+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 6:30
Theme: “Show Us A Sign!”
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Human beings can be thick-headed. That’s one reason worship involves a recitation of those things which are most essential. The practice of repetition is also necessary so Satan does not dislodge basic truths from our hearts and minds. The danger exists that repetition can lead to insincerity, apathy, or laziness. But the problem here is not with the repetition itself but the interest of the parties involved. Familiarity with God’s word is necessary to expand our understanding of God’s revelation. We can’t think critically from a biblical world view if we aren’t well-versed in the basic truths of God’s will.
Conviction must be wedded with communication. If we don’t believe in God’s truth we won’t be inclined to defend it. If we don’t understand it we won’t be able to. St Peter ends his second epistle with this encouragement, “Dear friends…be on guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”1 Defending against error and growing in our Christian knowledge are not optional for the believer they are part and parcel of living the faith.
The short answer to why the churches in the West have largely been in decline for some time is that people don’t believe that Christ has any relevance or will impact their lives to any significant degree. Is this the fault of the church or the individual? Or both? It doesn’t matter how long names have been inscribed on church membership rolls and rosters. It doesn’t matter what family or sentimental connections existed with the church in the past. God will not sit in judgment looking into any membership directories. He looks into the heart. And there will be no case of mistaken identity.
There was a student who once made a mistake of identification. He was in the college chapel and, looking at the order of service, groaned aloud. The middle-aged lady next to him asked what was the matter. The student replied, "It’s the preacher. He’s my director of studies. I have to go to his lectures and he’s the dullest man alive, utterly boring." "Oh," said the woman, "Do you know who I am?" The student looked at her and said he didn’t. "Well," said the woman, "I’m the preacher’s wife!" The student said faintly, "And do you know who I am?" "No," said the professor’s wife. "Hallelujah," said the student
It’s only with naïve misunderstanding that we think we can avoid God’s notice in the same way. God’s law allows no escape, no excuse, no defense. As a sinner before God, an idolater, an adulterer, a thief, a slanderer, a scorner of God’s truth and wisdom you can never get away with being someone you’re not. Our penitence never rests on the hope that not all our sins will be discovered- especially our worst ones. There is no spiritual plea-bargaining. Yet the beautiful paradox of the gospel is that our identity as sinners does become lost in Christ. We might even say that the Father ‘mistakes’ us sinners as righteous people because we are hidden in the wounds of His Son. It’s no accident or ommitance but the miracle of God’s compassion.
The identity we have in Christ confers on us a higher calling. Life should not be absorbed by the concerns of the temporal sphere. What does Jesus tell the crowds today? “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval.” Then they asked Him, ‘What must we do to do the works God requires?’ Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.”2 Dear friends, there is no greater undertaking than belief. The faith you are gifted with in baptism is a living and active reality to be nurtured and guarded your whole life through. It’s perhaps not hard to believe in a deity with great power but to believe in the Sent One, the Christ, is something more altogether. The faith of the crowd was not godless but it was Messiah-less, Christ-less. They sought food but not forgiveness, provision but not repentance, temporal blessings but not eternal pleasures.
How do they react to Jesus’ words? They asked Him for a miraculous sign. They said then they would believe in Him. People do the same thing today. They make their trust in God conditional on the evidence. Does He seem to be answering my prayers in the way I’d like? Does He meet my demands? This is, of course, not real faith at all. He has given us a sign: He was crucified and on Easter morning the tomb was empty. Could we ask for a greater miracle than complete sacrifice followed by victory over death!!! The Father’s love for us is so profound He did not spare the life of His own Son but gave Him up for us all. Yes, God has ‘proved’ Himself. And He will again when Christ comes again in glory.
But not everyone wants to see a miraculous sign from God. Many are comfortable in their state of fallenness. Better the devil you know than face the unknown. The Medieval story is told of two beggars; one was lame, the other blind. They happened to be caught in a procession carrying the relics of St. Martin and were afraid that if they were cured they would be deprived of their charity. So the one who could see but not walk mounted the shoulders of the one who could walk but not see. They hurried to get beyond range of the saint’s miraculous powers. But the poor fellows were too late and were healed thus losing their guaranteed livelihood.
They thought they’d be happy to be left well enough alone. Our selfish independence draws us to the same desires. Yet sooner or later we discover that being left to our own devices and strength is the last thing we want. You are not alone in your faith. You are not alone in your struggles. And you are not alone with the Saviour either. The Holy Spirit gathers God’s people into community. The Bible says, “There is one body and one Spirit- just as you were called to one hope when you were called- one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all.”3
In the coming weeks Jesus will remind us that He is the Bread of Life, the food that does not perish. He serves us with His own imperishable body and blood from this very altar. We’ll find at the end of John Chapter 6 many turned away from Christ because His teachings were too hard to swallow. Still today many wonder how the Almighty God can be present in the simple things of water, bread and wine, and words. The barrier of human logic can only be broken down by the Holy Spirit. God invests these things with His power and holiness. St. Peter gave the response which is still the only appropriate one, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”4 Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Tenth Sunday After Pentecost
5 August 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 2 Peter 3:17-18
2 John 6:27-29
3 Ephesians 4:4-6
4 John 6:68
Monday, August 6, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
Ninth Sunday After Pentecost (B) 2012
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Ephesians 3:20
Theme: More Than We Ask
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God promises new beginnings.
Whether 60 years of dedication is a sufficient effort we leave to the Lord to judge. But we are certain that during those years He has blessed the Ladies’ Guild- and through them His wider church- to a degree that only the Holy Spirit can fully assess. We refrain from glorifying the past but we rightly honour it. Perhaps more importantly we learn its lessons so that we might apply them to new challenges.
People change. Interests change. The priorities of the past don’t always have primacy for the future. It is always the task of each generation to determine if new emphases or priorities better serve the kingdom and the well-being of God’s people. The diligent cannot evade such assessment. The passion and participation of believers in the activities of the church has waxed and waned over centuries and even millennia. And we must give the devil his due. He is cunningly adept at what he does. He devises many distractions.
It is the tendency of human nature that times of material prosperity often see spiritual poverty while the greatest temporal hardship can cultivate the desire for sacred treasures. Affluence stands before the church as a great challenge to the mission of the gospel in our times. And how will it be addressed? Do we fuss and fret over trivial things while God’s Word is neglected? Do we invest great energy and resource in furthering our personal agendas and opinions while divine truth and its implications are set on the back burner?
In 1917 Russian Orthodox Church bishops were having a meeting that came to a heated debate with fusing and feuding. A few doors down the street another meeting was going on. The Bolsheviks were together plotting the overthrow of the Czar. Revolution was in the making- the beginning of what we now know as Communism. But what was the church arguing about while the Empire was crumbling around them? Candles, how tall were they to be?
Dear friends, the greatest need of human beings is no different today than it was when the guild began or 1000 years before: rescue from the guilt of sin and eternal condemnation. Does the call to repentance ever become obsolete? Is the current generation in any less need of God’s forgiveness than the last? Consider the daily news. Godlessness is pervasive. Recently a man who claimed to be the Joker gunned down movie-goers in cold blood. It is but the latest example in a long and sinister history that extends right back to Cain’s murder of Abel. We all have more than a little of Cain’s blood running through our veins. He inherited it from his father Adam. How deep is the darkness that lurks in the soul of humanity? Though we may deny it or cover it up God sees the darkness and deprivation. Unchecked it always brings harm to others.
But God does more than sees. Into our dark and dangerous world descended the Redeemer- God in human flesh. Today’s gospel reading is the well-known account of Jesus’ feeding of the five thousand. It was a small preview of what the Son of God would soon provide- immortal food. The account concludes with this interesting note. “Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make Him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by Himself.”1 It’s an intriguing turn of events! The humble preacher- envied by the Jewish rulers and under the watchful eye of the state- is to be made king by popular demand. It’s an insight into how the crowds generally perceived Jesus. Could He not have ridden this wave of popularity to gain leverage with the authorities?
But His kingdom is not of this world. The love of God is finally realized not in its role of mitigating the effects of sin but in eliminating the need for alleviation altogether. Yes, God satisfies the hungry, heals the sick, comforts the brokenhearted, guides the lost, accompanies the lonely, calms the distressed, and renews our hope. He does this by intervening in our adversity with the remedy that carries us through danger and hardship. In this life we will always be beggars. We will always need Christ’s mercy because we are always sinners existing in a state of fragility on the precipice of collapse.
But Christ has achieved for us an existence in which “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”2 His love is sacrificial and humble. Yet it is a conquering love. He was crucified so that you could have access through His blood. In His resurrection that blood- the blood of the New Adam now runs in your veins. That is the consequence of your baptism. In Christ we have life in a dying world. Should all earthly pursuits be ended we are no worse for eternity.
Today we pause to recognize what has ended. We grieve. 60 years of activities for the Bookpurnong Ladies’ Guild have come to an end. Sometimes, especially in circumstances like this, we may wonder if all the dedication and effort was worth it. What was accomplished? Who was impacted? What legacies were established? We leave these things in God’s hands.
Examples have been set. Seeds have been sown. God determines the harvests.
It’s like the little girl who was being punished by being forced to eat alone in the corner of the dining room. The family paid no attention to her until they heard her pray: “I Thank you Lord, for preparing a table for me in the presence of my enemies!” She knew the 23rd Psalm. And in this case she deemed her family- who undoubtedly taught it to her by taking her to church and Sunday School- to be her enemies. Now that is quick, concrete, and practical application of the Scriptures.
Today, like every Lord’s Day, is a day for giving thanks. How does the apostle Paul often conclude his discourses? With a doxology- a liturgical expression gratitude to the Redeemer. “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!”3 It’s not that remarkable to state that God is able to do more than we ask. But how staggering is it that God is able to do far more than we could ever even conceive of or imagine! The collective imagination of all humanity is a drop in the ocean compared to the ingenuity of the Almighty.
God promises new beginnings. They are not always the ones of our choosing. Above this, He promises an existence in which there is no decline or decay at all. The only books that will be closed will be the annals of death. The unmediated presence of Christ will involve a captivating newness absent of all sin, death, and decay. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”4 He has blessed us in the past and He will not fail us in the future. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Ninth Sunday After Pentecost
29 July 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 6:15
2 Revelation 21:4
3 Ephesians 3:20
4 Hebrews 13:8
Text: Ephesians 3:20
Theme: More Than We Ask
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God promises new beginnings.
Whether 60 years of dedication is a sufficient effort we leave to the Lord to judge. But we are certain that during those years He has blessed the Ladies’ Guild- and through them His wider church- to a degree that only the Holy Spirit can fully assess. We refrain from glorifying the past but we rightly honour it. Perhaps more importantly we learn its lessons so that we might apply them to new challenges.
People change. Interests change. The priorities of the past don’t always have primacy for the future. It is always the task of each generation to determine if new emphases or priorities better serve the kingdom and the well-being of God’s people. The diligent cannot evade such assessment. The passion and participation of believers in the activities of the church has waxed and waned over centuries and even millennia. And we must give the devil his due. He is cunningly adept at what he does. He devises many distractions.
It is the tendency of human nature that times of material prosperity often see spiritual poverty while the greatest temporal hardship can cultivate the desire for sacred treasures. Affluence stands before the church as a great challenge to the mission of the gospel in our times. And how will it be addressed? Do we fuss and fret over trivial things while God’s Word is neglected? Do we invest great energy and resource in furthering our personal agendas and opinions while divine truth and its implications are set on the back burner?
In 1917 Russian Orthodox Church bishops were having a meeting that came to a heated debate with fusing and feuding. A few doors down the street another meeting was going on. The Bolsheviks were together plotting the overthrow of the Czar. Revolution was in the making- the beginning of what we now know as Communism. But what was the church arguing about while the Empire was crumbling around them? Candles, how tall were they to be?
Dear friends, the greatest need of human beings is no different today than it was when the guild began or 1000 years before: rescue from the guilt of sin and eternal condemnation. Does the call to repentance ever become obsolete? Is the current generation in any less need of God’s forgiveness than the last? Consider the daily news. Godlessness is pervasive. Recently a man who claimed to be the Joker gunned down movie-goers in cold blood. It is but the latest example in a long and sinister history that extends right back to Cain’s murder of Abel. We all have more than a little of Cain’s blood running through our veins. He inherited it from his father Adam. How deep is the darkness that lurks in the soul of humanity? Though we may deny it or cover it up God sees the darkness and deprivation. Unchecked it always brings harm to others.
But God does more than sees. Into our dark and dangerous world descended the Redeemer- God in human flesh. Today’s gospel reading is the well-known account of Jesus’ feeding of the five thousand. It was a small preview of what the Son of God would soon provide- immortal food. The account concludes with this interesting note. “Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make Him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by Himself.”1 It’s an intriguing turn of events! The humble preacher- envied by the Jewish rulers and under the watchful eye of the state- is to be made king by popular demand. It’s an insight into how the crowds generally perceived Jesus. Could He not have ridden this wave of popularity to gain leverage with the authorities?
But His kingdom is not of this world. The love of God is finally realized not in its role of mitigating the effects of sin but in eliminating the need for alleviation altogether. Yes, God satisfies the hungry, heals the sick, comforts the brokenhearted, guides the lost, accompanies the lonely, calms the distressed, and renews our hope. He does this by intervening in our adversity with the remedy that carries us through danger and hardship. In this life we will always be beggars. We will always need Christ’s mercy because we are always sinners existing in a state of fragility on the precipice of collapse.
But Christ has achieved for us an existence in which “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”2 His love is sacrificial and humble. Yet it is a conquering love. He was crucified so that you could have access through His blood. In His resurrection that blood- the blood of the New Adam now runs in your veins. That is the consequence of your baptism. In Christ we have life in a dying world. Should all earthly pursuits be ended we are no worse for eternity.
Today we pause to recognize what has ended. We grieve. 60 years of activities for the Bookpurnong Ladies’ Guild have come to an end. Sometimes, especially in circumstances like this, we may wonder if all the dedication and effort was worth it. What was accomplished? Who was impacted? What legacies were established? We leave these things in God’s hands.
Examples have been set. Seeds have been sown. God determines the harvests.
It’s like the little girl who was being punished by being forced to eat alone in the corner of the dining room. The family paid no attention to her until they heard her pray: “I Thank you Lord, for preparing a table for me in the presence of my enemies!” She knew the 23rd Psalm. And in this case she deemed her family- who undoubtedly taught it to her by taking her to church and Sunday School- to be her enemies. Now that is quick, concrete, and practical application of the Scriptures.
Today, like every Lord’s Day, is a day for giving thanks. How does the apostle Paul often conclude his discourses? With a doxology- a liturgical expression gratitude to the Redeemer. “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!”3 It’s not that remarkable to state that God is able to do more than we ask. But how staggering is it that God is able to do far more than we could ever even conceive of or imagine! The collective imagination of all humanity is a drop in the ocean compared to the ingenuity of the Almighty.
God promises new beginnings. They are not always the ones of our choosing. Above this, He promises an existence in which there is no decline or decay at all. The only books that will be closed will be the annals of death. The unmediated presence of Christ will involve a captivating newness absent of all sin, death, and decay. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”4 He has blessed us in the past and He will not fail us in the future. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Ninth Sunday After Pentecost
29 July 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 6:15
2 Revelation 21:4
3 Ephesians 3:20
4 Hebrews 13:8
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Eighth Sunday After Pentecost (B) 2012
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Mark 6:34
Theme: Christ of Compassion
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Countless are the souls freed by the compassion of Christ. Yet not a single one remains nameless in His kingdom. The Church calendar today celebrates the festival of Mary Magdalene. An early follower of Christ, she supported His itinerant ministry out of her own means. Indebted to Him for freeing her from evil spirits, she became a devoted follower never deserting Him, even at the cross. Mary was among the women who hurried to the tomb on Easter morning. She was the first to cling to the risen Lord. She now lives in the church triumphant; the gathering throng arrayed before the Lamb on His throne. Her life is a beautiful example of restoration and hope.
Biblical examples of the people Jesus helped are fine, but perhaps you’re thinking; “When will Christ have compassion on me?” How long do I have to suffer? How long do I have to wait? When do I get relief? Perspective is essential to our piety. Often the most basic truths are the most commonly overlooked. There is no inherent contentment that you are entitled to. You do not possess life by your own power or your own right. God, by wisdom and mystery far beyond our knowing, has granted you life. Unplanned, uninitiated, unearned, unmerited, and with no cooperation from you the Almighty has gifted you with body and soul, breath and intellect. He has endowed you with the capacity to relate to Himself and other human beings. He supplies you with everything to sustain your earthly life. Your very existence depends on His uninterrupted provision. This is a remarkable truth.
More remarkable still is the fact that God hasn’t left you to wallow in the sinful selfishness that can lead only to physical and eternal death. Our brief time on this earth becomes a very small consolation prize if eternity is forfeited. Never dismiss what it means that sin separates us eternally from God. Never overestimate the power you have in spiritual things. The Lutheran reformers remind us, “Without the Holy Spirit human hearts have neither the fear of God nor trust in God nor the faith that God hears, forgives, helps, or saves them.”1 Therefore, never underestimate the value of hearing the Word of God. The apostle says “…the gospel…is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.”2
Dear friends, the human tendency is either to sideline God altogether or make Him into something He is not. What shapes your image of God? Is it public opinion? Is it personal reflection? Is it formal training? Is your conception of God based on the truth of the Scriptures or some compilation of fashionable speculation? Those who would have God on their own terms will have Him only as an illusion and finally in judgment. Never confuse the sincerity of your belief with the object you put your trust in.
You may sincerely believe 120 kms per hour is a safe speed for you to travel through town but your sincerity will carry no weight when the law is enforced. You may sincerely think if you avoid going to the doctor you won’t be diagnosed with any illness but once the ambulance visits your sincerity will prove irrelevant. You may sincerely believe that God is a distant deity unconcerned with human affairs but reality will be very startling once you meet Him face to face. Dear friends, sincerity is no substitute for truth. Sincerity relates to the integrity of your feelings and intentions. But it can be misled and misplaced.
In Christ we see God as He really is. Not trendy in the world’s eyes. Not one who indulges our selfish appetites or caters to our personal agendas. Not one who overlooks our jealousies, hatreds, and insecurities. Not preoccupied or distracted. Rather, fully engaged in the complexities of His creation. He has assumed our flesh and bone that we might be children of the Father. He has endured suffering and death- punished for our transgressions- in order to make us participants of His immortality. He has broken the power of death. He has disarmed the Deceiver. He has established a holy community.
You are baptized into fellowship with the Holy Trinity and into communion with the saints of the apostolic church“…built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone.”3 What do the Scriptures say about this marvelous mystery? “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!...we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”4
While you wait to see Him as He is you now witness to Him as you are. That includes all of your warts and wrinkles, your short-comings and insecurities. Bearing the cross does not begin only after all of your problems are sorted out. Imperfect as you are, you bear the life of God to others in every capacity to which God has called you. Though the Holy Spirit leads you in a mighty struggle against your sinful tendencies within and your unseemly actions without; He still uses you to be a purveyor of His love and peace?
But where will we find the strength? We are so characteristically the people of our gospel today: Like sheep without a shepherd. We certainly cannot carry on with our own resources. No amount of discipline will bring us to the goal. Are you anticipating the spectacle of the games in London or are you tired already of hearing of the feats of Olympians? Yes, you too are an Olympian, as the apostle says. But you are not a robot. You are a human being. You will tire out. You will wear down. You will become wearied, fatigued, drained and exhausted. Yet you possess a strength that is not your own. It is gifted to you. It is given as you need it.
That is the very reason you are here. You know you are a sinner in need of forgiveness, a patient in need of healing, a rebel in need of restraint, a pauper in need of provision, a drifter in need of direction, a weakling in need of strength. Here Christ meets you in the very condition in which you come just as He met the helpless, the hapless, the sick and infirm by the Sea of Galilee.
Here you come to the banquet that serves the food of immortality. It is food only for sinners. Holy Communion is not for those who are resolute in their self-sufficiency. Those who brashly present their own virtue as the basis of admission to His altar of grace can only receive it to their judgment. Luther notes that the “holy sacrament is of little or no benefit to those who have no misfortune or anxiety, or who do not sense their adversity. For it is given only to those who need strength and comfort, who have timid hearts and terrified consciences, and who are assailed by sin, or have even fallen into sin.”5
Dear friends, Christ does not leave us guessing. Our hardships refine us and prepare us to better appreciate His mercy. But He leaves us in no doubt about His intentions. When will He have compassion on you? The Scripture says, “Now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation.”6 Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Eighth Sunday After Pentecost
22 July 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Tappert 225, 6
2 Romans 1:16
3 Ephesians 2:20
4 1 John 3:1-2
5 Martin Luther’s Basic Theological Writing, p.248
6 2 Corinthians 6:2
Text: Mark 6:34
Theme: Christ of Compassion
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Countless are the souls freed by the compassion of Christ. Yet not a single one remains nameless in His kingdom. The Church calendar today celebrates the festival of Mary Magdalene. An early follower of Christ, she supported His itinerant ministry out of her own means. Indebted to Him for freeing her from evil spirits, she became a devoted follower never deserting Him, even at the cross. Mary was among the women who hurried to the tomb on Easter morning. She was the first to cling to the risen Lord. She now lives in the church triumphant; the gathering throng arrayed before the Lamb on His throne. Her life is a beautiful example of restoration and hope.
Biblical examples of the people Jesus helped are fine, but perhaps you’re thinking; “When will Christ have compassion on me?” How long do I have to suffer? How long do I have to wait? When do I get relief? Perspective is essential to our piety. Often the most basic truths are the most commonly overlooked. There is no inherent contentment that you are entitled to. You do not possess life by your own power or your own right. God, by wisdom and mystery far beyond our knowing, has granted you life. Unplanned, uninitiated, unearned, unmerited, and with no cooperation from you the Almighty has gifted you with body and soul, breath and intellect. He has endowed you with the capacity to relate to Himself and other human beings. He supplies you with everything to sustain your earthly life. Your very existence depends on His uninterrupted provision. This is a remarkable truth.
More remarkable still is the fact that God hasn’t left you to wallow in the sinful selfishness that can lead only to physical and eternal death. Our brief time on this earth becomes a very small consolation prize if eternity is forfeited. Never dismiss what it means that sin separates us eternally from God. Never overestimate the power you have in spiritual things. The Lutheran reformers remind us, “Without the Holy Spirit human hearts have neither the fear of God nor trust in God nor the faith that God hears, forgives, helps, or saves them.”1 Therefore, never underestimate the value of hearing the Word of God. The apostle says “…the gospel…is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.”2
Dear friends, the human tendency is either to sideline God altogether or make Him into something He is not. What shapes your image of God? Is it public opinion? Is it personal reflection? Is it formal training? Is your conception of God based on the truth of the Scriptures or some compilation of fashionable speculation? Those who would have God on their own terms will have Him only as an illusion and finally in judgment. Never confuse the sincerity of your belief with the object you put your trust in.
You may sincerely believe 120 kms per hour is a safe speed for you to travel through town but your sincerity will carry no weight when the law is enforced. You may sincerely think if you avoid going to the doctor you won’t be diagnosed with any illness but once the ambulance visits your sincerity will prove irrelevant. You may sincerely believe that God is a distant deity unconcerned with human affairs but reality will be very startling once you meet Him face to face. Dear friends, sincerity is no substitute for truth. Sincerity relates to the integrity of your feelings and intentions. But it can be misled and misplaced.
In Christ we see God as He really is. Not trendy in the world’s eyes. Not one who indulges our selfish appetites or caters to our personal agendas. Not one who overlooks our jealousies, hatreds, and insecurities. Not preoccupied or distracted. Rather, fully engaged in the complexities of His creation. He has assumed our flesh and bone that we might be children of the Father. He has endured suffering and death- punished for our transgressions- in order to make us participants of His immortality. He has broken the power of death. He has disarmed the Deceiver. He has established a holy community.
You are baptized into fellowship with the Holy Trinity and into communion with the saints of the apostolic church“…built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone.”3 What do the Scriptures say about this marvelous mystery? “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!...we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”4
While you wait to see Him as He is you now witness to Him as you are. That includes all of your warts and wrinkles, your short-comings and insecurities. Bearing the cross does not begin only after all of your problems are sorted out. Imperfect as you are, you bear the life of God to others in every capacity to which God has called you. Though the Holy Spirit leads you in a mighty struggle against your sinful tendencies within and your unseemly actions without; He still uses you to be a purveyor of His love and peace?
But where will we find the strength? We are so characteristically the people of our gospel today: Like sheep without a shepherd. We certainly cannot carry on with our own resources. No amount of discipline will bring us to the goal. Are you anticipating the spectacle of the games in London or are you tired already of hearing of the feats of Olympians? Yes, you too are an Olympian, as the apostle says. But you are not a robot. You are a human being. You will tire out. You will wear down. You will become wearied, fatigued, drained and exhausted. Yet you possess a strength that is not your own. It is gifted to you. It is given as you need it.
That is the very reason you are here. You know you are a sinner in need of forgiveness, a patient in need of healing, a rebel in need of restraint, a pauper in need of provision, a drifter in need of direction, a weakling in need of strength. Here Christ meets you in the very condition in which you come just as He met the helpless, the hapless, the sick and infirm by the Sea of Galilee.
Here you come to the banquet that serves the food of immortality. It is food only for sinners. Holy Communion is not for those who are resolute in their self-sufficiency. Those who brashly present their own virtue as the basis of admission to His altar of grace can only receive it to their judgment. Luther notes that the “holy sacrament is of little or no benefit to those who have no misfortune or anxiety, or who do not sense their adversity. For it is given only to those who need strength and comfort, who have timid hearts and terrified consciences, and who are assailed by sin, or have even fallen into sin.”5
Dear friends, Christ does not leave us guessing. Our hardships refine us and prepare us to better appreciate His mercy. But He leaves us in no doubt about His intentions. When will He have compassion on you? The Scripture says, “Now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation.”6 Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Eighth Sunday After Pentecost
22 July 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Tappert 225, 6
2 Romans 1:16
3 Ephesians 2:20
4 1 John 3:1-2
5 Martin Luther’s Basic Theological Writing, p.248
6 2 Corinthians 6:2
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Seventh Sunday After Pentecost (B) 2012
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: mark 6:14-29
Theme: Living and Dying in Christ
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The Father loves the world indirectly. No, He is not aloof. Certainly when He sends rain for the growing crop His benevolence is unmediated. Yet when it comes to the salvation of souls, He loves the world through His Son. And through Him He loves it more unambiguously and passionately than at creation. Jesus, the new Adam and sacrificial Lamb is the direct presence of the Father in the world. The shepherds came to Bethlehem, the disciples fled from Calvary- and while humanity was in conflict and consternation- Christ embraced the world in divine compassion. The Holy Spirit communicates the crucified and risen Jesus to us through word and sacrament. His is a love that is always sacrificial, always self-giving.
Today St. Mark relates to us the story of the martyrdom of John the Baptist. John the Baptist lived and died in Christ. Through John, the truth of the ages was, and continues to be expressed to the world. He said of Christ, “He must become greater; I must become less.”1 And so it happened dramatically as he was beheaded for His dedication. John stands both as a towering witness calling us always to repentance and pointing us to Christ; and as a reminder that truth will always be opposed in the world- sometimes violently.
Despite being separated by 2000 years of history the condition of the human heart is fundamentally no different than in John’s time. Times change. Human nature doesn’t. What does John’s message have to say to us today? Though his brave and staunch cry for morality brought resistance from many quarters and even his own demise, it was a deeper message that ignited such conflict, fervor, and excitement among the children of men. It was essentially the claim that the wait was over and the search for God was ended. The idols of Rome were obsolete. The legalism of the Jews was overthrown. It was the assertion that the purpose and hope of humanity had been revealed in this one man.
And what has changed today? Materialism rules the consumer. Skepticism rules the scholar. Cronyism rules the politician. And Satan still rules the unbeliever. All are called to repent not merely of some indulgent or selfish indiscretion or even of habitual apathy and lovelessness, but of the fatal mistrust of any and every attempt of God to draw you near to Himself in Christ. Sin is not a matter of a stain on your shirt but the darkness of your soul. We are all whitewashed tombs until the Spirit brings new life.
John preached a “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”2 In Christ the baptized are cleansed, named, restored, and secured. All this is so because He paid the price for our salvation. The Scripture says, “In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.”3 Here we see the particularity of the Father’s love. He restores each unique believer, His own creation, through the exclusive triumph of Christ. The gospel is a many-faceted jewel but it is composed of a singular, unadulterated essence. It shines and glitters from every angle reflecting and refracting the rays of God’s grace. Yet, like a diamond it is a pure element to which all other rivals pale in comparison. Jesus Christ, the only-begotten of the Father and Son of Mary is alone the way and the truth and the life. Outside of Him there is no salvation.
Dear friends, one of the great mysteries of Christianity is how God can love each individual with such passion and if each was an only child. Only in faith can we grasp such a promise. Only the Holy Spirit can fill our hearts with confidence. Yes, you know God loves you because He provides for your bodily needs. But far more importantly, you believe God loves you because of the death and resurrection of His Son. We are all little mirrors reflecting that love.
The Scriptures call us to be pure in love. Love serves. It is directed outward- towards the well-being of another; or it is not true love. Love that has self-interest is a sham. It is a matter of manipulation or playing games. At best such “attempts” at love are borne of ignorance, at worst, selfishness. The one who seeks recognition for acts of charity or love has committed a great sin, for it is a sin glossed with religious pretense. There was never self-interest in the mercy Jesus showed to others. Our daily struggle is to imitate His love as we persevere in a world of darkness and doubt.
The Good News is new each time we hear it. The familiarity we have with the work of Christ’s sacrificial love should make it no less remarkable to us. Like food to the hungry stomach or rest to the weary body the gospel is comfort to the sinful soul. Just as food for the hungry stomach or sleep for the weary body is no less satisfying from one week to the next or one year to another, so absolution is never less comforting to the truly penitent. Those who seek God’s love are never left wanting. He supplies our needs. He calms our fears. He quiets our anxieties. He relieves our consciences and gives peace to our hearts. At death He receives our souls and guards our bodies until the resurrection of all flesh. He sweeps away the scars and traumas of life as effortlessly as the wind carries away a fallen leaf.
John the Baptist lived and died in Christ. The manner of his death seemed both brutal and arbitrary. There was no trial. No due process of law. No opportunity for appeal. Herod was grieved. Others rejoiced. Yet the Lamb of God whom he loved and proclaimed called him the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. When Christians die their worldly accomplishments may be praised at their deaths but they count for nothing in the divine ledger. Frivolous human pursuits are shown for what they are and God favours the faithful with a glory that far outstrips anything the world has to offer. We are already citizens of heaven. We have already in this bread and wine a foretaste of the feast to come. We have in His promise of grace a preview of the joy of heaven. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Seventh Sunday After Pentecost
15 July 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 2:30
2 Mark 1:4
3 Ephesians 1:7
Text: mark 6:14-29
Theme: Living and Dying in Christ
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
The Father loves the world indirectly. No, He is not aloof. Certainly when He sends rain for the growing crop His benevolence is unmediated. Yet when it comes to the salvation of souls, He loves the world through His Son. And through Him He loves it more unambiguously and passionately than at creation. Jesus, the new Adam and sacrificial Lamb is the direct presence of the Father in the world. The shepherds came to Bethlehem, the disciples fled from Calvary- and while humanity was in conflict and consternation- Christ embraced the world in divine compassion. The Holy Spirit communicates the crucified and risen Jesus to us through word and sacrament. His is a love that is always sacrificial, always self-giving.
Today St. Mark relates to us the story of the martyrdom of John the Baptist. John the Baptist lived and died in Christ. Through John, the truth of the ages was, and continues to be expressed to the world. He said of Christ, “He must become greater; I must become less.”1 And so it happened dramatically as he was beheaded for His dedication. John stands both as a towering witness calling us always to repentance and pointing us to Christ; and as a reminder that truth will always be opposed in the world- sometimes violently.
Despite being separated by 2000 years of history the condition of the human heart is fundamentally no different than in John’s time. Times change. Human nature doesn’t. What does John’s message have to say to us today? Though his brave and staunch cry for morality brought resistance from many quarters and even his own demise, it was a deeper message that ignited such conflict, fervor, and excitement among the children of men. It was essentially the claim that the wait was over and the search for God was ended. The idols of Rome were obsolete. The legalism of the Jews was overthrown. It was the assertion that the purpose and hope of humanity had been revealed in this one man.
And what has changed today? Materialism rules the consumer. Skepticism rules the scholar. Cronyism rules the politician. And Satan still rules the unbeliever. All are called to repent not merely of some indulgent or selfish indiscretion or even of habitual apathy and lovelessness, but of the fatal mistrust of any and every attempt of God to draw you near to Himself in Christ. Sin is not a matter of a stain on your shirt but the darkness of your soul. We are all whitewashed tombs until the Spirit brings new life.
John preached a “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”2 In Christ the baptized are cleansed, named, restored, and secured. All this is so because He paid the price for our salvation. The Scripture says, “In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.”3 Here we see the particularity of the Father’s love. He restores each unique believer, His own creation, through the exclusive triumph of Christ. The gospel is a many-faceted jewel but it is composed of a singular, unadulterated essence. It shines and glitters from every angle reflecting and refracting the rays of God’s grace. Yet, like a diamond it is a pure element to which all other rivals pale in comparison. Jesus Christ, the only-begotten of the Father and Son of Mary is alone the way and the truth and the life. Outside of Him there is no salvation.
Dear friends, one of the great mysteries of Christianity is how God can love each individual with such passion and if each was an only child. Only in faith can we grasp such a promise. Only the Holy Spirit can fill our hearts with confidence. Yes, you know God loves you because He provides for your bodily needs. But far more importantly, you believe God loves you because of the death and resurrection of His Son. We are all little mirrors reflecting that love.
The Scriptures call us to be pure in love. Love serves. It is directed outward- towards the well-being of another; or it is not true love. Love that has self-interest is a sham. It is a matter of manipulation or playing games. At best such “attempts” at love are borne of ignorance, at worst, selfishness. The one who seeks recognition for acts of charity or love has committed a great sin, for it is a sin glossed with religious pretense. There was never self-interest in the mercy Jesus showed to others. Our daily struggle is to imitate His love as we persevere in a world of darkness and doubt.
The Good News is new each time we hear it. The familiarity we have with the work of Christ’s sacrificial love should make it no less remarkable to us. Like food to the hungry stomach or rest to the weary body the gospel is comfort to the sinful soul. Just as food for the hungry stomach or sleep for the weary body is no less satisfying from one week to the next or one year to another, so absolution is never less comforting to the truly penitent. Those who seek God’s love are never left wanting. He supplies our needs. He calms our fears. He quiets our anxieties. He relieves our consciences and gives peace to our hearts. At death He receives our souls and guards our bodies until the resurrection of all flesh. He sweeps away the scars and traumas of life as effortlessly as the wind carries away a fallen leaf.
John the Baptist lived and died in Christ. The manner of his death seemed both brutal and arbitrary. There was no trial. No due process of law. No opportunity for appeal. Herod was grieved. Others rejoiced. Yet the Lamb of God whom he loved and proclaimed called him the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. When Christians die their worldly accomplishments may be praised at their deaths but they count for nothing in the divine ledger. Frivolous human pursuits are shown for what they are and God favours the faithful with a glory that far outstrips anything the world has to offer. We are already citizens of heaven. We have already in this bread and wine a foretaste of the feast to come. We have in His promise of grace a preview of the joy of heaven. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Seventh Sunday After Pentecost
15 July 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 2:30
2 Mark 1:4
3 Ephesians 1:7
Monday, July 16, 2012
Fifth Sunday after Pentecost (B) 2012
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Mark 5:28
Theme: Hope and Life
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
She still had hope. He clung to a desperate prayer. She was intimately familiar with her grief caused by 18 years of suffering- a personal ongoing saga. He faced the loss of His daughter- painful, heart-wrenching, a suffering external to his own person. Both looked to Christ- Jairus, the synagogue ruler, and the woman who bled- neither were disappointed. Where there is life there is hope. And in the case of Jesus, even where there is death He calls forth life.
Miracles are not just proofs of Christ’s divinity; they are consequences of His presence. That is, they were not just carefully chosen displays of omnipotence as much as they were organically consistent expressions of God’s existence in human flesh. That is not to say that in the person of Jesus the Godhead isn’t still veiled. Never was Jesus’ majesty and glory fully unleashed- mortals simply couldn’t bear it. Even the transfiguration was only a shadowy preview. Still, Christ always exuded restorative power. His compassion could not be contained. Everywhere He went the reversal of the fall was in progress. Even during His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus restored the ear of Malchus that had been severed by Peter in the initial melee.
Today Jesus addresses sickness and death. We tend to think we are only victims of sickness and disease. But in fact, sickness is part of the tangled pathology of sin. We are beset by sickness and death because we are sinners, not simply by chance. Though we rejoice in the knowledge God gives to mankind to address the vast range of physical and psychological dangers that confront us, as Christians we can never be duped into believing we will achieve the ultimate cure for the human condition.
Otherwise we would be in denial of the potency of original sin. Here we can only take God at His word. People will always be drawn more naturally to humanistic philosophy than they will biblical revelation. Yet sin is a chasm we have no means to bridge, power we have no strength to defeat, and a sickness for which we have no cure. Every effort to ignore or downplay the seriousness of our conundrum as sinners undermines what we should really be doing- repenting! You and I are sinners and that is something we must keep confessing until the Second Coming of our Lord makes it no longer true. Sin is the sickness of humanity. But Christ has the resources of divinity.
Today the suffering woman was restored just by touching Jesus’ garment. Jesus knew that power, healing strength, restorative energy, had gone out from Him. It was not spent on a curiosity seeker or skeptic. Nor is it possible to snatch something from the Almighty that He is not willing to give. We are told, “She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.”1
When her secrecy was shattered she came trembling to confess and revealed her plight. Christ allowed this for the advantage of the crowd not because of His own ignorance. His response was life-changing, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”2 The situation with Jairus’s daughter was even more stunning. The young girl had died. The commotion and wailing precipitated by death had already commenced. It was no barrier to Christ’s compassion and power. Nothing is insurmountable for Him who creates, redeems, and restores.
Now, what is the consequence of this peace and freedom that He grants? It is not something we are entitled to abuse. It is a privilege we exercise. The Scripture warns about those “who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only sovereign and Lord.”3 Forgiveness, that holy and precious gift, remains just that- a gift. It is never a tool we can manipulate.
Less than four months after his inauguration in 1881, James Garfield, the 20th President of the United States was shot twice at a Washington railroad depot. One grazed Garfield's arm; the other lodged in his abdomen. A leading Washington doctor came and inserted a metal probe into the wound, turning it slowly, searching for the bullet. The probe became stuck between the shattered fragments of Garfield's eleventh rib, and was removed only with a great deal of difficulty, causing great pain. Then Bliss inserted his finger into the wound, widening the hole in another unsuccessful probe.
Leading doctors of the age flocked to Washington to aid in his recovery, sixteen in all. Most probed the wound with their fingers or dirty instruments. Though the president complained of numbness in the legs and feet, which implied the bullet was lodged near the spinal cord, most thought it was resting in the abdomen. Garfield's condition only got worse. The doctors reopened the wound and enlarged it hoping to find the bullet. They were unsuccessful.
By the time Garfield died on September 19, his doctors had turned a three-inch-deep, harmless wound into a twenty-inch-long contaminated gash stretching from his ribs to his groin. The famous inventor, Alexander Graham Bell even invented a metal-detecting instrument to try and find the bullet. This was later found to be unsuccessful because of the metal bed frame the president was lying on.
If we keep probing our spiritual wounds sin festers and the wounds will not heal. And yet why do we return again, and again, and again? Is it not because we more easily gravitate to that which we are familiar with? We dwell in the past because that is where we are comfortable. Sin chains us to the hurts and pains, the decay caused by that which remains unforgiven. We keep probing the opening in hopes we will find justice, revenge, or validation. Perhaps we try to play the martyr in secret hope of being recognized. But only Christ can give us release. Forgiveness can and does heal fractured relationships because Christ has reconciled us to the Father. No human relationship can be broken beyond repair because the sacrifice for humanity’s affront to God is complete. The crucifixion is the unalterable expression of divine love and grace that cannot be surpassed. The risen, living, and ruling Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal testament to this truth.
Dear friends, God knows our sufferings. His concern for our suffering is not a matter of abstract knowledge. Jesus Christ embraced the fullness of our human condition, experiencing everything we endure, yet remained without sin. He knows the dark places we’ve been. He has been to the edge of the abyss and beyond. He will not abandon you in your sickness, uncertainty, or despair. He reminds you that the trouble of this life is short. He focuses you on the promises to come- the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.
The healing of the woman who bled and the raising of Jairus’s daughter were previews of what is come; examples of the body being healed in view of the soul. But here where the Spirit is at work the soul is healed in view of the body. In holy baptism the mortal wound of sin is absorbed into the life of Him who was mortally wounded for us. In baptism your decaying soul is regenerated by the same life-giving Spirit who attended Jesus’ own resurrection. He gives you too His own body and blood as a participation in the covenant of life that He instituted.
Where there is life there is hope. Where Christ is even death, the final sickness, has no power to do us any harm. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Fifth Sunday After Pentecost
1 July 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Mark 5:27
2 Mark 5:34
3 Jude 4
Text: Mark 5:28
Theme: Hope and Life
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
She still had hope. He clung to a desperate prayer. She was intimately familiar with her grief caused by 18 years of suffering- a personal ongoing saga. He faced the loss of His daughter- painful, heart-wrenching, a suffering external to his own person. Both looked to Christ- Jairus, the synagogue ruler, and the woman who bled- neither were disappointed. Where there is life there is hope. And in the case of Jesus, even where there is death He calls forth life.
Miracles are not just proofs of Christ’s divinity; they are consequences of His presence. That is, they were not just carefully chosen displays of omnipotence as much as they were organically consistent expressions of God’s existence in human flesh. That is not to say that in the person of Jesus the Godhead isn’t still veiled. Never was Jesus’ majesty and glory fully unleashed- mortals simply couldn’t bear it. Even the transfiguration was only a shadowy preview. Still, Christ always exuded restorative power. His compassion could not be contained. Everywhere He went the reversal of the fall was in progress. Even during His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus restored the ear of Malchus that had been severed by Peter in the initial melee.
Today Jesus addresses sickness and death. We tend to think we are only victims of sickness and disease. But in fact, sickness is part of the tangled pathology of sin. We are beset by sickness and death because we are sinners, not simply by chance. Though we rejoice in the knowledge God gives to mankind to address the vast range of physical and psychological dangers that confront us, as Christians we can never be duped into believing we will achieve the ultimate cure for the human condition.
Otherwise we would be in denial of the potency of original sin. Here we can only take God at His word. People will always be drawn more naturally to humanistic philosophy than they will biblical revelation. Yet sin is a chasm we have no means to bridge, power we have no strength to defeat, and a sickness for which we have no cure. Every effort to ignore or downplay the seriousness of our conundrum as sinners undermines what we should really be doing- repenting! You and I are sinners and that is something we must keep confessing until the Second Coming of our Lord makes it no longer true. Sin is the sickness of humanity. But Christ has the resources of divinity.
Today the suffering woman was restored just by touching Jesus’ garment. Jesus knew that power, healing strength, restorative energy, had gone out from Him. It was not spent on a curiosity seeker or skeptic. Nor is it possible to snatch something from the Almighty that He is not willing to give. We are told, “She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.”1
When her secrecy was shattered she came trembling to confess and revealed her plight. Christ allowed this for the advantage of the crowd not because of His own ignorance. His response was life-changing, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”2 The situation with Jairus’s daughter was even more stunning. The young girl had died. The commotion and wailing precipitated by death had already commenced. It was no barrier to Christ’s compassion and power. Nothing is insurmountable for Him who creates, redeems, and restores.
Now, what is the consequence of this peace and freedom that He grants? It is not something we are entitled to abuse. It is a privilege we exercise. The Scripture warns about those “who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only sovereign and Lord.”3 Forgiveness, that holy and precious gift, remains just that- a gift. It is never a tool we can manipulate.
Less than four months after his inauguration in 1881, James Garfield, the 20th President of the United States was shot twice at a Washington railroad depot. One grazed Garfield's arm; the other lodged in his abdomen. A leading Washington doctor came and inserted a metal probe into the wound, turning it slowly, searching for the bullet. The probe became stuck between the shattered fragments of Garfield's eleventh rib, and was removed only with a great deal of difficulty, causing great pain. Then Bliss inserted his finger into the wound, widening the hole in another unsuccessful probe.
Leading doctors of the age flocked to Washington to aid in his recovery, sixteen in all. Most probed the wound with their fingers or dirty instruments. Though the president complained of numbness in the legs and feet, which implied the bullet was lodged near the spinal cord, most thought it was resting in the abdomen. Garfield's condition only got worse. The doctors reopened the wound and enlarged it hoping to find the bullet. They were unsuccessful.
By the time Garfield died on September 19, his doctors had turned a three-inch-deep, harmless wound into a twenty-inch-long contaminated gash stretching from his ribs to his groin. The famous inventor, Alexander Graham Bell even invented a metal-detecting instrument to try and find the bullet. This was later found to be unsuccessful because of the metal bed frame the president was lying on.
If we keep probing our spiritual wounds sin festers and the wounds will not heal. And yet why do we return again, and again, and again? Is it not because we more easily gravitate to that which we are familiar with? We dwell in the past because that is where we are comfortable. Sin chains us to the hurts and pains, the decay caused by that which remains unforgiven. We keep probing the opening in hopes we will find justice, revenge, or validation. Perhaps we try to play the martyr in secret hope of being recognized. But only Christ can give us release. Forgiveness can and does heal fractured relationships because Christ has reconciled us to the Father. No human relationship can be broken beyond repair because the sacrifice for humanity’s affront to God is complete. The crucifixion is the unalterable expression of divine love and grace that cannot be surpassed. The risen, living, and ruling Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal testament to this truth.
Dear friends, God knows our sufferings. His concern for our suffering is not a matter of abstract knowledge. Jesus Christ embraced the fullness of our human condition, experiencing everything we endure, yet remained without sin. He knows the dark places we’ve been. He has been to the edge of the abyss and beyond. He will not abandon you in your sickness, uncertainty, or despair. He reminds you that the trouble of this life is short. He focuses you on the promises to come- the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.
The healing of the woman who bled and the raising of Jairus’s daughter were previews of what is come; examples of the body being healed in view of the soul. But here where the Spirit is at work the soul is healed in view of the body. In holy baptism the mortal wound of sin is absorbed into the life of Him who was mortally wounded for us. In baptism your decaying soul is regenerated by the same life-giving Spirit who attended Jesus’ own resurrection. He gives you too His own body and blood as a participation in the covenant of life that He instituted.
Where there is life there is hope. Where Christ is even death, the final sickness, has no power to do us any harm. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Fifth Sunday After Pentecost
1 July 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Mark 5:27
2 Mark 5:34
3 Jude 4
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Pentecost 2012
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 16:7
Theme: The ‘Proceeding’ Spirit
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Pentecost unshackled the Holy Spirit. The Father’s sending of the Son advances with the sending of the Spirit. As long as this dimension of creation endures the Holy Spirit is at work. We will know with absolute certainty when the work of the Holy Spirit is finished because we will see Christ in glory. Today is the Day of Pentecost. Pentecost means ‘fiftieth’. Fifty days after His resurrection from the dead Christ gifted His fledgling church with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit appeared as tongues of fire resting on the disciples. His work was immediately evidenced in their ability to speak the gospel in different languages. The Holy Spirit works no differently today. He attends the preaching of the Word- convicts people of sin, grants faith, and nourishes the faith He gives. From baptism to the grave the Holy Spirit connects us with the work of Christ.
The evidence of the Holy Spirit’s outpouring in Acts today is not an historical footnote. Visible as tongues of fire the Spirit enabled the apostles to speak in foreign languages. They were not muttering or babbling. They were not drunk as some on-lookers supposed. They were articulating the gospel to those who were not yet followers of Christ. From Rome to Mesopotamia, Libya to Asia- all visitors to Jerusalem- they heard the gospel being expounded in their native language. The faith of Abraham was now to be disseminated to the world. The Royal Son of David was now forging a global kingdom. Satan’s dark haunts now had the light of truth breaking upon them. That light continues to penetrate today whenever and wherever the Holy Spirit uncovers idolatry, convicts of immorality, illuminates ignorance, emboldens the faint-hearted, comforts the anxious, grants peace to those in turmoil, etc., etc.
Pentecost, then, is never simply about historical remembrance. It is the penultimate act of the Holy Trinity’s concerted effort to rescue humanity from self-interest and Satan’s deceptions. It is penultimate because we look for noting more except Christ’s return in glory. His return is what the Holy Spirit seeks to prepare the world for. It is largely as thankless task. Sinners are not easily severed from their idols. And once converted, we are not easily kept from wandering back into the darkness.
Dear friends, consider closely what the Scripture says about the Holy Spirit today, “When He comes He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.”1 As long us unbelief and self-righteousness hold sway in the human heart the Holy Spirit has only one message. He preaches the law to break down hardened hearts and self-serving wills. For those hardened in unbelief He decrees only judgment. Only in this way will sinners despair of finding salvation in themselves or elsewhere. But immediately when help is sought, when the seed of faith begins to swell and sprout, the promise of grace is His recurring theme.
He brings life out of death. “Son of man,” the Almighty queried Ezekiel, “can these bones live? O Lord, God, You alone know.”2 Yes, in Christ. How? Baptism is the Spirit’s means of connecting the individual with the salvation of Christ. As such, it is a mandate and consequence of Pentecost. The Jews used designated water for ritual and ceremonial cleansing- an external preparation showing the individual was receptive to God. The Spirit uses baptismal water for spiritual regeneration- an inward sanctification showing God is receptive to the individual.
Despite a firm belief in the divinity of the Holy Spirit and His presence among God’s people, the nature of how the Holy Spirit is present and works is often misunderstood. We live in an age when value and credibility are measured largely by emotional experience. Feeling dominates reason and the heart takes precedent over the mind. Mass marketing is efficient at capitalizing on this phenomenon. Advertising is directed at your emotions, not your intellect. We are told at every turn to satiate our desires and do what makes us feel good and not worry about the consequences. This explains why people with incomes considerably above average are still often in debt. Or why people become addicted to habits they clearly understand are bad for their well-being.
Spiritually, people’s desire to measure truth and value by their feelings often seeks legitimacy by reference to the Holy Spirit. It may be assumed that if one feels strongly led to do or not do something, the Holy Spirit must be the cause. Taken to the extreme, every whim or desire can be claimed to be a motivation of the Spirit (or God generally). When this inner and individual subjectivism reigns supreme, there is then no objective or external standard by which to measure truth. This is always a dangerous scenario for it may lead to direct contradiction of the will of God. Regardless of how strongly I feel that another person’s spouse is meant to be with me, adultery is always wrong. No matter how strongly my feelings justify my addiction, it is still wrong and I can’t claim the Holy Spirit allows otherwise. The Holy Spirit never leads us into anything that is in contradiction to God’s external, revealed will.
Nor is the Holy Spirit merely a validator of personal decision-making. To state it quite frankly, the Holy Spirit is probably not that concerned with the mundane decisions of our lives. We may fret and worry about whether we should keep our current job or seek a different one; get a new car or fix the old one; meet the current request or a different one. We may desperately want to know what God’s will is in a certain matter. But as long as either choice doesn’t involve dishonesty or unrighteousness, God will bless our decision either way. That doesn’t mean that through prayer we shouldn’t seek God’s will, we should. But the Holy Spirit’s chief concern is our life of sanctification. Our decisions regularly involve the teachings of Scripture and that is where the Holy Spirit’s work is essential. Jesus said, “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, He will testify about Me.”3 This testimony happens through word and water, bread and wine.
The end goal of the Holy Spirit is always the same. The Holy Spirit always seeks to lead the unbeliever to Christ. And the Holy Spirit always seeks to lead the believer back to Christ and to be more obedient to Christ. There is no independent agenda or activity of the Holy Spirit. Like the apostles, the Holy Spirit has no other message, no other power, no other persuasion, no other comfort than the crucified, risen, ascended, and coming Lord Jesus Christ. His was the suffering, His the humiliation, His the sacrifice, His the atonement and these redound to the Father’s glory and the Holy Spirit’s praise. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Day of Pentecost
27 May 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 16:8
2 Ezekiel 37:3
3 John 15:26
Text: John 16:7
Theme: The ‘Proceeding’ Spirit
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Pentecost unshackled the Holy Spirit. The Father’s sending of the Son advances with the sending of the Spirit. As long as this dimension of creation endures the Holy Spirit is at work. We will know with absolute certainty when the work of the Holy Spirit is finished because we will see Christ in glory. Today is the Day of Pentecost. Pentecost means ‘fiftieth’. Fifty days after His resurrection from the dead Christ gifted His fledgling church with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit appeared as tongues of fire resting on the disciples. His work was immediately evidenced in their ability to speak the gospel in different languages. The Holy Spirit works no differently today. He attends the preaching of the Word- convicts people of sin, grants faith, and nourishes the faith He gives. From baptism to the grave the Holy Spirit connects us with the work of Christ.
The evidence of the Holy Spirit’s outpouring in Acts today is not an historical footnote. Visible as tongues of fire the Spirit enabled the apostles to speak in foreign languages. They were not muttering or babbling. They were not drunk as some on-lookers supposed. They were articulating the gospel to those who were not yet followers of Christ. From Rome to Mesopotamia, Libya to Asia- all visitors to Jerusalem- they heard the gospel being expounded in their native language. The faith of Abraham was now to be disseminated to the world. The Royal Son of David was now forging a global kingdom. Satan’s dark haunts now had the light of truth breaking upon them. That light continues to penetrate today whenever and wherever the Holy Spirit uncovers idolatry, convicts of immorality, illuminates ignorance, emboldens the faint-hearted, comforts the anxious, grants peace to those in turmoil, etc., etc.
Pentecost, then, is never simply about historical remembrance. It is the penultimate act of the Holy Trinity’s concerted effort to rescue humanity from self-interest and Satan’s deceptions. It is penultimate because we look for noting more except Christ’s return in glory. His return is what the Holy Spirit seeks to prepare the world for. It is largely as thankless task. Sinners are not easily severed from their idols. And once converted, we are not easily kept from wandering back into the darkness.
Dear friends, consider closely what the Scripture says about the Holy Spirit today, “When He comes He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.”1 As long us unbelief and self-righteousness hold sway in the human heart the Holy Spirit has only one message. He preaches the law to break down hardened hearts and self-serving wills. For those hardened in unbelief He decrees only judgment. Only in this way will sinners despair of finding salvation in themselves or elsewhere. But immediately when help is sought, when the seed of faith begins to swell and sprout, the promise of grace is His recurring theme.
He brings life out of death. “Son of man,” the Almighty queried Ezekiel, “can these bones live? O Lord, God, You alone know.”2 Yes, in Christ. How? Baptism is the Spirit’s means of connecting the individual with the salvation of Christ. As such, it is a mandate and consequence of Pentecost. The Jews used designated water for ritual and ceremonial cleansing- an external preparation showing the individual was receptive to God. The Spirit uses baptismal water for spiritual regeneration- an inward sanctification showing God is receptive to the individual.
Despite a firm belief in the divinity of the Holy Spirit and His presence among God’s people, the nature of how the Holy Spirit is present and works is often misunderstood. We live in an age when value and credibility are measured largely by emotional experience. Feeling dominates reason and the heart takes precedent over the mind. Mass marketing is efficient at capitalizing on this phenomenon. Advertising is directed at your emotions, not your intellect. We are told at every turn to satiate our desires and do what makes us feel good and not worry about the consequences. This explains why people with incomes considerably above average are still often in debt. Or why people become addicted to habits they clearly understand are bad for their well-being.
Spiritually, people’s desire to measure truth and value by their feelings often seeks legitimacy by reference to the Holy Spirit. It may be assumed that if one feels strongly led to do or not do something, the Holy Spirit must be the cause. Taken to the extreme, every whim or desire can be claimed to be a motivation of the Spirit (or God generally). When this inner and individual subjectivism reigns supreme, there is then no objective or external standard by which to measure truth. This is always a dangerous scenario for it may lead to direct contradiction of the will of God. Regardless of how strongly I feel that another person’s spouse is meant to be with me, adultery is always wrong. No matter how strongly my feelings justify my addiction, it is still wrong and I can’t claim the Holy Spirit allows otherwise. The Holy Spirit never leads us into anything that is in contradiction to God’s external, revealed will.
Nor is the Holy Spirit merely a validator of personal decision-making. To state it quite frankly, the Holy Spirit is probably not that concerned with the mundane decisions of our lives. We may fret and worry about whether we should keep our current job or seek a different one; get a new car or fix the old one; meet the current request or a different one. We may desperately want to know what God’s will is in a certain matter. But as long as either choice doesn’t involve dishonesty or unrighteousness, God will bless our decision either way. That doesn’t mean that through prayer we shouldn’t seek God’s will, we should. But the Holy Spirit’s chief concern is our life of sanctification. Our decisions regularly involve the teachings of Scripture and that is where the Holy Spirit’s work is essential. Jesus said, “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, He will testify about Me.”3 This testimony happens through word and water, bread and wine.
The end goal of the Holy Spirit is always the same. The Holy Spirit always seeks to lead the unbeliever to Christ. And the Holy Spirit always seeks to lead the believer back to Christ and to be more obedient to Christ. There is no independent agenda or activity of the Holy Spirit. Like the apostles, the Holy Spirit has no other message, no other power, no other persuasion, no other comfort than the crucified, risen, ascended, and coming Lord Jesus Christ. His was the suffering, His the humiliation, His the sacrifice, His the atonement and these redound to the Father’s glory and the Holy Spirit’s praise. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Day of Pentecost
27 May 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 16:8
2 Ezekiel 37:3
3 John 15:26
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Seventh Sunday of Easter (B) 2012
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 17:6-19
Theme: Holy Pray-er, Holy Prayer
Dear friends of the Risen Lord,
God gives the greatest opportunities. The sinful human tendency is to exploit them. God gives sinners opportunity for repentance. The Holy Spirit prompts us to seize such opportunities immediately. The window for repentance may seem so large that its frames are not in our field of vision. But it could close in an instant. God’s patience may appear parameter-less, but it will reach its limit in the blink of an eye. God is not absent-minded, preoccupied, or inattentive. The boundlessness of His compassion does not mean His tolerance of godlessness is open-ended.
If you are making light of your sinfulness on the assumption that God doesn’t really care, can’t be bothered, or won’t judge you; you are laboring under a very dangerous false understanding. Your sins are never overlooked or excused. They must be forgiven. In fact, His justice necessitates an end to all evil and wickedness. The Father will act for the sake of the Son on behalf of the faithful. Christ is never lax in fulfilling the Father’s will.
Today’s gospel contains one of the most passionate and profound examples of prayer in the Holy Scriptures. Christ is in fervent prayer to the heavenly Father just hours before His crucifixion. His focus is on the well-being of His followers. He says, “They are not of the world anymore that I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”1 Prayer is our communication line with the Father and we have access to Him through Christ.
As in the Lord’s Prayer, Christ prays today for protection from Satan and evil. He prays for holiness, attained only through His word of truth. These spiritual concerns are always uppermost in our prayer life. We believe that when the spiritual aspects of our lives are given priority temporal matters will follow consequentially. Our temporal concerns might be more mundane, but that makes them no less burdensome. We may struggle daily with strained relationships, difficult work situations, personal failures or addictions. These will all affect our faith too. Prayer involves the privilege of calling on God as Father- not something to take for granted.
Many people are apathetic about their devotional life because they believe it fails the pragmatic test. Unless they are convinced of some practical result- some advantage- why bother? There may appear to be little hope of return on the investment. To put it quite bluntly, it seems to be a waste of time- that precious commodity is such short supply already. Can’t we always call on God if we really need Him? Otherwise, why be too fussed? Remember last week the titles for the lukewarm Christian hymnal. Here are a few more: “My Faith Looks Around for Thee”, “I'm Fairly Certain That My Redeemer Lives”, “Self-Esteem to the World! The Lord is Come”, and “Blest Be the Tie That Doesn't Cramp My Style”.
But even the posing of the question betrays a misapprehension of the whole matter. Can a person call on God as a last resort and still do so in faith? Would it be nothing more than a hollow exercise in desperation? Will the expectation be motivated by trust and acceptance of God’s will or a last-ditch effort at averting disaster? God knows all things. He hears every secret conspiracy. He knows our words before we speak them. Are we brazen enough to presume upon God if our motives are insincere?
When we stand at the precipice of mortality there is use for neither wishful thinking nor naïve speculation. There is no automatic transition across the threshold of death. Science, human wisdom, and personal merit all have nothing to offer in this regard. Our absolute fragility is laid bare. Nothing short of the Redeemer’s own blood will do. We have hope because we have Christ. The last thing the Bible suggests is that bland, religious platitudes will give us true peace of mind. Kind words may be soothing and positive thoughts might ease anxiety but only truth will carry the day. The soul rests in the merits of Christ’s sacrifice for sinners.
This peace of mind cannot be generated by any ability or resources we possess. Church attendance or charitable activities may add an outward decorum to life, stroke the ego, and serve practical goals, but certainty of salvation can be found only at the cross. Christ reconciles sinners to the Father through the cost of His blood. His sacrifice was not a sentimental gesture. It was the price of redemption. Christ was not constrained by angelic powers, subdued by earthly rulers, driven by self-interest, or goaded by peer pressure. Freely- to the greatest extent that we can describe or understand the freedom of a self-existing being- He yielded His life to the point of collapse so that death might be overthrown. To this extent we now possess freedom from sin’s guilt and death’s power. It is never an independent freedom but the ultimate liberty enjoyed because of the security we have in Christ. Forgiveness is not a fine-sounding cliché. It is a promise sealed in blood. It is a living fruit of Christ’s resurrection.
Through neglect prayer life can grow cold and perish. It is often a symptom of anemic faith. In a Spanish town called Segovia there is a Roman aqueduct built in A.D. 109. For eighteen hundred years, it carried cool water from the mountains to the hot and thirsty city. Nearly sixty generations of men drank from its flow. Then came another generation, a recent one, who said, “This aqueduct is so great a marvel that it ought to be preserved for our children, as a museum piece. We shall relieve it of its centuries-long labour.” They did; they laid modern iron pipes. They gave the ancient bricks and mortar a reverent rest. And the aqueduct began to fall apart. The sun beating on the dry mortar caused it to crumble. The bricks and stone sagged and threatened to fall. What ages of service could not destroy idleness disintegrated.
Guess what? You are still useful. Despite any arguments you may offer to the contrary, you are still useful to God. You know that because you are still here. God has not taken you to glory. It may be a simple fact but it still has profound and very practical consequences. Remember what St. Paul said in his mature years, “I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith.”2 The Lord still had a purpose for Paul. He was still a useful instrument in the struggle. You remain on in the body because you still have a purpose in His church militant.
Today we meet in God’s house of prayer between the celebration of Christ’s ascension and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. In the creeds of the church the ascension is connected chronologically and theologically with Christ’s enthronement. This is expressed in the phrase referring to His “sitting at the right hand of God [the Father].” As the victorious Redeemer Christ now rules the cosmos and especially intercedes for the church. He provides for the preaching of the gospel and the proclamation of the forgiveness of sins. We do not know when the window for the Spirit’s work will close. But we know Him who intercedes for us and has opened the gate of heaven. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Seventh Sunday of Easter
20 May 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 17:14-17
2 Philippians 1:23-25
Text: John 17:6-19
Theme: Holy Pray-er, Holy Prayer
Dear friends of the Risen Lord,
God gives the greatest opportunities. The sinful human tendency is to exploit them. God gives sinners opportunity for repentance. The Holy Spirit prompts us to seize such opportunities immediately. The window for repentance may seem so large that its frames are not in our field of vision. But it could close in an instant. God’s patience may appear parameter-less, but it will reach its limit in the blink of an eye. God is not absent-minded, preoccupied, or inattentive. The boundlessness of His compassion does not mean His tolerance of godlessness is open-ended.
If you are making light of your sinfulness on the assumption that God doesn’t really care, can’t be bothered, or won’t judge you; you are laboring under a very dangerous false understanding. Your sins are never overlooked or excused. They must be forgiven. In fact, His justice necessitates an end to all evil and wickedness. The Father will act for the sake of the Son on behalf of the faithful. Christ is never lax in fulfilling the Father’s will.
Today’s gospel contains one of the most passionate and profound examples of prayer in the Holy Scriptures. Christ is in fervent prayer to the heavenly Father just hours before His crucifixion. His focus is on the well-being of His followers. He says, “They are not of the world anymore that I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”1 Prayer is our communication line with the Father and we have access to Him through Christ.
As in the Lord’s Prayer, Christ prays today for protection from Satan and evil. He prays for holiness, attained only through His word of truth. These spiritual concerns are always uppermost in our prayer life. We believe that when the spiritual aspects of our lives are given priority temporal matters will follow consequentially. Our temporal concerns might be more mundane, but that makes them no less burdensome. We may struggle daily with strained relationships, difficult work situations, personal failures or addictions. These will all affect our faith too. Prayer involves the privilege of calling on God as Father- not something to take for granted.
Many people are apathetic about their devotional life because they believe it fails the pragmatic test. Unless they are convinced of some practical result- some advantage- why bother? There may appear to be little hope of return on the investment. To put it quite bluntly, it seems to be a waste of time- that precious commodity is such short supply already. Can’t we always call on God if we really need Him? Otherwise, why be too fussed? Remember last week the titles for the lukewarm Christian hymnal. Here are a few more: “My Faith Looks Around for Thee”, “I'm Fairly Certain That My Redeemer Lives”, “Self-Esteem to the World! The Lord is Come”, and “Blest Be the Tie That Doesn't Cramp My Style”.
But even the posing of the question betrays a misapprehension of the whole matter. Can a person call on God as a last resort and still do so in faith? Would it be nothing more than a hollow exercise in desperation? Will the expectation be motivated by trust and acceptance of God’s will or a last-ditch effort at averting disaster? God knows all things. He hears every secret conspiracy. He knows our words before we speak them. Are we brazen enough to presume upon God if our motives are insincere?
When we stand at the precipice of mortality there is use for neither wishful thinking nor naïve speculation. There is no automatic transition across the threshold of death. Science, human wisdom, and personal merit all have nothing to offer in this regard. Our absolute fragility is laid bare. Nothing short of the Redeemer’s own blood will do. We have hope because we have Christ. The last thing the Bible suggests is that bland, religious platitudes will give us true peace of mind. Kind words may be soothing and positive thoughts might ease anxiety but only truth will carry the day. The soul rests in the merits of Christ’s sacrifice for sinners.
This peace of mind cannot be generated by any ability or resources we possess. Church attendance or charitable activities may add an outward decorum to life, stroke the ego, and serve practical goals, but certainty of salvation can be found only at the cross. Christ reconciles sinners to the Father through the cost of His blood. His sacrifice was not a sentimental gesture. It was the price of redemption. Christ was not constrained by angelic powers, subdued by earthly rulers, driven by self-interest, or goaded by peer pressure. Freely- to the greatest extent that we can describe or understand the freedom of a self-existing being- He yielded His life to the point of collapse so that death might be overthrown. To this extent we now possess freedom from sin’s guilt and death’s power. It is never an independent freedom but the ultimate liberty enjoyed because of the security we have in Christ. Forgiveness is not a fine-sounding cliché. It is a promise sealed in blood. It is a living fruit of Christ’s resurrection.
Through neglect prayer life can grow cold and perish. It is often a symptom of anemic faith. In a Spanish town called Segovia there is a Roman aqueduct built in A.D. 109. For eighteen hundred years, it carried cool water from the mountains to the hot and thirsty city. Nearly sixty generations of men drank from its flow. Then came another generation, a recent one, who said, “This aqueduct is so great a marvel that it ought to be preserved for our children, as a museum piece. We shall relieve it of its centuries-long labour.” They did; they laid modern iron pipes. They gave the ancient bricks and mortar a reverent rest. And the aqueduct began to fall apart. The sun beating on the dry mortar caused it to crumble. The bricks and stone sagged and threatened to fall. What ages of service could not destroy idleness disintegrated.
Guess what? You are still useful. Despite any arguments you may offer to the contrary, you are still useful to God. You know that because you are still here. God has not taken you to glory. It may be a simple fact but it still has profound and very practical consequences. Remember what St. Paul said in his mature years, “I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith.”2 The Lord still had a purpose for Paul. He was still a useful instrument in the struggle. You remain on in the body because you still have a purpose in His church militant.
Today we meet in God’s house of prayer between the celebration of Christ’s ascension and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. In the creeds of the church the ascension is connected chronologically and theologically with Christ’s enthronement. This is expressed in the phrase referring to His “sitting at the right hand of God [the Father].” As the victorious Redeemer Christ now rules the cosmos and especially intercedes for the church. He provides for the preaching of the gospel and the proclamation of the forgiveness of sins. We do not know when the window for the Spirit’s work will close. But we know Him who intercedes for us and has opened the gate of heaven. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Seventh Sunday of Easter
20 May 2012
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 17:14-17
2 Philippians 1:23-25
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