Here is the worship info for Reformation Day, Oct. 31, which actually falls on a Sunday this year.
Hymns
656 A Mighty Fortress
794 The Lord, My God, Be Praised
556 Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice
782 Gracious God, You Send Great Blessings
582 God's Word is Our Great Heritage
806 Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart (post-communion hymn)
578 Thy Strong Word
Scripture Lessons
Revelation 14:6-7
Psalm 46
Romans 3:19-28
John 8:31-36
Collect of the Day
Almighty and gracious Lord, pour out Your Holy Spirit on Your faithful people. Keep us steadfast in Your grace and truth, protect and deliver us in times of temptation, defend us against all enemies, and grant to Your Church Your saving peace; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
May God bless our meditation and preparation for worship!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Apparently...
the NBA season has started. I am familiar with all the goings-on over the summer. And I really could care less. I haven't watched an NBA game for at least 7 years. It's just not appealing to me.
I 'follow' (a word loosely used) the NBA because I listen to ESPN Radio throughout the day when I'm done listening to Issues, Etc. So I know that the Lakers are defending champs, that John Wall is going to lead the Wizards to mediocrity (which is a remarkable thing.)
But I don't watch the NBA. If I turn on ESPN at night and a game is on, I turn the channel. It's just not appealing to me.
I don't have the time to invest in the NBA. Just like baseball, I don't have the time to sit and watch a game. The regular season is too long. The games are filled with mediocre players.
Both baseball and basketball need to whack a few teams. Contract and get rid of the mediocre players. Then the quality of the game will get better, the product will be more compelling, and I might come back.
I 'follow' (a word loosely used) the NBA because I listen to ESPN Radio throughout the day when I'm done listening to Issues, Etc. So I know that the Lakers are defending champs, that John Wall is going to lead the Wizards to mediocrity (which is a remarkable thing.)
But I don't watch the NBA. If I turn on ESPN at night and a game is on, I turn the channel. It's just not appealing to me.
I don't have the time to invest in the NBA. Just like baseball, I don't have the time to sit and watch a game. The regular season is too long. The games are filled with mediocre players.
Both baseball and basketball need to whack a few teams. Contract and get rid of the mediocre players. Then the quality of the game will get better, the product will be more compelling, and I might come back.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Sermon for Oct. 24
Twenty Second Sunday after Pentecost
Oct. 24, 2010
Luke 18:9-17
God, be merciful to me, a _________!
In the name of Jesus, amen. In case you were unaware, and you very well might be because there are plenty of other things that demand our attention, we follow what is called a lectionary. It is a series of readings for the Sundays in the church year. Over a three year cycle we are privileged to hear some wonderful lessons from the Bible, from the Old Testament, from the letters in the New Testament, and from the blessed Gospels of our Lord Jesus Christ. This year happens to be Year C, and it is the Year of Luke. I hope you’ve noticed that all of our Gospel lessons this summer have come to us from Luke’s pen. What a tremendous portrait of Jesus we have been blessed to receive.
Today’s Gospel lesson does not deviate from presenting Christ. It does not shift our attention to anyone but our Savior, our Redeemer, the One who spent his very life seeking and saving the lost.
In our lesson, we might get the impression that we have been transported back in time. When the text says “Jesus also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt” it should feel as if the room got a little hotter, our collar got a little tighter, and that some unknown critter keeps poking us in the ribs.
Self-righteousness is a problem. It is a human problem. You might hear it called as justifying your own sin, or as having a holier-than-thou attitude and that your excrement doesn’t stink. Or it is simply being dismissive, judgmental of others, and hypocritical.
Whatever we want to call it or however we care to define it, it is a problem. It is a people problem and it is our problem.
Jesus highlights two people, and they represent two groups. Jesus uses a Pharisee as one example. This Pharisee belonged to the group who trusted in themselves that they were righteous. Lord, I thank you that I am not like… Who? Fill in the blank.
The living Word has been spoken in our ears and to our hearts this morning. God, I thank you that I am not like: the cheaters, the haters, the adulterers, the extortioners, the bullies, the arrogant, the proud. We could be more specific and call out the gamblers, the porn addicted, the substance abusers, the liars, the credit stealers, the pedophiles, the people who abuse the elderly, the people who prey on the weak and defenseless, those who abuse the environment and suck all the natural resources they can without having any regard for anybody else.
Calling out sinners is kind of fun, especially when we delude ourselves into thinking it’s not us. I thank you God that I am not like them. You must be pretty pleased with me God. You must feel lucky to have me as your child. I tithe. I show up for things. I fast. I pray with fancy words and a loud voice. I volunteer at homeless shelters. I help old people across the street. I don’t cheat on my tests at school. I am kind to kittens and puppies. I call my parents once a week.
The Pharisee left the temple thinking “What a good boy am I!” We go to sleep at night contemplating the Ten Commandments and check off the ones we have kept. My ledger is clean and so is my conscious, I’ll go to sleep in peace. We pray for all the others, that they could sleep as soundly as we do.
This tax collector also was in the temple at the same time as the Pharisee. He dared not even raise his eyes to heaven. He beat his breast saying “Mea culpa! Mea culpa! Mea maxima culpa!” That is, “My fault. My fault. My own most grievous fault!”
What could the tax collecter say but what St. Luke records? “God be merciful to me, a sinner!” Tom the tax collector knew it. He lived with that knowledge. He knew that others knew it. He knew that God knew it.
He said the only thing that could be said. There was no sense hiding behind false words. It would have done no good to pretend at pious living. The tax collector, standing far off, figuratively stripped himself bare before God and begged for mercy.
Mercy is a beautiful spot to be in. And mercy is found at the intersection of Love and Forgiveness. The tax collector sought mercy and he found it. God loves and God forgives.
Sometimes we love yet are not forgiving. Sometimes we forgive without loving the other person, we forgive reluctantly. And so our mercy is not where it should be.
But it is imperative to remember who we are- we are imperfect people. We are tax collectors and extortioners. We are adulterers and abusers. We are arrogant, proud, judgmental, hypocritical. We seek the spotlight and broadcast loudly all the wonderful things that we do. We think unkindly of others who disagree with us and demean them for disagreeing. We pick on those who are weaker, who cannot defend themselves.
And when we look in God’s mirror of the Law, what is our position, our posture? We fall on our knees. We hang our heads. We beat our breast: Mea maxima culpa! God be merciful to me, a cheater, a slanderer, a lazy self-centered, self-gratifying human being. God be merciful to me a sinner. God love this loveless creature. God forgive this hard-hearted wretch.
I tell you, says Jesus, this man went down to his house justified.
We fall on our knees. We won’t even look God in the eyes. We beat our breasts and repent. God picks us up. God lifts up our faces so that we can see His love. He takes our repentance and gives His forgiveness. At the intersection of love and forgiveness, at the foot of the cross, we stand in God’s mercy. We stand justified before God for the sake of His one and only Son who came to die our death so that we might live today. So that we might live eternally!
It’s a beautiful story, our Gospel lesson today. It’s a human story that deals with a human problem. We dare not trust in ourselves that we are righteous, because we know how that story ends. We trust Christ our Lord. We know how that story ends too, in the empty grave of Jesus, in our own empty graves at the Last Day, when the merciful Christ comes to bring all believers to Himself in heaven. God be merciful to me, your child, your beloved, your redeemed. For the sake of Christ, we return to our homes, we go out into the world justified, strengthened to share and live the hope that is found at the intersection of love and forgiveness. To God alone be all the glory, amen.
Oct. 24, 2010
Luke 18:9-17
God, be merciful to me, a _________!
In the name of Jesus, amen. In case you were unaware, and you very well might be because there are plenty of other things that demand our attention, we follow what is called a lectionary. It is a series of readings for the Sundays in the church year. Over a three year cycle we are privileged to hear some wonderful lessons from the Bible, from the Old Testament, from the letters in the New Testament, and from the blessed Gospels of our Lord Jesus Christ. This year happens to be Year C, and it is the Year of Luke. I hope you’ve noticed that all of our Gospel lessons this summer have come to us from Luke’s pen. What a tremendous portrait of Jesus we have been blessed to receive.
Today’s Gospel lesson does not deviate from presenting Christ. It does not shift our attention to anyone but our Savior, our Redeemer, the One who spent his very life seeking and saving the lost.
In our lesson, we might get the impression that we have been transported back in time. When the text says “Jesus also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt” it should feel as if the room got a little hotter, our collar got a little tighter, and that some unknown critter keeps poking us in the ribs.
Self-righteousness is a problem. It is a human problem. You might hear it called as justifying your own sin, or as having a holier-than-thou attitude and that your excrement doesn’t stink. Or it is simply being dismissive, judgmental of others, and hypocritical.
Whatever we want to call it or however we care to define it, it is a problem. It is a people problem and it is our problem.
Jesus highlights two people, and they represent two groups. Jesus uses a Pharisee as one example. This Pharisee belonged to the group who trusted in themselves that they were righteous. Lord, I thank you that I am not like… Who? Fill in the blank.
The living Word has been spoken in our ears and to our hearts this morning. God, I thank you that I am not like: the cheaters, the haters, the adulterers, the extortioners, the bullies, the arrogant, the proud. We could be more specific and call out the gamblers, the porn addicted, the substance abusers, the liars, the credit stealers, the pedophiles, the people who abuse the elderly, the people who prey on the weak and defenseless, those who abuse the environment and suck all the natural resources they can without having any regard for anybody else.
Calling out sinners is kind of fun, especially when we delude ourselves into thinking it’s not us. I thank you God that I am not like them. You must be pretty pleased with me God. You must feel lucky to have me as your child. I tithe. I show up for things. I fast. I pray with fancy words and a loud voice. I volunteer at homeless shelters. I help old people across the street. I don’t cheat on my tests at school. I am kind to kittens and puppies. I call my parents once a week.
The Pharisee left the temple thinking “What a good boy am I!” We go to sleep at night contemplating the Ten Commandments and check off the ones we have kept. My ledger is clean and so is my conscious, I’ll go to sleep in peace. We pray for all the others, that they could sleep as soundly as we do.
This tax collector also was in the temple at the same time as the Pharisee. He dared not even raise his eyes to heaven. He beat his breast saying “Mea culpa! Mea culpa! Mea maxima culpa!” That is, “My fault. My fault. My own most grievous fault!”
What could the tax collecter say but what St. Luke records? “God be merciful to me, a sinner!” Tom the tax collector knew it. He lived with that knowledge. He knew that others knew it. He knew that God knew it.
He said the only thing that could be said. There was no sense hiding behind false words. It would have done no good to pretend at pious living. The tax collector, standing far off, figuratively stripped himself bare before God and begged for mercy.
Mercy is a beautiful spot to be in. And mercy is found at the intersection of Love and Forgiveness. The tax collector sought mercy and he found it. God loves and God forgives.
Sometimes we love yet are not forgiving. Sometimes we forgive without loving the other person, we forgive reluctantly. And so our mercy is not where it should be.
But it is imperative to remember who we are- we are imperfect people. We are tax collectors and extortioners. We are adulterers and abusers. We are arrogant, proud, judgmental, hypocritical. We seek the spotlight and broadcast loudly all the wonderful things that we do. We think unkindly of others who disagree with us and demean them for disagreeing. We pick on those who are weaker, who cannot defend themselves.
And when we look in God’s mirror of the Law, what is our position, our posture? We fall on our knees. We hang our heads. We beat our breast: Mea maxima culpa! God be merciful to me, a cheater, a slanderer, a lazy self-centered, self-gratifying human being. God be merciful to me a sinner. God love this loveless creature. God forgive this hard-hearted wretch.
I tell you, says Jesus, this man went down to his house justified.
We fall on our knees. We won’t even look God in the eyes. We beat our breasts and repent. God picks us up. God lifts up our faces so that we can see His love. He takes our repentance and gives His forgiveness. At the intersection of love and forgiveness, at the foot of the cross, we stand in God’s mercy. We stand justified before God for the sake of His one and only Son who came to die our death so that we might live today. So that we might live eternally!
It’s a beautiful story, our Gospel lesson today. It’s a human story that deals with a human problem. We dare not trust in ourselves that we are righteous, because we know how that story ends. We trust Christ our Lord. We know how that story ends too, in the empty grave of Jesus, in our own empty graves at the Last Day, when the merciful Christ comes to bring all believers to Himself in heaven. God be merciful to me, your child, your beloved, your redeemed. For the sake of Christ, we return to our homes, we go out into the world justified, strengthened to share and live the hope that is found at the intersection of love and forgiveness. To God alone be all the glory, amen.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
An explanation
Faithful blog followers, I had some technical difficulties this past week with no connection to our network in the office, so there was no blogging. We've gotten a temporary fix, just in time for me to leave for a mini-vacation/pastors conference in Virginia. I'll try to check in from there.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Worship info for 10-10-10
Here is the information for worship on Oct. 10th.
Hymns
528 Oh, For A Thousand Tongues To Sing
846 Your Hand, O Lord, in Days of Old
855 For All the Faithful Women 1,7,3,4
845 Where Charity and Love Prevail
Scripture Lessons
Ruth 1:1-19a
Psalm 111
2 Timothy 2:1-13
Luke 17:11-19
Collect of the Day
Almighty God, You show mercy to Your people in all their troubles. Grant us always to recognize Your goodness, give thanks for Your compassion, and praise Your holy name; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen
May God bless our preparation and meditation for worship.
Hymns
528 Oh, For A Thousand Tongues To Sing
846 Your Hand, O Lord, in Days of Old
855 For All the Faithful Women 1,7,3,4
845 Where Charity and Love Prevail
Scripture Lessons
Ruth 1:1-19a
Psalm 111
2 Timothy 2:1-13
Luke 17:11-19
Collect of the Day
Almighty God, You show mercy to Your people in all their troubles. Grant us always to recognize Your goodness, give thanks for Your compassion, and praise Your holy name; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen
May God bless our preparation and meditation for worship.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Barber-Viering Wedding Sermon
As you can see, here is the wedding sermon from this past Saturday. It was a very nice service, formally casual. And I think the Word was proclaimed and heard, according to the Spirit's promise and presence.
Wedding Sermon for Elijah and Anise
Oct. 2, 2010
1 John 4:7-21; John 15:1-15; Ephesians 5:22-33
In the name of Jesus, who is the glory of the Father’s love and the foundation of Christian marriage, amen.
After a few twists and turns, after some time away, after wondering and wandering, after much discussion, reflection, and prayer, you both are standing where God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit wants you to be. God wants you to be here, in His Church, in this service, in front of all these people who love and support you. God wants you to be here, so that God can do what He is so good at- creating. God has created a beautiful world for us, creating all that is out of nothing. And today, in a few more minutes, God will again create something- Mr. and Mrs. Elijah and Anise Barber. That has never existed before. God is creating something entirely new. And to reveal this new thing, something old is being used as the material.
Love. In all three lessons that you chose for this service, love was at the core. And certainly it is not the generic, run of the mill, common love that is so prevalent today- love for waffle fries, your favorite sports team, your car. The way the word love is thrown around today, one might think that Americans are filled with love, are the kindest people on the face of the earth, and spend their day giving roses to all their siblings, neighbors, strangers, and coworkers.
And the love in our lessons is not the bastardized version of love that is on display. Love is often used as a carrot at best and a weapon at worst. We hold out our love to get others to do what we want. Love becomes manipulative and it then becomes cheapened. You don’t love the other person, you only love yourself, because you have your own best interests at heart. And when this happens, that is when love becomes a weapon and we can hurt people as we manipulate them. We make them jump through so many hoops and do all sorts of tasks to earn our love. How far from God’s love are our expressions of love!
God’s love was revealed when He sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. Love starts with God the Father, flows through Jesus, with the purpose that we find our life in the Lord.
In our conversations the last couple of months, your lives seem pretty good right now. You seem at peace with yourselves and with each other. Life is not easy, but at this time, life seems fairly smooth.
Why might that be? You seem to be hard workers. You appear to be committed to each other. From my perspective, you possess a certain amount of physical, mental, and emotional health. You look fairly creative and intelligent. Apparently people like you, so that is in your favor.
But none of that matters. Strength and health and creativity and the number of friends you have really doesn’t matter as we might consider why things are going fairly well in your lives.
The Scripture readings tell us why things are going well. “In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent His Son to be the atonement for our sins…We love, because He first loved us.”
You’ve approached this day with a tremendous amount of reality. And humility. And more concern for the other than for yourself. And with the knowledge that at the center of your love for Elijah and your love for Anise is a love for the Lord Jesus.
He loves you. In spite of who you are, in spite of what you’ve done, in spite of what you haven’t done, Jesus loves you. And this is because Jesus forgives your sins, mistakes, and errors. Your sins aren’t excused, as if God says, “You lied when you said you didn’t know me? Oh that’s okay.” Sins are forgiven, not excused. God looks at us in our sin and our shame, God hears us express our sorrow and God tenderly and lovingly says, “For the sake of My son Jesus Christ, I forgive your sins.”
That, the love of God, is indeed the foundation for marriage, because the time is coming when sin will rise up in your marriage, when it will flame up like a fire…my hunch is Tuesday.
Today, things are great. She looks good. He looks good. It’s a good thing there are pictures being taken, because, Anise will likely never look like this again. And Elijah won’t either. The time is coming when you’ll say to yourself, “She does that?” And Anise, you’ll scratch your head and say, “Why doesn’t he do what I say?”
According to God’s Word, we know who we are- sinners. Our sinful identity leads to all kinds of sinful activity. Lying, cheating, and stealing exist. And in marriages, spouses take advantage of the other. Spouses manipulate to get their way. If you love me, you’ll do this. If you love me, you’ll change and become who I want you to be.
It happens. I bet there are some people in this room who could share experiences.
So we know who we are. You know who the other person is. With that sort of knowledge, we might hang our heads and never come to this place, never come to marriage.
But more important than knowing ourselves, God knows us and we know God. God is the forgiver. God is the redeemer. God is the healer. So we have the strength to approach God and seek forgiveness for our sin.
There is no fear in love. The love you have for each other removes the fear. You can stand face to face and acknowledge the hurt you cause, your inconsiderate and selfish actions. And you can forgive each other. There is no fear, because your love is rooted in God’s love for you. It is gift, pure gift. God’s gift to you. Your gift to each other. Let us love one another, for love is from God. SDG
Wedding Sermon for Elijah and Anise
Oct. 2, 2010
1 John 4:7-21; John 15:1-15; Ephesians 5:22-33
In the name of Jesus, who is the glory of the Father’s love and the foundation of Christian marriage, amen.
After a few twists and turns, after some time away, after wondering and wandering, after much discussion, reflection, and prayer, you both are standing where God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit wants you to be. God wants you to be here, in His Church, in this service, in front of all these people who love and support you. God wants you to be here, so that God can do what He is so good at- creating. God has created a beautiful world for us, creating all that is out of nothing. And today, in a few more minutes, God will again create something- Mr. and Mrs. Elijah and Anise Barber. That has never existed before. God is creating something entirely new. And to reveal this new thing, something old is being used as the material.
Love. In all three lessons that you chose for this service, love was at the core. And certainly it is not the generic, run of the mill, common love that is so prevalent today- love for waffle fries, your favorite sports team, your car. The way the word love is thrown around today, one might think that Americans are filled with love, are the kindest people on the face of the earth, and spend their day giving roses to all their siblings, neighbors, strangers, and coworkers.
And the love in our lessons is not the bastardized version of love that is on display. Love is often used as a carrot at best and a weapon at worst. We hold out our love to get others to do what we want. Love becomes manipulative and it then becomes cheapened. You don’t love the other person, you only love yourself, because you have your own best interests at heart. And when this happens, that is when love becomes a weapon and we can hurt people as we manipulate them. We make them jump through so many hoops and do all sorts of tasks to earn our love. How far from God’s love are our expressions of love!
God’s love was revealed when He sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. Love starts with God the Father, flows through Jesus, with the purpose that we find our life in the Lord.
In our conversations the last couple of months, your lives seem pretty good right now. You seem at peace with yourselves and with each other. Life is not easy, but at this time, life seems fairly smooth.
Why might that be? You seem to be hard workers. You appear to be committed to each other. From my perspective, you possess a certain amount of physical, mental, and emotional health. You look fairly creative and intelligent. Apparently people like you, so that is in your favor.
But none of that matters. Strength and health and creativity and the number of friends you have really doesn’t matter as we might consider why things are going fairly well in your lives.
The Scripture readings tell us why things are going well. “In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent His Son to be the atonement for our sins…We love, because He first loved us.”
You’ve approached this day with a tremendous amount of reality. And humility. And more concern for the other than for yourself. And with the knowledge that at the center of your love for Elijah and your love for Anise is a love for the Lord Jesus.
He loves you. In spite of who you are, in spite of what you’ve done, in spite of what you haven’t done, Jesus loves you. And this is because Jesus forgives your sins, mistakes, and errors. Your sins aren’t excused, as if God says, “You lied when you said you didn’t know me? Oh that’s okay.” Sins are forgiven, not excused. God looks at us in our sin and our shame, God hears us express our sorrow and God tenderly and lovingly says, “For the sake of My son Jesus Christ, I forgive your sins.”
That, the love of God, is indeed the foundation for marriage, because the time is coming when sin will rise up in your marriage, when it will flame up like a fire…my hunch is Tuesday.
Today, things are great. She looks good. He looks good. It’s a good thing there are pictures being taken, because, Anise will likely never look like this again. And Elijah won’t either. The time is coming when you’ll say to yourself, “She does that?” And Anise, you’ll scratch your head and say, “Why doesn’t he do what I say?”
According to God’s Word, we know who we are- sinners. Our sinful identity leads to all kinds of sinful activity. Lying, cheating, and stealing exist. And in marriages, spouses take advantage of the other. Spouses manipulate to get their way. If you love me, you’ll do this. If you love me, you’ll change and become who I want you to be.
It happens. I bet there are some people in this room who could share experiences.
So we know who we are. You know who the other person is. With that sort of knowledge, we might hang our heads and never come to this place, never come to marriage.
But more important than knowing ourselves, God knows us and we know God. God is the forgiver. God is the redeemer. God is the healer. So we have the strength to approach God and seek forgiveness for our sin.
There is no fear in love. The love you have for each other removes the fear. You can stand face to face and acknowledge the hurt you cause, your inconsiderate and selfish actions. And you can forgive each other. There is no fear, because your love is rooted in God’s love for you. It is gift, pure gift. God’s gift to you. Your gift to each other. Let us love one another, for love is from God. SDG
Sermon for October 3
Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Oct. 3, 2010
Luke 17:1-10
If? If!
In the name of Jesus, amen. There are four letter words, and there are four letter words. You may have heard me say that I know the worst, vilest, harshest, and cruelest of the four letter words. And it is e-x-p-e-c-t-a-t-i-o-n. When you hear what is expected of you, you cannot believe that someone would say such things. And when you drop your expectations on people like a 5-ton bomb, you are really slapping them with something heavy.
Today’s Gospel lesson presents another four letter word for us. It is a word that can cause us to cringe in fear and cry for joy. It is a word that is both sad and celebratory. If…that is today’s four letter word from our Gospel.
If is a very heavy word. We learn this word at a young age and it seems like we never stop hearing it used. If you want presents for Christmas, be a good boy. If you want dessert, eat your vegetables. If you don’t stop pestering your brother, I’ll turn this car around right now.
In our high school years, when we start noticing that girls don’t have cooties and that boys aren’t that disgusting, the word if continues to carry a lot of weight. If you like him, check the box. That’s kind of cute. This isn’t cute: If you love me, you’ll have sex with me. That is so destructive. Those words are so harmful. Even when we get married, our love and our libido get confused.
The “if” conundrum shows up in other places. If you are a loyal worker, you’ll work the extra hours. If you are a loyal worker, you’ll sacrifice time with your family. If you like having a job and receiving a paycheck, especially in this economy, then you’ll like the other way at our questionable ethical practices. “If” is a troubling word because of the position that it puts us in.
Jesus was teaching his disciples, and I believe it is the Twelve, because in a short while the apostles, the twelve men called and chosen and commissioned by the Lord Jesus, will cry out to have their faith increased.
The teaching of Jesus is that temptations to sin will come. They are sure to come. In words that we know, it is not if but when temptations to sin come.
Jesus is being who he is. He is being honest. He is showing himself to be the Lord. He is showing himself to be divine love in the flesh. Jesus knows the struggle that people go through. Jesus was living amongst fallen human beings. The disciples that he called were sinners. The people that Jesus reached out to, invited, ate with, and conversed with, they were sinners as well. And when the time came for Jesus’ arrest and trial and sentencing and execution, well…sinners were right there lying about Jesus, spitting in Jesus’ face and driving the nails into his hands and feet. But Jesus continually reveals himself to be the Lord, to be God for us, God with us.
Temptation to sin is sure to come. The devil is a roaring lion seeking your destruction. So dear disciples, loved learners, pay attention to yourselves.
“If your brother sins, rebuke him.” Yippee! Certainly this is not a question of if but is a matter of when. When my brother hurts me, harms me, lies about me, takes what is mine…rebuke! Let him have it! Let him know how awful he is, what a despot he is being. Play the victim and when mom and dad show up, let the tears flow.
That is certainly a non-Gospel way to talk, to revel in your hurts so that the perpetrator becomes the one who gets hurt.
But…“If your brother sins, rebuke him.” Maybe we need to do more rebuking. But rebuking rarely takes place. We are afraid to label anyone a sinner because it then makes us look sanctimonious, self-righteous, holier-than-thou.
And who really knows what a sin is? Our world has determined that right and wrong no longer exist and that everyone is free to decide what is sin and what is not sin. So nothing is said. Yet there are people, Christians, who presume to sit in God the Father’s seat. They usurp the authority of God and the authority of God’s revealed Word and they judge anyone and everyone.
If your brother sins, let him know. Tell him about it. Tell her that she is a sinner. Warn them of the danger. Warn them that their sin is offensive to God, harmful to themselves, and hurtful to others. Speak the Lord’s words to your brother or sister, that the rebuke is not coming from you, but from the Lord who has called us into a relationship with Him. That is what we are to do when it comes to rebuking the erring brother or sister.
Do not do it harshly. Do not rebuke to belittle the other person and make yourself bigger. Do not rebuke to make the other feel bad and yourself feel good. That is not helpful. That is not what the Lord Christ is teaching the disciples.
This may sound confusing or contradictory, but rebuke in love. Rebuke as a way of warning someone that they are on the wrong path. Rebuke as way of getting the person you love to turn around, to recognize the mistake, the sin, which is taking place.
“If your brother repents, forgive him.” As the correcting power of the Bible, as the certain truth of the Bible, as the teaching authority of God’s Word is applied to our human condition, repentance happens. Not if, but when. It might not be today and maybe not tomorrow but maybe in a few weeks or even a few years. When your brother repents, forgive him. If he sins seven times and repents seven times, forgive.
We do not run the way of the Law. We run the way of the Gospel, for the Gospel has run after us, chased us, sought us. We are forgiven. We are forgiven people who have played the “If” game with God. If you bless me, then I’ll do this for you God. If you save me, I’ll do this for you. If you heal me, then I’ll dedicate my life to you. Who is the god in those statements? It is not the God who made heaven and earth. It is not the God who appeared in the manger in human flesh. It is not God the Holy Spirit who leads, guards, and guides. We dictate to God what should happen and in doing that, we make ourselves gods. And when we make ourselves gods, what is the deadly reality? We are slaves to sin. We are in bondage to Satan. We are marching the path to everlasting death and condemnation.
When your brother sins, forgive him. When your husband says to you, “I’m sorry for neglecting you and overlooking your gifts, forgive me.” Forgive him. When your child says that he is sorry for disobeying, forgive him.
What a blessed teaching from Jesus. He speaks of our sin. He speaks of our repentance. He speaks of His forgiveness, His salvation, His pure goodness and mercy.
This is a hard teaching. We are scared of rebuking others. And we are hesitant to forgive. The apostles cry out, “Increase our faith!” If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea” and it would obey you.
Were the apostles told to have more faith? Only if faith were something that could be increased! In those moments when our faith is small, tiny, and timid, do we go outside of our homes, outside of this church, and make more faith? Do we pump up our faith like it is a flat tire? Faith does not speak of faith. Faith speaks of a Savior.
I know my faith is founded on Jesus Christ my God and Lord; and this my faith confessing, unmoved I stand on His sure Word. My faith is not founded on what I do or say. My faith does not confess that I’m really not as big a sinner as you might think.
Faith speaks of the Savior. Faith responds to the invitation of the Lord to approach His altar. Faith believes and faith receives the forgiveness of sins, the life of our Lord, that salvation of our God in the body and blood of Christ in the communion meal.
We receive the command to rebuke sin and release the guilt of that sin. We take this hard task and pray to God, “Increase our faith!” God’s response is lovingly given: All the faith you ever needed I gave in your baptism. All the faith you ever will need is here in the Lord’s Supper. Love. Grace. Mercy. Protection. Strength. Direction. Purpose. It’s all here! When Christ gives His gifts, He gives the whole lot. Look to your Savior.
When you need the power and the wisdom to teach, correct, and rebuke- look to your Savior. When you need the power to forgive, to reconcile, to embrace- look to your Savior. When you believe that your faith is imperfect, is lacking- look to Jesus, hanging on the cross. Look to Christ’s tomb and see how empty it is. Look to the font, to the altar- there is Christ for you, loving you, forgiving you, giving you the increase of your faith. SDG
Oct. 3, 2010
Luke 17:1-10
If? If!
In the name of Jesus, amen. There are four letter words, and there are four letter words. You may have heard me say that I know the worst, vilest, harshest, and cruelest of the four letter words. And it is e-x-p-e-c-t-a-t-i-o-n. When you hear what is expected of you, you cannot believe that someone would say such things. And when you drop your expectations on people like a 5-ton bomb, you are really slapping them with something heavy.
Today’s Gospel lesson presents another four letter word for us. It is a word that can cause us to cringe in fear and cry for joy. It is a word that is both sad and celebratory. If…that is today’s four letter word from our Gospel.
If is a very heavy word. We learn this word at a young age and it seems like we never stop hearing it used. If you want presents for Christmas, be a good boy. If you want dessert, eat your vegetables. If you don’t stop pestering your brother, I’ll turn this car around right now.
In our high school years, when we start noticing that girls don’t have cooties and that boys aren’t that disgusting, the word if continues to carry a lot of weight. If you like him, check the box. That’s kind of cute. This isn’t cute: If you love me, you’ll have sex with me. That is so destructive. Those words are so harmful. Even when we get married, our love and our libido get confused.
The “if” conundrum shows up in other places. If you are a loyal worker, you’ll work the extra hours. If you are a loyal worker, you’ll sacrifice time with your family. If you like having a job and receiving a paycheck, especially in this economy, then you’ll like the other way at our questionable ethical practices. “If” is a troubling word because of the position that it puts us in.
Jesus was teaching his disciples, and I believe it is the Twelve, because in a short while the apostles, the twelve men called and chosen and commissioned by the Lord Jesus, will cry out to have their faith increased.
The teaching of Jesus is that temptations to sin will come. They are sure to come. In words that we know, it is not if but when temptations to sin come.
Jesus is being who he is. He is being honest. He is showing himself to be the Lord. He is showing himself to be divine love in the flesh. Jesus knows the struggle that people go through. Jesus was living amongst fallen human beings. The disciples that he called were sinners. The people that Jesus reached out to, invited, ate with, and conversed with, they were sinners as well. And when the time came for Jesus’ arrest and trial and sentencing and execution, well…sinners were right there lying about Jesus, spitting in Jesus’ face and driving the nails into his hands and feet. But Jesus continually reveals himself to be the Lord, to be God for us, God with us.
Temptation to sin is sure to come. The devil is a roaring lion seeking your destruction. So dear disciples, loved learners, pay attention to yourselves.
“If your brother sins, rebuke him.” Yippee! Certainly this is not a question of if but is a matter of when. When my brother hurts me, harms me, lies about me, takes what is mine…rebuke! Let him have it! Let him know how awful he is, what a despot he is being. Play the victim and when mom and dad show up, let the tears flow.
That is certainly a non-Gospel way to talk, to revel in your hurts so that the perpetrator becomes the one who gets hurt.
But…“If your brother sins, rebuke him.” Maybe we need to do more rebuking. But rebuking rarely takes place. We are afraid to label anyone a sinner because it then makes us look sanctimonious, self-righteous, holier-than-thou.
And who really knows what a sin is? Our world has determined that right and wrong no longer exist and that everyone is free to decide what is sin and what is not sin. So nothing is said. Yet there are people, Christians, who presume to sit in God the Father’s seat. They usurp the authority of God and the authority of God’s revealed Word and they judge anyone and everyone.
If your brother sins, let him know. Tell him about it. Tell her that she is a sinner. Warn them of the danger. Warn them that their sin is offensive to God, harmful to themselves, and hurtful to others. Speak the Lord’s words to your brother or sister, that the rebuke is not coming from you, but from the Lord who has called us into a relationship with Him. That is what we are to do when it comes to rebuking the erring brother or sister.
Do not do it harshly. Do not rebuke to belittle the other person and make yourself bigger. Do not rebuke to make the other feel bad and yourself feel good. That is not helpful. That is not what the Lord Christ is teaching the disciples.
This may sound confusing or contradictory, but rebuke in love. Rebuke as a way of warning someone that they are on the wrong path. Rebuke as way of getting the person you love to turn around, to recognize the mistake, the sin, which is taking place.
“If your brother repents, forgive him.” As the correcting power of the Bible, as the certain truth of the Bible, as the teaching authority of God’s Word is applied to our human condition, repentance happens. Not if, but when. It might not be today and maybe not tomorrow but maybe in a few weeks or even a few years. When your brother repents, forgive him. If he sins seven times and repents seven times, forgive.
We do not run the way of the Law. We run the way of the Gospel, for the Gospel has run after us, chased us, sought us. We are forgiven. We are forgiven people who have played the “If” game with God. If you bless me, then I’ll do this for you God. If you save me, I’ll do this for you. If you heal me, then I’ll dedicate my life to you. Who is the god in those statements? It is not the God who made heaven and earth. It is not the God who appeared in the manger in human flesh. It is not God the Holy Spirit who leads, guards, and guides. We dictate to God what should happen and in doing that, we make ourselves gods. And when we make ourselves gods, what is the deadly reality? We are slaves to sin. We are in bondage to Satan. We are marching the path to everlasting death and condemnation.
When your brother sins, forgive him. When your husband says to you, “I’m sorry for neglecting you and overlooking your gifts, forgive me.” Forgive him. When your child says that he is sorry for disobeying, forgive him.
What a blessed teaching from Jesus. He speaks of our sin. He speaks of our repentance. He speaks of His forgiveness, His salvation, His pure goodness and mercy.
This is a hard teaching. We are scared of rebuking others. And we are hesitant to forgive. The apostles cry out, “Increase our faith!” If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea” and it would obey you.
Were the apostles told to have more faith? Only if faith were something that could be increased! In those moments when our faith is small, tiny, and timid, do we go outside of our homes, outside of this church, and make more faith? Do we pump up our faith like it is a flat tire? Faith does not speak of faith. Faith speaks of a Savior.
I know my faith is founded on Jesus Christ my God and Lord; and this my faith confessing, unmoved I stand on His sure Word. My faith is not founded on what I do or say. My faith does not confess that I’m really not as big a sinner as you might think.
Faith speaks of the Savior. Faith responds to the invitation of the Lord to approach His altar. Faith believes and faith receives the forgiveness of sins, the life of our Lord, that salvation of our God in the body and blood of Christ in the communion meal.
We receive the command to rebuke sin and release the guilt of that sin. We take this hard task and pray to God, “Increase our faith!” God’s response is lovingly given: All the faith you ever needed I gave in your baptism. All the faith you ever will need is here in the Lord’s Supper. Love. Grace. Mercy. Protection. Strength. Direction. Purpose. It’s all here! When Christ gives His gifts, He gives the whole lot. Look to your Savior.
When you need the power and the wisdom to teach, correct, and rebuke- look to your Savior. When you need the power to forgive, to reconcile, to embrace- look to your Savior. When you believe that your faith is imperfect, is lacking- look to Jesus, hanging on the cross. Look to Christ’s tomb and see how empty it is. Look to the font, to the altar- there is Christ for you, loving you, forgiving you, giving you the increase of your faith. SDG
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