Christ Lutheran Church of Irvington
75th Anniversary Service
Sunday November 6th 10:30am
Now Thank We All our God with hearts and
hands and voices, who wondrous things has
done, In whom His world rejoices
CLC celebrates 75th Anniversary
Tag: Christ Lutheran Church Irvington
At home with our Heavenly Father
The gospel lesson for the fourth Sunday in Lent:
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” 3 So he told them this parable: 11 And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. 12 And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. 13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. 14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 16 And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. 17 “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ 20 And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
25 “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 26And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. 27And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’28 But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, 29 but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.30 But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ 31 And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.32It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’”
The parable of the prodigal son can provide much for us to talk about and think about. Our first Bible Study for the season of Lent held in the pastor’s office was as simple as reading through the parable and discussing the applications for our lives that it teaches, including the state of lostness of the son, the unconditional love of the Father, and the resentment of the older brother. Now here in the fourth Sunday of Lent, we have this same parable as our gospel lesson. A reading specifically chosen by the lectionary to lead and inform our worship here in the heart of Lent.
Jesus is present with us in worship, and as we meditate on the gospel lesson, his nearness to us is especially important. Life in this fallen world has been difficult for us as of late, we see it all around us. We need the nearness of Jesus found in his Word.
I have introduced the theme of targeting the false idols of our world, and the false idol of “Above all I just want to be happy” How fitting this parable is in addressing the lostness that comes from seeking personal happiness instead of the joy of the Lord.
Lostness. The younger son went to a far away country, and he was lost already before he left. He left his family, his faith, his identity as a child of God. The moment he planned in his heart to ask his father prematurely for his share of the inheritance- he was already lost. Why did Jesus give these details about the son leaving in this public manner and living in a far away country and losing everything on reckless living?
Is this not the state of our lives when we live in a reckless indulgence of our sins? Sin separates us from God, so that we depart from who He created us to be. When sin takes ahold of us enough, the result is Lostness. When you are living in a state of lostness, it is like you are in a far away country.
Living to serve our sin can be a shocking turn of events where who you are is no longer the same. In a state of lostness things have changed and you cannot recognize who you are in the mirror in the same way, and you cannot picture how good things like your self image and your reputation could possibly go back to where they were in the first place.
Lostness is an exceedingly lonely state, because when you are lost in sin, you may feel you cannot connect with anyone else, or you may preemptively shut others out and think they will just condemn you for your sin and cast you out. Lostness is indeed like leaving home, and seeing no way to ever find your way back.
Another cause of loneliness is when your sin puts you in the frame of mind that you are higher than others. Resentment and envy bring lostness. When we are focused on what others have or what others have done to us, we experience a unique type of lostness because we can become consumed with the focus on others and lose focus on what God is doing through us in Christ.
Henri Nouwen writes in his reflection on the prodigal son:
“Discipline is the human effort to create the space in which God can be generous and give you what you need. When you are fearful, worried or anxious, you want to control your life and hold onto the reigns. You want to do it your own way, whether its like the younger son or its like the older son. The practice of discipline is to let the Father touch you, let the Father forgive you, let the Father receive you. And for that you need to be available; you have to be home. You have to have an address if you want to be addressed.”
It seems Nouwen knew firsthand that the desire of our human nature to take control over things apart from the Lord is a sin that takes us away from our home as God’s people. He goes on to write:
“The first discipline is listening. The word listening in Latin is audire And if you listen with great attention the words are ob audire. That is the word for “obedience.” The word obedience means listening.
If you are not listening you are deaf. The Latin word for deaf is surdus, and if you’re actually deaf ab surdus. The absurd life is a life in which you’re not listening. An obedient life is a life in which you are listening.”
Brothers and sisters in Christ, when we are not listening to God’s Word, are we not in a state of lostness, going our own way in an absurd and tragic manner? Are we not far from home, even if we are still living right at home?
It seems almost too easy to become lost. However, the Lord does not give up on us in our state of lostness. When we feel we are separated from everyone else, our Lord Jesus who for our sake himself assumed the loneliest journey, far from home on the cross, our Lord Jesus seeks after us when we are lost.
There has been talk in the news about how with the war in the Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin of Russia needs to have an off ramp that Western countries can offer, where he could save face and gain some concessions and agree to end the occupation. Without an off ramp, the prospect is for more and more of a needless war.
Without an off ramp in our lives, we could dig our heels in and stay at war with God, in our pursuit of sin, in our pride or in our anger, our refusal to back down.
Jesus gives us this off ramp from our state of lostness. He forgives and restores us when we are lost. And there is no need for us to worry about saving face. Before the Lord, our repentance is always welcome, and our repentance never makes us look weak or puts our social political standing in jeopardy.
God’s Word works in our hearts and brings us to repentance. When we are in a state of lostness, the sweet relief of our return- it is the Lord’s work. And this is a good thing, because it means we are in good hands. This is the Father’s provision for us, to bring us back home.
Think about what is the belonging that we have, what do we take for granted about our community in Christ? What is the homecoming that we can find here in the body of Christ at Christ Lutheran? To be at home here in God’s kingdom is to be like the younger son embraced by the Father with celebration and dancing.
There may not be a party every time we come into church. There may not be the most expensive food and entertainment as in the parable, but there is still celebration in heaven as we come before the Lord in faith and in hope.
Our Lord rejoices to see us turn to Him in faith, our Lord is glad to see us listen to words of absolution and hear the scripture read, sing hymns, listen to sermons, and take into our bodies the body and blood of Our Savior. Time after time Our Lord rejoices to welcome us home.
And now we may follow the example of our Heavenly Father who runs to meet us and embraces us with forgiveness and love. We may follow the example of our God as we
We welcome others back home. May we see that those who are lost are really no different than we have all been at one time or another in our lives! We can relate to the lost with the reservoir of hope and joy that the Father has shown to us.
Above all else it is not to be happy that is best, but above all else to be at home with our Heavenly Father, to be safe and delighted with the Son’s embrace, to be inspired and lifted up with the Spirit’s Power! Above all else, I want to be home with the Lord.
Real world peace from a Savior who is real.
Half awake, slightly more asleep, I lie still in bed thinking about how I need to get up on a dark cold morning. I look at the clock and it says 6:55 or so. I will need to get up soon. In my half awake state I think about how since my eyes are closed and I lie still, warm under the covers that I don’t really know what time it is, because I have looked at the clock in my dream like state in my mind.
Sure, I have been realistic, I did not make the clock say 5:30am and tell my self you have an hour and a half left, go back to sleep. But maybe I will need to break down, and sit up, put on my glasses and see what the clock says in the real world, the one that everyone else in the world is more or less going by. The digital clock says 7:05 AM, and even more, now my dog is scratching at the door, scratching at the door in the real world, so I get up.
Dreams and wishful thinking can only get us so far in life and they could get you late to work or school, or even late to church. That is how it is with our dreams for peace and deliverance from sin and death, wishful thinking is not going to save us. Instead, we rely on God’s Word. Like that clock in the real world that helps you be honest with yourself about what time it really is, God’s Word has the truth about where our peace and salvation is found.
Had we lived seven hundred years before the birth of Christ, rather than two thousand years after, we could already have known where he would come, the place of his birth. We heard the beautiful prophecy from our Old Testament Reading: “But you O Bethlehem Epthrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. The little town of Bethlehem would one day become the center of the whole world.
Even more important than knowing the place of the Savior’s birth is that we know the reason for his coming. Micah tells us that too: “And he shall be their peace.”
We all want peace. Nobody just goes looking for strife, unless that person is really confused about what is important in life. But where does peace in our lives come from? Can we will it into being, like a dream? Does it come from a place we can go to, like a say a gym or a spa?
Bethlehem seems like an unlikely source of peace for us. How can peace come from a place that is so insignificant? Our reading from Micah specifies that Bethlehem was so small it was not even listed as one of the clans of Judah. It was off the map. If you were using GPS you would have to zoom in to one of the closest views possible just to see it.
Rome in contrast was the center of power in the 1st century. The Romans boasted of how they brought peace to the world because they were so powerful and wealthy no major nation could even try to challenge them.
Throughout the Old Testament God does not use the most powerful of kingdoms to deliver his saving message. It was not to the kingdoms of Egypt or Assyria or Babylon that God appeared, but to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, a nomadic family.
The promise made to Adam and Eve is that a Savior would be born who would crush Satan. The seed of a woman was prophesied as having the power to reverse the curse of our rebellion into sin. How could a young woman named Mary, a virgin of the tribe of Judah who was young and without any wealth or power, how could she deliver peace?
What abilities or resources could she have that others in the world do not? How could a woman in the little town of Bethlehem bring forward the Savior promised from ancient of days? How can someone so low and humble bring peace to the world?
How about in today’s world? Can we find peace in today’s modern world? Have we come far enough as a society to learn from the mistakes of the past? Sometimes you can find articles that describe how much advances in medicine and science help with our health and lifespan. Some advertisers talk about how social media and connections on the internet bring people together from around the world, a new community where people can experience support and love. Are we now living in a golden age of peace and prosperity?
Advances in medicine may be present, but at least in America most people have a worse diet, so we are if anything probably less healthy than in the past. And as you have probably noticed, when it comes to the internet sinful fallen people in new ways actually just multiplies sin and misery.
Some people also think today’s world is more humane and less violent than the past. Indeed during Herod’s time and Ceasar’s time there was plenty of bloodshed and violence. When news of the birth of Jesus spread to king Herod, he even went so far as to order that every male child two years and younger should be killed.
Herod did this of course in the tragic pride of thinking he could remain king if he were to eliminate the Savior who was born to the world. This is called the slaughter of the Holy Innocents. Of course there is no peace and there is no salvation in killing. And to wake up from our wishful thinking dream state, we should take note of the real world fact that millions in our nation celebrate the right to abortion. Like King Herod, self interest is used as a reason for killing. Real world statistics record that 62 million babies have been slain in their mother’s womb. And often the dreamlike rationale for these killings is that there is a salvation to be found for a mother or both parents through exercising a right to choose death for an innocent baby. There is no peace in the world with this slaughter of the innocent.
Our society also preaches a false gospel that we can find peace from within ourselves. People in a dreamlike state of wishful thinking believe that Jesus is a cheerleader for them to achieve inner peace and prosperity in life. People overlook what Jesus teaches as recorded in Matthew 15:19 “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.”
Our society today seeks to blame others for the evil within. But there is no peace in blaming others for what is not right in our own lives. We wont find peace coming from our own hearts.
We can find peace from nowhere other than Bethlehem. Just like the prophecy from Micah foretold, God sent his Son to be born in the little town of Bethlehem, to be born into our fallen world with all of its violence. Jesus was born so that he could die a violent death at the hands of war loving people, so that we might be saved.
Because of the birth of this baby, peace between God and man is restored. After all of the years in which our sin put a wedge between us and God, after all of the years living as enemies of God, the baby born in Bethlehem shall be our peace. He shall bridge the gap between God and man so that once again we can know Him as our loving Father and we his dear children. He was born so we can receive both the blessings of this world and eternal blessings.
From Bethlehem he brings us peace by creating in us a new heart. The human heart, which is the source of all evils and sins, is reborn in God’s gift of a Savior. With a new heart we know a peace that the world cannot give.
With the gift of the Holy Spirit we are led to Bethlehem to find the gift of Jesus. And as we look upon Jesus we see peace personified. Jesus the Son of David, the Son of Mary carried the peace of God. He brings the unity with the Father that had been lost since Adam and Eve first rebelled against God.
And we have been joined to the peace Jesus has in a very intimate way through the waters of Holy Baptism. We have been united in a death like his so that we can be united in a resurrection like his. We have peace with God no matter what we face in life. Romans chapter 8 reminds us: “There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
And we also participate in the peace of Jesus through the Lord’s Supper, where we are granted pardon and peace with his body and his blood given for you.
The true and lasting peace that we seek cannot come from the powers of this world, nor from the advances of our modern world. And this peace certainly is not found in our own hearts and good intentions. Instead, peace comes as God humbles himself for us, a baby born to a young maiden in a small town. In Bethlehem God’s peace comes to us. This peace comes to us as a free gift simply by receiving the babe of Bethlehem, our Lord Jesus.
As we are on the brink of Christmas, what a wonderful time it is to ponder the real life peace and wholeness Jesus brings to our lives. “My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my savior.” That was Mary’s response of learning about the peace God was bringing to the world in the birth of Jesus. This week I urge you to read those spontaneous words of joy that Mary spoke, the what we call the Magnificat. Read those words in faith pondering in your heart how they are your words of praise and wonder as well, because the joy and the peace is yours as well in Christ Jesus.
The unborn John the Baptist, leaped for joy in the womb at coming in contact with Jesus, when Mary and Elizabeth visited on that day recorded in our gospel lesson. Already at that time the peace which Jesus brings created a living faith for John, already in the womb. May we also leap for joy at the faith Jesus builds in us today and has been building since our first contact with him in Holy Baptism. Ponder the real world deliverance Jesus has in store for you, and be glad in this great season of hope.
Washed clean by the blood of the Lamb
Many people say, there are good days and there are bad days. Why is that? Why are some days better than others? Is it a superstitious thing, cross your fingers and hope it is a good day? Sometimes we know what kind of day it is going to be and sometimes we do not know. What kind of day is today? Does anyone here know? According to the book of Hebrews, today is a bloody day. But it is not the first of its kind or the last.
There will be a bloody day. We heard from our Old testament reading in Daniel and from our gospel lesson, blood violence and destruction will mark the Last Day and even the days before it. This is what the world has coming on account of sin. Remember Romans 6:23, For the wages of sin is death. But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Who will be delivered from this body of destruction, this time of trouble? They will be the saints, the excellent ones in whom the Lord delights, who will not see corruption, but walk in the path of life. Psalm 16 says this much. They are the ones who receive the free gift of God in the second half of the verse Romans 6:23. Are you in the category of Saint that the Psalm talks about?
Listen to our reading from Daniel again: “They will be ‘those who are wise and therefore shall shine like the brightness of the sky above, and those who may turn many to righteousness , like the starts forever and ever. Are you wise? Have you turned many to righteousness?
Or listen to what Revelation chapter 7 says about the Saints. “They will be the ones coming out of the great tribulation, they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb.”
Will you be delivered from bloody destruction? Yes, for their already has been a bloody day for you!
There was a bloody day. Jesus sacrificed himself. On the day of his bloody destruction, Jesus fulfilled all prior sacrifices. The whole priesthood and even the temple were destined for destruction with a single sacrifice. Where none of our sacrifices and self justifications can do anything, Jesus did it all with that one sacrifice.
Jesus was delivered over to a bloody death and he was destroyed in order to deliver you from the coming destruction you deserve. He the righteous was delivered for you the unrighteous.
Jesus knew this was coming, he told the disciples that the chief priests and the scribes would condemn him to death and deliver him to Gentiles who would mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him.
Normally Jewish people went to Jerusalem to worship the LORD by making animal sacrifices. The innocent blood of the animals paid for the sins of the people. Jesus went to Jerusalem to be the sacrifice himself. The sinless sacrifice that took away the sin of the world.
As Jesus sacrificed himself, Jesus made you holy, He sanctified you. Jesus has cleansed you by his blood and Jesus has forgiven you all your sins. Jesus has claimed you by His blood to be his holy one, his saint. “As for the Saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.”
Jesus opened for you by his body and by his blood the “new and living way” to approach God and stand before him in holiness now and forever.” Our reading from Hebrews talks about this new and living way that Jesus brings for us to come into God’s presence.
In the Old testament time people were kept from the holiest presence of God with the curtain of the Tabernacle. We are now on the other side of the curtain! What no one could ever have dreamed of, we are right there in the holy presence of God- this is the new and living way!
Because Jesus opened this way for you this is a bloody day. Jesus is present with you in His body and blood, and He is your new and living way to enter the presence of God in confidence. Hebrews 10:22 talks about drawing near to God with a true heart. If you think about the beginning of our worship service, we draw near with a true heart through the practice of Confession.
Before we dare approach our God in the Heavenly Sanctuary as we do in our worship service, we must confess our sins and receive absolution from Jesus our great High Priest. As the Concordia Commentary series puts it: “The Father’s Word of pardon opens the door for entry into the heavenly realm and admits pardoned sinners into God’s Holy presence.”
During those Sundays when we have a cross processional, this occurs right after confession and absolution. The processional cross is meant to illustrate to us that it is by Jesus’ blood and with Jesus himself that the congregation enters the presence of God.
The processional cross in this way provides a picture of Jesus walking down the aisle and leading us to the throne of God’s mercy at the altar. We come before God this day because we have entered by his blood.
And now that we have entered into his presence Jesus calls us to hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering. Christ calls you to embrace the future he has prepared for you. You are called to remain steadfast in your faith until you stand before God on the last Day.
Jesus calls us to consider how to stir up one another to love and good works. He calls you to forget yourself and remember others, not neglecting them, but being compassionate for them- just as he has had compassion for you by his blood.
May we continue here at Christ Lutheran to stir up one another to do the works of love God calls us to do. We stir up one another through encouraging one another to not be content with what good works we have done, but to instead strive to serve in new and more meaningful ways, reaching our potential as the Holy Spirit would guide and direct us.
And the Holy Spirit is working in us through God’s Word. As you draw near, the Holy Spirit descends to destroy you and deliver you through Jesus’ blood. He destroys you.
The Spirit aims to destroy every idol, including your own righteousness. The Spirit aims to release us from the bonds of our sins which we have brought upon ourselves. The Spirit aims to put to death self centered ways in you by writing his laws on your heart and mind. There is indeed destruction today.
And he delivers you today. Just as he delivered you on the day you were washed, when your name was written in the book. Just as he forgives your sins today and forgets them again, just as he brought you near by the blood of Christ, so he brings you near today by Jesus blood in His Supper.
Today is a bloody day as the Spirit sanctifies you, makes you holy by Jesus’ blood, and gives you all the gifts Christ won for you by his sacrifice on the cross. Therefore everyday is a bloody day. By the blood of Jesus, you, God’s Church are the excellent ones in whom the Lord delights, who will not see corruption but walk the path of life.
By the blood of Jesus you will shine with the brightness of the sky above like the stars forever and ever. Now every day is a day to be the Church by the blood of Jesus. Everyday you are cleansed by the blood of Christ, every day you are confident by Jesus’ blood, and every day you are compassionate by Jesus’ blood. There may be good days you have or bad days, but every day is defined by Jesus’ blood for you. Amen.
Pentecost is good news for us.
The Day of Pentecost is an historical event we celebrate. But it is not about the one day in history that our focus is on today. The details may be important to learn about the divided tongues of fire resting on each disciple and people speaking in other languages as the Spirit gave voice to, and Peter’s interpretation to the assembly of people that this is a fulfillment of the scripture: “In the last days I will pour out my Spirit to all flesh”
What is most important about our celebration of Pentecost is that we celebrate that this day is for us. On Christmas we celebrate a Savior is born onto us. On Easter we rejoice that Jesus has overcome death for us. Today we celebrate that we as the church have life through God’s Spirit.
Jesus called the Holy Spirit the Helper. The Greek word used in the scripture is Paracletos , the one who stands along side us, and advocates for us and comforts us.
The role of the Helper is to testify about Jesus “When the Paracletos comes, He will bear witness to me.”
Throughout the Old Testament the Spirit inspired prophets to speak about the coming of the Savior. Now instead of speaking through one prophet at a time or one king at a time such as David- The Holy Spirit has been poured out on all flesh.
We heard from the reading from Acts: “In the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams.”
The coming of the Holy Spirit to the church makes visible the reign of God’s kingdom among us in Jesus. It is not just Moses or Elijah, or Isaiah that now point to God’s salvation to the world- it is now us as well. Not just in Jerusalem is the Lord present, but in Indianapolis too- because Jesus has ascended into heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to us.
And not just here in this building, but in our very hearts. Consider what Romans chapter 8 teaches about the Holy Spirit in or life…
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
Through Holy Baptism we have the gift of new life in Christ, where the Spirit dwells in us instead of the flesh which brings only sin and death. With the Spirit we walk in newness of life. We are given life from the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead.
And as a result we have the ability to do something that is truly amazing. We as the church can bring life to others. The Holy Spirit that dwells in your heart can work in your life in such a way that what you do and what you say to others can give them this gift of life.
It is like you have a superpower- not one that lets you turn to goop and ooze through the cracks in the floor to get somewhere else- but one that lets you share the light of Christ to others through the gift of the Holy Spirit in you.
Because of the day of Pentecost you have the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Helper that Jesus sent, who has come to us to convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgement.
The Spirit helps us to see the truth of our sin and the need for judgement to the false idolatry and evil of this world. The Spirit helps us to understand through the scriptures that in Christ alone is our Righteousness.
Although Pentecost is the day when the church received the Holy Spirit in full as Jesus promised, the Spirit was already present and working in the world from the start. We might say the seeds were already planted.
The Spirit was there at creation and there as the first promise of the Savior was made, The Spirit was present as Jesus was born unto us, and when Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan River and the Spirit descended on Him.
It was the Spirit who drove Jesus out to be tempted so that Jesus could fulfill righteousness where we failed. The Holy Spirit was there as Jesus was betrayed and scourged and nailed to the cross, and finally it was the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead. In the birth, life and ministry of Jesus, the seeds were already laid for the Spirit of God to be poured out on all flesh.
Our Old testament Reading represents a ready made sermon for our church. In fact a powerful sermon- Ezekiel is transported to a valley of dry bones in the middle of a valley and asked the question: “Son of man can these bones live?”
The answer to the question is a resounding yes- after the breath of the Lord enters them. I have based sermons on this reading before and the sermon really writes itself- as you reflect on how dry the bones of the church can come together, and through the Lord’s breath have life.
But here in this day of Pentecost, the focus of our worship is not so much how the Lord brings life out of the ruins of our fallen world. Instead, we can see a bigger picture of how the life the Lord brings to His church has been there all along. The Spirit of God has been at work in the church since the beginning of creation, and since Adam and Eve received the promise of the Savior. And Pentecost is the icing on the cake where the Holy Spirit became specifically present in the church gathered that day in Jerusalem.
The reason for the long vision of resurrection is not simply to amaze the hearts of us who are slow to believe- not only to change to outlook for the people of Israel from despair to hope. In fact the most important reason of all for this miraculous vision shown first to Ezekiel and shared to the church in God’s Word- is that we would know that Jesus is our Lord. Verse 6, “..and you shall know that I am the Lord.”
Verse 13 You shall know that I am the LORD, and then to close the reading: “And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD.”
The purpose of the great sign is to help us to know that Jesus is Lord. Everything the Holy Spirit does, points to Jesus. The Day of Pentecost was so that we would know that Jesus is not only Lord of the world, but my Lord as well. Amen.
He lifts us up from the ash heap
In the gospel of Mark the reader is immediately brought to important milestones in the ministry of Jesus which signal the coming of God’s kingdom. First there was the message of repentance John the Baptist gave, preparing the way of the Lord, next the baptism of Jesus when the Father’s voice was heard from heaven, and then the temptation of Jesus by Satan.
None of these important events in Mark’s gospel allow us the opportunity to hear Jesus himself speak. Our gospel lesson for today records those first words in the gospel of Mark Jesus speaks: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
These first words we hear from Jesus are words that have already been said by prophets before him. ‘Now is the time to repent, the kingdom is here, believe in the gospel.’ John the Baptist taught these things, and even a prophet with a small book of the Bible such as Jonah, preaching the same message of repentance.
The message of repentance is for all people. We heard in the Introit, “He raises the poor from the dust and the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, princes of his people.” The message of repentance Jesus brings unites us all together, rich and poor alike- and the gospel brings us to positions of glory and honor in God’s kingdom.
Although the Lord is high above all nations and His glory above the heavens, he sees us and has regard for us, even as low as we are.
In this world we live in, there are many people we might struggle to think that they deserve God’s mercy. Those who are just too low, the criminals, the pedophiles, the drug dealers and those who scoff at God.
Jonah struggled in this way. He was not afraid for his safety that he first resisted following God’s command to go to Nineveh and preach the message the Lord gave to him. Instead, he ran from this calling, he ran as far as he could West toward Spain- the other side of the known world from Nineveh. He wanted nothing to do with delivering a message of mercy to a people who were known in the ancient world for their cruelty.
Jonah knew that if he were to go to Nineveh, that God’s Word is so powerful that the people would very likely change their ways. It sounds like a strange thing to worry about, ‘what if people repent and change their ways.’ What if the worst of our enemies become our brothers and sisters in the kingdom?
What if everything we knew and expected about how the church should be was suddenly changed? Those we expected to be the good influences in our life perhaps going their own way, and those who we saw as bad should become as brothers and sisters?
The worry Jonah has is probably unique in the scripture, but even in the immaturity and selfishness of Jonah not wanting to see Nineveh saved, there is still with Jonah a strong faith and belief in the power of God’s Word.
Today we as the church struggle to see this power of the Word. We look at the culture around us and think- people do not want anything to do with the church, and that is just the way it is. It does not even cross our minds to worry about what if the most rough around the edges people we can think of should hear God’s Word and believe.
We don’t give much thought to the possibility that the people who lead demonstrations with billboards and signs against our church, may one day be our brothers and sisters in Christ.
After Jonah learned the hard way how foolish it was to run away from his calling as a prophet to Nineveh, after he was cast into the sea and rescued by a great fish which spit him upon dry land, Jonah heard the Word of the Lord a second time that he was to give the message to the great city that was told to him. The message given to Jonah to speak was very simple, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”
How could this one sentence message make such a difference? This one sentence contained the information that Nineveh faced God’s destruction, that their evil was no longer to be tolerated, and that the God of Israel cares enough about them to give the warning and time for repentance- 40 days. This message contained law and gospel, God’s condemnation of sin and God’s mercy to all.
The power of the message was so great that the people of Nineveh believed God. They all took the position of the needy on the ash heap, fasting and wearing sackcloth. Even the great king, when word reached him of Nineveh’s pending destruction, even he covered himself in sackcloth and ashes.
The king made a decree for repentance throughout the land and said: “Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who know? God may turn and relent from this fierce anger so that we may not perish.” Even though they were not Jews, they repented and believed the Lord’s prophet Jonah, and they were saved from destruction.
The message Jesus gave was just as simple as the message Jonah was given to speak: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Jesus was saying right now is the time to repent, because he is here among them- God’s kingdom is at hand in Him.
Nineveh was given 40 days before destruction. And the time is short for us as well. St. Paul remarks in our Epistle reading, the present form of this world is passing away. Jesus may return on any day. We cannot afford to put all of our importance in the things of this world, whether it is in having a wife or family, or a job, we cannot afford to let the things of this world prevent us from receiving the kingdom of God.
Jesus called Simon and Andrew, James and John to leave their fishing nets and follow Him. The time was at hand for them to leave the things of this world, repent and follow Jesus. They may still have fished for a living after they were called by Jesus, but no longer would the responsibilities of this world distract them or get in the way of their seeing the coming of the kingdom in Jesus. One word from the Lord was enough to change the course of their lives.
The people of Nineveh would still go on with the same business of raising cattle, growing crops and all that occupies a city of great size. But now they had the opportunity to turn from and abandon their evil ways, as they saw the LORD’s great mercy to them.
The people of Corinth who St. Paul wrote would continue to live in marriages and all those other activities that daily life brings. But instead of only concerning themselves with worldly things about how to provide a living for their spouses, the people may now live with the sense of urgency in their faith that the time is now at hand.
We hear the same message today that Nineveh heard, and the people of Galilee heard- the time is fulfilled, we are called to repent and believe in the gospel.
As we follow Him we will continue to manage the affairs of our daily life. But instead of putting all of our focus on how to please an employer or spouse, we can see in Jesus that the greatest need is to continue to grow and abound in God’s kingdom.
Whether we are well organized in the affairs of our life or just scrapping by, the situation is the same for all of us, we come before Jesus with the full weight of our sin and we give it to Him. And He promises that He will lift us out of the ash heap and exalt us to follow Him.
A Christmas Letdown?
Why are we here again? Weren’t we just here a few days ago? Didn’t we cover every gospel reading about the birth of Jesus and sing all of the classic Christmas hymns between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day? What more is there to say? How can you top the celebration of Christmas?
On those years where Sunday follows Christmas fairly closely, there is perhaps an unspoken assumption that we are all going to be tired of each other, like an out of town family visit that lasts a little bit too long.
It is normal to feel a sense of a letdown after Christmas, just like after Easter Sunday. The larger crowd of Christmas Eve thinned out, nobody is video recording this service, the Poinsettias are gradually making their way to people’s homes. And the radio stations, you can’t count on them to play Christmas music anymore.
The winter is only just starting and short sleep or lapses to our routine from Christmas can start to catch up with us, and we can be more irritable than usual toward people in our lives. How quickly things can go from a high to a low! How easily we can end up putting peace and goodwill toward man on a shelf, stored away in a big box with the Christmas decorations.
But as we know, Christmas is not over. We heard God’s Word celebrating the power of Christmas in the world at the start of our worship service: “The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God. Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things!”
Considering that God’s Word is the balm for all our ills and troubles, it is a good thing that Sunday is already here, and we are gathered for worship, and we can experience not a post Christmas let down, but an extension of the celebration of Christmas into our daily faith life.
“Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things!” Although we already know the story of Christmas, when we live out the promises of our faith in the world we are singing a new song, we are alive in Him through faith. The Christmas story continues with our response of faith to the news of the birth of the Savior. We might even say it is the fulfillment of the story.
Our Epistle reading from Galatians begins with a message about fulfillment. “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law.”
The fullness of time refers to God’s plan reaching its moment of ultimate ripeness for our salvation. This fullness was achieved through the work of God’s Word over thousands of years in the messages of all the prophets, preparing Israel for the coming of her Savior.
And the time had also reached its fullness in the form of the growth and development of the world population. Events in history provided the rise and fall of empires to the point where the people of Israel were dispersed throughout the ancient world, connected by common languages and roads.
But this was not a spiritually prosperous time, but a time of great darkness as people throughout the ancient world looked to false gods instead of the one true God. The fullness of time included the world’s readiness and need to hear the good news of the birth of Jesus.
It was the right time for us to hear the message. At worship on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day we heard about the events of Jesus’ birth, God’s loving action in our world- The Word becoming flesh. Now we hear about the birth of Jesus in scripture verses that include pronouns like ‘us’ and ‘you’ , and those. Listen in our Old Testament reading from Isaiah how often God’s people are the subject of the scripture.
“The nations shall see your righteousness, and all kings your glory, and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will give. You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.”
What a magnificent image, we are compared to as a crown in the hand of our God. A Diadem, a band of jewels that kings and queens wear. Fashion accessories are intended to highlight the beauty of the person wearing them. The jewels add something to the appearance of the wearer and confirm something of importance.
We are jewels in the hand of our God because Jesus has saved us without any of our own contribution. Our existence in the family of God is a testament to God’s greatness. It is the second part of the Christmas story- our adoption as Sons and daughters of our God.
There is so much in the short reading from Galatians. It may not be as picturesque and descriptive as the gospel of Luke, but Paul tells all of the important details of the Christmas story, the Word becoming flesh, and includes one more purpose clause “to redeem those under the law so that we might receive adoption as sons. “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts.”
Through the Holy Spirit we have been born into a living faith and adopted into God’s kingdom. When Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary it was the greatest miracle in history, God became man. This is something only the Holy Spirit could accomplish.
This same Holy Spirit performed a miracle of much lower profile in each of our lives, giving us the gift of New life in Christ. For only through the miracle of God’s work in the waters of Holy Baptism could we have spiritual life.
It is only through this miracle of our Sonship in Christ that our lives can break out of the cycle of repetition that all of creation is destined for. The type of repetition that makes us feel periods of let down or discouragement.
As Solomon declared in Ecclesiastes: “The sun rises and the sun goes down , and then goes back to the place where it rises.” Inspired by the Holy Spirit Solomon wrote about how everything in life comes and goes and does not last: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”
In Christ our lives have more than a predictable cycle of beginnings and endings. In Christ we sing a new song, our lives are entirely different than other lives in history because we have the Spirit of the God who has entered into our history, and who is living in our hearts.
We see this difference to our lives in the close of our Epistle lesson: “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying Abba Father!” Because we are sons we call on God as Abba Father. This is the same address as Jesus uses in the Lord’s Prayer.
We only can say “Our Father” because we have been made sons through the Holy Spirit. Only because of the miracle of Christmas can we have the sonship with our God that we can address God as Father in our prayers and in our worship.
We began reflecting on how easy it can be to have a post Christmas let down where we wonder what is next and feel the weight of life responsibilities outside of celebrating Christmas. As we have looked to God’s Word in faith we see the fulfillment of the birth of Jesus on that first Christmas connects with our lives in our own birth by the Holy Spirit, our adoption as God’s children.
This birth from above gives us a purpose in life that does not know let downs. Because in Jesus we have everything we need, and He does not disappear from our lives as a letdown. Like Simeon in the temple we may find in the gift of salvation a fulfillment that nothing else in the world can match.
And like Simeon we can confess “Lord now you let your servant depart in peace, according to your word, for my own eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples.” We confess that in looking upon Jesus in faith our life is without question complete and fulfilled. Amen.
Receive Food without price!
It seems the Bible has a paid advertisement in it. The kind of appeal that reflects the wisdom of advertising marketing 101. Already with our Old Testament reading we heard the pitch: “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.”
“Listen diligently to me and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.” The gift of salvation God gives us is portrayed as a rich meal. This is an invitation to dine at the table of the eternal God. Come to the table, the feast is spread!
Buy food without money and without price. This is one of those appeals that sounds too good to be true. Where does all the free abundant food come from? How good could this feast be that we do not put any money into? What is the catch?
Sometimes when a paid advertisement makes you second guess things, it is helpful to ask what story does the money trail tell? If you know who or what group spent money on the ad, then you have an idea of where things started. In the case of this ad in Isaiah chapter 55, the money trail does tell a great deal.
Just a few chapters earlier, Isaiah chapter 53- the chapter that is quoted in our Lord’s Passion accounts. In that chapter there is record of the most significant cost paid in the history of the world.
“He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And as one who men hide their faces, he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities.”
Sound familiar, of course. Jesus’ final few days on this earth. He is rejected and beaten. He is whipped and bloodied. You can picture how the Roman soldiers despised him. You have seen pictures of His wounds and that he was so crushed he could not even carry his own cross to his execution. Stricken, smitten, afflicted.
Jesus does all this to set the table with the richest of foods. He bore our griefs. He carried our sorrows. He was wounded for our transgressions. He has all of our sin and iniquity on His shoulders. And by His stripes we are healed.
On that cross he prepares forgiveness for that iniquity. By that suffering the table is covered with salvation. His death puts eternal life on our plates. And though undeserving of this gift, he calls us all to come.
How can this be, as undeserving as we are that Jesus does all this just for us, so that we may be guests at the feast? What manner of love is this?
The people of Israel complained about free food provided to them. They wanted more variety, more richness than the manna that came down from heaven. They were too focused on the food itself instead of the miraculous activity happening before them, The Lord providing for them all they needed on their journey to the promised land. Somehow they lost sight of the amazing gift of love.
Sometimes if you build up your expectations with food too much you might find disappointment. After all, contrary to what billboards on the highway may want us to believe, there is more to life than eating food.
God provides us with all that we need, and if we only focus on the food, we might think of how money and other geographical barriers keep us from having the freshest choicest foods the world has to offer. Instead of saying thanks, we could say, I want more. We could miss the big picture that what is truly important is the gift of God’s love present in the food available to us.
My wife and I have been watching a tv series called “Can Somebody feed Phil” its not an original concept, just comedy writer Phil Rosenthal traveling to different regions of the world and sampling food. The food all looks so good because it is always made with care by the people Phil visits.
When other people make food for you, that is half the enjoyment of the food, it is a gift that it is prepared by people who care about us, and before that, the food’s availability and vitality is a gift from God who care for us more than we can see. The rich feast set before us is a gift of Jesus. Jesus prepares the feast.
A significant component of what makes this advertising appeal in Isaiah chapter 55 work so well is that the feast prepared for us is described in stark contrast to the alternative options out there on the market.
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? The things we spend our own money on, the fulfillment we seek on our own is not bread. Sort of like when you get something from a vending machine and see the long list of ingredients with words you can hardly pronounce, where it should just say wheat flour and peanuts- and you think, this is not even real food.
When we seek the fulfilment offered by the billboards and pop up ads of this world, they always let us down. They are attempting to teach something false, that we can be filled and nourished apart from God’s Word. When we seek after things that take us away from God’s Word, we spend our money on what is not bread.
Why do you eat food that is not bread and why do you labor for that which does not satisfy? Apart from the gifts Jesus brings us our labor is always in vain because in this fallen world all our labors always amount to destruction and eventually death.
The punishment of the fall is that Adam would labor and toil in sweat and hardship until death. “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken, for you are dust and to dust you shall return.” The realization that nothing will last is part of what makes the advertisements even more enticing, to make the little bit of life we have satisfying, don’t miss out fulfilling those things on your bucket list.
Our gospel reading helps us to see that Jesus offers so much more than satisfaction while we are fortunate enough to enjoy- before the sands of the hourglass all slip through to the bottom. Jesus offers us bread that satisfies to eternal life. He offers this to everyone, Jesus fed not just the disciples, but the whole crowd in the group called five thousand.
A recent survey about political censorship in America today found that 62% of people today are uncomfortable revealing anything in public about their political beliefs. People in our world today are scared. We are afraid to let others know what we think for fear of the reaction. In fact one of the questions found that 44% of those under the age of 30 think it is acceptable for a company to terminate employment of an executive based on evidence of the person making a donation to a political party that you disagree with.
In other words, a significant percentage of our younger population think that some people should be treated with respect, and those who have different political beliefs than you, should have things important to them like their jobs taken away as punishment for their beliefs. And for those over the age of 30, this belief is not exactly rare either.
This is an illustration of the effects of the fall in our world today. This is part of the toil and futility of the fall, that we should seek to cut down one another because we see things differently. Jesus invites us to an identity that does not bring division, but unity, he brings salvation to all. Jesus invites all who are thirsty to come to him and be satisfied, not just those who vote a certain way.
And Jesus leads His church to proclaim this free gift. From the missionary journeys of St. Paul, to the exile of John on Patmos, the New Testament continues to celebrate the invitation to come.
“The Spirit and the bride say “Come.” And let the one who hears say “Come” and let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.” Revelation 22:17
Listen to the beginning on the Collect prayer: Heavenly Father, though we do not deserve Your goodness, still you provide for all our needs of body and soul. The prayer says it so well. We receive what we have not earned. God shows love to us in all of the things that provide for us body and soul.
God’s Word provides refreshment to our view of our lives. Like windshield wipers clearing away the rain moment by moment, God’s Word helps us to push aside all our own preoccupations with how slowly and painstakingly our daily work comes together and how inefficient we are in our toils. Jesus helps us to see how easy it is for us when we readily receive. He gives us what truly satisfies. Amen.
Pearl of great worth
“The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all he had and bought it.” Such beautiful words, but what do they mean? Why did Jesus tell this parable and the parable of the treasure hidden in a field on the occasion that he did?
We know that Jesus used parables as a teaching tool about the mysteries of God’s kingdom and heaven. Some have called parables Earthly stories with heavenly meanings. But parables are more than a bunch of stories that make understanding God’s kingdom easier.
They are intended to encourage and build up faith. Jesus recognized how difficult it is to live in God’s kingdom in the fallen world we live in. The parable of the treasure in the field and the Pearl of Great Price contain elements of hiddenness. The treasure is buried, the pearl needed to be discovered.
Jesus knows the difficulty we face, He knew the temptation the disciples had of falling away. In response to the difficulty, in response to the hiddenness of God’s kingdom he tells parables of comfort to believers describing how precious we are to him. Parables describing his great love for us where he paid all to obtain us.
The parable of treasure and the parable of the great pearl start with the memorable formula: “The kingdom of heaven is like… In every instance in the gospel of Matthew where Jesus begins a parable with “The kingdom of heaven is like” the main character or central thing described in the parable is always Jesus. The parables all describe the how Jesus brings the kingdom of God to the world. The parable of the pearl of great value is no different.
In the past the church has generally understood that the pearl of great value represents Jesus, and we as believers give up everything we have in order to obtain Him. Recognizing that He is worth more than anything else in the world. In a basic sense it is true that God’s kingdom is worth more than anything else we could have or desire.
But if we follow the specific details of the parable, nowhere else in the scripture is it the case that people can make a financial transaction to possess God. Jesus is not our possession. We are God’s beloved possession. Instead the rest of scripture indicates that Jesus sold all he had to buy us. He paid for us with his precious blood. Jesus did not hesitate, out of love for us, the pearl of great price he gave up his life on the cross.
We as the church are the treasure that is buried in the field and purchased with eager marvelous joy. We are hidden among the world, we are the wheat hidden among the weeds.
Several years ago Nicholas Cage starred in a movie about discovering a vast treasure hidden by some of the founding fathers of the United States, National Treasure. This was a very far fetched story, but I have to admit, the prospect of finding such treasure does sound exciting. Not just gold and silver, but also historical records, scrolls from the ancient library at Alexandria before it burned down.
However through the eyes of our faith we see that that finding such a treasure would be of limited value, and would only bring temporary joy. We know the real treasures of this world are not what we can find, but instead true treasure is God finding us and showing us His perfect love.
God knows how precious we are. Because of God’s love we have become a treasure, beloved for eternity.
The small daughter of a famous artist was once asked which child was her mother’s favorite. The little girl replied: “She loves Jimmy the best because he’s the oldest, and she loves Johnny the best because he’s the youngest. And she loves me best because I am the only girl.”
Parents have their own imperfect way of loving each child best. Even more so, God loves us personally, no matter what our life experience is or what we have accomplished in life. Jesus wants us to recognize that we are all precious in His sight, all the pearl of great worth.
When you know someone loves you, it makes you feel your worth so much more. Even more so we feel our worth knowing that we have such worth in God’s eyes.
If young men and women in our churches could understand what great worth they have, how different might the decisions be that our youth make. If youth were properly taught what a treasure they are to Jesus, how much less would be the temptations of the treasures of popularity with peers, material pursuits and pursuits of vanity.
If parents understood the worth they are to God, how much more confidently and joyfully might they raise their children in the faith! How sad that the joy of God’s kingdom is so often hidden among us.
We considered earlier how parables bring to light truths that are hidden. How unlikely and improbable that the kingdom of our living God should be hidden. God made the world and yet His kingdom is hidden in the very world He made. The hiddenness is because of the reign of sin.
Because of sin some people do not see it, some people go on about their lives completely content to be without God’s kingdom. Right before our gospel reading for today is the parable of the weeds- which describes how the wheat is hidden among the weeds. True believers are hidden among the weeds of unbelievers, and all will be harvested at the last day.
Even we as God’s people also experience the hiddenness of His kingdom. Sure, we see the glory of God in worship and in the gifts of forgiveness. But we also see so many disappointments and deep hurts within our lives and within the church. One theologian noted that the church is the only army that goes after its own wounded.
In our Old Testament reading we hear how the people of Israel are not more numerous than other people. In other words they are not stronger, or more powerful. There is nothing about them that makes them better than any other peoples of the world. By outward appearance they are just like anyone else, maybe even less noteworthy. What is special about them is hidden.
Yet because God has chosen them as a people of his own possession. What is hidden among them is the great treasure of God’s love. This treasure is what makes them so special. “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.”
The treasure of being God’s people is what makes us blessed. Though God’s kingdom may feel to us as if it is hidden. God’s Word makes clear that we are a people of His own possession. Bought by Jesus, there is nothing hidden or secret about the inheritance we have. In fact nothing can take us away from this heritage.
The parables in our gospel reading help us to see how valuable it is to be God’s treasured possession. And just like Jesus fought and gave all He had to obtain us, we meet his love with the same passion so that Jesus is for us is like the treasure we would not trade for anything, He is for us the pearl of great price we value above all. No longer is the meaning of our lives in a sense hidden.
We heard from our reading in Romans how because of God’s plan to conform us to the image of His Son, nothing can separate us from His love:
“because God foreknew us he also predestined us to be conformed to the image of his Son… those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”
If we are persecuted, we see that the treasure of God’s kingdom is worth more than our wealth in this world or even our material safety. People may think they are taking things away from us, but the true treasure is hidden and they cannot take it.
This treasure we have we value so much that we want others to share in our joy. Even though we do not buy the treasure, we can still use the resources God gives us to help others to know Jesus. We do not want the treasure to remain hidden from others. Because the treasure means everything to us we are willing to do what it takes to keep our church cared for and an inviting place for new people to visit.
Through its history we in the church have always been willing to make sacrifices of our time to provide connection points with others through outreach activities, through fellowship events and topical Bible studies.
Because we value the kingdom above all else we can approach our lives with joy! Our priorities in life are clear. We cannot be slowed down worries and anxieties about our possessions, our popularity or how well the things of this kingdom are going. Stock market updates? Irrelevant to the treasure of God’s kingdom. The latest poll on political directions of the country- nothing that can separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus, nothing that changes what is most important to us. We have taken God’s promises and hid them securely in our hearts.
We are God’s treasured possession, As we heard in the Gradual with Psalm 125 “Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, from this time forth and forevermore. The Lord surrounds and protects his treasured possession. How beautiful those words are!
God Forms us
In our Old Testament reading from Isaiah chapter 44 we hear an in depth and majestic description of God’s standing as creator and by comparison the folly of all false gods that are created by man.
“I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.” This message was given to Isaiah to share to the people of Israel who were away from their homes in exile for their past sins. Should someone claim to have another god who can save and deliver them, they are asked to come forward. “Who is like me? Let him proclaim it”
God asks followers of false idols to come forward and provide evidence to the court to prove their worth. Can they predict the future? Can they hold together a people from ancient times to follow them, delivering the people in time of need and prospering their way? The LORD asks what results false idols have ever brought to the world.
In the verses that begin chapter 44, which is not included in our lectionary reading for this morning, we hear the most important reason there is no God like YHWH, because God alone formed Israel.
Isaiah 44:1-2
But now hear, O Jacob my servant, Israel whom I have chosen! 2 Thus says the Lord who made you, who formed you from the womb and will help you: Fear not, O Jacob my servant, Jeshurun whom I have chosen.
God Formed us from the beginning. Our society may have lost sight of this truth long ago, but no matter the changes in science and technology the fact remains that God formed us and shaped us to be His people. He formed each of us from the womb, just as God first formed Adam of the clay of the earth. We were made exactly how God intended, with God’s life breath.
Genesis 2:7 “Then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living creature.”
”For you formed my inward parts: you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” Psalm 139:13
As our gradual celebrates, how unsearchable are his ways in creating us and forming us with the breath of life. For from him and through him and to him are all things.
We see in the first two verses of Isaiah chapter 44 that Israel has been chosen from the beginning for the purpose of serving God. Israel was formed for the task of doing God’s purposes and Israel can count on God’s protection for this task. “Behold my servant whom I have chosen.”
Christ formed us as His body, the church. Through his betrayal and flogging, through His prayers for those who persecuted him on the cross, Jesus began to build his church. Jesus reconciled all people to himself on the cross and through his resurrection he became the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep , through the persecution of the apostles and the blood of the martyrs, Christ chose his church and formed her to be His servant. We did not build the church ourselves: Through the foundation of Holy Baptism Jesus formed us into His church.
God created us and the church to give glory to Him through our faith and obedience to Him. When people live their lives apart from His design and only for their own sinful pursuits- then they are pursuing things in life that are apart for what we were designed for.
This is like using a tennis racket for playing baseball, or using a baseball bat to play tennis. We would be missing most of the enjoyment of the sport in not sticking with the original design.
Just after the selection of Isaiah 44 that served as our Old Testament reading there begins in verse 9 a description of those who fashion idols. God formed us, and we form idols. Listen to the reading as it describes the irony and pathetic nature of how people create their own gods and worship them. The reading gives a picture of the folly of pretending that we can create gods that can save us.
Isaiah 44:9-20
9 All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame. 10 Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing? 11 Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human. Let them all assemble, let them stand forth. They shall be terrified; they shall be put to shame together.
12 The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint. 13 The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil. He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house.
14 He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. 15 Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it. 16 Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, “Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!” 17 And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!”
18 They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. 19 No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” 20 He feeds on ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”
It is sad to hear this description. There is a sense of the man’s pride in what he accomplishes with using wood and fire- but this pride is tragically misplaced. It has led to a false idol worship. And what is more we heard the LORD has shut their eyes so they cannot see and their ears so they cannot understand- so that the unbeliever does not stop to think “Is there a lie in my right hand?” God formed us and we form gods.
In our current time there are a lot of things we design and create in terms of food crop varieties, animal breeding, and technology innovations, When it comes to technology most of what we create is simply an innovation or variation of what has already been invented in the past. When it comes to genetic modifications, we are only taking the life God has already created and focusing on certain traits to express them more.
If we recognize innovations and cultivations as a gift from the LORD we are thankful for his gifts of creation. When we take the credit ourselves we begin to form idols out of what we make.
Of course we can’t create a person from clay- or anything that is actually living. Did you ever hear about the famous Miller experiment from 1952 where he and a partner claimed to have simulated early conditions of the earth and built amino acids- the building blocks of proteins? This was an energizing concept for evolutionists, that they could simulate past conditions and build molecules.
Of course it did not prove anything, the amino acids were not such that could build life, the gases used would not survive in an oxygen rich environment which current research identifies was present in the atmosphere in all geology and fossil records. And most importantly the experiment proposes no explanation for the design and order necessary for cells to function. This experiment was simply a foundation in the false idol of scientific pursuits. When it comes to making the conditions of life, man is helpless.
Despite the folly of our sinful human nature, despite the false idols we make of money and wealth and savings, or popularity and social standing, or nutrition and health, appearance or politics or family reputation and success- God still loves us and cares for us and actively works to form us away from false idols and into His image.
Isaiah 44:21-28: Remember these things, O Jacob, and Israel, for you are my servant; I formed you; you are my servant; O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me. 22 I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you.23 Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it; shout, O depths of the earth; break forth into singing, O mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the Lord has redeemed Jacob, and will be glorified in Israel.
24 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb:
“I am the Lord, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself, 25 who frustrates the signs of liars and makes fools of diviners, who turns wise men back and makes their knowledge foolish, 26 who confirms the word of his servant and fulfills the counsel of his messengers, who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited,’ and of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built, and I will raise up their ruins’; 27 who says to the deep, ‘Be dry; I will dry up your rivers’; 28 who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd, and he shall fulfill all my purpose’; saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,’ and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’”
God is forming us: Listen how the God who is there promised to Israel in the time of exile a future through the promise that Jerusalem would be inhabited, the cities of Judah built. God even references forming and shaping the landscape to save Israel as in the case of the deliverance from Pharaoh when, deep rivers became dry.
God formed Israel through the oath he led King Cyrus to make: Saying of Jerusalem she shall be built and of the temple, Your foundation shall be laid.
God did not create us and leave us be. He forms us with His Word. And he redeems us. In this chapter God provides rescue and redemption from bondage through use of a king of another nation- Cyrus. Cyrus was used to fulfill God’s purposes. Now in these last days he has spoken to us through His Son Jesus Christ. Like Cyrus was for the people in exile longing for return, Jesus is our Shepherd who unites us with the Father’s will.
Jesus forms us to call those who are captive by false idols to know his joy. Jesus forms us to be light to the world. Jesus forms us to be his own and live under Him in his kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. Amen.