Feb. 28th sermon

Here is my sermon from the Second Sunday in Lent, Feb. 28:

Lent 2
Feb. 28, 2010
Luke 13:31-35
In praise of rejection

In the name of Jesus, amen. Rejection hurts. That is a simple truth that remains true regardless of what stage of life you find yourself in. I worked through college to help pay for books. My primary job was a janitor in the campus community center but whenever the opportunity to make extra money rose, I took it. One of my jobs was to make phone calls for what was called the phonathon. We’d call alumni and ask for money. That’s not too far-fetched of a thing to do. Lots of universities call their alumni and ask for money for the dear old alma mater. The challenge that I faced was that overwhelming majority of the alumni I was calling were Lutheran pastors, parochial school teachers, parish musicians, stay-at-home moms. I heard ‘No’ an awful lot. It was quite depressing.

Jesus, in spite of being the rejected prophet, still will journey to Jerusalem, the rejected city. Nothing anyone could do, not even Jerusalem’s own rejection of her Savior, will prevent Jesus from coming to her one more time, the one more time that also brings Jesus to us.

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Right? If that is true, then what hell and fury awaits those who scorn a mother hen who longs to gather her chicks under her wing. What fury is in story for those who spurn their Creator? What hell lies ahead for those who would dare to destroy the one sent to save them from that fury?

Amazingly, Jesus goes to the city that has rejected the prophets of God. He is walking into the lion’s den because Jesus longs to gather them, all who reject him, just as Jesus longs to gather us. When Jerusalem has earned only wrath, Jesus will still go to gather.

Deceits and threats would not dissuade Jesus. Jesus had set his face toward Jerusalem and he was going to go. The Pharisees sound so helpful. They sound like they care about Jesus. Don’t go to Jerusalem because Herod wants to kill you. But if Jesus doesn’t go, what would happen to Jesus’ reputation? Jesus would be discredited in the eyes of the people, and if Jesus was discredited, who would gain? The Pharisees. They care, but their care is only for themselves. Anyone who wants to be a leader among the Jews must go to Jerusalem and establish himself. If they can keep Jesus from reaching the city of David, then the Pharisees would be helped again. The Pharisees had already rejected Jesus and his purpose, so do not be deceived by the Pharisees ploy of helpfulness.

There were real threats facing Jesus. Our lesson is from the 13th chapter of Luke. Already in Luke 6 we find talk of death and plotting against Jesus. Going to Jerusalem will really be the death of Jesus.

Jesus was very clear with his disciples of what it meant to go to Jerusalem. Jesus was going to suffer rejection, but also to be betrayed, arrested, put on trial, suffer at the hands of sinners, and be crucified. So Jesus goes ahead with his plans to go to Jerusalem even though he knows that rejection awaits him like a slap in the face.

The false threats of Herod will not deter Jesus. But neither will the real threats. Jerusalem had a long history of rejecting and killing the prophets that God sent to them. Jeremiah faced death and others experienced it.

Jesus, the very Son of God, sent by the Father, for the reclamation and redemption of the world, is the true Prophet. Going to Jerusalem is his duty. Jesus goes to Jerusalem and his death in willing obedience to his Father.

Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem thus becomes the way of life for his every follower. A disciple of Christ cannot be deceived when life seems to offer an easier, safer way. We’d like to avoid confrontation, embarrassment, sacrifices for our faith. As we are bound together in love, we do make sacrifices, do we not? We make sacrifices of our time. We realize the shallow chase for pleasure and ease that many of our neighbors make and we sacrifice some of the comforts of life for the sake of others. We make financial sacrifices. All the money that we raised for Haiti relief could have been used to buy yourself a new TV, to take advantage of the President’s Day sale at Dick’s Sporting Goods to buy yourself a new golf club. We are helping our brother Jim with his tuition expense at the seminary knowing that Jim is being formed to serve brothers and sisters in Christ with the gospel. And these are people that we might not ever meet.

Every Christian lives with this reality: to be a follower of Jesus requires carrying crosses. We must go on Christ’s way today and tomorrow and the next day until we he brings us to his goal. Not our way but Christ’s. Not our goal, but Christ’s.

Jesus goes unafraid to the city of David. Why would he want to when they have rejected him? After all, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Imagine the hell of a God who had been scorned. The Lord has tried and tried and tried again to love these rebels. How many times can one- even God- be hurt and not give up? There were quite a few nights where I left work at the phonathon resolved not to come back, because the ‘nos’ were getting to me. Hearing the stories of our alumni who were struggling to live on their paychecks was depressing, especially as I considered that, God willing, I would be a pastor in a few years!

So we can understand. We’ve reached out, put our feelings on our sleeves, loved or offered our love, and been rejected. It doesn’t take too long before we pull back.

Why go to Jerusalem? Let ‘em rot. That’s what they deserve.

We’re Jerusalemites. How often have we rejected Christ’s love extended to us?

We have been made God’s chosen people. God has given us eternal life and we say, “Ho hum. What have you done for me lately?” Our Lord Christ comes to us today in His Word, at His table, and daily in our Baptism yet we want something more exciting. Do we understand how deserving we are of the fury of a lover scorned?

For their rejection of the Messiah, Jerusalem will be rejected. The beloved city will be destroyed by the Romans in AD 70. Such fury!

So the place of God’s honor is now wherever Christ’s people are gathered around Him in Word and Sacrament. This place is the place of God’s honor. Immense cathedrals and straw huts, where God’s Word is proclaimed and the Sacraments are given in their truth and purity, there is the place of God’s honor.

Jesus’ heart sent him to Jerusalem. “You will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’” On Palm Sunday Jesus would come and he would be acclaimed with those very words. And he would be rejected. And he would be crucified. But that is precisely why he came: to save his people from their sin. Jesus came to gather all who repent under his wing of grace, mercy, peace, and love.

By his rejection we are saved. In spite of our rejections, God gathers us through the proclamation of the eternal Gospel. And we are now Christ’s chosen people to travel his way with him and there is nothing to deter us. Hell hath no fury for us. Our Prophet has come for us, to us, to save us. SDG