Pentecost 11 - 31 July 2016 - Epistle Reading

Sermon - Colossians 3: 1 - 11 - Pentecost 11 - Year C

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

The text for this meditation is written in the 3rd Chapter of St Paul 's letter to the Colossians: Verses 1 - 11:
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your[a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.[b] 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

“Where Is Your Head At?” That, basically, is the question that comes out of today’s Epistle reading from Colossians 3. There St. Paul puts it like this: “Seek the things that are above,” and “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” On things above, or on things on earth? Where is your head at? Today God’s Word would direct us to set our minds on things above.

Our text today warns us where not to set our minds, and guides us as to where we ought to set them, and why.

Where then should we not set our minds? Paul says, “not on things that are on earth.” Now it’s not that things on earth are unimportant, as though our life here on earth doesn’t matter and we should just walk around with our heads in the clouds, ignoring our calling and our responsibilities in daily life. No, that’s not it. That would not be the way of love. God has placed us in this world for a purpose, and he calls us to be a blessing to those around us. We have our various vocations to attend to: husband, wife, parent, child, priest, parishioner, citizen, ruler, employer, worker. In sum, we are called to be a loving neighbour, a channel of God’s blessings to others. Indeed, our life in this world matters very much.

So what does Paul mean when he says that we should not set our minds on things on earth? The Text clearly explains: “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” These sinful things that get in our minds and stay there–that’s what Paul is referring to. Notice that all of these things reside in the mind: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, covetousness. All “mind” things, but which then can play out in our lives in wrong actions, wrong conduct, wrong behaviour. Paul then adds a few more items to the list: “anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another.” You see, what starts in the mind proceeds to the mouth, and beyond that, to the deeds that we do. But they start in the mind, so that’s where we need to be aware of them and nip them in the bud.

Why is it so important that we not set our minds on these earthly, sinful things? Well, of course, by these things we hurt the people around us, we damage our relationships, and really, we end up hurting ourselves, damaging our psyches and going down destructive paths. Sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, covetousness, anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscene talk, lying–these things are not good or healthy for human beings, even though we may think so at the time.
But then there’s something more. By these things we are also incurring the wrath of God, as Paul sternly warns us: “On account of these the wrath of God is coming.” There is the reality of death and the divine judgment coming. Do we take this seriously? We should.

Jesus warns us similarly with the Parable of the Rich Fool. Now there was a fellow who set his mind solely on the things on earth and not at all on the things above. His covetousness consumed him, And, as Paul says, covetousness is idolatry. It displaces God in a person’s life. A covetous person is always thinking about what he can get, and not about God, who gives him all things. When covetousness gets in your mind, there’s always the desire for more, you’re never content, you never pause to consider the place of all this “stuff” in the bigger picture. Like the rich fool, you become very self-centered, very inward-directed.

But the rich fool did not reckon with the fact that you can’t take it with you. I’ve never seen a funeral hearse with a U-Haul attached. Death will come calling, one day, one night, and after that, the judgment. The rich man said: “And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’” The rich fool set his mind on things on earth, and thus was not ready for that night.

“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you.” Immediately this gives us cause for anxiety! How can we stop these sinful things and covetousness, evil desire, from coming into your mind? What do we have to do?   Paul is very clear that we don’t have the power to do that on your own. Our sinful nature clings too close. The world around us saturates us with these things, the devil tempts us with them, and our own sinful flesh desires them. We like to set our minds on these things. That’s our problem! Who will deliver us from our bondage to sin?

God does. In fact God already has. It happened in our baptism. There God buried in a watery grave where our sinful selves went to die. Then with the miracle of the water and the Word a new self emerges free from the bondage  of sin. Paul said as much in chapter 2 of Colossians: “You have been buried with Christ in baptism, in which you were also raised with him.” And now in Colossians 3, Paul says the same thing: “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” And again: “You have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self.”

Our old self would set its mind on things like covetousness, sexual immorality, anger, and so on. But that self is dead and buried. We've  been baptised. We now are renewed in Christ. The heavens are opened to us, through Christ. We've  got a new life, an eternal life, because of Christ, and that changes everything, including our mind. Get used to the new reality; it’s a beautiful thing.

"Set your minds on things above." Because it is from above that our new life has come down. For us men and for our salvation Christ came down from heaven, the only Son of God sent to redeem us from our sin and death, and deliver us from the wrath and judgment to come. Jesus did this, for us, by being lifted up on a cross, suffering the wrath and the judgment we all deserve. Now we are forgiven. “You who were dead in your trespasses, God made alive together with Christ, having forgiven us all our trespasses, nailing our record of debt to the cross.” Yes, from above comes the solution to our problem of sin and death and judgment.

From above you have been born again–born from above, born of water and the Spirit in Holy Baptism. And it is to the above, to the heavenly reality, that our life is heading. For that is where our head is, namely, Christ, the head of his body, the church.

Where is our head at? Our head is in Christ, and he has risen from the dead, and ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God. This is why we set our minds on things above. Because that is where Christ is, and “your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Paul writes: “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.”

Right now Christ is seated at God’s right hand, the place of all honour and authority, and he is ruling all things for the sake of his church. Christ loves his church. He has not abandoned us or left us as orphans. No, he cares for all of us with a love that surpasses all the love we can imagine.

This puts all of our trials and travails in perspective. When we set our minds on things above, where Christ is, we gain strength to carry on, amid all the sorrows and setbacks of this life. Ailments and adversities, heartaches and hurts–they cannot overcome us and drive us to despair. We know our life is hid in Christ. We can turn to God in prayer, casting all our cares upon him, knowing that we have access to the throne of grace through Christ our Saviour. God will help us to put away and put to death all the earthly, deathly things of the old life that would seek to dominate our minds. God will help us to live in the new way, to put on the new self, which is being renewed day by day in God’s image. Think about these things, my friends, and you will be setting your minds on things above.

And there’s more, more to come. For from above, Christ will come again, in glory, to raise us up from death and restore this earthly creation in perfect wholeness. A new creation, for eternity. That’s what’s coming. Think about that. “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

We then come back to our opening question: Where is your head at? Our head, the head of the church, is Christ Jesus our Lord. He is our life, both now and forever, and he has come down from above to save us from wrath and judgment, and now is raised up on high, and from there he will come again to take us home to himself. So we set our mind on Christ and where he is. This will expand our horizons to the heavens, and we can still attend to your daily duties; much better in fact, but we will not be consumed with those earthly, sinful things that lead to death. God will do this for us. Remember, we are baptised and forgiven children of a loving Triune God.

Where is your head at? As a baptised child of God, our head, our mind, is set on things above, because that is where Christ, our ever living head, is. Praise be to God!

The peace and love of God, which is beyond all human understanding, keep your hearts–and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Pentecost 11 - 31 July 2016 - Year C - Gospel Reading

Pentecost 11 - 31 July 2016 - Year C

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Our text for this meditation is written is the 12th Chapter of the Gospel according to St Luke: Verses 13 - 21

The Parable of the Rich Fool

13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

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“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

There are probably a lot of ideas and conceptions people have when they’re speaking of someone being a fool. Our human perceptions dictate that we see or interpret the very same things quite differently.

The term “rich fool,” conjures an image of some spoiled young heir who has wastefully squandered an inherited fortune. Or perhaps someone who won the lottery, then blew all the money in a few years of frivolous spending.

Today’s Gospel lesson is known as the parable of the rich fool. Far from being a frivolous spender, though, this man carefully guards his wealth, seeks to protect it from risk, and wants to use it cautiously to provide a comfortable lifestyle for years and years to come.

To many people, this is an indication of wisdom and shrewdness, an admirable example of planning and discipline. In stating that, I would like to pose a couple of questions to assist us as we reflect on today’s Gospel lesson: Firstly: From whom or what is the rich man protecting his wealth, and why? And,  Secondly: for whose comfort and enjoyment is it being stored up?

As we do this, let’s look back on how this parable came about. Just prior to this text, Jesus has been speaking to the disciples. He is warning them of the Pharisees’ hypocrisy, and telling them to have courage in their future work for His kingdom. He tells them that they do not need to fear the powers of this earth in this lifetime, but instead can trust that their faith will bring them eternal rewards.

In the midst of this important teaching about the spiritual life, a man in the crowd interjects with his worldly worry. Unwilling to accept the Jewish law that the elder son receives a double portion of the family estate, this man wants Jesus to intervene. He wants Jesus to instruct his brother to divide the inheritance in a manner more suitable to the man’s wishes. In other words, he wants Jesus to serve him, not to save him.

Jesus replies bluntly: “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter over you?”

Jesus speaks a subtle but important truth in this question. That truth is that He has not been appointed a judge between mankind, but rather as judge of  mankind—that is all of us people's on earth; just as He has been granted by the Father. He had certainly not come to settle petty disputes of this earthly life. In fact, He had come to divide houses and separate families who can not agree upon who He is and what He has done.

Jesus proceeds to instruct the crowd regarding the dangers of the greed this man had demonstrated. He points out that; “A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

How often we forget this in our materialistic world! We confuse our “life” with our “lifestyle”. We say “Life is good” when we have a steady job, plentiful food, a comfortable place to live, good relationships with others, and many possessions and conveniences.

On the other hand, when we face unemployment, are short of money and down on our luck, or are in conflict with family or friends, we often claim that our life is going poorly at that time.

But, is it really our life that is going poorly, or is it our attitude about our current lifestyle? Have we been handed a raw deal, or are we overlooking the precious gifts and blessings that God has given us?

Jesus begins, “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.”

That is, it was not the man’s own abilities or labours which were fruitful. It was the earth itself, God’s own creation, which yielded its bounty. Isn’t this always the case? In giving and preserving life, both now and eternal, it is always God’s initiative, God’s toil, God’s overcoming difficulties, which provide us His gifts. We can no more overcome our own sin and death than the rich man could make the seeds in his field sprout and grow.

The rich man doesn’t recognise this. He doesn’t give God glory and thanks for His generous providence of a life-sustaining and wealth-producing crop. He doesn’t give any indication that he remembers or acknowledges God at all. Instead, the rich man focuses entirely on himself and looks inwardly. Nine times in the next three verses, he uses words like I, my, and myself:

“What shall I do?” he says. “I have no place to store my crops. This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones. I will store all my grain and my goods. I’ll say to myself.”

Like we ourselves sometimes do, the rich man cannot distinguish between his bodily, physical self and his very essence as God’s creature, formed in God’s image and endowed with an eternal soul.

Even the end of the man’s internal dialogue is self-indulgent. The rich man congratulates only himself on his good fortune. After all, any interaction with others might require him to consider how his fellow human beings fit into his plans. They might even ask him to share his plenty with them

No, he had better look out for Number One, hoard his belongings, and take life easy for a good, long while. Isn’t that everyone’s dream? Who could find fault with anyone for enjoying what good things life brings them?

It’s clear from our text that God finds fault with this approach. While Christians who set aside worldly wealth, power, and fame in service to God and others, are often considered altruistic fools by the "wise ones" of this world, the Lord in turn chooses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. The seemingly shrewd rich man is not only called a fool by God, he is also called to his death and his reckoning. The Ruler of all things shows how foolish it is to base our eternal security upon ourselves and our possessions.

What the man says to his own soul, and what God says, are completely different. The man thought his soul was just another one of his possessions, his own to direct and control. Yet even this essence of ourselves is always in the palm of the Creator. As the rich man stored up things for his physical self, he was anything but rich toward God.

There are three main points regarding this lesson. Firstly: A reminder that Christ’s kingdom is not of this world. Secondly: That it is God who provides, not we ourselves. Thirdly: This parable instructs us regarding good stewardship of all of God’s blessings, both material and spiritual.

The man who wants Jesus to settle his dispute over the inheritance was not paying attention. Jesus had just spoken of His authority over this world, and teaching His followers that they should have little concern over this world’s trials, conflicts, and priorities. Our fears should be not of physical death, or of discomfort from being in need in this life, but of spiritual death and eternal separation from the Lord.

The accumulation of wealth may bring favour in the world’s eyes, but it jeopardises our relationship with God. Our confessing and following Christ always places us in opposition to the world. It risks our life and our livelihood through persecution or prejudice, but it secures our place with God into eternity.

In dying to provide us a precious inheritance, Jesus ensured our place in an everlasting household of untold treasure. Unlike most inheritances, however, where the heirs only obtain the wealth in the absence of their loved ones, both our heavenly Father and our god-man Brother will be with us as we enjoy it eternally.

Our inheritance, too, unlike that of the man in the crowd, is neither limited nor divisible. We do not need to worry that someone else might get a bigger portion, or that there won’t be enough to go around. The precious blood of Jesus atoned for everyone, in every time and every place. The number of His elect is uncountable, and each receives a full portion of His abundant love and life.

Our second point considers God’s providence for our daily needs as well as His concern our eternal life. The rich man couldn’t see his needs beyond the physical. He certainly gave no indication that he recognised his needs were provided for by God. Even before being blessed with a fine harvest, he is wealthy. He already has barns adequate to support a comfortable lifestyle. To this man’s life of plenty, God grants further abundant gifts—not because the man was good, but because God is good. It is a fact that God causes both sinner and saint to prosper, at least in this earthly life.

However, this man’s blessing from the hand of God becomes his greatest test. What will he do with his new-found abundance? He fails this test miserably, and his blessing becomes a curse. His possessions became, as Solomon indicated, “vanity.” Not the vanity of conceit, but rather that his accomplishments are all achieved in vain, useless efforts.

Jesus never denied that people had physical needs. In fact, He often satisfied their needs for food or healing. He frequently encouraged the sharing of one’s wealth or possessions with those less fortunate. Yet Jesus knows that our real need is not food or housing or clothing—it was the removal of the sin. Sin separates us from God, blinds us to the needs of our neighbour, and leads only to eternal death.

Food and money and possessions can satisfy you for a time—if you are happy to remain fixated on this world. But, as Solomon observed further, this satisfaction is fleeting. When illness, age, and death come upon us, wealth is of little comfort and of even less usefulness.

Our third point today is in regard to our stewardship of what the Lord has provided. This consists of more than that which we place in the offering plate each Sunday, or have electronically donated each week.

Remember how the rich man in the parable had no discussion with anyone else. He never even mentions other people. They were of no concern to him, apparently. In a sense, he had gained the whole world for himself. Yet in the process of doing so, he lost his soul. The world would lament the rich man’s end in a way radically different from the believer. The world says, “How sad it is that this man died, just when he had reached the top. He had to leave everything he had worked for behind.”

We know, however, that the real tragedy of this rich man is not what he left behind. God will see to it that the rich man’s resources find their way to those who need them. The real tragedy of the rich man, rather, is what lay ahead of him—eternal separation from God.

He lived without God, he died without God, and he will dwell forever apart from God’s comfort, care, and blessing. He was greatly blessed in his worldly life, yet did not give thanks or praise to God for His blessings. He received abundantly, but did not give generously.

Contrast this to God’s own actions toward us in Christ Jesus. Our Lord praised and thanked His Father for all blessings on a continual basis, even for the simple pleasure of daily bread. He lived in close communion with God, seeking His will in all things, and conforming Himself to the Father’s desires. Begotten as the Son of God, co-eternal and co-equal, He forsook all the power and riches and majesty of heaven, and took on our frail human form so that He might face our temptations, fight our battles, and die our death. Jesus willingly set aside His rightful place as heir to the kingdom, and God freely gave His greatest treasure, His dearest possession, the very life of His dear Son, for us.

What, then, is a God-pleasing solution to using the abundant blessings He has given us in this world? If His kingdom is not of this world, how do we possess that kingdom while not being possessed by the world? Do we remove ourselves from the world, turning our backs on the trappings of life around us, as the medieval monks did, and as some Christian communities do yet today?

The Scriptures as written in the Holy Bible make it quite clear that we are not placed in this world to serve ourselves or to try to reconcile our lives to God through a life of selfish and visible piety. In fact, we sin by attempting to do so, for we are given our very lives in part so that we might serve others as God’s instruments, even as God graciously serves us graciously with all the blessings of salvation we could never earn for ourselves.

This text often leaves Christian people with feelings of anxiety and guilt over their wealth or the lack of it; that is not the purpose of Jesus's words. In summing up, Jesus never endorsed a life of idleness, nor did He advocate a foolish trust that God will provide us everything without any effort on our part, without using the abilities and strength He gives us. Scripture says that fallen man must eat by the sweat of his brow, and that he who is capable but will not work should not eat.

We enjoy the fruits of our efforts through the providence of God,and in keeping with the "Lord's Prayer", we give Him praise and thanks for His bountiful goodness in granting us all that He has. Jesus calls us to share God’s blessings with others and provide for the furtherance of His kingdom through our physical and financial gifts. Only wisdom in our financial affairs can allow us to continue to do this. But first and foremost, let us not fail to remember and acknowledge that whether we give or receive in this life, we do so only by the loving grace and generosity of our Great Triune God.

In His "Great Commission"  in Matthew 28 Jesus also calls on us to share the life-giving word which we received in baptism, the word through which the Holy Spirit brought us to faith. Let others know of the greatest gift, the greatest blessing, the greatest treasure we have received: Salvation by grace through faith in the atoning death and victorious resurrection of God’s only Son, Jesus.

May we live the foolishness that defines our lives not by what we have, but by what we are: Chosen and redeemed children of God. May we live the foolishness that tells us our worth is measured not in what we have earned, but by what has been given and sacrificed for us: The life and precious blood of our dear Lord and Saviour.

May God’s words to us as we enter His presence for our eternal journey not be, “Fool!”, but rather, “Well, done, good and faithful servant!” 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

Pentecost 10 - 24 July 2016 - Year C

Pentecost 10 - 24 July 2016 - Year C
Grace to you and peace from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

The text for this meditation is written in the 11th Chapter of the Gospel according to St Luke: Verses 1 - 13

The Lord’s Prayer
Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, gas John taught his disciples.” And he said to them,

 “When you pray, say
“Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come
Give us each day our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And plead us not into temptation.”
And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, k for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’?  I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because  he is his friend, yet because of his impudence3 he will rise and give him whatever he needs. And I tell you, ask , and sit will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

In today’s Gospel we heard Luke’s account of the Lord’s Prayer from the English Standard Version of the Bible.  It sounds a little different because we tend to know the more traditional King James Version of the Lord’s Prayer as found in Matthew’s account of the Gospel.

Prayer is something so simple for us that we teach children to pray.  We tell them that they are talking to God and that He wants to hear everything that is on their minds.  We tell them that they don’t even have to pray the words out loud because God can hear their very thoughts.  Many of us grew up with prayer and we sometimes forget what a profound gift God has given to us in such a simple package.

Perhaps it would help us appreciate prayer a little more if we look at some of the pagan prayer practices in the Bible.  Sometimes, we have a greater appreciation for God’s gifts when we compare them to the practices of some of the false religions.

Back in 1 Kings 18, we have a confrontation between the prophet Elijah and the prophets of Baal.  In the interest of time, I will give you a synopsis of the confrontation.  Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest.  Each side would prepare a burnt offering, but not burn it.  Instead, each side would pray for their god to set the burnt offering on fire.  Elijah let the prophets of Baal go first.

The prophets of Baal prayed all day and nothing happened.  Then it was Elijah’s turn.  Elijah prayed a short prayer and the fire of God not only consumed the sacrifice, but it also consumed the altar and left a smoking crater in its place.  The people were impressed and killed the prophets of Baal.

Now I would certainly encourage you to read the entire account in 1 Kings 18, but, today, I just want to focus on the prayer practices described in this confrontation between the prophet Elijah and the prophets of Baal.

Listen to the intensity and the sincerity of the prophets of Baal as they call on Baal to ignite the sacrifice.  The prophets of Baal [1 Kings 18:26–29] took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. 27 And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” 28 And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. 29 And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention.

Notice the intensity of the prayer of the prophets of Baal.  They prayed all day.  They cried aloud; that means they shouted as loud as they could.  They even mutilated themselves.  Nothing happened.  These prophets were very sincere.  They worked hard and long.  Never the less, nothing happened.  Neither the quality nor the quantity of prayer means a thing when you are praying to a god who is not there.

As evening approached, it was Elijah’s turn.  He not only prepared a sacrifice, but he also totally drenched the sacrifice in water.  Then [1 Kings 18:36–38] Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. 37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” 38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

Elijah’s prayer was short and to the point.  There was no crying out.  There was no bodily mutilation.  The prophets of Baal prayed all day.  Elijah prayed for less than a minute.  The prophets of Baal got nothing.  Elijah received fire from the Lord.  It is better to pray a simple prayer to the true God than it is to pray an impressive prayer to a false god.  Given that there were 450 prophets of Baal and only one Elijah, we can also say that it doesn’t make any difference how many people pray.  When you pray to a false god, you are praying to someone or something that does not exist.  There is no one there to hear your prayer.  How can there possibly be an answer.

Sadly, the sinful human imagination has come up with all sorts of false gods.  Many of these false gods were quite cruel.  A review of the worship practices of the false gods found in the Bible exposes a wide variety of cruel practices.  The prophets of Baal merely cut themselves.  Other false religions actually sacrificed human beings to false gods.  Some even burned their own children alive as a show of faithfulness to their false gods.  It is hard work to worship a false god.

As sad and tragic as these false religions are, there are a couple of things they get right.  First of all, it is a true and precious privilege to share our thoughts and feelings with the sovereign God of all things.  It is worth any sacrifice to speak with Him and receive His blessing.  Second of all, there is something broken between us and God that blocks that sharing.  Even the most primitive cultures recognise that this is a fallen world and we are an unworthy people.  The really sad misconception that all false religions have is that there is something that we can do to fix the brokenness that we have with God.  That is the reason that many religions require such extreme sacrifices and other rituals before their god will listen to them.  They actually believe that their sacrifice will bring them into a right relationship with God so that they can speak with Him.

The true religion recognises the sad reality that there is nothing we can do to fix our relationship with God.  We are sinners through and through.  We are sinners before we are even born and our daily sins only increase our condemnation before God.  We have no right to pray to God.  In fact, we have no right to any blessing from God.

If this is the case, how can Jesus say what He said in today’s Gospel reading?  Jesus instructs us to pray.  He not only instructs us to pray, but He also instructs to be confident enough to call God our Father.  He instructs us to be persistent in prayer.  He instructs us to pray and expect God to give us exactly what we need … exactly what is best for us.  How can Jesus instruct us to do this if we are such wretched sinners?

The answer is in the very one who instructs us to pray.  The one who teaches us to pray is the one who set His face to go to Jerusalem.  He set His face to go to Jerusalem in order to tear down the wall of sin that makes us enemies of God.  He tore down that wall by offering Himself up as a sacrifice to make the payment that our sin requires.  Jesus allowed His enemies to nail Him to a cross so that He could offer those same enemies a place in His family.  With His suffering and death on the cross, He makes us His brothers and children of our heavenly Father.  This is a certainty because Jesus did not remain in the grave after He died, but He rose from the dead and has ascended to rule at the right hand of the Father.

In his explanation to the introduction of the Lord’s Prayer, Dr. Martin Luther gives a meaningful insight: "Our Father who art in heaven.  What does this mean?  By these words God would tenderly encourage us to believe that He is our true Father and that we are His true children, so that we may ask Him confidently with all assurance, as dear children ask their dear father."

The difference between the false religions of the world and the one, true religion can be summed up in this way: the false religions teach us to pay the sin debt we owe … in some cases even to the point of sacrificing our children.  The true religion is Jesus Christ the Son of God sacrificing Himself to pay the sin debt we cannot pay.

Jesus invites us to pray boldly to God as dear children talk to their dear Father.  He can extend this invitation to us because He shed His blood to break down the wall of sin that stood between us and God.  Jesus offers to make us children of God.  The Holy Spirit gives us the faith that takes Jesus up on that offer.  Through the Holy Spirit’s gift of faith, we are the children of God, the heirs of His Kingdom, and He gives us the right to pray boldly to God.

Jesus teaches us to pray.  The throne room of heaven lies open before us.  God is ready to listen to whatever we have to tell Him.  The privilege of prayer is there for all who believe.  It is one of the many gifts God gives to us with His presence here in time and forever in eternity.  Amen

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

Pentecost 9 – 17 July 2016 – Year C

Pentecost 9 – 17 July 2016 – Year C

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

The text for this meditation is written in the 10^th Chapter of the Gospel according to St Luke: Verses 38 – 42

Martha and Mary

³⁸ Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. ³⁹ And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” ⁴¹ But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, ⁴² but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Today’s Gospel makes me really uncomfortable.  The reason I am uncomfortable is that Jesus said something in today’s Gospel that makes people angry.  Jesus was conducting a Bible study in the home of Mary and Martha and He said that Bible study is the one thing necessary.  Check it out for yourself.  That is what Jesus said.  Don’t get angry with me.  I am just telling you what Jesus said.

Note that Jesus did not say that Bible study was one of many important things.  He did not say it was one of even a few things that are necessary.  He said that Mary had chosen the one thing that is necessary.

Martha invited Jesus to stay in her home.  That’s a good thing, right?  Jesus accepted the invitation.  That is also a good thing.  Then Jesus decided to have a Bible study and Martha’s sister Mary decided to attend.  That right there is amazing.  Rabbis in first century Israel did not usually teach women.  Never the less, here is Jesus giving Mary the right to sit in on His Bible study.

Here is where it gets nasty.  Martha felt it was her duty to scold Jesus and attack Mary for attending Bible study.  She literally interrupted Jesus and criticized Him for not ordering Mary out of Bible study.  Read the account yourself.  Martha said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?  Tell her then to help me.”  Martha literally scolded Jesus and then tried to order Him around.  Read it for yourself.  I’m not making this up.  That is what today’s reading from the Gospel really says.

Not much has changed down through the centuries.  I have been a member of many congregations during my life.  In every case, there were people who took the teaching in today’s Gospel to heart and regularly studied the Bible with their priest and the other members of the congregation.  Then there were people who chose not to be in Bible study.  I am not talking about those who could not come because of their health, jobs, or other circumstances beyond their control.  I am talking about those who were well able to come and simply stayed away.

I suppose that we shouldn’t really be surprised then, when those who do not attend Bible study complain and criticize.  After all, if Martha had the arrogance to criticize the Son of God for having Mary in His Bible study, Christian teachers should not be surprised when criticized for encouraging them to attend Bible study regularly as well.  Never the less, in today’s Gospel, Jesus Himself stated that Mary had chosen the one thing that is necessary.

Now, if you have a problem with the idea that all Christians should regularly attend Bible study, then remember:  It is Jesus who is telling us that Bible study is the one thing that is necessary.  If you have a problem with Bible study, take it up with Jesus.

Why does Jesus teach that Bible study is so important?  Jesus Himself said, ^{[John 5:39]} “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.”  Here Jesus teaches that the best way to get to know Him is to get to know the scriptures.

When Jesus prayed for His disciples, He also prayed for those who would come to faith through their message.  Jesus prayed, ^{[John 17:20]} “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word.”  The Apostle Paul also wrote, ^{[Romans 10:17]} “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”  The Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle Peter to write, ^{[1 Peter 1:23]} “You have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God.”  These verses and others like them teach that the Holy Spirit works through the Word of God.  There are no verses that tell of any other way to receive the Holy Spirit.  The only promise God gives concerning the work of the Holy Spirit is in connection with God’s Word, the Bible.

The Bible is not like other books.  Most books exist merely to transmit information.  Even works of fiction are just an artfully designed collection of the words, actions, and / or thoughts of fictional characters and places.  The Bible is not like that.  God’s Word actually transmits its topic.

Yes, the Bible transmits information like other books.  It tells us that the Son of God took on human flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary and became a man named Jesus.  It tells us that Jesus lived a perfect life of service to the people in His life.  It tells us that although He lived a perfect life, the authorities arrested Him, and found Him guilty of false charges based on lies.  These corrupt authorities managed to get the Son of God tortured and sentenced to death by crucifixion.  The Bible tells us that when Jesus hung on the cross and died, He satisfied God’s wrath against all our sins.  The Bible also tells us that Jesus did not remain in the tomb, but rose bodily never to die again.  It tells us that Jesus ascended into heaven and will return on the last day to judge all people.  These are the facts that The Bible transmits to us.

However, unlike all other books, the Bible does not stop there.  It is the Word of God.  The Holy Spirit has promised to work in, with, and through God’s Word.  Because the Holy Spirit has promised to work with God’s Word, God’s Word does not just tell us about Jesus.  God’s Word actually is Jesus transmitted to us by the Holy Spirit through the Word.  God’s Word does not just tell us about forgiveness.  God’s Word actually is forgiveness transmitted to us by the Holy Spirit.  God’s Word actually is salvation transmitted to us.  God’s Word actually is eternal life transmitted to us.  The Word of God is God at work.

That is what it means that the Word of God is a Means of Grace.  The Word of God is the way God actually gives Himself to us.  The Word of God is not a static source of information.  Instead, ^{[Hebrews 4:12]} the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

You see we are not able to travel half way around the world and almost two thousand years back in time to the site where Jesus earned salvation for the entire world.  We cannot travel to the cross outside First Century Jerusalem where Jesus shed His blood to take away the sin of the World.  Instead, the Holy Spirit transmits the forgiveness Jesus earned for us on the cross into twenty-first century homes and places of Christian Worship across the world via the very Word of God that Jesus says is the one thing necessary.

We should not be surprised at this for Genesis chapter one tells us that God created the world by the power of His Word.  In a similar way, His Word creates faith in us.  It also sustains that faith.  As the Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle Paul to write, ^{[Romans 1:16]} “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

If the Word of God is indeed that powerful … if the Word of God really is the means by which the Holy Spirit actually gives salvation to us … If, as Jesus says, the Word of God is the one thing necessary, then we would expect Christians to ask questions at their Church like, “Is there a way that we can have some sort of Bible study more often?”  If Christians really believed what Jesus said about the Word of God being the one thing necessary, congregations would drive their priests into happy exhaustion as they taught class after class; feeding their members on the good food of God’s Word.  Christians would look forward to retirement because then they could attend an extra Bible study or two every week.

The simple fact is this: God delivers His blessings through His Word.  When Jesus says Bible Study is the one thing necessary, He is teaching Martha, Mary, and us that God delivers His blessings through His Word.  God delivers Himself through His Word.  When anyone encourages you to attend Bible study, they are only encouraging you to receive more of God’s blessings.  They are only encouraging you to get more of God’s power, more of God’s forgiveness, more of God’s salvation … they are encouraging you to get more of the God who took on human flesh and sacrificed Himself for your eternal life.  God’s Word has only benefits for those who are in Christ Jesus.

There is a theological term that applies to today’s Gospel.  That term is “Gospel Imperative.”  A “Gospel Imperative” is something that sounds like a command, but is really something we already want to do.  For example: A hungry family has been milling around the house for about forty-five minutes waiting for something to eat.  Finally, the head cook sticks her nose out of the kitchen and calls, “Come and get it!”  Strictly speaking, this is a command to come and get it.  Never the less, no one complains, “Oh no … now I got to go and eat!”  Instead, they immediately comply with the orders of the head cook.  They come and they get it … not because of the order, but because they are hungry.

It is the same way with Bible study.  Our spirits are hungry.  God feeds us through His word.  It is the means by which Jesus reveals Himself to us and showers us with His gifts.  We passively receive His blessings as He serves us.  This is especially true of the blessings of forgiveness, life, and salvation that Jesus earned for us on the cross.  Jesus wants us to have these gifts.  That is the reason He taught that His Word is the one thing that is necessary.

The Son of God has prepared the meal.  He has said, “Come and get it!”  Hungry souls come and get forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life.  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

Pentecost 8 – 10 July 2016 – Year C

Pentecost 8 – 10 July 2016 – Year C

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

 
The text for this meditation is written in the 10^th Chapter of the Gospel according to St Luke: Verses 25–37:

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

²⁵ And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” ²⁶ He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” ²⁷ And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” ²⁸ And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

²⁹ But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” ³⁰ Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. ³¹ Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. ³² So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³ But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. ³⁴ He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵ And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ ³⁶ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” ³⁷ He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

Today’s reading from the Gospel account is the very familiar story of the Good Samaritan.  A man gets attacked on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho.  The attackers leave him to die.  Following that, two representatives of the high moral society … a priest and a Levite … notice the poor victim and pass him by.  Next, a representative of what the Jews consider as the scum of the earth, a Samaritan, comes by, and this scum has compassion and saves the victim’s life. The animosity between Jews and Samaritans was so intense, that the Jews would pray in their temple that all Samaritans would be sent straight to hell.

For Christians this is a ‘Chart Topper’ parable, along with the ‘Prodigal Son’ – Love and Forgiveness; leading Christian virtues! On a worldly scale, this parable is so powerful that the Samaritan has become the icon for people who come to the aid of strangers.  There are even “Good Samaritan” laws that prevent helpful strangers from law suits in the event that the rescue is not entirely successful.

To really get the full impact of this story, however, it is important that we understand the context of the conversation that Jesus had with the lawyer before He told the parable of the Good Samaritan. 

It is also important to know that this lawyer is not of the Macrossan and Amiet or Shine Lawyers kind. This is a Lawyer well versed in Jewish Law, the Law of Moses (the first Five Books of the Bible – The Torah), which means he is coming from the high moral ground and has the audacity to test Jesus.

First of all, this lawyer stood up and asked a question: “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” This is a law question.  It requires an answer from the law.  So Jesus asked the lawyer to consider the law: “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?”  This is Jesus asking this lawyer to speak what he knows well … to recite the basics of the law.

The lawyer quickly recited the words from memory.  He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.”  Of course this is the right answer and so Jesus said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

Now here is where the lawyer made a blunder that we all tend to make.  Deep down inside, the lawyer knew that he didn’t have the ability to love his neighbour, as he should.  He should have confessed that He did not love God or his neighbour.  Instead, he asked Jesus to provide a loophole, some sort of justification for his ‘human attitude’.  He said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?”  The lawyer was hoping that Jesus would put some kind of limitation on the word neighbour.  Then loving the neighbour would be a lot easier.  That is when Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan.

I wonder, how often do we, as a community or personally, try to weaken the law and / or our own values in order to make it more easy or convenient for ourselves?  We have all witnessed the results of ongoing watering down of Censorship Laws in Australia and the reluctance of many parents to enforce them. I was shocked whilst attending a primary school for an ANZAC Day address, when the Principal explained to the school, right down to the Grade 1, that Mr James’ address was going to be something like the movie “Saving Private Ryan’. He then asked how many had seen that film and more than 90% of the hands went up. To me, ‘Saving Private Ryan’ was one of the most graphic displays of reality combat violence that I had ever seen. It’s rated MA (V) – I ask how did those Children get to see that and what effect did it have on them. This is a prime example of how we as a community are prepared to compromise our values for the sake of convenience. The justification: Kids hear and see this stuff at school and everywhere!

Again, the Bible says, ^{[1 John 3:15]} “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”  Can we honestly say we have never hated anyone?  Jesus said, ^{[Matthew 5:27–28]} “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’  But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”  Is our thought life absolutely pure?  What about stealing?  Have we ever taken a longer break than allowed?  Have we made personal copies on the company photocopier without paying for them?  What about the copyright laws concerning the material that you copied?

An honest examination of the law shows that we are murderers, adulterers, thieves, liars, and so forth.  No wonder we want to weaken the law.  We want to weaken the law so that we don’t feel so bad about ourselves.  After all, the most important thing for us is to be happy: Isn’t that right?  If we weaken the law so that we can be happier, that’s a good thing. Or is it??

Jesus puts an end to that kind of thinking by choosing a Samaritan as the hero of His parable.  The Jews hated the Samaritans.  They were mortal enemies.  If it weren’t for the Roman occupation, the Jews and the Samaritans would be at war.  As far as the Jews were concerned, the only good Samaritan was a dead Samaritan, and the Samaritans more or less thought the same way about the Jews.

So when Jesus chose a Samaritan to be the hero of His parable, He was strengthening the law.  He was telling this lawyer that the Samaritan was his neighbour.  Jesus was saying that there is no limit on who is your neighbour.  Everyone you meet as you go about your life is your neighbour, and you are to love your neighbour as you love yourself.

If we are really truthful, our response is “I can’t do that.  There are some people that I will never love no matter how hard I try.” and we would be right.  No one can love with the kind of love that God calls for in His commandments.  We do not love God with all our heart, soul, and strength.  We do not love our neighbour as ourselves.  Jesus calls us to be the Samaritan in the parable of the Good Samaritan, but we can’t do it.

We are supposed to be the Samaritan, but we end up being the victim.  The devil, the world, and even our own sinful flesh have attacked us with our own sin.  Spiritually speaking, we are not just near death.  We are, in fact, [Ephesians 2:1] literally dead in our own trespasses and sin.

There is no help for us in the law.  The law passes by us and is disgusted with our condition just as the priest and the Levite passed by on the other side.  The law asks us to help ourselves, but we are dead in sin and can’t help ourselves.

Jesus Christ is able to keep the law of love.  He is able to fill the role of the Good Samaritan for us.  He lived a life of perfection.  He loved his neighbour enough to sacrifice Himself.  He generously applies the oil of His righteous life and the wine of His own blood. ^{[Isaiah 53:5]} He was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.  He gave us His righteousness and took our sins onto Himself as He suffered and died on the cross.

Jesus then took us to the inn of the church.  There he gave instructions to His priests and people to care for us. He has given the priests something way better than a card with a billion dollar credit limit or a blank check.  He has left His Word, Holy Baptism, Confession and Absolution, and the Lord’s Supper with the inn of the church.  He has given His priests instructions to use these Means of Grace to tend to the well being of all those who have been beaten up by sin.  With these Means of Grace, the priests tends to the victims of sin, death, and the devil.

If we want to live by the law, then we must live up to the example of love in the parable of the Good Samaritan.  We cannot do that.  Sin attacks us and leaves us at the side of the road to die.  In fact we are spiritually dead.

Our only hope is for Jesus to take on the role of the Good Samaritan.  Only He can rescue us and bring us healing.  Jesus is the one who set His face to go to Jerusalem so that He could die for us on the cross.  He is also the one who rose from the dead to give us the promise of eternal life with Him.  He offers us forgiveness, life, and salvation.

Don’t mess up this salvation by trying to do your part to save yourself.  We can’t help ourselves.  Jesus has already written us into His will, and He has died.  Jesus Christ has taken up the role of the Good Samaritan in our place.  Jesus Christ has already earned our forgiveness.  The inheritance of eternal life is already ours.

The Holy Spirit administers Jesus’ estate by transmitting forgiveness to us by the Means of Grace … Word and Sacrament.  The Holy Spirit establishes the faith that receives that forgiveness, as it trusts in Jesus.  There is nothing left to do.  When it comes to our salvation, God does all the work.  We have already inherited eternal life.  It is ours.  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.