Monday, March 30, 2009

The Fifth Sunday in Lent - Judica - 3-29-09

The Church Season of Lent,
Judica,
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (March 29, 2009)
One Year Series

“LIFE OR DEATH”

Readings:
Psalm 43
Gen. 22:1-14
Hebrews 9:11-15
John 8:46-59

Sermon Form: Deductive
+INI+

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen

The text for today is as recorded in the Gospel Lesson from the 8th chapter of St. John, especially the following verses.

John 8:46-59 (NIV)
"46 Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.” 48 The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?” 49 “I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. 50 I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. 51 I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” 52 At this the Jews exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that if anyone keeps your word, he will never taste death. 53 Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?” 54 Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. 55 Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” 57 “You are not yet fifty years old,” the Jews said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!” 58 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” 59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds."

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

Jesus said, “46 Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me?”(v. 46) The trouble was they could not answer any of his questions. He had asked them before to pick up stones if they had no sin and they could not, so they laid down those stones. Now Jesus effectively asks the flip side of that question regarding Himself, can any of you now say I have sinned? And furthermore, if I haven’t sinned then why do you refuse to believe me. But they were not listening, the endgame had already begun, yet this was no game, it was a matter of

“LIFE AND DEATH”

I

These people around Christ where deaf to all that Christ had to say and they were trying to roil a crowd who did not want to listen to the words of Christ. But they were no different than all the people who have existed from the beginning of time. For it is not unlike the serpent in the Garden of Eden who pressed Adam and Eve and so the sound of satan’s words seemed to offer more promise than God’s, they did not want to listen and learn God’s Word. And not listening to God speak His words held life and death consequences.

Even today, we as Christians are often accused of hearing none of God’s Word, at least not hearing the way the world wants us to hear it, that is if they want to hear it at all. There are many who do not believe all the scripture that connects to historical events or even the archaeological evidence. But, quite frankly, that is not how or why we believe in God anyway. We do not place the strength of our faith in human means, methods, or reason. Rather, we believe because the Bible is God’s Word, we listen to Him and learn of all that He has done for us. Unlike the unbelievers who neither trust what they hear nor put any faith in learning the things of God. Yet whether we are believers or unbelievers, the hearing and learning of God’s Word does ultimately define the difference between life and death.

II

Think of Jesus’ perspective in Gospel lesson. This crowd which refused to listen to Jesus. They thought His Word was no good, and had no power to save them. Life and death to them meant kill this Christ and we can go on with our life. They called Him a demon filled Samaritan. Here stands Jesus, who was born in Bethlehem, of Davidic descent, raised in Galilee, and they call Him a Samaritan. The Jews hated the Samaritans, yet Jesus does not respond by pointing to His Jewish upbringing, he let that one go by. For their was no dishonor for Jesus to be lumped in with the Samaritans. Because this man Jesus came to save all sinners from their sins, He was in their presence to give them life and save them from death. So Jesus points to their hypocrisy, they say they’re faithful, but they indeed they are not. But these self-righteous men dishonor Christ by believing in God but refusing to hear Christ the incarnate Word of God.

Jesus Christ is in our presence today and quite frankly many who say they believe in God, still do not believe God’s Word. How many times have you heard people begin a sentence by saying, “I don’t know what the Bible says, but I think...fill in the blank.” Right there, in a short introduction, on their way up and onto their soapbox they have not only denied God’s Word, they have placed themselves above it. And those who we call they, are really us. God’s Word is not good enough, it doesn’t say what I want it to say, so let me tell you why what I think is better than God’s Word. The trouble is our word has no power. Our words, our thoughts, our best arguments for the way the world should be, do not have the capacity to save. And so our belief in what we think attempts to raise us above scripture and the Word of God and that only give us the capacity to turn away from God. What a contrast, for God’s Word Jesus Christ turns us from our sins, gives us life, and assures us that we will never have to see everlasting death.

III

To those who would hold themselves larger than life incarnate, Jesus responds, “This (kind of) people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me.”(Mk. 7:6) The truth is we are in that same crowd who gathered around Jesus. They did not believe Him, they did not believe His word. They looked for a man who would put all their troubles to death, but would not hurt their feelings or change their status quo. Except, of course, they did want someone powerful enough to put their life back to the way they thought it should be. But that is not the life and death solution Christ came to give.

Jesus’ life solution was that He came into this world as a babe in Bethlehem. Jesus’ death solution was that He walked the road to the cross for our sins. Jesus life solution was that He freely gives us our faith and in our baptism our sinful ways are put to death. And in His body and blood He gives us His death so that our life our faith, may be renewed and refreshed.

There are many who do not hear or believe God’s Word. There are many who do not believe God’s Word is good enough. There are many who think that Christ was powerless over sin, death, and the devil, and to those people Christ says, “The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.”(v.47)

We are given God’s Word which does have the power to give us eternal life. Hear Christ and believe in Him not in the words of men. For by the actions of Jesus, by His death and resurrection, He overcomes what the greatest powers in this world cannot, His life overcomes your death. Christ, “is the way the truth and the life.” (Jn 14:6) And Jesus Christ keeps His Word. He is the Word and the truth, and His life, His death, His resurrection, brings you, in truth, from your death, to your resurrection. You who are saved have listened and heard. The endgame is already finished, yet this was no game, it was a matter of death and life. Thanks be to God, in Christ you will never see eternal death. In Christ you are given eternal life. Amen.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

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Funeral Sermon of Beulah May Huntley - 3-27-09

The Church Season of Lent
Lent – Laetare
Funeral Service for Beulah May Huntley
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI
March 27, 2009

Readings:
Psalm 23
1 Thessalonians 4:13-17
John 14:1-10

1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 (NIV)
13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.


“We Grieve”

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Friends and family of Beulah, especially Rodney & Susie, Jerilyn & Fred, grandchildren, great grandchildren. Grace, mercy and peace be to you from the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Beulah May Huntley was born on March 15, 1918, she baptized and confirmed in the Christian faith, and was married to her beloved husband Clarence on September 21, 1940 and they were married for over 61 years and Clarence and Beulah were charter members of Our Savior Lutheran Church. Blessed are they who die in the Lord, from this time forth and evermore.

The text for today’s message is the text from the first Epistle of St. Paul to the church in Thessalonica, the 4th chapter

Beulah was born here in Midland and married her husband Clarence here too. Beulah earned a business degree and her and Clarence had four children. I am told that while growing up the family enjoyed camping and spending time with family members. By all accounts, Clarence and Beulah lived what we would call a simple life, yet fulfilling in every way.

In her last days, Beulah certainly lived a simple life. Those who knew her, who cared for her, and who visited her, knew that from all outward appearances that she was no longer the person that she once was. In this world, we are stricken with many challenges, there are ups and downs, and there are many winding roads for us all. Beulah’s life was no different, she had a life full of the joys of children, family, and friends, and she also faced the challenges that life set before her in these last few years. But even though Beulah may not have seemed to be the person she once was, she was indeed still a child of God. For Beulah’s was a baptized child of God and her baptism sealed and guaranteed that no matter how she faced life, or what life would deal her, she would face all those changes and challenges with the knowledge that she was made part of the unchanging Christ Jesus.

And for those who look upon your loved ones and who see someone who is different, scripture tells us that it is not the afflicted who are different, but rather it is us who gaze upon them who want to see things differently. We want to see our parents as they once were, we want to reach back to warm sunny days, filled with laughter and love, days that seemed like they would never end. But at this very moment the memories of those days, those days which our minds have made perfect only seem to cause us to miss our loved ones all the more.

It is not wrong to remember those days, but at the same time we forget the days which bring us to this very day. We forget the words of God to Adam in the Garden of Eden, “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you shall return.” (Gen 3:19) It was the same for Adam and Eve as it has been for all who have been born of this world, we, “all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God.”(Rom. 3:23) and so we all shall die and return to the dust whence we came. St. Paul pulls no punches, he can’t because he speaks and pens the inspired Word of God and so he acknowledges that we are all sinners, you, me, and Beulah too.

But, we are not angered by St. Paul’s news, we do not despair, nor do we grieve in the way of those around us who do not have faith in Christ. For St. Paul also tells us, “we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.”(v. 13) Listen closely to these words, St. Paul says, “we do not grieve like those who have no hope.” Which means we as Christians grieve in a totally different manner from those who do not have faith in Jesus Christ.

So, there is a difference between grief and despair. Those who have faith in nothing, approach the end of life with brakes applied, wondering why there is so much sickness, and they despair over their changing bodies, and sigh that their bodies have wasted away. But, those who do have faith seem to approach death with a sense of temporary loss, they see death in a different light. It is the light of faith which is given to them by God’s grace, so instead of a walk into the valley of the shadow of death, faith shows us that that walk continues beyond the darkness making death only a short walk from darkness to the light of Christ. And when we reach the other side of that valley, we know that we will be led there beside still waters.

Beulah had that kind of faith. I know I saw her faith as she folded her hands in prayer, as she closed her eyes and acknowledged that it is Christ who has given her the hope of all that is to come. And while we may have looked at her and thought that she died with very little, in fact, she died with all that she needed, she died with her savior Jesus Christ. St. Paul reminds us of this same thought when he said, ”6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” Rom. 5:6-11 (NIV)

I know that the people who are here today miss Beulah very much, and we grieve that she is no longer here with us. But, thanks be to God that He gave us His son Jesus Christ, so that we can grieve not in despair, but in hope. And that hope is the knowledge that, “All who believe and are baptized will be saved.”(Mk 16:16) That hope is that we shall be reunited with all who have died in the faith before us, and that one day we shall join them all in the heavenly company of angels and archangels praising God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

It is indeed true that at this very moment the memories of days together with our loved ones cause us to grieve. But as perfect as those memories play in our minds, perfection is yet to come. For one day we will no longer have cause to grieve, because when our time in this world ceases we will be welcomed to an eternal time of perfection which was bought and won for Beulah, for you, for me, and for all us, for it was bought and won by the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessed are they who die in the Lord Jesus Christ from this time forth and forevermore. Amen.
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Monday, March 23, 2009

The Fourth Sunday in Lent - Laetare - 3-22-09

The Church Season of Lent
The Fourth Sunday in Lent - Laetare (March 22, 2009)
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI
One Year Series

“THE BREAD OF LIFE”

Readings:
Psalm 132
OT Exodus 2:-21
Epistle Galatians 4:21-31
Gospel John 6:1-15

+INI+

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen

The text for today’s message is as recorded in the Gospel Lesson from the 6th chapter of St. John.

John 6:1-15 (NIV)
"1 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberius), 2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Feast was near. 5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. 7 Philip answered him, “Eight months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” 8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. 12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. 14 After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself."

After God had delivered the children of Israel from their slavery to the Egyptians, they traveled in the wilderness for 40 years. In this barren wasteland they would've soon died, except that God miraculously provided food for them, bread from heaven. Each morning when they woke up, they found a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground. This thin bread they called manna. By it God sustained them until they entered the Promised Land.

Here in the sixth chapter of John, Jesus compares Himself to that manna and says that it was a sign of His coming. "I am the Bread of Life"(v. 35) Jesus proclaims; and again, "I am the Living Bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."(v. 51 Jesus Himself is the bread of God, which we feed on through faith, which nourishes and sustains us in this world, and which gives us to share in His eternal life in the Promised Land of heaven.

So when we hear of a miracle like the feeding of the 5000, in which Jesus multiplies bread for His followers, we know that the significance of this miracle goes beyond the earthly bread of that time and that place. For ultimately, it has to do with He who is the Living Bread which came down from heaven. But this time the Living Bread feeds the children of God for a lot longer than just forty years, He feeds His people with eternal life. Jesus Christ, is the Bread of Life, and He continues to bless and distribute His blessings to us in the Sacrament of the Altar by giving His body and blood for the life of the world.

Seeing the multitudes coming to Him, Jesus asks Philip a question to test him, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat? Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them."(v. 5,7) What Philip way saying was, "We couldn't even come close to having enough money to feed this huge group of people." Jesus asks this question to show you that the bread of life which He has to offer cannot be bought or bartered for, but is given freely. So, you can't purchase this heavenly bread or pay for it, it comes to you from heaven to earth, from God to you. For God freely offers it to you in the ministry of His Word and Sacraments. His forgiveness and salvation are granted to you without cost. They cannot be earned or merited by your own goodness but must be received as a gift from Him. As Isaiah says, "You who have no money, come, buy and eat." (Is. 55:1)

Only those can receive the bread of life, who acknowledge their spiritual bankruptcy before God, who recognize that their worthiness doesn't make them deserving of God's eternal gifts. Those who try to "buy" their way into heaven or try to barter with their own works and spiritual qualifications, will not be given life from this Living Bread. For they seek a righteousness of their own, they seek a kingdom which they can purchase by their own work. But, God’s kingdom is only for those who hunger and thirst for the righteousness of Christ and they will be satisfied.

One of Jesus' disciples, Andrew, said to Him, "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?"(v.9) On the surface it appeared that this bread and fish would be useless to help feed the people. But with Jesus it was more than enough to do the job. This is the same as it is in the Sacrament of the Altar, our eyes deceive us, our minds cannot grasp how this is Christ’s body and blood. Yet it is there just the same, even if all our human senses do not understand or comprehend, He is here with us and for us. And the only way to comprehend this gift is by faith. Someone might ask, "What good can a little bread and wine do? How can these elements help my soul or give me any eternal blessings?" But with Jesus, such elements are more than enough. For what counts is not the impressiveness of bread and wine but the miracle that our Lord is able and still promises to do with them. You must focus not on the elements only but also on the Lord who stands behind them with His gracious power.

"Then Jesus said, 'Make the people sit down.' Now there was much grass in the place."(v. 10) The Lord bids you also to do the same today, for the Psalm says, "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures."(Ps. 23) The grassy pasture in which the Lord makes you sit is this very place. For it is here that He calls you to come to Him for rest. It is here that He leads you beside the still waters of His living Word. And it is here that He prepares a table before you, spread for you with heavenly food.

"And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted."(v. 11-12) Here is the great miracle, as the disciples handed out this food given them by Christ, there was always more and more. The more they handed out, the more there was. First, there were five loaves in the basket. Then, as this was distributed, the disciples would reach in and find more and more loaves ready to be given out. And likewise with the fish. Thousands upon thousands of people were fed, and the food never ran out. In fact, everyone had as much as they wanted. They were thoroughly filled. By His loving power, the Lord had multiplied the bread and fish so that all the multitude would be fed.

People often ask if miracles still happen today, I always answer yes. It is a miracle that God would send His Son to live as a human, and to die as our savior on a cross. And I think more than a few people here would agree that God has worked miracles in their lives. In fact, if you have been baptized you are indeed the recipient of the miracle of God’s promise of eternal salvation. For, it is a miracle that He would love us so much that He would see all of our sin and yet still take that sin upon Himself so that we could stand before God blameless. Upon the cross Jesus said to one of the thieves, today you will be with me in paradise. Today Jesus says to you in Holy Communion, as you eat His body and drink His blood, You are indeed with Him in paradise. When Christ, fed the 5000 it may have appeared as temporary one-time miracle. Yet, it is an eternal miracle that is still going on in the Church, for you. Come today and eat the Eternal Manna from heaven, drink the blood of Christ that makes your cup runneth over. For Jesus Christ freely gives you eternal life and that manna from above gives you the promise that you will be filled with eternal life. AMEN

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
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Monday, March 16, 2009

The Third Sunday in Lent - Oculi - 3-15-09

No sermon from 3/15/09, as I was away visiting a sick parishoner. Thank you very much to the Rev. Russ Zimmerman for proclaiming the Word of God to all the saints at Our Savior Lutheran Church.

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Monday, March 9, 2009

The Second Sunday in Lent - Reminiscere - 3-8-09

The Church Season of Lent,
Reminiscere,
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (March 8, 2009)
One Year Series

“A Persistent Faith”

Readings:
Psalm 121
Gen. 32:22-32
1 Thess. 4:1-7
Matt 15:21-28

Sermon Form: Deductive
+INI+

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen

The text for today is as recorded in the Gospel Lesson from the 15th chapter of St. Matthew, especially the following verses.

Matthew 15:21-28 (NIV)
21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.” 23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” 24 He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” 25 The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said. 26 He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.” 27 “Yes, Lord,” she said, “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.


In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

Persistence pays off or at least that is what it would seem like here. If we try real hard, just like the Canaanite woman, we can have it all. Once, twice, three times she begs and her request is granted, the poor woman had to ask three times. Maybe if she had taken the time to read the prayer of Jabez (1 Chron. 4:10) in the Old Testament, and prayed like him she would have had only to ask one time just for her request to be granted. But for this woman it would not be that easy, though in the end it would seem that her persistence is rewarded in spite of her many disqualifications. She begs for mercy, to which the response is silence, strike one. She is a Canaanite, a gentile, a dog to the Jews, strike two because she is not of God’s chosen people. But even in the face of two rejections, and with reminders of her disqualifications she is still persistent and begs for mercy from the Jewish rabbi. Yet when everything around her tells her to stop, and even when the disciples beg to have her sent away, she does not stop. This woman knows very much. She knows that her daughter is sick, demon-possessed, and even more importantly she knows who she is talking to because she addresses this rabbi as, “Lord, Son of David,”(v. 22) And as much as it would seem that this woman knows, Jesus knows even more. Jesus knew before this woman ever came to Him that she had,

“A Persistent Faith”

This woman’s sympathy and love for her daughter was so acute that she felt it as her own grief. This surely includes a natural affection, but the words which follow indicate a higher type of love. She was already believing and therefore loving too. But this meeting with the Messiah probably didn’t go quite the way that the woman would have expected. She could have been thinking that if I get close enough for Him to hear me, then He will listen and immediately see all my troubles and take care of them. And indeed this woman had reason to feel grief, for her daughter was suffering terribly at the hands of a demon, in fact she tells Jesus that her daughter is demon possessed. And so scripture tells us that she did get close enough to talk to the one person in the entire world who could solve all her troubles. But when she asked the question, He didn’t say a word. But she persists.

He keeps walking and so does she, shouting and pleading more loudly. In fact, she becomes downright embarrassing. The disciples urge Jesus to send her away Yet Jesus engages her in a conversation. It would seem her persistence is beginning to pay off.

Have you ever been there? Have you prayed and prayed to God yet it seemed like the more you would pray the more silence your received? Then what did you do? The most common thing to do is walk away in despair. Because, satan whispers in our ears: “See, it’s just like I’ve been telling you. He doesn’t care about you. You can’t count on Him. You’re going to have to handle it on your own.” Satan fills our ears and our hearts with words despair, reminding us all that might go wrong, all that might have happened if only Jesus would listen, if only He would do more

Yet as Luther said, “Christ is pleased at heart when we persist in prayer and do not give up (1:324). Faith takes Christ captive in His Word, when He’s angriest, and makes out of His cruel Words a comforting inversion, as we see here. You say, the woman responds, that I am a dog. Let it be, I will gladly be a dog; now give me the consideration that You give a dog. Thus she catches Christ with His own Words, and He is happy to be caught (1:325).”

And so the persistence of this woman reminds us a lot of Jacob, from today’s Old Testament lesson, doesn’t she? Jacob wrestled with God and said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”(Gen. 32:26) This Gentile woman’s faith was strong and saw the “Yes” that was hidden under the apparent “No.” She completely understood and agreed with Jesus’ words. Though her place was under the table, which she admitted, that did not prevent her from getting the “crumbs,” the blessings that Jesus could give her without depriving “the children” of anything. The Lord could answer her prayer without taking any blessing away from the Jews, and that is persistence in a faith which believes not what one deserves but rather a persistent faith in the knowledge of what Christ has done.

So, be not mistaken about the point of this scripture. While it does teach us about a faith which does not give up when the answer from God appears to be no. The point of the is scripture is not about the woman, nor is it about dogs, nor about eating crumbs, the meaning of the reading is like the other readings for today. It assures us that the Savior who came to the lost sheep of Israel also has other sheep to bring to eternal life. He died for all because God loved the whole world, not just part of it. No race or nation or people nor any individual sinner is excluded. But, by faith in Christ Jesus, all sinners are lost sheep no more, but children of God who sit at the table and enjoy the feast of salvation with all its blessings, including the answers to their prayers.

Yet all to often we want those answers now and we want them our way. Just like the Israelites who ate manna from heaven, those crumbs of bread were not good enough, they did not satisfy their persistent complaints for more food, better food. And when it appears that our prayers are not immediately answered, satan would point out how inconsistent Christ is at hearing your persistent prayers. And true to our sinful nature we do not want even crumbs, we want it all, we want our answer and we want it now and we want it our way but we are disqualified by our own sin.

Repent, for in Christ brings you in so that you may not only been given crumbs from the table, you are freely given the fullness of the incarnate bread of life. It is Christ who was persistent in keeping the law every last speck and crumb, even when it meant going to His death upon the cross. And because of what He has done for us, we do receive the answers to all our prayers. And those answers came to you in the waters of your baptism. For there Christ gave you the promise of eternal life. When you cry out in prayer begging God to hear you He does hear you. For in Christ you have been given great faith. For in hearing His Holy Word, in the waters of your baptism, in the Holy Supper of our Lord, all your requests are granted. It is a taste of not just a crumb, but communion with heaven on earth. For in His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus Christ gives you a persistent faith in His persistent mercy. And Christ’s mercy will seat you not under the table with the dogs, He seats you at His heavenly table of honor to enjoy the entire heavenly banquet feast. AMEN

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Monday, March 2, 2009

The First Sunday in Lent - Invocabit - 3-1-09

The Church Season of Lent,
Invocabit,
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (March 1, 2009)
One Year Series

“Worship the Lord your God”

Readings:
Psalm 118:1-13
Gen. 3:1-21
2 Cor. 6:1-10
Matt 4:1-11

Sermon Form: Deductive
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Grace, mercy and peace be to you from the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen

The text for today is as recorded in the Gospel Lesson from the 4th chapter of St. Matthew, especially the following verses.

Matthew 4:1-11 (NIV)
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” 7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” 10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” 11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

Well at least he is consistent. The first time he spoke he did the same thing, he casted doubt upon the Word of God. This time he tries to cast doubt by speaking to the Word of God. The first time he spoke it was to the Old Adam and his Eve as he came to Eve and filled her with doubt; "Did God really say etc.?" Then remember satan gave a false promise: "You're not going to die," and then another: "You'll be like God." Though surrounded with good food, good things, and good living, Eve fell, and in turn Adam sinned too. Then when God came into their presence their conscience was bothered and so sin was added onto sin they tried to hide and lied again. Adam and Eve fell from grace and they were cast out of the garden. These two humans could not conquer the wiles of evil and the cunning of satan. Yet they are not alone, history is replete with the failures of man to overcome sin. At the same time history tells us Adam and Eve were given a promise that while the seed of the woman would strike the man’s heel and ultimately the new Adam would crush the serpents head. In our Gospel satan is striking the heel of Jesus by offering worldly temptations. But Christ is not the old Adam. He is not tricked. Christ knows the law and the Gospel, He lived the law and He is the Gospel. He knows how to send the devil away by standing firm and telling him,

“Worship the Lord your God”

Notice the timing of when this temptation of Christ is occurring. Our Gospel lesson begins by saying, “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.”(v.1) It is all occurring immediately after Christ’s baptism, timing is everything. In fact Jesus had just come up out of the water, and now is led out into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit. He does not struggle, He just walks out into the wilderness, Christ is going out there to fast for 40 days and 40 nights, that would be physically and mentally draining. It could only make a normal man weak in both actions and judgment. The normal man would be worshipping the thought of waiting for food at the end of 40 days and would do anything to feed himself

Christ the man goes out into the wilderness without any food or water and, “He was hungry.”(v. 2) That is an understatement 40 days and 40 nights without food. Most americans have never spent an entire day without food. Most people could not survive for that length of time without food, but Christ is no normal man, and He is not most people. He is not sustained out there in the desert wilderness by living off the fat of the land, in fact He barely gets by, He is hungry. He is weary, yet He still worships the Lord His God.

This is beyond our imagination, to be without sin, to be so focused that the events and occurrences of the world do not effect us. Temptation is tied into desire and distraction. Sin and carefree living is tempting, to be free from rules and boundaries are even more appealing, and so that is what we desire, you go your way, I’ll go mine. We say...”God is a loving god isn’t He, would He really not love me if I worshipped my own lifestyles and things? Would God really say that? What’s wrong with me minding my own business and just worshipping me, letting me be lord of my life, letting me be my own god?” A tempting set of thoughts to pose to our Lord Jesus Christ isn’t it?

We simplistically see the sinful things of this world as the pleasures of life because satan makes all the sinful things in this world appealing. But, Christ sees this world clearly, His eyes are not dimmed by hunger for food or water or any other planks and specs of sin. He is not a fickle sinner like Adam, who worships whatever is pleasing before His eyes. Christ waits 40 days to eat, Adam and Eve can’t wait at all so they immediately eat the fruit.

Yet Jesus Christ submits to the sorrows and degradation of this temptation for our sake. The lesson here is not that Jesus resisted temptation to show us how it could be done, it is that He resisted because we have proven we can not. He did this for us.

Martin Luther said, “in the first temptation Satan showed himself as a black devil, in the second as a white devil. But, in the third, he displays himself as a divine, majestic devil, who comes right out as though he were God himself. He drops his mask and appears as the prince and ruler of this world.”

The mask is cast aside, satan wants himself to worshipped as lord and god. This temptation was real. Yet, to be tempted is not sinful, or otherwise Jesus would have sinned. We are tempted by satan and the world, and when we yield that is sin. We sin by that which we desire, we sin by seeing things happen in the world and then questioning the actions of God. Our lives are in a constant battle between the new creation which we assumed in our baptism, and our old Adam who remains in our flesh. By faith in the world every Christian sins, by faith in Christ the Christian looks to Christ and is forgiven. Worship of things ends the fast for a moment, worship of Christ points to the everlasting feast.

For through a life of obedience and suffering, Jesus attained all that satan falsely promised: because listening and worshipping God alone was Christ’s only daily sustenance. The ancient serpent has struck His heal in a desert of worldly temptation, but Christ crushed satan’s head by worshipping God alone. The fast is over Christ feeds us with the wine and bread His true body and blood. Now Christ sustains us with His very body and blood in Holy Communion. By not our own actions and deeds is satan overcome, but by Christ on the cross. The defeat of satan is given to us in our baptism, where he is cast down and Christ alone conquers sin in us.

In this time of Lent it is a time when we focus on repentance, fasting, and prayer. We are reminded that we are sinners made from dust, and to dust we shall return. We are reminded to turn from sin and the worship of the things of this world. We are reminded that Jesus Christ alone was able to overcome sin, death and the devil, we cannot do any measure of that by our own reason or strength. Christ alone gives us the victory over all the temptations of this world and in His life, death, and resurrection He brings us to an eternity of worshipping Him and Him alone. Amen.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

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