Reflection: Shall We Look for Another? (December 16, 2012)

The 3rd Sunday in Advent
Malachi 3:1-7; Philippians 1:2-11; Luke 3:1-14


Sometimes Jesus simply doesn't live up to our expectations. It’s not that He’s done anything wrong, it’s just that He hasn't done what we thought He would do. He’s quiet when we want Him to speak. He’s active in our lives when we’d rather take things easy. He moves us when we’d rather stay still. He tells us to be still when we want to take action. It doesn't make sense to us. It’s confusing. We’re certainly not the first people to experience this. When John the Baptist was in prison he struggled with this very thing. He had heard about what Jesus was doing and it didn't line up with his expectations of the Messiah. Concerned about this, John sent two of his disciples to Jesus with an important question, “Shall we look for another?”.

When Jesus’ work in our lives doesn't line up with our expectations (or desires) we may be tempted to “look for another.” Certainly, the world offers plenty of alternatives to Jesus — many of which are very appealing. Numerous influential people, even many who promote themselves as faithful Christians, propose lifestyles and life choices that sound a lot better to us than Jesus’ call to deny ourselves and take up our crosses daily in order to follow Him. But before we consider looking for another, we should remember the first part of John’s question to Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come?”.

Jesus’ answer to the first part of John’s question resolved the second part. The divine works that He performed were proof that He was the one to come, the one promised by God through the prophets for the redemption of mankind. We need only look to the work that He has done in our lives to realize that there is no one to whom we can look for peace, joy, hope, or purpose. In the divine work of Baptism He has joined us into His salvation. In the divine work of His presence under bread and wine He renews and refreshes us. In the divine work of forgiveness He assures us that we always have a place in His family. We may be confused at times by how Jesus is working in our lives, but we can be confident that in whatever ways that He is working that He has our good in mind. Knowing that He is the one whom the Father sent into our world for our redemption and that He continues to work for our good, we can turn aside all temptation to look for another because there is no one who loves us as He does.

Audio file of the sermon "Shall We Look for Another?"

Journal: "Meaningful Action" to End the Killing of Children

What "meaningful action" will end the killing of children in America?

In his initial response to the shooting deaths of twenty six- and -seven-year-old students and six adults in Newtown, CT, President Obama called for "meaningful action" to end such tragedies. Many suspected that he was speaking of a political solution (a suspicion that he confirmed two days later). While a political solution is unlikely to have any real impact on the safety of our children, the President's call for "meaningful action" is one that Christians should rally around. If there is going to be any action taken in view of this heinous crime, it will come from those of us who bear the name of Christ. But are we willing to take the "meaningful action" that would make a positive difference?

Thus far the political talk about ending mass killings of innocent people has centered around gun control. Not surprisingly, people who see the 2nd Amendment as fundamental to our freedom are resisting and will continue to resist any efforts by our government to limit access to weapons and ammunition. Such a reaction speaks to the fundamental problem confronting us as a people: abuse of our rights, real and perceived. While we may or may not have abused our rights under the 2nd Amendment, we certainly have abused our 1st Amendment rights. With far more detrimental effects, we have abused rights that are more perceived than real.

There are certainly genuine rights that belong to us as citizens of the United States. These rights should be protected and promoted by our government and our citizenry. But these rights, real rights, are abused when we insist upon maintaining them to the detriment of our neighbor. Have we, as Christians, displaced the call of Christ to love sacrificially (i.e., love in a way that may cost us something) with the American ideals of individual rights? Our long held insistence that we can have things both ways has eroded our witness and render us ineffectual in the public square. "Meaningful action" will only come about when we recognize that being faithful to our call as citizens of heaven to deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow Jesus invariably involves setting aside our claim on rights as citizens of a nation. For Christian Americans, we abuse our rights when we refuse to deny ourselves and set our rights aside for the sake of others.

We also abuse our rights as Christians in this world when we make use of rights to sin. While we must wrestle with the out workings of how to exercise our 2nd Amendment rights for the sake of our neighbors, there's a much clearer course of action for us when it comes to our 1st Amendment rights. While we enjoy the freedom as citizens of America to engage in a wide variety of expression, especially in our entertainment, much of what we engage in is clearly sinful. Have we let our 1st Amendment rights trump God's call to hate the wickedness and impurity of our world? How can we praise God with our lips and look upon His glory with our eyes while filling our minds with the base, despicable, and vile content found in everything from children's cartoons to first person shooter video games? We have not only stood by while our culture has immersed itself in violence, sinful sex, and wanton materialism for its entertainment, we've joined in with them as a celebration of our 1st Amendment rights. "Meaningful action" includes us as God's people ridding our lives of this cancer. "Meaningful action" calls for us to exercise our free speech to speak with passion and conviction for an end to such destructive expression.

If we are reluctant to exercise our Constitutional rights in a God-pleasing way, we are paralyzed when it comes to addressing the greatest contributor to the causes of mass shootings: the insistence on a right that does not exist in either our Constitution or God's Word. The so-called right to abortion (or "reproductive choice") has so undermined our understanding of the value of human life that there is no possibility of protecting lives until we rid it from our national psyche. No degree of restriction of 2nd Amendment rights and no amount of constraint of our 1st Amendment rights can change the way that we have come to view the sanctity of human life. If there is a clarion call to "meaningful action" by God's people by the mass shootings in our country, it is first and foremost to take a stand for life. How can we honestly mourn the deaths of twenty children and at the same time ignore the 4,000 or so children who died that same day through abortion? A nation that will not protect the lives of children before they are born can not protect the lives of children after they are born.

Despite the President's call, it's improbable that our government will take any "meaningful action" that will change our violence saturated, self-centered, and pleasure-driven culture. Any attempts to do so will meet will stiff resistance from people insisting on their rights - real and perceived - and be choked to death in the gridlock of a divided nation. But there is a greater call to action. God's call to act is the only chance that we have of changing things in our world. It's up to God's people in this nation to do the hard work of self-denial and self-sacrifice if any "meaningful action" will come out of our responses to the tragedies of Newtown, Aurora, Virginia Tech ... and wherever is next. How will we answer that call?

Reflection: What Shall We Do? (December 9, 2012)

The Second Sunday in Advent
Malachi 3:1-7; Philippians 1:2-11; Luke 3:1-14


When our world allows some room for Jesus in its Christmas celebrations He is relegated to the manger as a helpless, harmless baby. What a contrast to the image of Jesus that John the Baptist painted for people in his ministry. When John came as God’s messenger to prepare the way for the Messiah he didn't sell a kind and gentle Jesus that could appear quietly and mostly unnoticed in our busy and distracted lives. Instead, John proclaimed Him as coming to judge His people, condemning those who had gone after other gods and refining those who had remained faithful. “The axe is at the root,” John warned. And people listened. Baptized by John for repentance, they sought his guidance for being ready for the Lord’s appearance. “What shall we do?” they asked with sincere and eager hearts.

Like the people who came to John in the wilderness beyond the Jordan River, we have been included in God’s covenantal promises. When we were washed in Baptism we were joined into Christ and His body, the Church. And like them, we are called to join with John in making ready the way for the Messiah in our worlds by living our lives in response to His grace. When we consider the great need that surrounds us and the importance of the work that Christ has called us to do, our pressing question should also be “What shall we do?”

John’s answers to the people of his day were specific to their circumstances, but they provide us with insights into what we are called to do as God’s people in the world now. If we are serious about responding to Christ’s love, we don’t have to sit around wondering what it takes for our “love to abound more and more” so that we and others will “be pure and blameless for the day of Christ” (Phil. 1:9-10). But do such desires really fill us? Have we, instead, taken the gifts of God and consumed them for ourselves? Are we bearing the fruits of repentance or have we slipped into the self-centered complacency that John condemned? Are we counting on church membership, spiritual legacy, or our own efforts to “endure the day of His coming” or have we despaired of these things and submitted ourselves to the Refiner’s fire? The answers are evident in the fruit that we bear. The axe is at the roots — our roots — and the call to repentance is sounding. What shall we do?

Audio file of the sermon "What Shall We Do?"

Reflection: How Loud Is Your Love? (December 2, 2012)

1st Sunday in Advent
Jeremiah 33:14-16; 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13; Luke 19:28-40


Although devices to amplify the human voice had been around for a few centuries before Thomas Edison’s invention, his was the first to be called a megaphone. Made up of two Greek words, megaphone literally means “great voice.” The sole purpose of a megaphone is to make a person’s voice louder (i.e., greater). In a way, every Christian is called to be a megaphone of sorts. Our lives are meant to amplify the Word of God. We are especially called to loudly proclaim the Gospel by serving in an overflowing love “for each other and for everyone else” (1 Thess. 3:12).  Such a calling raises the question, “How loud is your love?”.

Measuring our loving service in terms of volume shows that many of us have been pretty quiet — but not the good way of serving without fanfare or reward. “How loud is your love?” isn't asking about doing loving works quietly. Rather, it’s asking about the frequency and intensity of our love. How much of ourselves do we put into loving each other? What amount of our time, financial resources, and productive abilities are invested in serving other people as our service to Christ? What are we risking in order love to people outside of our circle of family and friends? These are the measures of how loud our love is.

While our love is often muted, the love that God has for us blasts out with a deafening roar. He loves us so much that He took on human flesh and entered our world of suffering, sin, and death. Turning up the volume of His love, Jesus assumed the guilt of our sins and humbled Himself by taking our place, even enduring the mockery and humiliation of crucifixion. From the Cross He cranked the volume up all the way in His triumphant proclamation, “It is finished!” Breaking the silence of the tomb, His love blared out His triumph over the grave and the certainty of eternal life for all who trust in Him. How can we stand quietly on the sidelines while the world desperately needs to hear of His love? How will they hear if we do not broadcast the good news over the noise and confusion of our world in words and deeds that loudly proclaim His love? Our calling is to be His megaphones, to amplify His love in our world and to join with those who have loudly loved through the centuries and across borders so that all people would know that they too are loved with the loudest of loves.

Audio file of the sermon "How Loud Is Your Love?"

Reflection: While You're Waiting (November 25, 2012)

The Last Sunday in the Church Year
Isaiah 41:4-6; Jude 20-25; Mark 13:14-37


Like it or not, our lives are filled with waiting. According to studies, the typical person averages about 62 minutes a day waiting in one way or another, including 15 minutes a day in traffic, 9 minutes a day waiting for files and web pages to download, and 4.3 hours waiting whenever we need someone to come to fix, install, or deliver something. But waiting isn't what it used to be. With portable electronic devices fully integrated into our lives a wait in line is filled with phone calls and text messages, a wait at the doctor’s office spent reading an ebook, and a delay at the airport whittled away by watching movies. Even without such devices, we find ways to fill our time while we are waiting.

In reality, our whole life in this world is a time of waiting. A day is coming when Christ will return and take us to be with Him for eternity. Nothing in this world can compare to the beauty, splendor, and majesty that awaits us. We don’t belong to this world, we belong to Christ and our rightful place is in Heaven with Him. But He has left us here and told us to wait until the day when He comes for us. And He has made it clear what we should be doing while we are waiting.

Our waiting is not meant to be an empty or wasted time, but a time filled with activity. Jesus has left us in charge and given each of us our assigned tasks. In Jude we learn what those tasks include. We are told to build ourselves up in faith, pray, and keep ourselves in God’s love. In other words, while we are waiting we are to take good care of ourselves spiritually. If taking care of ourselves is the only purpose of our being in this world, our waiting would be pointless. We would be much better off in every respect to be at home with the Lord. But the purpose of our waiting goes beyond us. Jude tells us that we are here to show mercy to those who doubt, rescue those who are perishing, and to show the people of this world mercy.

While you’re waiting there is much to be done. While you’re waiting you are to make use of God’s good gifts to grow in faith and love. While you’re waiting you are to fill the time with sharing the love, joy, and peace of Jesus with people who are without hope, purpose, and meaning because they are enslaved by the corruption of this world — the same corruption from which Christ has redeemed you now and forever.

Audio file of the sermon "While You're Waiting."

Reflection: Hold On for Your Life (November 18, 2012)

The 25th Sunday after Pentecost
Daniel 12:1-3; Hebrews 10:11-25; Mark 13:1-13


The most terrifying roller coaster ride I've ever had wasn't on a state-of-the-art ride that puts riders through loops, corkscrews, or other upside-down experiences. It was on a classic wooden roller coaster called the Blue Streak at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio which, unlike modern coasters that securely strap the rider in, it didn't have fitted seats, restraining straps, or padded security bars. Instead it had low-backed, bench seats and plain pull down bar that didn't even touch our legs. I was certain that I was going to be thrown from the car during the ride. The coaster was frightening because it didn't have anything to hold onto.

Like a roller coaster, life has its twists and turns, ups and downs, and thrilling times along with moments of terror. How well we handle the roller coaster-like rides of our lives depends on what we have to hold onto. Sadly, most people in our society hold onto worldviews, values, priorities, and morals that leave them without anything solid or secure when life starts going downhill fast and runs through twists, turns, and loops. They look for something — anything — to grab and hold onto for dear life. But the world can’t offer anything secure enough to keep them from being thrown into despair, depression, or personal ruin. Seeing this happen in the lives of other people should reinforce for us how blessed we are as Christians to have safe and secure anchors to hold onto when life is troubling — and remind us of where to turn when our lives become turbulent.

Holding onto the grace, mercy, righteousness, and promises of Jesus is critical to dealing with the roller coaster ride of living in our fallen world. Holding onto Him for eternal life is even more critical. There is nothing else to hold onto when the “multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake.” Even before the day when all flesh will be resurrected “some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt,” eternal life will hang in the balance. People will come to deceive others, attack the truth, and deny the realities of heaven and hell. The world will plunge into the chaos of natural and man-made disasters. Everything the world has to offer for safety and security will crumble. Even then, Jesus, who promises that “he who stands firm to the end will be saved,” will be there for you to hold onto for your life.

Audio file of the sermon "Hold On for Your Life."

Devotion: People of the Book (Daniel 12:1-3)

Audio file of this devotion. 

1 "At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people-- everyone whose name is found written in the book-- will be delivered.  2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.  3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. 

Daniel 12:1-3

In a popular portrayal of the day of judgment we are pictured as gathered before God's throne (specifically His white throne) and called to give an accounting of our lives. As we make our way before the Judge, books are opened that have written in them all of the things that we did while on earth, both good and bad. While this popular portrayal of the Judgment is based on Revelation 20:12, it's missing an important element. In Revelation there is a distinction made between the books and how each kind of book is applied. For the unbelievers books of deeds are used to show them their sin. For believers, a single book -- the Book of Life -- is used to assure them that they have already been delivered from death to everlasting life.

The book of life that is brought out in the Judgment is the same book that is referred to in Daniel 12:1-3. It's the book that contains the names of those who have been washed clean in the blood of the Lamb, those who will stand before God in the Judgment covered by the righteousness of Jesus Christ with which they were clothed in the waters of Holy Baptism. It contains our names. We are the people of the book.

What does it mean to be the people of the book? It means that we will never have to give an accounting of our sins before God, because Jesus has already accounted for them. It means that we are free from the demands of the Law, because we are already declared righteous by the Judge of all mankind. It means that we have hope, because we have already been delivered from sin, death, and the power of Satan through the death and resurrection of Jesus. But it also means that we will face hardship, persecution, and hatred in this world because we bear His name in a world that rejects Him and His Word.

The books spoken of in these Scriptures are symbolic, but they present a powerful picture for us. They make it clear that it's one way or the other. Either our names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life or our deeds are recorded in another book for the day of judgment. A book of deeds is a book that speaks of lifeless things and those who must stand before God on the basis of this book are certain to lose out on eternal life. But a book of names is a book that reflects life and pictures for all whose names are written in it the certainty of eternal life. The Lamb's book of Life is a book that conveys God's grace, mercy, and love -- the very means by which your name has been written in it and by which you have been added to the people of the book.

Reflection: Giving a Show and Giving that Shows (November 11, 2012)

The 24th Sunday after Pentecost
1 Kings 17:8-16; Hebrews 9:24-28; Mark 12:38-44

When Jesus wanted to warn His disciples about the dangers of tyrannical religious leaders, He pointed out the teachers of the Law. Highly respected by the people of their day, they had great power and influence in their communities. Called to be servants who aided God’s people in learning and understanding God’s Word, they were self-serving task masters who abused their positions of trust for personal gain instead. They had the outward trappings of being respectable religious leaders while exploiting the weakest and most vulnerable people in their society. They were, in Jesus’ assessment, giving a show.

There’s no shortage of religious people giving a show of righteousness in our society. Some are so good at giving one that we don’t realize that they are not what they present themselves to be. They enjoy today’s equivalents of walking around in flowing robes, being greeted in the marketplaces, and having seats of honor and they practice modern versions of devouring widows’ houses while using religious piety for giving a show of righteousness. In contrast to those who are giving a show of false religion, Jesus pointed out an example of giving that shows true religion. In the midst of wealthy people putting large amounts of money in the temple treasury as a show of their righteousness, a widow came along and gave all that she had to live on in a show of trust. The two small coins didn't amount to anything in earthly terms, but her gift showed that her heart was filled with faith in God’s grace and mercy. Apparently unnoticed by everyone but Jesus, this widow wasn't giving a show but was demonstrating a giving that shows.

Which do you find yourself doing: giving a show or giving that shows? It’s easy to get caught up in doing things in order to show other people how good, righteous, or generous we are. We seek the approval of others and are always tempted to show them what they want to see (or what we want them to see). It’s much harder to give our time, our money, and our very selves in faithful response to God’s mercy and grace. Only by looking to the Cross and seeing our God giving Himself to show us His unconditional love can we move beyond giving a show to giving that shows that His mercy and grace have brought us His righteousness, changed our hearts, and filled us with His compassion.

Audio file of the sermon "Giving a Show and Giving that Shows."

Journal: Stop Whining America!

Whether your guy won or your guy didn't win in the recent national elections, it's rather clear that our country is horribly divided. While half of the nation is rejoicing that things will continue as they have for the past four years, the other half seems pretty well convinced that America is going down the toilet (and is equally convinced that it's the fault of the first half).

Okay, America is in decline. We have some serious problems. The America that we know and love is going away (or is already gone) and a different America is emerging. The values that made us a great nation have been displaced by values that are opposed to God and His Word. The implications are obvious and the future is bleak. So, other than whining, what are you doing about it?

Rather than sit around wringing our hands and waiting until we can look at the inevitable conclusion to the path that we are on and say that we knew it was going to turn out in that way, let's do something. Better than that, let's do what it will take to get America back on track.

Without covering all of the bases or addressing all of the issues, here's what we need to do:

1) Repent!

We are God's people. We have put our trust and hope in things and people other than God. We need to repent, to stop trusting in candidates, parties, policies, laws, etc. and renew our trust in the God who is greater than all of these things. We need to repent of our idolatry.

We have settled down in the world and adopted the ways of the world. We need to stop being of the world and learn how to be in the world without being part of it. We need to learn the boundaries that separate being in the world from being of the world. We need to repent of our worldliness (which is idolatry).

We have avoided the Cross and sought after glory. We want the glory of our candidate winning, our party in majority, our referendums passing, and our views filling the airwaves. We are unwilling to suffer loss, endure hardships, and be marginalized in order to be faithful. We need to repent of our self-glory (which is also idolatry).

It starts with repentance. Then what?

2) Relentlessly Confront Secularism with God's Word

We've been duped. There's a difference between the doctrine of the two kingdoms and the so-called separation of church and state. We have to recognize that difference, learn it well, and then live it out. We can't afford to let the pagans in our country draw the boundaries any longer.

We have to speak up in the public square and insist on the Word of God being heard. We need to be bold about this. We should commit ourselves to being relentless about it. We should accept the fact that God's Word may very well be rejected and ridiculed, but never accept the limits that unbelievers place on it or on us. We should be as obnoxious about speaking God's Word as we've been about our political opinions.

3) Embrace the Magnitude and Urgency of our Work

There is little time to waste and much work to do. We've been in a moral and spiritual free fall for two generations. Now is the time for action and now is the last chance we may have to confront the forces that seek to silence God's people. We are up against something bigger than a conspiracy. We are in a spiritual battle. It rages inside and outside of the church. It is constant and it is critical. Recognize this and realize that there are no terms for peace. Then go all in.

4) Stop Kidding Yourself

There's no way that we will make any positive difference if we don't change our ways (see "Repent" above). We've made the church into a form of entertainment. We treat God's Word with a passing interest (or pass it by altogether). We're spiritually sloppy, weak, and undisciplined. This has to change.

The call to being a disciple of Jesus hasn't changed in 2,000 years. There are no short cuts and there is no alternative. He laid it out plainly and clearly: Deny yourself, take up your cross daily, follow Me.

If you really want to make a positive difference in our nation, be a genuine disciple of Jesus. Participate in the worship life of a faithful, orthodox church every Sunday (or more often) and receive God's wisdom, forgiveness, and power in and through His Word and Sacraments. Study the Word with other Christians under the leadership of a faithful, orthodox pastor. Read the Word on your own every day. Pray unceasingly. Support the work of a faithful, orthodox church with your time, your money, and yourself.

You have the privilege of being Christ's ambassador in this world. Through you, God is able to work His will to rescue those who are perishing. Maybe He will even turn America around and restore it as a nation under His blessing.

Don't lie to yourself.

It will take personal sacrifice. It calls for a serious commitment. It may very well cost you a lot in this world. It won't be easy. But it will be worthwhile. You will make a difference.

Or you can whine about our country going down the toilet.

Devotion: Giving To, Giving For, Giving From (Mark 12:38-44)

Audio file of this devotion.

38 As He taught, Jesus said, "Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted in the marketplaces, 39 and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 40 They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely." 41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. 43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything-- all she had to live on." 

Mark 12:38-44 

The gifts that people placed into the temple treasury as Jesus watched were most likely the voluntary offerings that the Jews made for the poor, especially the widows and orphans. These gifts were given in obedience to God's Law. The practice of placing these gifts into a very public receptacle was an innovation of men that contributed to many of the Jews using these gifts as expressions of their own righteousness. What was intended to be the compassionate support of those in need was distorted into an act of public giving to win the approval of people. Some contributors even made a show of how large their gifts were.

Jesus sat across the way from the repository watching people bringing their gifts. He saw them putting their money into the temple treasury. He could see the large gifts of the wealthy people. We can imagine that He could see the hearts of all the contributors. But the Scripture has no record of Him making any comments about the gifts of those who brought them, expect for a widow who came along and gave a very small amount. After she dropped her two little copper coins into the treasury, Jesus called His disciples to Himself to point out that only this widow had given genuinely. He explained the difference between the widow and the others who brought their gifts. That difference becomes clear when we look past how much they had given to what they were giving to, giving for, and giving from.

As far as what the people were giving to, we can clearly see that the crowds were giving to a worthy cause. It's an honorable thing for people to give money to provide some relief for the less fortunate. With so many needs in our world, God could have told the Jews to give their charitable gifts to any number of causes. In the freedom that we have in Christ, we have many options when it comes to giving to something that is worthy of support. We might choose the humane society, the local hospice organization, a cancer research group, or a social ministry of a church. But God had commanded them to give to the care of widows and orphans, so that's what they gave to.

In giving to the thing that God had commanded, the Jews showed what they were giving for. For the most part, they were giving for compliance. They knew the demands of God's Law and they wanted to satisfy those demands in order to please (or appease) God. While this may have been the reason for most of the giving, surely there were many who were also giving their gifts for the relief of those who suffering. But there were also just as certainly people who were giving for recognition. Some wanted the recognition of God and some wanted the recognition of man, but they were giving for something in return. We understand this very well. Even when we give for a good cause, for the benefit of others, or for the relief of suffering, we often are looking for something in return and end up giving for a tax deduction, for a good feeling, or for the same recognition that motivated some of those whom Jesus observed at the temple treasury.

While the motives of those who were giving at the temple is a matter of speculation, what the people were giving from is quite clear from the text: they were giving from their excess.  Jesus said it clearly, "they all gave out of their wealth." They were rich in things and gave from their excess. They did not give from what they needed to keep body and soul together.  No matter how much they gave or how good the cause or even how pure their motives were, they held back so that their giving didn't impact their lives. Consequently, they gave  little. We know what it's like to give from our wealth. We constrain our giving to what we see as the excess in our lives. Given how much of what God has entrusted to us we spend on ourselves, we are convinced that there is not much excess. Like the wealthy contributors at the temple, we give little.

In contrast to all the others giving that day at the temple and in contrast to us, the widow commended by Jesus was not giving to something, but was giving to the God who supplies the needs of widows and orphans. As one who most likely received assistance from this very fund, this woman knew the realities of those who were in need. She did not trust in a worthy cause, but in a God worthy of our praise. She gave her small gift to a great God who could use it to do great good. In trusting God to supply for her needs and the needs of others, the widow was giving for God's glory. A gift of this nature (small, but everything) invited God to demonstrate His glory in her life. Lastly, she was giving from the trust that comes from faith. God had filled her heart with His love so that it overflowed in her giving. She was not rich in things, but she was rich in faith. Unlike the others and unlike us, she gave a lot.

What does your giving to, giving for, and giving from look like? Chances are you're much more like the people who gave from their wealth than the widow who gave from her heart. But forcing a change in what and how you give doesn't change your giving to, your giving for, or your giving from. This change comes only by the working of the One who sat across from the temple treasury knowing that He would soon give all that He had to the Father, for the forgiveness of your sins, from the love that moved Him to rescue you from eternal condemnation. His criticism of those who gave self-centeredly and His praise of the widow who gave selflessly are calls to turn to Him repenting of how you have given and seeking the Holy Spirit's aid in changing from the inside out. Once you are caught up in His grace and mercy you cannot help but give all you are and all you have to Him, for His glory, from a heart overflowing with the same gratitude and trust that enabled the widow to put all that she had in the hands of our generous God.

Reflection: The Other Side of Suffering (November 4, 2012)

All Saints Sunday
Revelation 7:9-17; 1 John 3:1-3; Matthew 5:1-12

One of the questions most asked of Christians by unbelievers is “Why does God permit suffering?” For some, this is a legitimate question asked in an attempt to make sense out of what they do know about God and what they observe in our world. For others, it’s based in a crass accusation against God and those who believe in Him — an attitude that is belied by the companion statement, “I could never believe in a God who would allow suffering that He could end or eliminate.” They recognize the disconnect between our claim that God is gracious, loving, and all powerful and the reality of suffering in our world. They reason that if God is what we claim Him to be, then He could end all suffering. While this is true, they confuse God’s abilities with His purposes. They think that because God can eliminate suffering that God should eliminate suffering. They see suffering as something that is intrinsically bad and to be avoided if at all possible. They don’t understand the other side of suffering.

While the world sees suffering as something bad (and we tend to agree with the world on this!), God makes use of suffering in order to work good in the lives of His people. He demonstrated this in its fullest measure through the sufferings that He Himself endured in living and dying for us. In His life in this world He experienced all the various kinds of suffering that we endure. Through His Cross, Jesus endured the greatest suffering in history by bearing the sins of the whole world. But the other side of His suffering is our salvation. Without the suffering that He experienced we would still be lost to sin and death.

Like Jesus, we have been called to endure suffering for the sake of others. If we were not in this broken world enduring hardships, sacrifices, deprivation, hatred, and persecution — all the sufferings that make up this “great tribulation” — then no one could learn of the salvation that “belongs to our God” and the great “love the Father has lavished on us.” And if it were not for the faithful sufferings of those who have gone before us, we would not know that love and salvation. So we join with the saints of God past, present, and future who will one day gather together around the throne of the Lamb free of pain, sorrow, and sadness eternally rejoicing in what is ours on the other side of suffering.

Audio file of the sermon "The Other Side of Suffering."

Reflection: Free For All (October 28, 2012)

Reformation Sunday (Observed)
Psalm 46:1-11; Romans 3:19-28; John 8:31-36


When was the last time you joined in on a free-for-all? Typically spontaneous, free-for-alls are by their nature wide open, anything goes, chaotic situations that lack rules and structure. As fun as they may be as occasional distractions, we know that free-for-alls must be momentary exceptions to our well-ordered worlds. And that’s what makes them so much fun. However, if the chaos of a free-for-all becomes the norm, it’s anything but fun. Games would be nonsensical, sports would be brawls, traffic would be insane (even more insane than it currently is), and life would be filled with uncertainty, fear, and terror. It wouldn't be good for our everyday lives to be governed by free-for-alls.

While we recognize the danger of letting our homes, workplaces, schools, and society-at-large becoming free-for-alls, we've seemed to have lost sense of the impact that such a situation has had on the church. Once governed and structured by the clear teaching of God’s Word, the church in our culture today has devolved into a massive free-for-all. People believe what they want to believe, insist on having things done their ways, attack church leaders who don’t measure up to their expectations, demand to be entertained in worship services, decline to participate in ministry, and refuse to make any personal sacrifices to support the work of the church. It’s a free-for-all. And the church is suffering because of it.

As we observe the 495th anniversary of the Reformation, we are once again reminded that the church is always in need of renewal. Every generation of believers must stand firmly on God’s Word to keep the grace of God free for all and keep the church from being a free-for-all. In our generation the message of Christ’s love is being replaced by the message of self-love, the Sacraments set aside for specially blended coffees, and the Cross displaced by pathways to worldly success. We are called to speak out against this free-for-all and make clear the message of God’s love for people captive to death, bring the Sacraments to people broken by sin, and take up our own crosses in loving response to the Savior who has called us to bring hope to our hopeless world. His way is not a chaotic jumble of confusion, but life-giving and life-changing grace that He freely gives to everyone. Join Him in His free for all.

Audio file of the sermon "Free For All."

Reflection: No Rest for the ... (October 21, 2012)

The 21st Sunday after Pentecost
Eccl. 5:10-20; Hebrews 4:1-13; Mark 10:23-31


The phrase “no rest for the …” is typically completed with either “weary” or “wicked.” While “no rest for the weary” is more widely used by people in our culture because of our fast-paced lifestyle, “no rest for the wicked” is based in the Bible. Cited as a paraphrase of Isaiah 48:22, it is a theme that runs throughout the Scriptures referring to circumstances from the endless evil activities of the ungodly to the eternal suffering for unbelievers. But today’s readings underscore another reality of the restlessness of the wicked: their efforts are never enough.

Ecclesiastes addresses the never-ending quest for money by those who love the wealth of this world and the material things that it provides. The “no rest” of this passage is highlighted by pointing out that “the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep.” Concern over protecting, preserving, and multiplying our possessions can easily rob us of any real sense of security. Tossing and turning in the middle of the night because of the worldly matters that weigh on our minds, we have no rest when our thoughts are dominated by money and possessions.

The Epistle lesson speaks of no rest for those who do not have faith in the Triune God. Without faith each one of us must prove our worthiness to God by how we live our lives. But trying to satisfy God’s demands by our own works is an endless task that cannot bring us a sense of peace with God. Our life of good works ends up being of no value when we do “not combine it with faith.” The endless pursuit of righteousness through the Law leaves people right where they started: separated from God who says “They shall never enter My rest.”

The impossibility of finding rest apart from faith in Christ is captured in the Gospel lesson. Jesus tells His disciples that rest for those who are relying on human efforts or worldly wisdom is impossible. “Who then can be saved?” is their way of asking “Who can enter into the promised rest.” There is no rest for the weary (i.e., those seeking their own righteousness through good works) or for the wicked (i.e., those living in pursuit of worldly riches). But there is rest for those who hear His voice, abandon their efforts to earn God’s favor, and put their worldly possessions to work for the Kingdom of God. “There’s no rest for …,” but there is rest for you.

Audio file of the sermon "No Rest for the ..."

Devotion: Up to Us, but not from Us (2 Cor. 4:1-7)

¹ Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.  ² Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.  ³ And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.  ⁴ The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.  ⁵ For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.  ⁶ For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.  ⁷ But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

2 Corinthians 4:1-7

There are a number of things that fall under the category of “the mysteries of God,” including the sublime teaching of the Trinity, the awe inspiring presence of Christ in the Sacrament of the Altar, the wonderful re-birth of Holy Baptism, the marvelous union of God and man in the person of Jesus, and the humbling realities of Election by Grace. When we do spend some time and energy contemplating the mysteries of God we’re likely to focus on one of these great things. But 2 Corinthians 4:1-7 offers up a mystery that we often overlook, rarely give much thought to, and sometimes treat as something far less than the wonderful mystery that it is. The topic of this passage is the ministry of reconciliation that God has entrusted to us.

Perhaps we don’t treat this ministry as a mystery because we tend to view it as a task — maybe even as a burden. This perspective of the “ministry that brings righteousness” (2 Cor. 3:9) may come from misunderstanding what God wants us to understand when He tells us that the carrying out of this ministry is up to us. It is up to us to renounce the secret and shameful ways of our world. It is up to us to set forth the truth plainly. It is up to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord so that those who have been blinded by the god of this age might be delivered from the darkness of sin and death by the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ. Because it is up to us, we often approach ministry with the veils of human effort, human wisdom, and human techniques that hide the mystery of this ministry from us. But, just as He breaks through the blinded minds of unbelievers with His grace, the Holy Spirit works to remove these veils from us so that we can see that while it is up to us, this ministry is not from us. “We have this treasure in jars of clay,” His Word declares, “to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”

God has purposefully stored the treasure of His love and grace for the world in us who are “jars of clay.” We are weak. We are faulty. We crumble. But the treasure that is in us is the power of God that works His will and stands forever. It is light for those in darkness, truth for the deceived, and life for those trapped in the death of sin. That God would entrust such a treasure to us is an incredible mystery — a mystery that is magnified when we consider that God has placed in us everything that He has given for the life of the world. Not only is there a treasure in us jars of clay, the treasure — the only real and lasting treasure — is in us. There is no doubt that it is up to us to bring this treasure to the world.

As long as we understand that bringing the treasure of Christ to the world is up to us but not from us, we can rejoice in the mystery and be sure that we will not lose heart. But if we lose sight of the fact that it is not from us, the mystery will slip away and and we will resort to approaches, techniques, measurements, and methods that are based on human wisdom and experience. We will determine our success and faithfulness by worldly standards. We will mimic the very things that we should renounce. Deception and the distorting of God’s Word will soon follow. We will think that it since it is up to us that it must come from us and be all about us. We will preach ourselves instead of Jesus Christ. We will fail because we are jars of clay. We will lose heart.

Thank God that He has made His light shine in our hearts! He has shown us the great mystery of His love, even expressing it by putting His treasure in jars of clay. By doing this He shows us that the all-surpassing power to carry out His ministry of reconciling the world is from Him. Yes, it is up to us to do the work of bringing the Gospel to the world.  And it is up to us to endure the Cross as we carry out His mission to make disciples of all nations. But we don't lose heart because of the glorious ministry of the Holy Spirit. Like the wind blowing wherever it pleases, without our understanding and beyond our control, the Spirit works faith when and where He wills assuring us that the power, the purpose, and the glory are not from us but belong to His mystery.

Reflection: Do What You Know (October 15, 2012)

The 20th Sunday after Pentecost
Amos 5:6-7, 10-15; Hebrews 3:12-19; Mark 10:17-22

There’s a certain comfort in doing something that you know well. While we might complain that doing the same kind of task repeatedly can become boring, we soon find ourselves wishing for the comfortable and familiar things when we’re confronted with having to do something that we don’t know much about and we don’t know how to do. Even people who like the challenge of new things find themselves troubled when they don’t know how to go about doing what they need to do. Those new (and even exciting) tasks quickly lose their appeal when we’re paralyzed because we don’t know anything about them. To one degree or another, we can only do what we know. However, just because we know something doesn't mean that we can do it.

 

When a rich young man approached Jesus with his concerns about eternal life was, Jesus replied by telling him, “You know the commandments” (Mark 10:19). He was telling the man that what he needed to do to be assured of eternal life was to do what he already knew about God’s Law and will. Jesus was telling him, “Do what you know.” The problem that the man had with Jesus’ answer was that he was convinced that he had already done the things that Jesus listed but he still didn't have the peace of certainty about eternal life that he desired. In so many words, he answered Jesus, “I've already done what I know.” But the man was not being honest with either Jesus or himself. Jesus’ reply to the man’s claim highlighted what the man knew but hadn't done, indeed, what he wouldn't do. Even worse than that, it was what he could know but not do.

Like this man, you know the commandments and are called to do what you know. If that was all there was to Jesus’ teachings you would have to join him in walking away from Jesus with heavy heart. Like him, you would not do what you know. Like him, you could not do what you know to be God’s Law. But rather than turn away from Jesus without hope, you have turned to Jesus for hope. By the working of the Holy Spirit, you have come to know Jesus as more than a “good teacher.” You know that He is the one who has kept God’s Law for you, freed you from its condemnation, secured eternal life for you, and freed you. You know His love, grace, and mercy. And He has empowered you to do what you know.

Audio file of the sermon "Do What You Know."

Reflection: Having No Shame (October 7, 2012)

The 19th Sunday after Pentecost
Genesis 2:18-25; Hebrews 2:1-13; Mark 10:2-16

Telling someone “You ought to be ashamed of yourself” is often a wasted effort. Chances are, if you have to tell someone that he should feel some shame over something he’s said or done it isn't going to make a difference. Some people have no shame. And, it seems, more and more people in our culture have no shame over their behavior, language, appearance, and values.

 

The problem with a lack of shame is that it leads people into deeper and deeper vices. Shame actually works to hold back perverse and profane behavior and speech. Without shame, people do whatever they think is okay and say whatever they feel like saying with no regard for how it harms other people, disrupts harmony in a community, or tramples over God’s Word and will. The acceptance of values and behaviors that were once considered shameful has substantially contributed to the pervasive pornography, open sexuality, profane language, and increasing vile behavior that are part and parcel of our society. Without shame to control people, we've degraded into a rude and crass people.

However, there is a positive aspect of being without shame. It’s experienced when a person has no reason to have shame because he has nothing to be ashamed about. The Bible’s first reference to shame is just such an instance. In Genesis 2:25, God’s Word summarizes how Adam and Eve lived in perfect harmony with God, creation, and one another because there was no sin in the world by describing them as having no shame.

Unlike Adam and Eve at the dawn of creation, we don’t live in a perfect world. Instead, we live in a fallen world that has been corrupted by sin through and through. Worse than that, we ourselves have been thoroughly corrupted by sin. We do, say, and think all sorts of things that are shameful. But we are without shame. We are not without shame in the negative way that the people of the world are. No, we are without shame because the shame of our sinful thoughts, words, and actions have been removed from us through the Cross of Jesus. We should not be ashamed of ourselves because He took our shame upon Himself and put it to an end — put it to death. Now “Jesus is not ashamed to call” us His brothers and sisters. By His grace, we truly have no shame.

Audio file of the sermon "Having No Shame."

Reflection: Honoring the Name (September 30, 2012)

The 18th Sunday after Pentecost
Jeremiah 11:18-20; James 3:13-4:10; Mark 9:30-37

How often do you hear God’s name being misused? It seems like we can’t watch television, listen to popular music, or go out in public without hearing the name of God misused in one way or another. From the ubiquitous “OMG” to outright cursing, people do not honor God’s name, but feel free to dishonor it in many ways. While the name of Jesus is being trampled, the name of Mohammed is being treated with dignity. Recently a journalist noted how the mainstream media are using the phrase “the Prophet Mohammed” when they make reference to the founder of Islam. Imagine the outrage that would follow a secular journalist referring to Jesus as “the Lord Jesus Christ” or “Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.” Why do people treat Jesus’ name so casually (even abusively) yet use Mohammed’s name so carefully? The journalist suggests that people fear the backlash of Muslims who insist, even violently, that Mohammed’s name be honored.

 

While we hold up the right to free speech and have the sensibility to restrain ourselves from violent reactions when being offended, the truth of the matter is that we have failed to honor the name of Jesus in our own speech and, more importantly, in our lives. People around us feel free to misuse God’s name because they hear us misusing His name. They also witness us watching movies that blaspheme God, listening to music that uses His name as profanity, and following TV series that trample Jesus and His teachings underfoot. No wonder people don’t hesitate to dishonor the name of Jesus.

Condemned by the 2nd Commandment, “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God,” we look to Him to deliver us from our neglect, misuse, and abuse of His name. We offer up our prayers of repentance in the name of Jesus. We hear His gracious Word of Absolution in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. By the power of the name, we are renewed and restored, freed to honor His name in the words that we speak and in the lives that we live. But rather than violently defend the honor of His name, we are called to patiently and faithfully labor in love so that those who one day will bow their knees at the name of Jesus might do so in peace — just as we will by the power of His name.

Audio file of the sermon "Honoring the Name."

Reflection: Guaranteed Greatness (September 23, 2012)

The 17th Sunday after Pentecost
Jeremiah 11:18-20; James 3:13-4:10; Mark 9:30-37

Watch any world class sporting event and you’re bound to see athletes who have achieved greatness — and many more aspiring to greatness. Even at the highest levels of competition, most of the athletes participating will fade into obscurity. Despite their natural talent, whole-hearted dedication, and lifetimes of training, nothing guarantees even the best athletes that they will be great — let alone the greatest — in their sport or event. Imagine what would happen if a coach came along who could honestly guarantee an athlete greatness. How much money could he or she demand? How many athletes would be contending with one another to have this person as their trainer? How inspired and motivated would those fortunate enough to be under this coach’s leadership be? What would people be willing to do for guaranteed greatness?

 

Of course, no one can guarantee greatness in the world of sports. In fact, no one can guarantee greatness in business, academics, science, medicine, or any other sphere of human activity. But there is one exception to this rule. There is one person who can guarantee greatness. However, the greatness that this person guarantees isn’t a greatness that most people want. It’s not becoming a superstar in sports or a Nobel laureate or a wealthy business person. But it’s a greatness that will long outlast and far outweigh any worldly greatness.

Jesus guarantees greatness. So, why aren’t people flocking to Jesus as they would a coach who could guarantee them greatness in sports? Why aren’t people competing to be under His leadership? Why are so many of His followers unmotivated and uninspired when it comes to following His way to certain greatness. It’s because Jesus doesn’t guarantee the greatness that we want. Instead, He offers us a greatness that contradicts earthly greatness. Even less appealing to us is the way to this greatness: “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” Spiritual greatness through self-sacrifice, humility, and serving others may not be the greatness that we desire, but it is the greatness that is guaranteed by Jesus, who served us in humility and offered Himself as the sacrifice for our sins to free us from death and make us great in His Kingdom.

Audio file of the sermon "Guaranteed Greatness."

Journal: A Dubious Scrap of Papyrus vs. the Bible

How can one make an unauthenticated 1 1/2 by 3 inch scrap of papyrus with no context capture the attention of academia, the media, and millions of people?  Make sure that it has a sensational claim.  Not to disappoint, the latest emergence from the innumerable fragments of papyri includes one of the most sensational musings about Jesus -- one that has been the stuff of lore for centuries and made Dan Brown a wealthy man: Jesus was married.

Never mind that the fragment is a Coptic work (which means it is not an original source of information about Jesus), is supposedly from the 4th Century (which means it was written or translated hundreds of years after the New Testament's eyewitness accounts of Jesus' life), and that it has no provenance (which means it cannot be authenticated as a reliable historical document), people all over the world are already pointing to it as proving or disproving their views of Jesus -- views which are based on any of number of sources, from what the church has taught them to what they've consumed as entertainment.  Every source, it seems, expect for reading and studying the Bible.

It's disheartening to realize that many people have spent more time reading articles, watching reports, and listening to interviews about this fragment than they have read, studied, or listened to the Bible.  With the most accurate, best authenticated, and verified authoritative accounts of the life, teachings, and works of Jesus completely accessible and available, why do people insist on ignoring the rich feast of the Bible and chasing after the scraps that occasionally rise up from the waste heaps of secular history?

Long known by any credible scholar, theologian, or pastor, the plethora of extra-biblical writings that capture so many people's attention today were originated as attempts to draw people away from the Bible and into false teachings that rob them of the hope, joy, and peace of Jesus.  How is it that these thoroughly debunked writings have proven to be so effective in carrying out their intended purpose in our culture? Simply stated, when it comes to the Bible we are as a people ignorant and illiterate.

Unfortunately, our biblical ignorance and illiteracy is as much a problem among confessing Christians as it is in our culture.  This is evident when things like this Coptic fragment surface and by the way that Christians respond to them.  Some attack the news defensively, as though their own faith is on the line.  Some make simplistic assertions about relying on the Bible even though it's evident that they are not sure how the Bible speaks to the issue at hand.  Some - a seemingly increasing number - are just as intrigued and swayed by the "discovery" as non-Christians are.  Few speak to the issue as informed defenders of the Bible.

The advent of this Coptic fragment is a wake up call for Christians who have neglected God's Word.  The desperate need for a reliable foundation of truth in our postmodern world calls for us to be well versed in, equipped by, and articulate with the Bible.  After all, if we can't speak to the predicable and well-worn issues raised by this fragment, how will we be able to answer the greater needs of those who are perishing because all they know of Christ is the latest sensational counterargument enjoying its fifteen minutes in our culture's limelight?

Reflection: The Tell Tale Tongue (September 16, 2012)

The 16th Sunday After Pentecost
Isaiah 50:4-10; James 3:1-10; Mark 9:14-29

In Edgar Allen Poe’s classic short story “The Tell Tale Heart,” a man commits the perfect murder only to give himself up to the authorities and confess his crime. Why? Because he could hear the heart beat of his victim and it drove him to reveal his crime. While Poe’s story is fictional, it gets close to the point of James 3:1-10 which tells us about a part of our body that reveals our inner sins and exposes our evil thoughts. But rather than the heart, which can be hidden away, James identifies it as the tongue. Through our words we show people our true motives and intents. Even when we watch what we say, we each have a tell tale tongue.

 

Actually, a tell tale tongue can go either way. James focuses on the tongue revealing the evil in us, but Isaiah speaks of “an instructed tongue” that brings God’s Word of hope to people. But the Gospel lesson has the most interesting example of how what is inside of us often comes out through a slip of the tongue — words that we say that we didn’t necessarily think through before speaking them. It happened when a man was seeking relief for his demon possessed son. After Jesus’ disciples tried and failed to heal the boy, the man approached Jesus. His tell tale tongue showed the doubts and weakness that he didn’t dare speak plainly — maybe didn’t even realize were in him. “If you can …” the man said to Jesus, who pounced upon the words to the man’s surprise and horror. His tell tale tongue had given voice to his doubts.

Whether its our weaknesses or our bold sins, when our tongues pour out our doubts, evil thoughts, malicious feelings, etc. they paint an ugly picture of what’s inside of us. Only when we see this are we able to lament our horrible and helpless condition and call out to Jesus to do what no one else can do: deliver us. With the desperate father of the demon possessed boy, we cry out to Jesus, “I do believe. Help me in my unbelief.” Though seemingly nonsensical, this statement captures the conflict in our own hearts — the conflict stemming from what “should not be” but is. “Help me in my unbelief” turns us to our only source of hope and help. It, above everything else that we say, captures what we are like spiritually. It is the bold, confused, and hopeful confession of the tell tale tongue of one whose heart belongs to Jesus.

Audio file of the sermon "The Tell Tale Heart"

Reflection: Not Keeping Jesus a Secret (September 9, 2012)

The 15th Sunday after Pentecost
Isaiah 35:4-7a; James 2:1-10, 14-18; Mark 7:24-37

We might think that the Bible doesn't say that Jesus couldn’t do something, but today’s Gospel lesson says just that. After arriving in the village of Tyre, Jesus entered a house and tried to keep people from knowing that He was there, but “He could not keep His presence secret.” (Mark 7:24). It’s no surprise that Jesus was unable to move about secretly. He was very popular and people were seeking Him out. News of His teachings and healings were bringing people to Him from all over Galilee. Looking for rest, He journeyed to the Gentile territory of Phoenicia, but even there people had heard about Him. One of them, a woman whose daughter was possessed by a demon, showed her faith in Jesus by coming to Him and seeking His help. She was glad that Jesus couldn't keep His presence a secret.

Why do we try to do what Jesus was unable to do while He was in Tyre: keep His presence a secret? Although He has done even greater things for us than He did for the Syro-Phoenician woman, we hide Jesus in our lives and keep people from knowing Him. We have our reasons for being so quiet about Jesus, but in one way or another they all boil down to us being afraid. Whether we are afraid of being criticized, dismissed, ridiculed, or rejected, or if we face the unlikelihood of serious persecution and are afraid of bodily harm or death, fear drives us to keep Jesus a secret.

The book of James challenges us to confront our fears when it declares that “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:17) God’s Word makes it clear that hiding faith (and, in turn, hiding Jesus) is not possible for us. Genuine faith in Jesus cannot be hidden by us any more than He could keep His presence a secret in Tyre. It’s true that fear always works and tempts us to hide our faith and hide our Savior, so God encourages us to set aside our fears and He promises us the strength of His presence. “Say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, do not fear; your God will come … He will save you.” (Isaiah 35:4) He has come. He has saved you. He does not keep His presence a secret, but shows Himself to you in many ways to ease your fears and give you the confidence to share, not hide, Jesus in your life — and to rejoice with those who are glad that we’re not keeping Jesus a secret.

Gracious Father, we rejoice that You did not keep hidden Your love for us, but while we were still Law breakers estranged from You and destined to eternal condemnation, You showed Your heart to us by sending Your Son into our world.  In His life You satisfied the righteous demands of Your holy Law.  Though His death, You revealed the full extent of Your love for us and rescued us by Your grace.  Grant us the courage, strength and faith to live our lives in ways that clearly reveal that Christ lives in us and we in Him so that others may also come to know Your love and grace.  Amen.

Audio file of the sermon "Not Keeping Jesus a Secret"

Reflection: Showing What's Inside (September 2, 2012)

The 14th Sunday after Pentecost
Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9; Ephesians 6:10-20; Mark 7:14-23

From gift-wrapped presents to hidden game show prizes, we’re often eager to find out what’s inside of something. In much the same way, we may find ourselves wondering what’s inside of another person. We know that what’s inside of a person is far more important than what’s outside of him, like the contents of a box rather than its wrappings. But, unlike a gift-wrapped box, we can’t open a person up and look inside of him. External appearances can be deceiving, so how can we know what’s inside of a person?

After confronting the Pharisees over their traditions about what made a person clean or unclean, Jesus explained to His disciples how to know what’s inside of a person. He told them not to rely on external things like the rules and practices of the Pharisees, but to pay attention to what comes out of a person through their words and actions. What comes out of a person, whether good or bad, shows us what is inside of a person.

We understand what Jesus was talking about. When we observe people’s actions, listen to what they say, and watch how they live their lives we get a pretty good idea of what is inside of them. But we also know that people can act and speak in one way and actually be another way. Hypocrisy is widely practiced in our world and is widely accepted by people. It’s not uncommon for people to put on appearances, be careful with their words, and hide their true selves in order to project an image of themselves that they want other people to have. How can we really know what’s inside of someone?

Jesus knows what is inside of each person and He knows what is inside of every person. While it varies by the individual, each and every one of us is filled with sin. Look around and you’ll quickly see many ways in which the sin that is in us shows itself in our lives. The sins that Jesus cites in Mark 7:21-22 are just as prevalent among us as they were among the people of His time. He knows what is inside of us and deals with it by showing what is inside of Him. The love, grace, and mercy that we need is shown to us by Him in the vividness of the Cross, where what is inside of us is put to death and what is inside of Him comes to life inside of us and shown in how we live in response to His love.

Audio file of the sermon "Showing What's Inside"

Reflection: Nullifying the Word of God (August 26, 2012)

The 13th Sunday after Pentecost
Isaiah 29:11-19; Ephesians 5:21-33; John 7:1-13

According to researchers, tradition in religion is making a comeback. People have grown tired of fads in religious practice and long for spiritual expression that is deeply rooted in history and tradition. As a liturgical, traditional, and apostolic church body, we Lutherans are poised to reach people who are drawn to tradition. But we still (and always) face the risk of using tradition to nullify God’s Word.

Tradition always tempts us to displace and disregard God’s Word by lulling us into doing things in rote and meaningless ways. Without understanding the reasons behind our traditions, we may even end up valuing our traditions over God’s Word. This becomes apparent when we insist on preserving our traditions even when we can’t explain from the Bible why we have them. In extreme cases, traditions can even contradict God’s Word. That’s what happened with the Pharisees and their traditions.

The Pharisees valued their tradition above everything else. Their tradition took the letter of God’s Word and expanded, supplemented, and twisted it to the point of being in conflict with it. Jesus said that they had nullified the word of God by their tradition. Nullified God’s Word? What did Jesus mean by that? He meant that by disregarding God’s Word and relying on their tradition, the Pharisees had taken away the effect and impact that God’s Word could have when it is learned and practiced. They had displaced God’s Word with the teachings of men. They nullified it. We would be very shocked at this if we weren’t used to nullifying God’s Word ourselves.

Through tradition, ignorance, neglect, or abuse we have our own ways of disregarding God’s Word and displacing it in our thinking and practice. When we do, we take away the effect and impact that God’s Word could have in our lives. Thankfully, Jesus has His ways of breaking through the barriers that we set in place to keep God’s Word in check. When our hearts were far away from Him, He came near to us. When we had nullified His Word, the Word became flesh and demonstrated the full extent of God’s love for us by giving up His life on the Cross. In doing so, Jesus validated what men had long nullified and showed us that His Word is greater than any attempts to nullify it.

Audio file of the sermon" Nullifying the Word of God"

Devotion: Inside Out, Not Upside Down (Mark 7:1-13)

Audio file of this devotion

¹ The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and  ² saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were "unclean," that is, unwashed.  ³ (The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders.  ⁴ When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.)  ⁵ So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, "Why don't your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with 'unclean' hands?"  ⁶ He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: "'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  ⁷ They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'  ⁸ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men."  ⁹ And he said to them: "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!  ¹⁰ For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.'  ¹¹ But you say that if a man says to his father or mother: 'Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban' (that is, a gift devoted to God),  ¹² then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother.  ¹³ Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that."  

Mark 7:1-13  

David Kinnaman, president of the Barna Group, wrote a book with Gabe Lyons entitled “unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity ... and Why It Matters.”  The book details and analyzes research about what the impressions that young, unbelieving Americans have regarding Christianity.  One of the findings of this research is that a majority of unbelievers in the target age group (late teens to late twenties) view Christians as hypocrites.  This is not very surprising.  Not only does it reflect an attitude toward Christians that unbelievers have had for as long as research has been done, it is consistent with the growth trends regarding this issue.  However, it is surprising that, unlike previous generations, today’s young people don’t seem to have a problem with hypocrisy.  They see hypocrisy as something necessity for getting what you want out of life and expect everyone to act hypocritically, at least on occasion.

This increasing acceptance of hypocrisy has to be viewed by us Christians as bad news, not good news.  It turns things upside down.  If being hypocritical on occasion is acceptable what other immoral behaviors are seen as okay?  If such behavior is okay occasionally, how long will it be until it is acceptable frequently — or even all of the time?  Besides, who decides if a situation justifies hypocrisy and what if there’s disagreement on this point?

Besides, the upside-down people who excuse hypocrisy aren’t cutting Christians any slack.  What they view as hypocrisy isn’t hypocrisy at all.  From their point of view, we are charged with hypocrisy — for pretending to be something we are not — when we fail to live up to the standards of God’s law.  But when Christians sin we are not being hypocritical, we’re being exactly what we are: sinners.  What the people surveyed for the book “unChristian” failed to understand is that the difference between believers and unbelievers isn’t outward, but inward.  Christians don’t behave any better than nonChristians (a sad fact also documented in the book), but Christians have forgiveness for their sins by faith.  Faith is the inward and unseen difference between believers and unbelievers — and between hypocrites and forgiven sinners.  While Christians ought to live in accordance with the moral standards of God's Word, looking for faith on the basis of behavior turns things upside down.  God desires that we seek to turn things inside out not upside down.  He enables us to let our inward faith express itself in love.  And, so far, there is no research that that finds any fault with faith expressing itself in love.