a gentle whisper and through that God made His intentions known. God would not yet mete out the retribution Elijah was hoping for. He would continue to deal gently with His people seeking to lead them to repentance. God always desires to bring people to repentance by the gentlest means possible. The Scripture says, “Do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you towards repentance?”2 Unfortunately much harsher measures of the law are often necessary.
The gentle whisper should not be misinterpreted as a manner in which God promises to speak directly to people’s hearts- a still small voice- giving individual and unique guidance. That “still small voice” might well be your selfish ego desperately trying to justify something that is not in accord with God’s will. He speaks openly and clearly through his word. Regarding things He neither commands nor forbids we make decisions to the best of our ability with the well-being of others in mind. Your conscience should always be obeyed but that is not the same thing as a new or unique revelation from God.
Dear friends, how generous is the patience of God! How can we measure God’s gentleness? These are fruits of pure grace. They are never givens. The forbearance of God is not our entitlement. We can presume upon His patience no more than we can presume we deserve His grace. We have no right to it. It is not a guarantee. It is however, an overwhelmingly observable expression of His compassion. Were God not patient we would have all been consigned to condemnation long ago. God condemned His Son instead so that all who trust in Him are spared from His wrath. Jesus was crucified to absorb God’s just impatience with our sinfulness. His resurrection proves that the Father’s wrath has been appeased. God withholds no spiritual gifts from believers- He gave His Son.
The story is told that one day a beggar by the roadside asked for alms from the mighty conqueror Alexander the Great as he passed by. The man was poor and wretched and had no claim upon the ruler, no right even to lift a hand to beg. Yet the Emperor threw him several gold coins. A member of his court was astonished at his generosity and commented, "Sir, copper coins would adequately meet a beggar's need. Why give him gold?" Alexander responded in royal fashion, "Cooper coins would suit the beggar's need, but gold coins suit Alexander's giving."
God abundantly supplies us with more than we could ever need. “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God.”3 We are nothing more than beggars, orphans, adopted by the King of Kings. We are lavished with His generosity. We are clothed with His righteousness. We are granted a heavenly inheritance. We are His baptized children. We dine at His sacred table. We have forgiveness, life, and salvation through His Name.
The mission of the church is not merely about developing strategies to compete for people’s attention in a culture that is dynamic, affluent, and secular. The living voice of the Gospel always speaks a divine message to a world alienated from God. Always the changer of people’s hearts and minds it remains itself unchanged. Because God’s will doesn’t change His message of salvation doesn’t change. Christ isn’t one option among many that lead to spiritual fulfillment. He doesn’t peddle a particular version of an otherwise common philosophy of how to get the goodie out of this life and still make it to the life to come. Everything apart from Him is temporary and can only lead to death and despair. He said “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”4
The Holy Spirit’s efforts to create and sustain faith through the word do not take place only in the sphere of human existence. One of the most important reasons to be in God’s house regularly is to be armed against Satan’s schemes. If we’re not in regular contact with God’s word than we are cut off from our spiritual life-line. Then our faith becomes compromised, our resolve becomes weak, our witness will lack clarity and inspiration, and our focus will stray from the plans and promises of God.
The gospel is opposed by all the forces Satan can marshal. That is evidenced again today by Jesus’ encounter with group of demons so large they were called Legion.5 The Bible says, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”6 That struggle still goes on. The element of the demonic cannot be explained out of existence by modern psychological theory or eliminated by militant evolutionary philosophy. Spiritual evil, Satan, and hell are menacing dangers that only Christ can defeat.
We can hardly blame Elijah for his impatience and misunderstanding. At His wits end he retreated to the place where he confidently thought God would squash all opposition. But God’s patience and grace were to be further extended. The writer to the Hebrews draws upon this analogy as He explains how Christ has fulfilled all things for us,
“You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom, and storm…But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.”7 Thanks be to God!
+ in nomine Jesu +
Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
20 June 2010 Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 1 Kings 19:14 2 Romans 2:4
3 1 John 3:1 4 John 14:6
5 See Luke 8:30 6 1 John 3:8
7 Hebrews 12:18, 22-24
Text: 1 Kings 19:11
Theme: “The Presence of the Lord”
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God knows our weaknesses. We may fear to reveal how vulnerable we really are. But we should take great comfort in knowing God uses this knowledge to tenderly but passionately draw us to Himself. As fragile human beings we easily succumb to the temptation of self-pity. It’s the tactic of playing the sympathy card. People may feel they’ve been so beaten down, kicked around and the victims of such bad luck that God will surely take notice and make some exceptions for them. This is all the more true when people seem to suffer for doing what’s right. Elijah appears to be driven by this mindset. He was the one who remained faithful against all opposition and yet there he was fearing for his life.
So Elijah fled to Mount Sinai where God had issued the Ten Commandments to the people through Moses many years before. There He had ratified a covenant with them. It was a place that represented God’s power and judgment. Elijah was ready for God to render judgment again. The apostasy of the Israelites had been sufficiently documented. They had forsaken the Lord. They had turned away to other gods. Warning after warning went unheeded. There was little repentance. Note Elijah’s complaint, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”1
But Elijah wasn’t where he was supposed to be and didn’t yet understand God’s plan. God called Elijah to stand in His presence. Then God sent a windstorm, an earthquake, and a fire. All were violent displays of raw power; possible signs of God’s pending judgment. But God was not present in any of them. The last was a gentle whisper and through that God made His intentions known. God would not yet mete out the retribution Elijah was hoping for. He would continue to deal gently with His people seeking to lead them to repentance. God always desires to bring people to repentance by the gentlest means possible. The Scripture says, “Do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you towards repentance?”2 Unfortunately much harsher measures of the law are often necessary.
The gentle whisper should not be misinterpreted as a manner in which God promises to speak directly to people’s hearts- a still small voice- giving individual and unique guidance. That “still small voice” might well be your selfish ego desperately trying to justify something that is not in accord with God’s will. He speaks openly and clearly through his word. Regarding things He neither commands nor forbids we make decisions to the best of our ability with the well-being of others in mind. Your conscience should always be obeyed but that is not the same thing as a new or unique revelation from God.
Dear friends, how generous is the patience of God! How can we measure God’s gentleness? These are fruits of pure grace. They are never givens. The forbearance of God is not our entitlement. We can presume upon His patience no more than we can presume we deserve His grace. We have no right to it. It is not a guarantee. It is however, an overwhelmingly observable expression of His compassion. Were God not patient we would have all been consigned to condemnation long ago. God condemned His Son instead so that all who trust in Him are spared from His wrath. Jesus was crucified to absorb God’s just impatience with our sinfulness. His resurrection proves that the Father’s wrath has been appeased. God withholds no spiritual gifts from believers- He gave His Son.
The story is told that one day a beggar by the roadside asked for alms from the mighty conqueror Alexander the Great as he passed by. The man was poor and wretched and had no claim upon the ruler, no right even to lift a hand to beg. Yet the Emperor threw him several gold coins. A member of his court was astonished at his generosity and commented, "Sir, copper coins would adequately meet a beggar's need. Why give him gold?" Alexander responded in royal fashion, "Cooper coins would suit the beggar's need, but gold coins suit Alexander's giving."
God abundantly supplies us with more than we could ever need. “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God.”3 We are nothing more than beggars, orphans, adopted by the King of Kings. We are lavished with His generosity. We are clothed with His righteousness. We are granted a heavenly inheritance. We are His baptized children. We dine at His sacred table. We have forgiveness, life, and salvation through His Name.
The mission of the church is not merely about developing strategies to compete for people’s attention in a culture that is dynamic, affluent, and secular. The living voice of the Gospel always speaks a divine message to a world alienated from God. Always the changer of people’s hearts and minds it remains itself unchanged. Because God’s will doesn’t change His message of salvation doesn’t change. Christ isn’t one option among many that lead to spiritual fulfillment. He doesn’t peddle a particular version of an otherwise common philosophy of how to get the goodie out of this life and still make it to the life to come. Everything apart from Him is temporary and can only lead to death and despair. He said “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”4
The Holy Spirit’s efforts to create and sustain faith through the word do not take place only in the sphere of human existence. One of the most important reasons to be in God’s house regularly is to be armed against Satan’s schemes. If we’re not in regular contact with God’s word than we are cut off from our spiritual life-line. Then our faith becomes compromised, our resolve becomes weak, our witness will lack clarity and inspiration, and our focus will stray from the plans and promises of God.
The gospel is opposed by all the forces Satan can marshal. That is evidenced again today by Jesus’ encounter with group of demons so large they were called Legion.5 The Bible says, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”6 That struggle still goes on. The element of the demonic cannot be explained out of existence by modern psychological theory or eliminated by militant evolutionary philosophy. Spiritual evil, Satan, and hell are menacing dangers that only Christ can defeat.
We can hardly blame Elijah for his impatience and misunderstanding. At His wits end he retreated to the place where he confidently thought God would squash all opposition. But God’s patience and grace were to be further extended. The writer to the Hebrews draws upon this analogy as He explains how Christ has fulfilled all things for us,
“You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom, and storm…But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.”7 Thanks be to God!
+ in nomine Jesu +
Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
20 June 2010 Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 1 Kings 19:14 2 Romans 2:4
3 1 John 3:1 4 John 14:6
5 See Luke 8:30 6 1 John 3:8
7 Hebrews 12:18, 22-24
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Third Sunday After Pentecost
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti Amen. +
Text: Luke 7:48-50
Theme: Forgiven and Restored
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
In today’s gospel account we learn of a woman who very openly risked shame and ridicule to have her sins forgiven by Christ. We have much to learn from her humility. What sins are you in denial about? What transgressions do you fear to confess? What secrets do you hope to keep concealed? What public offenses are you ashamed of? These questions probe the heart and confront the mind of every human being even when not deliberately addressed. In our human relationships we use masks and guises and may even try to hide from ourselves. But each of us is completely transparent before God. The Scripture says, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”1
For any and every sin God calls us to unrestrained repentance.
Then He never fails to remind us of the deliverance that reconciles us in His love. This reality has very tangible consequences. The effect of baptism is that it brings you into a state of conflict with the world that you weren’t in previously. Yes, unbelievers too can find themselves at odds with the prevailing philosophies of the culture at any particular time. The very secular-minded person can still have ethical standards that clash with societal norms. The thoughtful humanist may oppose abortion, support traditional marriage, and generally work towards a morally upright culture. For this we give thanks.
But the unbeliever is never completely in conflict with the world because he or she believes life in this world is in some measure an end in itself. To some degree satisfaction and pleasure, accomplishment and legacy (including the hope that humanity progresses towards an ever higher estate of allowing these goals to be achieved) are the be all and end all goals of this life.
The Christian, however, is fundamentally at odds with the world’s agenda; not firstly by choice but as a result of the new baptismal identity. There can be no consensus, or comfortable agreement with secular teaching. The Christian always prays for and works towards the conversion of the unbeliever. Yet the world will never be brought into complete unity with the purposes and will of God. To believe that the world will ever be completely Christianized is in direct contradiction to the teaching of Christ Himself? Jesus said, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?”2
Luther directly critiques the misguided attempts of people who want to have peace with God and harmony with the world apart from Christ. “And here the perversity of man seeks peace before righteousness, and for this reason they do not find peace…the righteous man has peace with God but affliction in the world, because he lives in the Spirit. The unrighteous man has peace with the world, but affliction and tribulation with God, because he lives in the flesh.”3
The Holy Spirit leads the believer in these struggles of the flesh. To shun the temptations of the world never comes naturally to the Old Adam- the sinful nature. We will always have a very real degree of attraction to any self-serving opportunity. This is true for baser things like lust and over-indulgence; and also more sanitized pursuits such as greed and recognition. These desires easily take on a life of their own. That is why the Bible uses the language of crucifixion even when describing our sanctification. The Scripture says, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.”4 And the apostle says today, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”5
Dear friends, our faith matures not by progressing unimpaired on an upward trajectory, but by the continual practice of repentance. Evil and ungodly desires and practices are piled onto the dump heap upon which the cross is planted and the believer breathes again the fresh air of forgiveness. Our baptism doesn’t get more distant; rather its power becomes a joyful sight for sore eyes. The cruciform, or cross-shaped life, is the Holy Spirit’s blueprint for leading the Christian to a maturity of faith. But again, this maturity doesn’t involve a string of easy, unrivaled victories. The baptismal life is a series of drownings and resuscitations that ends only when God removes us from this sphere of evil and temptation and the need for forgiveness becomes obsolete.
The strength of Mary’s devotion is evidence of her understanding the magnitude of the forgiveness granted to her. She was a woman of ill-repute, of tarnished reputation and the locals knew her situation well. In the presence of Pharisees Jesus was allowing her to wash His feet with her tears and perfume. This Pharisee named Simon reasoned that Jesus was unaware of this woman’s status in society. If Jesus were even as savvy as a prophet, why would He let an indisputably sinful and unclean person be in contact with Him?
Here is precisely where we reach the pivotal truth of the matter. Jesus Christ came for sinners. No exceptions! He humbled Himself, He lowered Himself, He publicly allowed Himself to be demeaned for the sake of the unclean, the outcast, the despairing; for the sake of us all. Now people may say that’s very honourable, but other people could do that and what does it accomplish in the end? Sympathy? Pity? Dear friends, Christ is not anyone; He is the incarnate Son of God. His touch heals, His word changes things, His promise effects forgiveness, His death brings life and His resurrection secures eternity!
Mary understood her spiritual indebtedness and she knew she could never pay it off. She knew that debt could only be cleared by the mercy of the Lord. How easily we under-appreciate what this means! Remember the man who called the police and reported that all of his wife's credit cards had been stolen. Then he added, "But don't look too hard for the thief. He's charging less than my wife ever did." Yes, it’s not only better that someone else handles our debt; it is our only hope.
Mary knew this better than the Pharisee who thought he could handle it himself. But “the woman came believing that she should seek the forgiveness of sins from Christ. This is the highest way of worshipping Christ. Nothing greater could she ascribe to Him. By looking for the forgiveness of sins from Him, she truly acknowledged Him as the Messiah.”6
So if in our own estimation there is little for which God needs to forgive us than the strength of our response will likely be correspondingly weak. If there is little to forgive there is little need for God’s mercy. If we remain convinced of our relative innocence then the Good News of pardon in Christ isn’t really so great and neither is our devotion.
Dear friends, Christ said three important things to Mary. “Your sins are forgiven.”7 “Your faith has saved you…(and)go in peace.”8 These are the same promises and blessings we receive from Him today- absolution in this place, the blood of forgiveness from this altar. They are not empty words or fine-sounding niceties. They are divine words of authority imparting to us the salvation He accomplished with His blood. “For…it was not with silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life…but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb with out blemish.”9 Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Third Sunday after Pentecost
13 June 2010 Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Hebrews 4:13 2 Luke 18:8
3 LW 25:285-6 4 Galatians 5:24
5 Galatians 2:20 6 AP IV, 128:154
7 Luke 7:48 8 Luke 7:50
9 1 Peter 1:18-19
Text: Luke 7:48-50
Theme: Forgiven and Restored
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
In today’s gospel account we learn of a woman who very openly risked shame and ridicule to have her sins forgiven by Christ. We have much to learn from her humility. What sins are you in denial about? What transgressions do you fear to confess? What secrets do you hope to keep concealed? What public offenses are you ashamed of? These questions probe the heart and confront the mind of every human being even when not deliberately addressed. In our human relationships we use masks and guises and may even try to hide from ourselves. But each of us is completely transparent before God. The Scripture says, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”1
For any and every sin God calls us to unrestrained repentance.
Then He never fails to remind us of the deliverance that reconciles us in His love. This reality has very tangible consequences. The effect of baptism is that it brings you into a state of conflict with the world that you weren’t in previously. Yes, unbelievers too can find themselves at odds with the prevailing philosophies of the culture at any particular time. The very secular-minded person can still have ethical standards that clash with societal norms. The thoughtful humanist may oppose abortion, support traditional marriage, and generally work towards a morally upright culture. For this we give thanks.
But the unbeliever is never completely in conflict with the world because he or she believes life in this world is in some measure an end in itself. To some degree satisfaction and pleasure, accomplishment and legacy (including the hope that humanity progresses towards an ever higher estate of allowing these goals to be achieved) are the be all and end all goals of this life.
The Christian, however, is fundamentally at odds with the world’s agenda; not firstly by choice but as a result of the new baptismal identity. There can be no consensus, or comfortable agreement with secular teaching. The Christian always prays for and works towards the conversion of the unbeliever. Yet the world will never be brought into complete unity with the purposes and will of God. To believe that the world will ever be completely Christianized is in direct contradiction to the teaching of Christ Himself? Jesus said, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?”2
Luther directly critiques the misguided attempts of people who want to have peace with God and harmony with the world apart from Christ. “And here the perversity of man seeks peace before righteousness, and for this reason they do not find peace…the righteous man has peace with God but affliction in the world, because he lives in the Spirit. The unrighteous man has peace with the world, but affliction and tribulation with God, because he lives in the flesh.”3
The Holy Spirit leads the believer in these struggles of the flesh. To shun the temptations of the world never comes naturally to the Old Adam- the sinful nature. We will always have a very real degree of attraction to any self-serving opportunity. This is true for baser things like lust and over-indulgence; and also more sanitized pursuits such as greed and recognition. These desires easily take on a life of their own. That is why the Bible uses the language of crucifixion even when describing our sanctification. The Scripture says, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.”4 And the apostle says today, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”5
Dear friends, our faith matures not by progressing unimpaired on an upward trajectory, but by the continual practice of repentance. Evil and ungodly desires and practices are piled onto the dump heap upon which the cross is planted and the believer breathes again the fresh air of forgiveness. Our baptism doesn’t get more distant; rather its power becomes a joyful sight for sore eyes. The cruciform, or cross-shaped life, is the Holy Spirit’s blueprint for leading the Christian to a maturity of faith. But again, this maturity doesn’t involve a string of easy, unrivaled victories. The baptismal life is a series of drownings and resuscitations that ends only when God removes us from this sphere of evil and temptation and the need for forgiveness becomes obsolete.
The strength of Mary’s devotion is evidence of her understanding the magnitude of the forgiveness granted to her. She was a woman of ill-repute, of tarnished reputation and the locals knew her situation well. In the presence of Pharisees Jesus was allowing her to wash His feet with her tears and perfume. This Pharisee named Simon reasoned that Jesus was unaware of this woman’s status in society. If Jesus were even as savvy as a prophet, why would He let an indisputably sinful and unclean person be in contact with Him?
Here is precisely where we reach the pivotal truth of the matter. Jesus Christ came for sinners. No exceptions! He humbled Himself, He lowered Himself, He publicly allowed Himself to be demeaned for the sake of the unclean, the outcast, the despairing; for the sake of us all. Now people may say that’s very honourable, but other people could do that and what does it accomplish in the end? Sympathy? Pity? Dear friends, Christ is not anyone; He is the incarnate Son of God. His touch heals, His word changes things, His promise effects forgiveness, His death brings life and His resurrection secures eternity!
Mary understood her spiritual indebtedness and she knew she could never pay it off. She knew that debt could only be cleared by the mercy of the Lord. How easily we under-appreciate what this means! Remember the man who called the police and reported that all of his wife's credit cards had been stolen. Then he added, "But don't look too hard for the thief. He's charging less than my wife ever did." Yes, it’s not only better that someone else handles our debt; it is our only hope.
Mary knew this better than the Pharisee who thought he could handle it himself. But “the woman came believing that she should seek the forgiveness of sins from Christ. This is the highest way of worshipping Christ. Nothing greater could she ascribe to Him. By looking for the forgiveness of sins from Him, she truly acknowledged Him as the Messiah.”6
So if in our own estimation there is little for which God needs to forgive us than the strength of our response will likely be correspondingly weak. If there is little to forgive there is little need for God’s mercy. If we remain convinced of our relative innocence then the Good News of pardon in Christ isn’t really so great and neither is our devotion.
Dear friends, Christ said three important things to Mary. “Your sins are forgiven.”7 “Your faith has saved you…(and)go in peace.”8 These are the same promises and blessings we receive from Him today- absolution in this place, the blood of forgiveness from this altar. They are not empty words or fine-sounding niceties. They are divine words of authority imparting to us the salvation He accomplished with His blood. “For…it was not with silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life…but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb with out blemish.”9 Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Third Sunday after Pentecost
13 June 2010 Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Hebrews 4:13 2 Luke 18:8
3 LW 25:285-6 4 Galatians 5:24
5 Galatians 2:20 6 AP IV, 128:154
7 Luke 7:48 8 Luke 7:50
9 1 Peter 1:18-19
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Second Sunday After Pentecost
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti Amen. +
Text: Luke 7:11-17
Theme: Hope and Life
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Jesus took a measured approach to miracles. Every specific act of healing, each individual display of power, every precise application of restoration was part and parcel with the full scheme of redemption inaugurated by Jesus Christ. They were flashbacks to the original state of creation and previews of the new. His miracles were never random anomalies. They were never sentimental concessions to human weakness. Each one involved integration into His kingdom that is “not of this world,”1 and was never meant to be.
So displays of His divinity were seldom without controversy. When people were offended at Jesus’ because of His teaching He didn’t do more miracles to try and win them back. Miracles confirmed that He was the Messiah but the truth of His identity was not dependent on them. Jesus would still be the eternal Son of the Father even if no human being ever heard of Him; even if a single miracle was never performed.
Christianity is at its core a supernatural faith. But it is grounded in the historical activity of God. Incomprehensible is the teaching that the triune God existed eternally and then at some point decided to create. That is a statement of His sovereignty. It is in a sense His first miracle. Of greater concern to us is God’s activity of redemption. The Almighty sovereign entangles Himself in the fallen world by sending His own Son in human flesh. The fact that God is responding to the sinful state of the fallen world is a secondary cause. God is not reactionary. God prepares the sacrifice from eternity. He executes our rescue in the crucified, risen, and enthroned Jesus. This is His final miracle; yet one that has eternal effect.
The miracle of God’s love is accomplished in piecemeal fashion whenever and wherever the contrite soul is forgiven, the sick are healed, the despondent are given hope, and the dead are raised physically and spiritually. Today’s gospel is a case in point. In a town called Nain Jesus encounters a widow who is about to bury her tender, young son.
“When the Lord saw her, His heart went out to her and He said, ‘Don’t cry.’”2 Christ buoys the heart stricken with grief. The compassion of Christ is unsurpassed. If the Greek word were understood literally it would indicate the complete emptying out of the inner parts. This is the source of the phrase “My heart went out to them.” Christ’s heart is opened in mercy towards this grief-stricken widow. The prophet Elijah’s raising of the son of the widow of Zarephath prepares hearers for what Jesus does. They understand Jesus to be the prophet par excellence.
The Bible tells us this was the only son of the widow. The practical implications of his death were significant. He was her only means of support. To loose all male relatives was often viewed by others as a sign of God’s abandonment. It was a lamentable situation. But with the coming of Christ comes the presence of God. The spiritual implications are more important still. The importance of this son to His widowed mother is paralleled in Jesus’ importance to the world. The sinful world is widowed because she has by her own hard-heartedness and spiritual adultery forsaken God, her true Husband.
But the Heavenly Father doesn’t abandoned this estranged relationship, He sends His only-begotten Son. What does the Scripture say, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, [His only-begotten Son] that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”3 In the Nicene Creed we confess belief “in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God.” Reconciliation between God and man happens in no other way.
No mention is made of the widow’s faith, or of anyone’s at all for that matter. Yet Jesus restores the young man to life. This is a miracle of sheer grace, as all are; but more so because there is no request for Jesus’ help and no evidence of faith is presented. Our faith or obedience is not required to trigger God’s grace. God isn’t handcuffed until human beings muster the strength and determination to free His hand. The intent and efficacy of the Holy Spirit is not dependent on human initiation.
Popular messages of Christian electronic media commonly put the onus on the individual, demanding that a person first demonstrate obedience to which God will respond by giving spiritual and material prosperity. The image of God waiting anxiously and hopefully for us to tap into the blessings He has prepared mishandles His truth and compromises the understanding of the gospel. This misrepresentation must be carefully assessed and faithfully addressed for it also tends to make sanctification dependent on human effort.
The gospel exists prior to all human action. God takes the initiate from the start to seek out the lost sinner and grant life to the spiritually dead. Baptism promises new life in the Spirit. But this initiative of God in no way compromises the call to repentance. God’s law justly condemns sinners. Recognition of His wrath against sin is the fertile soil in which the seed of God’s word germinates. People can and do turn away from the Holy Spirit’s work. They can and do neglect and reject the means of grace, ignoring the promise of their baptism, showing apathy to the private study and public preaching of God’s Word, failing to avail themselves of the gift of Christ’s body and blood in Holy Communion.
But these are activities of the Old Adam, the sinful nature within us. The new life in Christ daily strives to overcome the old. Faith always seeks further spiritual blessings from Christ. And the more faith matures the more it does this with transparent honesty. We cannot manipulate God; as if the more pitiful we appear the more likely He is to have compassion on us. No, His compassion is impassible. That is, His pity, His, love, His zeal for our well-being does not rise and fall like the tide, or ebb and flow like human emotion. God’s compassion is always ardent, always expressed with unwavering fervor. The cross stands as the irrefutable source of this truth. Apathy, rejection, and denial are constant temptations which we can never be fully rid of, but the fruits of the Spirit are “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”4 Through the Spirit’s power these prevail in the end.
Dear friends, we commonly attribute cycles in life to the activity of nature; but it is God who has set these rhythms in place and He still sustains them. Everything would collapse in an instant without His support. The universe has no independent power to govern itself. Consider it a miracle every time the seed germinates, the sun rises, and the rain falls. Take nothing for granted. Consider it a miracle each morning you open your eyes and find He has given you the breath of life for another day.
The compassion of Christ is not a temporary fix or a vain hope. Precisely because Jesus died and rose again we look forward to “the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.”5 The purpose of all other miracles reaches its fulfillment in that great and eternal resurrection. The Holy Scripture says, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”6 Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Second Sunday after Pentecost
6 June 2010 Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 18:36
2 Luke 7:13
3 John 3:16
4 Galatians 5:22-23
5 The Nicene Creed
6 Revelation 21:4
Text: Luke 7:11-17
Theme: Hope and Life
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Jesus took a measured approach to miracles. Every specific act of healing, each individual display of power, every precise application of restoration was part and parcel with the full scheme of redemption inaugurated by Jesus Christ. They were flashbacks to the original state of creation and previews of the new. His miracles were never random anomalies. They were never sentimental concessions to human weakness. Each one involved integration into His kingdom that is “not of this world,”1 and was never meant to be.
So displays of His divinity were seldom without controversy. When people were offended at Jesus’ because of His teaching He didn’t do more miracles to try and win them back. Miracles confirmed that He was the Messiah but the truth of His identity was not dependent on them. Jesus would still be the eternal Son of the Father even if no human being ever heard of Him; even if a single miracle was never performed.
Christianity is at its core a supernatural faith. But it is grounded in the historical activity of God. Incomprehensible is the teaching that the triune God existed eternally and then at some point decided to create. That is a statement of His sovereignty. It is in a sense His first miracle. Of greater concern to us is God’s activity of redemption. The Almighty sovereign entangles Himself in the fallen world by sending His own Son in human flesh. The fact that God is responding to the sinful state of the fallen world is a secondary cause. God is not reactionary. God prepares the sacrifice from eternity. He executes our rescue in the crucified, risen, and enthroned Jesus. This is His final miracle; yet one that has eternal effect.
The miracle of God’s love is accomplished in piecemeal fashion whenever and wherever the contrite soul is forgiven, the sick are healed, the despondent are given hope, and the dead are raised physically and spiritually. Today’s gospel is a case in point. In a town called Nain Jesus encounters a widow who is about to bury her tender, young son.
“When the Lord saw her, His heart went out to her and He said, ‘Don’t cry.’”2 Christ buoys the heart stricken with grief. The compassion of Christ is unsurpassed. If the Greek word were understood literally it would indicate the complete emptying out of the inner parts. This is the source of the phrase “My heart went out to them.” Christ’s heart is opened in mercy towards this grief-stricken widow. The prophet Elijah’s raising of the son of the widow of Zarephath prepares hearers for what Jesus does. They understand Jesus to be the prophet par excellence.
The Bible tells us this was the only son of the widow. The practical implications of his death were significant. He was her only means of support. To loose all male relatives was often viewed by others as a sign of God’s abandonment. It was a lamentable situation. But with the coming of Christ comes the presence of God. The spiritual implications are more important still. The importance of this son to His widowed mother is paralleled in Jesus’ importance to the world. The sinful world is widowed because she has by her own hard-heartedness and spiritual adultery forsaken God, her true Husband.
But the Heavenly Father doesn’t abandoned this estranged relationship, He sends His only-begotten Son. What does the Scripture say, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, [His only-begotten Son] that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”3 In the Nicene Creed we confess belief “in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God.” Reconciliation between God and man happens in no other way.
No mention is made of the widow’s faith, or of anyone’s at all for that matter. Yet Jesus restores the young man to life. This is a miracle of sheer grace, as all are; but more so because there is no request for Jesus’ help and no evidence of faith is presented. Our faith or obedience is not required to trigger God’s grace. God isn’t handcuffed until human beings muster the strength and determination to free His hand. The intent and efficacy of the Holy Spirit is not dependent on human initiation.
Popular messages of Christian electronic media commonly put the onus on the individual, demanding that a person first demonstrate obedience to which God will respond by giving spiritual and material prosperity. The image of God waiting anxiously and hopefully for us to tap into the blessings He has prepared mishandles His truth and compromises the understanding of the gospel. This misrepresentation must be carefully assessed and faithfully addressed for it also tends to make sanctification dependent on human effort.
The gospel exists prior to all human action. God takes the initiate from the start to seek out the lost sinner and grant life to the spiritually dead. Baptism promises new life in the Spirit. But this initiative of God in no way compromises the call to repentance. God’s law justly condemns sinners. Recognition of His wrath against sin is the fertile soil in which the seed of God’s word germinates. People can and do turn away from the Holy Spirit’s work. They can and do neglect and reject the means of grace, ignoring the promise of their baptism, showing apathy to the private study and public preaching of God’s Word, failing to avail themselves of the gift of Christ’s body and blood in Holy Communion.
But these are activities of the Old Adam, the sinful nature within us. The new life in Christ daily strives to overcome the old. Faith always seeks further spiritual blessings from Christ. And the more faith matures the more it does this with transparent honesty. We cannot manipulate God; as if the more pitiful we appear the more likely He is to have compassion on us. No, His compassion is impassible. That is, His pity, His, love, His zeal for our well-being does not rise and fall like the tide, or ebb and flow like human emotion. God’s compassion is always ardent, always expressed with unwavering fervor. The cross stands as the irrefutable source of this truth. Apathy, rejection, and denial are constant temptations which we can never be fully rid of, but the fruits of the Spirit are “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”4 Through the Spirit’s power these prevail in the end.
Dear friends, we commonly attribute cycles in life to the activity of nature; but it is God who has set these rhythms in place and He still sustains them. Everything would collapse in an instant without His support. The universe has no independent power to govern itself. Consider it a miracle every time the seed germinates, the sun rises, and the rain falls. Take nothing for granted. Consider it a miracle each morning you open your eyes and find He has given you the breath of life for another day.
The compassion of Christ is not a temporary fix or a vain hope. Precisely because Jesus died and rose again we look forward to “the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.”5 The purpose of all other miracles reaches its fulfillment in that great and eternal resurrection. The Holy Scripture says, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”6 Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Second Sunday after Pentecost
6 June 2010 Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 18:36
2 Luke 7:13
3 John 3:16
4 Galatians 5:22-23
5 The Nicene Creed
6 Revelation 21:4
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