Pentecost 23 – 23 October 2016 – Year C

Pentecost 23 – 23 October 2016 – Year C

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

The text for our meditation is written in the 4^th Chapter of St Paul’s 2^nd letter to Timothy: Verses 6 – 8 & 16 – 18.  (2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18)

As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing …. At my first defence no one came to my support, but all deserted me. May it not be counted against them!  But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen

It is interesting to note here, that Paul’s second letter to Timothy is the last letter that Paul writes in his life--at least as recorded in the Bible. Paul is writing from his prison cell in Rome, during his persecution under Emperor Nero, and he is awaiting execution. Paul writes to his loyal assistant Timothy, and as he comes to the end of this letter - and to the end of his life – He is looking back on his life; reflecting on the experiences and events that led up to this time. In addition to this, Paul is also looking forward, to what awaits him beyond this life.

This passage can be quite challenging, because as we read what Paul writes, we could be left wondering, “Is Paul” - the former Pharisee - having a Pharisee Relapse?”

If we cast our mind back to the Gospel reading for last week especially where Jesus told the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, you will see that Jesus was speaking about ^{Luke 18: 9} “some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt” ^{Luke 18: 10-12} “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’

One could be forgiven for comparing that to what Paul says here in our text: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.   Sounds somewhat similar, doesn’t it? Here is Paul quoting a string of his own good works. Could it even be that Paul is citing his works as a basis for his salvation, because Paul does go on to say: “From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day.

So is Paul having a Pharisee relapse? You know, Paul was a Pharisee as a young man and a very brilliant and zealous one, at that. Saul of Tarsus, top of his class, a Pharisee of Pharisees! Now, as an old man, is he reverting to his former ways, putting confidence in his own works? “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

How should we regard this for our own lives? Is the little bit of self-righteous pride in all the good things we have done in God’s sight all right to throw into the mix? Are we not entitled to take some credit for our good works? Surely they will have some influence at the end times when God sits on His judgment throne?

Paul answers this question Romans ^{3: 27 – 28} “Then what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. By what law? By that of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law”.

In regard to his own works, Paul is adamant ^{Gal 6: 14} “May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

In the light of this, what then of Paul’s apparent Pharisaic self-righteous

opening statements in our text?  As in all cases, passages taken from the Holy Bible must be contextually complete; a few words or a passage taken in isolation can create a false illusion or even confusion. This is a ploy used my those who would lead us away from the true meaning of God’s Word in favour of their own personal agendas. 

In the context of the whole reading, Paul is saying that he was able to achieve many things because ^{2 Tim17-18} “the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and save me for his heavenly kingdom.” You see, it was the Lord who gave Paul the strength to do all that he did, and Paul rightly gives all glory to God.

And when Paul says, “From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day” he is saying nothing more than what is the hope of every Christian: that we have waiting for us the victor’s crown of life that Christ won for us by his bloody crown of thorns. The righteousness of Christ, his perfect righteousness, given to us as a gift--this is our only hope on the Day of Judgment.

Listen, Paul says this very plainly. He says, “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

This is a message of a man who knows that death is very near. Paul is in prison. He’s about to be executed, martyred for the faith. But he wants Timothy to know that there is no need to fear such things. Don’t let fear stop you from fighting the good fight. Don’t let danger stop you from finishing the race. Don’t let persecution shake your grip on keeping the faith. That’s why Paul is writing these words to Timothy - and to us - to encourage us, to give us courage to carry on, in spite of whatever difficulties or persecution might lie ahead.

In his words, Paul is reassuring us that the Lord will stand by us and strengthen us to carry out our calling. The Lord will rescue us from every evil deed and bring us safely into His heavenly kingdom. The Lord will award to us the crown of righteousness he has laid up for us. All that the Lord has done, is doing, and will do for us far outweighs our own feeble efforts and the empty hopes and promises the glittering gods of this world offers.

Do we believe this? Yes. If there was any doubt, just look at what Christ Jesus did for us when he went to the cross, willingly suffering and dying in our place, to take away our sins. God loves us beyond all human understanding; He has promised that He will be with us always ^{Matt 28}. He will see us through the hard times, the trials and afflictions we will face. He will give us the strength and the endurance we need in this life and into eternity.

That’s what Paul is saying here. He’s saying: What the Lord has done for me, he will do for you too. When the Lord Jesus Christ returns, he will award that crown of righteousness to me, but “not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”

So we see that Paul is by no means having a Pharisaic flashback. Far from trusting in his own righteousness, Paul would be the first to confess his utter unworthiness.  He tell us ^{Rom 7:18} “For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh.” and in 1 Timothy, Paul calls himself the “chief of sinners.” When it comes to salvation, righteousness, justification, Paul would beat his breast and say nothing more than the tax collector in the parable, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”

There is no self-righteousness from Paul here only an example on how we should all appraise ourselves as Christians in our Triune God’s kingdom on earth. Knowing we are sinners, saved only by the Grace of God, we should never give up hope or be deterred by life’s challenges. In saying that, like Paul, our Lord calls us to take strength in His Grace and through faith work to serve all people in His name so that at the end of our time we can boast with Paul ^{Phil 3:14} “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.”

We Christians take hope because we know that the righteousness of Christ will cover all our sins and carry us through in times of trial, strengthen us in our calling and bring us safely into his heavenly kingdom, and award to us the crown of righteousness. “To him be the glory forever and ever. 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 22 – 16 October 2016 – Year C

Pentecost 22 – 16 October 2016 – Year C

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

The text for our meditation is written in the 18^th Chapter of the Gospel according to St Luke: Verses 1 – 8

Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. ² He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. ³ In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’ ⁴ For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’” ⁶ And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. ⁷ And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? ⁸ I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

I love sport; in particular Rugby League is my passion. Whilst I barrack for the Brisbane Broncos, I am riveted to any game that goes right down to the wire. Scores neck and neck, players straining to get that final edge over the opposition. The 2015 and the 2016 NRL grand finals were games that were decided in the final minutes. In both cases the victory went to the team who never stopped trying. In both cases the direction from the coaches was “it’s an 80 minute game, keep going right to full time and never give up.”  It’s great for young people to play sport, there are so many life lessons to be learnt in the process.

In our Gospel reading text, Coach Jesus urges us members of Christ’s team today to “never give up.”  Painting a parable where a widow’s incessant asking ultimately persuades an uncaring judge to grant her request, Jesus teaches us to ‘Pray, pray persistently; never stop praying.’  Imitating his parable’s earthly judge, but in a different manner; with a different motive, our Lord will answer our persistent prayers – Jesus will give us God’s justice.  Providing a positive response for his warning question about our condition when he will come again at the end of time, our Lord will work in us a Spirit-given faith that will never fail.

Describing a judge we never want to encounter in our courts today, Jesus offers no legal lessons.  Exercising power for his personal gain, this judge is not godly, not trying to please the Lord; nor is he trying to please men.  Decisions will be based solely on the question, ‘What will be best for me?’  When a widow – a ‘helpless’ woman who has no relatives to appeal her predicament – pleads, “Grant me justice against my adversary,” this judge refuses to even hear her case.  What benefit can she offer him?  Undaunted, this widow brings her case to his court again and again and again.  Irritated by her unrelenting request – as a continual tapping by a harmless little hammer starts to dent his hard heart – this judge finally delivers justice.  Note Jesus’ explanation.  This self-centered soul gives a widow what she asks from an adversary not because it is the ‘right’ thing to do – not because he is properly applying the law of their land — but only because this judge wants the widow to stop pestering; stop nagging him.  When an ignored widow refuses to fade into the woodwork, if she will not ‘give up’ in disgust — not stop ‘eating up his time’ & testing his patience – unless he hears her case, an ungodly, uncaring judge grants her request.

What will we learn from our Lord’s story?  To endlessly ask; to pester people until we finally get what we want in this world – a tactic our children seem to automatically master; an approach ‘supposedly mature’ people too often appear to apply in our world?  No.  Persistent prayer – not nagging – persistent prayer is Jesus’ point in his parable.  When we are attacked by all types of evil adversaries, as believers will be in a wicked world, Jesus tells us to pray the Lord will administer his justice.  Jesus teaches us to never stop praying our Lord God will work his will in our life.

Will our prayer be heard?  Will our case be considered?  Absolutely!  Unlike an uncaring, completely self-centered judge pictured in his parable, our Lord cares what happens to us.  In fact, Jesus unselfishly loves us so much he personally steps in to improve our lot in life before we even begin to ask his assistance.  “When we were powerless,” Paul explains, “Christ died for the ungodly…”  Again, stressing God’s gracious time-frame.  “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us…”  Inspired apostle Paul emphasises the source and recipients of salvation.  “When we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son.”^{[ROM 5]}  What a wonderful truth!  Before I recognise my guilt, before I realise my self-serving lies and egotistical anger earn eternal death; before I am ever led to repent of my sins, Jesus’ sacrificial death as every soul’s Saviour won God’s forgiveness for me!…for you!

God’s justice, I pray we understand, is unlike any judgment any honest or dishonest earthly judge may administer.  In God’s eternal courtroom, we will not get; (or would we want to get), what we deserve.  In God’s courtroom, we will graciously get what God wants to give us.  Why?  As God judges us, as God hands down his eternal sentence for us, he does not look at our actions nor listen to our words or thoughts.  God only looks at a flawless life Jesus lives as our perfect replacement; God simply looks at an innocent death Jesus dies as our sinless Substitute.  Based on Jesus’ life and death as our Saviour, God declares us ‘righteous’…God judges us ‘forgiven!’  God’s justice is our justification.  “All have sinned; all fall short of the glory of God” – Paul emphasises as he plainly outlines God’s gracious plan for each of us – “all are justified freely through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  God presented Jesus as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood…to demonstrate his justice …to be just & be the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”^{[ROM 3]}

Unlike the widow’s anonymous judicial antagonist, I pray we understand that another human being is not our real adversary.  Our own sin, our own sinful self truly troubles us.  Praying – always praying for Jesus’ justice – we ask the Lord to increase our awareness of God’s grace; increase our confidence in and increase our reliance upon God’s full and free forgiveness for every one of our sins.  Praying – always praying God will work his will in our life — we actually ask the Lord to change our attitudes and actions.  We pray the Lord lead us to respond to God’s gift of salvation by letting our Saviour’s forgiving love guide our interaction with all the other similarly sinful souls we encounter in our life.

When we personally approach the end of our earthly life – when some illness starts to steal our physical health or when old age inevitably makes our body ache, makes once easy movements most painful – when we no longer feel needed; when we feel forsaken or seem to have become a burden for our family and friends, will we still follow Jesus faithfully?  Will we continue to confess Christ is our Saviour?  “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”  Will Judge Jesus, our Saviour, find faith in our heart?

Friends, our answer to this critical question can only be found in one place.  Not in our sinful human heart, but through the Holy Spirit who uses God’s gospel truth in Word and sacrament to give us faith – the Spirit who compels us to call Jesus my ‘Lord’ and to confess Jesus as our ‘Saviour’ – the Spirit, using God’s Word and sacrament, will not let faith fail. 

Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus is teaching us; always urging us to “not give up praying,” for our Lord repeatedly promises, “God will keep you strong to the end, so you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.  God, who called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.”^{[1 COR 1]}  Again, “The faithful Lord will strengthen & will protect your from the evil one.”^{[2 THES 3]}  Once more, “the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, God will himself restore you & will make you strong, firm and steadfast.”^{[1 PT 5]}

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 21 – 9 October 2016 – Year C

Pentecost 21 – 9 October 2016 – Year C

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

The text for our meditation is written in the 17^th Chapter of the Gospel according to St Luke: Verses 11 – 19:

¹¹ On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. ¹² And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers,⁶ who stood at a distance ¹³ and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” ¹⁴ When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. ¹⁵ Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; ¹⁶ and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. ¹⁷ Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? ¹⁸ Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹ And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

Our Holy Gospel text clearly has a focus on healing and giving thanks, or perhaps ‘not giving thanks’; and there is a clear message in that for all of us. If we look a little deeper, however, Jesus focuses more on the theme of “Mercy for the Marginalised.”

If we examine the two words, “mercy” and “marginalised”, we find that “Mercy” is a biblical word that has to do with God’s help for people in a state of distress, in a state of misery. Mercy is God’s answer to our misery. Our Triune Lord looks down upon all the afflictions that come our way, in body and soul, and He has mercy on us. He acts to relieve our distress. He supplies our needs, both physical and spiritual. That’s mercy.

Our text begins: “On the way to Jerusalem he [Jesus] was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.’” – Christians should be familiar with this plea for mercy, as in our regular worship services we sing or recite the “Kyrie Eleison” ^{(New Test Greek)} or “Lord have Mercy”; and in doing so, we’re asking the Lord to supply our needs, which are many, out of his great compassion and love for us poor sinners.

So in the same way, these fellows call out to Jesus their “Lord Have Mercy”. They are lepers and have the desperate needs of people afflicted with a terrible skin disease, a wasting disease that destroyed their flesh and ostracised them from their community. It also kept them from going to the temple, because they were ceremonially unclean; they were people who could be described as “the marginalised.” They were on the margins of society, literally. They were people on the fringe. Lepers had to keep away from normal, healthy people; for fear that they might infect others. “Unclean!” they would call out, when people might come close.

It is interesting though that when Jesus comes close, these lepers feel bold enough to ask for mercy, to ask for his help. Instead of crying “Unclean!” they call out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”  - There’s something about Jesus –things they’ve heard about this unusual man – reports that has led them to expect great things from him. They have heard of his miracle-working power. They have heard of his deep compassion; encouraged, they are bold enough to plead saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”

The good news of the Gospel tells us that Jesus listens. He responds; His mercy moves him into action. We read: “When he saw them he said to them, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went they were cleansed.”

With his word, his mighty word, Jesus cleanses the lepers. Christ’s word is a divine word, a creative word, powerful and effective. His word accomplishes what he says. He wills it, and he says it, and it is so. This is the eternal Son of God speaking here.

Jesus sends the lepers on their way, knowing that his word will do its work. The lepers are cleansed. What is confusing to many in our modern culture is that this private intimate healing moment between Jesus and these men suddenly changed when Jesus commands “Go and show yourselves to the priests” Why involve the Jewish Priests that in the main opposed Jesus anyway?

The answer lies within ‘The Law of Moses’ which provided that when someone was healed of a disease that had made them unclean, that person was to go and show himself to a priest who would verify the healing and admit the person back into access to the temple. It was a way to restore that person back into the community of God’s people. At the tabernacle or temple, the healed person would offer up a thank offering, a sacrifice of thanksgiving, to give thanks to God for the healing. That’s why Jesus tells the lepers, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”

With this legal requirement in mind; it could also be assumed that the priests in verifying that these lepers were healed, would unintentionally be affirming the divine authority of Christ. Jesus was the one who had healed these men, and the priests would not be able to deny that. This Jesus exercises undeniable authority from God, and even though the Jewish priests want to deny Him any such miraculous power, the presence these healed men will present to them evidence that they can not deny.

The ten healed men head off to see the priests as commanded, except for one, who turns around and comes back. Our Gospel reading tells us that this man is a Samaritan, and at that time and place there would be no chance that he would go to the Jewish priests. The Jews and the Samaritans didn’t get along. The Samaritans didn’t go to the temple in Jerusalem to worship. So the healed Samaritan comes back.

By way of a short explanation: After the reign of Kings David and Solomon, the nation of Israel split in two, dividing into a northern kingdom, which took the name Israel, and a southern kingdom, which was called Judea. The temple was in Jerusalem, in the southern kingdom of Judea, as was the throne of the line of David. Thus the legitimate temple and the legitimate king were in the south, in Jerusalem. The northern kingdom of Israel set up an unauthorised rival shrine and a rival capital in the city of Samaria. From that point on, the peoples of God’s inherited line in Judea became bitter enemies with the breakaway people of the Northern Kingdom and identified them as Samaritans.  Idolatry was rife in Samaria, and after the Assyrian invasion in the year 722 B.C. the Jewish ethnic identity was diluted and they were regarded by the people of Jerusalem and Judea as half-breeds, both ethnically and religiously.

Now here, among the ten lepers whom Jesus cleanses, one of them is a Samaritan. A leper and a Samaritan!! You could not get much more marginalised than that! Yet Jesus has mercy on him. He cleanses him, and the Samaritan, filled with gratitude and with faith in this Jesus, comes running back to Jesus, to give thanks to God.

Herein lies the real message! As a Samaritan, the healed man can’t go to the priests in Jerusalem, but, he can and does does go to The High Priest, namely, Jesus Christ who intercedes for all people with God. Those who are rejected by the self-righteous, the church and society at large, the marginalised are acceptable to Jesus Christ our Lord.

Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, has offered up the perfect sacrifice, the once-and-for-all sacrifice, to cleanse all people from all our uncleanness, to heal us in both body and soul: ^{Romans 3:10} “as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one”’ By his going to Jerusalem, and offering himself up there in our place, on the cross, Jesus has bridged the gap between us and God. Our sins had separated us. Jesus restores us. The priestly sacrifice that Jesus offers is complete and perfect. Perfect righteousness, to cleanse us from our terrible sin disease. The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all our sins.

Our mercy is that this is cleansing for both body and soul. Because our sins are forgiven, now death has no power over us. In the resurrection of Christ, we see a vision of our own future, that is, in the resurrection of the flesh on the Last Day.

Our bodies, now afflicted with illness and infirmity, now subject to aging and decay, our bodies now wracked with disease and death – these bodies of ours will be raised up whole and perfect for life eternal. That is the promise held forth by the cleansing of the lepers: Wholeness, forever.

In addition, in this life, you and I have been restored to the community of God, the people of God, the church. We are no longer marginalised. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you have done or how far you have gotten off-track. You are welcome here in Christ’s church on earth. This is a place of restoration and reconciliation.

Jesus calls us to lay our sins, our infirmities and our burdens at the foot of the cross in humble repentance and call to him for mercy and receive God’s forgiveness and be joined to the people who live by forgiveness. This is a place of hope and healing and wholeness, a place of care and mercy and compassion. This is where Jesus lives.

Cleansing for lepers; Salvation for Samaritans; Mercy for the marginalized. This is what we find in Jesus Christ our Saviour. Healing in both body and soul, for sinners like you and me. So call on him in all your troubles. “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” Trust in him. Because this faith will make you well, this faith will save you and set you free. 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