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Be dressed for action!

Posted on by nfuller

“Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! 39 But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

41 Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?” 42 And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 44 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 45 But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. 47 And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. 48 But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, you heard the clear teaching in our gospel lesson: “But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

Here in this second week of Advent God’s Word implores us to be ready and prepared. Jesus is indeed coming at an hour when we do not expect. And so we should be prepared in our faith. We should be dressed for action with the clothing of Christ’s righteousness. We should have God’s Word on our tongues and on our hearts and on our minds. It is for the present moment that we are here to be prepared. Prepared for Christmas and in the same spirit- prepared for our Lord’s return.

This evening as we remember Ambrose bishop of Milan, we are challenged to be ready and prepared for whatever calling the Lord brings to us, as willing and obedient servants of our Lord. Ambrose is one of the major Latin church Fathers. Ambrose a lifelong student of the Holy Scriptures, is known for his balanced cool demeanor as he taught both law and gospel. He was known to qualify his teaching with humility: “be patient with me, for I am learning as I am teaching you.”

And this admission that he is still learning was never more true than in his first days as bishop.  As a civil governor in the year 374 Ambrose was asked to address the crowds in Milan and make peace between quarrelling factions of Christians.

 While addressing the crowd, someone cried out “Ambrose Bishop!” Perhaps his ability to speak for peace was desired by the people or maybe other motives. Soon the crowds gave their support to Ambrose for this position of Bishop by a verbal acclamation. His reputation and achievements were as a civil servant, not as a Christian. He was in fact still a catechumen on that day. Nevertheless, he was called to an important role of service in the Lord’s Church in that hour as the people shouted Ambrose, bishop! and the course of church history was shaped for the better. He was baptized on this day of December 7th and then was consecrated as Bishop of Milan.

Ambrose had not schemed or coveted the power of bishop, but once he was appointed in this role he did not attempt to disqualify himself as unqualified, or flee from his calling.   

Although Ambrose did not plan to become the bishop of a great city like Milan, he did not let his personal feelings get in the way of the calling he received. He served in this calling as one who was dressed for action, who was prepared for the return of the master, vigilant, ready to do what is necessary for the work of the kingdom. Over the span of his service as Bishop, Ambrose continued to teach and proclaim Christ.  He taught that no man is justified by his own word, but rather he is justified by the bath and faith in Christ Jesus.

In our Old Testament reading from 1 Kings Elijah is appointed by the LORD to pronounce judgement to King Ahab for his taking possession of Naboth’s vineyard, a property he coveted and tried to buy from Naboth and then sulked and cried when Naboth refused to sell the inheritance of his fathers. Ahab shared his sorrow with Jezebel his wife and soon she took matters into her own hands to have two worthless men make false accusations against Naboth, falsely accusing him of cursing God and the king, and then appointing that he be stoned and his property taken. After this evil deed was done with the pretense of honoring God’s name King Ahab inhabits the vineyard and takes it for himself without remorse.

Elijah announces the Lord’s punishment to Ahab, his blood will soon be licked up by the same dogs who licked up Naboth’s blood. His royal line will be cut off and his wife Jezebel will fare no better.  

Ahab’s response is repentance, he put on sack cloth and fasted and carried himself as a of no worth- dejected. The Word of the Lord delivered by Elijah brought Ahab to repentance and the Lord in response spared his life.

 This scripture reading is no doubt chosen for this feast day today because Ambrose also played a role as a prophet confronting a king for his sin.

Ambrose was dressed for action as a bishop with the charge over the people of his city including the emperor Theodosius. The emperor Theodosius took revenge on the people of Thessalonica after a small uprising led to the death of the governor. He ordered his soldiers to trap people inside a chariot race and then to slaughter them, killing as many as 7,000 people.

Ambrose mourned this great tragedy and in no way excused the emperor for his contribution to the violence. He was ready to receive Jesus that very day when he refused to grant the emperor the Lord’s Supper or even entrance to his church until he repented of his sin. He cared more about the soul of the emperor than he did his own life as he took this risk of making his calling to be the bishop of the emperor as more important than the calling to be his subject in the civil realm.

Ambrose wrote of the event:  ‘When a priest does not talk to a sinner, then the sinner will die in his sin, and the priest will be guilty because he failed to correct him.’ After 8 months of holding his ground and demanding of the emperor that he repent and make penance for his sin the emperor finally repented.

The Lord Jesus calls us to be dressed for action in the same way. If an opportunity presents itself to teach the truth of God’s word, we can take this opportunity gladly, regardless of the potential cost to our livelihood.

Like Ambrose we can recognize that the calling the Lord gives us as ambassadors for Christ, is of more importance than any title man can apply to us. We must recognize the nature of our calling, not putting it aside because we were not planning on the Lord’s work today, or we don’t have the right training or experience. Instead we trust that God’s Word has the power to bring the Kingdom of God to fulfillment. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes.  

One of the ways in which we stay awake spiritually is through singing hymns and psalms. We stay vigilant in our faith when we sing of the Lord’s redemption to us and sing of his coming to us.

Of greatest significance Ambrose developed the practice of antiphonal chanting for the church, and he is called the father of church song. He wrote many hymns, the most well known to us this season, Savior of the Nations Come. The Lord Jesus came from his pure and kingly hall fully God and fully man, to begin his heroic course of winning our salvation. He won Ambrose’s salvation and all those who have been moved by his teachings and by his hymns.  

Verse 37 of our gospel reading goes on to describe the reward the Lord gives to those who are found awake. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. 

Earlier Jesus was telling the disciples to be dressed for action so that they are ready to fulfill the master’s command. Now there is a great role reversal, Jesus is the one who is dressed for action to serve us.

Jesus dressed for action when he rolled up his robe so that he would forego walking in comfort and dignity, but instead complete humility, Jesus dressed for action for us, facing the scorn of the authorities, his garments divided among the soldiers as he was betrayed and scourged. 

Jesus remained dressed for action and ready as he hung on the cross, paying for your sins and my sins. And when his service was complete, he forgave us and welcomed us to recline at His table. Now the Lord serves us at his table, with his body and blood.  In this feast of salvation Jesus invites many.

As Jesus celebrated the faith of the centurion: Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.  Today Jesus calls us and those to the East and to the West to recline at his table. Make your hearts ready for this invitation! Amen.  

We shall be like Him and see Him as he is

Posted on by nfuller

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we sang in our psalm a short while ago: For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation. Today as we celebrate a 75th anniversary we know that the Father takes pleasure in us as His Church, his own people who have been made pure by the blood of Christ. Today we celebrate the life giving work of faith that Jesus has brought throughout the history of Christ Lutheran, a work that was planned from the foundation of the world.

Our Epistle reading can be heard as a commentary on the Father’s loving work in our very own congregation. See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appearswe shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

it is good to hear God’s Word over and over again. In The repetition of hearing God’s Word we receive words of life. Sometimes there are things on our mind and distractions, and although our ears hear the words, the meaning does not sink in. To truly hear God’s Word we must consider our place in life as one of God’s own creation, a sinner in need of restoration, If you remember that you are a creature that depends on the Lord for all of our bodily needs then you can understand what God’s Word means for you in a clearer light.   

We as Christ Lutheran church are called children of God. To those who do not know the Lord in this community, we are even after 75 years virtually unknown and entirely irrelevant. But that is ok, because the purpose of the church is not to earn fame in this world. Instead, it is to know Jesus and be prepared to receive Him when He returns.  “We know that when he appears we shall see Him as he is.” 

On the Last day Jesus will appear to all, but only believers, only the church will have the living faith required to rightly see him as our Lord and God. In John chapter 6 Jesus says:  For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”  The world already has it’s rewards in settling for worshipping created things. Our biggest celebration awaits us. By the power of the Holy Spirit we will one day see Jesus face to face, and know the joy of standing in the presence of God and living.  

With our own eyes we will see the unmatched vision of glory of the risen ascended and glorified Lord.  Jesus’ saving work in our life will come together in that time and transform our bodies of sin to bodies of perfect holiness- fully restored to the glory with which God first created Adam and Eve.  We will be like him in holiness. And we will be able to see his full glory that our sinful human nature was not capable of.

Why do we go to church? Sometimes the answer is family tradition, what I have always done, it makes me feel better, it grounds me and sets my priorities in right order. Or I need to be around other believers to encourage me.  These all may be good reasons to attend worship, but they miss the bigger picture that it is in worship that the salvation begun in our baptism is completed.

Attending worship is a process that leads us to be more like Jesus. As we receive the Lord’s gifts we are being transformed. Although our bodies grow physically weaker in time, God is making our bodies pure and holy.

Beginning in Holy Baptism we received the new life in Christ that prepares our bodies for eternity with the Lord. And as we hear his Word and as we receive his body and Blood our spiritual body is made pure and holy.

By the work of the Holy Spirit we are children of God, and as we look to Jesus day in and day out we put on the robe of Christ’s righteousness and we are made pure and holy as a result.  Jesus teaches: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

75 years for a congregation spans multiple generations. But as much as we like numbers, the story is the same whether it is 50 years, 75, 150, or 200. The meaning of a church’s existence is the same, we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.  That is the reason the church exists as a constant in our life, to make us more like Jesus, to prepare us for the time when we will be with the Lord forever.

It is fitting that we celebrate this anniversary on this first Sunday of November during the church’s observance of All Saints Sunday.  The 75th anniversary of Christ Lutheran is not just about who is here today, but also about those saints who have gone before us and now reside in the happy home of the heavenly Jerusalem, those who have sat in these very pews to hear God’s Word, those who have received the gift of new life in Holy Baptism at this very font, who have kneeled at this very altar rail to receive the body and blood of Jesus.  They join with us today. 

The church is here to prepare us as well in body and in soul for the courts of heaven.

The Hymn Jerusalem my happy home reminds us that the Lord Jesus has prepared an eternal home for us: “O Christ, do Thou my soul prepare For that bright home of love, That I may see Thee and adore With all Thy saints above.”  

Sometimes at funerals we talk about a loved one now doing the things they were known for in a greater capacity in heaven, Jim is now golfing in the most beautiful courses, Lucile is cooking for a legion of people, we have heard things like this before.                

But this is not what the scripture tells us, thinking of doing all of your favorite activities in heaven is just an earthly speculation to make people feel better in times of loss. But this is a self centered view of our future life in heaven that misses the point that we will all be together worshipping the Lord in glory beyond what we can imagine in that brilliantly bright home of love that Jesus has prepared for us.

From the scriptures we know that we will be with the Lord in our redeemed and perfected bodies.  We know that we will join with all of the Saints in heaven in worship and celebration of the marriage feast and the Lamb.  And already now we join in the great heavenly celebration through our worship here.  Those saints  who have gone before us are joining with us in the great heavenly banquet, when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper we are joining with them in this hour the great feast of victory for our God. 

Jesus taught Blessed are the poor in Spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. To be poor in Spirit is to see that you have nothing to offer God for your salvation- only what Jesus gives you. This means the to be passive recipients of salvation. It means being part of a transformation to be made fit for the kingdom of heaven. In the same way as we are transformed on the inside, in our spirit, it also leads to the transformations we can see in how we manage ourselves in the world in our bodies.

Through the Lord’s gifts to us we develop an attitude to be poor in Spirit in the sense of foregoing the comforts of this world for the sake of identification with Christ.  Because of what the Lord has done for us we relate to the world not in manner of boastfulness or pride, but humility, as we see that all the gifts we have in life come from the Lord and are of little importance compared with the glories of God’s kingdom that awaits us.  

We are poor in Spirit because we see that “We have no lasting city here, our citizenship is in heaven.”  We celebrate this 75th anniversary as those who are poor in spirit- those who love above all else the kingdom of God.

On this celebration of the anniversary of CLC, we look back to the past in thankfulness, but we also look forward “And what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him.” 

Not the good in me, but the Lord Jesus in me

Posted on by nfuller

Evil is not hard to see. Today we heard how Cain murdered his brother and tried to disperse any blame on himself.  The Lord asks Cain where is his brother and he says, “I don’t know, am I my brother’s keeper.”  Cain gave in to sin crouching at his door and then he tries to forget about it as if it never happened.  We see the evil and the selfishness so clearly with Cain. He even asks the Lord to protect him as he bears his punishment as a fugitive and wanderer on the earth.

In Psalm 5 we sang: For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;  evil may not dwell with you. 5 The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;  you hate all evildoers.
6 You destroy those who speak lies; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

We see clearly that evil and wickedness has no part in God’s kingdom.  God is holy, evil has no place in God’s presence. There is a difference between good and evil, and doing what is right and doing what is wrong.

In our Epistle reading St. Paul talks about those who did not come to stand by him, but instead deserted him to avoid conflict.  He writes elsewhere about the coppersmith who did him great harm.

But what makes someone do the right thing or the wrong thing? Are some people just good people and some people bad people?  In our gospel lesson we have a clue as to who is good and who is evil.  The person you thought would be good, the Pharisee who seeks to follow God’s law perfectly, this person turns out to be ensnared by sins of boastfulness and pride. And the tax collector says it himself, He is a sinner, performing  dishonest job as a tax collector.  The one who is a tax collector is evil, and the one who is a pharisee who works so hard to do all the right things in the sight of God and man is likewise evil.  It is not that some are good and some are evil, some live in righteousness and some in wickedness. Instead some repent of the evil in their hearts, and others lie to themselves and to God that they do not have anything wrong with them.

Sometimes we can lose sight of what our worship service teaches and feel like we are good and godly people because we are in church and we are worshipping God.  But our right worship of God never involves our feeling good about ourselves and patting ourselves on the back. 

Instead, it is through our repentance and our dependence on the mercy of Jesus that we come before God rightly.  Our confession and absolution at the start of our worship service gives us the chance to confess that we sin, that we do not love God and others as we should, that we are evil.

We are all evil, but as Jesus taught in the parable, one person goes home from the temple justified and another condemned. What is the difference? Why was Abel’s sacrifice well regarded and not Cains? The difference is as simple as the difference between faith and trust in God in making the sacrifice- and faith and trust in yourself.   

It is easy to look at Cain and say, I am not a murdered like him, I must be doing something right. Or to look at the Pharisee in the parable Jesus told and say, I do not pray by listing my accomplishments and putting others down, or making myself the subject of prayers instead of God.

Yet if we look honestly we might realize how often we are thinking of ourselves instead  of the Lord Jesus while we are here in worship. We might realize how often we practice anger in our hearts toward our neighbors or say to ourselves, it is not my problem if I have hurt someone else in some way.

And so we are not that different than Cain or the Pharisee, or Abel and the Tax collector, sinners who are in desperate need of God’s mercy.  And in this state of desperation we see a Savior come to us who is the one man who is good and without sin.  We are near to Jesus when we humble ourselves and look to the goodness of Jesus as our comfort.

We go home justified when we worship Jesus in faith, looking to him instead of looking at ourselves.

So often we look at others in order to measure how we are doing or how we should live. We learn to follow the examples of those saints who inspire us by their life of faith, and we learn to avoid the pitfalls of those who have followed paths of destruction.  We can learn from others, but we must be sure to see that it is the righteousness of Christ in others that we are noticing, not whether someone is a good guy or a bad guy.

If we lose sight of Jesus, then we are playing a comparison game that naturally leads to despair as our conscience reminds us over and over of our sin.

At the close of our Collect Prayer we prayed: Forgive us those things of which our conscience is afraid and give us those good things of which we are not worthy to ask.

What does this mean, about things our conscience is afraid of that we need forgiveness from? This is our awareness of our sin that we have in our conscience, as a gift of the Holy Spirit we realize the things that we have done wrong. We fear because we realize how conflicted our motives and thoughts and prayers are. We fear because we know we do not come before God with a right heart, but instead a sinful heart.

This is what it means to fear God, to recognize that because of our sin we need God’s mercy and not punishment.  To fear God is to say, “God be merciful to me a sinner.”

And as we ask for mercy, we are asking for those good things that we are not worthy to ask for, good things flowing from forgiveness.  What are these good things? They are the marks of the church- new life in Christ through Holy Baptism, Assurance of salvation and strengthening of faith through the Lord’s Supper. Maturity of faith and unconditional love toward one another in our church because we are one body in Christ, called to be a sanctuary of hope to our world.  

These are the good things that we will celebrate with our 75th Anniversary in a few Sundays. The Lord in His mercy has not condemned us for our sin, for the evil in our hearts- but instead has ordered our lives around a church where we can live as God’s people set apart from the ways of the world. A place where we live in the righteousness of Christ.

 It is easy for us to see good and see evil in the actions of others. But how much richer it is for us to see the righteousness of Christ in His church, and the gifts of hope we can give to the world so that many more would go home justified, relying on the amazing mercy and forgiveness of our Lord Jesus. Amen.

The Lord’s hand guides us through perils unknown

Posted on by nfuller

There is a Collect Prayer in our hymnal with the title “guidance in our calling.” It goes like this: Lord God, You have called Your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that Your hand is leading us and Your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

This is a timely prayer for us today so that we can recognize that God’s hand is leading us.  No matter the uncertain outcome, no matter the danger- Jesus is leading us, and supporting us with his love. Our Old Testament reading from Ruth gives us a beautiful picture of God’s hand leading us. A picture that points us to Jesus’ steadfast and perfect love, which endures all sorrow and hardship and leads us out of the valley of tears to the way of everlasting life.

Before getting into the reading from Ruth let us also hear the words of Luther’s explanation to the Catechism about the Father’s guiding and supporting hand: Our Father who art in heaven: What does this mean? With these words God tenderly invites us to believe that we are his true children, so that with all boldness and confidence we may ask him as dear children ask their dear Father.

Ruth is a woman from Moab.  A land that refused to give Israel bread in their wanderings to the promised land. Yet she is still God’s child too. She came from people whose family line started with incest, a people who worshipped false gods. Yet the Lord called Ruth to know Him through her marriage to Naomi’s son Chilion.

God the Father provided Ruth with a family through which she came to know God and rightly count herself as part of the nation of Israel.  The Father provided her with a family and part of her family was lost to death, her father in law, her brother in law and her husband. When Ruth and Naomi returned to Bethlehem the scripture tells us this caused quite a stir in the town.  

As the townspeople become reacquainted with Ruth and Naomi, Naomi insists that she should be called a different name: She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21 I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?” 

This is the bitterness we all experience in this fallen world, we can go from being full to being empty so quickly. We  know the sorrow that losses bring.  In times of loss we can wonder if God is taking a break from caring for us as Father in such hardships. 

This is the emptiness that Naomi is describing- to have fullness at one time only to see it turn to emptiness.

Our own congregation has known losses in recent years. We have seen those once with us go before us in death, chronic illness and other unplanned for changes in life take others away. We have seen others fall away from attending with us because of spiritual warfare and the apathy and indifference for attending worship.  We see the emptiness before us and it is a bitter thing to see that the Lord’s church not filled as it is intended to be.

In her state of loss and bitterness Naomi wants to look out for her daughter in laws. By the laws of Israel a widow is only to remarry if there is a brother of the deceased who can carry on the family name.  Naomi would rather they go back to their own people in Moab where remarrying is much easier.

Orpah accepts this release, but it comes with a scary cost. She will not only be going back  to her people but she will be going back  to the gods of her people and the false worship of these gods.

Ruth shows loyalty to her mother in law, but more importantly she shows loyalty to her Lord and God. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried.     

Ruth realizes that no matter the hardship or bleak outlook for her own future she will continually call on her Heavenly Father in all times of need. Ruth was willing to follow the Lord in ventures of which she could not see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. She did this with courage knowing the Lord’s hand is guiding her and the Lord’s love supporting her.

Now we can live in faith with the same trust in our Heavenly Father to support us in an unknown future. We know that sorrow will follow us as part of our journey. Sorrow and loss remain in our lives as the consequences of sin that ever stand before us.  These hardships almost make you want to hibernate away and no longer face the things in life that can bring sorrow- as if you cannot bear anymore the pain that our callings in life bring.

Is this Naomi’s intent in insisting to be called Mara? It’s all that I can bear, I might as well just rename myself defeated and bitter, then it cannot get any worse than that.

Yet there is another way to deal with sorrow and loss and brokenness- there is the appeal to the Lord’s Mercy. We heard in the Introit: 4I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.

The Lord is merciful to us even as we are on a journey through hardships or famines in life. In hardships our faith helps us to see that we are not abandoned, we are not cursed.

The ten lepers could have felt that they were cursed in their affliction, but they asked the Lord for mercy nonetheless and they were healed. Jesus healed them and forgave them their sins.

The Lord’s mercy is so abundant that no matter how great our sins there is forgiveness.  No matter how great our sense of personal failure, we are blessed in Christ with an abundant forgiveness- as our Heavenly Father freely gives to His beloved children.

We heard this exact word of forgiveness in our Confession and Absolution at the start of the service. Through the mercy of Christ we have received full pardon for our sins- a new start to life. By his forgiveness and by his perfect love our fears are stilled. Our unknown future no longer scary but instead a privileged calling given to us by the Lord.

Ruth experienced this same new start to life as her sins were forgiven and as she was rescued from a life of poverty by Boaz her kinsmen Redeemer.  This redemption from her bondage to poverty pointed to the eternal redemption the LORD has prepared for her. We hear from Matthew chapter 1: and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king.

Ruth became the great grandmother of King David and in the fulness of time her name was included in the genealogy of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ruth a woman of Moabite descent who faced much sorrow and hardship and vulnerability now is remembered as a Godly woman of Israel who received  the Lord’s mercy in abundance, even to life everlasting.

 The Lord Jesus brings this same mercy to you. Go out in courage knowing your name is written in the book of life. Confess your faith with courage through the ministry of Christ Lutheran, confess your faith knowing that in the church you will always be with your people, the new Israel and the Lord Jesus will always be your God.  Live as a beloved child of our heavenly Father until the time when the Lord brings you to Himself. Amen.

Jesus came to seek the Lost- which includes us

Posted on by nfuller

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we heard the words in our Introit so clearly. “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing.”  I can’t picture more of a dramatic change than going from mourning and crying to dancing and celebration. What a joy to have one difficult outcome in place in a way that feels permanent, only to have something completely different happen instead. 

Imagine if you invested a large amount of money into a stock for a company. Over the course of a year you see the share price go down lower and lower to the point that you think you have just about lost a fortune. And then things start to change, the stock is going up and the value is twice as much as you originally invested. Things went from disaster to rejoicing. 

But a fortune lost and a fortune gained is not the reason for celebration in the setting of Psalm 30.  Money, or the outcome of a sports event, or whether who you ask out to the prom says yes or no- these are not the swings of fortune that God’s Word is referring to when it says: “Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning.”

This joy, this dancing, this tremendous change comes for one reason and one reason alone, the salvation that Christ wins for us. The true cause of celebration in any of our lives is that Christ rescues us from death and brings us into his kingdom.

In our sinful nature we make other things more important than the cause for celebration that Christ’s victory on the cross brings to the world. We care about the outcome of things that are in our own control more than the  most important things which are in God’s control. We make risk calculations to see if one choice is safer  than another  choice.  We consider appearances, and what people will think of us as we make our decisions over the course of action in our lives.

In gospel reading from Luke, the Pharisees and scribes criticize the choice Jesus makes to eat with sinners and tax collectors. To their reasoning, why should Jesus eat with these sinners when there are plenty of righteous people to dine with? They don’t understand the choice Jesus made, and they assume it was a poor choice.  Aren’t appearances more important than showing mercy to the outcasts of the world? And if you eat with such people, does that just encourage and reward their regrettable life choices?

 Jesus answers their objections with three parables that illustrate how clear the choice is for God to seek after and rescue those who are lost.

Jesus states that it is obvious that any of them would seek after one of their 100 lost sheep and bring it safely back in the fold. A shepherd will seek after the 1 lost sheep out of 100. Likewise Jesus describes the woman seeking after the lost coin, and states that it is a given that anyone in the same position as the woman will look for the lost coin.

Finding the lost one out of 99 is a cause for celebration not because it represents a recovery of 1% of the owners assets, but because it means everything to that particular sheep which is lost.  To the world you and I are just a number.  Under difficult circumstances we are expendable in the world’s eyes. But to Jesus we are like the lost coin- we are well worth rescuing.  Jesus values you and I so greatly that he died on the cross for us. 

The cost of saving those who are lost is nothing else other than the life of Jesus on the cross. Jesus came to seek the lost, not those who consider themselves secure in their righteousness.   The cost for paying for the sins of  the lost and all of our sins was for Jesus to take on all of our sins on the cross.

 The lost are not simply those outside of the church, but can also include us.  Recall St. Paul’s confession of faith from our Epistle lesson: “”The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.”

Like St. Paul we need to recognize the gravity of our sin. Every Christian must like St. Paul be able to recognize the ways in which you can see yourself as chief of sinners in need of God’s mercy.  Satan wants us to think of ourselves in the church as firmly entrenched in the ranks of the righteous 99, in no danger of falling away.

But the reality is that we are safe only in our faith in Christ.  It is a mistake to assume that simply belonging to a church and having an identity as a Christian is what makes us  among the 99 described in the parable.  If we are secure in our own righteousness and have no need of Jesus, then we are truly in a lost state.

 Without the mercy of Christ, we are in a manner of speaking right at the edge of a cliff, susceptible to falling off and becoming one who is lost and separated from the fold. 

When we recognize that we also can be among those who are lost, we appreciate even more the mercy of God that saves us.  When we appreciate how Jesus has given everything to go after us and find us in our state of lostness, we desire to show the same to others.

— —   —    –

It would be a mistake to think that God does not take joy in us because of our failures to live our lives in unwavering faith.  When we repent of the mistakes we make Jesus welcomes us back with great joy.  The joy is not confused with emotions, of, “well I’m glad you are found again, but you never should have ran off in the first place.” 

The Pharisees and scribes believed the tax collectors and sinners were lost causes.  Perhaps the Pharisees and scribes convinced themselves that there was nothing in God’s Word that they could have said to change or convince sinners of their need for repentance.  Jesus of course says, this is not so. It is not a thankless task to share the good news of the kingdom to the lost.   

The joy of sharing the good news of the gospel with the lost is that some people do respond in faith through the power of the Holy Spirit.  And even if we do not see people repenting in response to God’s Word, as we share God’s Word we are giving ourselves the chance to internalize in our lives the good news of the kingdom applied to us.  The good news we share to others is also good news to ourselves whenever we lose sight of the saving work of Jesus in our lives.

I wonder, who do we tend to write off as lost causes in our world today? Those who consider themselves atheists? Those who are just having a good time with life and give no thought to God?  Or what about those who say that the church is full of people who let you down, and those who say the Bible isn’t fair or God isn’t fair.  

Do we consider such people lost causes? Jesus does not.  Lost causes are His specialty. Lost causes are the ones who really give great reason for celebrating and rejoicing when they are found through repentance and new life in Christ.

Prior to our baptism, we were enemies of God on account of our sin. Jesus sought us out and called us through His Word and through the gift of new life in Holy Baptism.  We were sought after as hopelessly lost causes- with nothing but the curse of sin running through our bodies. And great was the rejoicing in heaven when we were found.  Recall the words from our Old Testament reading from Ezekiel: “I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out.”

God sent his own Son to us to search for us and rescue us. Just like in the parable of the lost sheep and coin, Jesus considered us so important that he rejoiced over finding us.  

This unsurpassed worth in which God places the lost is described well in the short parable of the merchant in search of the pearl of great worth in the gospel of Matthew chapter 13: 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, 46 who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

We often read this parable as a lesson about valuing our relationship with God above all else, as in we should be like that merchant and recognize that our relationship with God is more valuable than any other pearls out there in the world.  But the most specific and accurate meaning of this parable Jesus told is that Jesus himself is the merchant in search of us.  The church is that pearl of great price that Jesus gave all he had to posses.   

This is the wonderful truth on how God sees us. Jesus gives all he has for us. We can let those who seem like lost causes know that in God’s eyes they are of unsurpassed worth. They are to Jesus a pearl of great worth for whom Jesus gave up everything without a moment’s hesitation.  May God grant us faith that helps us to speak about this love of Jesus and show this love in our lives.

In Christ we pass through the narrow gate on the way of salvation

Posted on by nfuller

We are all on a pilgrimage, a journey through this life. It is a difficult and rough pilgrimage, requiring patience and endurance.  Every person on this earth is on a pilgrimage, whether we be infant or aged, rich or poor. This pilgrimage extends from here to eternity. But to where are we going? What is our destination?

Some look inward, digging deep into their innermost being, to discover the answer inside themselves. Some conclude there is no destination, only the journey matters. Others believe in humanity’s journey of societal evolution. And still others think of all of us being shaped by the Divine- but not knowing exactly what this means.

Jesus says in Luke chapter 13 that even the view that we are being shaped by God and brought to heaven, whether we realize it or not- is a wrong view.

There are two paths and only two paths. Either one or the other- the wide way to hell or the narrow door to heaven. To think of our earthly pilgrimage as the chief destination itself is a path along the wide way to hell.

To think of it as a group effort, to where all humanity is going, is also along the wide way to hell. To forget hell and to believe that all go to heaven no matter what- this is walking along the oh so wide path to hell.

“Strive to enter through the narrow door” Jesus says.  Right now, the narrow door stands open, and many will try to enter it through their own means, on their own terms- but they will be unable to do so. They will think they’ve lived a good enough life, given enough to others, believed enough. Your life is never good enough for God. You can never give enough to please God. Your belief, when it is not in Jesus Christ, is never enough.     

We chanted the first half of Psalm 50. This Psalm provides an illustration of what it looks like when people try to go through the gate on their own terms instead of through Jesus.

“I will not accept a bull from your house or goats from your folds.
10 For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine.

12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? 14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, 15 and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.

God is clearly spelling out to Israel that simply offering sacrifices because it is the right thing to do and it hedges your bets to be forgiven by God, that is not true worship. God is saying, do you think I need all of these sacrifices to be fed? The Lord is telling us that such actions translate to “I’m going to earn the way of salvation on my own.”

The true worship of our living God is to offer to God the sacrifice of thanksgiving, to live in a relationship of love and trust with God that we are willing to call upon God in a time of trouble- instead of seeking to rely on ourselves and save ourselves. This is the narrow door of salvation, to have faith in the deliverance God has promised to His people.

The narrow door is standing open, but the time is coming when it will be closed forever. When Jesus returns descending on the clouds and ushering in the Last Day, the door will be closed. It is hard to believe that something that is always open could one day be closed. 

If someone offers you a job and gives you an offer letter you know you have made it through the application process. When you receive a letter that you have been accepted into a college, you know you are in. Once you are in, you can even wait a few months before sending in any confirmation or payment- maybe see if you get in somewhere else. After all you know a spot is being held for you.

But what if the weeks and weeks go by, and then months and you make no reply. The school year starts and you are still just content that you have the job offer or the admission to the degree program. It would be foolish to think you could just start a job two or three years later after you receive an offer letter. It would be the height of pride and folly to let year by year go by and tell yourself, the door is open, I got in. I will go through some day, when I am not so busy with these other life priorities.

The time of grace will end on the Last Day- the time of grace will end when the door that has stood open all this time is finally closed. The owner of the house will turn away from him those who have nothing in common with him. And if you chose to live your life in a way where you tried to enter through the door of faith on your own terms, instead of through the narrow door, you would on that day stand there shocked, desperate, anguished, and enraged.

Then you would begin to say, “We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.” We came to church, we gave to the poor, we did many mighty works in your name.” These are the words that will come out of your mouths, as if what you did can save you. 

As if just being in church on Sunday morning will save your soul, or as if just living in a sort of American Christian nation and thinking of yourself as a God fearing patriotic person who really means it when you sing God bless America- as if that will save you.

Jesus continues in our gospel lesson the reply to these protests: “But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me all you workers of evil!”  This is his final reply. There will be no more pleading, the narrow door will be closed. All those supposed good works are counted as filthy and unrighteous before the eyes of God almighty.

Do not be one who hears Jesus, but does not believe. Follow not the wide path to hell, rather strive to enter through the narrow door.

Jesus tells us that people will come from east and west, north and south, taking their places at the royal feast in heaven. The door is not narrow in the sense of only being for certain people in certain places, people from all tribes and languages and places in life will come. But they will all fit into the one narrow criteria of faith in Jesus.

Jesus the narrow door is standing there, drawing all people unto himself. He has come into this church, teaching among us, preaching his saving Word, and calling out to you. He does not wish to slam the door in anyone’s face but wants each one to enter into the feast he has prepared. This is the call of the Gospel, the universal call to all people. And this is God’s call to you.

“And behold some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.” Jesus the only begotten Son of the Father, who was first has become last. And you who are sinners, who were last, have become first. This is the point of Jesus’ pilgrimage on earth This is why Jesus of Nazareth was traveling onward to Jerusalem, to his death on the cross, to his glory.

But God doesn’t leave you alone on this earth to find the way. He is the way. He doesn’t force you to labor on your pilgrimage or to labor upon reaching your destination. Rather he grants rest- bestowing on you an honored place at the heavenly feast. On your path, God directs you to the narrow door. This is life under His grace.

God is gracious to you. He speaks his sacred Word of Absolution: “I forgive you all your sins.”  As you partake of the Lord’s Supper, you have already a foretaste of the eternal feast of heaven, the forgiveness of your sins, the very body and blood of Jesus your sacrificial lamb.  God uses these means of grace to keep you on the path to the narrow door. God uses these means to guarantee your salvation.

While we don’t always know where we are going, Jesus knew where he was going. He knew his destination, his destiny. He set his face resolutely toward Jerusalem, to the cross of calvary. And Jesus spread wide his arms on that tree of death, the narrow door to heaven was thrown open.

You need not look inward to find where you are going. You need not be deceived by your own flesh, the world, or the devil. Rather look where Jesus looked. Your destination is the same as his, the cross.

Your pilgrimage ends on that sacred mount- on that altar in which Christ offered himself as a sacrifice to God the Father. Your pilgrimage ends there. He calls out to you, enter the narrow door, Recline at His table, your journey ends here.     

The cross brings peace to us and division to the world

Posted on by nfuller

Brothers and sisters in Christ this morning our scripture reading move us to look at the betrayal and danger that those who are right in our midst can bring into our lives.

Our collect prayer asks boldly of the Lord: “Cleanse and defend Your church”  To  cleanse is to clean up that which is polluted from within. The church always needs to be reformed because the ways of the world should never loom larger than the way of Christ.  To defend the church is to protect from both dangers from the outside and dangers within. 

In the Introit we heard about a particular painful danger from within the church- from someone who has been very close to you: 

12 For it is not an enemy who taunts me—  then I could bear it; it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me— then I could hide from him. 13 But it is you, a man, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend.

What poetic words of bittersweet lament!  An attack from an enemy would be so much more bearable, you know who the enemy is and you understand why they are attacking. An attack form an enemy has a rally effect that brings people together for the common cause.  

It is all together more disarming when the attack comes from someone you put your trust in- a family member or a close brother or sister in Christ. Such betrayal can be so discouraging that it moves people to want to abandon being a part of a church at all. Some people who have been hurt refuse to attend a church again, People say, “I am not going to get hurt like that again.”   Like the psalmist we say that we cannot bear it.

What does it mean for us in worship to join in these words of lament as they were spoken in the Introit? Is there a spiritual gain in lamenting out loud about mistrusting our friends and family and neighbors?  

 It seems the gain is our recognizing that those who are closest to us in our family and in our church can pervert God’s Word and persecute God’s people. 

Included in these ranks of those who distort God’s Word are the prophets who speak falsehood in order to be well liked. This is what the prophet Jeremiah describes.  “They say continually to those who despise the Word of the Lord, it shall be well with you.”

This betrayal theme that is not ready made for a sermon that makes people feel good about life, such as Good Shepherd Sunday, or a reflection on how God’s love for us is like the wings of an Eagle sheltering and protecting us and lifting us up. 

What is more, we are a small congregation, so if I talk about the evil from your neighbor, it is harder to just make those words into a general picture of that neighbor out there in the church who is a danger to you by false teaching- because you can see the neighbor right there beside you.  

And what is more, the one Sunday that this gospel of Luke about divisions in family is read over the three year readings cycle, is the Sunday that I have a larger contingent of family worshipping with us than usual.

Jesus does not mince words in talking about the divisions that his baptism of fire of the cross brings. “I came to cast fire on the earth and would that it were already kindled.”  An unbeliever hearing the words of Jesus in the gospel lesson might wonder, what is this division Jesus is talking about, what is this fire Jesus is coming to bring?

As the Elvis Costello song goes What’s so funny about peace love and understanding? Isn’t that what Jesus is for?  Apart from the Holy Spirit a person would think Jesus must have been having a bad day.  A person might wonder, why not just focus on other portions of the gospels where Jesus teaches about loving enemies and forgiving and paying forward to others and turning the other cheek?   

It is difficult to take that hard line of Jesus that if you are not with him you are against him, that there is a way of righteousness which is the way of life- hoping in Christ and following him and forsaking the priorities and the false idols of the world.   

It’s much easier to look at our neighbor and say, “it shall be well with you.”  It is much easier to overlook differences in a family with respect to the gospel. We can agree to disagree as a family about certain things or not talk about them for the sake of a peace within the family. But this does not bring peace in God’s kingdom.

As we heard in our reading from Jeremiah, the church just like the prophets are expected to speak God’s Word faithfully no matter what.

What has straw in common with wheat? declares the Lord. 29Is not my word like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?

We cannot overlook the role of the law in serving as a hammer in condemning sin in Christian life.   

Those nearby who can lead us astray because they do not look to Jesus as their life’s foundation.  Jesus talks about division in the family..  verse 50 “I have a baptism to be baptized  with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished.”  Jesus is talking about the cross, the greatest news we can ever imagine, the message of our forgiveness because of Jesus’ punishment.  This cross also brings division and shows how helpless we are without Jesus.  So if we give up speaking the law just to avoid conflict, avoid those divisions of father against son- we avoid the cross, we avoid the law that condemns sin. Even those within our own family or in our church can be angry with us.  But this is a loving purpose, so that those who hear the law can repent of their sin and find life.

Avoiding the law will bring division as well, as those who live in Christ are betrayed and disappointed by our compromise. We who believe in the gospel will be undivided from Christ, we will be with him- regardless of what persecutions we face.

Our introit from Psalm 55 was first written by King David in the context of betrayal he experienced in an evil city. Clearly this points forward to the betrayal that Jesus experienced from his own disciple Judas. “He who eats bread with me has lifted up his heal against me.”

 Jesus was betrayed on the night he instituted the Lord’s Supper, that is how the earliest account in scripture of the Lord’s Supper describes it:  “For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

The betrayal of Jesus is always mentioned as one of the essential details of the Lord’s Supper, and it is mentioned each Sunday as we celebrate the sacrament.  We can never escape that alongside the heavenly feast that joins us to Christ is the betrayal from within.

The world is never a friend to the church, as long as there is a fallen world we live in there is always betrayal.  We lament at this and sometimes it feels like we cannot bear it.  Those who have been at this church before my time have spoken of feeling abandoned by so many leaving essentially all at once.

People leaving for another church is not exactly betrayal in the sense that they are likely still Christians. But- It is still hard to bear!  When those who were with us are no longer there we feel forsaken.

Jesus was betrayed by not only Judas but many in the holy city of Jerusalem- Jerusalem the city that kills the prophets.  Jesus went through the suffering of betrayal by the very people who the LORD chose for himself.  And we have inherited the curse of this same sinful nature, the nature that considers God the enemy and want to get rid of God so that we can be as “God” for ourselves.

Jesus died for this quick to betray and quick to abandon people that our sin created.  Out of great love Jesus set his face resolute to the cross to redeem us who fail and betray Jesus.

And Jesus rose to call us as his own people so that we would not be like Judas and betray Jesus with a kiss, but instead like the thief on the cross we call to Jesus saying: ‘Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom.’

We call to Jesus, not to the strength of man, because we know that He will never abandon or betray us.  In Christ we always have family and belonging according to God’s perfect will for us.

When we feel we cannot handle the disappointments of life in the church, God’s Word reminds us that those who fear the Lord will lack no good thing. “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers them out of them all.”  Amen

Raised with Christ, we set our sights on higher things.

Posted on by nfuller

“If you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.” The scripture says “If you have been raised”, but there is no question about it, we have been raised with Christ.

The scripture says “if”, to get you to think about who you are in Christ, a new creation washed clean by the waters of Holy Baptism. If you have been raised to new life of the water and the Spirit in Christ- then old ways of living, old ways of thinking do not make sense anymore.

“What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils from beneath the sun? For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity. The old ways of the flesh do not add up to much: sorrow, vexation, restlessness.

If you have been raised with Christ, how to live is clear. It does not matter how appealing the things of the world might be. Although sometimes if you get your sights fixed on something long enough its hard to take your eyes off what you want. Of course, you could always just temporarily forget that you have been raised with Christ.

If you forget for just a little season, why then you could get in all of the earthly pursuits that seem so important to you.  Maybe there is something new that you can do this year that you have not done before that will make you feel happy? The things above where Christ is, you can always seek those at another time. But some opportunities in this world are time sensitive- here today, gone tomorrow.

You can covet things that are highly prized by others.  If you set your sight on what you can achieve and work hard enough, then you can get many of the things you covet. You can be proud of what you accomplish. And if you see that you are doing well getting a hold of things you want, then you can even tear down one of your barns and build a bigger barn. That way you can store up so many more things, and you can see which things you enjoy having, and see which things give you meaning and purpose. And then you can tell yourself, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years, relax, eat, drink, be merry.”

But what would be the wisdom in all that? What does Jesus say in response? These might be good words to write on paper and then tape to your checkbook or credit card if you feel you are spending too much.  “But God said to him, Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?”

So is the one who lays up treasures for himself and is not rich toward God. Jesus warned of this importance of seeking the things that are above, where he is seated, at the right hand of God.  By the power of the Holy Spirit, St. Paul wrote in his letter to the Colossians about things which are we are drawn to, five things that are of earthly value that are sin- sexual impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness which is idolatry.

Worshipping idols, true idolatry is to want things so much that you struggle to see anything else, that which you want becomes your god. And so Jesus warned, be on guard against all covetousness. We should be on guard against wanting a bigger house, or wanting more money saved up, more clothes, more movies and video games. A bigger budget for travel or entertainment of others. There is always more that you could use.

A church may covet a building renovation or newer things throughout the building. There are always more things you could use to keep up with the demands of the time.

Why did Jesus tell the parable of the rich fool to begin with? In Luke chapter 12 we hear Jesus teaching his disciples and interacting with the crowds who had gathered together to hear Jesus. Someone in the crowd calls out to Jesus. A man is going through a dispute with his brother over an inheritance. 

Apparently this dispute has become the most important thing in his life. It is more important than seeking the kingdom of God, more important than greeting Jesus with words of reverence such as Lord have mercy or Hosanna to the Son of David, or asking Jesus about oneness with the Father.

More important than all of these things to the man was conveying to Jesus this message: “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” Tell my brother to give me what is owed and what is mine!

Have you ever seen family members quarrel over an inheritance?  This piece of jewelry is mine, it was promised to me a long time ago. Everyone knows that great Aunt Shelly wanted me to have this after her passing.  I have heard many people going through conflicts and feuds over disagreements over how property and money and possessions are to be managed, sold and divided. These are not circumstances where people are setting their hearts on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

There is a better way. When people are in the thick of fighting for material things, it is not always easy to point this out- but there is a better way. It is a way where the truth of God’s Word reigns as the one absolute, and no promises or living will or common sense about what is right can compare to the truth of God’s Word.

When it comes to a dispute over an inheritance, nobody is right- because the dispute itself betrays far too much care over the things of this world.

There is a better way for us and a joyful way. The Lord sets aside for us a joyful work to be done on earth as in heaven.  We are to care for one another first of all, and to care for the gifts we have been given as stewards of God. There is a way to live that the scriptures give to us where to live is to be in Christ and we see that all that we have is a gift from God.

“When Christ who is your life appears, then you will appear with him in glory. Christ is our life, not our possessions.

To be rich toward God is to live in thanksgiving for all the Lord has given us. A few verses past our reading in Colossians, St. Paul writes: “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

There is a way to live where we see that everything is a gift from the Lord and we are grateful for all we have. Whatever we do, we can do in the name of Jesus. This is the same conclusion King Solomon was led to in our reading from Ecclesiastes: “There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat and who can have enjoyment?”

People with about the same number of gifts in life as you have can be very down on themselves and what they have in life. Instead of seeing gifts give not them by a loving God, they see what they do not have, or they see what they have as a reflection of what they are capable of earning and achieving in life.

Without seeing the hand of God in your life, you will indeed look at your life’s work and wonder, who will come along after you and mess it up.   

We are called to live a far more blessed way. The Lord blesses us to experience hard work as an opportunity not to advance ourselves, but to serve others.  Our labors are a form of worship, as we act as stewards for all of the gifts and abilities God has given us.

The warning Jesus gives about coveting is indeed sobering for us, and we do well to listen to this warning. But we must not lose sight that Jesus also gives us a way to live where our labors are not futile and self serving,

He leads us to abide in Him and to live rich toward God. We are rich toward God in seeking the kingdom and all that goes with our life of worship. And even our daily labors becomes part of our response of praise for the salvation Jesus has won for us.

In the gospel of Matthew He makes a promise about the rewards for our work: “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.”

This One Thing Needful: listening to Jesus

Posted on by nfuller

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, listen to the first stanza of the hymn One thing’s Needful. “One thing’s needful Lord, this treasure teach me highly to regard. All else though it first give pleasure, is a yoke that presses hard! Beneath it the heart is still fretting and striving, no true lasting happiness ever deriving. This one thing is needful; all others are vain- I count all but loss that I Christ may obtain!” 

We are here today for the greatest treasure to be found in the world: God’s Living Word.  Anything else we might seek with all our energy and devotion is in the end a yoke of slavery that presses down so hard that you cannot have peace. 

“There must be more to life.”  People think this all of the time, when the minutes and hours pass by looking at your phone, watching the news, taking care of daily responsibilities. Even things we put a lot of time and energy into, a home renovation project, a personal hobby you work a long time on, a cooking recipe you carefully develop- all brings eventually that feeling of is this all?  “There must be something more!”

St. Paul saw this when he writes in Philippians, Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ  There is something more to life- but not exactly something, but some person- Jesus.  Verse two of the hymn shares this joy in knowing Jesus as our true calling in life:

Mary listens to Jesus in joy “all earthly concerns she forgot for her Lord And found her contentment in hearing His Word.”

The phrase Jesus speaks: “One thing is needful” brings simplicity and sense of purpose to our lives.  When we feel overwhelmed with the number of uncertainties to a day, we can look to Jesus and know that one thing is needful- to listen to Him, to look to him in faith. We may feel there are things we must do, they are the number one priority.  But after one thing we must do is finished, we always find the next thing that is so urgent. We lose the big picture, that knowing Jesus is the one thing all of us really need. 

I have said the words out loud plenty of times, “I need to do the dishes, I need to visit this person in the hospital, I need to eat something” Less often do I hear myself say, “I need to just stop everything and study the scripture.

Mary and Martha have the privilege of hosting Jesus at their home.  Jesus and the disciples were passing through the village and they stopped at their home.  In other words this was an unplanned visit. 

Talk about a once in a lifetime surprise visit.  You can imagine the desire to impress and be a gracious host would continue for as long as Jesus was there.   It might be a little difficult relaxing and taking in the evening with Jesus as a guest.  Can I fix you anything else Lord?  

There is nothing wrong with putting great energy and devotion into your role as host.  It is likely that Martha was the owner of the house and therefore had the responsibility and privilege of preparing a meal for Jesus. 

We see a very similar situation in the appointed Old Testament reading (Genesis 18:1-10) where Abraham works to prepare a feast for the Lord in the form of these heavenly visitors that have come to his house.  Abraham works hard in his role as host.  He does not even try and make small talk with his guests until the task is complete. Abraham’s service is welcomed by God.

In our American culture, people are lonelier than ever. Hospitality, being a host, taking the time to focus on the physical and emotional needs of another is rare.  Public places where people can gather and talk also are much less common.

It has required extra time and work- but our congregation has developed routines of offering hospitality to guests and visitor and regular attending members, time to share together over food after the service. 

Yet even in the act of love of being a host, there is a risk of missing the forest for the trees. If you are spending too much time getting everything just right so that you are not able to focus on the people you are hosting- then in a way it is your own pride you are feeding instead of your guests.

Martha falls into this category, as she losses touch with Jesus and Mary and is doing the preparations all herself. She wants her work to be recognized as more valuable than the work of listening to Jesus.  Work that began as a devotion to Jesus became complicated by the sins of resentment and envy.    “Lord don’t you care that my sister just sits, while I am slaving away here in the kitchen?”

In her mind she was completely justified in her complaint.  Clearly it was unfair that she was left to do all the work by herself.  But then Jesus turns his attention to her, and lovingly turns her perspective upside down.  Jesus tells her that one thing is needful and Mary has chosen that thing.  Nothing can be said against her. 

It is a characteristic of the kingdom of God that man’s idea of right and wrong is not the same as God’s.  In this case Jesus was not expecting to be pampered with the best Martha could offer.  Jesus did not come to be served by us, but to serve us and even lay down his life for us.  He does not need us to work to please him, but instead he is here to be our Savior and fill us with the joy of his Word.

In verse 38 as the gospel reading begins, we read the disciples were on their way. Where were they on their way too?  Simply put they were on their way where Jesus was leading.  Jesus was on his way to the cross.   

There would be perhaps no other opportunity like this for Mary and Martha to hear from Jesus.   For Mary it was a time to listen from the start, for Martha it became a time to serve to the exclusion of listening. 

The scripture describes Martha as being distracted.  For Martha the distractions were not necessarily self centered pursuits.  Martha was doing things that a person can reasonably expect to do.  Likewise, we often find ourselves with situations in which others need our help to the point where we become distracted from other things we are also responsible for in life.  

The number of things that may happen in a week to distract us is seemingly inexhaustible.  Because it is so easy to become distracted, these words of Jesus are so important: One thing is necessary.  There are many times when we must order things in our lives, but when the time comes for us to receive God’s Word, that is beyond doubt the only thing necessary.

God’s Word challenges us to ask, Do you view hearing God’s Word as a fundamental basic necessity of life? As part of our human nature we experience an internal battle between balancing the things that we really need to do and those things that we would like to do. 

Our greatest need is to receive the gospel and receive God’s perfect love in Christ.  The things we consider most needful by our human perspective are exactly the things that can and will go wrong.  The gift of the gospel never disappoints us. 

If I look honestly at myself and at my sin, when it comes to properly choosing what is needful, I fail every week, and even every day with some of the decisions I make to be busy doing what I want to do instead of listening to God’s Word.  All of us fail, just like Martha in putting the right priority on our time with Jesus.  Because of sin we make the wrong choice all the time as far as what is needful.  

But just as Jesus forgave Martha and lovingly corrected her priorities, He forgives us and leads us back to His Word. He leads us to confess the words of Psalm 27 “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.”

St. Paul closes his letter to the Philippians encouraging them to think about and see opportunities to live according to the order of God’s kingdom:  Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Sometimes in counseling appointments, I hear people who feel stuck in life say: I don’t have any answers, I don’t know what to think.  When you feel stuck, when you wonder what to think in life, you can find clarity and simplicity of purpose by reminding yourself that Jesus has come to you, he forgives you and restores you as a new creation.  When things look complicate, we need only look to Jesus and there is simplicity. Looking to Jesus we see what it is honorable, just, pure, and lovely.  Those things that threaten to distract us, we can see that they do not meet this same standard of truth, honor, purity. Certainly you will not find many movies or shows on tv meeting this standard.   

May our Lord’s love for us shown on the cross provide this perfect clarity to us each and every day.   and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.  Amen.