+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 10:1-10
Theme: Shepherds and Sheep
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Christ is a humble shepherd. Jesus was never condescending. He never spoke down to people. Jesus came down to people, to be sure! He rent the heavens and condescended into our world of sin from the realms of holiness. We call this His humiliation. He was conceived and born in human likeness, thus lowering Himself to become part of our created sphere. He had existed purely in eternity. His humiliation reached its apex when He suffered and bore the cross to the point of death. It was all selfless sacrifice because it did not benefit Him. Yet, when He extends this profound love to us He is never patronizing. This fact is quite remarkable.
Why is this relevant to our Scripture today? The claim is often made that the discourses of Jesus are composed mostly of simple stories for simple people. The inference is drawn that Jesus often “dumbed it down” to make it accessible to His disciples. Extrapolation then gives rise to the idea that God only wants us to have a simplistic faith. But the entire New Testament tells a different story. The disciples are constantly vexed, dumbfounded, and confused. Today, for example, Jesus compares His work with that of a shepherd, a common occupation in Palestine. Still, we find this detail in verse 6 of John 10, “Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what He was telling them.”
They could not understand because they were not tuned into spiritual truths. Christ spoke clearly, though it was mysterious to those blinded by sin. Christ could be very sharp with His words. He could cut to the heart. He rebuked. He exhorted. He spoke the truth candidly and frankly, as well as compassionately. But He did not condescend and He never fostered naivety. He said, “Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”1 Certainly the Holy Scriptures are clear and there is no contradiction in them. And the message of the gospel is simple. But it still requires the Holy Spirit to understand it. And then the Holy Spirit continually teaches the believer so that faith becomes more vibrant and well-grounded. There is no graduation. There is no cessation of learning. The Holy Spirit teaches the mind and the heart, the will and the soul. It is the will of God that our faith be immovable.
God wills that we hear His voice and follow Him as our Shepherd. It’s worth reflecting on the nature and consequences of God’s will. If God does not permit something, then no plans we make will ever come to fruition. Think of Christ. Jesus was the target of homicide. Not all attempts were clandestine. More than once public stoning was initiated. All efforts were in vain. It wasn't His time. Human treachery is no match for divine purpose. We cannot bring to pass what God does not permit.
It does not mean we are puppets. You can pursue a career, change jobs, get married, have children, take a holiday, and embark upon a countless number of other things, all within the parameters God permits. And God tends to be quite magnanimous in this regard. God gives you the freedom to make such decisions. You can even express generosity and philanthropy. Yet He warns that at any moment plans can be thwarted and judgment rendered. James critiques an overly presumptuous mindset saying, “Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"- yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.”2 Still, daily decisions are a privilege from the Lord and He often gives us more than one godly option. Therefore, we need nor wring our hands in anxiety about making bad decisions regarding nonessentials. Christianity is not a religion of fatalism. This is how it is in external matters.
However, dear friends, you cannot have one single, holy, selfless, godly thought, let alone do righteous things, apart from the Holy Spirit. And neither can I. We can initiate nothing truly spiritual and godly under our own power. We can't even produce an inkling or a premonition. We are born spiritually blind and dead. But the risen Saviour raises us from spiritual death and gives us abundant baptismal life. He changes your will. He brings it in tune with His will. This miracle isn’t a one-off event, but the continuing dynamic of His presence. He shepherds us. “The sheep hear His voice, and He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out. When He has brought all His own, He goes before them, and the sheep follow Him, for they know His voice.”3 Trust in the true Shepherd is based on the proven reliability the sheep continually benefit from. The Good Shepherd looks after the sheep. Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”4
The task of shepherding God’s people is charged to those called to the Office of the Holy Ministry. The Greek work for shepherd is the same as the word for pastor. St Paul gives this charge to pastors of the early church, “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds (pastors) of the church of God which He bought with His own blood.”5 Pastors are under shepherds of Christ, the Chief Shepherd. Christ always remains the head of the church. He is the Groom. The church is the bride. Pastors are “friends of the Bridegroom”, tending to the Bride with His word and truth, dispensing the love and forgiveness which He procured. The pastoral ministry is a vocation of service.
A flock of sheep can appear very uniform to the outside observer. One sheep looks like another and their gregarious habits make them appear even more similar in their behavior. The specialist in sheep husbandry knows differently, however. Quirks and idiosyncrasies soon become evident. The analogy fits well for individuals in the body of Christ. We share a common humanity, a common burden of original sin, a common propensity to sin some more, and a common need for the gospel. But each of us is also idiosyncratic. Some of the temptations I am prone to may be very different from the ones that trouble you. The specific way I hear the gospel and receive comfort from it is also different than the way you hear it.
It is a blessing, indeed, that God has gifted us with this individuality. The Spirit uses these nuances to equip us to serve His church and His world.
Like sheep, it is good for us to be liturgically gregarious. We gather together around word and sacrament and together participate in divine things. The Christian assembly is the place of green pastures and still waters6. It is also important that we be vocationally gregarious. That is, as we live out our faith in our vocations we do so within community. No one can serve, worship, or love God in complete isolation. St. Paul says, simply, “Love one another with brotherly affection…rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another…Never be conceited.”7
We tend to associate being shepherded with that comfortable feeling of being watched over and provided for. But it involves so much more than sentimental consolation. Our Shepherd has borne the cross. He has defeated death. He has slain the dragon. He has poured out His blood which we receive in this sacramental meal. He lives never to die again. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Fourth Sunday of Easter
7 May, 2017
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Matthew 10:16
2 James 4:13-16
3 John 10:3-4
4 John 10:11
5 Acts 20:28
6 See Psalm 23:2
7 Romans 12:10, 15-16
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
Sunday, April 30, 2017
Third Sunday of Easter (A) 2017
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Luke 24:25-27
Theme: Knowledge, Faith, Sight
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Christ is risen! Alleluia!
The rebuke was firm, but compassionate. The risen Jesus spoke to those who were confused and disillusioned about His death, saying, “‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.”1 By “Scriptures”, Jesus meant the Old Testament. The God who created in the beginning was the same God who sent His Son to redeem that fallen creation. Jesus set about explaining how He had accomplished that through what many believed was His tragic and premature death.
Imagine what an amazing time of instruction it was! The resurrected Lord Jesus opened the meaning of the Scriptures to them. The Teacher taught of Himself. It wasn’t ego-tripping. It was a rare opportunity to learn divine things from the Holy One. The Divinity taught the way of holiness. The Man taught the way of godliness. God taught the way of “manliness.” The new Adam taught the daughters of Eve, long in the tooth of sin. The new Adam taught those born in the likeness of Seth2.
Dear friends, Christ still teaches. He speaks. We are here every Sunday because The Holy Spirit opens the Scriptures to us. He can and does do this because Jesus has broken the hold of darkness. Jesus says, “These are the words of Him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open.”3 Where the Scripture is proclaimed Christ still speaks. He opens minds and hearts. He closes the book on all things needed to accomplish our salvation.
And what does Jesus teach? He teaches truth and love. That sounds simple. But, remember, sinners are masterful accomplices of twisting, distorting, ignoring, or rephrasing what they don’t want to hear. If we don’t believe this is true, especially about ourselves, then we have a dangerously inadequate understanding of the nature of sin and thus, our need for grace. We are not easily taught. Making us receptive, is itself, part of the Spirit’s work.
Perhaps the most misunderstood teaching in the entire Bible is that of love? God’s love is broad, deep and all embracing. But it is not open to reshaping based on human opinion. The misapplication and misunderstanding of God’s love tends towards license on the one hand and legalism on the other. Both are perversions of biblical truth. There is no contradiction between love and truth. In other words, that which is true about God, His intentions, and His will never stands in contrast to the expression of His love. Christ did not love us by simply ignoring our transgressions against Him. He endured the punishment that was due us. God’s commands are an expression of His will. He wills that we have stability and wellbeing. In a fallen world that requires concrete parameters. Even in judgment God is expressing His love for sinners by calling them to repentance. When we are being chastised we only feel God’s anger. It must be that way so that we are receptive to His grace. The Scripture says God, “disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness.”4 God’s proper work is to show us His grace; His love.
Biblical love, divine love is not tolerance, lenience, or apathy. God doesn’t say, “I prefer that you don’t lie to me or to one another, but if you do, it doesn’t really matter.” It does matter. God calls us to account for breaking His will. The infraction must be resolved. But we’re not able to atone for our transgressions. The love of God to the sinner is then expressed in forgiveness, not tolerance or apathy. Christ pays the debt. He makes reparations. Think of Peter’s words today, “You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.”5 It’s never okay to sin because we believe God doesn’t care and will just indifferently ignore (“forgive”) our sin. That belief undermines the value of Christ’s sacrifice.
On the other hand, biblical love is not legalism. It doesn’t entail checking off a list of requirements regardless of the right attitude of the heart. External actions properly performed cannot bring us the assurance that we have obtained or are walking in God’s love. We might be running, standing, sitting, or lying down in the presence of God, but the believing heart is always kneeling. That heart-posture is the work of the Holy Spirit. Legalism essentially involves trusting in our own obedience to God, rather than in Christ. Even our repentance doesn’t earn forgiveness from God.
The Bible says God is love.6 But, this love is not nebulous, esoteric, inaccessible, or theoretical. Christianity is not about mere speculation about a powerful and holy, but distant Deity. Christianity is incarnational. God exists in the person of Jesus in our dimension of time and space. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”7 He still stands as the bearer of peace among us. Christ’s ascension doesn’t mean He has left and now rules in absentsia through the Holy Spirit, like an absentee landlord. Christ retains His physical nature, including His scars, even in heaven, but is accessible to us now through His word and sacraments.
God’s love is concrete. It is manifest in the daily provision He gives us, but, more importantly, in the self-revelation of His Son. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve done, when Christ says you are absolved, then your sins are truly wiped away. You are reconciled to the heavenly Father. You have the consolation of the Holy Spirit. There are no conditions or obligations to be met. You are restored. You are His baptized. You are fed with the Lamb of God Himself, His body and blood.
Understanding the concreteness of God’s love to us in Christ has direct bearing on how we relate to others. The Ten Commandments are not burdens weighing down our consciences but rather the framework for living out our faith in our daily vocations. We are the arms, legs, hands, and feet of Christ to others. We are ambassadors of His word and His presence. Jesus immediately began teaching on that first Easter Sunday. He still does. The Bible never imparts to us merely trivial or academic information. God’s word extends to us the blessings of the Word-become-flesh, the Immanuel. The Saviour who was born in a manger was also nailed to a cross, laid in a tomb, and has now risen from the dead. He is the living God. Amen.
Christ is risen! Alleluia!
+ In nomine Jesu +
Third Sunday of Easter
30 April, 2017
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 24:25-27
2 See Genesis 5:3
3 Revelation 3:7
4 Hebrews 12:10
5 1 Peter 1:18-19
6 See 1 John 4:4
7 John 1:14
8Hebrews 9:26
Text: Luke 24:25-27
Theme: Knowledge, Faith, Sight
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Christ is risen! Alleluia!
The rebuke was firm, but compassionate. The risen Jesus spoke to those who were confused and disillusioned about His death, saying, “‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.”1 By “Scriptures”, Jesus meant the Old Testament. The God who created in the beginning was the same God who sent His Son to redeem that fallen creation. Jesus set about explaining how He had accomplished that through what many believed was His tragic and premature death.
Imagine what an amazing time of instruction it was! The resurrected Lord Jesus opened the meaning of the Scriptures to them. The Teacher taught of Himself. It wasn’t ego-tripping. It was a rare opportunity to learn divine things from the Holy One. The Divinity taught the way of holiness. The Man taught the way of godliness. God taught the way of “manliness.” The new Adam taught the daughters of Eve, long in the tooth of sin. The new Adam taught those born in the likeness of Seth2.
Dear friends, Christ still teaches. He speaks. We are here every Sunday because The Holy Spirit opens the Scriptures to us. He can and does do this because Jesus has broken the hold of darkness. Jesus says, “These are the words of Him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open.”3 Where the Scripture is proclaimed Christ still speaks. He opens minds and hearts. He closes the book on all things needed to accomplish our salvation.
And what does Jesus teach? He teaches truth and love. That sounds simple. But, remember, sinners are masterful accomplices of twisting, distorting, ignoring, or rephrasing what they don’t want to hear. If we don’t believe this is true, especially about ourselves, then we have a dangerously inadequate understanding of the nature of sin and thus, our need for grace. We are not easily taught. Making us receptive, is itself, part of the Spirit’s work.
Perhaps the most misunderstood teaching in the entire Bible is that of love? God’s love is broad, deep and all embracing. But it is not open to reshaping based on human opinion. The misapplication and misunderstanding of God’s love tends towards license on the one hand and legalism on the other. Both are perversions of biblical truth. There is no contradiction between love and truth. In other words, that which is true about God, His intentions, and His will never stands in contrast to the expression of His love. Christ did not love us by simply ignoring our transgressions against Him. He endured the punishment that was due us. God’s commands are an expression of His will. He wills that we have stability and wellbeing. In a fallen world that requires concrete parameters. Even in judgment God is expressing His love for sinners by calling them to repentance. When we are being chastised we only feel God’s anger. It must be that way so that we are receptive to His grace. The Scripture says God, “disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness.”4 God’s proper work is to show us His grace; His love.
Biblical love, divine love is not tolerance, lenience, or apathy. God doesn’t say, “I prefer that you don’t lie to me or to one another, but if you do, it doesn’t really matter.” It does matter. God calls us to account for breaking His will. The infraction must be resolved. But we’re not able to atone for our transgressions. The love of God to the sinner is then expressed in forgiveness, not tolerance or apathy. Christ pays the debt. He makes reparations. Think of Peter’s words today, “You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.”5 It’s never okay to sin because we believe God doesn’t care and will just indifferently ignore (“forgive”) our sin. That belief undermines the value of Christ’s sacrifice.
On the other hand, biblical love is not legalism. It doesn’t entail checking off a list of requirements regardless of the right attitude of the heart. External actions properly performed cannot bring us the assurance that we have obtained or are walking in God’s love. We might be running, standing, sitting, or lying down in the presence of God, but the believing heart is always kneeling. That heart-posture is the work of the Holy Spirit. Legalism essentially involves trusting in our own obedience to God, rather than in Christ. Even our repentance doesn’t earn forgiveness from God.
The Bible says God is love.6 But, this love is not nebulous, esoteric, inaccessible, or theoretical. Christianity is not about mere speculation about a powerful and holy, but distant Deity. Christianity is incarnational. God exists in the person of Jesus in our dimension of time and space. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”7 He still stands as the bearer of peace among us. Christ’s ascension doesn’t mean He has left and now rules in absentsia through the Holy Spirit, like an absentee landlord. Christ retains His physical nature, including His scars, even in heaven, but is accessible to us now through His word and sacraments.
God’s love is concrete. It is manifest in the daily provision He gives us, but, more importantly, in the self-revelation of His Son. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve done, when Christ says you are absolved, then your sins are truly wiped away. You are reconciled to the heavenly Father. You have the consolation of the Holy Spirit. There are no conditions or obligations to be met. You are restored. You are His baptized. You are fed with the Lamb of God Himself, His body and blood.
Understanding the concreteness of God’s love to us in Christ has direct bearing on how we relate to others. The Ten Commandments are not burdens weighing down our consciences but rather the framework for living out our faith in our daily vocations. We are the arms, legs, hands, and feet of Christ to others. We are ambassadors of His word and His presence. Jesus immediately began teaching on that first Easter Sunday. He still does. The Bible never imparts to us merely trivial or academic information. God’s word extends to us the blessings of the Word-become-flesh, the Immanuel. The Saviour who was born in a manger was also nailed to a cross, laid in a tomb, and has now risen from the dead. He is the living God. Amen.
Christ is risen! Alleluia!
+ In nomine Jesu +
Third Sunday of Easter
30 April, 2017
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Luke 24:25-27
2 See Genesis 5:3
3 Revelation 3:7
4 Hebrews 12:10
5 1 Peter 1:18-19
6 See 1 John 4:4
7 John 1:14
8Hebrews 9:26
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
ANZAC Day Address 2017
ANZAC DAY ADDRESS 2017
“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” Jesus Christ, John 15:13
Not all trauma is meant to be documented. God alone has the tally. Humans have collected bits and pieces here and there; these personal remembrances of conflict. Our gracious God snatches away some of the most heart-rending memories for our own protection. He quickly smothers the terror like a mother cradling her baby, like a comrade falling on a grenade. It allows those who are still in the fray to cope, to carry on. And carry on they did, so that others could live securely.
They are not all numbered, but they shall not be forgotten. How many have been lost down through history? How many acts of sacrifice have gone unrecognized? How many heroic deeds were unrecorded; from Gallipoli to Kokoda, from Desert Storm back to the Somme? The bravery, the valor, the loyalty; these particulars were often known only among comrades. We are privy only to the details they chose to share. Danger unified them. Hope sustained them. Love galvanized them. They saw unspeakable horrors. They heard desperate cries. The stench of decay filled their nostrils. The taste of death clung to their lips. Their consciences carried aspirations of freedom. Their hearts bore the ideals of democracy. They fell so that our way of life could still stand.
The WWI diary of Archie Barwick records this entry from the 27th December 1916, it was a post-Christmas reflection, “A fellow has had many opportunities now of seeing the ravages caused by war. The throwing back of the [German] lines enables one to visit the ground that once was no man’s land…which remains in many instances littered with the debris of a series of long and terrible fights…the ground over which both sides are fighting is one vast cemetery, & as new trenches are cut bodies come out or form part of the walls. It is a gruesome place this Somme...”
And so it is in many of the theaters of war. We can scarcely imagine having as our residence a place with walls lined by the corpses of the slain! Yet, walled in by the dead, they fought for life. Captive to the conditions they fought for freedom. Lingering in dark shadows they trusted light would dawn on the horizon. The stability and privileges we enjoy in our society are the fruit of their sacrifices.
Not all details are remembered, but their sacrifice shall not be forgotten. God alone has the tally. We shall never be privy to the scope of experience the participants of war endure; their suffering, their grief, their glory. Empathy is beyond our capacity, but gratitude is vital for mentoring the next generation. Sacrifice wasted in the present darkens future prospects.
Wars and conflicts seem never to cease. It is the way of a fallen world. A measure of peace is maintained by vigilance. Liberty is guarded by careful investment in shared values and common goals. There is a cost. These are never a given, always a gift. Human strength has its limits. There is always striving, always failing, always hoping. But the cosmic war has already been won. There is no greater love than the sacrifice made by Him who is the Prince of Peace. The Son of God laid down His life for friends and enemies alike. His love cannot be conquered. It cannot be defeated. He says, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25), no one else did, no one else can. In spite of all human treachery, Life prevails. In the midst of our darkness, He is light. He knows the scars of warriors. He knows the scars of nations. He knows those hidden scars never disclosed. His own scars tell the story of death and of life.
Today we remember the fallen and those details of their sacrifice which God permits. We commend the rest to His keeping. May the Almighty, for the sake of His Son, grant us the courage to use our freedom wisely, the ability to defend it safely, and the generosity to extend it to others.
Pastor Darrin Kohrt, Concordia & Outlying Lutheran Congregations
“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” Jesus Christ, John 15:13
Not all trauma is meant to be documented. God alone has the tally. Humans have collected bits and pieces here and there; these personal remembrances of conflict. Our gracious God snatches away some of the most heart-rending memories for our own protection. He quickly smothers the terror like a mother cradling her baby, like a comrade falling on a grenade. It allows those who are still in the fray to cope, to carry on. And carry on they did, so that others could live securely.
They are not all numbered, but they shall not be forgotten. How many have been lost down through history? How many acts of sacrifice have gone unrecognized? How many heroic deeds were unrecorded; from Gallipoli to Kokoda, from Desert Storm back to the Somme? The bravery, the valor, the loyalty; these particulars were often known only among comrades. We are privy only to the details they chose to share. Danger unified them. Hope sustained them. Love galvanized them. They saw unspeakable horrors. They heard desperate cries. The stench of decay filled their nostrils. The taste of death clung to their lips. Their consciences carried aspirations of freedom. Their hearts bore the ideals of democracy. They fell so that our way of life could still stand.
The WWI diary of Archie Barwick records this entry from the 27th December 1916, it was a post-Christmas reflection, “A fellow has had many opportunities now of seeing the ravages caused by war. The throwing back of the [German] lines enables one to visit the ground that once was no man’s land…which remains in many instances littered with the debris of a series of long and terrible fights…the ground over which both sides are fighting is one vast cemetery, & as new trenches are cut bodies come out or form part of the walls. It is a gruesome place this Somme...”
And so it is in many of the theaters of war. We can scarcely imagine having as our residence a place with walls lined by the corpses of the slain! Yet, walled in by the dead, they fought for life. Captive to the conditions they fought for freedom. Lingering in dark shadows they trusted light would dawn on the horizon. The stability and privileges we enjoy in our society are the fruit of their sacrifices.
Not all details are remembered, but their sacrifice shall not be forgotten. God alone has the tally. We shall never be privy to the scope of experience the participants of war endure; their suffering, their grief, their glory. Empathy is beyond our capacity, but gratitude is vital for mentoring the next generation. Sacrifice wasted in the present darkens future prospects.
Wars and conflicts seem never to cease. It is the way of a fallen world. A measure of peace is maintained by vigilance. Liberty is guarded by careful investment in shared values and common goals. There is a cost. These are never a given, always a gift. Human strength has its limits. There is always striving, always failing, always hoping. But the cosmic war has already been won. There is no greater love than the sacrifice made by Him who is the Prince of Peace. The Son of God laid down His life for friends and enemies alike. His love cannot be conquered. It cannot be defeated. He says, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25), no one else did, no one else can. In spite of all human treachery, Life prevails. In the midst of our darkness, He is light. He knows the scars of warriors. He knows the scars of nations. He knows those hidden scars never disclosed. His own scars tell the story of death and of life.
Today we remember the fallen and those details of their sacrifice which God permits. We commend the rest to His keeping. May the Almighty, for the sake of His Son, grant us the courage to use our freedom wisely, the ability to defend it safely, and the generosity to extend it to others.
Pastor Darrin Kohrt, Concordia & Outlying Lutheran Congregations
Second Sunday of Easter (A) 2017
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 20:23
Theme: The Mandate of Forgiveness
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Christ is risen! Alleluia!
The news reached the eleven disciples before Jesus Himself did. First, He walked the road to Emmaus. The disciples, meanwhile, had a few more hours to collect their thoughts before seeing Jesus face to face. Imagine the shame and regret they struggled through! They had abandoned Him in His hour of need. How would He respond to them now? Would He rebuke them? The disciples were huddled together with the doors locked. The risen Christ passed right through the locked doors into their presence. He greeted them with peace. What a weight was lifted from them! The risen Christ holds no grudges.
Thomas was not present that first Easter Sunday when Jesus appeared. His refusal to believe the others has been the focus of many sermons throughout the ages. He had to witness the scars firsthand. Jesus was risen. He still is. In response, Jesus commends the work of the Spirit. He says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”1 The Holy Spirit grants such faith to us “Thomases”, who believe on the testimony of many witnesses, though we don’t feel the scars. Still, we taste, touch, and see His body and blood in Holy Communion.
But more happened in those first reunions than just dispelling the doubt of Thomas. Jesus immediately began to prepare the apostles to be sent out into the world. He would charge them with an awesome responsibility. The crux of the matter is stated like this by Jesus, “If you forgive anyone his sins they are forgiven: if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”2 He had taught them this before. In the preaching of God’s word unrepentant sinners must be warned their guilt remains unresolved before God, and repentant sinners but be assured, beyond doubt that their sins are forgiven. Christ established the Office of the Ministry for just this purpose.
God is in the business of forgiveness. Humans prefer the commerce of sin. The fact that we don’t see eye to eye on these matters necessitated the coming of Christ end encompasses the whole purpose of the Scriptures. The misunderstanding of sin is a condition of original sin. A Sunday School teacher had just concluded her lesson and wanted to make sure she had made her point. She said, "Can anyone tell me what you must do before you can obtain forgiveness from sin?" There was a short pause and then, from the back of the room, a small boy spoke up. "Sin," he said. Dear friends, we are often like the small boy than we’d like to admit. We easily suppose we have no serious sins that need to be dealt with. Those who don’t believe they are seek will not seek a doctor. Those who do not believe they are sinners will not seek a Saviour.
Dear friends, Jesus had said earlier to His followers, “Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, - and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive him.”3 And do you know how the apostles responded to that? The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"4 They understood immediately how difficult and treacherous this business of forgiveness is. They knew, from experience, like we all do, that it is no easy thing. Remember, forgiveness is never earned. If we are waiting for the other person to merit forgiveness, then we really want is satisfaction or revenge. Forgiveness is always an extension of undeserved grace. God has extended it to us in Christ. We couldn't earn it from Him in a thousand lifetimes. But Jesus acquired it with the selfless giving up of His own life.
When human capacity reaches its limits- the ability to forgive or to turn the other cheek is exhausted- it's then that Christ carries us. It's then that the cross becomes real. It’s then that the rubber meets the road in baptismal living. When we stop looking for solutions that are really nothing more than veiled negotiations to get our own way, it's then that the love of Christ must do what no human effort or ingenuity can do. Reconciliation with those who have sinned against us is not easy. It mirrors the reconciliation between God and humans; that required holy blood to be shed. So, what is required for broken relationships that need to be mended? Well, more of the same. It requires the Holy Spirit, who convicts consciences and softens hardened hearts.
Acting like a doormat doesn’t mean forgiveness has been received or reconciliation has occurred. Denial doesn’t mean forgiveness has been received or reconciliation has occurred. Claiming victory or admitting defeat doesn’t mean forgiveness has been received or reconciliation has occurred. Forgiveness is not about winning, or dominating, or giving up. It is about believing what God has done for us in Christ and trusting it is valid also for our relationships with others.
The joy and struggle of forgiveness should be central to our prayer life, just as it sits right in the middle of the Lord’s prayer. “Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.”5 What does this mean? “We pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would not look at our sins, or deny our prayer because of them. We are neither worthy of the things for which we pray, not have we deserved them, but we ask that He would give them all to us by grace…so we too will sincerely forgive and gladly do good to those who sin against us.”6
And indeed, He does not deny us His grace because the atonement was already accomplished at the cross. The cross is not merely one illustration of sacrifice in competition with others. The crucifixion is the defining event of God's self-disclosure. In it we see who God really is. It is the one necessary redeeming event. The Bible says, “But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God.”7 And again, “He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”8 The work is completed. The job is finished. We gather now, as we do every Lord's day, not to attempt again what Christ has already done, but to benefit from His perfect accomplishment.
We cannot truly forgive unless we believe we have been forgiven. The power is above and beyond us. Yes, we can forgive those things which we have already decided didn't really offend us. We've moved on and the relationship isn't compromised. But it's another story when the effect of the offence alters our attitude towards the person. We recognise the resentment lodged deep in the heart but our feelings cannot overcome it. We may know the person is genuinely sorry, but we still want them to feel our pain. At these times forgiveness relies on the truth of God's promise. We believe that Christ will resolve all imbalances and inconsistencies. His sacrifice was the atonement for all the injustices humans have perpetrated against one another. It doesn't mean our hearts will suddenly be at peace about something that hurt us deeply. Scars remain. Memories linger. But it does mean we can go forward leaving it in God's hands. We can treat the person as if the past has been forgotten.
Leaving the past behind is part of our Easter joy. The new life we have in baptism originates with the resurrected Jesus and is sustained only through Him. The Holy Spirit continually renews us in our baptism every time His forgiveness is received. That doesn’t mean we sit back apathetically and reflect on God’s blessings to us in the past (though we should always be reflecting on His blessings), it means we face each day renewed and equipped to mirror Christ’s love to others. We may be a dim reflection: We leave the perfect clarity to Him. He still bears the scars. Amen.
Christ is risen! Alleluia!
+ In nomine Jesu +
Second Sunday of Easter
23 April, 2017
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 20:29
2 John 20:23
3 Luke 17:3-4
4 Luke 17:5
5 Luke 11:4
6 Luther’s Small Catechism
7 Hebrews 10:12
8Hebrews 9:26
Text: John 20:23
Theme: The Mandate of Forgiveness
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Christ is risen! Alleluia!
The news reached the eleven disciples before Jesus Himself did. First, He walked the road to Emmaus. The disciples, meanwhile, had a few more hours to collect their thoughts before seeing Jesus face to face. Imagine the shame and regret they struggled through! They had abandoned Him in His hour of need. How would He respond to them now? Would He rebuke them? The disciples were huddled together with the doors locked. The risen Christ passed right through the locked doors into their presence. He greeted them with peace. What a weight was lifted from them! The risen Christ holds no grudges.
Thomas was not present that first Easter Sunday when Jesus appeared. His refusal to believe the others has been the focus of many sermons throughout the ages. He had to witness the scars firsthand. Jesus was risen. He still is. In response, Jesus commends the work of the Spirit. He says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”1 The Holy Spirit grants such faith to us “Thomases”, who believe on the testimony of many witnesses, though we don’t feel the scars. Still, we taste, touch, and see His body and blood in Holy Communion.
But more happened in those first reunions than just dispelling the doubt of Thomas. Jesus immediately began to prepare the apostles to be sent out into the world. He would charge them with an awesome responsibility. The crux of the matter is stated like this by Jesus, “If you forgive anyone his sins they are forgiven: if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”2 He had taught them this before. In the preaching of God’s word unrepentant sinners must be warned their guilt remains unresolved before God, and repentant sinners but be assured, beyond doubt that their sins are forgiven. Christ established the Office of the Ministry for just this purpose.
God is in the business of forgiveness. Humans prefer the commerce of sin. The fact that we don’t see eye to eye on these matters necessitated the coming of Christ end encompasses the whole purpose of the Scriptures. The misunderstanding of sin is a condition of original sin. A Sunday School teacher had just concluded her lesson and wanted to make sure she had made her point. She said, "Can anyone tell me what you must do before you can obtain forgiveness from sin?" There was a short pause and then, from the back of the room, a small boy spoke up. "Sin," he said. Dear friends, we are often like the small boy than we’d like to admit. We easily suppose we have no serious sins that need to be dealt with. Those who don’t believe they are seek will not seek a doctor. Those who do not believe they are sinners will not seek a Saviour.
Dear friends, Jesus had said earlier to His followers, “Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, - and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive him.”3 And do you know how the apostles responded to that? The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"4 They understood immediately how difficult and treacherous this business of forgiveness is. They knew, from experience, like we all do, that it is no easy thing. Remember, forgiveness is never earned. If we are waiting for the other person to merit forgiveness, then we really want is satisfaction or revenge. Forgiveness is always an extension of undeserved grace. God has extended it to us in Christ. We couldn't earn it from Him in a thousand lifetimes. But Jesus acquired it with the selfless giving up of His own life.
When human capacity reaches its limits- the ability to forgive or to turn the other cheek is exhausted- it's then that Christ carries us. It's then that the cross becomes real. It’s then that the rubber meets the road in baptismal living. When we stop looking for solutions that are really nothing more than veiled negotiations to get our own way, it's then that the love of Christ must do what no human effort or ingenuity can do. Reconciliation with those who have sinned against us is not easy. It mirrors the reconciliation between God and humans; that required holy blood to be shed. So, what is required for broken relationships that need to be mended? Well, more of the same. It requires the Holy Spirit, who convicts consciences and softens hardened hearts.
Acting like a doormat doesn’t mean forgiveness has been received or reconciliation has occurred. Denial doesn’t mean forgiveness has been received or reconciliation has occurred. Claiming victory or admitting defeat doesn’t mean forgiveness has been received or reconciliation has occurred. Forgiveness is not about winning, or dominating, or giving up. It is about believing what God has done for us in Christ and trusting it is valid also for our relationships with others.
The joy and struggle of forgiveness should be central to our prayer life, just as it sits right in the middle of the Lord’s prayer. “Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.”5 What does this mean? “We pray in this petition that our Father in heaven would not look at our sins, or deny our prayer because of them. We are neither worthy of the things for which we pray, not have we deserved them, but we ask that He would give them all to us by grace…so we too will sincerely forgive and gladly do good to those who sin against us.”6
And indeed, He does not deny us His grace because the atonement was already accomplished at the cross. The cross is not merely one illustration of sacrifice in competition with others. The crucifixion is the defining event of God's self-disclosure. In it we see who God really is. It is the one necessary redeeming event. The Bible says, “But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God.”7 And again, “He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”8 The work is completed. The job is finished. We gather now, as we do every Lord's day, not to attempt again what Christ has already done, but to benefit from His perfect accomplishment.
We cannot truly forgive unless we believe we have been forgiven. The power is above and beyond us. Yes, we can forgive those things which we have already decided didn't really offend us. We've moved on and the relationship isn't compromised. But it's another story when the effect of the offence alters our attitude towards the person. We recognise the resentment lodged deep in the heart but our feelings cannot overcome it. We may know the person is genuinely sorry, but we still want them to feel our pain. At these times forgiveness relies on the truth of God's promise. We believe that Christ will resolve all imbalances and inconsistencies. His sacrifice was the atonement for all the injustices humans have perpetrated against one another. It doesn't mean our hearts will suddenly be at peace about something that hurt us deeply. Scars remain. Memories linger. But it does mean we can go forward leaving it in God's hands. We can treat the person as if the past has been forgotten.
Leaving the past behind is part of our Easter joy. The new life we have in baptism originates with the resurrected Jesus and is sustained only through Him. The Holy Spirit continually renews us in our baptism every time His forgiveness is received. That doesn’t mean we sit back apathetically and reflect on God’s blessings to us in the past (though we should always be reflecting on His blessings), it means we face each day renewed and equipped to mirror Christ’s love to others. We may be a dim reflection: We leave the perfect clarity to Him. He still bears the scars. Amen.
Christ is risen! Alleluia!
+ In nomine Jesu +
Second Sunday of Easter
23 April, 2017
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 20:29
2 John 20:23
3 Luke 17:3-4
4 Luke 17:5
5 Luke 11:4
6 Luther’s Small Catechism
7 Hebrews 10:12
8Hebrews 9:26
Funeral of Greg O'Neill, April 21, 2017
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: 1 John 1:7
Theme: Cleansed By His Blood
Dear family, friends, and loved ones of Greg, and especially you Bill, his brother;
God puts an end to suffering. Why God permits certain traumas, at particular times, to trouble specific people… we do not know. A conversation with Job might give us more insight. Faith must venture where reason cannot go. Greg, of course, wouldn’t have complained overly much about what he endured. What matters now is that he has been released from every burden of mind and body. The curse of sin and all of its consequences has been broken. His soul has been received into the majestic, peaceful, and awesome presence of the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Greg celebrates Easter with a joy that we cannot even imagine. He is free. He is home.
The accident that put Greg in a wheel chair radically changed his life but also gave him an entirely new perspective on those things which are most meaningful. Tragedy has a way of sorting out the trivial from the essential. We know how facing mortality through illness or accident quickly sobers us in evaluating our priorities. Greg understood the essentials better than most. He didn’t give up or give in. He didn’t check out of life or become a recluse wallowing in self-pity. He pursued a vocation that made good use of his mind. He was a blessing to others and a benefit to society.
Greg was a nimble conversationalist. The restrictions on his body left no impairment on his mind. He was able to converse intelligently and gracefully about everything from politics to religion to the popular trends of culture. Greg had a sharp wit and a clever sense of humor that carried carefully nuanced tones of sarcasm. His jovialness and positivity in the face of struggle was an inspiration to many. He persevered through long stays in the hospital and was always dependent on others.
Just as damage to his body did not restrict his mind, so too, it did not finally compromise his faith. Oh yes, questions were asked of God. Soul-searching was done. Intense emotions were worked through. We should not imagine that we can empathize with what Greg endured. We don’t know what darkness he faced or what regrets he had. But we do know that, by the mercy of God, he emerged with a vibrant, measured, and articulate faith. Greg knew the Scriptures and that meant he knew the One of whom the Scriptures speak. He knew the Saviour who shed His blood for the atonement for sins. Greg treasured that sacrifice.
Two of Greg’s favourite hymns, ones included in our celebration today, emphasize the forgiveness of sins that comes only by the shedding of Christ’s blood. The crux of the matter is expressed by the Apostle John, “If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.”1Did Greg believe he needed cleansing from his sins? Yes, he knew that no one can enter into the presence of the Father on his own merits. He knew that the tragedy that crippled him didn’t make him a pity-case, an exception due to circumstances. Forsaking all notions of our own worthiness and placing ourselves completely at the mercy of Christ is the only way to God’s favour. Sin cannot be excused, denied, or negotiated. It can only be repented of. Salvation is by grace, through faith. There is no other way.
I’ve spoken to few people that understood the meaning of their baptism as well as Greg did. Baptism is the entry point of the Holy Spirit into a believer’s life. Baptism is the divine covenant which conveys an eternal inheritance. Greg was a conveyancer and he understood how the transfer of important things took place. Greg was attentive to the important things of God, receiving the sacrament of Christ’s body and blood regularly, meditating on His word; witnessing to His truth. And he was not remiss in His prayers.
Greg’s prayers have been answered. For us, there’s grieving left to be done. It’s not something to be made light of, avoided, or denied. Sorrow over death is a particular reflection of the divine image. God did not create death or intend it. In justice, He wields it as a punishment for sin. But death has no final power over His saints. Therefore, the Scripture says, “We do not want you to be uniformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep.”2
In the end, Greg’s body was riddled with cancer. But in relation to Christ’s power to raise the dead that’s neither here nor there. It’s a small matter. We are all riddled with the cancer of sin. It permeates our existence. Yet, it is for the believer, only a temporary affliction. The Scriptures says, “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 control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.”3 Greg’s body will be restored in the great day of the resurrection. Then will come to pass the promise of Isaiah, “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer.”4 Imagine Greg’s joy when he is again able to leap like a deer, or should we say, a kangaroo!
Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though He dies.”5Greg is celebrating Easter: Life! Life with no encumbrances of sin; unmediated enjoyment of God’s presence. Thanks be to God!
+ In nomine Jesu +
Christian Burial of Greg O’Neill
21 April 2017
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 1 John 1:7
2 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
3 Philippians 3:20-21
4 Isaiah 35:5-6
5 John 11:25
Text: 1 John 1:7
Theme: Cleansed By His Blood
Dear family, friends, and loved ones of Greg, and especially you Bill, his brother;
God puts an end to suffering. Why God permits certain traumas, at particular times, to trouble specific people… we do not know. A conversation with Job might give us more insight. Faith must venture where reason cannot go. Greg, of course, wouldn’t have complained overly much about what he endured. What matters now is that he has been released from every burden of mind and body. The curse of sin and all of its consequences has been broken. His soul has been received into the majestic, peaceful, and awesome presence of the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Greg celebrates Easter with a joy that we cannot even imagine. He is free. He is home.
The accident that put Greg in a wheel chair radically changed his life but also gave him an entirely new perspective on those things which are most meaningful. Tragedy has a way of sorting out the trivial from the essential. We know how facing mortality through illness or accident quickly sobers us in evaluating our priorities. Greg understood the essentials better than most. He didn’t give up or give in. He didn’t check out of life or become a recluse wallowing in self-pity. He pursued a vocation that made good use of his mind. He was a blessing to others and a benefit to society.
Greg was a nimble conversationalist. The restrictions on his body left no impairment on his mind. He was able to converse intelligently and gracefully about everything from politics to religion to the popular trends of culture. Greg had a sharp wit and a clever sense of humor that carried carefully nuanced tones of sarcasm. His jovialness and positivity in the face of struggle was an inspiration to many. He persevered through long stays in the hospital and was always dependent on others.
Just as damage to his body did not restrict his mind, so too, it did not finally compromise his faith. Oh yes, questions were asked of God. Soul-searching was done. Intense emotions were worked through. We should not imagine that we can empathize with what Greg endured. We don’t know what darkness he faced or what regrets he had. But we do know that, by the mercy of God, he emerged with a vibrant, measured, and articulate faith. Greg knew the Scriptures and that meant he knew the One of whom the Scriptures speak. He knew the Saviour who shed His blood for the atonement for sins. Greg treasured that sacrifice.
Two of Greg’s favourite hymns, ones included in our celebration today, emphasize the forgiveness of sins that comes only by the shedding of Christ’s blood. The crux of the matter is expressed by the Apostle John, “If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.”1Did Greg believe he needed cleansing from his sins? Yes, he knew that no one can enter into the presence of the Father on his own merits. He knew that the tragedy that crippled him didn’t make him a pity-case, an exception due to circumstances. Forsaking all notions of our own worthiness and placing ourselves completely at the mercy of Christ is the only way to God’s favour. Sin cannot be excused, denied, or negotiated. It can only be repented of. Salvation is by grace, through faith. There is no other way.
I’ve spoken to few people that understood the meaning of their baptism as well as Greg did. Baptism is the entry point of the Holy Spirit into a believer’s life. Baptism is the divine covenant which conveys an eternal inheritance. Greg was a conveyancer and he understood how the transfer of important things took place. Greg was attentive to the important things of God, receiving the sacrament of Christ’s body and blood regularly, meditating on His word; witnessing to His truth. And he was not remiss in His prayers.
Greg’s prayers have been answered. For us, there’s grieving left to be done. It’s not something to be made light of, avoided, or denied. Sorrow over death is a particular reflection of the divine image. God did not create death or intend it. In justice, He wields it as a punishment for sin. But death has no final power over His saints. Therefore, the Scripture says, “We do not want you to be uniformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep.”2
In the end, Greg’s body was riddled with cancer. But in relation to Christ’s power to raise the dead that’s neither here nor there. It’s a small matter. We are all riddled with the cancer of sin. It permeates our existence. Yet, it is for the believer, only a temporary affliction. The Scriptures says, “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 control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.”3 Greg’s body will be restored in the great day of the resurrection. Then will come to pass the promise of Isaiah, “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer.”4 Imagine Greg’s joy when he is again able to leap like a deer, or should we say, a kangaroo!
Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though He dies.”5Greg is celebrating Easter: Life! Life with no encumbrances of sin; unmediated enjoyment of God’s presence. Thanks be to God!
+ In nomine Jesu +
Christian Burial of Greg O’Neill
21 April 2017
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 1 John 1:7
2 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
3 Philippians 3:20-21
4 Isaiah 35:5-6
5 John 11:25
Thursday, April 20, 2017
The Resurrection of Our Lord 2017
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: Matthew 28:8
Theme: Still Giving Life
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Christ is risen! Alleluia!
The Marys were the first. They came at dawn with hearts full of darkness. They pondered the meaning of His death and the apparent failure of His mission. Their hope was low, or even lost. But at the place where the dead are housed they met the Creator of Life. And the Light of the World quickly dispelled their darkness. Jesus was risen. Death had been defeated. Reconciliation had been accomplished. The condemnation of sin would no longer estrange sinners from God. They saw the risen Lord with their own eyes and we now enter into their joy with the eyes of faith. The Bridegroom has returned to us. The Shepherd has come back.
Celebrations were tempered and erratic at first. The truth of His resurrection didn’t immediately sink in. As if in a stupor, they struggled to come to terms with the facts. Pentecost was still 50 days off. Yet, the risen flesh and blood Jesus met the test of tangibility. The women clung to Him. The disciples ate with Him. Thomas felt the very scars where the nails were driven and the spear had pierced. He was real. He was living.
Dear friends, Christianity lives or dies by the historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Without the resurrection, the crucifixion remains a tragedy, only a heroic event of martyrdom that has no lasting consequence beyond the ability to inspire awe and imitation in successive generations. Moreover, Christianity as a whole collapses into a human oriented religion whose main purpose becomes easing the suffering of this life. That’s a noble task in and of itself, but without the fact of the resurrection nobody can be promised the true well-being that only comes with “the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.”1
The message is not always palatable to a skeptical society. We have been schooled in empirical validation for some time now. If we can’t see it, hear it, smell it, touch it, or taste it, is it real? In Jesus’ day, the theological liberals were the Sadducees. They did not believe in the resurrection or in angels. The Pharisees were much more conservative. They believed that God would raise the dead as He had promised already in the Old Testament. The same thing is still evidenced today. Many liberal biblical scholars do not believe in the supernatural, including heaven, hell, and Satan; or Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. This leads to a spiritual crisis of the greatest proportions. The specificity of Christ and His work of redemption are replaced by a God of providence, a higher power who exists, but of whom we know very little about His intentions. From this perspective, there is no blood sacrifice, no appeasement of divine wrath, no victory over Satan.
Anemic understandings of the Christian message are nothing new. The apostle Paul took up a defence of Christ’s work with the Christians in Corinth in this way, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that He raised Christ from the dead…if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.”2
Our faith is not a composition of human opinions. If it is, we’d best move on! In Christ hope is never lost. Consider the example of a devout Christian woman whose husband was a hardened atheist. For forty years, this woman prayed fervently for his conversion but with no results. He steadfastly resisted any consideration of the facts about Christ, the reality of sin, or the existence of God. Late in life the woman became ill and was confined to her bed for an extended period of time. It became too difficult for her to read. Her only request was that her husband read to her from the Bible as he attended her bedside. It was simply a part of her daily routine. This he agreed to do for her sake only. Shortly before she died she had the joy of seeing him baptized and become an active member of the congregation. Her lifelong prayer was answered in the 11th hour.
Today we celebrate the victory of Christ over death. In doing so we celebrate our status as the baptized people of God. The Scripture says, “Do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”3 We are raised with Christ already now spiritually. Our second resurrection will involve the restoration of body and soul for eternity.
Knowing the future promised to us, Holy Spirit changes our perspective on the present. You may think your life involves drudgery, hardship, or tragedy. Your hope may be razor thin that certain things in your life will ever be realized, reconciled, or resolved. You might be physically frail, emotionally fatigued, or psychologically damaged. You may suffer from too little self-esteem or too much ego. You may feel you’ve been deceived or treated unfairly. Or you might be accused of the deception or unfairness. You might be driven by ambition, by anger, by sympathy, or complex mixture of many other motives. If so, take heart, you are no different than the average sinner.
And you are not alone, you are part of the church. Jesus sent the women to go and tell. He then sent the apostles saying, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”4 The result is this remarkable reality; this gathering of sinners deemed to be saints in the sight of the holy God: The church. No earthly organization compares. The dimensions of this holy fellowship are not limited by time or space. The Holy Spirit draws us. The mystery of the crucified and risen Christ binds us together. Here at this footstool of God was are gathered at the threshold of the throne. Here earth convenes with heaven. Here we participate in sacred blessings.
Here personal agendas are laid aside. Here egos are checked at the door. Here opinions are abandoned and truth is exalted. Here Christ invites us battled-hardened and weary sinners to enjoy rest. Here Christ feeds our souls with the sacred meal of His body and blood. Here is the assembly of those who are promised a baptismal inheritance. Here we gather at the Jordan peering into the Promised Land. Here the sheep of the flock are kept safely in His fold. Here we raise our alleluias and they are joined with “angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven.”5
Dear friends, Christians should labour under no misunderstandings about the truths we hold sacred. The current public climate of our society is becoming increasingly hostile. It’s critical that we know what and who our true enemies are lest we be distracted by the trivial things in life and the temptations of the world. The guilt of sin, the cleverness of Satan, and the inevitableness of death cannot be resolved in any measure by our abilities. Left on our own our prospects in this life are difficult enough (God allows wickedness to prosper for a time), but at the time of death we would be utterly doomed, estranged from God.
But Christ has all these things in hand. He says, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”6 And again, “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.”7 Nothing more important can ever be said or accomplished. These truths are why we celebrate today. Amen.
Christ is risen! Alleluia!
+ In nomine Jesu +
The Resurrection of our Lord
16 April, 2017
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Nicene Creed
2 1 Corinthians 15:14-15, 17-19
3 Romans 6:3-4
4 Matthew 28:19-20
5 LH, p16
6 Revelation 1:17-18
7 John 11:25-26
Text: Matthew 28:8
Theme: Still Giving Life
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Christ is risen! Alleluia!
The Marys were the first. They came at dawn with hearts full of darkness. They pondered the meaning of His death and the apparent failure of His mission. Their hope was low, or even lost. But at the place where the dead are housed they met the Creator of Life. And the Light of the World quickly dispelled their darkness. Jesus was risen. Death had been defeated. Reconciliation had been accomplished. The condemnation of sin would no longer estrange sinners from God. They saw the risen Lord with their own eyes and we now enter into their joy with the eyes of faith. The Bridegroom has returned to us. The Shepherd has come back.
Celebrations were tempered and erratic at first. The truth of His resurrection didn’t immediately sink in. As if in a stupor, they struggled to come to terms with the facts. Pentecost was still 50 days off. Yet, the risen flesh and blood Jesus met the test of tangibility. The women clung to Him. The disciples ate with Him. Thomas felt the very scars where the nails were driven and the spear had pierced. He was real. He was living.
Dear friends, Christianity lives or dies by the historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Without the resurrection, the crucifixion remains a tragedy, only a heroic event of martyrdom that has no lasting consequence beyond the ability to inspire awe and imitation in successive generations. Moreover, Christianity as a whole collapses into a human oriented religion whose main purpose becomes easing the suffering of this life. That’s a noble task in and of itself, but without the fact of the resurrection nobody can be promised the true well-being that only comes with “the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.”1
The message is not always palatable to a skeptical society. We have been schooled in empirical validation for some time now. If we can’t see it, hear it, smell it, touch it, or taste it, is it real? In Jesus’ day, the theological liberals were the Sadducees. They did not believe in the resurrection or in angels. The Pharisees were much more conservative. They believed that God would raise the dead as He had promised already in the Old Testament. The same thing is still evidenced today. Many liberal biblical scholars do not believe in the supernatural, including heaven, hell, and Satan; or Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. This leads to a spiritual crisis of the greatest proportions. The specificity of Christ and His work of redemption are replaced by a God of providence, a higher power who exists, but of whom we know very little about His intentions. From this perspective, there is no blood sacrifice, no appeasement of divine wrath, no victory over Satan.
Anemic understandings of the Christian message are nothing new. The apostle Paul took up a defence of Christ’s work with the Christians in Corinth in this way, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that He raised Christ from the dead…if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.”2
Our faith is not a composition of human opinions. If it is, we’d best move on! In Christ hope is never lost. Consider the example of a devout Christian woman whose husband was a hardened atheist. For forty years, this woman prayed fervently for his conversion but with no results. He steadfastly resisted any consideration of the facts about Christ, the reality of sin, or the existence of God. Late in life the woman became ill and was confined to her bed for an extended period of time. It became too difficult for her to read. Her only request was that her husband read to her from the Bible as he attended her bedside. It was simply a part of her daily routine. This he agreed to do for her sake only. Shortly before she died she had the joy of seeing him baptized and become an active member of the congregation. Her lifelong prayer was answered in the 11th hour.
Today we celebrate the victory of Christ over death. In doing so we celebrate our status as the baptized people of God. The Scripture says, “Do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”3 We are raised with Christ already now spiritually. Our second resurrection will involve the restoration of body and soul for eternity.
Knowing the future promised to us, Holy Spirit changes our perspective on the present. You may think your life involves drudgery, hardship, or tragedy. Your hope may be razor thin that certain things in your life will ever be realized, reconciled, or resolved. You might be physically frail, emotionally fatigued, or psychologically damaged. You may suffer from too little self-esteem or too much ego. You may feel you’ve been deceived or treated unfairly. Or you might be accused of the deception or unfairness. You might be driven by ambition, by anger, by sympathy, or complex mixture of many other motives. If so, take heart, you are no different than the average sinner.
And you are not alone, you are part of the church. Jesus sent the women to go and tell. He then sent the apostles saying, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”4 The result is this remarkable reality; this gathering of sinners deemed to be saints in the sight of the holy God: The church. No earthly organization compares. The dimensions of this holy fellowship are not limited by time or space. The Holy Spirit draws us. The mystery of the crucified and risen Christ binds us together. Here at this footstool of God was are gathered at the threshold of the throne. Here earth convenes with heaven. Here we participate in sacred blessings.
Here personal agendas are laid aside. Here egos are checked at the door. Here opinions are abandoned and truth is exalted. Here Christ invites us battled-hardened and weary sinners to enjoy rest. Here Christ feeds our souls with the sacred meal of His body and blood. Here is the assembly of those who are promised a baptismal inheritance. Here we gather at the Jordan peering into the Promised Land. Here the sheep of the flock are kept safely in His fold. Here we raise our alleluias and they are joined with “angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven.”5
Dear friends, Christians should labour under no misunderstandings about the truths we hold sacred. The current public climate of our society is becoming increasingly hostile. It’s critical that we know what and who our true enemies are lest we be distracted by the trivial things in life and the temptations of the world. The guilt of sin, the cleverness of Satan, and the inevitableness of death cannot be resolved in any measure by our abilities. Left on our own our prospects in this life are difficult enough (God allows wickedness to prosper for a time), but at the time of death we would be utterly doomed, estranged from God.
But Christ has all these things in hand. He says, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”6 And again, “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.”7 Nothing more important can ever be said or accomplished. These truths are why we celebrate today. Amen.
Christ is risen! Alleluia!
+ In nomine Jesu +
The Resurrection of our Lord
16 April, 2017
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 Nicene Creed
2 1 Corinthians 15:14-15, 17-19
3 Romans 6:3-4
4 Matthew 28:19-20
5 LH, p16
6 Revelation 1:17-18
7 John 11:25-26
Good Friday 2017
+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.
Text: John 19:6
Theme: No Guilt, Still Condemned
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Crucifixions were not unusual events. Death by this horrendous method of torture was standard punishment for the condemned. Jesus did not merit special consideration when it came to His method of execution. Common thieves shared His fate on Calvary. But this crucifixion had a different meaning and a different ending. Pilate sought to wash his hands of the matter saying, “I find no guilt in Him,”1 still, he handed Jesus over to be crucified. The great exchange of guilt was about to occur and the cross was the facility for the transaction.
We can reasonably speculate that some people became somewhat numb from witnessing crucifixions just as we become desensitized to violence by watching too much on TV. Nonetheless, the stomach-turning nature of it undoubtedly had the desired effect of deterring those planning to transgress the authorities. The earliest symbol of Christianity was the fish, not the cross. This may reveal the sensitivity of proximity the early Christians had. Nevertheless, Paul said all that really need to be said when he wrote to the Corinthians, “I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”2
The crucifixion brings clarity. In no other way can sinners be absolved than by receiving the forgiveness which has its source there. We worship a bleeding, dying Saviour. The specificity of what we recognize today should not escape our notice. The belief that humanity considered corporately, or that life considered compositely, is the essence or power of the divine, the very definition of God, is an ancient pagan idea. The deification of nature or the collective life force of all living things characterizes some human attempts explain the mysteries of existence. But the belief that one individual man is God, that is Christianity. In seeing Jesus, we see God. God is everywhere but we only have access to Him where He wills to be. He willed to be present among us in the flesh and blood person of Jesus, the Christ.
Christ was sacrificed to resolve the guilt of sin. That’s where the rubber meets the road for us. Humans are complex composites of self-awareness and myopathy. We are full of self-contradiction. On the one hand, we know what temptations we are vulnerable to. We know our public sins that shame us and private sins that embarrass us. We know those sins we desperately want to justify so that we don’t have to give them up. We can call it intuition, which the Bible teaches us is simply the proper functioning of our conscience as it responds to God’s law. We bear the image of the Creator and we have a sense of when we are tarnishing it. The Scripture talks about unbelievers “who do not have the law, [yet] do by nature things required by the law…they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts.”3 Therefore, no one is excused.
On the other hand, we can be so short-sighted, narrow-minded, arrogant, and ignorant that we don’t even realize we are sinning. We might habitually hurt others and not have a clue. We might be so biased and out of touch we don’t even know we are falling under God’s condemnation. Furthermore, we may be puffed in self-righteousness, actually believing our sins are blessings to ourselves and others. The apostle Paul says, “I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, ‘Do not covet.”4 And David pleas to the Lord, “Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults.”5
Public or private the Scriptures tell us this matter of our sin must be resolved and we are directed to the Crucified One. Therefore, we pray the Holy Spirit would fill us with a trust that we cannot muster on our own. After all, it’s a tall order to believe that this single act is the source of divine pardon. But, dear friends, the only people that don’t have some sort of faith, some type of trust, some manner of confidence are those who are in complete despair or utter confusion. Some believe science will provide all the answers, others trust that everyone will “go to a better place”, some think they have no sins to be forgiven, while still others think people just simply cease to exist when they die. But, all of these positions express some belief about what will happen when mortality is realized. Atheists also have beliefs, they just don’t have faith in God.
The message of Jesus Christ and Him crucified is not parochial. It’s not met for a certain people of a specific time or place. It never becomes obsolete. People are always looking for God. Any god they find that didn’t get hung on a cross is an idol. That’s a radical message. It allows no competitors. It is offensive to some, not sensible to others. Paul said, “We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles.”6 Some think it’s outrageous that the Father would require the blood of His own Son. Others prefer to go their own way without any help from God at all.
Isaiah asks, “Who has believed our message?”7 The message is a tough sell today too. What about the pre-flood era? Was Noah a poor preacher? He preached for 100 years and didn’t have a single convert. What about Elijah and his near-despair about people’s rejection of God? Jesus Himself says that before He returns the love of many will grow cold and He asks rhetorically whether He will find faith on the earth. These are sobering things to ponder.
It's hard to imagine how personally hurtful the sins committed against Jesus leading up to His crucifixion were. Judas betrayed Him. Peter denied Him. The rest of the disciples forsook Him and fled. The soldiers mocked Him. Pilate washed his hands of the whole matter. Both thieves He shared the Skull with even ridiculed Him at first. Still, He persevered. At the death of Jesus, the whole creation convulses and recoils. Darkness descends at midday and tremors rattle the earth. More importantly, the curtain of the temple is rent in two and some believers are raised from their graves. It was a preview of the great day of judgment and resurrection.
In the crucifixion, we see the very heart of God. Abject humility, supreme sacrifice, perfect obedience illustrate not only the ideals but the necessities for atonement. A sinless Son of God was required to pardon sinners. No half-way measures would do. No mediocre efforts would suffice. You are baptized into this death. You are fed with divine food supplied by the table of the cross.
There hangs Jesus, the Son of God, from the cross. He hangs there so that we can stand in the assembly of the righteous. He hangs in darkness so we can enjoy divine light. He gasps for air so that we can breathe easily. He bows His head so that we can dare to lift our necks and behold the very face of God. He succumbs to death that we might have life. Now is the hour of the power of darkness, but the light of the resurrection will soon pierce the horizon. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Good Friday
14 April, 2017
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 19:6
2 1 Corinthians 2:2
3 Romans 2:14-15
4 Romans 7:7
5 Psalm 19:12
6 1 Corinthians 1:23
7 Isaiah 53:1
8 Romans 7:7
Text: John 19:6
Theme: No Guilt, Still Condemned
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Crucifixions were not unusual events. Death by this horrendous method of torture was standard punishment for the condemned. Jesus did not merit special consideration when it came to His method of execution. Common thieves shared His fate on Calvary. But this crucifixion had a different meaning and a different ending. Pilate sought to wash his hands of the matter saying, “I find no guilt in Him,”1 still, he handed Jesus over to be crucified. The great exchange of guilt was about to occur and the cross was the facility for the transaction.
We can reasonably speculate that some people became somewhat numb from witnessing crucifixions just as we become desensitized to violence by watching too much on TV. Nonetheless, the stomach-turning nature of it undoubtedly had the desired effect of deterring those planning to transgress the authorities. The earliest symbol of Christianity was the fish, not the cross. This may reveal the sensitivity of proximity the early Christians had. Nevertheless, Paul said all that really need to be said when he wrote to the Corinthians, “I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”2
The crucifixion brings clarity. In no other way can sinners be absolved than by receiving the forgiveness which has its source there. We worship a bleeding, dying Saviour. The specificity of what we recognize today should not escape our notice. The belief that humanity considered corporately, or that life considered compositely, is the essence or power of the divine, the very definition of God, is an ancient pagan idea. The deification of nature or the collective life force of all living things characterizes some human attempts explain the mysteries of existence. But the belief that one individual man is God, that is Christianity. In seeing Jesus, we see God. God is everywhere but we only have access to Him where He wills to be. He willed to be present among us in the flesh and blood person of Jesus, the Christ.
Christ was sacrificed to resolve the guilt of sin. That’s where the rubber meets the road for us. Humans are complex composites of self-awareness and myopathy. We are full of self-contradiction. On the one hand, we know what temptations we are vulnerable to. We know our public sins that shame us and private sins that embarrass us. We know those sins we desperately want to justify so that we don’t have to give them up. We can call it intuition, which the Bible teaches us is simply the proper functioning of our conscience as it responds to God’s law. We bear the image of the Creator and we have a sense of when we are tarnishing it. The Scripture talks about unbelievers “who do not have the law, [yet] do by nature things required by the law…they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts.”3 Therefore, no one is excused.
On the other hand, we can be so short-sighted, narrow-minded, arrogant, and ignorant that we don’t even realize we are sinning. We might habitually hurt others and not have a clue. We might be so biased and out of touch we don’t even know we are falling under God’s condemnation. Furthermore, we may be puffed in self-righteousness, actually believing our sins are blessings to ourselves and others. The apostle Paul says, “I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, ‘Do not covet.”4 And David pleas to the Lord, “Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults.”5
Public or private the Scriptures tell us this matter of our sin must be resolved and we are directed to the Crucified One. Therefore, we pray the Holy Spirit would fill us with a trust that we cannot muster on our own. After all, it’s a tall order to believe that this single act is the source of divine pardon. But, dear friends, the only people that don’t have some sort of faith, some type of trust, some manner of confidence are those who are in complete despair or utter confusion. Some believe science will provide all the answers, others trust that everyone will “go to a better place”, some think they have no sins to be forgiven, while still others think people just simply cease to exist when they die. But, all of these positions express some belief about what will happen when mortality is realized. Atheists also have beliefs, they just don’t have faith in God.
The message of Jesus Christ and Him crucified is not parochial. It’s not met for a certain people of a specific time or place. It never becomes obsolete. People are always looking for God. Any god they find that didn’t get hung on a cross is an idol. That’s a radical message. It allows no competitors. It is offensive to some, not sensible to others. Paul said, “We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles.”6 Some think it’s outrageous that the Father would require the blood of His own Son. Others prefer to go their own way without any help from God at all.
Isaiah asks, “Who has believed our message?”7 The message is a tough sell today too. What about the pre-flood era? Was Noah a poor preacher? He preached for 100 years and didn’t have a single convert. What about Elijah and his near-despair about people’s rejection of God? Jesus Himself says that before He returns the love of many will grow cold and He asks rhetorically whether He will find faith on the earth. These are sobering things to ponder.
It's hard to imagine how personally hurtful the sins committed against Jesus leading up to His crucifixion were. Judas betrayed Him. Peter denied Him. The rest of the disciples forsook Him and fled. The soldiers mocked Him. Pilate washed his hands of the whole matter. Both thieves He shared the Skull with even ridiculed Him at first. Still, He persevered. At the death of Jesus, the whole creation convulses and recoils. Darkness descends at midday and tremors rattle the earth. More importantly, the curtain of the temple is rent in two and some believers are raised from their graves. It was a preview of the great day of judgment and resurrection.
In the crucifixion, we see the very heart of God. Abject humility, supreme sacrifice, perfect obedience illustrate not only the ideals but the necessities for atonement. A sinless Son of God was required to pardon sinners. No half-way measures would do. No mediocre efforts would suffice. You are baptized into this death. You are fed with divine food supplied by the table of the cross.
There hangs Jesus, the Son of God, from the cross. He hangs there so that we can stand in the assembly of the righteous. He hangs in darkness so we can enjoy divine light. He gasps for air so that we can breathe easily. He bows His head so that we can dare to lift our necks and behold the very face of God. He succumbs to death that we might have life. Now is the hour of the power of darkness, but the light of the resurrection will soon pierce the horizon. Amen.
+ In nomine Jesu +
Good Friday
14 April, 2017
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt
1 John 19:6
2 1 Corinthians 2:2
3 Romans 2:14-15
4 Romans 7:7
5 Psalm 19:12
6 1 Corinthians 1:23
7 Isaiah 53:1
8 Romans 7:7
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