Second Sunday in Lent (Genesis 12:1-8)

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ  (Ro 1:7).  Amen.

I don’t know if they are as common as before—a father and son business.  Perhaps you still see a work van on the road and on the side it reads:  “So and So and Son.”  It could be a plumber or a painter.  The dad has taught the family business to his child and the next generation has bought into it.
It is not that way in my family.  My dad is a CPA.  (I don’t even know what those initials stand for.)  For him, a calculator is not something that you happily chuck once you are finally done with algebra II in high school.  You actually keep it and consult it.  His fingers fly over the numbers and he can make sense of them.  I can’t.  I did not follow my father’s footsteps.
But there is one whom we would walk behind and walk with.  It is our spiritual father—Abram.  We are more used to his other name that God gave him—Abraham  (Ge 17:5).  Those who believe are his children  (Ga 3:7; Ro 4:16).  Follow your father’s faith as you listen with attention and as you live with action.  We read from …

Genesis 12:1-8

Dear People of God, blessed by God,
It could be on a sandy beach  (like on a Spring Break) or a snowy field  (like on a Sunday afternoon).  The dad goes ahead.  The little one lags behind.  He strains and stretches his legs to match his father’s long strides.  Finally he sits down because he is furious.  “I can’t do that.”  It is not possible even if he jumps from one to the next.
Possibly that is our contention as we consider Abram.  “I can’t do that.”  He is so much bigger and better than I am.  And we slump down because we are frustrated.
But then we are looking in the wrong place.  It is not down at ourselves, but up at our God.  The Lord brings us to faith and builds up that faith with his words and with his assurances  (Ro 10:17).  What he did for Abram, he does for us.

Follow Your Father’s Faith
1.  As you listen with attention  (1-3)
2.  As you live with action  (4-8)

1.  As you listen with attention  (1-3)
There is hearing and then there is listening.  You know the difference.  Your spouse’s eyes are fixed on the TV or your teenager’s interest is glued to the phone.  (You wouldn’t want to miss an awesome play during a game or incredible post from a classmate.)  Not even for supper.  There were waves of sound from your mouth, but no sign of some awareness.  You might even prefer a blank stare than an awkward silence.  They heard, but they didn’t listen.  That is not Abram.  Follow your father’s faith as you listen with attention.
We don’t know how:  “The LORD had said to Abram”  (Ge 12:1).  He initiated the contact.  But we know why:  “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you”  (Ge 12:1).  He informed about the content.  Maybe you recall that this is not the first time.  Earlier God asked Abram’s whole clan to make a major move—from the city of Ur in the far corner of Mesopotamia heading northwest along the Fertile Crescent to Haran.  As hard as that might have been, this one was more so.  Note the three things that were to be in his rearview mirror this second time—each progressively more difficult:
• Leave your country  (Ge 12:1)—the familiarity of the area.
• Leave your people  (Ge 12:1)—the friends of that place.
• Leave your father’s household  (Ge 12:1)—the family of his relatives.  He might never see them again.  This was long before facetime and Facebook, Instagram and iPhones.
This time it was just Abram, Sarah, and Lot, his nephew, along with the people and possessions that he had gathered—his stuff and his servants  (Ge 12:5).  Add to that he had a general direction, but not the exact location.  You don’t just punch into your GPS “south.”  There is a state, city, and address.  But that is what the Lord told a man a bit past middle age, at least by our standards.  He was not to settle down where he was staying now.
God didn’t send him on his way with nothing to say for the way.  He packed a whole cluster of promises for him to take along—7 of them.  The Lord is not shy with the pronoun “I.”  “I,I,I” as he supports and strengthens Abram’s faith as he listens closely.
 “I will make you into a great nation”  (Ge 12:2).  This was to a childless 75-year-old man who has a 65-year-old wife who happens to be barren  (Ge 11:30). But nothing is too hard for the Lord  (Ge 18:14).  Later the Lord changed his name from Abram  (“exalted father”) to Abraham  (“father of many”)  (Ge 17:5).  Remember the time that God took him outside and told him to count the stars in the sky?  That is how many descendants that he would have  (Ge 15:5)—physical and spiritual  (Nu 1:44-46).  We are included in that shining number.
 “I will bless you”  (Ge 12:2).  Abram was already wealthy, only to become wealthier  (Ge 24:35).  His bank account would grow bigger.  Abram was not a self-made man, but a “God-made” man  (Ge 24:35).
 “I will make your name great”  (Ge 12:2).  There have been numerous Abrahams who are famous—like our 16th president.  But there is no comparison.  We are still talking about Abram, not from a little over a century ago, but many millennia ago.  And then the Bible refers to him as “God’s friend”  (2 Chron 20:7) and “father of us all”  (Ro 4:16).
 “You will be a blessing”  (Ge 12:2).  Abram was to live who he was to the glory of God.  Really it was:  “Be a blessing.”  And Abram was.  He rescued Lot when he was carried off as a prisoner of war  (Ge 14), he entertained angels  (Ge 18), he prayed for Sodom and Gomorrah  (Ge 18).
 “I will bless those who bless you”  (Ge 12:3).  The Lord would prosper the many who would speak well of Abram.
 “Whoever curses you I will curse”  (Ge 12:3).  Anyone who dared to insult Abram would be the same as doing that to the Lord.
 “All peoples on earth will be blessed through you”  (Ge 12:3).  This was hardly last or least.  None of the others mattered without this one.  All his assets would amount to nothing.  The Lord puts Abram in the line of the Savior and the Serpent-Crusher whom God guaranteed in the Garden.  This One would come from Abram.  The Promised One would benefit every person in history—all people of all time.  That is Jesus.  Abram grabbed ahold of that in faith.  In fact that famous Descendant once declared:  “Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad”  (Jn 8:56).  The apostle Paul put it this way:  “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness”  (Ro 4:3).  Abram’s faith was not in himself, but in his Seed  (Ga 3:16).
It is good for us to study our forefather, Abram.  Because God deals with us the same—not with demands from us, but promises to us.  He comes to us.  Through the waters of baptism:  “Your sins are washed away.”  Through the words of the Bible:  “Your sins are wiped away.”  He does it all.  He saves us in Jesus.  It is not something that we earn.  Paul made the comparison that our wages are an obligation from our boss, not a gift  (Ro 4:4).  Grace is unmerited kindness from God  (Eph 2:8,9).  We have forgiveness because God hands it to us freely.  Faith receives it joyfully.
 We listen with attention when God pronounces us “not guilty.”  We are right with him.
 We listen with attention when he reminds us that he doesn’t slumber or sleep.  “The LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore”  (Ps 121:8).
 We listen with attention when Jesus is sitting by that well.  He engages in conversation a woman—a sinner and a Samaritan.  Jesus offers that unlikely candidate “living water”  (Jn 4:10).  Jesus quenches our thirsty souls and we become a “spring of water welling up to eternal life”  (Jn 4:14).  He can provide life on earth and in eternity because he is the Messiah, the Christ.  We know him not as the One who was to come, but the One who has come.
Follow your father’s faith.  Take God at his word.  Trust him.
2.  As you live with action  (4-8)
So you mention something like “dinner’s ready,” and there is a nod from the other room or a grunt from the lazy boy.  But you find that you are the only one at the table.  They listened to the information.  They just didn’t act on it.  That is not what Abram did.  Follow your father’s faith as you live with action.
God told him to get going and he got going.  Immediately—no complaints, no questions.  His obedience is outstanding.  “So Abram left, as the LORD had told him”  (Ge 12:4).  Whether or not it was logical or rational was not an issue.  God directed; Abram departed—gladly, willingly.  That is faith  (He 11:8).  It goes forward.  It doesn’t sit still.  Luther once remarked:  “Faith is a lively and powerful thing; it is not merely a drowsy and idle thought; nor does it float somewhere upon the heart as a duck on the water.”   That is really worship.  With faith in a faithful God, he took steps forward  (Ja 2:17).  And there were many steps on his way to Canaan.
Follow your father’s faith.  Often we define worship as what we do once a week or twice a week  (now that Lenten midweek services have begun).  We take a bulletin in one hand and a hymnal in another.  We sing.  We sit.  We stand.  But that is too narrow.  The devil convinces us that even God has to be satisfied with that.  But worship is all our moments and with all our might.  The apostle Paul puts it this way:  “Therefore in view of God’s mercy, offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship”  (Ro 12:1).
Nothing is mentioned about the long journey.  Just “they arrived there”  (Ge 12:5).  Abram apparently was not like a little toddler in the booster seat in the backseat:  “Are we there yet?  Now?  How about now?”  And then there is a bit of a travelogue—the great tree of Moreh at Shechem, Bethel, Ai.  (Those would mean something to the Israelites when they entered the Promised Land under Joshua in the future.)  And that is the way it was going to be for Abram the next 100 years—life as a nomad, putting down tent stakes and pulling them up again.  This was the land that one day would belong to those after him.  The Lord stated as much:  “To your offspring I will give this land”  (Ge 12:7).
How did Abram respond?  “He built an altar there to the LORD”  (Ge 12:7).  The same thing happened a bit later.  But there was also something significant.  Where Abram went so did his faith:  “He … called on the name of the LORD”  (Ge 12:8).  That is important because there was that observation:  “At that time the Canaanites were in the land” (Ge 12:6).  They did not worship the same God, the true God.  They were idolaters.  And Abram was announcing publically:  “I don’t care whom you will worship, but I am going to worship the only God, the LORD, who is kind and compassionate, giving and forgiving.”
It is no different with us.  We come together and gather together to worship the Lord.  It is here that God reaches down to us because we could not reach up to him.  We preach and proclaim the only Savior from our sin—Jesus, the One on whom every sin is placed and punished.  It is here that we reflect on God’s grace and goodness in Jesus.  Follow your father’s faith as you live with action—in life and in church.
I googled it—father and son businesses.  They are still some around.  The first one grabbed my attention.  It was named “Mosquito Joes.”  It started in a city in Texas close to where I lived for a number of years.  I had to smile.  Their homepage had this clever comment and play on words:  “Mosquitoes suck, but we are confident that you won’t feel that way about our mosquito control services.”   My mom doesn’t let me say that word.  (I don’t mean “mosquito.”)  I don’t know if all of the dad’s kids are concerned with pest control.  But we follow in our father Abram’s footsteps of faith—as you listen with attention and as you live with action.  God tells us of Jesus and we turn to him.  Our lives now reflect our love for God.  Abram’s footsteps are not so immense that our feet don’t fit.  Where he went, we go.  Amen.

The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you  (Ro 16:20).  Amen.


March 12, 2017

First Sunday in Lent (Genesis 2:7-9,15-17;3:1-7,14,15)

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ  (Ro 1:7).  Amen.

The snow on Wednesday threw me off a bit.  I was getting excited about an early spring and my yearly garden.
I am just kidding.  You knew that already.  I have made my thoughts about gardening known in the past.  In summary, I would rather take a nap than till the ground.  When I woke up and saw the white stuff on the sidewalk, I was more concerned about my feet getting wet than any seeds getting sown.
One day in March is not a game changer for those who plan to spend some time with their fingers in the dirt and their spades in the soil.  [Slide 3]  It might not even be time to stick things in the earth so it is not even a setback.
One day did make a huge difference in Eden.  It was life altering.  After God gives life on the Sixth Day of creation, he guarantees life on the sad day of the fall.  There is life in the Garden—seen in the LORD God’s immense goodness and seen in the LORD God’s intense grace.  We read from …

Genesis 2:7-9,15-17;3:1-7,14,15

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus, who overcame Satan and sin for us
There are certain expectations when it comes to gardens—that the seeds placed in their rows before summer will turn into flowers put on the table for decoration.  If not, why all of the effort of bending over to ready the area and all of the energy of breaking your back to weed?  There is excitement when a little shoot sticks out of the earth.  There is life.  That is the anticipation.  It was that way in Eden.

There is Life in the Garden
1.  Seen in the LORD God’s immense goodness  (2:7-9,15-17)
2.  Seen in the LORD God’s intense grace  (3:1-7,14,15)

1.  Seen in the LORD God’s immense goodness  (2:7-9,15-17)
“That day changed my life.”  That can be something positive.  Think along the lines of an engagement for couples or an advancement at work.  Those are big things, good things, in life.  There is life in the Garden seen in the LORD God’s immense goodness.
You and I only know life on this side of Genesis 3.  But God allows us a glimpse of how it was before that chapter.  It is interesting and instructive that the name “LORD God” appears 7 times.  The “LORD” underlines his mercy and “God” underscores his might.  He has the desire and the ability to do good.
That is clear in the manner in which he fashioned man.  “The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground”  (Ge 2:7).  There is the picture of a potter going about his profession—his wheel is spinning and his fingers are shaping.  [Slide 9]  There is care and there is concern as he creates an elegant vase or an everyday vessel.  The LORD God went about his labor the same with some dirt particles.  But that is significant.  While we are just dust  (that helps us not consider ourselves too highly), we are still the crown of his creation.  Special.  And not only that, he “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being”  (Ge 2:7).  Body and soul  (Ge 1:26,27).  The LORD God wanted to have a vertical relationship with man.  That is still very much the case.  He longs for this connection between him and us.
The LORD God was not done.  He settled Adam in a magnificent home.  “Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed”  (Ge 2:8).  This marvelous location was paradise—better than any sandy beach by the ocean or log cabin in the woods.  God was intent on making Adam and Eve happy.  There was shelter.  But there was more.  “The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food”  (Ge 2:9).  That locale offered enjoyment and food—foliage beautiful to look at and wonderful to eat from.  He was not shortchanging them.  Good enough was not good enough.  Only the best and finest.  The LORD God offers us things that are nice and necessary.
Add another blessing—work.  “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it”  (Ge 2:15).  They didn’t swing on hammocks or sit in lazy boys.  That service was satisfying.  That activity was appealing.  It still can be.  Unfortunately we often view it as a means to an end or interruption to the day.  Think of the tone of our voice when we speak of “housework” or “homework.”  But isn’t always annoying and aggravating.  (That comes as a result of the next chapter.)
There was also an opportunity for worship.  Of the two trees in the middle, we have little info on the Tree of Life.  There is a passing reference and not much more.  But the LORD God highlights the other.  “And the LORD God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die’”  (Ge 2:17).  Again as we straddle Genesis 2 and 3, we might have some questions, even critiques.  But Adam and Eve initially did not see this as a bother or a burden.  It was a blessing and a benefit.  There were all those others for breakfast, lunch, or supper.  Just this one.  Only one.  It limps.  But maybe we can compare it to a pizza buffet.  Different kinds—meat, vegetable, dessert—under the bright warming lights.  The owner asks that you not grab the one that he made for his wife’s birthday.  Do we scream or shout like a child  (or adult):  “Unfair.  Unreasonable.”  No.  So it was.  Adam and Eve could choose to obey God—not because they had to, but because they wanted to.  A husband buys a rose for his wife because it brings joy, not because it is mandatory like a grade-schooler handing out valentines to everyone in the class.  If obedience is forced, it is not free.  God could have made them like a computer to control with buttons.  But he didn’t.  They could respond with gladness.  And that is what our worship is—in this structure or with our recreation or with our employment, whatever we do, we do it for the glory of God  (1 Co 10:31).
There is life on either side of Eden.  We are just on this end.  We don’t know life where all is right and well.  We understand consequences and after-effects.  But as we gaze at life in the Garden, we get the LORD God’s immense goodness.  But that doesn’t mean that imply that it is less at the present.
 There is pain in our bodies, but they are still “fearfully and wonderfully made”  (Ps 139:14).
 There are problems with our buildings, but a roof over our heads is a gift from God.
 There are difficulties during our job, but not always.  It is not a punishment for us, but a purpose for us  (Ecc 9:10).
 There is distance between us and God, but that is what Lent is about—God repairing what is wrecked.  As the psalmist had us sing:  “If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?  But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared”  (Ps 130:3).  We revere and respect the LORD God.  There is awe and admiration.
There is life in the Garden.  We can appreciate it with Adam and Eve, but we can also acknowledge it for us.  We see the LORD God’s immense goodness to them and to us.
2.  Seen in the LORD God’s intense grace  (3:1-7,14,15)
“That day changed my life.”  That can be something negative.  There are days that live in infamy—historically and personally, an enemy attack or a heart attack.  But in the midst of something bad, there is something great.  There is life in the garden seen in the LORD God’s intense grace.
A turn in a chapter marks a turn for the worse.  It is the worst imaginable.  Satan couldn’t stand it with God.  So he rebelled against God and God removed him from his presence.  And since the devil could not get at God, he went after his highest creatures with the mindset of a wicked kidnapper who takes innocent hostages.  It is tragic and terrible.
There it is.  A snake  (Ge 3:1).  Our attention is drawn to it.  But more than a serpent.  One that talks and one that tempts.  This is no ordinary animal.  It is Satan  (Re 12:9; 20:2).  He slithers in to strike and hisses to harm.  He is going to drive a wedge between God and his children.  We squirm to listen, but we study to learn.
It wasn’t as innocent as it appears.  “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”  (Ge 3:1).  (We have been accustomed to “LORD God.”  That is missing here.)  It is not as simple as a student who asks another:  “Did the teacher say that the homework is due tomorrow?”  That is for information.  This is not.  It is to cast doubt and create disapproval.  “Eve, are you sure?  Are you certain that you have that right?”  He calls word into question—wondering out loud if it was fair and fitting—as if he is interested in Eve’s wellbeing and welfare.  Note that he doesn’t hand her his business card:  “Hi.  I am Satan.  I am your tour guide to hell.”  No.  So subtle and so shrewd.  So much more than we envision.
We can still hear him mock as he mentions:  “Did God really say … this about marriage or that about money?”  The devil does not care about us when he claims, “God wants you to be happy.  I will help you with that.”  He wants us to waver when it comes to God’s Word.  “Is God truthful?”  But we have it in black and white to look at and learn from—right and wrong.  We can inquire:  “Is this something that God prevents or that pleases God?”
And that is where Eve started.  “God did say”  (Ge 3:3).  She was correct.  “Hand off that one.  That one.  God doesn’t want us to die  (Ge 3:2)”  But the conversation became costly.
That is when Satan snapped back.  He is emphatic:  “You will not surely die”  (Ge 3:4).  “Liar.  God is a liar.”  Imagine that—the “father of lies” calling the Father of love a fraud and a fake.  The devil lives up to his name—“slanderer,” one who gives another a bad reputation.  “Can God be trusted?  Really?”  “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil”  (Ge 3:5).  “God is stingy and selfish, jealous and envious, holding back on you, not wanting you to be equal to him.”  (We noticed that there was no indication of that whatsoever in the Garden.)
It continues to this day.  The falsehood is still there:  “God and his will are not good.  He is keeping something from you like a miser with a closed fist, refusing to hand out any money.”  And we buy into it.
Eve did.  Satan’s poison proved deadly.  Eve was deceived  (2 Co 11:3).  She chose to believe the lie of the devil—that God is not loving.  And so she saw the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil differently—“that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom”  (Ge 3:6).  Not what God intended at all.  And she ate.  And there Adam stood in awful and absolute silence.  Not one word.  Not one thing.  He joined his wife in her unbelief—chomping and chewing, his mouth full of the forbidden fruit in defiance and disobedience.
Satan was half right.  “Then the eyes of both of them were opened”  (Ge 3:7).  But it turned out to be too good to be true like the pots and pans of a late-night infomercial.  They didn’t die on the spot.  But there was no longer a bond with God.  That is being alive.  It was broken.  That is being dead.  And as the apostle Paul also explained.  Sin brought with it its ugly companion of death  (Ro 5:12).  Death reigns and rules  (Ro 5:17).  One day they would die  (Ge 5:5).  Those two now knew from experience that good was gone and evil was evident.  It showed in their hastily stitched fig leaf clothes.  There was shame where before there was none  (cf. Ge 2:25).
The LORD God did not squash them.  He saved them out of intense grace.  That is who he is and what he does.  As they cowered, God came.  He cursed the snake which the devil had commandeered for his dirty deed  (Ge 3:14).  The sliding along the ground would lead to dining on dust and call to mind Satan’s ultimate loss.
And that is exactly what the LORD God promised—the devil’s downfall and the Savior success.  It wouldn’t be Eve.  It wouldn’t be Adam.  “I will”  (Ge 3:15).  “I will do it.”
 “I will put enmity between you and the woman”  (Ge 3:15).  There was a sick friendship between Eve and the devil.  That would not continue.  There would be hatred and hostility.  The way it should be.
 “I will put enmity … between your offspring and hers”  (Ge 3:15).  That would carry over to those who follow Satan with a lack of faith and those who follow Eve with a heart of faith.
 “He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel”  (Ge 3:15).  But there would be one.  The One.  A Serpent-crusher.  A snake’s head has no chance at the bottom and back end of a cowboy boot—the skull squashed and body still.  But there was the Heel-biter.  Satan would attack.  We saw that in the wilderness.  For 40 days and 40 nights the devil tried to rob the world of its Redeemer  (Mt 4:1-11).  But Jesus never sinned.  Not once  (He 4:15).  He lived perfectly in our place.  He willingly credits it to our account.
But the final assault came at the cross.  The battle cost Jesus his life.  But that is where Jesus beat Satan.  So Jesus could cry:  “It is finished”  (Jn 19:30).  [Slide 29]  The devil is destroyed  (1 Jn 3:8).  Death is defeated.  That was Jesus’ job.  That was Jesus’ joy  (He 12:2).  The empty grave makes that plain.  That is really the goal of Lent.  Not Good Friday.  But Easter Sunday.  That is where we want to end up.  Jesus died.  But Jesus lives.  We die.  We live.
There is life in the Garden seen in the LORD God’s intense grace for Adam and Eve.  And for us.
With March here we have the reality of a lion and a lamb.  There could be snow or sleet still around the corner.  There also could be heat and even humidity.  (60s today?!)  That doesn’t grow my need to garden.  We would assume that there is life in a garden.  There is in Eden.  There is life seen in the LORD God’s immense goodness.  That is the way he deals with us in life.  There is the LORD God’s intense grace.  He did what we could not out of love for us.  He sent Jesus to conquer the devil.  He did.  It is true.  Amen.

The God of peace be with you all  (Ro 15:33).  Amen.


March 5, 2017

Lent Midweek - Ash Wednesday (Matthew 27:1-5)

In the name of God who wants everyone to come to repentance  (2 Pe 3:9)—never turning away from him in fear, but always turning to him in faith.  Amen.

I don’t know if my younger brother has ever gone back there.  It was a long time ago—when we were little kids.  On the way home from a regular weekend visit to grandma and grandpa’s house, the family of six would pile out of the brown station wagon sometime during the drive back for some fine dining.  It was actually a treat.  After we shouted out our suggestions for supper, dad would stop at one so that we could grab a quick bite to eat and then get on with the trip.

One evening, a certain establishment won out.  (I won’t give any clues lest I take away any business.  They might not even have the meats anymore.)  I will spare you the details.  But there was a car.  And there was a sickness.  You can guess at the sounds and smells.  Needless to say, we didn’t unwrap a sandwich from there again.  (There may have still been those styrofoam containers yet.)  I doubt that he appreciates that place now.  He probably still avoids it.

Even the mention of the name would bring a loud protest from him  (not that an older brother would remind him of his unfortunate illness).  He blames the establishment, not his stomach.  That might be the case with another name.  Not of a fast-food diner, but a onetime disciple.

It was a nice one—Judas.  It is the same as Judah which means “praise.”  This Judas Iscariot, a man from Kerioth, had the honor of being one of the 12 men whom Jesus selected to be his disciples, later apostles  (Mt 10:4).  He sent them out on occasion to preach and teach about the kingdom of heaven, even giving them the ability to cure sicknesses and cast out demons  (Mt 10:8).

But now it is a notorious one—Judas.  We usually add the descriptive phrase, “who betrayed him,” or the familiar designation, “the betrayer.”

What happened?  How did Judas go from being handed much from Jesus to handing over Jesus?  Turning from a friend listening to Jesus, turning into a foe leading an armed band after Jesus  (Mt 26:47)?

It was Satan working slowly in his heart, leading him farther and farther away from Jesus.  That is always his goal, not leaning on him more and more.  If there is a crack, that snake will stick his head in and slither all the way in.  For Judas it was greed.  Perhaps the apostle Paul had Judas in mind when he wrote:  “People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.  Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs”  (1 Ti 6:9,10).  It definitely played out in Judas’ life.  He might even be the poster boy for that.

Perhaps it started innocently enough.  Judas must have demonstrated some responsibility at one time.  He had the important position of being the treasurer for the group  (Jn 12:6).  But he became a thief.  The coins would often get stuck on his fingers and not make it into the bag.  With many supporting Jesus with their wealth, he had the opportunity to line his tunic with a few extra shekels.

Then came the chance to make some fast dough.  He struck up a quick friendship with Jesus’ enemies.  They were willing to cough up some cold cash for a kiss.  He began to watch for a convenient moment to plant that peck on Jesus’ cheek  (Mt 26:16).  It happened late that Thursday night in Gethsemane.  Jesus had finished praying when the mob found him.  Really Jesus did the locating.  After Judas pressed his lips to the side of Jesus’ face, the guards put ropes around his wrists.  Judas had earned his money, the price of a common slave.  He was not necessarily lining his retirement account, but it was added income.  Jesus then stood trial before the high priest and the Sanhedrin throughout the night.  They came to the foregone conclusion:  “He is worthy of death”  (Mt 27:66).  And then went on to mistreat and mock him.

In order to add some formal legality to the illegal investigation  (It was against the law to have a hearing at night.), they met again as the sun came up.  “Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to death”  (Mt 27:1).  They were just formally confirming their course of action with the “guilty” verdict.  Off to Pilate they went  (Mt 27:2).  Only he could inflict capital punishment.  He was the Roman procurator who would hopefully rubberstamp their plan for execution and remove Jesus from their lives for good.

That is when the silver no longer shined so brightly.  “When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse”  (Mt 27:3).  We would do well to check our hearts rather than just chide Judas.  All that glitters is not gold.  The devil deceives.  He makes sin against God seem appealing and then it becomes addicting.  We can chase more and more money only to cheat our very souls.  The amount is never enough  (Ecc 5:10).  It leads only to a dead end.  How differently sin looks before and how it appears after.  Ask Judas.

That is what he found out.  Too quickly.  There was deep regret on his part for his role in betraying Jesus.  What did Judas expect that Jesus would do to his enemies—a display of might?  What did Judas suspect Jesus’ enemies would do to him—a demonstration of mercy?  None of that matters.  He was sorry.  He was sad.  But that is not real repentance.  There was godly grief  (2 Co 7:10).  He just wanted to undo what was done.  Tormented and troubled, he “returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders”  (Mt 27:3).  But there was no release for Jesus or Judas.  It did not eliminate the wrong.  Nor could it purchase any peace.  The money back did not guarantee a quiet conscience like when you go to the customer service desk and they reimburse you.

On the surface, there seems to be a confession:  “I have sinned … for I have betrayed innocent blood”  (Mt 27:4).  That is just a statement of fact, not genuine sorrow over sin.  A shoplifter can contend:  “Yes.  I stole something that was not mine.  And I got caught.”  There may or may not be any accompanying grief for the consequences.  For Judas there was.  But he didn’t look to and count on Jesus.

He actually went to the right place—the religious leaders of the day, his pastors.  But note their response:  “What is that to us? … That’s your responsibility”  (Mt 27:4).  They got what they wanted from Judas so they turned a deaf ear.  That is what is behind their icy indifference to the one whom they had used for their awful purposes.  Perhaps with a shrug of the shoulders:  “That is on you, not on us.”  That in itself is shocking.  Imagine that we confess our sins  (as we did this evening).  And leave it at that.  There is no “you are forgiven.”  That would fill us with despair as the law hammers hard.

It did Judas.  His guilt was too great.  He found no rest.  “So Judas threw the money into the temple and left.  Then he went away and hanged himself”  (Mt 27:5).  That is because he turned away from Jesus, not to Jesus.  There was a recognition of his sin, but not a reliance on his Savior.  It cost him dearly that he doubted that Jesus could possibly love him now.

But we don’t want to fall like Judas  (1 Co 10:12).  We acknowledge that we have sinned against the Lord  (Ps 51:4).  Like Judas, it could be that greed has gotten a tight grip on us.  Or betraying him by keeping silent.

But in his mercy, God gets rid of it and everything else impure and improper.  Jesus’ blood washes it away.  We dare not miss that.  Jesus willing let his hands be tied and his case tried before Pilate  (Mt 27:2).  He ultimately gave in and gave the order to send Jesus to Golgotha where he was crucified.  But there on the cross was where the guiltless One paid for the guilty ones—you and me.  We confess:  “I have sinned.”  And God comforts:  “You are forgiven.  In Jesus Christ.  Fully.  Freely.”  We don’t have to take hold of a rope in terror when we can hang on to our Redeemer in trust.

I haven’t asked my youngest sibling about where he eats if or when he goes out.  He has invited me or offered to pay.  (That is the critical component.)  He may still shy away and stay away from that particular place of yesteryear.  That is fine when it comes to one’s supper.  But not one’s sin.  We don’t want to be like Judas.  Never turn away from Jesus; always turn to Jesus.  Not to yourself.  But to your Savior.

We read from Matthew 25:1-5:

1 Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to death.
2 They bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.
3 When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders.
4 “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.”  “What is that to us?” they replied.  “That’s your responsibility.”
5 So Judas threw the money into the temple and left.  Then he went away and hanged himself.

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood—to him be glory and power for ever and ever!  Amen  (Re 1:6).


March 1, 2017

Last Sunday after the Epiphany--Transfiguration (2 Peter 1:16-21)

Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord  (2 Pe 1:2).  Amen.

We are here.  Finally.  It just took us a bit longer this year.  Today is the last Sunday after the Epiphany which was on January 6th.  (Doesn’t that seem like a long time ago?  We have had winter, spring, and back to winter in that stretch.)
I need to give a bit of explanation.  We don’t celebrate Easter on a fixed date like Christmas.  It is a moveable holiday.  (I won’t bother you with the complicated formula.  Then again, it really isn’t that complex.  I just don’t know it offhand.  That is for others to calculate.)  For that reason, the Epiphany season varies in length—4 to 8 Sundays.  We went all the way to the 7-week mark.
But we end up at the same place every year on the church calendar.  The Transfiguration.  It is good for us to be here as we go from the manger of Christmas and head to the cross during Lent.  Because of his death on that Roman instrument of torture, we are sure that Jesus is our Savior.  Transfiguration helps us with that too—the Son of man shines forth as the Son of God.  Be confident before the cross with the witness of the apostle Peter and with the words of the ancient prophets.  We read from …

2 Peter 1:16-21

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus, whose glory we gaze at today,
We need to be clear.  The preposition “before” can refer to at least two things:
 “Before” as in time.  Epiphany comes before, or ahead of, Lent.
 “Before” as in place.  During Lent, we come before, in front of, the cross.
So what is it when we say, “be confident before the cross.”  In time?  Or in place?  Yes.  Really it is both.  We have a number of weeks before Good Friday and when we stand before the cross on Calvary.  That makes us certain.

Be Confident before the Cross
1.  With the witness of the apostle Peter  (16-18)
2.  With the words of the ancient prophets  (19-21)

1.  With the witness of the apostle Peter  (16-18)
The idea of a witness usually takes us to a courtroom where that individual sits in a stand.  (We will live with the irony.)  A witness has firsthand knowledge of a situation and is to give first-rate testimony to the truth.  “What did you see?”  And then he says.  “What did you hear?”  And then he states.  After all, he was there.  That is what we have in Peter.  Be confident before the cross with the witness of the apostle Peter.
The significant event that day was etched deep in his memory like a special memory of yours, maybe the first time you peddled your bike without training wheels or you held your grandchild.  Those things stand out and stick out in our minds.  Peter never forgot that day.  It wasn’t at the scene of an accident or of a crime, but the sight of glory and brilliance.  Jesus took Peter, James, and John up a mountain in the north of Galilee.  It is not important where it is, but what it means.  Those three would be enough to establish the facts of what happened  (Dt 19:15).
It was there that Jesus was transfigured before them  (Mt 17:1-9).  They saw the divine splendor that Jesus had and has as God.  It must have been quite a sight.  Matthew described it like this:  “His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light”  (Mt 17:2).  That is not something that you forget.  A sunrise or sunset might be magnificent, but it soon slips from your mind.  But not this.
And Peter was not afraid to repeat it.  “We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”  (2 Pe 1:16).  Some might deny that Jesus appeared once and will arrive again—not as a baby, but as a judge, but Peter declared it.  This was not what he concocted or created.  It was no tall tale like Paul Bunyan chasing Babe, his blue ox, around Minnesota.  They supposedly left their footprints all around.  And when the rain fell, the water formed 10,000 lakes  (actually 11,842).  What Peter and his two buddies viewed was not something to tell around campfires or at bedtimes like a cute legend, but to build up faith and trust as an absolute reality.  This was not fiction; it was fact.  Peter makes that clear:  “We were eyewitnesses of his majesty”  (2 Pe 1:16).
But there is more.  Peter was also an “earwitness” of the honor and glory given to Jesus.  He heard the voice of “the Majestic Glory”—the Excellent and Exalted One, the heavenly Father  (2 Pe 1:17).  He recalls the exact words:  “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased”  (2 Pe 1:17; Mt 17:5).  It is as if the Father points to his Son, “This One here, I am delighted with all that he has done up to this point, preaching and teaching faithfully, living and serving perfectly, and all that he will do in the future, suffering and dying innocently, rising and returning triumphantly.  He is near and dear to me.”   The Father echoes the approval that he pronounced at Jesus’ baptism.  That was at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry.  This comes at the end as he heads into the homestretch to do battle with Satan and beat sin.  All of that “on the sacred mountain” was too great for Peter to ignore  (2 Pe 1:18).  And so he informs.
And so we stop this Sunday on this hilltop to get a glimpse of Jesus’ glory.  He is about to go down from this remote peak and go up to the holy city.  He winds to Jerusalem resolutely  (Lk 9:51).  He knows precisely what awaits him there.  He has told his disciples of it.  We would do well to take to heart what the Father also commanded:  “Listen to him!”  (Mt 17:5).  They are not to be caught off guard.
And neither are we.  Remember that as we read through and review the Passion history on Wednesday afternoons or evenings in worship.  Soon we will listen to the shouting in mockery from his enemies and the pounding of nails by the Romans.  This is God’s plan.  There is glory in it too.  This is the manner in which Jesus defeated the devil and destroyed death.  All for us.  All so that the Father could call us his own, the ones he loves, the ones with whom he is pleased.  Jesus will hang on a cross for us.  But he will also exit from the grave for us.
Hold on to this incident in the days and weeks ahead.  Be confident before the cross with the witness of the apostle Peter.  He was there when Jesus’ glory was conveyed and God’s voice was communicated.
2.  With the words of the ancient prophets  (19-21)
The judge and jury take note of what a witness relates, but a stenographer writes it down using a fancy machine with only a few odd buttons.  The statements become a matter of court record.  Anyone can go back to it and check through it.  That is what we have with the prophets.  When the inquiry or attack is there, “Did God really say?”  (Ge 3:3), we can search continually and stand boldly.  Be confident before the cross with the words of the ancient prophets.
As dependable as Peter is, and he is, we have the added benefit and bonus of the Old Testament—“the word of the prophets”  (2 Pe 1:19).  Consider the two prophets who were with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration.
 Moses.  He was there on Mt. Sinai, when the glory of the LORD settled on it  (Ex 24:17).  (Whenever that appears it indicates Gods’ incredible desire and intense determination to save.)  But Moses also wrote about the Prophet who would come, like him, from among their brothers.  He would have God’s words in his mouth  (Dt 18:15,18).  He pointed to Jesus Christ who would go from town to town and village to village pointing to himself as the fulfillment  (Lk 4:21).
 Elijah.  It was during that showdown on Mt. Carmel with the false prophets of Baal that he called the people of Israel to recognize the true God.  When the Lord answered with fire, burning up the sacrifice, they cried out:  “The LORD—he is God!  The LORD—he is God!”  (1 Ki 18:39).  He is the only God and Lord.
Those men and all the others are trustworthy just like a foundation of a carefully constructed building  (Eph 2:20).  Their prophecies are solid and sturdy as they mention the Messiah.  Peter encourages us:  “You will do well to pay attention to it”  (2 Pe 1:19).  And we do like with the prophet Isaiah:
 At Christmas, the virgin gives birth to a baby, Immanuel, “God with us”  (Is 7:14)  And there he is in the stable in Bethlehem  (Mt 1:23).
 During Epiphany, kings stream into the church as they follow the light  (Is 60:1-6).  And there the wise men from the east bow down and open up their gifts  (Mt 2:1-12.
 Throughout Lent, we the servant of the Lord pierced and punished for our sins and iniquities  (Is 53:5,6).  And there Jesus is at Golgotha  (Mt 27:33).
Peter makes an understandable illustration:  “as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts”  (2 Pe 1:19).  Satan, the prince of darkness, would have us believe the gloomy lies that come from him straight out of the blackness of hell—that we are good enough, without need of a Savior, or that we are bad enough, without hope of a Savior.
But we focus on the printed Word—“a lamp to [our] feet and a light for [our] path”  (Ps 119:105).  There in black and white God’s forgiveness in Jesus beams radiantly as at dawn the night fades quickly.  Sin is gone and heaven is ours.  Peter compares it to the morning star.  When it becomes visible, it signals the start of a new day.  Jesus has come once; he will come again.  He broke the power of hell.  We now eagerly anticipate the time when we will spot Jesus’ full glory on the Last Day when we will live with him forever.
How can we know?  We have God’s Word, not man’s word.  “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation”  (2 Pe 1:20).  No one ever sat down with the idea, “Today I am going to write a book of the Bible.”  This is how it came about:  “For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit”  (2 Pe 1:21).  We call that inspiration—God-breathed  (2 Ti 3:16), from first to last.  Or as someone cleverly contended, the Bible is “in-spirited.”  The Holy Spirit supplied the content, using their own style and circumstance.  He is the Source of the material about Christ crucified.  Be confident before the cross with the words of the ancient prophets who looked ahead to Jesus as we now look back to him through them.
Every year Epiphany concludes with Transfiguration Sunday even if it didn’t come right away this February.  It is intentional and instructive as we study the episode on that mountain.  We go over again that Jesus is true God and true man.  We have the witness of the apostle Peter and the words of the ancient prophets to remove any doubt.  With Ash Wednesday in three days, be confident before the cross in time when we get there and under the cross in place when we get there.  “Praise the LORD”  (Ps 148:1).  Amen.

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To him be glory both now and forever!  Amen  (2 Pe 3:18).


February 26, 2017

Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany (Matthew 5:38-48)

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ  (1 Co 1:3).  Amen.

It was Dr. Martin Luther who put it this way:  Christi sumus in nominativo et genitivo.  Since you didn’t know that you needed to brush up on your Latin before church or bring your dictionary to worship this morning, I will translate it for you.  “We are Christs—with and without the apostrophe.”
Let’s explore that for a minute to get his point.
 We are Christs—with … the apostrophe.  Christ’s.  An apostrophe "s"  (’s) signifies possession like in the sentence:  “We are Christ’s own people.”   That means we belong to him.  We are his.
 We are Christs—… without the apostrophe.  Christs.  That might be one of the better definitions of a Christian, a little Christ.  When people see us, they see Christ.  Saved from sin and delivered from death, we now think like him and act like him.
We live who we are—Christs with and without the apostrophe.  That is why it is good to have Jesus explain what that means in his Sermon on the Mount.  Do what comes unnaturally.  Be patient.  Be gracious.  We read from …

Matthew 5:38-48

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus, sons and daughters of God,
To say that I play the piano is the same as to state that I play golf.  Now if by that I suggest that I can find that instrument in my house or find the set of clubs in my garage, then I play piano and golf.
But that is not what that implies, is it?  I won’t go into detail about the situation, but what my grandpa declared about another describes me:  “You play like you have mittens on.”  That is not a compliment.  At all.  He didn’t intend it to be.  I don’t even what to know what he would think of my attempt at 18 holes.  If he were in the fairway, I wouldn’t see him much anyway.
Those who can tickle the ivories or shoot a par well come by it naturally.  They might even have a hard time figuring out why we can’t do what they can do so easily since they are musical or athletic.
Jesus in a sense turns that around.  It is different in his family than what is natural.  Perhaps it sounds strange, but …

Do What Comes Unnaturally!
1.  Be patient  (38-42)
2.  Be gracious  (43-48)

1.  Be patient  (38-42)
It doesn’t matter, if you are driving a car on the highway or standing in line at the water fountain, it is hard to be patient.  That is true of any age.  (You do need to be 16 to be behind the wheel.)  “Go on ahead” might not be the first thing that comes to mind.  It someone is merging, you want to push the accelerator.  If someone is dawdling, you want to shout some encouragement.  That is natural.  But Jesus’ proposes the opposite.  Do what comes unnaturally!  Be patient.
Jesus has his disciples around him on a hillside in northern Galilee, listening and learning.  He covers a lot of material.  In this small section, he continues his theme.  It is not what it takes to become a child of God.  But what it takes to be a child of God.  It is along the lines of this:  You are, so be.
Some of the things seem strange.  Or unnatural—as if they go against common sense or conventional wisdom.  Jesus highlights that:  “You have heard that it was said”  (Mt 5:38).  That is more than just when individuals comment:  “Well, they say …”  The Pharisees and teachers of the law promoted such and such or peddled so and so.  But not Jesus.  “But I tell you”  (Mt 5:39).  He is emphatic.  There was a definite contrast between the two sides of thought.  Jesus went back to the original intent of the law.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’  But I tell you, do not resist an evil person”  (Mt 5:38,39).  The Lord did utter that  (Ex 21:24; Lv 24:20; Dt 19:21).  But this was not intended for personal revenge.  This was God’s manner of making it clear that the punishment should fit the crime.  It would be unfair if the result of going 10 miles an hour over the posted speed limit would incur a 100-year prison sentence.  That would be a bit excessive.  It was a way for those in authority to regulate, not to retaliate on a private level.
What is natural is to get back or get even  (as well as getting mad )—threat for threat, punch for punch.  “But not you.”  Do what is unnatural.  Do not oppose a wicked one.  Instead overcome evil with good.  And then Jesus gives four examples of that:
 “If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also”  (Mt 5:39).  Jesus is not speaking against self-defense.  But this is a slap with an open hand as an insult.  What is natural is matching rudeness with rudeness.  “Do what comes unnaturally.  Be patient and don’t give this for that.”
 “And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well”  (Mt 5:40).  We might express it this way:  “If someone wants your T-shirt, hand him your coat.”  It is something that is rightfully yours, but another wants it, even pursuing illegal means.  What is natural is fighting for my rights.  “Do what comes unnaturally.  Be patient and willing to give up more without bitterness.”
 “If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles”  (Mt 5:41).  In Jesus’ day, a Roman soldier could requisition a citizen to carry his bag for one mile.  Think of Simon of Cyrene pressed into service by lugging Jesus’ cross to Calvary  (Lk 23:26).  That could be a bit aggravating or annoying.  What is natural is that anger would not be far behind.  “Do what comes unnaturally.  Be patient and put that away.”
 “Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you”  (Mt 5:42).  This is not a free for all—anybody, anytime.  But what is natural is to hold on to everything with a death grip like a two-year-old refusing to relinquish one single toy in his room.  “Do what comes unnaturally and be patient as a blessing to others without expecting anything in return.”
What Jesus instructs is difficult, if not dangerous.  Keep in mind that these are illustrations of actions that flow from a heart that loves the Savior.  They are not rules so rigid that there are no exceptions, ones to be applied mechanically.  Yet, the argument might be poking around in your head, “What about me?  Who looks out for me or after me?”  The Lord.  He will not leave us or forsake us  (he 13:5).  Never.  No matter what.  No matter when.  We hold on to that, turning to him and trusting in him that it is his to avenge and repay  (Ro 12:19).
We can do that because Jesus went to the cross with our impatience of others.  He endured the false accusations and the fierce smacks of the Sanhedrin, the brutal whip and the bitter ridicule of the Romans, the spiky nails and sharp spear at the cross.  He did not try to settle the score.  But “he entrusted himself to him who judges justly”  (1 Pe 2:23).  He allowed our sins to be put on him, accepting them all, so that he could pay for them all.  And then he hands us his perfect patience, crediting it to our account.
The Holy Spirit who lives in us enables us to believe that good news  (1 Co 3:11,16)—that we are loved by God and built on the foundation of Jesus—that we are able to do what comes unnaturally and to be patient, waiting for God to protect and working with others to provide.
2.  Be gracious  (43-48)
If someone does allow us to go on ahead making our way on the road or getting a slurp of water, we are surprised.  That is just not normal.  That is Jesus’ lesson.  Do what comes unnaturally!  Be gracious.
Jesus continues to go on with what was commonly taught and what is carefully taught with the formula:  “You have heard that it was said … But I tell you”  (Mt 5:43).  “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I tell you:  Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”  (Mt 5:44,45).  Some wanted a distinction of whom to love and not.  Jesus wants no difference.  It was the Lord who spelled that out:  “Love your neighbor as yourself”  (Lv 19:18).  (That last part they conveniently left out.)  There is an equal sign between love for self and love for others, even enemies.
Notice what Jesus makes plain:  Love your enemies—if you have any.  Not like.  We don’t have to like what they do to us—taking advantage of us or making fun of us.  But we love them—doing what is in their best interest.  Jesus gives a specific application  (Lk 23:34):  “Pray for those who persecute you”  (Mt 5:44).  And it is not:  “Give it to them, making it hard and making it hurt, Lord.”  But “Lord, give them an understanding of the errors of their ways—confessing their wrongs and confiding in you.”  Do what comes unnaturally.  Be gracious to them.
There is a reason for that:  “that you may be sons of your Father in heaven”  (Mt 5:45).  We show who we are—children of God, loved by him who live for him  (1 Jn 3:1).  In fact, children loving enemies is emulating their Father just like a tyke talks like or an adolescent acts like his dad.  The Father has been gracious to us—sending his Son to shoulder our sins even when we were his enemies  (Ro 5:10) and sending his Spirit to shine in our hearts.
This is the Father who is gracious to them  (Ps 145:16).  “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous”  (Mt 5:45).  The sun comes up in the east for all, even though some may not acknowledge or appreciate God’s goodness.  The same with the drops that fall from the sky.  He doesn’t just light up our day or water our garden.  Our Father in heaven is gracious to all, to us, not treating us as our sins deserve  (Ps 103:10).  He has compassion on us  (Ps 103:13).
The Father’s love is our model and our motivation.  And St. Paul encourages us along the same lines:  “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse”  (Ro 12:14). Our goal is their good.  So often we want to make it about me.  But it is about them.  We ask that God would work in their hearts, as he has in ours, to bring them in his family.
Jesus has us look around us and love those around us as we do what comes unnaturally—being gracious:  “If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?  Are not even the tax collectors doing that?”  (Mt 5:46).  Yes, they do.  (And they were known for being crooks and traitors.)  Same thing:  “And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others?  Do not even pagans do that?”  (Mt 5:47).  Yes, they do.  It is not a matter of loving those who return the love—like family.  It is not a thought of wishing a “good morning” to those who will return the pleasantry—like friends.  What is so remarkable about that?  Love is not to be limited, but to be limitless.
We will then stand out or stick out in society.  Good.  That is what Jesus desires.  We are gracious as God is.  Perhaps then one might inquire about the hope that we have in Christ our Lord  (1 Pe 3:15).  We can witness to God’s grace which allows us to be gracious to others.
Then Jesus addresses the faulty thinking that good enough is good enough.  He echoes Moses in Leviticus  (Le 19:2).  “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect”  (Mt 5:48).  That is not a suggestion, but a standard.  God is so far from sin and free from sin.  We are to be too.  But what we might offer to him would not even be close.  We have not reached the target of perfection.  That is apparent when we are self-centered or self-absorbed.  It is all about me, me, me.
But what he expects of us he extends to us.  “Be gracious to us, Lord.”  And he is.  We cling to our Savior, our Substitute.  He obeyed the law perfectly for us.  He now offers that to us.  He died for our disobedience.  He now delivers forgiveness to us.  We wear Jesus’ holiness.  And we now do what comes unnaturally  (Php 3:12ff.).  We are gracious with those near us and around us.
I am not going to wing a concerto or swing a club today.  That is good news for those in my living room and on the putting green.  (Are they taking tee times now that it has been so warm the last few days?)  Those things are abnormal for me.  But Jesus instructs:  Do what comes unnaturally!  Be patient.  Be gracious.  We do because we are Christs—with and without the apostrophe, belonging to him and being like him.  Amen.

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you  (1 Co 16:23).  Amen.


February 19, 2017

Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany (Psalm 119:1-8)

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ  (1 Co 1:3).  Amen.

This coming Tuesday is Valentine’s Day.  You are aware of that I am sure.  Stores have been pushing it and promoting it since the day after Christmas.  If not, this is your official two day warning.  I am sorry if that takes away your excuse for not knowing.  Now you either have to go along with the mushy holiday or come up with a different reason for forgetting.

If  (and that is a very big “if” for anyone in my house), if you get one of those sappy cards, you probably wouldn’t remark:  “Well, that’s odd.  It has a red heart on it.”  It is almost expected, isn’t it?  (It would only be strange if it were a blue ear on a lined notebook paper.)

It was peculiar to me then for someone to comment:  “It is ironic that the longest chapter in God’s Word is about God’s Word.”  I would contend that it is more along the lines of intentional—like red hearts on Valentine’s Day.  And it is instructive.  Finally, we are not here to argue the point about it, but to appreciate one part of it.

Psalm 119 is 176 verses long.  It is often called the “alphabet psalm” because each line of the 8 verses in a section begins with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet, working through all 22 of them.  (You can see that in your Bibles when you look later.)  We cannot match that in English in translation, but we can meditate on it with time.  In a sense, it could almost be called “a study of God’s Word from A to Z.”  The Lord puts together those letters of the alphabet to form words for our contemplation of his Word.

As we mull over the Aleph unit, we do it with this thought:  Blessed are the blameless.

We have to define “blessed.”  Have you ever heard someone respond to the question that way?  We ask, “How are you?”  What are the common answers?
 “I am fine.”  (That may or may not be true, but that is where the conversation usually ends.  There are not too many details that follow.)
 “I am tired.”  (That gives us the chance to reply, “You think you are tired.”  And then begins a rant or a recital.)
 “I am busy.”  (Who isn’t?)
How about, “I am blessed”?  We are.  It is a reminder of the joy that we have.

So what does that mean?  It might be along the lines of “How happy is the one …!”  But that is hard because we associate happiness with the circumstances around us.  If the concept were an emoji, we might assume that it would be the one with the smile and sunglasses because everything is so bright.  But “blessed” or “happy” doesn’t mean we have a smile on our face or a skip in our step all the time.  There are still problems and pains.  I don’t have to convince you of that.  But we realize the Lord’s love and God’s goodness in anything and everything.

“Blessed are they whose ways are blameless”  (Ps 119:1).  Once we determine “blessed,” we have to define “blameless.”  It is one who is complete or whole.  There is integrity in such a one.  How?  “Who walk according to the law of the LORD”  (Ps 119:1).  Not occasionally, but often—like a well-worn path in the woods.  The “law” here is God’s teaching, his instruction.  It includes all of what he has to say.  And that leads to the godly wisdom about Christ crucified that the apostle Paul had in mind.  It is not something that we come with on our own.  He quotes from the prophet Isaiah:  “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”  (1 Co 2:8).  But it comes to us from the Holy Spirit.  We recognize that God gives us his mercy and forgives us our sin—all in Christ Jesus.

Again the idea of gladness:  “Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart”  (Ps 119:2).  It sounds as if the burden is on us.  But “to keep” is “to protect and preserve” like a watchman on an ancient city wall, scanning the horizon for an attack of the enemy.  We guard God’s truth as he warns of our sin and welcomes us as his own.  And not half-heartedly, but whole-heartedly.  We turn to him and trust in him completely and entirely, filled with love from him and then full of love for him.

“They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways”  (Ps 119:3).  That sounds as if we are perfect.  Not yet.  Not this side of heaven.  But the emphasis is on how the Lord guides our ways.  “You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed”  (Ps 119:4).  God has authority like a supervisor at work who directs what is to be done and when it is to be done.  And there is to be careful attention from us.  And so Jesus enlightens:  “You have heard that it was said. … But I tell you …”  (Mt 5:21, 22).  It is not just a wrong action, but an incorrect attitude.  For example, it is not just a matter of adultery, but also of lusting  (Mt 5:27,28).  We are to be diligent and determined not just with our hands, but with our hearts.  And it is the Holy Spirit who supplies such a mindset that this is not oppressive  (1 Jn 5:3).

And then the reality:  “Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees!  Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands”  (Ps 119:5,6).  If only, but not always.  God’s Word is permanent and binding.  We have failed and fallen short.  We swallow hard at the reality.  He commands and I contradict.

But we don’t stop there.  We can’t.  We won’t.  “I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws”  (Ps 119:7).  We give thanks for who the Lord is—gracious and compassionate  (Ex 34:6,7)—and for what he does—removes our guilt in Jesus.  God educates us about his “righteous laws”—his judgments of rightness  (Ro 3:21,22).  God declares us right with him through Jesus who died for our disobedience on the cross and delivers his holiness to us.  That is something that can make its way into our ears frequently.  And there is always room to grow in that grace  (2 Pe 3:18).

And so we join the psalmist in committing our lives to the Lord:  “I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me”  (Ps 119:8).  Like Moses encouraged that new generation of Israelites as they were about to head into the Promised Land after the 40-year detour in the desert.  “For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws”  (Dt 30:15).  That brings blessing in life.  And God will not reject us, but restore us, supporting us and strengthening us along the way.

Valentine’s Day may or may not be exciting to you.  More so if there is dark chocolate rather than dainty cards.  But that doesn’t make us happy or blessed as the psalmist depicts it.  And instead of the longest chapter being something curious, if is constructive.  God reveals his love in his Word and we respond in love to that Word.

Blessed are the blameless.  We read from Psalm 119:1-8:

1 Blessed are they whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the LORD.
2 Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.
3 They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways.
4 You have laid down precepts that are to be fully obeyed.
5 Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees!
6 Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands.
7 I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws.
8 I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me.


The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you  (1 Co 16:23).  Amen.


February 12, 2017

Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany (1 Corinthians 2:1-5)

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ  (1 Co 1:3).  Amen.

It can happen that the pronoun “we” does not include everyone.  It is not “you” and “I” and that equals “we.”  Does that make sense?
I will share an example to clarify.  This is the time of year when I was growing up that my dad would walk into the bedroom early in the morning and say to my brothers and me, “We have a lot of snow to shovel before you head to school.”  I will translate that for you.  “You three better get up and get the driveway shoveled before I go to work.”  The “we” was really “you.”  There was no “I.”  He was going to put on a sharp suit and tie while we put on our snowmobile suit and boots.  (I am aware that he is not here to defend himself and there might be a bit of preacher’s embellishment.)
The message of Jesus is not for a certain group or a select few.  It is for all—even as the apostle Paul talks about his work in the city of Corinth.  It is not, “Pastor, that is your message.”  Nor is it, “People, this is your message.”  We have a message.  It is a pointed message.  It is a powerful message.  We read from …

1 Corinthians 2:1-5

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ crucified,
I doubt that you track the actual statistic.  But you probably average more than one conversation per day.
 In line at the grocery store, it might be about the weather:  “What do you think about the cold?”
 Around the supper table, it might be about school:  “When do you think you will get at your homework?”
 During work this past week, it might be about a game:  “Who do you think will win the Superbowl?”  (Perhaps the commercials are a bigger deal.)
And that is fine.  But we have more to mention than the temperatures on a thermometer, the grades in a class, or the teams on a field.  When we open our mouths, …

We Have a Message
1.  It is a pointed message  (1,2)
2.  It is a powerful message  (3-5)

1.  It is a pointed message  (1,2)
There are some who like to dance and others who like to be direct when it comes to chats—even when it is simple like if you have something on the side of your mouth at supper.  It could be:  “Napkins sure come in handy when you don’t fit all the food in our mouth.”  (That really might not be a time for a philosophical discussion about paper products.)  Or “wipe your mouth.  I tired of looking at spare food.”  I don’t think that we have to debate which one is better.  It could depend on the situation or circumstance.  Either way, we have a message.  It is a pointed one.
The apostle Paul took the fast track.  As he pens this epistle to the Christians in Corinth, he takes them back to his days among them.  “When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom”  (1 Co 2:1).  He gives himself his own evaluation.  Usually at work the boss or manager does that.  And Paul is not being overly critical of himself.  But it is openly candid.  He didn’t pull into town with high-sounding words or happy worldly smarts.  He didn’t peddle the latest and greatest thought on the streets.  That is what the Greeks liked—a dazzling debater or a polished presenter.  They were willing to shell out some good drachmas to listen to those eloquent or articulate men.  But Paul wanted to touch their souls, not tickle their ears.
Don’t misunderstand that as somehow Paul was not very educated or sophisticated.  He was.  He sat at the feet of some greats in school  (Acts 22:3).  He was quickly advancing through the ranks.  But Jesus set him straight on his trek to Damascus.  His other 12 letters to churches and individuals demonstrate his ability and insight.  He was sharp, not slow.
The manner in which he made his appearance was this:  “I proclaimed to you the testimony about God”  (1 Co 2:1).  Paul had something from God—salvation from God.  It was unknown to them on their own, but made clear to them by their God through Paul.
It seems like January 1st is a distant memory.  (February 1st might be too.)  That is the time when individuals make up their mind to do something or not—like spend less, save more.  The apostle didn’t need a new calendar for that.  “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified”  (1 Co 2:2).  He made that conscious decision.  Christ crucified.  That was critical.  And that is what he conveyed.  The Corinthians were to fix their attention on Jesus the Savior, not Paul the orator.  It was always about the great message, not the good messenger.
What kind of expectations do others have of us?  There are different things to address—social issues or certain injustices.  But that is not the main thing.  Perhaps many would prefer if pastors and people—you or I—didn’t touch a guilty conscience because of their refusal to respect the Lord or one another.  It is hard to admit that I have gone against God—this talk of sin.  It hurts.  But that is definite.
But there is something else that is deliberate—“Jesus Christ and him crucified”  (1 Co 2:2).  Jesus—Savior from sin, Christ—selected by God, and this one crucified, nailed to a cross.  That is because of who the Lord is.  The psalmist spelled it out:  “The LORD is gracious and compassionate. … He has provided redemption for his people”  (Ps 111:4,9).  Like a compass always indicates north when facing that direction, no matter what the conditions or position, we highlight that the sinless One took on our sin.  It is not who is proclaiming; it is what is proclaimed.
That kind of conversation is not crude.  It is key.  Jesus paid for all of our sins to set us free as God poured out his anger on him.  He substitutes himself for us.  That is why we keep that in front of us—a cross above our altar, on our walls, around our necks.  Jesus’ death means our life because Jesus also rose.  We have a message.  It is a pointed one—Jesus and only Jesus.
2.  It is a powerful message  (3-5)
When we put letters together to form words, they have a lot of potential—good and bad.  They can tear down or build up—to mock or make better  (even with how you look at the dinner table).  What about God’s Word?  It is always helpful and only beneficial.  We have a message.  It is a powerful one.
Once again Paul takes his readers back to his arrival in Corinth.  “I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling”  (1 Co 2:3).  It may be hard to envision Paul with palms sweating and stomach churning.  You have felt that perhaps when you have done any kind of speaking in public.  Imagine a pastor with butterflies or any other insect poking around in his body.  Paul had recently come from Athens.  The reception to his work was not entirely warm  (Acts 17:16ff.).  What would it be like now in a city known for its immorality and idolatry?  What comfort that the Lord came to him one night in a vision:  “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.  For I am with you … I have many people in this city”  (Acts 18:9,10).  God doesn’t guarantee the outcome for us.  But he gives his promise of his presence when we convey his message of Christ crucified.
Once more Paul reminds them:  “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words”  (1 Co 2:4).  It was not with flashy rhetoric or flamboyant reasoning.  “But with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power”  (1 Co 2:4).  And why?  “So that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power”  (1 Co 2:5).  It was not the apostle Paul; it was the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit opened closed hearts.  He made them see God’s wisdom in Christ crucified.  It is that good news that is the power of salvation to everyone who believes  (Ro 1:16).  It didn’t depend on Paul’s skill, but the Spirit’s strength.
Water has power to provide electricity.  Diesel has power to propel vehicles.  As impressive as that is when we turn on a lamp or look at a semi, it doesn’t compare to the powerful message of Christ crucified.  If you doubt that, look around this morning—ahead of you, behind you, beside you.  That is the Holy Spirit’s power on display.  That we can state:  “Jesus is Lord”  (1 Co 12:3).  Because we cannot by our own choosing believe in him, the Holy Spirit has brought us to faith—from babies to elderly and every age in between—and now builds us up in that faith.  We have a message.  It is a powerful one.
Pastors and people don’t have to rely on their IQ when they converse with others.  Someone may just have one that is higher.  It is not a matter of titles before our names or initials after.  Many have more.  But yet we have a powerful message—Jesus Christ and this one crucified.  That is the confidence that we have when we open our mouths.
So that is what we will do.  And we have the assurance that we don’t have to earn God’s blessing with our grand efforts.  We already have it.  When we call out to the Lord, as Isaiah recalls for us, he will respond:  “Here am I”  (Is 58:9).  And as Jesus instructed, it is not that we should be or could be, may be or might be, salt and light  (Mt 5:13,14).  We are.  Then be it—salt preserving a corrupt world and light shining in a dark world.  That way others will see the Father and praise him  (Mt 5:16).  We have a message.  It is a powerful one to bring people from the darkness of sin to the light of life  (Jn 8:12).
It is not “we” like this:  some watch and others work—from shoveling snow to proclaiming Christ.  We all have Christ crucified and we all herald Christ crucified.  It is a pointed message because it is our priority.  It is a powerful message because it is our privilege.  We preach Christ crucified.  Amen.

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you  (1 Co 16:23).  Amen.


February 5, 2017