Christ the King Sunday – 22 November 2020 – Year A

(Last Sunday after Pentecost - Year A)

 

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

 

The text for this meditation is written in the 25^th Chapter of the Gospel according to St Matthew: Verses 31 – 46:

 

³¹ When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. ³⁴ Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me,  I was in prison and you came to me.’ ³⁷ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? ³⁸ And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? ³⁹ And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ ⁴⁰ And the King will answer them, Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left,  ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ ⁴⁴ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ ⁴⁵ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ ⁴⁶ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

 

In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us to pray, “Your Kingdom come.”  We pray this so often that we don’t even really think about how big and important this prayer is.  What we are asking for is that the reign of God the Father to come to us! - And we say it in a routine manner.  The point is, how often do we give thanks to God that His reign does come among us as a comforting thing and not as a cause of terror?

 

Consider Adam and Eve’s response when God came to them. ^{[Genesis 3:8–10]} “They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. ⁹ But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” ¹⁰ And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”  Adam and Eve were terrified of God because they had sinned.  They feared His judgment.  After all, the Psalmist reminds us, ^{[Psalm 5:4]} “You are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you.”  For Adam and Eve, the coming of God’s kingdom was the last thing they wanted.

 

When we examine ourselves in light of the Ten Commandments, we learn that we sin daily and deserve punishment here on this earth and forever in hell.  It seems as though we should be terrified to pray the words, “Your Kingdom come.” -  Why then, did Jesus teach us to pray in such a way if the coming of the Kingdom of God means the coming of judgment?

 

God’s actions in the Bible teaches that there is another way that He can come … a way that brings comfort and confidence … a way that removes fear and despair.

God came to Jacob in a dream.  He came down a ladder and promised, ^{[Genesis 28:15]} “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”  He appeared to Moses in the burning bush and said, ^{[Exodus 3:12]} “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”  Later on, Moses comforted the people of Israel with these words, ^{[Deuteronomy 31:8]} “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”  God spoke words of comfort to His people through the Prophet Ezekiel, ^{[Ezekiel 37:27]} “My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

 

So it seems that the coming of the Kingdom of God can cause two completely different reactions.  The first reaction is one of terror.  I am a wretched sinner and deserve God’s righteous, eternal wrath.  The second reaction is one of comfort, reassurance, and confidence.  God is with me.  Now I am safe.

 

We see these two reactions in today’s Gospel reading.  The Gospel texts for these past few Sundays have been working their way through Jesus’ teaching concerning the Last Day.  There was the “Parable of the Five Wise and Five Foolish Virgins.”  Then there was the “Parable of the Talents.”  Today, we heard about sheep and goats.  In each case, there are those who rejoice that the reign of God has come, and there are those who despair at its coming. 

 

The difference is that our Lord Jesus Christ has an ability that we do not have.  He can look into the human heart.  It is as He spoke through His prophet Jeremiah, ^{[Jeremiah 17:10]} “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”  In today’s Gospel Jesus teaches that it is as easy for Him to judge the heart as it is for a shepherd to tell the difference between a sheep and a goat.  In fact, today’s Gospel teaches us that Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves. The parables for the past few weeks tells us that Jesus will hand out two verdicts on the Last Day.  

 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus said that He would place some people to His right and others to His left.  Since Jesus already knows the heart, there is no questioning, no testimony, no presenting of evidence.  There is only the verdict and the sentence.

 

The first verdict is for those on His right.  The King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”  Those on the right enter the Judges home with a verdict of … forgiven.  

 

There are a few important things about the judge’s statement worth noting:

First of all, note that the blessing flows from the Father.  It is not something that these people work up for themselves. 

 

Second of all, note that this is an inheritance.  You don’t work for an inheritance.  You receive an inheritance because someone put you in the will.  You cannot earn an inheritance. 

Finally, note that God prepared this outcome before any of us were even born.  The kingdom is prepared from the foundation of the world.  This tells us that this eternal kingdom was God’s will for these people from the very beginning.

 

The second verdict is for those on His left.  “Then he will say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”  Those on the left receive the verdict of guilty.  The sentence is eternal punishment.

In this instance the reason of the curse remains un-named.  The cursed condition is simply a characteristic of these people.

 

Secondly, notice that this condemnation was not in God’s plan for His people. People end up in eternal fire only because they ignore the teachings of God’s prophets; they turn their back on our Saviour Jesus Christ and reject God’s salvation.  If they are arrogant enough to judge God and find Him offensive, then the eternal punishment is the only alternative.  There is no other place to spend eternity.

 

As the judge welcomes those on His right into eternal bliss, he recalls the work that His salvation has produced in their lives.  Now here is the important point of the story.  The sheep don’t remember any of it.  The list of the works is a total surprise to the sheep.  “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?  And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?  And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?”  They haven’t got a clue. Their good works came naturally from the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. It was not a deliberate effort to earn salvation.

 

On the other hand, those on the left are angry that Jesus gives a similar list of things that they have NOT done.  You see, they have kept a careful record of their good works and they know for a fact that their efforts were meant for their own moral bank account – Jesus was not part of that.  Even as they stand before the judge of all things, they maintained that they have lived a life of good works and high moral character and are therefore entitled to a place in the Kingdom.

 

The point is that those who inherit the eternal kingdom do not look to their own good works for their salvation.  Instead, through Holy Baptism and the Sacrament of the Alter, the Holy Spirit finds dead souls and brings them to life through the proclamation of Christ crucified for the forgiveness of sins. The Holy Spirit keeps those souls alive through that same proclamation of Christ crucified for the forgiveness of sins.  The proclamation of our crucified and risen Lord and Saviour leads the Christian, carries the Christian, and follows the Christian.  The Holy Spirit causes us to relax in Christ.

 

Good works are the result of the salvation that we already have.  The Holy Spirit inspired the Prophet Isaiah to write, [Isaiah 64:6] “We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.  We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.”  So even our best most righteous deeds are still sinful before God, but Jesus Christ redeemed our deeds with His suffering and death on the cross.  It is Christ on the cross who makes our deeds righteous.  Those who have had their good deeds sanctified by Jesus, focus on Jesus and not on their works.  Therefore, they notice their good works about as much as they notice that their fingernails are growing.

 

Jesus warned us and said, ^{[Matthew 6:1–2]} “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.  Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.”  “They have received their reward.”  That is one of the saddest statements in the Sermon on the Mount.  They have traded away their eternal joy for the temporary praise of man.

 

We are pleasing to God, not because of what we do or don’t do.  We are pleasing to God because of what Jesus did for us.  Jesus lived a life that met God’s perfect standard.  He died a death that paid our sin debt in full.  He rose from the dead as a sign that our Father in Heaven accepted His work for us.  Our salvation has been paid in full: We can rest in the Lord.

 

As we rest in the Lord, we will be among those who can pray, “Your kingdom come,” and look forward to the day.  We can take comfort in the promise of Jesus, ^{[Matthew 28:20b]} “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  We can look forward in eager expectation to the day when we hear ^{[Revelation 21:3]} a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.”

 

While we wait for that day, we will produce good works.  These works do us absolutely no good, but they are precious to our neighbour.  God will accomplish His will in this world through our works.  We will fail often, but if we confess our sins in repentance, we receive the forgiveness of Jesus.  Our Lords calls for us to live for our neighbour, and not to waste time trying to measure our good works, because we don’t need them.  We are heirs to the kingdom prepared for us from the foundation of the world.  We can rejoice that God wants to dwell with us.  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 – 15 November 2020 – Year A.

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

The Text for this meditation is written in the 25^th Chapter of the Gospel according to St Matthew: Verses 14 – 30:

“For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his servants and entrusted his property to them; ¹⁵ to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. ¹⁶ The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. ¹⁷ In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. ¹⁸ But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. ¹⁹ After a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ ²¹ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy servant; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ ²² And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ ²³ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy servant; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ ²⁴ Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; ²⁵ so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ ²⁶ But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? ²⁷ Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. ²⁸ So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. ²⁹ For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. ³⁰ As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

 

‘For IT will be like a man going on a journey.’
What will? What is ‘it’? 

On Wednesday of Holy Week, as Jesus left the Temple, His disciples marvelled at the beauty of the Temple and it’s impressive architecture. Jesus answered them, ^(Mat.24:1-2) ‘You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.’ After that, they went to the Mount of Olives, privately. And they asked Him, ^(Mat.24:3-4) ‘Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and the close of the age’? And Jesus answered them…’. 

As to the question of ‘WHEN these things will be,’ Jesus says, ^(Mat.24:4-8) ‘concerning the day or the hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven or the Son, but the Father only.’ As to the question of ‘what SIGNS to look for,’ Jesus says, politically, ‘You will hear of wars and rumours of wars. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.’ Religiously, ‘many false Christ’s and false prophets will appear, and many will be led astray. And those who are not led astray, will be subject to great tribulation and hatred and even death.’ And these ‘signs’ signal just the ‘beginning of birth pangs.’ 

“When you see these signs, then you will know that the ‘close of the age’ is coming, and the ‘new age’ will begin when I come again to judge between those who will be a part of the new age and those who will not”.

We cannot properly understand the meaning of the parable before us this morning, unless we understand in the proper context. Jesus speaks this parable to His disciples on the Mount of Olives in answer to their question. Having answered the ‘when’ and the ‘what,’ He now answers the even more important, ‘how.’ How should the disciple of Jesus live in these last days at the close of the age, when these signs are clearly taking place all around?

That’s what ‘it’ is. ‘It’ is the life of the believer during these last days. ‘It will be like a man going on a journey. He called His servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.’

The ‘man’ is Jesus. He is the master and it’s His property. The ‘servants’ are specifically, His servants. You know, everyone is a servant to one master or another. Some serve master mammon; the god of greed and wealth. Some serve master Jesus. But ^{(Matthew 6:24)} “no one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.’ 

This parable is only about those who serve master Jesus. They were at one time, slaves of master mammon. But Jesus called them out of darkness and into His marvellous light and they live under His good and gracious rule. 

A ‘talent’ is a huge sum of money. In modern currency, one gold talent weighs 33kg and is valued at $1.3 Million; so you do the maths.

‘To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one.’ It’s the ultimate economic stimulus package. 

Our Lord is not a Socialist here. There is no theoretical equality in the distribution of wealth. He ‘entrusts’ to each ‘according to his ability.’ Some are entrusted with more, some with less. And it’s not based on ‘favouritism’ or ‘party politics,’ but on ‘ability.’ All may be equally willing and equally faithful, but not all are equally able. Some grew up in the church, some are brand new to the faith. Some had great Sunday School teachers and influential pastors, some carry the scars of bad examples and unfaithful teachers. Some have more ‘ability’ than others. 

‘And then He went away.’ No contracts, no guidelines, no threats. He just distributes His property and goes away.

In the world of corporate finance, this would be called ‘negligence,’ or ‘bad management.’ But Jesus calls it ‘trust.’ ‘He entrusted’ it to them. ‘Trust’ is a risky thing. ‘Trust’ can be broken. ‘Trust’ can be betrayed. No guarantees, no insurance in case of failure. The one who ‘trusts’ is completely vulnerable. ‘Trust’ simply ‘trusts.’ Your financial advisor will tell you it’s always much safer to ‘not trust.’ 

I was talking to a mother of a girl who only this year went off to university. She told me that of all the girls on her daughter’s accommodation floor, she was the only mother who had not insisted that, before leaving, her daughter must go on contraception. The daughter wrote a beautiful letter to her mother, ‘thanks for trusting me Mum.’ There is something very special going on between that mother and daughter.

‘The master entrusted to them His property. Then He went away.’ There’s something very special going on between this master and His servants. 

How do we handle a ‘trust’ like that? That’s what ‘it,’ the life of faith in ‘these last days,’ is all about. How do we handle the master’s trust in us? 

The one entrusted with five talents put them to work as did the one entrusted with two. They ‘traded with them.’ Today we’d probably say, ‘they helped stimulate the economy.’ Which is just what the master intended them to do. Only the economy that He had in mind is not the ‘economy of the nation,’ but the ‘economy of the Kingdom of Heaven.’ 

And don’t you just get the feeling that both of these servants had a lot of fun ‘trading’ with what the master entrusted to them? And much to their joy, they discovered that the more they traded with the master’s ‘talents,’ the more they produced. Each one ended up with twice as much as the amount with which he started. 

And who do you think was more pleased and excited about that, the servants or the Master? The servants can’t wait until the master returns. ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I made five talents more.’ And the other is just as excited to hand over all that the master’s property has produced under his stewardship. They are so grateful for the trust that He has bestowed upon them. ‘Thanks for trusting me, Master.’ 

And in His joy, the Master says, ‘well done, good and FAITHFUL servant. You have been FAITHFUL with LITTLE.’ Notice, the master does not commend them for their profitability or success, but for their faithfulness. Faith simply takes hold of, embraces that with which it is entrusted. 

And notice too, that He calls what He had entrusted to them ‘a little.’ We thought it was a huge and extravagant amount. But He calls it a ‘little.’ ‘I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ ‘You thought that was fun. Wait until you see the joy I have in store for you.’ His joy is their joy.

But there still one more servant to consider. What about the one who was entrusted with one talent? Maybe he wasn’t as ‘able’ as the other two. But he was just as ‘trusted’ as the other two. And the joy set before him was the same.

‘He went and dug in the ground and hid his masters’ money.’
Here is a man who knows nothing of that ‘special relationship between servant and master’ that we have been talking about. For him, everything that the master entrusts to him becomes a stifling limitation and a burden that he feels obligated to drag around with him where ever he goes. He wishes that the master had never entrusted him with a thing. Then he would be free to serve master mammon without the hang-ups and the sense of obligation to the master that nags at him. He would gladly squander the whole ‘talent’ on reckless living, but deep down inside, there is that nagging fear that on his return the Master will demand an accounting of his stewardship. His` was a relationship of guilt.

‘I know what I’ll do’, he says. ‘I won’t disavow my baptism or my confirmation or all of those sermons and Communion suppers that were entrusted to me. No, I’ll just ignore them. I’ll wrap them up in a handkerchief and bury them in a safe place. That way, if I ever actually have to give an account of what was entrusted to me, I can dig up the past and present my baptismal certificate and confirmation certificate to the master. I’ll say, ‘here, you have what is yours.’ 

Sure enough, the day came for this servant just as it did for the others. And the man dug up his ‘talent’ and presented it to the Master just as he planned. ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid.’ 

Dr Martin Luther in his explanation of the 1st Commandment, explains in regard to the sinful nature of humankind: “your God is whoever you believe Him to be”. ‘To have a god is nothing else than to trust and believe in him from the heart. You see, it is the trust and faith of the heart that makes both God and idol.’ This man believed that God is a ‘hard man to be feared.’ And so that’s the God he got.

The Master uses the servant’s own words to condemn him. ‘You say that you believe that I am a hard man reaping where I do not sow and gathering where I have not scattered seed. No you don’t. If you really believed that, ‘then you would have invested my money with bankers, that at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.’ The truth is, ‘you are a wicked and slothful servant.’ 

So, there could be an easy outcome to this address – “Make up your mind” – Choose your God – Loving and trusting or mean and fearful – It’s all up to you. You know at the time of creation God did basically say “Here is a perfect life, obey just one command and you live in paradise forever” It was all up to us. We blew it then, and we have not stopped blowing it ever since; as sinners we don’t have the privilege of choice; we just don’t have the ability.

Because of our sinful nature, it was with divine joy that Jesus came into this world to trade with what was entrusted to Him by the Father. And the Father entrusted the Son with ‘much,’ in fact, with everything, ‘according to His ability.’ For His ability is ‘able’ to redeem the whole world. 

Jesus traded with all of the divine attributes that are rightfully His, healing the sick, casting out the demons, cleansing the lepers, raising the dead, and absolving repentant sinners. Ultimately this true ‘servant of the Lord’ traded everything the Father has given to Him, even His body and blood. In His joy, the Father called His Son up from the grave and says, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’ And we, who are raised with Christ as a result of His faithful stewardship, ‘share in the joy of our master’; forgiveness of sins; eternal life; the promise of eternal peace.

How loving and forgiving is our Lord and Saviour; in spite of all the times we have failed Him, this very day, here in this place, He is again trusting us with things of great value – The absolution of our sins;  His Word of truth; His Body given for us; His blood shed for us; His blessing as we go out into the world.  But this time He gives us direction; By the power of the Holy Spirit that He placed within us at our Holy Baptism, we can hear Jesus telling us to ^{(Matthew 28: 19–20) “}Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

 

Imagine our joy, as trusted servants, when we stand before Jesus on that day and he reaches out His hand and says ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ 

You know there really is something special going on between us and our Master.  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 23 – 8 November 2020 – Year A

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

The text for this meditation is written in the 25^th Chapter of the Gospel according to St Matthew: Verse 1 – 13:
“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom ² Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. ³ When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; ⁴ but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. ⁵ As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. ⁶ But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ ⁷ Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ ⁹ But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ ¹⁰ And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. ¹¹ Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ ¹² But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ ¹³ Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

 

During these last few Sundays of the church year, the Gospel readings call our attention to Jesus teachings about the last days.  As Jesus teaches these last things His public preaching ministry is also coming to its last days.  He has finished a day of teaching in the Temple and He and the disciples are now camped out on the Mount of Olives looking over the valley toward Jerusalem.  In a few days, the authorities will arrest Him and then He will suffer and die on the cross. 

 

Jesus taught His disciples many things during His teaching ministry – things about the Kingdom of heaven – things about His suffering, death, and resurrection – things about the future.  Then, as He approached the cross, He taught about the final Day of Judgment.

As often happened during His ministry, the disciples didn’t understand this teaching at first.  It was not until after the resurrection that they really began to understand.  Although they did not always understand, Jesus continued to teach them.  He knew that the day would come when the Holy Spirit would make the teaching clear.  Then they would remember what He said.

The teaching about the Last Day in today’s parable may be summed up in the words, “Expect the unexpected.”  Jesus Himself explained this when He said, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”  Watch – be ready – be like a boy scout and be prepared.  Why, because the last day will be a surprise for everyone.

Jesus used the setting of a wedding celebration to make His point.  Even today, we can point to marriage as metaphor for the relationship between Christ and His bride, the Church.  In the first century Middle East, marriage traditions were an even clearer metaphor for that relationship.

The key difference for today’s parable is that couples in the first century Middle East did not live together immediately after the wedding.  There was a period of betrothal.  The bride would return to her parents’ home after the wedding and wait for the groom to provide a place for them to live.  Once the groom had a home for his bride, he would go to her parents’ home in grand procession with his family and friends and they would then escort the bride, her family, and friends to the couple’s new home.

The ten virgins in today’s parable were waiting for just such a procession.  They were to escort the bride and the groom to their new home with a procession of light.  Each of the virgins would light the way with her lamp and accompany the bride and groom as they entered the city, processed to their new home and celebrated the beginning of their new life together.

Of course, back in the days when Jesus told this parable, there were no mobile phones, no texting, no e-mail – there was no way to let anyone know anything about the bridegroom’s progress.  You knew he had left to get his bride and you knew he would return sometime in the next few days, but exact schedules were impossible.  No one knew the travel conditions.  No one knew how long it would take the bride to gather her family and friends together.  The groom might escort the bride into the village this afternoon, tonight, tomorrow sometime, or maybe even the next day.  You just didn’t know when the groom would show up with his new bride until you saw them coming.

This image of the groom going away to prepare a place for the bride and then returning to take her home exactly matches the words of Jesus Christ to His disciple in the upper room.  ^{[John 14:2]} In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

Just as the virgins had no idea when the bridegroom might return, so we also have no idea when we might leave this world.  Are we to leave this world when Jesus returns?  He might come before I finish this sermon or he might come thousands of years from now.  Jesus Himself said,  ^{[Matthew 24:36]} “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.”  

On the other hand, if the Lord lingers on, we will leave this world through the gate of physical death.  Again, we have no idea if we will live through the day or go on living through the century.  Again Jesus said, ^{[Matthew 6:27]} “Which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?”  

So, whether we leave this world when the Lord returns or whether we leave through the gates of physical death, it is very likely to be a surprise – an event that has little or no warning – an event that can be a disaster if we are not ready.

However what does it mean to be ready?  The parable symbolises readiness with oil.  The prudent virgins had containers of oil with them and were ready to light the way for the happy couple.  The foolish virgins had lamps, but no oil.  They were not ready.  When the watchman on the wall announced the appearance of the bridal party, the foolish virgins had to leave and get oil.  By the time they returned, they missed out.

The parable in today’s Gospel focuses on the return of the bridegroom for His bride, the Church.  In order to understand what it means to be ready, we must ask a question.  How is it that the Holy Christian Church became betrothed to the Son of God?

Tradition called for a groom to pay a bride price for his future wife.  The price would be things of commercial value – livestock, crops, currency, and so forth.  With the bride-price, the groom made the bride his own.

Jesus Christ paid a much greater bride-price for the Holy Christian Church.  The Holy Spirit inspired Peter to tell us, ^{[1 Peter 1:18-19]} “You were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.”  These words teach us that Jesus paid the bride price for the church not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and His innocent suffering and death.  With His suffering and death on the cross, Jesus makes us His own.  It was at the cross that Jesus created the Holy Christian Church and made her into His holy bride.  All those who are members of the Holy Christian Church are ready for His return.

We become members of the Holy Christian Church when the Holy Spirit works through the Word of God to create faith in us.  We remain in the Holy Christian Church as the Holy Spirit maintains our faith through that same Word.  That Word of God comes to us as we read and hear it.  It also comes to us as we receive it with the waters of Holy Baptism and with the bread and wine of the Lord’s Table.  With these Means of Grace the Holy Spirit maintains our readiness for our Last Day on this earth.  With these Means of Grace, we will be ready even though our Last Day is a surprise.

The five foolish virgins in today’s parable represent all those who are not ready because they have neglected the Means of Grace.  They have rejected the Word of God and so starved their faith.  The foolish virgins heard the most terrible words that their Lord could utter, “Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.”  From these words we learn that those who have starved their faith to death will experience an eternity with no sense of God’s presence.  They will finally acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord, but it will be too late.  The door will be shut and no one will open it. They will suffer an eternity without the joy of God’s presence.

On the other hand, the five prudent virgins represent all those who cherish the Means of Grace.  They abide in the word.  Their faith is well nourished.  The Holy Spirit will work through Word and Sacrament to nourish and maintain their faith in Jesus Christ and His work.  In today’s parable, the prudent entered the wedding feast.  These are the ones who are ready.  They will rise from the dead to experience the eternal joy of God’s presence.

They will rise from the dead because they will be following the one who opened the door with His own resurrection.  Today, that door is still open, but the day is coming when it will close.  Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ loves us more than we could ever comprehend, so he loving counsels us ‘Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour’.  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

 

All Saints Day – 1 November 2020 – Year A

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

 

The text for meditation is written in the 3^rd Chapter of the Epistle of 1 John: Verses

 1 – 3:

 

See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. ² Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. ³ And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

 

 

Last night (31 Oct 20) was “All Hallows Eve”: This was originally the traditional pagan Celtic festival of Sow-win, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honour all saints. Soon, All Saints Day incorporated some of the traditions of Sow-win. The evening before was known as All Hallows Eve, and later Halloween. Over time, Halloween evolved into a day of activities like trick-or-treating, carving lanterns out of pumpkins, festive gatherings, donning costumes and eating treats.

 

Halloween was not really an Australian thing, it’s only in the past couple of generations that commercial marketing has filled the shops with everything Halloween. Children – young and not so young – love to dress up in costume and come to our doors trick-or-treating. Properly supervised it’s harmless fun, and it is always a joy to watch children enjoying themselves, especially when it requires effort and imagination and no electronic devices or computers.  

 

In regard to children, may I tell you of a wonderful story of a husband and wife who have no children of their own, and for a number of years have been seeking to adopt a child. For anyone who has been in this situation, you know it can be an achingly slow process. This couple submitted all the required paperwork, went through all the interviews, accomplished everything that needed to be done, and then waited and waited and waited. They hadn’t heard anything for so long they had almost forgotten about it. And then out of the blue, the phone call came from the adoption agency just recently in mid-October. A little boy born only one week earlier was waiting for them, and he is now their own son through adoption. They joyfully had him baptised one week after adoption, and now this child is not only their son, but is also adopted into the family of believers through the waters of holy Baptism.

 

Today on this All Saints Sunday we focus on the truth that we also have been adopted into a family. The words from the Epistle lesson for today tell us this: ” ^{(1 John 3:1)} “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” To be called “children of God” really means something; it means that we have been adopted by God. Through the cleansing blood of Jesus, we have been brought into a living relationship with God and know him as our loving Father and He knows us as his beloved children. Today we celebrate this truth, together with all the saints, who like us have been brought into the family of believers. You see the true message for this Festival of All Saints is about  the “Children of God”; and that is for all time; children who are, who were and will be, living on this earth. Today our thoughts and prayers extend beyond what we know and see here on earth, today, ‘All Saints Day”, we celebrate the eternal blessings of being a loved family member through the death, resurrection and eternal grace of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ.  

 

It is precisely because God has declared us to be his own beloved children that we are saints, though we probably do not consider ourselves as such. We often operate with the understanding that saints are larger than life individuals; super-human people who have super-human faith and do super-human things in faith. We see saints as perfect, sinless – without fault. We do not measure up to this, but in truth no one does. We get that we are sinners, but we don’t get that we are saints. In his letters to churches in the New Testament, Paul frequently begins by writing: “To all those in Rome/Corinth/Ephesus who are loved by God and called to be saints”. This is the Biblical truth of what saints are: children of God who are called out of darkness into God’s own marvellous light, who are set apart through faith in Christ Jesus for God’s good purposes in the world. Saints do not merit, deserve, or earn any of this; rather, it is freely given as a gift through God’s grace and received by faith in Jesus. Saints are not self-made people, but Christ-made people. You and I are saints, and so are all who trust in Jesus, those on earth among us here and now, together with those in heaven who have died trusting in Jesus. Together in Christ, we are all the saints, all the children of God.

 

Today’s Scripture lessons point out the present and the future of God’s children, his saints. John writes in the Epistle lesson: ^{(1 John 3:2a)} “Beloved, we are God’s children now…”. This is a present reality, whether we feel like it is or not. God our Maker and Redeemer tells us it is so, and we must not be deceived by what our conflicting thoughts or emotions may tell us. In the Gospel lesson, the Lord Jesus pronounces as “blessed” all of his children who are now poor in spirit, who mourn, the meek and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake all for Jesus’ sake. Present discomforts may trouble us, but Jesus promises that they will give way to a future that is far beyond anything we can imagine. John goes on to say in that Epistle lesson, ^{(1 John 3:2b)} “… what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is”. And this is what is described in that First Reading from Revelation. All those clothed in white robes, washed and made clean in blood of the Lamb, ^{(Revelation 7:15-17)}“… they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes”. My friends and fellow saints, this is what awaits us as children of God. The best if yet to be.

 

The truth is, here on earth, saints get weary and discouraged. They struggle with sin every day and can feel beaten down in faith and life. And when we do, there is no better place for us to come than here to the Lord’s altar, for it is here in this blessed Sacrament that Jesus comes to strengthen, forgive, bless and encourage us. In place of our weariness and discouragement, he gives strength and new hope for our journey of faith. In place of our filthy rags of sin he gives us his own robe of righteousness to wear. And besides all this, in a wonderful and mysterious way we are united with that whole heavenly host here at the Lord’s table, even as our liturgy reminds us: “Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name, evermore praising You and saying…” And being refreshed and strengthened through Christ’s true Body and Blood given and shed for us, received under forms of bread and wine, we rise up and go back into the world to live as God’s saints, his beloved children who have been set apart for his own good purposes in the world. He calls us to shine with the brightness of his love wherever we go, whatever we do.

 

Truly, by God’s amazing grace, we are all saints. Truly, we are God’s beloved children. Let us now live as God’s beloved children that God may be glorified in us until Christ shall come again. 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