Two friends grew up in the same town and went to the same school. They were such good friends they stayed in touch through the years, of marriage and children and moves into new homes. One friend Mary knew and confessed Jesus as Lord. The other friend Jamie did not.
As Jamie is over visiting Mary on a Saturday evening and they are talking about the stress of daily life. Mary shares that she is blessed to have her family but she sometimes struggles with how different things are than the imagined ideal of family life. Jamie says, what you need is a night out each week with your husband for dinner and a movie. Mary says that would be nice, but they don’t have enough money, they can’t afford that. Mary is also hanging up laundry in the utility room and Jamie says what you need is to buy a dryer.
Later that evening Jamie sees Mary put three twenty dollar bills in her church offering envelope for the next day. She knows this is a significant portion of their expendable income. As she left that evening she was wondering if Mary was out of her mind.
In a sense Mary was. She was not thinking with the mind she once had. That is the kind of transformation Paul is talking about for all of us. It’s a whole new mindset, a whole new way of thinking. Paul calls us all to have the mindset of Christ.
Paul knew well the mindset of human beings: He warns against this way of thinking: 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others
Our natural mindset is to want things our way. We think of ourselves first, it’s our human nature. We think about what can put us ahead so often instead of what could put others ahead.
The natural human mindset is characterized by sin- it doesn’t fear love and trust in God above all things. It doesn’t love our neighbor as ourselves. Instead the fruit of sin can lead to the destruction of the unity of faith in a congregation. The natural mindset also destroys personal and family relationships. Any circumstance of destroyed families you can think of relates to the human mindset at full force and as a result selflessness and kindness is replaced by strife and exploitation.
Paul was aware of this when he encouraged the Philippian congregation to live in a new mindset. He desired that they could be free from the same cycles of envy and strife that were evident in any other institution in the ancient world. And most importantly that he church in Philippi could be free from the human mindset that thinks, I can be my own god. The human mindset says, I don’t need God directing how I live my life, I have lived enough years where I know how to get by quite well on my own. Along with these thoughts is the delusion that I am so much better than the average person, I can practically punch my own ticket to heaven- without a Savior.
Fortunately for us, Christ brings us to his mindset. In order to transform this mindset Jesus lived in a way that was the complete opposite of how we would do things. Where Adam and Eve were tempted by the prospect of being like God in knowing good and evil, Jesus resisted all such temptations to advance himself, to the point of taking on the form of a servant. He took our flesh so that he could help with the very thing that we needed, to have our human flesh redeemed and made right with God again for the first time since the Fall into sin.
Christ calls us to serve as he served us. Our mindset is to serve no matter how undesirable it may feel to our human nature. Of course we cannot serve as he did. No one ever has served as he served! He left the glory from eternity of his place at the Father’s right hand. He left it out of love and service to us. He left this place knowing he would be poor, rejected, mocked, and hated.
The full extent of this service was his death on the cross. Paul writes about how Jesus humbled himself to death on a cross. Death on the cross was for criminals, and Jesus humbled himself to even experience the very suffering of a slow painful death on the cross.
And then the magnitude of his servant love for us changed the world. With his blood shed on the cross, Christ paid for all of our sins- including the sin of being self centered. The new mindset is seeing this- that we stand forgiven, possesors of eternal life by Jesus paying the full price for us.
And the new mindset worships the God we didn’t think we needed. As Paul celebrates every knee will bow before Jesus. Next week as we celebrate Christ’s resurrection on Easter we will be joining with those in heaven and earth who now confess Jesus as Lord and celebrate Christ exalted above heaven and earth.
Listen again to the wording St. Paul uses inspired by the Holy Spirit: “Have this mind among yourselves.” We look to Jesus to enable us to live humbly, to live different than what is natural for us. Living in the world we live in, it is natural for us to seek recognition, attention and validation of what we have accomplished. But as we have the mind of Christ we see that Jesus forgives us day after day- and this very day through the gospel and through the sacrament of the altar. And as a result of this forgiveness, we see that instead of recognition we can afford to care for others.
This is what it means to count others as more significant than yourselves, to realize since Christ has given you everything, you have no need to promote yourself, but instead you can share the love of Jesus with others.
In your daily prayers you can seek God’s Will to see ways to help the people who God puts in your life. It may not be apparent from one day to the next how to help someone in your life, but by talking with others in your life not with pride and not seeking recognition, by talking with others with a servant heart you are likely to see new opportunities for how to help people in your life very often.
Since we as a congregation are smaller in number than in past periods, it can be intimidating thinking how to serve as a congregation, Running a food pantry or an after school program is beyond what we are equipped to handle right now. But we can be caring and serving individuals, serving one another and serving others in our lives as we have opportunity.
The most important service we can do for the people we encounter in our life is to be able to clearly speak the hope we have in Jesus and the hope that is available to those we have opportunity to witness our faith to.
Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday with the people singing Hosannas to him. He was welcomed as king. We live our lives to his glory and praise as we uses our voices to sing our hymns and as we use our voices to speak the words of our liturgy, the Lord’s Prayer, the Creeds and all the other parts e have to respond.
This week we respond to Jesus with words of Hosanna in particular with our gathering for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday , and then Easter.
Jesus showed his humility as he rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Though he is the King of Kings, he rides in on a donkey. On a lowly donkey, awkward step by step he came as a servant all of us and to save us. Thus we can sing “All Glory laud and honor to You Redeemer King.”
What makes a person blessed? Is it the good fortune to be skilled at many things and make a good living? Is being blessed about how much money you have and how many choices you have in life on account of your wealth?
Is a person blessed through having many friends, or being part of a church that is large and growing and filled with energy? We covered in confirmation class this past week the question of ‘why do some people face more sufferings than others?’ Are people blessed when they dodge many areas of suffering? And if you don’t have things come easy in your life, if suffering is a regular occurrence, does that mean that you are probably just cursed?
It is a design of Satan that a Christian who has been given all of the blessings of God’s kingdom, should at times feel cursed, or feel that bad things just happen to me more often. Because if you feel things just aren’t likely to go well for you in life, then God’s love and goodness may just feel far away and inaccessible.
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, what really makes a person blessed or cursed? Is it life circumstances and life history, or is it instead the Lord of Life, and the history of his ministry on earth that makes all of the difference! Indeed, Jesus alone is the one who determines the course of our lives. A living faith in Jesus makes us blessed- and regardless of what you might experience in life, as you look to the cross, as you look to your Savior you can know you are blessed.
If you are feeling cursed, how much can you say to others about the goodness of the Lord? Our memory verse for this week from 1Peter talks about always being ready to share the reason for the hope that is in you. So it is important not only for yourself but for others to know how much you are blessed in the Lord.
In our Old testament reading from Jeremiah we hear about the contrast between the man who is cursed and the man who is blessed. The single factor that makes someone either blessed or cursed is not the results they get in life, but who they put their trust in. To the world, my life might look like a failure or look unremarkable- but in the hidden form of God’s kingdom I have great blessing. What makes the difference in how we interpret our lives? The answer is God’s Word, the answer is Jesus the very Word of God.
Ancient Greek historian Herodotus once said of Egypt that it was the gift of the Nile. Without the Nile river, there would be no pyramids, no tombs, no treasures, no Pharaohs like Ramsey. Egypt would be like any other place in the Sahara Desert of Northern Africa. But since the Nile flows year round, and since Egypt was not dependent on rain, droughts were no issue in Egypt. The Nile flooded every year from the snowmelts thousands of miles upstream in the highlands of Ethiopia and Uganda. Those floods deposited silt to enrich the soil of Egypt.
But go just a mile away from the Nile, beyond the reach of floods and irrigation, and the desert and brown sand are what you have. The choice where to plant your crop is obvious. The Nile will give life and the Desert will dry everything out. In our Old testament reading the prophet Jeremiah is describing the choice between the desert of our own strength and the life given in the Lord, who waters us so we may prosper and grow in his green pastures. This is the work of God’s Word to make us fruitful.
Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. 6 He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. 7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. 8 He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
The difference between blessed or cursed is whether we receive God’s Word and put our trust in the Lord. It does not matter about how much money we have or how successful we are in the world. If we seek God’s kingdom, we are blessed because the kingdom gives us a key to see differently everything that happens to us in the world.
The choice seems clear, the benefits of trusting the Lord far outweigh what we can provide for ourselves. But do we always at first nature trust the Lord? Or do we trust ourselves first, and when all else fails we say to ourselves, “Jesus take the wheel.” In this sense it is like the Lord is our second or third choice. “If need be, if things are hard enough, I can always fall back on the Lord.”
God rightly judges those who trust in themselves and is right to condemn them. We deserve what we would get, we deserve to be like those in the desert without water, to be parched, to wither and to die because we have not trusted in God who says to us, “Come unto me and I will give you rest.”
We have failed to trust in the Lord; we have failed to seek him first. But there is one who did all things well, who trusted in the Lord with all of his heart, soul and mind. That is our Lord Jesus Christ. He trusted his Heavenly Father with all of his life.
In the temptation in the wilderness, Jesus trusted the Word of the Lord to take care of him and his life. And when he died on the cross, parched and thirsty, not because of any sin in him, but rather for us and for our salvation, Jesus still said even then: “Father into your hands I commit my spirit.”
How do we become blessed? Does Jesus give us a list of things to do to be blessed? Do we earn rewards when we are poor instead of rich, when we learn to be pure in heart and learn to be peacemakers? Do our good works make us blessed?
The truth is we do not earn our state of blessing. It is all a gift from the Lord. We are blessed with richness in the Lord because we are made to know the Lord and seek him and follow his laws and decrees.
The difference between blessing and curse in our lives is the grace of God given to us in Jesus. In Christ the things we do in our lives may seem ordinary, but they are hallowed by Jesus. Everyday activities like caring for family and brothers and sister in Christ in our congregation are activities that are blessed in Christ.
Our Epistle reading from 1 Corinthians chapter 15 reflects on our Lord’s Resurrection from the grave. If Jesus were not risen, if we only had hope in Christ for this life only, we truly would be those who are cursed. “We are of all people most to be pitied.”
20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. The fact of Christ’s resurrection means we are blessed beyond compare. For this means that the blessings we see in this life and in this world are only a tip of the iceberg, the best is yet to come.
Listen again to the close of our reading from Jeremiah: He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
Because Christ is raised, we are not anxious when drought comes. In Christ we have deep roots of faith, that keep us bearing fruit even when we feel much in life is barren and hopeless. The winter can amplify our feelings of the barrenness of life. But in Christ we have a deep reservoir of joy to hold onto and drink from. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning. Amen.
Why is it so important to us to have the last word? It’s true isn’t it? We want the last word in any conversation. You see it on TV shows where rivals compete who can say the last thing to go out sounding on top. Certainly the last word is highly sought after in political debates. I’m sure whether it is the vice president debate coming later this week or later presidential debates, that you will see plenty of attempts of each party’s candidate to have the last word.
But we know it is also true within ourselves. When we have the last word our opinions and self worth are validated- even if it is at the expense of others. Even if it is in our speaking to ourselves, when we have the last word in our minds, it helps us feel better about ourselves or maybe helps us to convince ourselves that we are not that far off the mark, we’re right and don’t need to change.
Of course, there can be times when we regret insisting on the last word. Maybe a time where we see how much it has hurt someone else. I have noticed with couples counseling that sometimes the cycle of blame can seemingly go on all session. “You think that is bad, but did he tell you about who he talked to on his facebook page last summer?
Perhaps it’s a lack of forgiveness through bringing up the past: ‘what about the time when you didn’t ask for directions and we drove the wrong direction for hours.” ‘But what about the time you took your parents side and made me the bad person?’ However eventually a couple realizes that blame and the last word only causes more problems. We realize it does not get us much if we win through making someone else the loser.
Most important of all we regret times when we insist on the last word in our relationship with God. For to have the last word with God, is to want to have God in our lives on our own terms. We may fool ourselves into thinking that we can have the last word with God, but the truth is that Jesus is the last Word.
We see in our gospel reading today, the parable of the tenants about how God has given his word for our benefit, for us to prosper and be grateful for the last word we ever need in life.
God spoke to Israel, calling them his special people, giving them His unlimited goodness.
Psalm 80 describes this creation that God spoke into being:
“You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it. 9 You cleared the ground for it; it took deep root and filled the land. 10 The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches. 11 It sent out its branches to the sea and its shoots to the River”
This imagery of Israel as a majestic vine helps us to see the care in which Israel was established. This care in establishing Israel in which no expense is spared is the meaning of the master of the house who leaves his precious vineyard to tenants.
He plants it, fences it in, digs a winepress, and builds a tower. This was no small effort. Everything that can be done for a successful vineyard was secured.
Then he leaves the whole operation to his tenants, giving them the benefits of his labors, trusting them to give a portion of the fruit in due season.
This is a vivid picture of what God has done for Israel. This was God’s Word, God’s promise that He would shower blessings on them for all eternity.
God is the giver and creator of every good thing. He has given to us the same blessing that he has given Israel. He has raised us in the faith where we have come to know our heritage as God’s people and we have come to learn from Jesus the way of righteousness in Him.
God has made the same promise to us, he will be our loving giving God, and we will be his beloved people to all eternity. We are like the vine whose branches cover the mountain and whose roots reach into the sea.
Even when God’s people rebelled, refused to bear fruit, he sent His word again through the prophets. 34 When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit. 35 And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them.
The master sent one servant after another to receive fruit. If only any of these could be the last word, all would be forgiven, the fruits of the vineyard would be collected, the vineyard would be a model of perfection. Israel could be celebrated as it once was, the treasured possession of God: you are still mine!
None of the servants who were sent made the difference. One after another was treated worse. Finally, God sent his Son. Surely this could be the last word and all will be well.
But we are all too determined to have the last word. The significance of God sending his only Son to us was lost on us.
Israel was determined to have the last word. When the master sent his servants to collect his share, they are beaten, stoned, and killed. Time and time again Israel, the tenants, insisted on having the last word.
In Acts chapter 7 Stephen asks: “Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the righteous one, whom you have now betrayed and murdered.” In the sermon on the mount Jesus said: “Rejoice and be glad for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
You can see it coming a mile away, nothing good is going to come by the vineyard owner sending his son. Look how they treated the other representatives.
I remember listening to this parable in a different light after becoming a father. How completely not worth it, I thought, to send your son to those wicked tenants, to see if after so many bad results that maybe they would treat the son differently. What a tragedy to lose your son over such ungrateful workers! Why not just give up on the tenants and drive them away and find new tenants to work the vineyard, but by all means don’t send your son! What justification could there possibly be to put your son at risk after all that they have done?
Yet that is just what the Father did in sending us Jesus. He loved us against all reason or justification. This is the love our hymn of the day celebrated: “O Love How Deep, How broad How High, Beyond all thought and fantasy!”
It’s beyond our imagination how God could love us so much even after all of our rebellion. It’s beyond our understanding how Jesus respond to unrequited love from us.
As we heard in the Introit, God’s steadfast love endures forever. “Give thanks to the LORD for his steadfast love endures forever.”
In the parable the master’s last gracious invitation is rejected. His act of supreme love is scorned. They believe they have the last word by killing the son, they think this will allow them to claim the vineyard as their own.
Obviously, this is not how property rights work. You can’t just have what you want because you have torn down and destroyed the local structure of government, there is always a higher authority of law which determines possession of property. In the case of Israel killing the Lord’s prophets and then killing Jesus- it did not get them anywhere other than the false belief that they are in charge and have gained the last word.
Today many generations later, even we in the church want to have the last word in our conversations with God. Yes Lord, I know your word says in the Seventh Commandment, but I really need this extra amount of money that otherwise would go to taxes if I reported this income.
‘Yes Lord I know I should love everyone, but how can I forgive those people who hurt me?’ The young couple says I know we should not live together before marriage, but we are really in love.
Yet although we want to have the last word Jesus always does have the last word: 40 When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “‘The stone that the builders rejectedhas become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits.44 And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”
They spoke the word of judgement against themselves in condemning the tenants. Jesus quotes to them a Psalm about His enduring steadfast love beyond our rejection, Psalm 118:22 “The Stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.”
Jesus the stone was rejected and killed. But in that moment he spoke the last word: “It is finished” His resurrection proved that death cannot be the last word. By his death and resurrection He offers the kingdom to all who believe in Him.
As Christ as the cornerstone of the church we have been called by Holy Baptism to be the faithful tenants who do produce good fruit. We do not need to have the last word because Jesus has finished it all on the cross. How refreshing to not need the last word. How wonderful and marvelous that we are built on His amazing love.
“I know my own; My own know Me. You not the world, my face shall see. My peace I leave with you. Amen.” What beautiful words we just sang about how Jesus sees us.
“Built on the Rock the church shall stand.” What is the Rock the hymn is describing, what Rock holds together even when building are falling down around us? The Rock is the confession of faith that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
This confession first revealed by the Father to Peter is a confession that is shared by all of us, the church throughout the world. This Rock, the truth of the gospel is the foundation that helps the church to stand no matter the storm we face. We are secure because Jesus knows us, and we know Jesus.
Jesus set up the confession of faith Peter spoke by asking the disciples “who do people say that the Son of Man is?” Many in the world at that time saw Jesus and came to their own conclusions of who he is. The same holds true today in our world and even within the church, it all depends on how you look at things, what you confess about who Jesus is.
On one extreme people see Jesus as a friend who agrees and supports any decisions in life they make, who is always on their side and would never judge or condemn them for how they spend their time, their priorities in life, or what sins they commit. Some in the church can choose to believe that Jesus is their personal cheer leader even if they rarely if ever come to Jesus in repentance and come to worship to receive His gifts of forgiveness and salvation.
On the other extreme, some people see Jesus as the unforgiving judge who is disappointed in their efforts at living the faith, whose laws and standards you can never live up to and who brings much guilt. In either case, people can miss seeing Jesus through discarding the law so much that there is no need for a Savior, or in pushing so hard to follow the law that there is no sense of hope in knowing Jesus.
If you don’t see Jesus for who he is, then you miss the peace Jesus brings to His church. The Confession of faith of Peter, the Rock on which the church stands is to see Jesus for who he is, the Savior who stands in our place and carries us through.
How we look at Jesus makes all the difference. We prayed in our Collect prayer: to “know Jesus to be the way the truth and the life so that we can boldly confess Him to be the Christ and steadfastly walk in the way that leads to everlasting life.”
In knowing Jesus for who he is for us, our Way, Truth and Life- we have the focus and clarity to confess His name and walk in the way of discipleship in a hostile world. In seeing the world through eyes that know His mercy and love to us, we change how we view our life in this world.
In our reading from Romans we have a picture of how God’s mercy brings about a changed perspective. The reading begins with complete wonder at God’s ways.
“O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” God provides us mercy when we deserve none, Grace when we expect punishment, love when we expect judgment or disdain. Mercy changes our perspective on life.
In Romans chapter 12 the vision of life lived in response to mercy is described in greater detail. “I appeal to you therefore brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Notice that phrase “by the mercies of God” It is saying in view of, or in light of God’s mercies to us, we should live our lives differently.
The foundation of God’s mercy to us is the sacrifice of Jesus’ life to us. Through eyes that see God’s mercy to us, the scripture invites us to see our own lives as prospects for sacrifice, our spiritual worship as a living sacrifice to God. Presenting our bodies as living sacrifices means that we give first unto the LORD in love.
We are not conformed to the view of the world that our lives are only for ourselves and we should do whatever we want. Instead we begin to see that sometimes God’s will is found through making sacrifices in life. The Holy Spirit transforms us and renews us to live in love for God’s will. Listen again to those words from Romans: “Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
The pattern of this world is filled with much folly, much running in circles in pursuit of popularity, wealth, pride and selfishness. The world’s pattern is everywhere we look, on our phones, in the things people say to us- it is all around us. We need spiritual reality checks on a regular basis, we need our mind’s transformed by God’s Word, we need to see that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
But we don’t only read about God’s different perspective, we experience it for ourselves as we experience God’s particular mercy to our own lives. As we reflect on how Jesus has extended us mercy, we can begin to imagine how God sees all people with that same mercy.
A story is told of a seminary student in Chicago who took a part time job driving a bus to help pay his way through school. One night he had the misfortune of being mugged while on his route. He received bruises and cuts and even some damage to his teeth. In time the police caught these men who mugged him. He was called to identify them as a witness and he attended the trial. The criminals stared at him coldly when they saw him in the courtroom and he returned the favor. The verdict of guilty was reached and the judge read the sentence of prison time for each of the men.
The seminary student began to feel compassion for these criminals. He remembered that Jesus died on the cross for their sins as well as for his. The judge asked him if he had anything to add. “Yes I do your honor. I have a request to make. I would like to serve the combined prison sentence of these men who hurt me in their place.”
The judge was startled by such an unusual request. “I don’t believe that is possible, there is no legal precedent for such action. The seminary student replied: “Actually your honor there is. Almost 2,000 years ago a man from Nazareth named Jesus who was guilty of no offense, willingly took the punishment for all people by dying on the cross.”
The judge did not grant the seminary student’s request. But the young man managed to visit the men in prison in order to tell them more about Jesus who took our place on the cross. God’s mercy helps to transform us to see people and situations differently.
Responding to the mercy given to us does not need only involve something as drastic as offering to take the punishment for others.
Think of how different a variety of situations in life can be experienced with this view. If you are grocery shopping these days it is usually something of a tense experience. You may wish you could simply get in and out as fast as possible. It is easy to view all the people at the store as a burden to what you want to get accomplished.
But through our response to God’s mercy we can see people in a crowded store differently. They are not people who are in the way, but God’s creation who Jesus also died for. From the perspective of the mercy we have in Jesus how differently we might see the congested traffic on the way to work or the co-worker who is always getting under your skin. “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than he ought to think.”
In the scripture there is no shortage of examples of how God’s mercy changes the outlook toward others. We all know Zacchaeus as the wee little man who climbed up the sycamore tree to get a good view of Jesus. He also was not a well respected man. He was a chief tax collector, a despised man an outcast and a sinner.
Nobody wanted to associate with him. Jesus, however saw him up in the tree and singled him out for attention, inviting himself to dinner at Zacchaeus’ house. By these merciful actions toward Zacchaeus, Jesus covered the scandalous and offensive life with his own reputation and righteousness. His merciful kindness gave mercy to a poor sinner.
At the dinner Zacchaeus stood up and offered to give half of all his goods to feed the poor. He promised to restore fourfold to those he cheated. He now saw those he cheated through the eyes of mercy for the first time. Jesus declared him to be a son of Abraham, a child of mercy. He was indeed justified by Christ through faith. What stands out about him was how by Christ’s gift of mercy to him, he learned to be merciful to others in return.
May our Lord grant us courage to confess His name before the world. May the Lord fulfill his purpose for us in the church, as His steadfast love endures in our lives forever. Amen.
Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Come to me. The message from our God, “Come to me.” Not stay away, keep your distance, approach with caution and possibly at risk of your life- but come. Jesus does not ask that we prepare ourselves throughout life so that we are finally worthy to come before our God. We are not asked to achieve a certain level of holiness before we come to Jesus, nor are we expected to fast and pray for a specified number of hours before we come.
The theme of coming with nothing in our hands is illustrated in the book of Isaiah. Isaiah 55:1 Come everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come buy and eat! Come buy wine and milk without money and without price.
Our God willingly gives us more than we can imagine and invites us to come. It would be an insult to insist on bringing a bag of chips and an upside down cake to the party we are invited to when compared to the feast spread before us.
In John chapter 7 Jesus is attending the feast of Booths and he tells them about the gift of the Holy Spirit with the same language of come to me for abundance.
John 7:37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me as the scripture has said, out of his heart shall flow rivers of flowing water.
Jesus extends the invitation to come specifically to all those who labor and are heavy laden. He is talking about those who are in need. At the beginning of our gospel reading those in need are not those who are self proclaimed wise and understanding, but those who are little children, those who have a simple and honest need, who have no delusion that they can carrying their own weight.
Like children we are in need because we are weary and heavy laden with the trials of living in this fallen world. It is a heavy business to toil at the labors we are given because of the Fall.
Consider how heavy the labor and how heavy the burdens we carry with us. Even on days off and three day weekends, life has plenty of daily responsibilities that can make us tired. During this time of the year the heat can especially make us feel tired. What is more physical labor is only part of the burden we carry. What we try to carry on our own is the weight of our sin. What we carry with us is a natural desire to impress the rest of the world that we are good people, and also to impress God.
Our prayer of the day helps us to see one of the aspects of life in this fallen world that makes us heavy laden: Gracious God, “Be our strength and support amid the wearisome changes of this world, and at life’s end grant us Your promised rest and the full joys of Your salvation”
Change in life is indeed wearisome, no matter how comfortable we may be with life circumstances, everything changes, when we are comfortable being home with parents, we get older and are no longer around the same family support as before. We find new surroundings as adults only to face more change in the form of losing loved ones to death. Even our own bodies, because of the fall, constantly are changing to where we feel weariness and heaviness.
We are heavy laden with the weight of past criticism we have received from others, we are heavy with a sense of having let down and failed people in numerous ways throughout our lives, whether because of the selfishness of our sins or because our fears kept us from being capable of what we should have done.
The pharisees made the practice of faith itself a weighty and difficult task. Jesus talked about the heavy yoke of the pharisees: “ They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger.”
One way or another you probably have had parents or teachers or pastors lose sight of the teaching of the gospel where following Jesus represented heavy burdens that made you feel you could not live up to what is expected of you. We carry these burdens with us in the form of those feelings that we have not done enough, that our heart is not in the right place to earn our place in God’s kingdom. Jesus invites us to come to him for rest from all these burdens that weigh us down and receive the free gift he gives.
Our need along with all others who are weary and heavy laden is for forgiveness, mercy, new life. We need this incredible gift Jesus gives that lifts all the weight of our sin and even the weight and trial that our fallen world brings upon us.
The Lord’s Supper is a great place for us to hear this message of a free gift – my body given for you, my blood shed for you. As we receive the bread and wine, this gift reminds us of how simple and easy life is in God’s kingdom, ‘come and be nourished, taste and see that the Lord is good.’ Nothing in our hands we bring, just our heavy laden self.
And as weary as we are with the changes of this world, the Lord’s Supper is the same comfort, the same gift. Jesus does not change. In Him we are being prepared for eternal rest and eternal joys. This is why the Lord’s Supper has been called by the church fathers as the medicine of immortality, we are becoming like Jesus through receiving Jesus.
In a manner of speaking the traditions of counting Sundays of the month for when to receive the Lord’s Supper were inherited by the Lutheran church from a time period when people placed a heavy burden on themselves to emotionally feel the right things when receiving the Lord’s Supper, as in:
‘we are not worthy enough to come each week, lets build up good credit with prayers and preaching of the Word one or more Sundays and then come the next Sunday and receive the Lord’s Supper.’ Now my brothers and sister in Christ, you have the opportunity to taste and see that the Lord is good each and every Sunday. You are invited to come, to believe that your sins are forgiven through Christ.
Your sins are forgiven because Jesus carried all of these heavy burdens of the sin of the world on the cross. Because he has carried it, his yoke is marvelously light.
I think back to what it was like to see a teacher in public when I was in High School. If I was slouching in my seat at a restaurant, now I was sitting straight up, see I am on task, I am a good person, I am on my best behavior. The need to impress an authority was so deeply ingrained that it was certainly hard to just be myself in the presence of an authority.
Now it is different as an adult, I see authorities as simply people like me, playing a role, I do not need to prove things to them- it is only God who I am accountable to. This is the easy yoke of the gospel, to realize that we are loved by God, and we do not need other people’s approval, and we do not need to prove anything to others. Instead we are free to show love to others.
We live in a time where the message of the gospel is widely unknown in how the average American sees life. In my role as a counselor I see many ways in which depression and anxiety reigns in people’s lives because of life lived apart from the gospel. I see common themes of people’s unwillingness to trust others or be willing to care for others, and people feeling judged and unworthy of others.
We have the easy yoke of Christ that we are joined to. Instead of seeing others as a threat and weight to our lives, we are free instead to care for needs of those who are oppressed out of compassion or love because God has first loved us.
We love others through following Jesus, we walk with Jesus in love and it is an easy and light yoke to carry because it is filled with hope and promise, joy and peace.
Jesus yoke is light and easy, when we live life according to the plans of God’s Will life is easier. Divided priorities in life make life harder. When countless numbers in our society willingly break the commandments because they feel they are free from the law- then society suffers, families are broken, and children are not raised in the faith.
Our yoke seems so hard in this day and age in that we as a society live apart from God’s will in so many ways, where we are apart from God’s design for creation, apart from a focus on being caretakers of the earth and one another, apart from loving others as God has loved us.
Yet we as the church are free to live a different way than our culture, we can live as a people set apart in Christ to the glory of God. We can say no to the costly darkness of sin in order to embrace the light of Christ. We sang “Come unto Me, Ye Weary” to start our worship service. Stanza 2 describes this choice to walk in the light of Christ.
“Come unto Me, ye wanderers, and I will give you light. O loving voice of Jesus which comes to cheer the night! Our hearts were filled with sadness, and we had lost our way; but thou hast brought us gladness and Songs at break of day.” May the Lord bless us with this gladness and lightness at break of each day. Amen.
Dear brothers and sisters
in Christ, the basis for this last written word only sermon prior to our return
to public worship next Sunday is the appointed Epistle reading for the sixth
Sunday of Easter 1Peter 3:13-22
13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?14 But even if you should
suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor
be troubled, 15 but
in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a
defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do
it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are
slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.
17 For it is better to
suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.
18 For Christ also suffered] once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20 because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.
In recent days it would
almost be scandalous to talk in our public sphere about the goodness of God. People
are dying of a virus. Even some children are developing some significant
symptoms, and some children are dying. We can picture no worse tragedy than 3 or
4 year old children, otherwise healthy, now dead from respiratory complications.
We know already after the
first day of creation God saw all that He made and called it good. “After the sixth day God saw everything
that he had made and behold it was very good.” Psalm 107 provides a
memorable confession of faith about God’s goodness: “Oh give thanks to the
LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!”
We also know that this
current world is fallen. If the massive
upheaval by the virus was not enough, we have killer hornets becoming more prevalent
in our nation as the news articles warn us. People wonder where is God’s goodness
amidst a fallen world? Through the
scripture we see a pattern that it is not man’s role to say what is good and
what is not, it is God alone who can say this. God promises to Israel that He will provide
good for us, and we see for ourselves that God’s saving work in our lives is
good. The resurrection of our Lord stands as indisputable evidence that God is
for us and good to us.
1Peter chapter 3 invites
us to consider the consistent virtue of focusing our passion toward what is
good. “Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for doing good?”
When we put our minds toward living in the righteousness of Christ we know we are on the right track in life. Sometimes it comes as a rude awakening to me when I experience a conflict among a friend or family member or a co-workers. After a while in life, I think we all realize we want what is best in our relationships and it is simply not enjoyable to have discord.
Conflicts with others may sneak up on us, but so often they are a result of selfishness. When I am selfish, I may hurt other’s feelings inadvertently. I might even disappoint others through not being considerate or compassionate for the circumstances others are going through. How different is the result when I think of loving others with the love of God! Conflicts are few and far between, and that feeling of having peace in life becomes something you can just take for granted.
Of course there are other
times where people may harm us, even as we are doing good in the sense of following
in the steps of our Savior. These are times
when we may suffer for righteousness sake. Even in such a state of persecution,
we are still blessed with God’s goodness.
We are blessed because the persecution we encounter puts us in the righteousness
of the cross. When we are persecuted we
are brought right to the cross of Jesus, trusting in His righteousness and his
goodness despite all that we see around us.
The reading invites us to
have no fear but instead regard Christ the Lord as holy. When we see that God alone is good, we trust
that Jesus will take us through the trials we face and bring us to a greater
good. The lie of Satan is that God is
not good toward us, and that we as a result need to fend for ourselves and find
good for ourselves. Instead we trust in faith that Jesus alone is holy, set
apart for us. This is the gift of God’s
Word to us, that we may think those things that are right and true.
Our fallen human nature
fails time after time to see things in the right light. Instead we need God’s
Word to illumine our path. The appointed
Introit for this Sunday gives us these familiar words from Psalm 119: Your
Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Through the rebirth of Holy Baptism delivered
through God’s Word, our path is forever changed. 1 Peter 3:21 reminds us of how
Baptism saves us not simply as a removal of dirt from our bodies, but as “an
appeal to God for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” What a relief it is when we realize the good conscience,
the pursuit of a good life is a gift freely given by Jesus. This gift applied to our lives is a guarantee
as sure and certain as Christ’s resurrection.
Without attending worship
in recent weeks we have indeed been missing out on the very tangible reminders in
the worship service that God is for us. Our
consciences in many cases through this period of waiting have felt troubled.
Here is the Prayer of the
Day for the sixth Sunday of Easter: O God, the giver of all that is good, by
Your holy inspiration grant that we may think those things that are right and
by Your merciful guiding accomplish them; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our
Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
forever.
May our Lord indeed guide us to think those things that are right, and also accomplish them through the new life we have in Christ.
Brothers and sisters in Christ
we did not have the Easter Sunday we are used to. We also have not had the season of worship we
are accustomed to. The Easter season is
a time of joy, yet this year we are challenged to find joy in the midst of
hardship.
Although this Easter was
bittersweet, we know with certainty that a far greater Easter and day of celebrating
Christ’s resurrection awaits us. We know Jesus has promised to return and raise
the bodies of all believers to join him in the New Heaven and Earth. On this glorious day our resurrections will
be the exclamation point on Christ’s resurrection on the first Easter morning. 1Corinthians
15:20 “But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of
those who have fallen asleep.”
In other words whether we were
able to gather or not on Easter morning this celebration all the same pales in comparison
to the joy of great day of the Lord. All of our time of worship looks forward
to this day, and our worship is not needed to bring this day to completion, Christ
will do it all. As we as a church wait through this painfully so process of
shelter in place, know that Jesus will bring to us the final victory, he will
come for you and come for me. This message of hope transcends any season or
period of trial in our lives. His Word endures forever, and may it enrich us
this morning.
Let’s take time this
morning to pray the collect prayer for the second Sunday of Easter, which
reminds us of the joy that Jesus’ resurrection can bring to our lives.
Almighty God, grant
that we who have celebrated the Lord’s resurrection may by Your grace confess
in our life and our conversation that Jesus is Lord and God; through the same
Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one
God, now and forever. Amen.
Lord may we indeed confess
in our life and our conversation that You reign over all, resurrected,
glorified. May we confess in our lives
that your kingdom is more beautiful and precious than anything we are missing on
account of our current virus pandemic. May we confess that nothing can separate
us from your love, no man and no virus! Lord I believe, help my unbelief! Help
me to believe in your purposes for me to love others and look to the good of my
neighbor through a time that feels so often frustrating, sad, and bleak.
Also Lord help me to
confess in my conversation with others that You are my Lord. Help me to speak in love about how to care
for the needs and safety of my neighbor through my decisions and actions, that
I may care for my neighbor through practicing the social distancing measured
recommended by disease control experts- limiting the risk of my neighbor through
patiently waiting in the store to not come in too close of contact, by wearing
a mask in public for the protection of others.
Help me in my
conversations with others to share my hope that You are in control of this
situation. Help me to share how important gathering in worship is to me and how
I look forward to resuming this. Help me to not foster a spirit of complaining
or fear, but one of gratefulness toward the daily bread that You provide to me
each day.
Lord teach me to hear your
Word with faith and hope at all times. On this morning especially the appointed
Epistle for the second Sunday of Easter:
1Peter 1: 3-9
Blessed be the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be
born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the
dead,4 to
an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven
for you, 5 who by God’s power are being
guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little
while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more
precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to
result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though
you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is
inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining
the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Heavenly
Father this time of the year, even when we abide mourning as exiles from Your
sanctuary we celebrate that You have caused us to be born again to a living
hope through Your Son’s glorious resurrection.
Help me to rejoice in the imperishable inheritance You have prepared for
me that is secured by Your resurrection.
I rejoice that through Your Son “You make known to me the path of
life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are
pleasures forevermore.” I rejoice to
know Your love for me that is immovable, love that ‘neither death nor life, nor
angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor
height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation , will be able to separate
us from.’
Lord help
me to rejoice even as I have been grieved by numerous trials in this last month. Your living Word instructs me to count it
all joy when I meet trials of various kinds, as I know the testing of my faith
produces steadfastness. I have had much
to grieve, even if I have been kept safe from illness, it is a great sorrow to
see so many of your children plagued by the curse of the fall through the
virus. I grieve as I learn how the poor and needy are more vulnerable than I am.
I feel distress knowing those on the front lines of work in factories and
grocery stores and health care facilities are in more danger than I am. I grieve as a dear brother in Christ is now called
to eternal rest in you on account of the same virus that has frustrated so much
of daily life.
Yet in
all of the grief and trials in this time I am comforted by Your promise to
never leave or forsake me. I am reminded
of how You told Your disciples about the upcoming trial off your betrayal and
crucifixion. You told the disciples “Behold the hour is coming, indeed it
has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me
alone.”
Lord You
see how we have been scattered to our own homes, not account of persecution,
but on account of the fallen creation- where viruses designed to aid in
digestion now serve to destroy the body. Lord you see how we are isolated and
feel alone in a unfamiliar way. You told the disciples: “Yet I am not alone,
for the Father is with me . I have said these things to you that in me you may
have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have
overcome the world.”
Lord
provide us this peace this morning as we long to receive Your body and blood in
the Lord’s Supper, as we long to gather to celebrate the victory over death
that your resurrection won for us. Provide
us Your peace as we mourn the losses of loved ones and fear for the well being
of those close to us.
Lord at
this hour I am much like the disciples gathered in the upper room, gathered and
sequestered from the world in fear. Just as Thomas missed seeing You appear in
the glory of Your resurrection, I have been missing the sight of Your presence
in worship. I long for when my faith
will once again be sight. Remind me of Your promise that ‘blessed are
those who have not seen and yet have believed.’ Lord help me to echo
the confession of faith of Peter: ‘Though
I have not seen him, I love him. Though I do not now see him, I believe in him
and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the
outcome of my faith, the salvation of my soul.’
Lord in
closing put on my heart praise for the salvation You have won for me through
your cross and resurrection and joined me to through the water and the Word in
Holy Baptism. Help me to pray the words of this psalm, joining in praise with
all creation and as one of Your children who is near to you.
Psalm 148
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights! 2 Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his hosts!
3 Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you
shining stars! 4 Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above
the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord! For he commanded and
they were created. 6 And he established them forever and ever; he gave a
decree, and it shall not pass away.
7 Praise the Lord
from the earth, you great sea creatures and all deeps, 8 fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his
word!
9 Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all
cedars! 10 Beasts and all livestock, creeping things and flying
birds!
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and
all rulers of the earth! 12 Young men and maidens together, old men and children!
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above earth and heaven. 14 He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his saints, for the people of Israel who are near to him. Praise the Lord!
This past week more than
even before it has become clear that the church has begun a long undetermined
period of waiting. Who could have imagined that instead of gathering at church
with palm branches in our hands to celebrate the entrance of Jesus into
Jerusalem, we would all be in our living rooms.
Here is the Introit
appointed for Palm Sunday: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We bless you from the house of the
Lord.Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in. 8 Who
is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle! 9 Lift up your heads, O
gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. 10 Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts, he is the King of
glory!
How do we come in the name
of the Lord when we cannot be at worship: How do we lift up the gates to celebrate
the coming of our king among us when we are all at home. We know we cannot
gather for worship right now. But it still feels like we are hiding out and
missing the celebration of our Savior.
Sure, we accepted in short
order the cancellation of the Final Four tournament and any other sports. After
all, as much as we may like sports as a society, some things are more important
in life. We accepted that places like
Disney world are now closed and spring break vacations canceled. But it is a
different thing to accept that we cannot gather for worship- especially at the
beginning of holy week, the most festive and magnificent time of the church
year.
For Christ Lutheran Church,
celebrating Palm Sunday has in recent years been memorable as our
congregation’s youth carry palm branches in procession down the aisle toward
the altar. I remember last year the hymn “All Glory Laud and Honor” was sung as
the processional hymn. The refrain even
describes children’s role in worshiping Jesus: “All glory laud and honor to
you Redeemer King. To whom the lips of children made sweet hosannas ring”
How do we make sense of
the complete absence of celebration and importance? Can holy week be holy week without our
participation and adornment of special music and ritual?
Perhaps this year more
than any other year we are called to see that Holy Week is not about our
celebrations, not about our pomp and circumstance, but about Jesus’ gift to us
of our salvation. Jesus may have been
greeted with fanfare when he entered Jerusalem, but the real glory was not this
entrance. Stanza four of the hymn describes
the true glory of Jesus is in the cross:
“To you before Your
passion they sand their hymns of praise; to you now high exalted, our melody we
raise.”
They sang hymns of praise to
Jesus before his betrayal and crucifixion.
But Jesus never came to Jerusalem just for praises. It is a false teaching of the church to think
that if we just could have received Jesus as Messiah at that time instead of
crucifying him that He would have continued to reign as our king without the
cross.
Instead the glory of His
entrance into Jerusalem was that he was coming to lay down his life of his own
accord. The celebration we have on Palm Sunday is not just about his entering as
king on that day, but that he now reigns exalted over all things. Jesus reigns over all things, including the
uncertainty for the future we feel about our economy and the well being of our
churches. Jesus reigns over all and holds all things in His hands even as we
worry about loved ones who are on the front lines of the epidemic through their
work roles.
The historical event of
the crucifixion of Jesus of course was not an event of celebration (other than
perhaps in the eyes of the enemies of Jesus).
This was a tragic event that had nothing to do with celebrations and
circumstance. It is only after His resurrection
that the church can see the glory of the cross that the scripture proclaimed. Now
that Jesus reigns at the right hand of the Father we can listen to the passion
account as the intimate history of our salvation won through Jesus.
So how do we celebrate the
beginning of Holy Week this morning? We fix
our eyes on Jesus and his willing obedience to the cross. We reflect and consider the work of the cross
in crucifying our sinful self and joining us to Christ’s death on the cross so
that we are also joined with His resurrection. As we reflect on the work of the
cross in our lives we can see that this pandemic and all afflictions in our
life are a result of our fallen world and our own sin. Our not being able to meet for worship is a weighty
cross to bear. This morning we turn in repentance
to the Lord, pleading His mercy to us in our time of need.
As a church we pray
together this Sunday: Almighty God, heavenly Father, give us grace to trust you
during this time of illness and distress. In mercy put an end to the pandemic
that afflicts us. Grant relief to those who suffer and comfort for those who
mourn. Sustain all medical personnel in their labors, and cause Your people
ever to serve You in righteousness and holiness, through Jesus Christ, Your
Son, our Lord who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now
and forever. Amen.
In repentance we look to Jesus
for mercy. And in thanksgiving for what Jesus has done for us we look to serve
our neighbor. Whether we are able to gather or not we are still the church, we
are still the body of Christ. Remember these
words from 1Peter in regards to how we are the church, not our buildings:
4 As you come
to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and
precious,5 you
yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a
holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus
Christ. 6 For
it stands in Scripture:
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a
cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
9 But you are a
chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own
possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of
darkness into his marvelous light.10 Once you were not a people,
but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have
received mercy.
Whether we are able to gather for church or not we have been called to proclaim the excellencies of our Lord in a time when the world needs to hear more than ever. As it has become more and more clear this past week how this trial is going to be more than just a short period of time, I imagine the number of people hearing God’s Word through various technologies this Sunday and next Sunday is growing in number.
It appears that thousands of people who would not otherwise have attended worship this year, will attend virtual services and hear the gospel. After all, so many of the distractions that people occupy themselves with on Sunday morning are not available at present. The footprint of the church on the internet has now jumped at a prodigious rate in a manner of weeks.
And we also have our part
to play as living stones chosen to build the spiritual house, we are royal
priesthood of believers. We pray for
those who are going through trying times. We can share messages of our hope and
trust in the Lord’s provisions and purposes for us every time we talk to
someone about the uncertainties of this pandemic. Walking through my neighborhood I have seen
sidewalk chalk decorations for Easter Sunday and some messages of hope in front
windows. If you live in a neighborhood with a sidewalk in front of your home, perhaps
your own home can proclaim a message of God’s Word.
I encourage you to look through your Bible this week and read through the Passion account of our Lord as part of your devotions this week. Here is the account as appointed for worship this morning from the gospel of Matthew for either reading now or through the course of the week. May our Lord bless you with his abiding presence in this time of need. Know that all of your sins are forgiven through the mercies of our heavenly Father and all availing sacrifice of Our Savior Jesus Christ. Know that Jesus has brought all things to completion, even your own lives through his perfect love for us.
1When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, 2 “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”
3 Then the chief priests and the elders
of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was
Caiaphas, 4 and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by
stealth and kill him. 5 But they said, “Not during the feast,
lest there be an uproar among the people.”
Jesus
Anointed at Bethany
6 Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the
house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came up to him with an alabaster
flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined
at table. 8 And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant,
saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this could have been sold for a
large sum and given to the poor.” 10 But Jesus, aware of this,
said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing
to me. 11 For you always have the poor with you, but you will
not always have me. 12 In pouring this ointment on my body, she
has done it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly, I say to you,
wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will
also be told in memory of her.”
Judas
to Betray Jesus
14 Then one of the twelve, whose name was
Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What
will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces
of silver. 16 And from that moment he sought an opportunity to
betray him.
The
Passover with the Disciples
17 Now on the first day of Unleavened
Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for
you to eat the Passover?” 18 He said, “Go into the city to a
certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep
the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” 19 And the
disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.
20 When it was evening, he reclined at
table with the twelve. 21 And as they were eating, he said, “Truly,
I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 And they were very
sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” 23 He
answered, “He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. 24 The
Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of
Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been
born.” 25 Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I,
Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said so.”
Institution
of the Lord’s Supper
26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
Jesus
Foretells Peter’s Denial
30 And when they had sung a hymn, they
went out to the Mount of Olives. 31 Then Jesus said to them, “You
will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike
the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32 But
after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” 33 Peter
answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall
away.” 34 Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very
night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” 35 Peter
said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the
disciples said the same.
Jesus
Prays in Gethsemane
36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” 37 And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” 40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”
Betrayal
and Arrest of Jesus
47 While he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” 49 And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him. 50 Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. 51 And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. 52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” 55 At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. 56 But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled.
Jesus
Before Caiaphas and the Council
57 Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. 58 And Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end. 59 Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, 60 but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward 61 and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’” 62 And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?” 63 But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” 64 Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 65 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.” 67 Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, 68 saying, “Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?”
Peter
Denies Jesus
69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the
courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with
Jesus the Galilean.”
Jesus
Delivered to Pilate
27 When morning came, all the
chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put
him to death. 2 And they bound him and led him away and
delivered him over to Pilate the governor.
Judas
Hangs Himself
3 Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” 5 And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself. 6 But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is blood money.” 7 So they took counsel and bought with them the potter’s field as a burial place for strangers. 8 Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel, 10 and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.”
Jesus
Before Pilate
11 Now Jesus stood before the governor,
and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You
have said so.” 12 But when he was accused by the chief priests
and elders, he gave no answer. 13 Then Pilate said to him, “Do
you not hear how many things they testify against you?” 14 But
he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was
greatly amazed.
The
Crowd Chooses Barabbas
15 Now at the feast the governor was
accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. 16 And
they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. 17 So when
they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for
you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18 For he knew
that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. 19 Besides,
while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have
nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him
today in a dream.” 20 Now the chief priests and the elders
persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21 The
governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for
you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” 22 Pilate said to them, “Then
what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be
crucified!” 23 And he said, “Why? What evil has he done?” But
they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!”
Pilate
Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified
24 So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” 25 And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” 26 Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.
Jesus
Is Mocked
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. 28 And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.
The
Crucifixion
32 As they went out, they found a man of
Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. 33 And
when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 they
offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not
drink it. 35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his
garments among them by casting lots. 36 Then they sat down and
kept watch over him there. 37 And over his head they put the
charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 38 Then
two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And
those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads 40 and
saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save
yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 So
also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 “He
saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come
down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He
trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am
the Son of God.’” 44 And the robbers who were crucified with
him also reviled him in the same way.
The
Death of Jesus
45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” 48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
51 And behold, the curtain of the temple
was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were
split. 52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the
saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of
the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to
many. 54 When the centurion and those who were with him,
keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were
filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Sonof God!”
55 There were also many women there,
looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to
him, 56 among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of
James and Joseph and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
Jesus
Is Buried
57 When it was evening, there came a rich
man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. 58 He
went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be
given to him. 59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a
clean linen shroud 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he
had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb
and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there,
sitting opposite the tomb.
The
Guard at the Tomb
62 The next day, that is, after the day
of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and
said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive,
‘After three days I will rise.’ 64 Therefore order the tomb to
be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away
and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be
worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a
guardof soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” 66 So
they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.
We know God’s Word does not return without
result. Here in the last Sunday of the
Church year we take time to consider the results of God’s Word here in our
midst in this congregation over the last year. Over the course of the year the
church in worship follows the ministry of Jesus, Christmas we celebrate his
coming, Easter we celebrate His resurrection, and Pentecost we celebrate his
sending of the Holy Spirit to the church.
And in the many Sundays after Pentecost we have
focused on Christian growth. Now today at
the end of the church year we pause and consider what all these events and
themes accumulate to and point us to.
The appropriate response
to all those events in the church year is to celebrate and let it sink in that Jesus
is king over all of creation. Our hymns
this weekend give us this opportunity to celebrate that Jesus is king over all.
Particularly our gospel reading highlights that Jesus reign among us comes from
the statement of love that is the cross.
Listen to these words from
the gospel of Luke sharing his passion on the cross. The cross is the event that shapes and
defines the last day. From the cross
Jesus instituted the absolution of all people.
“Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Not just those who tortured Jesus and betrayed
Jesus, but all those who have sinned against God, including you and I.
It’s almost like we save the
best for last when it comes to lectionary readings. In our Epistle reading, we
hear this exquisite and majestic description of Jesus from Colossians chapter
1:
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven, and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through Him and for Him. And he is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”
All things created, all
things hold together. From the beginning
at creation and now, Jesus reigns!
Without his creating hand there would be no world. Without his reign
over the universe nothing would hold together.
The world itself would become unglued.
With all this power and glory Jesus has a specific focus, he is the beginning of the church, it’s head. From his resurrection there is a birth after death for all of us. He who created all things and upholds all things and holds all things together desired to reconcile to himself all things. That which is fallen and broken by sin Jesus reconciled through the cross. Through his blood Jesus brought peace to all who had been separated from God.
This is his chief focus of
his reign over creation, he shows what kind of king he is on the cross- laying
down his life, pouring out his lifeblood, gasping for every last breath so that
we, the subjects of his reign might be saved. How amazing to consider the Son
of God who reigns over all creation has come here for us.
In light of the reign of
Jesus, it is hard to accept the various reasons why people might stay away from
church. How trivial our thoughts and feelings, to
think hurt feelings are more significant factors than The very image of the
invisible God, sacrificing himself for us, so that we would be His own people,
so that we can know and hear from Jesus right in this place- ‘today you will be
with me in paradise.’
I wonder if we have lost our
sense of urgency as a church in telling people about Jesus, knowing that Jesus
is coming soon. Maybe you noticed the
church sign. Depending on what direction you came in from, “Never been to
church before? you are welcome here.”
It is amazing to think that
the Son of God comes down to earth, lives among us, and dies for us, rises from
the dead, and many people in our community have never been to church, never
been to the place where Jesus has invited us to come and worship him.
I want to keep on putting
messages to our neighborhood. For those who consider themselves Christians, but
do not ever attend church I want the sign to say something like: “Christians
desire to meet Jesus in worship. Let’s be honest, staying home means Jesus is
not really that important to you”
We know from demographic
studies that the millennial generation those who are ages 22-38 are going to
church far less than our previous two generations. They are participating in
organized activities and social organizations far less, including
churches.
Many people in our lifetimes
have fallen away from attending church as young adults and then returned once
they are married and have children or are settled in careers.
Countless Millennials have
not returned as they are older because they rarely if ever went to church when
they were younger. They have no foundation of faith that they would return
to.
Maybe someone says they are a
Christian, but what that means to them is not much at all. And if they do happen to attend a church they
are far more likely to be isolated, and make few connections within the church.
In this context of loneliness
and isolation and lost shared tradition we are challenged to see what our own
tradition is, and be able to passionately speak about it and help those who are
so emotionally isolated to see what a relationship can truly mean.
The hymn of the day appointed
for this weekend, Lord, Enthroned in Heavenly Splendor provides a beautiful
summary of why it is important we gather as the body of Christ, why it is
important that we worship Him together with the church of all times and places,
and why his offering of his life for us is the central focus of our worship.
“Lord enthroned in heavenly splendor, First begotten from the dead, You alone our strong defender, lifting up Your people’s head Alleluia, alleluia! Jesus true and living bread! Jesus true and living bread!”
Though the lowliest form now veil You, as of old in Bethlehem, here as there Your angels hail You, Branch and flower of Jesse’s stem, Alleluia, Alleluia, We in worship join with them; we in worship join with them.
Paschal lamb your offerings finished, Once for all when You were slain, In its fullness undiminished, Shall forevermore remain Alleluia, Alleluia! cleansing souls from every stain, cleansing souls from every stain.
Life imparting heavenly manna, stricken rock with streaming side Heaven and earth with loud hosanna, Worship You the lamb who died. Alleluia, Alleluia! Risen ascended, glorified, Risen ascended glorified!
Alongside the theme of
Jesus as King of all, the Last Sunday of the church year points us to another
essential part of the theme for the last Sunday of the church year is that of
the return of Jesus. What better way to
end the church year- because the return of Jesus is the finish line event that
the church places her hopes and longings in.
The expectation of the
last day is the finish line we envision that means everything to how we run the
race. Knowing Jesus is returning, our
task is clearly set before us to spread the gospel. To live our lives celebrating that in Jesus
all the fullness of God is pleased to dwell.
The fullness of God in Jesus
means the fullness of God’s purpose and love for us who follow Jesus. Jesus
promises us exactly this “I have come that they might have life, and life to
the full.”
He promises us a life in
following Him that is the farthest thing from drowsy indifference or boredom.
Life in Christ is full because it connects us with all truth and connects us
with a purpose for living, glorifying God, serving God.
We wait for Jesus to return, knowing that even as we live in the joy of his kingdom now, an even greater joy awaits us; the perfection of our bodies and eternal life in God’s presence.
Have you ever wished there
were not so many limitations to your life? A few years back there was a movie
called Limitless. The basic plot of the
movie was that the main character gets a hold of a pill that unlocks the full
potential of his brain.
Through being able to
access 100% of his brain he is able to live life as if it is moving in slow
motion, several step ahead of everyone else to the point where he has seemingly
limitless power in society. If you are
honest, you may admit that such a premise sounds attractive.
In recent years I have
probably become more aware of limitations in my life than ever before. With three young children, limitations are
self evident to begin with. I can only stay
out so late in the evening, I can only get so much house or yard work done in a
day when I am also seeing to the needs of family time.
Serving as a worker pastor
has also brought to mind limits. The time commitment of a 40 hour work week can
limit many other avenues of Ministry I would like to look into.
But what makes me aware of
limits more than anything else are the limitless possibilities of how to
approach outreach and evangelism. I have
talked with many brothers and sisters in Christ of what opportunities are present
for community outreach and evangelism in this congregation and in the Irvington
Community.
So many good ideas, it is
simply not possible to carry out all of the promising approaches that are
observed in various churches in our synod.
The more aware I am of opportunities for pastoral leadership, the more
aware I am of the limits of our human nature.
Perhaps you can relate to
the feeling of limitations. Maybe you
feel your life has more limitations than others. One family you know has a
vacation cabin on a lake, where your family is lucky if you even manage one
weekend a year to travel somewhere different than your usual life activities.
Maybe you know some people
who do so much through the course of a year that they seem to have energy to
spare, where you feel you are lucky if you have enough energy to keep the house
in reasonable condition and bills and deadlines caught up with.
The fact is that
limitations are a characteristic of all of our lives. Our human nature presents us with limitations
about how much sleep we need, and a list of countless things we need in place to be healthy. Our society presents many limitations in the
form of how much money we are willing or able to spend.
The ultimate limitation of
our lives is sin. Sin limits how healthy
and rewarding our relationships are. Sin
limits how big our hopes and dreams are.
Sin limits every good impulse we might have.
If only we could take some
magic pill to remove those limiting effects of sin! But the truth is that no
movie fantasy can overcome the effects of the Fall into sin.
But there is one real life
character who can overcome the effects of the Fall. Our Lord Jesus Christ has come to us to
remove the limits from our lives. No not the limits that keep us from being
wealthy beyond our wildest dreams- as some televangelists would have us
believe.
Nor has Jesus come to
remove the limitations of our bodies and daily schedules that humble us on a
daily basis. Jesus has not come to give
us an ultimate freedom to do whatever we desire or attain whatever we covet in
life.
Instead Jesus has come to
make us perfectly free to have a relationship with our living God! On the day of Pentecost Jesus sent His Spirit
to His church so that his kingdom would come on the earth without limits.
Pentecost was the day in
history where the Holy Spirit was sent by Jesus to the church a gift without
limits. The day of Pentecost was seven
weeks after the resurrection of Jesus- 50 days by the Jewish counting of
days.
We hear in Acts chapter 2 that when the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. How is it that the disciples and countless others knew to be together in one place? Pentecost was already a day in it’s own right, the feast of Weeks which marked 50 days after the Passover, the end of the Passover season- sort of like how today we think of Labor day as the end of the summer.
During the Feast of weeks or Pentecost, God’s people were to bring the first fruits of their harvest as an acknowledgement of God’s blessing to them. People might journey to
Jerusalem for Passover and stay through Pentecost. It makes sense why God would chose this day
to give the church the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Beginning with Pentecost
the Holy Spirit sends the church out to proclaim the message of Christ
crucified and glorified. Before the
events of Christ’s passion the full story could not yet be told.
Now that Jesus has
ascended into heaven, the Spirit strengthened the church to tell the whole
story. The day of Pentecost, like the
Old Testament counterpart of the feast of weeks was about the first fruits of
harvest. The 3,000 who were united by
the Holy Spirit in faith were the first of many fruits of the harvest of
Christ’s Passion.
Jesus promised this gift,
the Holy Spirit to be with us and lead us to the truth of Jesus’ love for
us. Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the helper,
The word on Greek in is Paraclete, which literally means one who walks besides
us. Other translations of the Bible use such varied terms as our advocate, our
helper, our friend. All of these words
help us to see that since the first Pentecost, God has been assisting and
strengthening the church to His purposes.
These purposes of God are
greater than what man can imagine. Following
Pentecost God’s design prevailed regardless of the limitations of human
cooperation or imagination. No limits to the Spirit’s work of proclaiming
Christ crucified.
Prior to the time of
Pentecost the church was largely confined to the immediate area around
Jerusalem. Yet on the day of Pentecost travelers from all over the
Mediterranean world where in Jerusalem for the feast of Tabernacles. We hear the list of nations in verses 9
through 11 in our reading from Acts. The church would not be confined to one
corner of the middle East, but spread throughout the world.
Part of our sin is that we
put limits on the designs of our God. We
limit the work of the Holy Spirit to the
church in our own minds through unbelief or doubt. We may have doubt as to what power the Holy
Spirit has in our and in the church.
We look at the church and
see limits in terms of what the church is as an imperfect human institution.
Many in our society might even resent the church for such limits- as if it is
keeping us from God’s love.
One particular limit our
society may put on the Holy Spirit is casting doubt on the clarity of the Holy
Spirit to us. Does the Bible really say
what the church claims it is saying about how God’s kingdom works? Or even the
question of, does the Bible really say what God intended for it to say, or has
it been changed by human intervention?
But the clarity of the
message of Pentecost is undeniable: Jesus is our risen and ascended Lord. Jesus has taken on our sin on the cross, so
that we might be reconciled back to God.
And Jesus has sent the helper whom the Father has sent in His name to
bring us to remembrance all that he has said.
The legacy of Pentecost to
us is that even though are lives are full of limits in every aspect- there is
through the in dwelling of the Holy Spirit in us, no limit to our ability to
access the grace of God in our lives!
Through the gift of the
Holy Spirit, we now have a relationship with God that knows no limits. When we pray, the Father hears us. When we hear and receive God’s Word with joy,
our faith grows- it’s a guarantee and promise of our Lord! With the Holy Spirit
we pray: Alleluia. Come, Holy Spirit, fill
the hearts of the faithful, and kindle in them the fire of your love.
It’s a matter of First
things First. Once we recognize that there are no limits to the love of God in
our lives, then we can view the limitations of life differently. If we struggle
with loving steadfastly family members when they try our patience- then the
limitless love of Christ carries us through.
If we struggle with
discouragement over the limits of which community outreach events we can carry
forward, we do well to look to our Savior and see his limitless love. Then we are reminded that the goal is not to
fill up our church calendar with as many events as possible, but to share the
love of Christ in whatever ways we can during the times when we plan
activities.
The day of Pentecost helps us to see what is possible for the church because of the unity and power the gift of the Holy Spirit has brought to the church. Where the Tower of Babel ended with the scattering of nations and dividing of tongues, the Day of Pentecost has united the church from people of all nations under a common language of the gospel. 21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved
