+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 16:29
Theme: On Good Authority
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The story of the rich man and Lazarus is gripping and challenging. In His preaching Christ had a profound way of tackling the human condition. He allowed no escape from considering the full consequences of our beliefs and behaviors. The story involves a decadent and faithless glutton and a miserable, but trusting beggar. Both die. Lazarus goes to heaven while the glutton finds himself in hell. A conversation ensues through which Jesus teaches about the kingdom.
The conclusion here is inescapable. Jesus warns of the punishment of hell for those who persistently and willfully show disregard for the well-being of others. Such hard-heartedness is a sign of unbelief. For the Pharisees who were known as ‘lovers of money’ Jesus’ warning especially relates to their hypocritical and uncharitable practices and their idolatry of financial gain. Conversely, the beggar, Lazarus, receives eternal riches. The last shall be first and the first shall be last.
Reflection on mortality is not easily procrastinated indefinitely. Every person will die. Then what will happen? The anxiety that might be caused by the deliberation of such weighty issues is a chief reason for avoiding or skimming lightly over the subject. But assurance of what happens to us beyond this life is what every human longs for at the deepest level. Amid ceaseless participation in life’s mundane activities such sacred concerns are always poised to suspend our existence. Christ has the answers.
Other unmistakable conclusions about biblical teaching are clear. Firstly, there is no interchange between heaven and hell. Eternity is sealed when one arrives at either location. There are no second chances, no opportunities or possibilities of leaving hell. In the same way, residents in heaven will not have to worry about losing their place.
Secondly, the evidence for salvation is already sufficient. No extraordinary measures are necessary. When the rich man pleads with Abraham about warning his brothers Abraham directs him to Moses and the Prophets; that is, the Holy Scriptures- the word of God. God has already said all that needs to be said about the matter. The rich man thought that if Lazarus was allowed to come back to warn his brothers they would repent. But Abraham’s answer implies that the witnesses they already have- all the words and promises of the Bible- are just as reliable, in fact, more so, than a personal experience. His answer suggests the man’s brothers might have been initially astounded, but still remained hard-hearted and unrepentant.
The rich man then presses his point about the influence of someone coming from the dead. “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’”1 Abraham responds with a re-enforcing reflection. “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead?”2 Here the listener is intentionally invited to contemplate Jesus’ own ministry. The reference is to His resurrection. Even after He is risen from the dead many would not believe. How many throughout history witnessed God’s miracles publicly or privately; from Noah’s flood, through the Israelites crossing of the Red Sea, right up through Jesus’ feeding the five thousand, rising from the dead and Pentecost- and still did not believe.
The Holy Spirit’s power in the word of God is the Almighty’s chosen and regular way of bringing sinners to repentance and faith. Though the Holy Spirit could use other more ‘spectacular’ or private measures as He sees fit, nowhere are we promised that these are superior, more effective, or even to be expected. The Lutheran Confessions teach “We should not and cannot always judge from feeling about the presence, work, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, as to how and when they are experienced in the heart…we should be certain about and agree with the promise that God’s Word preached and heard is truly an office and work of the Holy Spirit. He is certainly effective and works in our hearts by them.”3
Dear friends, Christianity involves a journey. You cannot reach salvation apart from it. You cannot take shortcuts. From the moment of baptism we exist in overlapping dimensions. The old age is marked by darkness, decay, and death. The new is marked by light, renewal, and life. This old aeon is apprehended by all our senses. The new is grasped only by faith. But the one is as real as the other. Yet only the new will endure. The Spirit says it this way in Corinthians, “For the world in its present form is passing away.”4 And this way in Hebrews, “For here we do not have and enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.”5 And Christ says it like this, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”6
But we must travel through the old even though we have already been initiated into the new. We cannot opt out of bearing the cross for now and opt back in later at a time of our choosing. We are always in the fray. We are in constant need of renewal, restoration, and guidance. That is why we are here. Are you so righteous that you can go on indefinitely without forgiveness? Is your soul so Spartan you can carry on at length without sacred food? Is your learning so profound you have no need of God’s wisdom? Left to ourselves we quickly stray from the path. But the destination is never in doubt. Jesus Christ is “the way and the truth and the life,”7 and He has prepared an eternal inheritance for believers in heaven.
The rich man did not value the greater heavenly treasures. He did not believe and therefore showed no generosity. He could not see beyond his earthy riches. From 1945-1985 a woman by the name of Eunice Pike worked with the Mazatec natives in south-western Mexico. During this time she discovered some interesting things about these beautiful people. For instance, the people seldom wish someone well. Not only that, they are hesitant to teach one another or to share the gospel with each other. If asked, "Who taught you to bake bread?" the village baker answers, "I just know," meaning he has acquired the knowledge without anyone's help. Eunice says this odd behavior stems from their concept of "limited good." They believe there is only so much good, so much knowledge, so much love to go around. To teach another means you might drain yourself of knowledge. To love a second child means you have to love the first child less. To wish someone well--"Have a good day"--means you have just given away some of your own happiness, which cannot be reacquired.
Imagine living with the horrible conviction that there is ‘limited good’! How privileged we are to be benefactors of the Living God who gives without measure. Jesus Christ gave His own invaluable life that we might have limitless sacred and eternal treasures. He suffered, died, rose, and ascended to give us access to the unlimited ‘good’ of the triune God. Cherish the freedom you have to be generous with your finite earthly resources knowing that heavenly riches are yours beyond measure. There is no attempt at generosity that could ever be matched by the shedding of Christ’s blood.
A man by the name of Henderson once said, “The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.” Let us be bold to plant trees for the well-being of others. For we not only look forward to the eternal luxury of the new Eden, but we are forever sustained by Him who is the very tree of life- Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost
26 September 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 16:30
2 Luke 16:31
3 SD II, 56
4 1 Corinthians 7:31
5 Hebrews 13:14
6 Luke 21:33
7 John 14:6
Monday, September 27, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost C
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 16:1-11
Theme: Christ and Adversity
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Jesus’ words today are arguably some of the most puzzling in the Bible. He speaks of a manager who was heavily indebted to his employer. Unable to repay he doctors the accounts of some of the rich man’s debtors. Though the action resulted in a loss of income for the owner, he still commends his manager for being shrewd. Jesus does not condone dishonesty. He does, however, counsel people to be wise about how the unbelieving world handles its affairs and wants us to understand the full implications. Jesus said to His apostles, “Be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.”1
The way we handle our daily affairs is an indicator of our integrity. The same holds for our spiritual life. Integrity is not measured by the amount of assets or degree of responsibility we have, but by faithfulness to our charge, great or small. Jesus says today, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?”2
The age and circumstances in which we live in no way nullify the application of Jesus’ words. Satan is happy to work with the opportunities of the times. Prosperity and adversity both have their unique ways of testing our faith. In the midst of prosperity people are tempted to doubt the need for God’s grace. In the midst of adversity we are tempted to question its existence. That God sometimes allows us to prosper is easily assumed to be something due us. That God, at other times, allows us to suffer strikes us as uncharitable and harsh. The danger of prosperity is self-reliance and self-righteousness. The danger of adversity is suspicion and doubt. Either way, God is marginalized as unnecessary, inept, or unreliable. Everything that marginalizes the need for Christ, whether overt or subtle should be recognized as a call to repentance.
It is clear by the way Christ interacted with people that He never trivialized their adversity, nor did He seek to simply transcend it. Our Lord was not unfamiliar with the challenges of this mortal existence. His solidarity with humanity was not artificial. Temptation, testing, grief, anguish, affliction, and misery marked His earthly journey. The fact of His divinity in no way limited or dulled His experience of mortality. Our salvation was accomplished not by lightning bolts cast down from heaven, but by the fleshly body of the man Jesus Christ. In His sinless-ness, He never remained aloof from poor miserable sinners.
This great truth of the incarnation has on-going and far-reaching significance. The presence of Jesus Christ in our lives isn’t limited to memories of a Bethlehem manger, a Calvary cross, and an empty tomb. Christ is in the details of our lives; in adversity and prosperity. Baptism brings us into union with Him. The Holy Spirit guides and consoles us with His promises. Holy Communion gives us a taste of His forgiveness. Christ concerns Himself with our smallest fears and our largest traumas. He constantly intercedes for our well-being. And in so doing He constantly nudges us closer to Him. He desires that we become more dependent that we might cling all the more tightly to His blessings.
Dear friends, this is where our human view usually diverges from His divine perspective. We always want prosperity- physical, emotional, spiritual- but God often sends adversity. To rejoice in the suffering that God allows strikes at the heart of living Christianly, of bearing the cross. To have our lives conformed to God’s truth when there is no opposition is not yet the essence of the imitation of Christ. Our sinful nature-its desires, pursuits and falsehoods- struggles against the Holy Spirit’s work. Truth always meets with opposition. We’d like to have that tension resolved, but God uses it to hone our faith.
In an effort to resolve just this problem the church is tempted to tailor the Biblical message in such a way that unpleasant experiences are explained without reference to God’s will in Christ. Christianity can become primarily an ethical pursuit or a motivation for social activism. Again, God is marginalized as the One who is either uninterested or uncharitable and so things are taken into human hands.
But the church should never defined by the influences which seek to corrupt it or the circumstances which attend it. If, when boiled down, stripped of all of its accessories, undressed of all its cosmetic elements, Christianity means anything, it must mean this: God reconciles the ungodly to Himself through Christ. It must mean that the entry into eternal security, divine presence and everlasting bliss is not accessed by human striving, great or small; not by purity of heart, clarity of mind, or earnestness of deed. The unapproachable Godhead is not approached by the feeble human being. Mortals have merited no avenue to Him who alone is immortal and incorruptible. Christ freely gives what can never be forcefully seized.
If the gospel means anything important it means God acts. He sacrifices His own son and reckons believers righteous on His account. It means God forgives. He clears the slate casting sins away as far as the east is from the west. It means God restores. He mends broken hearts and re-assembles shattered lives. It means God gives. He graciously bestows every blessing of body and soul. It means adversity has a purpose; a godly purpose, a holy purpose.
The Scriptures are filled with examples of people drowning in adversity. They don’t strike us at first as being premier examples of prosperous and trouble-free saints. But they are real people, people with issues, struggles, and failures, people like you and me. They are people thrown into the fray, but with whom God perseveres and promises deliverance. Christianity is not a hobby. Jeremiah is our case-in-point today.
Do our prayers lack the integrity and tenacity of a Jeremiah who poured out His heart to the Lord in fervent plea? “Is the Lord not in Zion? Is her king no longer there?”3 In our prayers do we seek apathetically to patronize a God we actually believe is remote and uninterested? Or do we seek to rouse to action the deliverer of Zion, the rock of salvation, the One who turns back evil and raises the dead! Is our worship a ritual shell of a deceased or dying body of faith? Or do we trust in the Living God- the immortal one who clothed Himself with our mortality; the giver of life who subjected Himself to death; the invisible Deity robed with human flesh?
Adversity is not a sign of God’s apathy, but the means by which He pulls us nearer. May He grant you the eyes of faith to see the blessings that come in such disguises. Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost
19 September 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Matthew 10:16
2 Luke 16:10-11
3 Jeremiah 8:19
Text: Luke 16:1-11
Theme: Christ and Adversity
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Jesus’ words today are arguably some of the most puzzling in the Bible. He speaks of a manager who was heavily indebted to his employer. Unable to repay he doctors the accounts of some of the rich man’s debtors. Though the action resulted in a loss of income for the owner, he still commends his manager for being shrewd. Jesus does not condone dishonesty. He does, however, counsel people to be wise about how the unbelieving world handles its affairs and wants us to understand the full implications. Jesus said to His apostles, “Be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.”1
The way we handle our daily affairs is an indicator of our integrity. The same holds for our spiritual life. Integrity is not measured by the amount of assets or degree of responsibility we have, but by faithfulness to our charge, great or small. Jesus says today, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?”2
The age and circumstances in which we live in no way nullify the application of Jesus’ words. Satan is happy to work with the opportunities of the times. Prosperity and adversity both have their unique ways of testing our faith. In the midst of prosperity people are tempted to doubt the need for God’s grace. In the midst of adversity we are tempted to question its existence. That God sometimes allows us to prosper is easily assumed to be something due us. That God, at other times, allows us to suffer strikes us as uncharitable and harsh. The danger of prosperity is self-reliance and self-righteousness. The danger of adversity is suspicion and doubt. Either way, God is marginalized as unnecessary, inept, or unreliable. Everything that marginalizes the need for Christ, whether overt or subtle should be recognized as a call to repentance.
It is clear by the way Christ interacted with people that He never trivialized their adversity, nor did He seek to simply transcend it. Our Lord was not unfamiliar with the challenges of this mortal existence. His solidarity with humanity was not artificial. Temptation, testing, grief, anguish, affliction, and misery marked His earthly journey. The fact of His divinity in no way limited or dulled His experience of mortality. Our salvation was accomplished not by lightning bolts cast down from heaven, but by the fleshly body of the man Jesus Christ. In His sinless-ness, He never remained aloof from poor miserable sinners.
This great truth of the incarnation has on-going and far-reaching significance. The presence of Jesus Christ in our lives isn’t limited to memories of a Bethlehem manger, a Calvary cross, and an empty tomb. Christ is in the details of our lives; in adversity and prosperity. Baptism brings us into union with Him. The Holy Spirit guides and consoles us with His promises. Holy Communion gives us a taste of His forgiveness. Christ concerns Himself with our smallest fears and our largest traumas. He constantly intercedes for our well-being. And in so doing He constantly nudges us closer to Him. He desires that we become more dependent that we might cling all the more tightly to His blessings.
Dear friends, this is where our human view usually diverges from His divine perspective. We always want prosperity- physical, emotional, spiritual- but God often sends adversity. To rejoice in the suffering that God allows strikes at the heart of living Christianly, of bearing the cross. To have our lives conformed to God’s truth when there is no opposition is not yet the essence of the imitation of Christ. Our sinful nature-its desires, pursuits and falsehoods- struggles against the Holy Spirit’s work. Truth always meets with opposition. We’d like to have that tension resolved, but God uses it to hone our faith.
In an effort to resolve just this problem the church is tempted to tailor the Biblical message in such a way that unpleasant experiences are explained without reference to God’s will in Christ. Christianity can become primarily an ethical pursuit or a motivation for social activism. Again, God is marginalized as the One who is either uninterested or uncharitable and so things are taken into human hands.
But the church should never defined by the influences which seek to corrupt it or the circumstances which attend it. If, when boiled down, stripped of all of its accessories, undressed of all its cosmetic elements, Christianity means anything, it must mean this: God reconciles the ungodly to Himself through Christ. It must mean that the entry into eternal security, divine presence and everlasting bliss is not accessed by human striving, great or small; not by purity of heart, clarity of mind, or earnestness of deed. The unapproachable Godhead is not approached by the feeble human being. Mortals have merited no avenue to Him who alone is immortal and incorruptible. Christ freely gives what can never be forcefully seized.
If the gospel means anything important it means God acts. He sacrifices His own son and reckons believers righteous on His account. It means God forgives. He clears the slate casting sins away as far as the east is from the west. It means God restores. He mends broken hearts and re-assembles shattered lives. It means God gives. He graciously bestows every blessing of body and soul. It means adversity has a purpose; a godly purpose, a holy purpose.
The Scriptures are filled with examples of people drowning in adversity. They don’t strike us at first as being premier examples of prosperous and trouble-free saints. But they are real people, people with issues, struggles, and failures, people like you and me. They are people thrown into the fray, but with whom God perseveres and promises deliverance. Christianity is not a hobby. Jeremiah is our case-in-point today.
Do our prayers lack the integrity and tenacity of a Jeremiah who poured out His heart to the Lord in fervent plea? “Is the Lord not in Zion? Is her king no longer there?”3 In our prayers do we seek apathetically to patronize a God we actually believe is remote and uninterested? Or do we seek to rouse to action the deliverer of Zion, the rock of salvation, the One who turns back evil and raises the dead! Is our worship a ritual shell of a deceased or dying body of faith? Or do we trust in the Living God- the immortal one who clothed Himself with our mortality; the giver of life who subjected Himself to death; the invisible Deity robed with human flesh?
Adversity is not a sign of God’s apathy, but the means by which He pulls us nearer. May He grant you the eyes of faith to see the blessings that come in such disguises. Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost
19 September 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Matthew 10:16
2 Luke 16:10-11
3 Jeremiah 8:19
Monday, September 13, 2010
Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost C
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 15:1-10
Theme: A Seeking Saviour
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God is a seeker. He is THE seeker. And only He searches out of pure motives. All creatures seek out of some need or desire. Humans especially search for safety, or indulgence or fulfillment. We also search for meaning. God alone seeks as an expression of His unbounded love. He seeks not that He may find a reward, but that the lost might live. He seeks not to unearth something undiscovered or find purpose- nothing exists that God isn’t privy to. And His life isn’t lacking meaning. God seeks because He would not suffer one of His children to remain estranged from Him.
Today’s gospel contains two parables of Jesus that illustrate His nature as the one who seeks us. The shepherd goes hunting for his one lost sheep and the woman searches diligently for her one lost coin. Of course the need for God to seek arises from the fact of something being lost. It’s the dread reality of this situation- our situation- that Christ wishes us to understand. As the Scripture says, “The light shines in the darkness.”1
The true consequence of being lost is helplessness. Jesus means to bring to mind not a temporary situation which will be rectified with a little guidance. We might easily associate being lost with the inconvenience of being without a GPS. Or a situation in which we face a major decision and we need advice to decide which way to go. We might equate confusion or ignorance with being lost. Something more serious is meant here.
To be lost in spiritual darkness is to be personally incapacitated and completely at the mercy of external aid. Original sin is the Bible’s teaching on this condition. Spiritual ‘lost-ness’ is defined not only by the inability to find one’s way (to God), but the lack of desire to even do so. Until the law brings people to a recognition of what it means they are lost, they are content to remain so. Of course the unbelieving or self-righteous person would never consider himself or herself to be lost. Perhaps the parables reach their limit at this point. Could a sheep or a coin willfully desire to be separated from its owner?
We should put out of our mind the possibility that the one lost sheep might serendipitously wander back into the fold. The sheep is nowhere in sight. The shepherd must go searching for it. The imminent threat of predators and the elements would soon put its life in grave danger. The sound of bleating might just as easily reach the ears of wolves as the ears of the shepherd. The lost sheep will not find the shepherd and the lost coin will not find its owner. And the human being, regardless of age, status, knowledge, ability, or determination, can never ‘find’ God. Apart from Christ we would remain lost. Apart from the Holy Spirit we would remain adrift. Apart from the word we would remain astray. Apart from baptism we would still be estranged. This is not a disputable opinion but absolute fact.
This truth cannot be grasped too well. The more we believe it the greater is the comfort of the gospel. The author George Orwell describes a wasp that "was sucking jam on my plate and I cut him in half. He paid no attention, merely went on with his meal, while a tiny stream of jam trickled out of his severed esophagus. Only when he tried to fly away did he grasp the dreadful thing that had happened to him." The wasp and people without Christ have much in common. Severed from their souls, but greedy and unaware, people continue to consume life's sweetness. Only when it's time to fly away will they gasp their dreadful condition.
The context in which Jesus is teaching today is noteworthy. The Pharisees are grumbling because Jesus was welcoming ‘sinners’. This was particularly offensive to them because they considered themselves to the moral and upright members of the community and yet Jesus was commending the tax-collectors and sinners. Yet they were repentant and the Pharisees were not. To be people of reputable social standing in no way exempts us from being in the category of ‘sinners.’ The grace of God isn’t shown in our piety but in our humility.
It is significant that both the shepherd and the woman who finds her coin call together their friends and neighbours to rejoice. In ancient times celebration always had a community dimension. In fact it was always understood to be a collective activity. It’s an image of the nature of the church. How underappreciated is the privilege of being part of the fellowship of Christ’s body! Both your identity and purpose are incomplete apart from the collective members of Christ’s body. This is true in an absolute sense.
Strictly speaking there are no independent, autonomous or private members of the body of Christ. The rugged individualism of modern Western society undermines the biblical teaching of the church. It is a charade and deception to think a person can be a true believer in Christ and remain detached from the communion of saints. An immediate consequence of the Holy Spirit’s gift of faith is incorporation into the mystical body of Christ. The relationship is maintained by a participation in the common gifts of word and sacrament. To be sure outward associations involve the particular preferences of individuals, that is, belonging to this or that congregation and/or denomination in a particular place. But each believer is part of the body and the body can only function properly with all its members.
Consider what the Bible says, “We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free- and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”2 We are baptized into one family and together partake of one sacred meal. And here is the implication, “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it.”3 God not only seeks for us, when He finds us He positions us uniquely within His ordered kingdom.
Why does God seek? Is it not His greatest glory to show compassion to the helpless, grace to the undeserving, mercy to the lost? The words of Paul today can help us. “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners- of whom I am the worst.”4 The great apostle speaks of what he is, not what he was. He still remains a sinner. Yet he is forgiven. He is also a saint.
And so it is with you, you are sinner and saint. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: You have been baptized into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. You are forgiven. Though your sinful nature fights until the day you take your last breath, you have been redeemed. Christ has won the victory. He has paid the price. Through His death and resurrection He has called you out of darkness, defended you from Satan, rescued you from hell, and spared you from eternal punishment. Recall what Jesus said to Zaccheus, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”5
+ in nomine Jesu +
Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost
12 September 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 1:5
2 1 Corinthians 12:13
3 1 Corinthians 12:26
4 1 Timothy 1:15
5 Luke 19:9-10
Text: Luke 15:1-10
Theme: A Seeking Saviour
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God is a seeker. He is THE seeker. And only He searches out of pure motives. All creatures seek out of some need or desire. Humans especially search for safety, or indulgence or fulfillment. We also search for meaning. God alone seeks as an expression of His unbounded love. He seeks not that He may find a reward, but that the lost might live. He seeks not to unearth something undiscovered or find purpose- nothing exists that God isn’t privy to. And His life isn’t lacking meaning. God seeks because He would not suffer one of His children to remain estranged from Him.
Today’s gospel contains two parables of Jesus that illustrate His nature as the one who seeks us. The shepherd goes hunting for his one lost sheep and the woman searches diligently for her one lost coin. Of course the need for God to seek arises from the fact of something being lost. It’s the dread reality of this situation- our situation- that Christ wishes us to understand. As the Scripture says, “The light shines in the darkness.”1
The true consequence of being lost is helplessness. Jesus means to bring to mind not a temporary situation which will be rectified with a little guidance. We might easily associate being lost with the inconvenience of being without a GPS. Or a situation in which we face a major decision and we need advice to decide which way to go. We might equate confusion or ignorance with being lost. Something more serious is meant here.
To be lost in spiritual darkness is to be personally incapacitated and completely at the mercy of external aid. Original sin is the Bible’s teaching on this condition. Spiritual ‘lost-ness’ is defined not only by the inability to find one’s way (to God), but the lack of desire to even do so. Until the law brings people to a recognition of what it means they are lost, they are content to remain so. Of course the unbelieving or self-righteous person would never consider himself or herself to be lost. Perhaps the parables reach their limit at this point. Could a sheep or a coin willfully desire to be separated from its owner?
We should put out of our mind the possibility that the one lost sheep might serendipitously wander back into the fold. The sheep is nowhere in sight. The shepherd must go searching for it. The imminent threat of predators and the elements would soon put its life in grave danger. The sound of bleating might just as easily reach the ears of wolves as the ears of the shepherd. The lost sheep will not find the shepherd and the lost coin will not find its owner. And the human being, regardless of age, status, knowledge, ability, or determination, can never ‘find’ God. Apart from Christ we would remain lost. Apart from the Holy Spirit we would remain adrift. Apart from the word we would remain astray. Apart from baptism we would still be estranged. This is not a disputable opinion but absolute fact.
This truth cannot be grasped too well. The more we believe it the greater is the comfort of the gospel. The author George Orwell describes a wasp that "was sucking jam on my plate and I cut him in half. He paid no attention, merely went on with his meal, while a tiny stream of jam trickled out of his severed esophagus. Only when he tried to fly away did he grasp the dreadful thing that had happened to him." The wasp and people without Christ have much in common. Severed from their souls, but greedy and unaware, people continue to consume life's sweetness. Only when it's time to fly away will they gasp their dreadful condition.
The context in which Jesus is teaching today is noteworthy. The Pharisees are grumbling because Jesus was welcoming ‘sinners’. This was particularly offensive to them because they considered themselves to the moral and upright members of the community and yet Jesus was commending the tax-collectors and sinners. Yet they were repentant and the Pharisees were not. To be people of reputable social standing in no way exempts us from being in the category of ‘sinners.’ The grace of God isn’t shown in our piety but in our humility.
It is significant that both the shepherd and the woman who finds her coin call together their friends and neighbours to rejoice. In ancient times celebration always had a community dimension. In fact it was always understood to be a collective activity. It’s an image of the nature of the church. How underappreciated is the privilege of being part of the fellowship of Christ’s body! Both your identity and purpose are incomplete apart from the collective members of Christ’s body. This is true in an absolute sense.
Strictly speaking there are no independent, autonomous or private members of the body of Christ. The rugged individualism of modern Western society undermines the biblical teaching of the church. It is a charade and deception to think a person can be a true believer in Christ and remain detached from the communion of saints. An immediate consequence of the Holy Spirit’s gift of faith is incorporation into the mystical body of Christ. The relationship is maintained by a participation in the common gifts of word and sacrament. To be sure outward associations involve the particular preferences of individuals, that is, belonging to this or that congregation and/or denomination in a particular place. But each believer is part of the body and the body can only function properly with all its members.
Consider what the Bible says, “We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free- and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”2 We are baptized into one family and together partake of one sacred meal. And here is the implication, “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it.”3 God not only seeks for us, when He finds us He positions us uniquely within His ordered kingdom.
Why does God seek? Is it not His greatest glory to show compassion to the helpless, grace to the undeserving, mercy to the lost? The words of Paul today can help us. “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners- of whom I am the worst.”4 The great apostle speaks of what he is, not what he was. He still remains a sinner. Yet he is forgiven. He is also a saint.
And so it is with you, you are sinner and saint. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: You have been baptized into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. You are forgiven. Though your sinful nature fights until the day you take your last breath, you have been redeemed. Christ has won the victory. He has paid the price. Through His death and resurrection He has called you out of darkness, defended you from Satan, rescued you from hell, and spared you from eternal punishment. Recall what Jesus said to Zaccheus, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”5
+ in nomine Jesu +
Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost
12 September 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 1:5
2 1 Corinthians 12:13
3 1 Corinthians 12:26
4 1 Timothy 1:15
5 Luke 19:9-10
Monday, September 6, 2010
Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 14:27
Theme: “My Disciple.”
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The word of God always challenges human complacency. The work of the Spirit is always as much a threat to the sinful nature as it is a comfort to the believer. One danger of casual familiarity with the teachings of Jesus is the domestication of His truth. The hard edges of His revolutionary doctrines are softened to make them more palatable. Time and tinkering seek to tame offensive beliefs, even re-imaging them in human fashion. Let us pray that God would preserve for us His divine word in all its vigor and purity in its proclamation in every form.
Again today we are faced with challenging words from Christ. “If anyone comes to me and does not hate, etc.-cannot be My disciple…..any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be My disciple.”1 What are we to make of these words? All followers of Jesus are disciples in the broad sense. Of course, not all disciples were apostles. To become a full-time disciple of Jesus, as the Twelve were, required complete sacrifice of personal ambitions. Jesus does not intend to play one vocation off against another. Obviously the call to apostleship was more all-encompassing of life’s circumstances.
But that is not Jesus’ concern here. The vocation of farmer, teacher or nurse, husband or wife, father or mother is no less godly than that of a pastor or full-time church worker. Normally the farmer doesn’t have to leave his farm to be a Christian, nor the mother her family. But there is a radical refocusing involved and a corresponding dying to self. Jesus wants the crowds to consider what being a believer actually entails. It is a journey characterized by a daily carrying of the cross. Here we have a call to repentance and trust.
The daily carrying of the cross is nothing less occupying ourselves every day with the mission of Christ. It is to live baptismally. It means being transparent with our deeds and desires. It entails being hidden in the wounds of Christ but exposed to the insults of the world. It means we are secure in the promises of the Spirit but susceptible to the criticisms of men. It involves having everything we are, have and aspire to subject to His truth. The cost is high: estrangement from the agenda of the world. But the reward is immeasurable: peace with God and eternal life.
Jesus presses His point with two parables about counting the cost. Just as an under-manned king would be foolish to go to war, and an under-resourced builder unwise to begin a large construction project, we would be foolish to think the confession of Christianity is an easy undertaking. The obstacles are far too great for us and the enemies too strong. The worldly advantages are almost nil. Perhaps the farmer will not have to leave the farm, but certainly his selfish ambitions. Likewise the mother will have to stop making idols of her children. Faith cannot be reconciled with egotism, or spiritual poverty with self-righteousness. Nor can there be a happy truce between the two. Self-indulgence and unbelief are by their very natures insatiable and intolerant. They may permit harmless dabbling in religious ideas, or even ethical pursuits, but never a clear confession of Christ as God and Lord.
Dear friends, discipleship involves a constant reorientation of priority and perspective. At the centre is Christ who atones for sins. He declares the unrighteous holy and calls the dead to life. The Bible says He is the One “who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood and has made us to be a kingdom.”2 This resolution of sin is what daily bearing the cross is all about.
What sin is it that particularly traps, troubles, and ensnares you? Is it jealously or pride? Lust or anger? Discontent or apathy? Greed or fear? Who are the people and what are the events, and circumstances associated with the cycles of temptation, denial, breakdown, and crisis that you may face? In your loss of perspective do you often consider God’s blessings to be burdens? Are the people closest to you- your spouse, children, friends- often tolerated instead of celebrated? Do you expect leniency, compassion, and understanding from others, but offer little yourself? No one is exempt from such challenges.
Yes, you say, but God forgives. Even this great truth can be turned into an opportunity for selfishness. It is a particularly foul tendency of human nature to want to misuse God’s forgiveness. In our darker moments we may seek to control the dispensing of His pardon according to our own objectives. This is a specific danger when one party has power or influence over the other because of position or even spiritual knowledge and maturity. Guilt and blame are powerful slayers of healthy relationships. People who are out to find fault seldom find anything else.
The Scriptures call us to reflect more deeply on what it means that God forgives, recreates, and restores. Forgiveness transforms not because it finally renders judgment on whose opinions were most valid or whose feelings were more severely offended; rather forgiveness restores because it transfers the burden of resolution to the shoulders of Christ. Forgiveness frees by breaking the power of guilt and blame. That doesn’t mean sin is to be overlooked or right and wrong disregarded. God demands honest self-evaluation and repentance. These things necessarily involve the commitment to love one’s neighbour- which entails not sinning against them by action or inaction.
But forgiveness elicits new motives and relies on divine promises. Instead of being driven by revenge or satisfaction we seek reconciliation and renewal. Jesus has counted the cost-for the entire human race- and He has made the sacrifice. Only Christ can rectify the past. Only He can secure the future. He does not fail to do so. The cross involves the re-establishment of true life.
Jesus is always present among us as the Crucified One; just as He is always with us as the Risen One. Understanding this is important. It’s not a matter of mental gymnastics or wishful thinking. The time to benefit from His crucifixion didn’t pass when the historical event ended. It was not necessary for us to be there and neither do we need to reconstruct a vivid memory of the circumstances to receive its blessings. Christianity does not rely upon commemorations. Jesus is the Christ of history who reaches into our time and space with eternal mercies. In divine perspective the death and resurrection of Jesus are present realities.
This uniquely Christian dogma underlies the importance of your presence here today. Here God’s word crucifies and resurrects, sustains, renews, and restores His people. Here we have the body and blood of Christ, not merely symbolic gestures or ancient remembrances. In, with, and under the bread and wine we have the body and blood of the crucified and risen Christ. Here the baptized have a foretaste of their inheritance. Here is both a refuge from the profane and a communion with the sacred blessings of God. Here the challenge to our complacency and the consolation of the Spirit fulfill God’s purposes in Christ. The Scripture says, “The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it.”3 “May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.”4Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost
5 September 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 14:26, 33
2 Revelation 1:5-6
3 1 Thessalonians 5:24
4 2 Thessalonians 3:5
Text: Luke 14:27
Theme: “My Disciple.”
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The word of God always challenges human complacency. The work of the Spirit is always as much a threat to the sinful nature as it is a comfort to the believer. One danger of casual familiarity with the teachings of Jesus is the domestication of His truth. The hard edges of His revolutionary doctrines are softened to make them more palatable. Time and tinkering seek to tame offensive beliefs, even re-imaging them in human fashion. Let us pray that God would preserve for us His divine word in all its vigor and purity in its proclamation in every form.
Again today we are faced with challenging words from Christ. “If anyone comes to me and does not hate, etc.-cannot be My disciple…..any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be My disciple.”1 What are we to make of these words? All followers of Jesus are disciples in the broad sense. Of course, not all disciples were apostles. To become a full-time disciple of Jesus, as the Twelve were, required complete sacrifice of personal ambitions. Jesus does not intend to play one vocation off against another. Obviously the call to apostleship was more all-encompassing of life’s circumstances.
But that is not Jesus’ concern here. The vocation of farmer, teacher or nurse, husband or wife, father or mother is no less godly than that of a pastor or full-time church worker. Normally the farmer doesn’t have to leave his farm to be a Christian, nor the mother her family. But there is a radical refocusing involved and a corresponding dying to self. Jesus wants the crowds to consider what being a believer actually entails. It is a journey characterized by a daily carrying of the cross. Here we have a call to repentance and trust.
The daily carrying of the cross is nothing less occupying ourselves every day with the mission of Christ. It is to live baptismally. It means being transparent with our deeds and desires. It entails being hidden in the wounds of Christ but exposed to the insults of the world. It means we are secure in the promises of the Spirit but susceptible to the criticisms of men. It involves having everything we are, have and aspire to subject to His truth. The cost is high: estrangement from the agenda of the world. But the reward is immeasurable: peace with God and eternal life.
Jesus presses His point with two parables about counting the cost. Just as an under-manned king would be foolish to go to war, and an under-resourced builder unwise to begin a large construction project, we would be foolish to think the confession of Christianity is an easy undertaking. The obstacles are far too great for us and the enemies too strong. The worldly advantages are almost nil. Perhaps the farmer will not have to leave the farm, but certainly his selfish ambitions. Likewise the mother will have to stop making idols of her children. Faith cannot be reconciled with egotism, or spiritual poverty with self-righteousness. Nor can there be a happy truce between the two. Self-indulgence and unbelief are by their very natures insatiable and intolerant. They may permit harmless dabbling in religious ideas, or even ethical pursuits, but never a clear confession of Christ as God and Lord.
Dear friends, discipleship involves a constant reorientation of priority and perspective. At the centre is Christ who atones for sins. He declares the unrighteous holy and calls the dead to life. The Bible says He is the One “who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood and has made us to be a kingdom.”2 This resolution of sin is what daily bearing the cross is all about.
What sin is it that particularly traps, troubles, and ensnares you? Is it jealously or pride? Lust or anger? Discontent or apathy? Greed or fear? Who are the people and what are the events, and circumstances associated with the cycles of temptation, denial, breakdown, and crisis that you may face? In your loss of perspective do you often consider God’s blessings to be burdens? Are the people closest to you- your spouse, children, friends- often tolerated instead of celebrated? Do you expect leniency, compassion, and understanding from others, but offer little yourself? No one is exempt from such challenges.
Yes, you say, but God forgives. Even this great truth can be turned into an opportunity for selfishness. It is a particularly foul tendency of human nature to want to misuse God’s forgiveness. In our darker moments we may seek to control the dispensing of His pardon according to our own objectives. This is a specific danger when one party has power or influence over the other because of position or even spiritual knowledge and maturity. Guilt and blame are powerful slayers of healthy relationships. People who are out to find fault seldom find anything else.
The Scriptures call us to reflect more deeply on what it means that God forgives, recreates, and restores. Forgiveness transforms not because it finally renders judgment on whose opinions were most valid or whose feelings were more severely offended; rather forgiveness restores because it transfers the burden of resolution to the shoulders of Christ. Forgiveness frees by breaking the power of guilt and blame. That doesn’t mean sin is to be overlooked or right and wrong disregarded. God demands honest self-evaluation and repentance. These things necessarily involve the commitment to love one’s neighbour- which entails not sinning against them by action or inaction.
But forgiveness elicits new motives and relies on divine promises. Instead of being driven by revenge or satisfaction we seek reconciliation and renewal. Jesus has counted the cost-for the entire human race- and He has made the sacrifice. Only Christ can rectify the past. Only He can secure the future. He does not fail to do so. The cross involves the re-establishment of true life.
Jesus is always present among us as the Crucified One; just as He is always with us as the Risen One. Understanding this is important. It’s not a matter of mental gymnastics or wishful thinking. The time to benefit from His crucifixion didn’t pass when the historical event ended. It was not necessary for us to be there and neither do we need to reconstruct a vivid memory of the circumstances to receive its blessings. Christianity does not rely upon commemorations. Jesus is the Christ of history who reaches into our time and space with eternal mercies. In divine perspective the death and resurrection of Jesus are present realities.
This uniquely Christian dogma underlies the importance of your presence here today. Here God’s word crucifies and resurrects, sustains, renews, and restores His people. Here we have the body and blood of Christ, not merely symbolic gestures or ancient remembrances. In, with, and under the bread and wine we have the body and blood of the crucified and risen Christ. Here the baptized have a foretaste of their inheritance. Here is both a refuge from the profane and a communion with the sacred blessings of God. Here the challenge to our complacency and the consolation of the Spirit fulfill God’s purposes in Christ. The Scripture says, “The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it.”3 “May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.”4Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost
5 September 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 14:26, 33
2 Revelation 1:5-6
3 1 Thessalonians 5:24
4 2 Thessalonians 3:5
Monday, August 30, 2010
Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 14:13-14
Theme: Guests at the Lord’s Table
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God desires that our relationship with Him be characterized by intimacy, not aloofness. The Holy Spirit directs us to Christ. Christ gives us access to the Father. And this is so not merely through the intangible mediums of thoughts and emotions, but through the very concrete means of the spoken word of truth, baptismal water, and the body and blood of Jesus. Our participation in the blessings of the triune God- though still by faith- nevertheless allows us communion in eternal realities.
These blessings are possible only because the Son of God assumed human flesh and blood. As such Christ became a participant in the peculiarities of human existence- our physical, corporeal vulnerabilities and capacities. He shares our joys and sorrows, only without sin. It’s not by coincidence the Bible often describes Christ’s saving work in the context of eating and sharing meals. Appropriately that is the case today.
Today we find Jesus at the home of a prominent Pharisee for a meal. Our text says, “When He noticed how the guests picked the places of honour at the table, He told them [a] parable.”1 Their cultural expectations were a little different than ours. The closer one was seated to the host at a dinner, the greater the honour that was indicated. We might think of a modern wedding reception. Normally the wedding party is seated near the bride and groom. Other guests are often seated according to the bride and groom’s preferences. It would be both conceited and embarrassing for someone else to sit in the place reserved for the maid or matron of honour, or the best man.
The issue is one of presumption or entitlement. Jesus is teaching humility. Do we approach God with the assumption that we deserve the highest honour in His presence? Do we act as if we are deserving of His blessings. Are we happy to agree with the problem of sin without really believing it applies to us? Are our sins trivial and insignificant in our own sight? Are the sins of others magnified? Often without even realizing it ourselves, our actions show whether or not repentance is genuine. If we only feign sorrow when called to account then the humility Jesus seeks is shown to be lacking. No one has the entitlement to enter God’s heavenly feast.
The imagery of a heavenly banquet is a central motif of the Scriptures. It is often described in the context of a wedding celebration. Christ, the bridegroom, draws to Himself the church, His bride. The celebration of that union is eternal. We see this truth reflected in St. Paul’s important words on marriage, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.”2 Jesus will later teach that we enter that eternal wedding banquet only when clothed with the appropriate attire: His righteous. It is with His righteousness that we are first clothed in baptism. The benefits of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross not only become available to us but become our shelter, clothing and nourishment.
Jesus then turns from instructing the guests to instructing the host. Jesus is clear in directing him to invite to a banquet people who would be unable to repay. To do so is a genuine expression of faith at work. The moment we are motivated by the prospect of repayment is the very moment the good work is ruined. It is turned into a show of vanity. The Scripture says, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.”3
Here we see faith in action. Not only in the general way of generously providing for those in need; but in a specific, life-sustaining gift. Food maintains our lives. We must consume it regularly or perish. The same is true for our spiritual lives. Faith that is not fed with forgiveness becomes malnourished. Trust that is not sustained with truth becomes frail. Hope that is not buoyed by promise becomes bleak. Eventually faith collapses and perishes.
Jesus also says that those who show such hospitality will be blessed. In what way will you be blessed? Here our perspective must be changed from a worldly one to a heavenly one. We cannot estimate a cost/benefit ratio in human terms. Rather we trust God’s promise of heavenly treasures. In very real terms you are blessed because the integrity of your witness invites the ridicule of the world and as such you are in good company. Truth induces conflict from the ungodly. The devil will tell you it’s a waste of time. The world will tell you it’s a waste of resources. Even your conscience may make you feel uneasy. But remember these remarkable words of Jesus. “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”4
The very fact that we are dependent on God to provide every need of body and soul- everyday- should constantly remind us of the transient nature of this life. We’re always travelers, never permanent dwellers. We are always stewards, never owners. That we work towards stability is a godly use of wisdom. God intends that we care for the needs of our neighbours- beginning with our closest neighbours; spouse and family. But to invest everything in building personal kingdoms and reputations is to pursue idolatry. We pray that God would give us our daily bread for today5- that we would trust Him to supply what we need when we need it.
Dear friends, God gathers to His table beggars who cannot repay Him. Even if they had the desire they wouldn’t have the means. Even if they had the means, they wouldn’t have the desire. His love to us is unconditional, unrestricted and expressed with no expectation of repayment. Were that the case grace would no longer be grace. The sacrifice of Christ would then be a loan and not a gift. His crucifixion would be martyrdom, but not a redeeming act. His resurrection would be an illustration but not an effective paradigm. Jesus was not merely an example- whose suffering, sacrifice, and service; whose death and resurrection- is something for us to imitate, but a substitute and Saviour through whom these things are realized.
We are always guests at the Lord’s Table. He is both the host and the meal, just as at the altar he is the priest and the sacrifice. The gifts we partake of now are previews of what is to come. Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost
29 August 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 14:7
2 Ephesians 5:25-27
3 Hebrews 13:2
4 Matthew 5:10
5 See Luke 11:3
Text: Luke 14:13-14
Theme: Guests at the Lord’s Table
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God desires that our relationship with Him be characterized by intimacy, not aloofness. The Holy Spirit directs us to Christ. Christ gives us access to the Father. And this is so not merely through the intangible mediums of thoughts and emotions, but through the very concrete means of the spoken word of truth, baptismal water, and the body and blood of Jesus. Our participation in the blessings of the triune God- though still by faith- nevertheless allows us communion in eternal realities.
These blessings are possible only because the Son of God assumed human flesh and blood. As such Christ became a participant in the peculiarities of human existence- our physical, corporeal vulnerabilities and capacities. He shares our joys and sorrows, only without sin. It’s not by coincidence the Bible often describes Christ’s saving work in the context of eating and sharing meals. Appropriately that is the case today.
Today we find Jesus at the home of a prominent Pharisee for a meal. Our text says, “When He noticed how the guests picked the places of honour at the table, He told them [a] parable.”1 Their cultural expectations were a little different than ours. The closer one was seated to the host at a dinner, the greater the honour that was indicated. We might think of a modern wedding reception. Normally the wedding party is seated near the bride and groom. Other guests are often seated according to the bride and groom’s preferences. It would be both conceited and embarrassing for someone else to sit in the place reserved for the maid or matron of honour, or the best man.
The issue is one of presumption or entitlement. Jesus is teaching humility. Do we approach God with the assumption that we deserve the highest honour in His presence? Do we act as if we are deserving of His blessings. Are we happy to agree with the problem of sin without really believing it applies to us? Are our sins trivial and insignificant in our own sight? Are the sins of others magnified? Often without even realizing it ourselves, our actions show whether or not repentance is genuine. If we only feign sorrow when called to account then the humility Jesus seeks is shown to be lacking. No one has the entitlement to enter God’s heavenly feast.
The imagery of a heavenly banquet is a central motif of the Scriptures. It is often described in the context of a wedding celebration. Christ, the bridegroom, draws to Himself the church, His bride. The celebration of that union is eternal. We see this truth reflected in St. Paul’s important words on marriage, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.”2 Jesus will later teach that we enter that eternal wedding banquet only when clothed with the appropriate attire: His righteous. It is with His righteousness that we are first clothed in baptism. The benefits of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross not only become available to us but become our shelter, clothing and nourishment.
Jesus then turns from instructing the guests to instructing the host. Jesus is clear in directing him to invite to a banquet people who would be unable to repay. To do so is a genuine expression of faith at work. The moment we are motivated by the prospect of repayment is the very moment the good work is ruined. It is turned into a show of vanity. The Scripture says, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.”3
Here we see faith in action. Not only in the general way of generously providing for those in need; but in a specific, life-sustaining gift. Food maintains our lives. We must consume it regularly or perish. The same is true for our spiritual lives. Faith that is not fed with forgiveness becomes malnourished. Trust that is not sustained with truth becomes frail. Hope that is not buoyed by promise becomes bleak. Eventually faith collapses and perishes.
Jesus also says that those who show such hospitality will be blessed. In what way will you be blessed? Here our perspective must be changed from a worldly one to a heavenly one. We cannot estimate a cost/benefit ratio in human terms. Rather we trust God’s promise of heavenly treasures. In very real terms you are blessed because the integrity of your witness invites the ridicule of the world and as such you are in good company. Truth induces conflict from the ungodly. The devil will tell you it’s a waste of time. The world will tell you it’s a waste of resources. Even your conscience may make you feel uneasy. But remember these remarkable words of Jesus. “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”4
The very fact that we are dependent on God to provide every need of body and soul- everyday- should constantly remind us of the transient nature of this life. We’re always travelers, never permanent dwellers. We are always stewards, never owners. That we work towards stability is a godly use of wisdom. God intends that we care for the needs of our neighbours- beginning with our closest neighbours; spouse and family. But to invest everything in building personal kingdoms and reputations is to pursue idolatry. We pray that God would give us our daily bread for today5- that we would trust Him to supply what we need when we need it.
Dear friends, God gathers to His table beggars who cannot repay Him. Even if they had the desire they wouldn’t have the means. Even if they had the means, they wouldn’t have the desire. His love to us is unconditional, unrestricted and expressed with no expectation of repayment. Were that the case grace would no longer be grace. The sacrifice of Christ would then be a loan and not a gift. His crucifixion would be martyrdom, but not a redeeming act. His resurrection would be an illustration but not an effective paradigm. Jesus was not merely an example- whose suffering, sacrifice, and service; whose death and resurrection- is something for us to imitate, but a substitute and Saviour through whom these things are realized.
We are always guests at the Lord’s Table. He is both the host and the meal, just as at the altar he is the priest and the sacrifice. The gifts we partake of now are previews of what is to come. Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost
29 August 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 14:7
2 Ephesians 5:25-27
3 Hebrews 13:2
4 Matthew 5:10
5 See Luke 11:3
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 12:51
Theme: Peace or Division?
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God is patient with our misunderstandings. His grace bears with our impiety. But He never indulges our ignorance or obstinacy. Salvation involves being transformed from old to new. To hear Jesus speak of division and not peace is counterintuitive to the common understanding of Christianity. Jesus is heralded at every stage as the bringer of peace. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favour rests,”1 so sang the angels at His birth. The prophet Isaiah named Him as the “Prince of Peace.”2 and so He was and is for all eternity.
But the meaning and attainment of Christ’s peace should not be misrepresented. Jesus Christ is not a consensus- builder. He is the icon of absolute truth. In all His gentleness, tenderness, love and compassion He did not once compromise the truth. He stooped down, reached out, and humbled Himself to help people of every status, class, and condition. He touched lepers, commended prostitutes, and welcomed tax-collectors. Yet He never ignored sin or overlooked falsehood. The compassion of Christ was truly pure because it was never tainted by impure motives or mingled with deception. He is the very incarnation of divine love.
Human beings will never willingly relinquish their freedom to sin. They will not happily suffer the condemnation of their best laid plans. Christianity that is presented as the means to attain harmony among people, institutions, and religions in spite of adherence to error is gravely misrepresented. Christ died that we might be freed from sin’s servitude and falsehood’s enslavement, not so that we could find more common ground. Division will always exist because the gospel will not everywhere be tolerated or cherished. Some will ignore it while others will militate against it. Peace is never a given. Satan won’t allow it. Sin won’t stand for it. Peace comes at a price.
In our fallen world democratic societies operate to a large degree on the basis of consensus. As such we seek to establish stability based on law and maintain it through constant appraisal of its effectiveness. Individuals are granted opportunity for participation. But the idea that all would be in complete agreement is not a misconception under which we labour. It is the peace that comes from a certain degree of compromise that allows us to co-exist with believers and unbelievers alike. It is in this context that Paul advises “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”3
As Western society continues to decline in its consensus of even a basic morality- abortion, homosexuality, and euthanasia being some high-profile examples- let alone in its agreement of the person and work of Christ, we must expect more dissension. Christians are in the world but not of the world. Our example of humility and integrity is our witness to the world. The creeds of Christ supersede the counsels of men. The foolishness of the cross takes precedence over human philosophy. Truth allows no place for error. The Bible says, “What do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial?”4
Of course, Satan always seeks to undermine our love by founding it on falsehood. Even acts done from the best intentions become damaging when not underpinned by the truth. But truth is a hard sell. It’s much better, we often think, to concede some integrity for the sake of keeping the peace. Decisions can become intense and complex. We often fight for the wrong things based on the wrong motives. We defend our personal interests at the expense of other’s well-being and especially the integrity of God’s Word. For these sins we are called to repentance.
The Bible teaches us that when it comes to peoples’ weaknesses, frailties, and vulnerabilities in giving in to temptation, we should be as patient as the day is long. For we too are subject to the very same inclinations and feebleness. We are to be slow to judge, eager to listen, and keen to understand. But never do we affirm people in their false beliefs, for that is not love but lack of concern for their soul.
Dear friends, peace is not the result of overlooking sin or ignoring falsehood. Peace is not attained by giving up the fight or conceding to the enemy. Peace is the consequence of reconciliation with God through Christ. Christ didn’t make peace through negotiation, but through sacrifice. He didn’t bargain with demonic forces, He disarmed them. The cross was the instrument of peace because it was precisely there that the offence of disobedience was borne and forgiven. The Scripture says, “Having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”5
We participate in His triumph. Just as Christ rose from the grave the Holy Spirit raises our souls to new life. Today Jesus says He would undergo a baptism (of fire)- His suffering and death on the cross- so that our baptism might result in inclusion in His kingdom. We have already a taste of Christ’s divine peace. Our mouths taste it when we eat His body and drink His blood. Our ears receive it when we hear His word of forgiveness. Our Scripture from Hebrews summarizes well, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”6
There is no consensus-building or democratic participation in heaven. There will be no need because discord will not exist. And this will be true not because in the next life people will be more restrained in voicing their differences, but because with single-minded purpose the saints in heaven will be absorbed in the gifts of the eternal God. There will be no contest of wills. Everyone will be in harmony with the will of God not by force but as a consequence of the shedding of sin and the resurrection to glory. Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost
15 August 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 2:14
2 Isaiah 9:6
3 Romans 12:17-18
4 2 Corinthians 6:14-15
5 Colossians 2:15
6 Hebrews 12:2
Text: Luke 12:51
Theme: Peace or Division?
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God is patient with our misunderstandings. His grace bears with our impiety. But He never indulges our ignorance or obstinacy. Salvation involves being transformed from old to new. To hear Jesus speak of division and not peace is counterintuitive to the common understanding of Christianity. Jesus is heralded at every stage as the bringer of peace. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favour rests,”1 so sang the angels at His birth. The prophet Isaiah named Him as the “Prince of Peace.”2 and so He was and is for all eternity.
But the meaning and attainment of Christ’s peace should not be misrepresented. Jesus Christ is not a consensus- builder. He is the icon of absolute truth. In all His gentleness, tenderness, love and compassion He did not once compromise the truth. He stooped down, reached out, and humbled Himself to help people of every status, class, and condition. He touched lepers, commended prostitutes, and welcomed tax-collectors. Yet He never ignored sin or overlooked falsehood. The compassion of Christ was truly pure because it was never tainted by impure motives or mingled with deception. He is the very incarnation of divine love.
Human beings will never willingly relinquish their freedom to sin. They will not happily suffer the condemnation of their best laid plans. Christianity that is presented as the means to attain harmony among people, institutions, and religions in spite of adherence to error is gravely misrepresented. Christ died that we might be freed from sin’s servitude and falsehood’s enslavement, not so that we could find more common ground. Division will always exist because the gospel will not everywhere be tolerated or cherished. Some will ignore it while others will militate against it. Peace is never a given. Satan won’t allow it. Sin won’t stand for it. Peace comes at a price.
In our fallen world democratic societies operate to a large degree on the basis of consensus. As such we seek to establish stability based on law and maintain it through constant appraisal of its effectiveness. Individuals are granted opportunity for participation. But the idea that all would be in complete agreement is not a misconception under which we labour. It is the peace that comes from a certain degree of compromise that allows us to co-exist with believers and unbelievers alike. It is in this context that Paul advises “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”3
As Western society continues to decline in its consensus of even a basic morality- abortion, homosexuality, and euthanasia being some high-profile examples- let alone in its agreement of the person and work of Christ, we must expect more dissension. Christians are in the world but not of the world. Our example of humility and integrity is our witness to the world. The creeds of Christ supersede the counsels of men. The foolishness of the cross takes precedence over human philosophy. Truth allows no place for error. The Bible says, “What do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial?”4
Of course, Satan always seeks to undermine our love by founding it on falsehood. Even acts done from the best intentions become damaging when not underpinned by the truth. But truth is a hard sell. It’s much better, we often think, to concede some integrity for the sake of keeping the peace. Decisions can become intense and complex. We often fight for the wrong things based on the wrong motives. We defend our personal interests at the expense of other’s well-being and especially the integrity of God’s Word. For these sins we are called to repentance.
The Bible teaches us that when it comes to peoples’ weaknesses, frailties, and vulnerabilities in giving in to temptation, we should be as patient as the day is long. For we too are subject to the very same inclinations and feebleness. We are to be slow to judge, eager to listen, and keen to understand. But never do we affirm people in their false beliefs, for that is not love but lack of concern for their soul.
Dear friends, peace is not the result of overlooking sin or ignoring falsehood. Peace is not attained by giving up the fight or conceding to the enemy. Peace is the consequence of reconciliation with God through Christ. Christ didn’t make peace through negotiation, but through sacrifice. He didn’t bargain with demonic forces, He disarmed them. The cross was the instrument of peace because it was precisely there that the offence of disobedience was borne and forgiven. The Scripture says, “Having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”5
We participate in His triumph. Just as Christ rose from the grave the Holy Spirit raises our souls to new life. Today Jesus says He would undergo a baptism (of fire)- His suffering and death on the cross- so that our baptism might result in inclusion in His kingdom. We have already a taste of Christ’s divine peace. Our mouths taste it when we eat His body and drink His blood. Our ears receive it when we hear His word of forgiveness. Our Scripture from Hebrews summarizes well, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”6
There is no consensus-building or democratic participation in heaven. There will be no need because discord will not exist. And this will be true not because in the next life people will be more restrained in voicing their differences, but because with single-minded purpose the saints in heaven will be absorbed in the gifts of the eternal God. There will be no contest of wills. Everyone will be in harmony with the will of God not by force but as a consequence of the shedding of sin and the resurrection to glory. Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost
15 August 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 2:14
2 Isaiah 9:6
3 Romans 12:17-18
4 2 Corinthians 6:14-15
5 Colossians 2:15
6 Hebrews 12:2
Monday, August 9, 2010
Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 12:32
Theme: Confidence in the King and His Kingdom
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Faith is not a stagnant gift. It bears the assaults of Satan, the incursions of self, and the condemnations of society. It is like a warrior constantly honed in battle. Of course it does this not by its own strength but by transferring all these burdens directly to the one who authors it. Through the testing of our faith Christ draws us closer to Himself.
Today the Book of Hebrews defines faith with confidence and simplicity. “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”1 But…what if? What if we’re not always sure of what we hope for and not always certain of those unseen things of God? What if we doubt, and struggle, and wonder, and worry? What if we sometimes question whether we even have much faith at all? What if your finances are in shambles, your relationships in crisis, your career in doubt, your integrity in question, even your hope for a better future hanging by a thread? Is such a definition of faith then not only shallow, but even condescending? What if you don’t even feel like a person of faith?
If any of these things are true for you, then take heart! You’re in good company and not much different than many of the great saints throughout the ages. The challenges and changes of life test us but the One on whom our faith rests does not change and He will not fail us. Take heart, your Redeemer says to you today, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”2 What He gives is not reserved only for the hereafter. Already now, forgiveness grants you access to the kingdom.
And now we see that faith has a definite focal point. Christian faith is bound up with the promise of forgiveness. It is not an independent possession by which we assess the existence and qualities of God. It is not a general feeling of spirituality. Christian faith cannot be equated with a religious conviction that there is more to the universe than its physical elements. Christian faith is fortified by any number of important historical and metaphysical realities but it has as its indispensible core the crucified and risen Jesus sacrificed to forgive sins.
The universal atonement-a Good Friday crucifixion and Easter resurrection- is the act that redeems me, the particular sinner. In the Holy Spirit’s gift of trust that objective event of salvation encompasses a particular believer. The general becomes specific and the universal becomes individual. That Christ is called Saviour only makes sense in relation to people named sinners. The Scriptures reveal our status before God to be calamitous. Here is where the real struggles of faith begin.
When it comes to confessing our sins before God not all are on equal footing. Internally, we are acutely aware of this. Easy to confess are those sins for which we feel little guilt, and/or those which we think require little forgiveness. These sins cause us little shame and so we are comfortable confessing them even publicly. We may even develop a false sense of piety for doing such a “bold and noble thing”. We may have also become so desensitized by the accepted views of society as to not even consider them real sins. The danger here is to think the whole matter is insignificant rather than a precious opportunity for sacred absolution. Of course it goes without saying that if we don’t think something is a sin then we won’t be inclined to name and confess it as such at all. Here self-righteousness and willful rejection of God’s word become grave perils.
Much harder to confess are those sins for which we feel true shame and remorse. These are the ones we seek to conceal from others, deny before God and even hide from ourselves. We easily concede to God the authority to judge others for sins that displease us. But to accept Him as the judge not only of our most reprehensible transgressions but also of those sins we consider petty is another matter. So it’s in the daunting realism of confronting our most threatening iniquities that actual forgiveness becomes cherished, despised or abandoned. To cherish forgiveness requires genuine repentance and humility. To abandon it denotes denial and fear. In this struggle we are never more than apprentices. But Christ has vanquished and in Him we have victory.
Forgiveness is not abstract. It penetrates people’s lives in very definite and tangible ways. Hypothetical forgiveness is nothing more than vacant vocabulary. But as vessels that carry Christ’s forgiveness we bear the injustices of others with patience and model Christ’s love. He speaks of this in general terms again today. He reminds us to be spiritually alert and responsible. The passing of time lulls us into lethargy about Christ’s return. It could just as well be tomorrow as a hundred or thousand years from now. Our concern is not the exact hour or day He comes back, but the promise that He will return without notice. Integrity calls us to the cultivation of faithfulness at all times and in all circumstances and contexts. Christ is the Master of the household who will return.
Now note what He promises to do for those who wait faithfully for Him? “I tell you the truth, He will dress Himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.”3 Here Jesus surprises His hearers with a reversal of roles. Instead of the servants tending to the needs of the master, he will wait on them. This unexpected statement speaks to the meaning of the gospel. Christ comes to give, not to demand. He won’t come to re-establish an earthly rule of law, but inaugurate a heavenly kingdom of grace.
Dear friends, remember the heavenly Father has been pleased to give. The cross is the instrument of divine giving. The body of Jesus broken and His blood spilled is the final testament of God’s love. We look for nothing further. We can expect nothing more. Through the crucifixion death is swallowed up and the dominion of Satan is brought into subjection. The Scripture says, “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all- how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?”4 And again, “He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.”5
We are immersed into this mystery of redemption. Human souls of every era, age and maturity are granted faith when and where it pleases the Holy Spirit. The Spirit incorporates the believer into the body of Christ. That is the effect of baptism. It is that baptismal reality that forms the identity of those who are gathered into God’s house. The Scripture says, “Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”6
Perhaps the struggles of faith are not always what we think. It’s not our burden to resolve the dilemmas only God can handle, but our privilege to frolic in the divine forgiveness He grants. We can neither cherish it too possessively nor distribute it too lavishly. It is the mercy of the King and the glory of His kingdom. Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost
8 August 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Hebrews 11:1
2 Luke 12:32
3 Luke 12:37
4 Romans 8:31-32
5 Isaiah 53:5
5 Romans 6:3-4
Text: Luke 12:32
Theme: Confidence in the King and His Kingdom
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Faith is not a stagnant gift. It bears the assaults of Satan, the incursions of self, and the condemnations of society. It is like a warrior constantly honed in battle. Of course it does this not by its own strength but by transferring all these burdens directly to the one who authors it. Through the testing of our faith Christ draws us closer to Himself.
Today the Book of Hebrews defines faith with confidence and simplicity. “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”1 But…what if? What if we’re not always sure of what we hope for and not always certain of those unseen things of God? What if we doubt, and struggle, and wonder, and worry? What if we sometimes question whether we even have much faith at all? What if your finances are in shambles, your relationships in crisis, your career in doubt, your integrity in question, even your hope for a better future hanging by a thread? Is such a definition of faith then not only shallow, but even condescending? What if you don’t even feel like a person of faith?
If any of these things are true for you, then take heart! You’re in good company and not much different than many of the great saints throughout the ages. The challenges and changes of life test us but the One on whom our faith rests does not change and He will not fail us. Take heart, your Redeemer says to you today, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.”2 What He gives is not reserved only for the hereafter. Already now, forgiveness grants you access to the kingdom.
And now we see that faith has a definite focal point. Christian faith is bound up with the promise of forgiveness. It is not an independent possession by which we assess the existence and qualities of God. It is not a general feeling of spirituality. Christian faith cannot be equated with a religious conviction that there is more to the universe than its physical elements. Christian faith is fortified by any number of important historical and metaphysical realities but it has as its indispensible core the crucified and risen Jesus sacrificed to forgive sins.
The universal atonement-a Good Friday crucifixion and Easter resurrection- is the act that redeems me, the particular sinner. In the Holy Spirit’s gift of trust that objective event of salvation encompasses a particular believer. The general becomes specific and the universal becomes individual. That Christ is called Saviour only makes sense in relation to people named sinners. The Scriptures reveal our status before God to be calamitous. Here is where the real struggles of faith begin.
When it comes to confessing our sins before God not all are on equal footing. Internally, we are acutely aware of this. Easy to confess are those sins for which we feel little guilt, and/or those which we think require little forgiveness. These sins cause us little shame and so we are comfortable confessing them even publicly. We may even develop a false sense of piety for doing such a “bold and noble thing”. We may have also become so desensitized by the accepted views of society as to not even consider them real sins. The danger here is to think the whole matter is insignificant rather than a precious opportunity for sacred absolution. Of course it goes without saying that if we don’t think something is a sin then we won’t be inclined to name and confess it as such at all. Here self-righteousness and willful rejection of God’s word become grave perils.
Much harder to confess are those sins for which we feel true shame and remorse. These are the ones we seek to conceal from others, deny before God and even hide from ourselves. We easily concede to God the authority to judge others for sins that displease us. But to accept Him as the judge not only of our most reprehensible transgressions but also of those sins we consider petty is another matter. So it’s in the daunting realism of confronting our most threatening iniquities that actual forgiveness becomes cherished, despised or abandoned. To cherish forgiveness requires genuine repentance and humility. To abandon it denotes denial and fear. In this struggle we are never more than apprentices. But Christ has vanquished and in Him we have victory.
Forgiveness is not abstract. It penetrates people’s lives in very definite and tangible ways. Hypothetical forgiveness is nothing more than vacant vocabulary. But as vessels that carry Christ’s forgiveness we bear the injustices of others with patience and model Christ’s love. He speaks of this in general terms again today. He reminds us to be spiritually alert and responsible. The passing of time lulls us into lethargy about Christ’s return. It could just as well be tomorrow as a hundred or thousand years from now. Our concern is not the exact hour or day He comes back, but the promise that He will return without notice. Integrity calls us to the cultivation of faithfulness at all times and in all circumstances and contexts. Christ is the Master of the household who will return.
Now note what He promises to do for those who wait faithfully for Him? “I tell you the truth, He will dress Himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.”3 Here Jesus surprises His hearers with a reversal of roles. Instead of the servants tending to the needs of the master, he will wait on them. This unexpected statement speaks to the meaning of the gospel. Christ comes to give, not to demand. He won’t come to re-establish an earthly rule of law, but inaugurate a heavenly kingdom of grace.
Dear friends, remember the heavenly Father has been pleased to give. The cross is the instrument of divine giving. The body of Jesus broken and His blood spilled is the final testament of God’s love. We look for nothing further. We can expect nothing more. Through the crucifixion death is swallowed up and the dominion of Satan is brought into subjection. The Scripture says, “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all- how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?”4 And again, “He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed.”5
We are immersed into this mystery of redemption. Human souls of every era, age and maturity are granted faith when and where it pleases the Holy Spirit. The Spirit incorporates the believer into the body of Christ. That is the effect of baptism. It is that baptismal reality that forms the identity of those who are gathered into God’s house. The Scripture says, “Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”6
Perhaps the struggles of faith are not always what we think. It’s not our burden to resolve the dilemmas only God can handle, but our privilege to frolic in the divine forgiveness He grants. We can neither cherish it too possessively nor distribute it too lavishly. It is the mercy of the King and the glory of His kingdom. Amen.
+ in nomine Jesu +
Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost
8 August 2010
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Hebrews 11:1
2 Luke 12:32
3 Luke 12:37
4 Romans 8:31-32
5 Isaiah 53:5
5 Romans 6:3-4
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