Advent 1 – 29 November 2015 – Year C

Advent 1 – 29th November 2015 – Year C

Grace to you and peace from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

The text for this meditation is written in the 21^st Chapter of the Gospel according to St Luke: Verses 25 - 38

"And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  And then they will see the son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.  But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."

And He told them a parable: "Behold the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they put forth leaves, you see it and know for yourselves that summer is now near.  Even so you, too, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near.  Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things take place.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

"Be on guard, that your hearts may not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day come on you suddenly like a trap; for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth.  But keep on the alert at all times, praying in order that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."

We played a game when I was a young fella.  You may know of it.  It worked best in the late afternoon just on dark.  One of our group would be the "wolf" and they would hide somewhere. Then we would walk, usually huddled together, unable to see the “wolf”, toward the area where he was most likely hidden, all the time knowing that he was there and that he was near.  ‘What time is it, Mr Wolf?’ we would ask, and he would softly tell us a time. Scared, we would venture closer, peering, asking the time, still unable to see him – until - we got really close and the “wolf” would jump out and shout out "midnight!" and chase us like a monster and we would flee in panic, trying not to be caught by the "wolf".

When I read through the Gospel text, I think immediately of our childhood game; I understand now that ‘midnight’ was the ‘end of the day’. Our text tells us that there is a day coming that will be unlike any other, an ‘end day’ for another day will not follow it.  We don't know when, exactly, but we know it’s getting ever closer.  The end of the world, the final day of reckoning, the day of our salvation or the day of our doom, is coming.  Jesus tells us how we should stand in readiness for that great and terrible day, always being alert to the signs of the times.  Like my childhood game, we go through life calling "What time is it Mr Wolf?"

According to the words of Jesus, the signs of this coming catastrophe are pretty clear and pretty dramatic.  There will be signs in the sun and the moon and the stars.  Of course the details of those signs are not made clear, and we are no longer a people who read signs in the stars as they did back then.  We are too scientific.  The signs could be as simple as the scientific discovery that a meteor or a comet will strike the earth and annihilate the human race.  It could be the physical and robotic exploration of the moon and planets, and the wonders of the galaxy that we behold through the Hubble Telescope.  We, as humans put a lot of time and money into searching for “signs in sun and moon and stars”. - "What time is it Mr Wolf?"

Then Jesus says another sign is dismay on earth among the nations, identified with a perplexity at the roaring of the seas and the waves.  Now that sounds distinctly environmentalist, doesn't it?  The dismay at the seas.  Nations have become extremely agitated of late at the Ocean.  The ice caps are said to be melting.  The ocean is said to be polluted.  Life forms are disappearing from it.  It seems like the last ten years all we have heard in regard to weather patterns is whether we are experiencing either El Niño or La Niña. These oceanic conditions determine the water at the surface being too hot or alternatively one if the water is unusually cold.  Weather reports continually give us crash courses on how these phenomena affect our weather dramatically, and we have seen a remarkable increase in cyclone (or hurricane) activity across the planet causing many people a great deal of alarm. This is another sign Jesus gave, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things that are coming upon the world. 

Fear is certainly not in short supply in today’s world, worldwide, people are quaking with fear over what is happening or what they think is about to happen.  There is widespread fear of terrorism and extreme ideologies.  People are frightened by the control and invasiveness of information technology, and the changes that will make in our world.  People are afraid of running out of resources, afraid of global warming, and afraid that some natural disaster, like those meteors or some new super epidemic, that will wipe out mankind, or life itself from this world. -  "What time is it Mr Wolf?"

Could it be that we the people of God’s creation are afraid because we have lost the faith in and the knowledge of God and of His great love for us.  Do we no longer recognise His reality, and have we lost sense of His divine providence.  That is a definite recipe for fear.  Friends in Christ, that fear, that dismay, and that perplexity is the sign that Jesus pointed to as the sure and certain sign that He is coming back. That will happen for sure, but not the way the doom and gloomers say.  The end of the world is a certainty.  The end of our participation in it is a far nearer certainty, - but – take heart, that should not be the cause of fear for us the children of God, Baptised into a Holy and eternal fellowship with our Great Triune God.  Admittedly when we, as Christians, read of and speak of the Biblical catastrophes that produces terror in the hearts of worldly people today, there would be few very few of us who also would not feel some fear.  You would have to be a pretty remarkable person if you didn’t.  Our weakness is our humanity. -  "What time is it Mr Wolf?"

Friends, Jesus knows all this, and he urges us to have courage, to have faith in Him.  “But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."  Rather than fear, Jesus inspires us to confidence and hope.  Lift up your heads!  Don't cower in fear as though something unexpected is happening.  Straighten up and lift up your heads.  You know what is happening, and what it means.  It means that we are following the carefully laid plan of God.  The end is coming, and soon.  It is not going to be global flooding, or global warming, or a monster rock from outer space.  It will be the return of Jesus Christ with the fulfilment of our salvation in His hands!

Jesus even tells the parable of the fig tree to make His point.  Just as we recognise the signs of the seasons, and know that everything is happening just as it should, Jesus invites us to know the signs of the ages, and understand that it is not a terror for us.  Nothing bad is happening.  They are the signs of the return of the Lord that we see. He is the same Lord who loved us so much that He became man for us.  It is the same Lord who suffered such agonies in our stead, for our sin, so that we would not need to.  It is the same Lord who forgives us all our sins, and gives us eternal life.  Remember that for the child of God the worst thing that can happen, a physical death that our sinful flesh rejects, is also the best thing that can happen, for it is the door to life everlasting in glory with Him!

Jesus said that it will happen, and then He reminds us that His promises and His salvation and His love is more permanent than the earth below us or the sky above us.  Even as we see this world come unravelled and undone, His love and His promises and His salvation are unshaken and sure!  “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”

Friends, in the light of this, we remember the complex prophecy of the ancient Mayan civilisation, which for so long (up to three years hence) held the undivided attention of so many worldly academics, the prediction that the 5,125 year life cycle of the earth would end on 22^nd December 2012, at which time the world would come to a cataclysmic end.

Is it any wonder that Jesus says, be prepared:  Be on guard:  Those are the words He used.  Be on guard against the unrealistic and unbelieving fears.  Be on guard against the foolishness that cannot understand the events around us.  Be on guard that your hearts may not be weighed down with dissipation (the squandering of life’s blessings) and drunkenness (debilitating escape from reality and self control) and the worries of life, (the car payments and the house repairs, the opinion of our neighbours about us, and the endless stream of health scares) Jesus doesn't say not to take care of such things, He simply warns us not to be crushed by them or so distracted that we do not see the coming of the day of the Lord, and that day comes on us suddenly like a trap. - "What time is it Mr Wolf?"

The signs have always been with us.  Forty years ago I would have described them differently, perhaps, but they were still there.  They were there because God has so arranged this world that they would be there for His people to see because that day is coming, and God would not have us be distressed by its approach, or surprised by its arrival.

It will happen Jesus said so, it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth.  How do we prepare?  Pray for strength and endurance in all the many circumstance of this world, “But keep on the alert at all times, praying in order that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."

Jesus is all the preparation that we need.  He did what we needed done.  He paid for our sins.  He forgives us all our guilt.  He has given us eternal life in our Baptism.  He who is baptised and in penitence, allows the grace of God to flow into and through their lives, are saved.  In this world, among all the challenges and pains and sorrows of this life, our trust in the will of God in our lives is all the preparation you really need, ultimately, it is the only real hope we have in this life into eternity. Amen

What time is it, Mr Wolf?

The love and peace of our great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen

Christ the King – 22 November 2015 – Year B

Christ the King – 22 November 2015 – Year B

Grace to you and peace from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

The text for this meditation on the Last Sunday of the Church Year B – Christ the King – is written in the 1^st Chapter of the Revelation to John: Verses 4b–8:

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 

Look! He is coming with the clouds;

every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen.

 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

In the movie “The Two Towers”, second in the “Lord of the Rings” series, there is a moving scene just before the battle of  Helm’s Deep. A boy with fear in his eyes is getting ready for battle. He says to Aragorn, “I hear that our situation is hopeless and that we will all be dead by morning.” Aragorn replies in barely a whisper, “There is always hope” Those who are good are vastly outnumbered and overwhelmed by the forces of evil. But the heroes are faithful as they struggle against evil for what is right and true, even though such struggle is painful, difficult, and costs them dearly.

In a much greater sense this is true in our text. The Book of Revelation, in fact the entire Bible, pictures an overwhelmingly powerful army of evil whose goal is to wipe out every good thing that God has created. That evil is the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh. These evil enemies are so powerful and pervasive, with so many on their side, that we outnumbered Christians are seriously tempted to lose hope or to compromise with evil. In spite of our best intentions, how often, in times of adversity, we fail, we struggle with the faith to believe and trust Jesus to guide us through adversity, as He promised, and are left in despair not knowing where to turn.

Our text presents to us to our revelation, our ever-present hope in the face of overwhelming adversity, Jesus Christ, “the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth”. Christ Jesus, in the face of overwhelming evil, faithfully witnessed to the truth, both in word and deed, unto death. He refused to give up and went to the cross and offered Himself up as the ultimate and eternal sacrifice for our sins, the sins of the world. Then he rose from the dead, was exalted, and now reigns with great power. His faithful witness restores our faith daily in the forgiveness of our sins, and through our Baptism sanctifies us through the Holy Spirit and inspires us to be more faithful witnesses to His Saving Grace in our daily lives in the world.

Friends in Christ, I try to be more specific here. In my experience the very mention of the ‘Book of Revelation’ brings looks of confusion. This is the book that seems to lack clarity, attracts controversial statements and doctrine, and in itself predicts events that seem somewhat paranormal. I ask, is creation from nothing, miracles of great proportion, the raising from death to life, and many other such things ‘normal?’ Is forgiveness of sins and eternal life ‘normal?’ No! our relationship with our Great Triune God is far from normal and in the text of the ‘Revelation to John’ is the depiction and disclosure of the very nature and purpose of the Holy Trinity and for us an insight of the eternal joy that is ours.

“Jesus Christ, the faithful witness”. The witness in word: In his trial before Pilate, our Lord summarised his life’s mission when he said,  “For this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify (witness) to the truth” (Jn 18:37). To witness means to faithfully declare the truth, even in the face of evil, no matter what the opposition. This truth was indeed the Gospel, the Good News that He, the Son of God, became incarnate (True God and True man) so as to be the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (Jn 1:14, 29). The good news is that God gives such forgiveness freely to everyone who repents and believes the Gospel. Jesus always faithfully witnessed to this truth, even before Pilate, even on the cross.

The witness in deed; Our Lord showed himself to be a faithful witness. He refused to give up or give in to evil. He refused to back down in the face of mass rejection (Jn 6:66; Mk 15:11-15) or the horrors of hell at Gethsemane (Mt 26:38-39), or at the cross (Mt 27:46). He was a faithful witness to the truth by being willing to suffer and die for the truth rather than compromise with evil.

Yet our Lord Jesus, the faithful witness, did not merely suffer and die for the truth; he suffered and died for us and for all mankind. As written in the 6^th verse, Jesus is the one “who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood.” Our unforgiven sins were the chains by which our evil enemies had bound us. However Christ, by his shed blood on the cross, and by becoming the firstborn from the dead, shattered those chains of sin and freed us by forgiving us. As a result, for those who believe this Gospel and have been baptised, God no longer counts their sins against them and considers them to be righteous (2 Cor 5:19-21).

I all this we are richly blessed, but this blessing can only grow if it is shared, and therefore Jesus Christ was a faithful witness so that each of us would be a faithful witness. By his death and resurrection Jesus has given us a new identity: “[Jesus] has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve His God and Father” (v 6). He has made us a kingdom of holy priests whose task is to serve God. Every Christian is part of the priesthood of all believers. We should note that Jesus “made us” a kingdom and priests. We contributed nothing to our new identity before God; it was totally by grace, an unmerited gift. We did nothing. Jesus did it all. Our new identity is received only by faith, and can never  be achieved.

What is the ‘Call’ of the ‘priesthood of all believers’?  In 1 Peter 2:9 we are told that God has made us a royal priesthood, so that we “may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light”. In other words, at the heart of being a priest before God is to worship God, specifically by testifying to the truth of how God saved us. By testifying to the truth of the Gospel, we are faithful witnesses, even in the face of evil.

In reading this, many of us are challenged; “To publicly witness is risky. I don’t think I can do that”. Friends in Christ, Jesus gives us the encouragement we need to be faithful witnesses. The original recipients of Revelation were the seven churches of Asia. In the late first century they were facing a growing pressure and persecution from the world. The seven letters in Revelation 2-3 stress the importance of faithfulness in the face of persecution, false teaching, and worldliness. Some were succumbing to the temptation to give in to the pervasive evil all around them, to compromise. In so doing, they would lose everything. Only those who are faithful unto death will receive the crown of life (Rev 2:10).

So it is with us. Surrounded by evil, overwhelmed by disappointment and hardship, and threatened with hostility toward our faith, we also are greatly tempted to give up or to give in to evil. We are tempted to stop witnessing, to stop testifying about Jesus in word and deed. In such a setting of persistent worldliness, we are tempted to ask, “Why should I bother? What good has come out of all my efforts to be a faithful witness? Where are the results? The more I strive to be a faithful witness, the more I suffer”.

Friends, Jesus, the faithful witness, comes to help us. He gave the Revelation about “the things to come” to the seven churches to challenge their complacency and to strengthen those who had grown weary of trying. You see, the ultimate message is this: in the end the victory belongs to God and the Lamb. Though evil will prevail for a time, and though evil will at times overwhelm and outnumber those who embrace the good, Jesus Christ by his faithful witness has overcome evil. And one day Jesus will come again. The victory will be His and evil will be no more. Then how happy will be those who remained faithful witnesses. Therefore we must not give up or give in to evil. Cling to our Baptism and remain a faithful witness that we may share in the everlasting victory. “Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him.  So shall it be!  Amen”  (v7). ’He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes I am coming soon.’ Amen.

Come, Lord Jesus. Amen

The grace, love and peace of our Great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen

Merv James

Pentecost 25 – 15 November 2015 – Year B

Pentecost 25 – 15 November 2015 – Year B

Grace to you and peace from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

The text for this meditation is written in the 13^th Chapter of the Gospel according to St Mark: Verses 1 – 13:

And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” ² And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, ⁴ “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” ⁵ And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. ⁶ Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. ⁷ And when you hear of wars and rumours of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. ⁸ For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.

⁹ “But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. ¹⁰ And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. ¹¹ And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. ¹² And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. ¹³ And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

We’ve heard this story before.  Jesus has finished preaching and teaching in the temple.  He will never visit it again.  As He leaves for the last time before his death on the cross, one of His disciples points out the beauty and majesty of the buildings on the temple grounds as well the new construction in the temple area.  Jesus replied that the day would come when someone would destroy the temple so that not one stone would be left on another.  The fulfilment of this prophecy came in 70 AD when the Roman army laid waste to Jerusalem and destroyed the temple.

Herod the Great had started the grand rebuilding of the temple several years before Jesus was born.  It ended up being about an eighty year project.  Every time that Jesus entered the temple – from the day of His presentation until the time of today’s Gospel – there had always been new construction.  In fact, the builders finished remodelling the temple only 5 years before the Romans destroyed it.

The temple had a long history that stretched back to Mount Sinai and the instructions for the tabernacle – the instructions that God gave to Moses.  The tabernacle and then the temple were the physical centre of the Old Testament church.  It was the place of sacrifice.  The sacrifices reminded God’s people of their sin – that they were constantly offending God with their thoughts, words, and deeds.  The sacrifices also reminded them of their Saviour – the Saviour who would one day come and save them from their sin.

As we look at the temple in view of the life of Jesus, we see that the temple and its ceremonial law were shadows that pointed forward to the reality of Jesus Christ.  Jesus with His holy life, His innocent suffering and death, His resurrection, and His ascension were the perfect fulfilment of the promises set forth in the teachings and ceremonies of the temple. 

This means that the temple’s job was almost over.  A few days after today’s Gospel, the sky would grow dark as the Son of God hung suspended on a cross.  He would shout in victory, “It is finished!”  Then, He would die, the earth would shake, and the curtain in the temple would be torn.  Then the job of the temple would be over.

When we understand that the job of the temple would soon be over, we can understand why Jesus was more concerned for His church than for His temple.  When the disciples asked about the future of the temple, Jesus talked about the future of the church.  Jesus’ disciples came to Him and asked, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?”  Instead of responding with information about the temple, Jesus warned them about their own future: “See that no one leads you astray.  Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray.”  Jesus’ words have been true for every generation from that day until now.

We have plenty of would be Messiahs even today.  In Korea, Sun Myung Moon (of the Moonies) claimed to be the Messiah.  Jim Jones claimed to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ and actually convinced his followers in 1978 in Jonestown in Guyana, to drink Kool Aid laced with poison. The Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that Christ already set up his millennial kingdom in 1914.  The Mormons have a living prophet as the head of their church.  L. Ron Hubbard set himself up as a Saviour and founder of the church of scientology.

The fringe cults and sects seem to have enough false christ’s to go around, but those fringe cults and sects aren’t the only fulfilments of Christ’s prophecy in today’s Gospel.  Even churches that claim to be part of main line Christianity lead people astray: An example being altering the Words of the Holy Bible to pray the Lord’s Prayer in the feminine gender (i.e. “Our Mother who is within us etc.) This tendency for even main line denominations to alter, misinterpret or abandon the word of God demonstrates the spiritual decay that Jesus spoke about in today’s Gospel.

After Jesus warned about the false christs, He warned of persecutions.  It is not enough for the false christs to lead people away from the truth, but they must also persecute those who remain faithful.  Jesus warns that people will turn against their own relatives: “Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death.  And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake.”  At another time, Jesus even warned, ^{[John 16:2]} “The hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God.”

Suffering, persecution, death … why would anyone want to deal with this?  Why not give up and go with the culture that persecutes us?  Jesus makes a short simple promise at the end of today’s Gospel: “But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

Today’s Gospel began with the temporary stones of the temple.  Those stones cannot save, but there is a stone that can save us.  The Psalmist said, ^{[Psalm 118:22-23 22]} “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.  This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.” 

The Temple authorities rejected this stone with extreme prejudice.  They arrested Him and arranged to have Him beaten and crucified.  As He hung on the cross, it looked like His end was near.  As He died on the cross, it looked like His end had come.  As His cold body lay in the tomb, it looked like His end had passed.

His suffering and death was an end, but it was not His end.  It was the end of our slavery to sin.  It was the end of the condemnation and guilt that our sin earned.  It was the end of death’s reign in this world.  For on the Sunday after He was laid in the tomb, He rose from the dead.  He rose to live forever.  The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

This stone, of course, is Jesus Christ Himself, the Rock of Ages.  Those who believe in Him, believe in the only stone that lasts forever.  They believe in the living stone who is the foundation of the New Heavens and the New Earth.  The one who endures to the end is the one whose faith in Jesus Christ endures.  That one who believes that Jesus Christ is the only Saviour from sin is the one who endures to the end and will be saved.

All things on this earth come to an end.  Today’s Gospel talks of the beautiful buildings of the temple.  They have been replaced by a Moslem Mosque.  There will be a time when that mosque will also be gone.  Eventually, even the earth, the sun, the moon, and the stars will all be gone.  Only Jesus Christ, the Rock of Ages will remain to preserve us.  Those who followed the false prophets of this world will remain without salvation.  Those who endured in the one true faith to the end will be saved.  Amen

The peace and love of our great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen

Pentecost 24 - 8 November 2015 - Year B

Pentecost 24 - 8 Nov 15 - Year B

Grace to you and peace from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

The text for this meditation is written in the 12th Chapter of the Gospel according to St Mark: Verses 38 - 44

38 As he taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, 39 and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honour at banquets! 40 They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” 41 He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. 43 Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. 44 For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

Today’s Gospel gives us some insight into the message that Jesus had for two different kinds of people.  As the Gospel reading opens, Jesus is warning against religious hypocrites.  He said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretence make long prayers.”  These scribes are both bullies and hypocrites.  They worked hard to maintain a high and honoured standing in the community.  Then they misused their position to victimise the less fortunate in society.

Then there is the poor widow who came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny.  This woman caused Jesus to call his disciples to him and say to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box.  For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”  The important point here is not that this woman gave everything, but that she trusted God to supply all her needs.

It is very possible that this widow was one of the widows who had been swindled by the scribes whom Jesus condemned.  The words that praise the widow condemn these hypocrites, for they stand idly by and do nothing to help her.  His words are a true lament over all those who are blessed with wealth, see this poor widow, and do nothing for her.  He laments even more for those who cheated her out of her life’s savings.  Those hypocrites were wealthy on the outside, but their hearts were poor on the inside.  They would do well to ask, [Mark 8:36] "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?"

On the other hand, Christ’s words praise the Holy Spirit’s gift of faith that allowed this poor widow to experience the joy of giving to the Lord.  Christ’s words in the literal Greek say, “… from her poverty, as much as she had, she threw her whole life.”  Jesus looked beyond the coins and saw a woman who loved God with all her heart, soul, mind, and strength.  She not only placed her life savings into the treasury, but Jesus saw that she knew her life was in God’s hands.    She may have been poor on the outside, but her heart was truly rich on the inside.

By definition, hypocrites are people who fool others into thinking that they are Christians and, at the same time, do not practice Jesus' will and commands.  They look like Christians on the outside, but only God can see that their hearts have no faith.

The sad thing is that they must be very knowledgeable in what others expect of Christians.  They must know enough to fool others into thinking they are devout.  After all, it is hard work to lead a double life – one in public and the other behind closed doors.  Hypocrites choose to abuse their God
given talents and they put them to an evil use.  They are in the extremely dangerous position of
knowing exactly what is right and then making a decision to do otherwise.  Is it any wonder that hypocrites often provoked Jesus to righteous anger?

Perhaps the saddest hypocrites are those who are such great actors that they fool even themselves.  No doubt many of the scribes thought they were the epitome of righteousness.  No matter how sternly Jesus warned them, they refused to listen to Him.

So, where do we fit into the story?  Are we like the widow, or are we like the scribes?  Of course, we all want to be like the widow, right?  OR, could it be that we just want people to think that we are like the widow.  After all, she threw her whole life on the Lord.  Have we really thrown our whole lives on the Lord?  Does it make us feel just a little bit more than uncomfortable to think about trusting solely in God?  Remember that God judges the heart.  What does our heart look like?

Have any of us ever mouthed the words of the Lord’s Prayer perfectly while thinking about lunch?  Do we start getting annoyed when God wants to give us a few extra gifts on Sunday morning and the service runs a little long?  Do we get very disappointed, maybe even depressed, when we do something special for the church and no one notices?  Do we ever think, “There are some real hypocrites in this congregation, I hope they are hearing this sermon?”  Friends in Christ, let's face it.  We are all hypocrites more often than we would care to admit.

Jesus said that hypocrites will receive the greater condemnation.”  Do we deserve that greater condemnation for all the times that we have been hypocrites?  Those of us who are honest know that we have indeed been hypocrites, and yes we do indeed deserve that greater condemnation of which Jesus spoke.

Take heart my friends, there is someone who has thrown in His whole life for us.  Just as this poor widow offered her whole life at that offering box, so the Holy One, Jesus Christ,  who watched her, offered His whole life for all on the cross.  Here is One who was never a hypocrite – who never did anything that deserved condemnation.  Here is One who endured the greatest condemnation and made payment for the sins of the world.  When Jesus Christ suffered and then died on the cross for us, He offered up His life as the perfect sacrifice that satisfied the justice of God.

Because Jesus Christ lived a perfect life that was free of hypocrisy and every other sin, the grave could not hold Him.  Although His friends laid Him in the tomb on Friday, He rose from the dead on Sunday.  He now lives forever and offers us a whole life.  Through His sacrificial death and His triumphant resurrection He offers us forgiveness for all our sins including the sin of hypocrisy.  AND where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.

The Holy Spirit works through the Word of God to give us the same faith that the poor widow in today’s Gospel had.  He works through the audible Word of God as we hear the readings and He works through the tangible Word of God that we eat and drink in the sacrament.  The faith that the Holy Spirit gives us, receives the gifts that Jesus Christ earned for us as He gave His life for us.  The faith that the Holy Spirit works in us through Word and Sacrament, gives us a share in the Kingdom of God.  In that kingdom, we receive forgiveness, life, and salvation.

The world often accuses us by saying, “The church is full of hypocrites.”  The world is correct.  That is because the church is full of human beings and human beings are hypocrites.  Human beings are also thieves, liars, murderers, and adulterers.  Human beings are sinners.The real difference between the world and the church is that the church is full of hypocrites and sinners who are forgiven. 

A day is coming when every person will leave this world behind.  Those who leave without faith in Jesus Christ are in peril of leaving without forgiveness. - God have mercy on them.  Those who have faith in Jesus Christ already have forgiveness.  They have left their sin and its condemnation behind.  They will enter the eternal joy  of heaven.  They will enjoy the eternal peace of Him who threw in His whole life for us.  Amen

The love and peace of our great Triune God that is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen