+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 10:38-42
Theme: Balance
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Did Jesus lead a balanced life? We’d be more than a little arrogant to attempt to judge. After all, He was busy being the Saviour of humanity. Still, Jesus had close friends; friends other than the Twelve. Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were among them. It’s marvelous to be privy to otherwise private communications; especially when they involve the presence of our Lord. The Holy Spirit has briefly documented for us this visit of Christ to the home of Mary and Martha. How large the gathering was we do not know? The record of it is candid and concise. It is written for our edification. Jesus’ reply to Martha is direct, discerning, and considerate. You can almost hear the compassion in His voice. “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things…”1 Jesus reads the heart. Martha had things out of balance.
Societal experts regularly counsel about the importance of keeping balance in life. And as well they should. Dangers soon arise when things become too unstable. The same is true spiritually. Sin throws us off balance. It knocks us off centre. It causes us to lose our spiritual and moral equilibrium. If we don’t build on the solid foundation of Christ alone, if we don’t build true to plumb (as God warned through Amos last week), the spiritual house in which we dwell will not withstand fire, or earthquake, or flood. It will not be fit for the Holy Spirit. It will become Satan’s playground.
If as individuals, and communities, and societies we persistently reject His grace and ignore His commands then we can expect the warning issued through Amos today to apply to us, “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord God, ‘when I will send a famine on the land- not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord, but they shall not find it.”2 Bereft of God’s word a vertigo that destroys all balance is the certain result.
But hear again the words of the apostle today, “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your mind because of your evil behavior. But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in His sight.”3 Dear friends, God doesn’t overlook sin. He punished it in the person of His Son. God is not indifferent about our transgressions. He does not trivialize infraction of His holiness by depreciating the offence. Justice is never circumvented. We dare not confuse forgiveness with tolerance. The death of Jesus was a sufficient ransom. Nothing else matters. Not our greatest efforts. Not our best intentions. Not our deepest piety can reconcile us to the Almighty. A cross was raised and the body of the Suffering Servant was hung upon it. Redemption was finished. His death defeated death and this foolishness to the human mind was the wisdom of the divine heart. He leaves nothing unfinished.
Many great projects in the history of civilization were never completed because the architect behind them died. Orson Welles was working on a movie called The Other Side of the Wind. It was more than twenty years in the making. Orson died in 1985 and the film was never completed. Beatles member John Lennon was killed in 1980. He left behind an extensive collection of recordings. Most were unfinished and never released. Death has cut short many inventions, many accomplishments, and many triumphs- most lost to humanity. But the death of this Messiah was not cut from this same cloth. His death did not derail the plan of redemption it consummated it. When He said from the cross “It is finished!”4 all transgressions were atoned for. The event that frees you from the threat of hell was completed. His resurrection on the third day was proof the life prevails. The cosmos was put back into balance.
It could be that the request of Martha was indicative of her personality. Perhaps Jesus had encountered it before. He sees it commonly enough in us. But do not agonize about whether you are labeled by others as a Mary or a Martha. Just consider the balance of which Jesus speaks. Toil without purpose will be aimless. St. Paul says, “I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.”5 “Run in such a way as to get the prize.”6
Luther reminds us that in His work of sanctifying us the Holy Spirit is deliberate and precise about His objectives. He doesn’t work generically. He doesn’t just cheer us on, He prunes, He supports, He absolves according to the need. Luther writes, “Therefore as His means we take and give only as He has commanded. In practice this means carrying out our calling where God has placed us and serving people in our calling. Doing this and practicing all the virtues of Christian piety will keep us more than busy.”7 Note Luther’s marvelous way of simplifying and extolling Christian vocation: we are vessels, agents who receive from His bounty and pass on His blessings to others. We own nothing and yet we give everything.
Martha’s main concern at that moment was misplaced. It was out of balance. Undoubtedly Martha was eager to ensure a proper spread was put on for the visit of the Lord. It seemed an obvious exercise of her vocation. She was trying to be a good host. But the real host was Jesus. Mary understood this and she was not about to miss the opportunity to sit at His feet.
Jesus is the divine host and He welcomes us today. Think of what gifts He offers! Christ has declared without qualification that He is present in the bread and wine when Holy Communion is properly administered. His true body and His priceless blood convey to us His forgiveness, life, and salvation. He doesn’t remain far away in the distant heavens. He condescends to us in this sacred meal. Mary sat at His feet. We dine at His table. Through the imitation of Mary, we receive the resolve of Martha. Christ blesses us and then He sends us. This is what He has always done.
Elijah was feed by ravens8 and later by the angel of the Lord and “strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights.”9 David, when fleeing from Saul, went into the temple at Nob and ate the “bread of the Presence.”10 The Israelites were supplied with mana in the wilderness. But, dear friends, we are fed with food consecrated by the dove, the Holy Spirit. We partake of the true bread of the Presence, the living Bread that comes down from heaven. In this provision we have strength for the journey.
When the tedium, or weariness, or the vicissitudes of life weaken your resolve to carry on, hurry here to be renewed with heavenly strength. When it seems like hauling around the yoke of mortality is more than you can bear, hasten here to find rest. When hope is dim, anxiety runs high, or the cheer in life has been submerged in a deluge of gloom, rush to His words, to His house, to His table. Here the penitent sinner is always received with open arms.
Here is the ‘one thing needful’. Here is the divine necessity. Here is provision for the journey. Here, believing souls receive exactly what they are promised. The Saviour says, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”11
Dear friends, balance in life is a continuous pursuit. We need not stress about having exactly the right parameters. We have freedom in the gospel to live so sacrificially for others that it may appear our lives are completely out of balance. Such opportunity is only possible because Christ has tipped the scales of divine justice- in fact, immobilizing them completely- so that no power can snatch us out of His hand. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Ninth Sunday After Pentecost
17 July, 2016
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 10:41 2 Amos 8:11-12 3 Colossians 1:21-22
4 John 19:30 5 1 Corinthians 9:26 6 1 Corinthians 9:24
7 Large Catechism 8 1 Kings 17:6 9 1 Kings 19:8
10 1 Samuel 21:6
11 John 16:33
Monday, July 18, 2016
Betty Jaeschke Funeral
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Romans 8:38-39
Theme: Never Severed From Christ
Dear family, friends, and loved ones of Betty Jaeschke; and especially you Dianne, Raelene, and Mark, her children,
Nothing can sever the believer from Christ. Nothing! This is the promise we have just heard from God’s holy word. And those were some of the words that gave comfort to Betty’s soul as she was preparing to be received into eternal glory last Saturday night. When we near the threshold of eternity no words of comfort really matter except those of Him who has defeated death and thrown open the gates of heaven. So, we gather with solemnity but also with joy knowing that Betty has reached her final rest. Her journey is over. Her struggles are ended. Her heavenly home is occupied. Thanks be to God for His merciful love!
A Christian funeral always has a confronting element because we don’t make light of serious realities. Consideration of mortality often evokes a guttural reaction. Death is menacing. It is dark and consuming. It has an inevitability that we cannot overcome. We have no capacity to equal its supremacy. Unbelief severs all ties. Sin is both its cause and its consequence. Death finalizes the separation.
Dear friends, it is in our nature to go to great lengths to circumvent the things we fear most. Denial, fabrication, and escape are common responses when facing mortality. Some run as far away from any discussion of the matter as possible. Others simply bury their heads in the sand hoping to avoid the subject. Still others cling to some imaginary idea that happiness in the next life is a guaranteed outcome for all people. Personal reflection should restrain us from judging these reactions too harshly. We too are under the same influence. Death is not the natural way of things that some claim. It is not part of some grand cosmic cycle that was intended from the beginning. Death is the mature consequence of sin. It is punishment leveled against the sinner for offending God’s holiness.
But for the believer death is a transition to a more important reunion. Jesus Christ is the incarnation of God’s grace; the very substance of divine love. Everything stands or falls on the truth of Jesus’ sacrificial work for sinners- our salvation by grace, through faith. If grace in Christ is a fantasy, then existence itself comes unhinged. If divine love is a fallacy, then ultimate meaning is shattered. If God’s promises are hollow, then hope is finally lost. If the resurrection of Christ was only pious legend, then eternal death prevails. But, dear friends, Jesus Christ is indeed risen from the dead. The grave could not hold Him. Death could not bind Him. Hell could not subdue Him. Satan could not silence Him.
The women went to the tomb and He was not there. Later He appeared to more than 500 followers at the same time. He says to us, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die.”1 And the Scripture says, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”2 It sounds so simple and in one sense that’s true. But in another sense it’s the most difficult thing in the world. There are many challenges to faith and the Holy Spirit is required for it to be maintained.
God, of course, knew what challenges Betty would endure and what blessings she would enjoy. From the moment of her baptism He reclaimed her as His unique creation and promised her an eternal inheritance. Betty was confirmed here at St. Peter’s and her Christian journey was continually sustained by hearing God’s word, receiving His blessing in Holy Communion, and gathering with His people.
Betty understood the challenges of rural farm life, of family, and of relationships. Farming in the Mallee demands an astute gage of one’s capacities. If you don’t learn to adjust it can quickly break you. Betty learned to adapt even under trying circumstances. She wasn’t one to complain. Wisdom taught her the value of enduring on behalf of others. Betty knew she was a frail and fallible human being- a sinner like all of us. She had her share of regrets, disappointments, and sorrows in life. But she also knew she was God’s child. She knew Jesus as her Good Shepherd. She grazed in His pastures and found safety under His protection. She is now freed from all the burdens of this life.
The Scriptures encourage us to eagerly anticipate being released from all the consequences of sin. The weight of the world (our mortality) is literally lifted. Consider these words of promise. Philippians 3“Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.”3 John’s first epistle, “We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is”4 And Revelation 21, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”5
Only the divine promise can give peace to the soul. Reconciliation, forgiveness, freedom from guilt, liberation from shame, release from regret are achieved only through God’s bestowal of the merits of Christ to us frail humans. In Christ the roughest edges are made smooth, the deepest pains are relieved, the harshest offences are resolved. Anger gives way to peace. Fear is replaced by serenity. Sorrow transitions to joy. It seems impossible- given the experiences of life that jade us- that these things could really come true. But that is the reality of Christ’s redeeming power.
Dianne, Raelene, Mark; the emptiness left by the death of your mother cannot be filled by any means that human’s possess. The poignancy of grief is a recognition of the irreplaceability of the loved one. The blessing that she was to you and to others is her legacy. The Holy Spirit comforts you with the assurance that Betty lives. The confession of truth is clear, Christians believe “in the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.” Betty believed in the resurrection of the body. She took refuge in the divine promises. It was these words that put her heart at peace. “I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”6 This has held true for Betty, and for this we give thanks to God. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Christian Burial of Betty Margaret Jaeschke
16 July, 2016
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 11:25-25
2 Romans 10:9
3 Philippians 3:20-21
4 1 John 3:2
5 Revelation 21:4
6 Romans 8:38-39
Text: Romans 8:38-39
Theme: Never Severed From Christ
Dear family, friends, and loved ones of Betty Jaeschke; and especially you Dianne, Raelene, and Mark, her children,
Nothing can sever the believer from Christ. Nothing! This is the promise we have just heard from God’s holy word. And those were some of the words that gave comfort to Betty’s soul as she was preparing to be received into eternal glory last Saturday night. When we near the threshold of eternity no words of comfort really matter except those of Him who has defeated death and thrown open the gates of heaven. So, we gather with solemnity but also with joy knowing that Betty has reached her final rest. Her journey is over. Her struggles are ended. Her heavenly home is occupied. Thanks be to God for His merciful love!
A Christian funeral always has a confronting element because we don’t make light of serious realities. Consideration of mortality often evokes a guttural reaction. Death is menacing. It is dark and consuming. It has an inevitability that we cannot overcome. We have no capacity to equal its supremacy. Unbelief severs all ties. Sin is both its cause and its consequence. Death finalizes the separation.
Dear friends, it is in our nature to go to great lengths to circumvent the things we fear most. Denial, fabrication, and escape are common responses when facing mortality. Some run as far away from any discussion of the matter as possible. Others simply bury their heads in the sand hoping to avoid the subject. Still others cling to some imaginary idea that happiness in the next life is a guaranteed outcome for all people. Personal reflection should restrain us from judging these reactions too harshly. We too are under the same influence. Death is not the natural way of things that some claim. It is not part of some grand cosmic cycle that was intended from the beginning. Death is the mature consequence of sin. It is punishment leveled against the sinner for offending God’s holiness.
But for the believer death is a transition to a more important reunion. Jesus Christ is the incarnation of God’s grace; the very substance of divine love. Everything stands or falls on the truth of Jesus’ sacrificial work for sinners- our salvation by grace, through faith. If grace in Christ is a fantasy, then existence itself comes unhinged. If divine love is a fallacy, then ultimate meaning is shattered. If God’s promises are hollow, then hope is finally lost. If the resurrection of Christ was only pious legend, then eternal death prevails. But, dear friends, Jesus Christ is indeed risen from the dead. The grave could not hold Him. Death could not bind Him. Hell could not subdue Him. Satan could not silence Him.
The women went to the tomb and He was not there. Later He appeared to more than 500 followers at the same time. He says to us, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die.”1 And the Scripture says, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”2 It sounds so simple and in one sense that’s true. But in another sense it’s the most difficult thing in the world. There are many challenges to faith and the Holy Spirit is required for it to be maintained.
God, of course, knew what challenges Betty would endure and what blessings she would enjoy. From the moment of her baptism He reclaimed her as His unique creation and promised her an eternal inheritance. Betty was confirmed here at St. Peter’s and her Christian journey was continually sustained by hearing God’s word, receiving His blessing in Holy Communion, and gathering with His people.
Betty understood the challenges of rural farm life, of family, and of relationships. Farming in the Mallee demands an astute gage of one’s capacities. If you don’t learn to adjust it can quickly break you. Betty learned to adapt even under trying circumstances. She wasn’t one to complain. Wisdom taught her the value of enduring on behalf of others. Betty knew she was a frail and fallible human being- a sinner like all of us. She had her share of regrets, disappointments, and sorrows in life. But she also knew she was God’s child. She knew Jesus as her Good Shepherd. She grazed in His pastures and found safety under His protection. She is now freed from all the burdens of this life.
The Scriptures encourage us to eagerly anticipate being released from all the consequences of sin. The weight of the world (our mortality) is literally lifted. Consider these words of promise. Philippians 3“Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.”3 John’s first epistle, “We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is”4 And Revelation 21, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”5
Only the divine promise can give peace to the soul. Reconciliation, forgiveness, freedom from guilt, liberation from shame, release from regret are achieved only through God’s bestowal of the merits of Christ to us frail humans. In Christ the roughest edges are made smooth, the deepest pains are relieved, the harshest offences are resolved. Anger gives way to peace. Fear is replaced by serenity. Sorrow transitions to joy. It seems impossible- given the experiences of life that jade us- that these things could really come true. But that is the reality of Christ’s redeeming power.
Dianne, Raelene, Mark; the emptiness left by the death of your mother cannot be filled by any means that human’s possess. The poignancy of grief is a recognition of the irreplaceability of the loved one. The blessing that she was to you and to others is her legacy. The Holy Spirit comforts you with the assurance that Betty lives. The confession of truth is clear, Christians believe “in the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.” Betty believed in the resurrection of the body. She took refuge in the divine promises. It was these words that put her heart at peace. “I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”6 This has held true for Betty, and for this we give thanks to God. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Christian Burial of Betty Margaret Jaeschke
16 July, 2016
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 11:25-25
2 Romans 10:9
3 Philippians 3:20-21
4 1 John 3:2
5 Revelation 21:4
6 Romans 8:38-39
Sunday, July 10, 2016
Eighth Sunday After Pentecost (C) 2016
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 10:25-37
Theme: Shown Mercy, Showing Mercy
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God alone absolves guilt. God alone heals the soul. God alone mends the heart. God alone frees the conscience from the anxiety of wondering if He is pleased with us; if we have done enough. He does these things through Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. And, remarkably, He uses the medium of human interaction to accomplish His will. In short, He has integrated believers into this scheme by which He brings life to the world. Today we are instructed in these matters through Jesus’ story about the Samaritan who lends aid to the victimized traveler.
In response to the question on eternal life Jesus sums up both tables of the law; a person must love God and their neighbour. The inability for anyone to do this properly is evidenced by the immediacy of the follow-up question, “And who is my neighbour.”1 The man wanted to be able to answer yes and so wanted to define some parameters. The effort to claim success in a defined area and then apply it to our entire spiritual life is a temptation and deception of our sinful nature. We like to think we at least have our personal realm of perfection or control over sin. But it is nothing could be further from the truth. We easily become comfortable with certain sins, usually sins we consider to be minor, while claiming success for avoiding other temptations. In this way we may think we have fulfilled God’s law. In reality, it’s those sins we think we have under control that betrays our self-righteousness.
In the illustration, Christ refers to a priest, a Levite a Samaritan and a half dead man. The priest and Levite would be considered the most likely to give aid as a natural result of their professions. The Samaritan would have been considered least likely because Samaritans and Jews held a deep hatred for each other. As we place ourselves in the narrative we might first consider if we would act more like the priest or Levite or like the Samaritan. But we do better to see ourselves as the half-dead man.
The Levitical and Aaronic priesthoods were for the most part hereditary, you could not simply decide to be a priest. It would not be natural to put oneself in the place of a Levite. We must receive help before we can give it. The man who was half-dead was in no condition to help anyone, he needed help. We are to see ourselves as the one beaten up and left for dead. It is a spiritual comparison. Spiritually, we are born in even worse shape than this half-dead man. We are born completely dead. “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins.”2 Spiritual deadness leads to all kinds of carnal activity. The sinful nature, left unrestrained, seeks to participate fully in unrighteousness. Thus, hatred, falsehood, violence, adultery, murder and idolatry not only characterize the unbelieving world but also pose great challenges for Christians. The inevitable consequence of unrighteousness is sickness, decay and death.
But Christ brings life out of death. He calls us to repentance. The primary work of Christ is not to show us how to pursue righteousness; the law does that. Christ’s primary work is to impute to us His righteousness. He declares that we are something we could never, ever achieve. Therefore, this story of the Good Samaritan is not primarily about morality. It is not primarily about condemning the unethical decisions of the priest and Levite and praising the righteous choice of the Samaritan. The story is primarily about the unfettered mercy of God. Christ Himself is represented by the Samaritan. Here the gospel flows freely. Under the influence of the law the priest and Levite surely considered the right thing to do, but convinced themselves they were justified in what they did not do. They may have thought the man to be dead and contact with the dead would have left them ceremonially unclean. But the Samaritan’s heart was moved with compassion. He immediately went about tending to the man’s needs. He set aside all concern for social acceptability. He became “saviour” to the man half-dead.
This illustration of Jesus is given in response to the question, “Who is my neighbour?”3 Christ turns the popular understanding of who the neighbour is on its head. The neighbour is not the person you share the back fence with. He is not the one akin to you in social status. He is not the one who shares your common interests and values. The neighbour is the one who is willing to sacrifice with no thought of reward. The true neighbor is the one who loves the unlovable. Jesus Christ is the neighbour of neighbours. He is the divine Samaritan who indiscriminately rescues humanity and offers hope and healing to all.
Jesus Christ seeks souls dying from sin and brings them into the life-saving care of the church. The church is where the spiritually sick gather to find cure for the soul. Christ has broken in on the kingdom of darkness and revealed the light of salvation. The apostle says today, “[He] has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”4
The forgiveness of sins is the centre and purpose of all meaning and life in the church. Everything else is secondary; wisdom for earthly living, direction for decisions, social interactions, psychological or emotional highs. Forgiveness is the promise of baptism to which we return every time we confess our sins. Forgiveness is the precious gift offered when we receive the body and blood of Christ in Holy Communion. The church father Saint Ambrose once said, “I always sin, therefore I always go to communion.”5 Dear friends, church is never a small part of a Christian’s life. A Christian’s life is one small, but essential, entity of the church’s life. In other words, you are not just a body that attends church, but by grace and through faith, you are a living member of the body of Christ. God has shown us mercy in Christ. We have the privilege of reflecting that mercy to others.
Our life is sustained and our salvation assured not by intellectual recognition that Jesus was an historical figure who died on a cross. Christ died for sinners. You are a sinner and your sins were there. He rose so that you can be resurrected. You have the baptismal inheritance. The entire life of a Christian is one of repentance, a yearning for the complete forgiveness only Christ can give but which we can only fully enjoy in eternity. Luther says it this way, “This life, then, is a life of being healed from sin, it is not a life of sinlessness, with the cure completed and perfect health attained. The church is the inn and the infirmary for those who are sick and in need of being made well. But heaven is the palace of the healthy and the righteous.”6 May God grant us the strength we need for this ‘earthly hospice’ until we arrive at the heavenly palace. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Eighth Sunday After Pentecost
10 July, 2016
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 10:29
2 Ephesians 2:1
3 Luke 10:29
4 Colossians 1:12-14
5 St. Ambrose, De sacramentis
6 Martin Luther, Lectures on Romans
Text: Luke 10:25-37
Theme: Shown Mercy, Showing Mercy
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
God alone absolves guilt. God alone heals the soul. God alone mends the heart. God alone frees the conscience from the anxiety of wondering if He is pleased with us; if we have done enough. He does these things through Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. And, remarkably, He uses the medium of human interaction to accomplish His will. In short, He has integrated believers into this scheme by which He brings life to the world. Today we are instructed in these matters through Jesus’ story about the Samaritan who lends aid to the victimized traveler.
In response to the question on eternal life Jesus sums up both tables of the law; a person must love God and their neighbour. The inability for anyone to do this properly is evidenced by the immediacy of the follow-up question, “And who is my neighbour.”1 The man wanted to be able to answer yes and so wanted to define some parameters. The effort to claim success in a defined area and then apply it to our entire spiritual life is a temptation and deception of our sinful nature. We like to think we at least have our personal realm of perfection or control over sin. But it is nothing could be further from the truth. We easily become comfortable with certain sins, usually sins we consider to be minor, while claiming success for avoiding other temptations. In this way we may think we have fulfilled God’s law. In reality, it’s those sins we think we have under control that betrays our self-righteousness.
In the illustration, Christ refers to a priest, a Levite a Samaritan and a half dead man. The priest and Levite would be considered the most likely to give aid as a natural result of their professions. The Samaritan would have been considered least likely because Samaritans and Jews held a deep hatred for each other. As we place ourselves in the narrative we might first consider if we would act more like the priest or Levite or like the Samaritan. But we do better to see ourselves as the half-dead man.
The Levitical and Aaronic priesthoods were for the most part hereditary, you could not simply decide to be a priest. It would not be natural to put oneself in the place of a Levite. We must receive help before we can give it. The man who was half-dead was in no condition to help anyone, he needed help. We are to see ourselves as the one beaten up and left for dead. It is a spiritual comparison. Spiritually, we are born in even worse shape than this half-dead man. We are born completely dead. “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins.”2 Spiritual deadness leads to all kinds of carnal activity. The sinful nature, left unrestrained, seeks to participate fully in unrighteousness. Thus, hatred, falsehood, violence, adultery, murder and idolatry not only characterize the unbelieving world but also pose great challenges for Christians. The inevitable consequence of unrighteousness is sickness, decay and death.
But Christ brings life out of death. He calls us to repentance. The primary work of Christ is not to show us how to pursue righteousness; the law does that. Christ’s primary work is to impute to us His righteousness. He declares that we are something we could never, ever achieve. Therefore, this story of the Good Samaritan is not primarily about morality. It is not primarily about condemning the unethical decisions of the priest and Levite and praising the righteous choice of the Samaritan. The story is primarily about the unfettered mercy of God. Christ Himself is represented by the Samaritan. Here the gospel flows freely. Under the influence of the law the priest and Levite surely considered the right thing to do, but convinced themselves they were justified in what they did not do. They may have thought the man to be dead and contact with the dead would have left them ceremonially unclean. But the Samaritan’s heart was moved with compassion. He immediately went about tending to the man’s needs. He set aside all concern for social acceptability. He became “saviour” to the man half-dead.
This illustration of Jesus is given in response to the question, “Who is my neighbour?”3 Christ turns the popular understanding of who the neighbour is on its head. The neighbour is not the person you share the back fence with. He is not the one akin to you in social status. He is not the one who shares your common interests and values. The neighbour is the one who is willing to sacrifice with no thought of reward. The true neighbor is the one who loves the unlovable. Jesus Christ is the neighbour of neighbours. He is the divine Samaritan who indiscriminately rescues humanity and offers hope and healing to all.
Jesus Christ seeks souls dying from sin and brings them into the life-saving care of the church. The church is where the spiritually sick gather to find cure for the soul. Christ has broken in on the kingdom of darkness and revealed the light of salvation. The apostle says today, “[He] has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”4
The forgiveness of sins is the centre and purpose of all meaning and life in the church. Everything else is secondary; wisdom for earthly living, direction for decisions, social interactions, psychological or emotional highs. Forgiveness is the promise of baptism to which we return every time we confess our sins. Forgiveness is the precious gift offered when we receive the body and blood of Christ in Holy Communion. The church father Saint Ambrose once said, “I always sin, therefore I always go to communion.”5 Dear friends, church is never a small part of a Christian’s life. A Christian’s life is one small, but essential, entity of the church’s life. In other words, you are not just a body that attends church, but by grace and through faith, you are a living member of the body of Christ. God has shown us mercy in Christ. We have the privilege of reflecting that mercy to others.
Our life is sustained and our salvation assured not by intellectual recognition that Jesus was an historical figure who died on a cross. Christ died for sinners. You are a sinner and your sins were there. He rose so that you can be resurrected. You have the baptismal inheritance. The entire life of a Christian is one of repentance, a yearning for the complete forgiveness only Christ can give but which we can only fully enjoy in eternity. Luther says it this way, “This life, then, is a life of being healed from sin, it is not a life of sinlessness, with the cure completed and perfect health attained. The church is the inn and the infirmary for those who are sick and in need of being made well. But heaven is the palace of the healthy and the righteous.”6 May God grant us the strength we need for this ‘earthly hospice’ until we arrive at the heavenly palace. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Eighth Sunday After Pentecost
10 July, 2016
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 10:29
2 Ephesians 2:1
3 Luke 10:29
4 Colossians 1:12-14
5 St. Ambrose, De sacramentis
6 Martin Luther, Lectures on Romans
Sunday, July 3, 2016
Seventh Sunday after Pentecost (C) 2016
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 10:2
Theme: “The Harvest Is Plentiful”
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Christ remains among us. This truth is the lifeblood of the church and it drives her mission. The Christian church has a staggering burden and an awesome privilege. It is encapsulated in these words of Jesus, “He who listens to you listens to Me; he who rejects you rejects Me; but He who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.”1 The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. The gospel transforms things not by changing external structures; policies or institutions, but by renovating the heart. With repentance and faith come new life, new motives, a new perspective.
The conscience can come to the point of regret without reaching the point of repentance. That’s exactly what happened to Judas. He regretted betraying Jesus but he did not seek forgiveness for his transgression, He hardened his heart against the Holy Spirit. He gave in to despair. Pride is a formidable barrier to the reception of divine gifts. Secure sinners only look for help on their terms. Naaman was enraged that he was treated like a Jewish peasant and not the important military commander which he was. Why should he wash in the Jordan? It was a small backwater stream compared to the regal rivers of Damascus. But the prophet was the possessor of the divine promise. The Spirit uses the means the Father chooses. The inevitable influence of interaction with God’s grace is that the arrogant are humbled and those who are lowly are exalted.
St. Paul was radically humbled. Then, as a former Pharisee, was a powerful preacher to the legalistic Jews. He understood their way of thinking and their motivations. People are more likely to be receptive to those who can relate to their experiences. That doesn’t mean we need to share personal or vocational similarities with others in order to share God’s truth. The word of God transcends all human classifications. The Holy Spirit is no respecter of persons, accomplishments, or failures. The octogenarian can share the faith with a primary school child. The recovering drug addict can reveal the beauty of the gospel to a successful CEO. But the Holy Spirit does use the affinity of mutual affiliation for cultivating fertile soil in which the seed of the gospel grows. Still, God determines the opportunities we will have and they don’t always meet our wishes.
Consider the case of Oscar Pistorius. He said last week that his girlfriend would not have wanted him to spend the rest of his life in prison. She would have wanted him to devote his life to charity instead. The problem is, no one can ask her because he murdered her. It’s easy to put words in the mouths of people who cannot speak for themselves. But, guess what folks? There’s good news! He can do both. The opportunity for charity work in prison is virtually unlimited. There’s seriousness mixed with sarcasm here. No one, except God alone, can judge the integrity of remorse found in the heart. Still genuine contrition does not make the punishment obsolete.
The just penalty for transgressing the civil and moral law does not conflict with the true repentance of the heart. To believe that it does is to confuse how God works in the temporal kingdom verses the spiritual kingdom. God rules the civil sphere through the law. He uses human agency to dole out punishment and offer reward according to obedience or disobedience of that law. The law (especially as we think of the moral law) is an expression of God’s love. Through its enforcement the well-being of individuals and societies is promoted.
God rules the spiritual sphere through grace. The gospel coerces no one in the manner of the law. Instead, it proclaims unconditional pardon and forgiveness. The gospel is completely counter-intuitive to human reason. There is no investment-return, or effort-reward dynamic. The gospel announces the undeserved favour of God in Christ. It tells us that because of Christ God levies no punishment on us in eternity. Our debts have been cancelled. Our sentences have been served. Our obligations have been met. We can now bloom where we are planted.
The convicted criminal can be converted and lead a transformed baptismal life while still in prison. God uses regrettable circumstances to serve the wellbeing of others. Every day we are ambassadors of hope in a world vexed by skepticism. Every day we are stewards of aid in a world clamoring for relief. Every day we are emissaries of conviction in a culture racked with doubt. Every day we envoys of truth in a world churning in falsehood. We bring radiance into a society covered in dark shadow. We are ‘gifters’ in a culture of takers. We are custodians in an age of negligence. Not that we do any of these things in and of ourselves. Like Paul we say, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”2 The sufficiency is all in Christ. Christ works mightily; He works discretely; He works winsomely; He works attentively in and through our words, our decisions, and our actions. We need not travel to distant lands to participate fully in the mission of His kingdom.
Sowing and harvesting are generally undertaken with a sense of urgency. The window of opportunity can close quickly. The same is true for the mission of the church. We are called to be diligent and devout opportunists. But urgency does not mean panic. In season and out of season the word of God must go forth. In the face of growing unbelief the task can seem daunting; even overwhelming. But the opportunities are all the more plentiful. The gospel seed will bear fruit according to His decree.
God has designated the simply realities of water, bread, and wine to be His instruments for the administration of His mercy. Jesus has established the office of the ministry so that through the pastor He might always be publicly represented to the priesthood of all believers. We are His cherished Bride, His church. We gather regularly to receive His gifts. We are washed with a greater power than that which cleansed Naaman. Baptismal water has washed over our souls. So leave your burdens at the altar. Unload your sins. Pile them up. The floor of the altar will not cave in. There is no weight that He cannot bear. There is no secret sin you have that can shock him. He has heard them all. He knows them all. You have no skeletons in your closet that will scare Him. He has already stood face to face with the greatest evil and has conquered through His death and resurrection. He has no cause to fear.
The words of Jesus to these exuberant missionaries today are striking. They were witnesses to His miraculous power over evil. They witnessed Satan being disarmed. Yet Jesus says, “Do not rejoice that the spirits submit, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”3 Here is the primary and unparalleled source of joy. All the treasures, accomplishments, and accolades the world can muster are dim sparks compared to the brightness of this truth. St. Paul says it this way, “Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us and eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”4 When we see HIM face to face all of our concerns will instantly vanish and the final harvest will be enjoyed. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Seventh Sunday After Pentecost
3 July, 2016
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 10:16
2 Galatians 6:14
3 Luke 10:20
4 2 Corinthians 4:17
Text: Luke 10:2
Theme: “The Harvest Is Plentiful”
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Christ remains among us. This truth is the lifeblood of the church and it drives her mission. The Christian church has a staggering burden and an awesome privilege. It is encapsulated in these words of Jesus, “He who listens to you listens to Me; he who rejects you rejects Me; but He who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.”1 The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. The gospel transforms things not by changing external structures; policies or institutions, but by renovating the heart. With repentance and faith come new life, new motives, a new perspective.
The conscience can come to the point of regret without reaching the point of repentance. That’s exactly what happened to Judas. He regretted betraying Jesus but he did not seek forgiveness for his transgression, He hardened his heart against the Holy Spirit. He gave in to despair. Pride is a formidable barrier to the reception of divine gifts. Secure sinners only look for help on their terms. Naaman was enraged that he was treated like a Jewish peasant and not the important military commander which he was. Why should he wash in the Jordan? It was a small backwater stream compared to the regal rivers of Damascus. But the prophet was the possessor of the divine promise. The Spirit uses the means the Father chooses. The inevitable influence of interaction with God’s grace is that the arrogant are humbled and those who are lowly are exalted.
St. Paul was radically humbled. Then, as a former Pharisee, was a powerful preacher to the legalistic Jews. He understood their way of thinking and their motivations. People are more likely to be receptive to those who can relate to their experiences. That doesn’t mean we need to share personal or vocational similarities with others in order to share God’s truth. The word of God transcends all human classifications. The Holy Spirit is no respecter of persons, accomplishments, or failures. The octogenarian can share the faith with a primary school child. The recovering drug addict can reveal the beauty of the gospel to a successful CEO. But the Holy Spirit does use the affinity of mutual affiliation for cultivating fertile soil in which the seed of the gospel grows. Still, God determines the opportunities we will have and they don’t always meet our wishes.
Consider the case of Oscar Pistorius. He said last week that his girlfriend would not have wanted him to spend the rest of his life in prison. She would have wanted him to devote his life to charity instead. The problem is, no one can ask her because he murdered her. It’s easy to put words in the mouths of people who cannot speak for themselves. But, guess what folks? There’s good news! He can do both. The opportunity for charity work in prison is virtually unlimited. There’s seriousness mixed with sarcasm here. No one, except God alone, can judge the integrity of remorse found in the heart. Still genuine contrition does not make the punishment obsolete.
The just penalty for transgressing the civil and moral law does not conflict with the true repentance of the heart. To believe that it does is to confuse how God works in the temporal kingdom verses the spiritual kingdom. God rules the civil sphere through the law. He uses human agency to dole out punishment and offer reward according to obedience or disobedience of that law. The law (especially as we think of the moral law) is an expression of God’s love. Through its enforcement the well-being of individuals and societies is promoted.
God rules the spiritual sphere through grace. The gospel coerces no one in the manner of the law. Instead, it proclaims unconditional pardon and forgiveness. The gospel is completely counter-intuitive to human reason. There is no investment-return, or effort-reward dynamic. The gospel announces the undeserved favour of God in Christ. It tells us that because of Christ God levies no punishment on us in eternity. Our debts have been cancelled. Our sentences have been served. Our obligations have been met. We can now bloom where we are planted.
The convicted criminal can be converted and lead a transformed baptismal life while still in prison. God uses regrettable circumstances to serve the wellbeing of others. Every day we are ambassadors of hope in a world vexed by skepticism. Every day we are stewards of aid in a world clamoring for relief. Every day we are emissaries of conviction in a culture racked with doubt. Every day we envoys of truth in a world churning in falsehood. We bring radiance into a society covered in dark shadow. We are ‘gifters’ in a culture of takers. We are custodians in an age of negligence. Not that we do any of these things in and of ourselves. Like Paul we say, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”2 The sufficiency is all in Christ. Christ works mightily; He works discretely; He works winsomely; He works attentively in and through our words, our decisions, and our actions. We need not travel to distant lands to participate fully in the mission of His kingdom.
Sowing and harvesting are generally undertaken with a sense of urgency. The window of opportunity can close quickly. The same is true for the mission of the church. We are called to be diligent and devout opportunists. But urgency does not mean panic. In season and out of season the word of God must go forth. In the face of growing unbelief the task can seem daunting; even overwhelming. But the opportunities are all the more plentiful. The gospel seed will bear fruit according to His decree.
God has designated the simply realities of water, bread, and wine to be His instruments for the administration of His mercy. Jesus has established the office of the ministry so that through the pastor He might always be publicly represented to the priesthood of all believers. We are His cherished Bride, His church. We gather regularly to receive His gifts. We are washed with a greater power than that which cleansed Naaman. Baptismal water has washed over our souls. So leave your burdens at the altar. Unload your sins. Pile them up. The floor of the altar will not cave in. There is no weight that He cannot bear. There is no secret sin you have that can shock him. He has heard them all. He knows them all. You have no skeletons in your closet that will scare Him. He has already stood face to face with the greatest evil and has conquered through His death and resurrection. He has no cause to fear.
The words of Jesus to these exuberant missionaries today are striking. They were witnesses to His miraculous power over evil. They witnessed Satan being disarmed. Yet Jesus says, “Do not rejoice that the spirits submit, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”3 Here is the primary and unparalleled source of joy. All the treasures, accomplishments, and accolades the world can muster are dim sparks compared to the brightness of this truth. St. Paul says it this way, “Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us and eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”4 When we see HIM face to face all of our concerns will instantly vanish and the final harvest will be enjoyed. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Seventh Sunday After Pentecost
3 July, 2016
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 10:16
2 Galatians 6:14
3 Luke 10:20
4 2 Corinthians 4:17
Monday, June 27, 2016
Sixth Sunday After Pentecost (C) 2016
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 9:58
Theme: “No Place to Lay His Head”
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Jesus was resolute. That’s what the Scripture says. He ‘set His face’, that is, took His bearings and forged on with His mission. This resolve of Jesus was a necessity. Redemption would be accomplished in no other way. Jesus faced rejection His entire ministry. It was inevitable that it would be that way. The estranged creation does not willingly receive back its Creator. John writes, “He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him.”1 And the Lord Himself says today, “The Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”2
The rejection of Jesus sets the tone for Christian discipleship. So what are we to do with the apparent callousness of Christ today? “Lord, first let me go and bury my father. Jesus said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’”3 Where’s the sensitivity? Where’s the pity? Where’s the gentle Jesus? Ah, but Christ discerns the circumstance. He knows the heart. He knows when discipline is more beneficial than leniency. He’s heard every excuse in the book. And He’s heard it more than once. His challenge is a radical one: Leave behind your current search for security, well-being, and fulfillment; and follow Me! Without Me all of your hopes will be dashed at death, if not before. Curiosity doesn’t cut the mustard. There are no guarantees in this fallen world. The time to sort out where you’re headed is now.
Left under the control of sin it’s clear where people head. We run headlong into conflict with the will of God, and that can only come to grief. St. Paul says in our epistle, “The sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want…the acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”4
There is little wiggle room here. The selfish person is condemned in the same breath as the idolater, the jealous person as well as the sexually immoral. With specificity that targets particular vices and thoroughness that covers a range of transgressions the apostle minces few words. There is little margin for error or scope for indiscretion. In fact, there’s none at all. And there’s not meant to be. All fall short of God’s demand for holiness. No exceptions! The warning is an unmistakable call to repentance. God justifies the sinner by grace and that leads to a total transformation of perspective.
Christianity isn’t just an activity of the mind. It’s not an intellectual assent to a set of principles or ethics. It’s not merely a knowledge and association with a religious history. It’s not just a framework for morality. Christ claims us- heart, body, mind and spirit; all that we have and are. The presence of the Spirit changes things. Our way of thinking, assessing, deciding, is re-orientated through the lens of the cross. We see human need not only as physical and psychological, but primarily as spiritual. That means our Christian journey is holistic.
If our pilgrimage is to be truly holistic it demands an honest reassessment of what we value and how we prioritize things. It means trusting God when He suddenly brings a dramatic change in direction. Think of Elijah today. His ministry was analogous to that of Christ’s. His focus was centred on the final goal. Elijah (along with Enoch) stand alone as exceptional figures in human history. They never closed their eyes in death. Elijah was lifted to heaven in a whirlwind, and as for Enoch, the Scripture simply says, “Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.”5 Enoch was 365 years old. Compared to his peers he was young. Yet, time and age are relative. What is our life now compared to eternity? Do Christians reflect fruitfully on this as they once did? The Scripture says, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above…set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”6 Yes, we know this cognitively, but do we know that this deliberate focus is part of Christian maturity? We’re not talking here about idle “star-gazing”, but about genuine Christian hope and anticipation.
Dear friends, the hardest part of our journey is truly letting God be God. We can’t usurp His role. Quit trying to made amends with God. Give up your games of negotiation, your efforts to retain some credit for your piety. You’re only digging a deeper hole. The conscience can never be pacified by its own efforts to please God. Christ has already done it. You cannot improve upon His work. The forgiveness of sins is a divine bequest. Every attempt to authenticate it by human means renders it invalid. His blood is holy; not ours. His obedience was perfect; not ours. His intercession merits an audience with the heavenly Father; our does not. His work of reconciliation is sufficient and complete. The power of sin has been defeated by His death and resurrection. He has gifted us beyond measure.
His promise of forgiveness is the engine that powers our Christian journey. When the words of absolution are spoken to you “this is just as valid and certain, even in heaven, as if Christ our dear Lord dealt with us Himself.”7 There is no lag time, no delay between the words spoken right then and there and the realization of the promise. The Holy Spirit is present and with Him all the blessing of the Trinity. You are His baptized. He sacrificed everything in resolute obedience to the Father’s will. He has drawn near to us. When God seems further away from us- as He often does in times of distress- then the relevant question is “Who has moved?” God never distances Himself from us. He is the seeking Shepherd, the devoted Deliverer, the Meticulous Messiah; and the tireless Curator of souls.
Jesus didn’t raise a political platform; He raised a cross. At one stage many were campaigning for His appointment as chief provider of bread, but He supplies a higher and holier kind of food. At every turn He endures our wantonness that we might have His righteousness. The One who couldn’t catch a breather grants eternal rest. He who enjoyed little tranquility gives everlasting peace. This Christ, who left no earthly estate doles out an eternal inheritance. He had no place to lay His head that our heads might be crowned with life. His was a crown of thorns; ours a crown of joy. All of Christ’s promises come to fulfillment. He is resolute. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Sixth Sunday After Pentecost
26 June, 2016
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 1:11
2 Luke 9:58
3 Luke 9:59-60
4 Galatians 5:17, 19-21
5 Genesis 5:24
6 Colossians 3:1-2
7 Luther’s Small Catechism
Text: Luke 9:58
Theme: “No Place to Lay His Head”
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Jesus was resolute. That’s what the Scripture says. He ‘set His face’, that is, took His bearings and forged on with His mission. This resolve of Jesus was a necessity. Redemption would be accomplished in no other way. Jesus faced rejection His entire ministry. It was inevitable that it would be that way. The estranged creation does not willingly receive back its Creator. John writes, “He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him.”1 And the Lord Himself says today, “The Son of Man has no place to lay His head.”2
The rejection of Jesus sets the tone for Christian discipleship. So what are we to do with the apparent callousness of Christ today? “Lord, first let me go and bury my father. Jesus said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’”3 Where’s the sensitivity? Where’s the pity? Where’s the gentle Jesus? Ah, but Christ discerns the circumstance. He knows the heart. He knows when discipline is more beneficial than leniency. He’s heard every excuse in the book. And He’s heard it more than once. His challenge is a radical one: Leave behind your current search for security, well-being, and fulfillment; and follow Me! Without Me all of your hopes will be dashed at death, if not before. Curiosity doesn’t cut the mustard. There are no guarantees in this fallen world. The time to sort out where you’re headed is now.
Left under the control of sin it’s clear where people head. We run headlong into conflict with the will of God, and that can only come to grief. St. Paul says in our epistle, “The sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want…the acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”4
There is little wiggle room here. The selfish person is condemned in the same breath as the idolater, the jealous person as well as the sexually immoral. With specificity that targets particular vices and thoroughness that covers a range of transgressions the apostle minces few words. There is little margin for error or scope for indiscretion. In fact, there’s none at all. And there’s not meant to be. All fall short of God’s demand for holiness. No exceptions! The warning is an unmistakable call to repentance. God justifies the sinner by grace and that leads to a total transformation of perspective.
Christianity isn’t just an activity of the mind. It’s not an intellectual assent to a set of principles or ethics. It’s not merely a knowledge and association with a religious history. It’s not just a framework for morality. Christ claims us- heart, body, mind and spirit; all that we have and are. The presence of the Spirit changes things. Our way of thinking, assessing, deciding, is re-orientated through the lens of the cross. We see human need not only as physical and psychological, but primarily as spiritual. That means our Christian journey is holistic.
If our pilgrimage is to be truly holistic it demands an honest reassessment of what we value and how we prioritize things. It means trusting God when He suddenly brings a dramatic change in direction. Think of Elijah today. His ministry was analogous to that of Christ’s. His focus was centred on the final goal. Elijah (along with Enoch) stand alone as exceptional figures in human history. They never closed their eyes in death. Elijah was lifted to heaven in a whirlwind, and as for Enoch, the Scripture simply says, “Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.”5 Enoch was 365 years old. Compared to his peers he was young. Yet, time and age are relative. What is our life now compared to eternity? Do Christians reflect fruitfully on this as they once did? The Scripture says, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above…set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”6 Yes, we know this cognitively, but do we know that this deliberate focus is part of Christian maturity? We’re not talking here about idle “star-gazing”, but about genuine Christian hope and anticipation.
Dear friends, the hardest part of our journey is truly letting God be God. We can’t usurp His role. Quit trying to made amends with God. Give up your games of negotiation, your efforts to retain some credit for your piety. You’re only digging a deeper hole. The conscience can never be pacified by its own efforts to please God. Christ has already done it. You cannot improve upon His work. The forgiveness of sins is a divine bequest. Every attempt to authenticate it by human means renders it invalid. His blood is holy; not ours. His obedience was perfect; not ours. His intercession merits an audience with the heavenly Father; our does not. His work of reconciliation is sufficient and complete. The power of sin has been defeated by His death and resurrection. He has gifted us beyond measure.
His promise of forgiveness is the engine that powers our Christian journey. When the words of absolution are spoken to you “this is just as valid and certain, even in heaven, as if Christ our dear Lord dealt with us Himself.”7 There is no lag time, no delay between the words spoken right then and there and the realization of the promise. The Holy Spirit is present and with Him all the blessing of the Trinity. You are His baptized. He sacrificed everything in resolute obedience to the Father’s will. He has drawn near to us. When God seems further away from us- as He often does in times of distress- then the relevant question is “Who has moved?” God never distances Himself from us. He is the seeking Shepherd, the devoted Deliverer, the Meticulous Messiah; and the tireless Curator of souls.
Jesus didn’t raise a political platform; He raised a cross. At one stage many were campaigning for His appointment as chief provider of bread, but He supplies a higher and holier kind of food. At every turn He endures our wantonness that we might have His righteousness. The One who couldn’t catch a breather grants eternal rest. He who enjoyed little tranquility gives everlasting peace. This Christ, who left no earthly estate doles out an eternal inheritance. He had no place to lay His head that our heads might be crowned with life. His was a crown of thorns; ours a crown of joy. All of Christ’s promises come to fulfillment. He is resolute. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Sixth Sunday After Pentecost
26 June, 2016
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 1:11
2 Luke 9:58
3 Luke 9:59-60
4 Galatians 5:17, 19-21
5 Genesis 5:24
6 Colossians 3:1-2
7 Luther’s Small Catechism
Sunday, June 19, 2016
Fifth Sunday After Pentecost (C) 2016
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 8:28
Theme: Son of the Most High
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
His name was Legion. He was a horde of demons inhabiting this man from the Galilean shore. In him the ancient foe had established a beachhead for raids on the humanity of that district. Jesus stepped ashore into his domain. The Bearer of Light needed no introduction to these minions of darkness. The recognition and confrontation was immediate. “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!”1 They begged Him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.”2
Dear friends, through what experience can we comprehend such an account? Our modern Western culture has- for better or for worse- re-defined, re-imaged, and repudiated claims that satanic activity has any basis in a fact. The so-called enlightened mind is told these claims cannot be harmonized with a materialist view of reality. Yet, many uncomfortable questions remain. Can every incident of psychosis, insanity, and vicious assault be accounted for only from a psychological perspective? Perhaps this is why the discipline of psychology has become so overdeveloped, overburdened, and unsuccessful in meeting the needs of society? Are people directed only to therapies when they actually need confession and forgiveness? Sin must be repented of, not simply analyzed.
Note carefully some critical underlying assumptions made here. The reality of demonic activity and the existence of a place known as the Abyss is taken as common knowledge. These assumptions are a challenge to the modern denial of evil as an objective reality and a dismissive attitude of the spiritual realm generally. The spiritual dimension of the biblical world was not the Platonic conception of a contemplative heaven where disembodied souls achieved their highest virtues by endless meditation. Rather, there was penetrating recognition that daily life was lived at the interface of the next dimension- a spiritual realm every bit as real as the temporal sphere.
Both perspectives cannot be true in reality. We can see a parallel comparison in the modern divergence regarding the origin and meaning of life. How did we get here? Why are we here? And, where are we going? It is possible to believe in an intelligent designer from the empirical evidence we have before us. The complexity, the regularity, the immensity of the universe and how it functions all point to divine participation. Advances in science and progress in technology have only strengthened the case by revealing in more detail the incredible sophistication of both living and nonliving things. The honest secularist can, with intellectual respectability, hold to the conclusion that a supreme power is required to account for what we observe. Many do. But many don’t because they’ve already ejected God from the equation. So the evidence doesn’t really matter.
It doesn’t mean, of course, that those who do believe in a higher power believe in the God of the Bible. They may be closer to holding the convictions of major world religions, minus those religions’ particular practices of spirituality. Belief that the Creator of the universe is so attentive to individual souls that He has rescued them from sin and death is a daring faith to be sure! But belief that life somehow originated chaotically from inert material with no purpose or reason is an utterly blind faith. It is soul-destroying.
So, Christians have categorically different convictions; trust that requires the Holy Spirit. We do not believe merely in a supreme power or being, who is an almighty but abstract deity. We believe in the God who has chosen us before the creation of the world and redeemed us in Christ. We have the God-in-the-flesh Immanuel. He is the untouchable God who was embraced in a human womb. He is the God who cannot be corrupted by sin- who can only condemn sin and punish it- who, nevertheless, became completely defiled by bearing the sins of others. He is the origin of life and yet He succumbed to death. He is the unreachable God who reached down to us.
He reaches us now through His word and sacraments. He is deliberate about seeking souls. The Holy Spirit does not work coincidentally. It may seem that way to us. But it’s not a coincidence when the Spirit brings someone into contact with the Word, transforms their way of thinking, or changes their heart. The most unlikely scenario from a human perspective may be preferred approach of the Holy Spirit. That does mean by any stretch of the imagination that the Holy Spirit works randomly or willy-nilly. God is not a make-it-up-as-He-goes reactive Deity. He doesn’t test certain ideas or use a trial and error methodology. He knows the deceitful complexity of the human heart and will. He knows how easily we are led astray. He shepherds us faithfully.
Today’s gospel contains a somewhat vexing chain of events for modern sensibilities. Why would Jesus grant permission for the demons to inhabit this heard of pigs? As unclean animals they were more suitable hosts. But why not a sentence into the Abyss? Is the mercy and forbearance of Jesus the answer? Would the final sentence for these demons be reserved until Jesus’ death and resurrection? Speculation should be kept in check. But clear truths should be underscored. Christ is the Son of the Most High God. He reigns supreme over demonic forces. He has mastery over Satan.
Why did fear seize the locals? Because this well-known, uncontrollable, formerly demon-possessed man was now sitting at the feet of Jesus in his right mind. Imagine what freedom for this intensely tormented soul! Imagine what peace! Why did the locals not rejoice at his liberation? Unbelieving hearts have difficulty coming to terms with God’s power. It was too confronting; too convicting. Is not a person too vulnerable in the presence of this God? Jews and Gentiles alike had seen impressive Rabbis before. None were like this Jesus. No one ever will be. He is the Son of the Most High God, the Saviour from sin and death. He has been crucified but He lives.
Dear friends, we do not stand outside the events of the Bible as observers of theoretical truths. God is not aloof. We are part of the narrative. Baptism incorporates us into salvation history. We are children of Abraham, sons and daughters of the Most High. We are branches attached to the Vine and living stones in the temple. We don’t need to fabricate a reason for our existence. We don’t need to find our identity in temporal and transient things. We can appreciate and care for God’s creation without worshipping it. We worship the Maker.
The Scripture says, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”3 Satan doesn’t like what you’re wearing. He doesn’t like the Christian dress code. He doesn’t like what’s on the menu either. “Take and eat; this is My body…drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”4 But we have nothing to fear. Our King has no rivals. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Fifth Sunday After Pentecost
19 June, 2016
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 8:28
2 Luke 8:31
3 Galatians 3:26-27
4 Matthew 26:26-28
Text: Luke 8:28
Theme: Son of the Most High
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
His name was Legion. He was a horde of demons inhabiting this man from the Galilean shore. In him the ancient foe had established a beachhead for raids on the humanity of that district. Jesus stepped ashore into his domain. The Bearer of Light needed no introduction to these minions of darkness. The recognition and confrontation was immediate. “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!”1 They begged Him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.”2
Dear friends, through what experience can we comprehend such an account? Our modern Western culture has- for better or for worse- re-defined, re-imaged, and repudiated claims that satanic activity has any basis in a fact. The so-called enlightened mind is told these claims cannot be harmonized with a materialist view of reality. Yet, many uncomfortable questions remain. Can every incident of psychosis, insanity, and vicious assault be accounted for only from a psychological perspective? Perhaps this is why the discipline of psychology has become so overdeveloped, overburdened, and unsuccessful in meeting the needs of society? Are people directed only to therapies when they actually need confession and forgiveness? Sin must be repented of, not simply analyzed.
Note carefully some critical underlying assumptions made here. The reality of demonic activity and the existence of a place known as the Abyss is taken as common knowledge. These assumptions are a challenge to the modern denial of evil as an objective reality and a dismissive attitude of the spiritual realm generally. The spiritual dimension of the biblical world was not the Platonic conception of a contemplative heaven where disembodied souls achieved their highest virtues by endless meditation. Rather, there was penetrating recognition that daily life was lived at the interface of the next dimension- a spiritual realm every bit as real as the temporal sphere.
Both perspectives cannot be true in reality. We can see a parallel comparison in the modern divergence regarding the origin and meaning of life. How did we get here? Why are we here? And, where are we going? It is possible to believe in an intelligent designer from the empirical evidence we have before us. The complexity, the regularity, the immensity of the universe and how it functions all point to divine participation. Advances in science and progress in technology have only strengthened the case by revealing in more detail the incredible sophistication of both living and nonliving things. The honest secularist can, with intellectual respectability, hold to the conclusion that a supreme power is required to account for what we observe. Many do. But many don’t because they’ve already ejected God from the equation. So the evidence doesn’t really matter.
It doesn’t mean, of course, that those who do believe in a higher power believe in the God of the Bible. They may be closer to holding the convictions of major world religions, minus those religions’ particular practices of spirituality. Belief that the Creator of the universe is so attentive to individual souls that He has rescued them from sin and death is a daring faith to be sure! But belief that life somehow originated chaotically from inert material with no purpose or reason is an utterly blind faith. It is soul-destroying.
So, Christians have categorically different convictions; trust that requires the Holy Spirit. We do not believe merely in a supreme power or being, who is an almighty but abstract deity. We believe in the God who has chosen us before the creation of the world and redeemed us in Christ. We have the God-in-the-flesh Immanuel. He is the untouchable God who was embraced in a human womb. He is the God who cannot be corrupted by sin- who can only condemn sin and punish it- who, nevertheless, became completely defiled by bearing the sins of others. He is the origin of life and yet He succumbed to death. He is the unreachable God who reached down to us.
He reaches us now through His word and sacraments. He is deliberate about seeking souls. The Holy Spirit does not work coincidentally. It may seem that way to us. But it’s not a coincidence when the Spirit brings someone into contact with the Word, transforms their way of thinking, or changes their heart. The most unlikely scenario from a human perspective may be preferred approach of the Holy Spirit. That does mean by any stretch of the imagination that the Holy Spirit works randomly or willy-nilly. God is not a make-it-up-as-He-goes reactive Deity. He doesn’t test certain ideas or use a trial and error methodology. He knows the deceitful complexity of the human heart and will. He knows how easily we are led astray. He shepherds us faithfully.
Today’s gospel contains a somewhat vexing chain of events for modern sensibilities. Why would Jesus grant permission for the demons to inhabit this heard of pigs? As unclean animals they were more suitable hosts. But why not a sentence into the Abyss? Is the mercy and forbearance of Jesus the answer? Would the final sentence for these demons be reserved until Jesus’ death and resurrection? Speculation should be kept in check. But clear truths should be underscored. Christ is the Son of the Most High God. He reigns supreme over demonic forces. He has mastery over Satan.
Why did fear seize the locals? Because this well-known, uncontrollable, formerly demon-possessed man was now sitting at the feet of Jesus in his right mind. Imagine what freedom for this intensely tormented soul! Imagine what peace! Why did the locals not rejoice at his liberation? Unbelieving hearts have difficulty coming to terms with God’s power. It was too confronting; too convicting. Is not a person too vulnerable in the presence of this God? Jews and Gentiles alike had seen impressive Rabbis before. None were like this Jesus. No one ever will be. He is the Son of the Most High God, the Saviour from sin and death. He has been crucified but He lives.
Dear friends, we do not stand outside the events of the Bible as observers of theoretical truths. God is not aloof. We are part of the narrative. Baptism incorporates us into salvation history. We are children of Abraham, sons and daughters of the Most High. We are branches attached to the Vine and living stones in the temple. We don’t need to fabricate a reason for our existence. We don’t need to find our identity in temporal and transient things. We can appreciate and care for God’s creation without worshipping it. We worship the Maker.
The Scripture says, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”3 Satan doesn’t like what you’re wearing. He doesn’t like the Christian dress code. He doesn’t like what’s on the menu either. “Take and eat; this is My body…drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”4 But we have nothing to fear. Our King has no rivals. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Fifth Sunday After Pentecost
19 June, 2016
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 8:28
2 Luke 8:31
3 Galatians 3:26-27
4 Matthew 26:26-28
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Fourth Sunday After Pentecost (C) 2016
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 7:50
Theme: The Peace of Forgiveness
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
When was the last time you held an invitation only dinner? Pharisees were careful about who they invited to dinner. Their prudence was a result of their religious piety and their social consciousness. This Pharisee named Simon evidently held Jesus in high esteem. His invitation to dinner would have customarily allowed the opportunity for Jesus to teach. Perhaps- in Simon’s mind- this preacher from Nazareth was the expected Messiah? But the fame of Jesus brought an unwanted guest. A woman with a reputation for immorality came seeking Him. The stage is set for a memorable collision of cultural convictions. Simon will be left condemned. The woman will be sent on her way forgiven.
Closer inspection shows this was no incidental encounter. The Holy Spirit never works coincidentally. The woman had heard about Jesus before. The crux of Jesus’ redeeming work takes centre stage here. Forgiveness is the currency of divine favour. There is no other medium of reception. No one truly knows Christ apart from the gift of absolution. Therefore, the dinner host and the unwanted guest stand in sharp opposition. The Saviour ministers to both according to their needs.
Jesus didn’t pull punches when a firm impact was necessary. He boldly compares the hospitality of the woman with that of the Pharisee. Her devotion oozes warmth and sincerity. His reception is distant and measured. Christ breaks social custom by rebuking him candidly. Yet it was necessary to illustrate the critical point: Christ came for sinners. “I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven- for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.”1
Jesus is actually saying the Pharisees do not love Him at all? But why? This Pharisee has invited Jesus to dinner at his house. Yet, they do not truly love Him because they imagine that they have no sins that need to be forgiven. The sinful woman, meanwhile, candidly shows her repentance- looking to Jesus for absolution. The unrepentant sinner cannot love Christ. The self-righteous person thinks he or she needs no Saviour. The subtlety of self-righteousness is the devil’s tool. The spiritually autonomous render God redundant, obsolete, or at best, the source of interference.
Sin causes us to curve in upon ourselves- to be egocentric in the purest spiritual sense. The curvature caused by sin is like the curvature of the earth; you can’t see it until you stand above it. But we never have such a vantage point. We think we’re standing on the level. Therefore, we take the Bible at its word. No one, not pope nor peasant, prince or pauper, pastor or parishioner; not the criminal serving a life sentence, or the person honoured as citizen of the year can credibly claim to be blameless in the sight of God. Christ came for sinners. Consider what He said elsewhere to the Pharisees, “‘I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.’ Some Pharisees who were with Him heard Him say this and asked, ‘What? Are we blind too?’ Jesus said, ‘If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.’”2
Dear friends, the highest worship of Christ is to seek forgiveness from Him. In seeking forgiveness, we acknowledge two essential things: Our most critical need is to be freed from the condemnation of sin; and, Jesus is the one who has the power and capacity to grant what we need. If we do not believe in the Christ who forgives our sins, then we don’t really believe in the true God at all. There is no other God than the One who sacrificed Himself to atone for the sins of humanity. The God who created is the same God who redeems. The God who sustains by His power is the same God who rescues in love. The God of providence is the God of compassion.
We can never, ever, ever pay back the debt we owe for sin. We can’t make a contribution of any size that will make the slightest difference at all. The value of a soul can only be measured by the divine sacrifice. The conscience comforted by the thought that God is pleased with our own contribution to sanctity is a deceived conscience in the greatest peril. Of course, we can’t assess it through sensory or cognitive perception. The Holy Spirit must convict us.
The ‘sinful’ woman came seeking forgiveness from Him. The devotion of this woman is evidence of her faith. Faith always makes itself evident in love. The one cannot exist without the other. A shadow is only cast when the sun is shining. We do not cast the shadow of God’s love onto others when our hearts are hidden away in the darkness. Perhaps this woman became a faithful and powerful witness for the Lord. The truth is most of us are a tangled mess of complexity shaped by successes and failures, fears and hopes, selfishness and generosity, arrogance and humility. We often can’t sort out our motives because they are an amalgam of sincerity and selfishness. But God uses us, in all our frailty, with all our warts, to be agents of His love. God’s promises transcend all of our confusion.
So, as His baptized, we press on. Baptismal living is not a victory march through the cemeteries of the conquered. It is a humble but confident persistence in traveling the way of the cross. The Holy Spirit doesn’t breed arrogance; He teaches true wisdom. Satan still prowls, sin still lurks, temptation presses in on us from every facet of the secular world. Yet we are reminded the outcome is not in our hands but God’s. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame…”3 He was crucified and He has risen again to bring us life. We know where forgiveness is found. We have the words of eternal life. We have the true body and blood of the Son of God Himself. We have the peace which passes all understanding. We have a dinner invitation to the heavenly banquet!
Today the issue of Jesus’ identity was at stake. How dare He presume to forgive sins! That was the jurisdiction of God alone! But this Man IS God. He has proven it with His victory over death. He assumed human flesh to restore us to the Father. Jesus’ words to this woman are His words to us, “Your sins are forgiven…go in peace.”4 Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Fourth Sunday After Pentecost
12 June, 2016
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 8:47
2 John 9:39-41
3 Hebrews 12:1-2
4 Luke 7:48-50
Text: Luke 7:50
Theme: The Peace of Forgiveness
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
When was the last time you held an invitation only dinner? Pharisees were careful about who they invited to dinner. Their prudence was a result of their religious piety and their social consciousness. This Pharisee named Simon evidently held Jesus in high esteem. His invitation to dinner would have customarily allowed the opportunity for Jesus to teach. Perhaps- in Simon’s mind- this preacher from Nazareth was the expected Messiah? But the fame of Jesus brought an unwanted guest. A woman with a reputation for immorality came seeking Him. The stage is set for a memorable collision of cultural convictions. Simon will be left condemned. The woman will be sent on her way forgiven.
Closer inspection shows this was no incidental encounter. The Holy Spirit never works coincidentally. The woman had heard about Jesus before. The crux of Jesus’ redeeming work takes centre stage here. Forgiveness is the currency of divine favour. There is no other medium of reception. No one truly knows Christ apart from the gift of absolution. Therefore, the dinner host and the unwanted guest stand in sharp opposition. The Saviour ministers to both according to their needs.
Jesus didn’t pull punches when a firm impact was necessary. He boldly compares the hospitality of the woman with that of the Pharisee. Her devotion oozes warmth and sincerity. His reception is distant and measured. Christ breaks social custom by rebuking him candidly. Yet it was necessary to illustrate the critical point: Christ came for sinners. “I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven- for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.”1
Jesus is actually saying the Pharisees do not love Him at all? But why? This Pharisee has invited Jesus to dinner at his house. Yet, they do not truly love Him because they imagine that they have no sins that need to be forgiven. The sinful woman, meanwhile, candidly shows her repentance- looking to Jesus for absolution. The unrepentant sinner cannot love Christ. The self-righteous person thinks he or she needs no Saviour. The subtlety of self-righteousness is the devil’s tool. The spiritually autonomous render God redundant, obsolete, or at best, the source of interference.
Sin causes us to curve in upon ourselves- to be egocentric in the purest spiritual sense. The curvature caused by sin is like the curvature of the earth; you can’t see it until you stand above it. But we never have such a vantage point. We think we’re standing on the level. Therefore, we take the Bible at its word. No one, not pope nor peasant, prince or pauper, pastor or parishioner; not the criminal serving a life sentence, or the person honoured as citizen of the year can credibly claim to be blameless in the sight of God. Christ came for sinners. Consider what He said elsewhere to the Pharisees, “‘I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.’ Some Pharisees who were with Him heard Him say this and asked, ‘What? Are we blind too?’ Jesus said, ‘If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.’”2
Dear friends, the highest worship of Christ is to seek forgiveness from Him. In seeking forgiveness, we acknowledge two essential things: Our most critical need is to be freed from the condemnation of sin; and, Jesus is the one who has the power and capacity to grant what we need. If we do not believe in the Christ who forgives our sins, then we don’t really believe in the true God at all. There is no other God than the One who sacrificed Himself to atone for the sins of humanity. The God who created is the same God who redeems. The God who sustains by His power is the same God who rescues in love. The God of providence is the God of compassion.
We can never, ever, ever pay back the debt we owe for sin. We can’t make a contribution of any size that will make the slightest difference at all. The value of a soul can only be measured by the divine sacrifice. The conscience comforted by the thought that God is pleased with our own contribution to sanctity is a deceived conscience in the greatest peril. Of course, we can’t assess it through sensory or cognitive perception. The Holy Spirit must convict us.
The ‘sinful’ woman came seeking forgiveness from Him. The devotion of this woman is evidence of her faith. Faith always makes itself evident in love. The one cannot exist without the other. A shadow is only cast when the sun is shining. We do not cast the shadow of God’s love onto others when our hearts are hidden away in the darkness. Perhaps this woman became a faithful and powerful witness for the Lord. The truth is most of us are a tangled mess of complexity shaped by successes and failures, fears and hopes, selfishness and generosity, arrogance and humility. We often can’t sort out our motives because they are an amalgam of sincerity and selfishness. But God uses us, in all our frailty, with all our warts, to be agents of His love. God’s promises transcend all of our confusion.
So, as His baptized, we press on. Baptismal living is not a victory march through the cemeteries of the conquered. It is a humble but confident persistence in traveling the way of the cross. The Holy Spirit doesn’t breed arrogance; He teaches true wisdom. Satan still prowls, sin still lurks, temptation presses in on us from every facet of the secular world. Yet we are reminded the outcome is not in our hands but God’s. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame…”3 He was crucified and He has risen again to bring us life. We know where forgiveness is found. We have the words of eternal life. We have the true body and blood of the Son of God Himself. We have the peace which passes all understanding. We have a dinner invitation to the heavenly banquet!
Today the issue of Jesus’ identity was at stake. How dare He presume to forgive sins! That was the jurisdiction of God alone! But this Man IS God. He has proven it with His victory over death. He assumed human flesh to restore us to the Father. Jesus’ words to this woman are His words to us, “Your sins are forgiven…go in peace.”4 Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Fourth Sunday After Pentecost
12 June, 2016
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 8:47
2 John 9:39-41
3 Hebrews 12:1-2
4 Luke 7:48-50
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