The Fourth Sunday in Lent - Laetare - March 18, 2012

The Church Season of Lent

The Fourth Sunday in Lent - Laetare (March 18, 2012)

Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI

 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 6:11-14 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, "Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost." So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, "This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!"

What a miraculous feeding! 5000 men + women and children.  But should we really be surprised? The very Incarnate Word by which the grain for the loaves and the fish themselves were created holds them in His hands and multiplies them. Is what we experience every day of our lives any less miraculous? A miracle is an unexpected event attributed to divine intervention.

Well, look around you. Look in the mirror. Just what about your life isn't miraculous? The miracle that that person sitting next to you would have anything to do with you, let alone marry you and stay married to you, or have you as a child and not kick you out or take you out somewhere along the line.

The miracle of life—we talk about the point when life becomes viable out of the womb. I.e., when one can live without the aid of the mother. But think about it, when does life really become viable without the aid of a mother, or at least other people that God has also miraculously created? Is any life possible without outside intervention and aid? The miracle of 6.8 Billion living souls today—"Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. . ."(Gen 1:28)

The miracle of your life—7 lbs. of the same chemical compounds you find in your backyard garden growing to be 100, 150, 200+ lbs. of the same dirt. The miracle of the everyday sustenance of that life. The miracle of one seed bearing countless fruit, all from one tree created in the first garden. The miracle of the very same water that flowed from the rivers in Eden, flooded the earth, rescued the Israelites, baptized our Lord, turned into wine, and quenched the thirst of the Son of God at Jacob's well is the very same water we have today —the very same water that quenches our thirst, is turned into our wine, baptizes our children, rescues people from buildings set ablaze , floods our reservoirs, and flows in our rivers.

There is nothing about life in this world that is anything less than miraculous. That is why we confess in The First Article of the Creed--I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, which means:

"I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my limbs, my reason, and all my senses, and still preserves them; in addition thereto, clothing and shoes, meat and drink, house and homestead, wife and children, fields, cattle, and all my goods; that He provides me richly and daily with all that I need to support this body and life, protects me from all danger, and guards me and preserves me from all evil; and all this out of pure, fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me; for all which I owe it to Him to thank, praise, serve, and obey Him. This is most certainly true. "

That there is nothing about life in this world that is anything less than miraculous is also why we pray The Fourth Petition of the Lord's Prayer--Give us this day our daily bread, which means:

"God gives daily bread, even without our prayer, to all wicked men; but we pray in this petition that He would lead us to know it, and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.

What is meant by daily bread?-- Everything that belongs to the support and wants of the body, such as meat, drink, clothing, shoes, house, homestead, field, cattle, money, goods, a pious spouse, pious children, pious servants, pious and faithful magistrates, good government, good weather, peace, health, discipline, honor, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like."

            The truth of the matter is that there is nothing about life, about your life, that is not miraculous, that is not an act of the divine intervention of God the Father spoken through the Word of God the Son, by the power of God the Holy Spirit.

And what is true of your physical existence, this thing called life, is even more true of your eternal existence, your forever life in heaven. This eternal life begins with your being born again from above, by the Holy Spirit in the miracle that is Baptism—Divine intervention by water and the Word.  And that eternal life that is not viable before Baptism, is no more viable for those of us who are born again without the aid of a mother and the others that make up the body of Christ on earth, His holy Christian Church, your heavenly mother on earth. Is your eternal life possible without outside intervention and aid?

Is what we have here set before us any less a miracle of the Word? All the saints are gathered with Christ and you and I today around the altar that is the very table of God the Father, from which we receive the very body and blood of Christ in the most miraculous feeding of all. The table set before you is a miraculous feeding of not just 5000 men with their women and children, but of countless souls from all nations, throughout time. It is a miraculous feeding at which the saints in heaven who have preceded us are present with us, out of sight, but rejoicing that we who were lost and wandering about trying to fend for ourselves are now gathered here with them before God's heavenly throne.

So as we continue our Lenten journey with Christ to be crucified, buried, and raised with Him to heavenly life, repent of any of your sinful ideas or feelings or doubts that anything about this world, that anything about life in this world, that anything about your daily life, that anything about your Baptismal life is anything less than miraculous. And pray God you never forget or take for granted the greatest miracle, that you and I are here today to be given life and remain viable by the nurture of the church by which we are born into heaven .  That the Holy Spirit has penetrated our hard heads; softened our hearts of stone; and drawn us here to feast on the Bread of Life, partake of the cup of the New Testament in His blood, receive the forgiveness of our sins, and have eternal life. That is truly a miraculous feeding.

In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

+SDG+

The Third Sunday in Lent - Oculi - March 11, 2012

The Church Season of Lent,

Oculi,

Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (March 11, 2012)

Readings:                    Psalm 136                               
                                    Ex. 8:16-24                                           
                                    Eph. 5:1-9                                             
                                    Luke 11:14-28

+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 11^th chapter of St. Luke, especially the following verses.

Luke 11:14-28 (NIV)
¹⁴ Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed. ¹⁵ But some of them said, “By Beelzebub, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons.” ¹⁶ Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven. ¹⁷ Jesus knew their thoughts…

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

            Our Gospel lesson today speaks of a distracted crowd, either seeing what they want to believe or believing only what they want to see.  Don’t be confused with my words, “they want” is the point here, and maybe better said, they want three different ways.

            The first way is a reaction to the miracle is faith. St. Luke tells us that “the crowd was amazed” (v. 14). That is to say, they were amazed at the work Jesus had done and their attention was drawn to His identity as the Son of God. The point of the miracle was to prove that Jesus is the Christ. It’s all part of Jesus teaching through preaching and miracles. Jesus worked a miracle. Then He preached His identity as the Christ, calling men to repentance and faith. One woman in the crowd got it right that day, when she said, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed you!” (v. 27). Very true! This anonymous woman paid homage to the Blessed Virgin, congratulating her for bringing this Rabbi and Miracle Worker into the world. But Jesus had an even greater blessing in mind when He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (v. 28) That is to say, “Anyone can watch a miracle and rejoice in it. And we are all thankful that my mother raised me in wisdom, stature, and favor before God and man (Lk 2:52). But the greatest blessing is forgiveness and eternal salvation for those who hear the good news of my death and resurrection and believe it. For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

            Jesus’ plan of preaching and miracles continues in the church today. We preach the Word of the Law and Gospel, calling sinners to repentance and giving the gifts of the Gospel upon those who repent. Blessed are those who hear that they are sinners, that they were born in sin, that they have sinned against God in countless ways, and that they have broken God’s commandments and deserve eternal death. Yes, blessed are they who hear this word of the Law, repent of their sins, and fix their eyes on Jesus. For they are blessed with forgiveness, life, and salvation, now and into eternity. Preaching is followed by miracles: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Preaching to the unbaptized leads to Baptism. In Baptism, He casts out Satan, drowns our sin, and raises us to new life in His name. Preaching to the baptized leads to the Lord’s Supper. In this sacrament, He joins His true body and blood in, with, and under bread and wine – for you, for salvation. So in preaching and miracles, word and sacrament, Christ continues to abide with us, saying, in effect, “Blessed are you who hear God’s Word and who receive His sacraments, for you have life in My Name.”Everything  would be in order, then, if everyone had marveled in faith and believed in Jesus. But such is never the case.

            The second reaction to the exorcism was the curious assertion that Jesus was working with the devils. “But some of them said, ‘He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.’” (v. 15). To Jesus’ original hearers, the name “”Beelzebub” was about as ugly as it sounds to us in English. It indicated the lord of the flies, a round-about way of saying the “queen bee” of the devils, or Satan himself. So they actually thought that Jesus was in league with the devil! How did Jesus respond? He reminded them that, if He were working for Satan, then He most certainly would not be casting out devils. Otherwise, Satan’s kingdom is divided and it cannot stand.

            The second reaction of the crowd is to say that Jesus was working with Beelzebul, the prince of demons, and supposedly leading a hoax instead of a church! If Jesus is working with the devils, then our doctrine is a fabrication, and we can never be sure of our salvation. But if Jesus has come to defeat the powers of darkness, then He is indeed the Lord of Life, and He brings salvation to you and me.

            The third reaction to Jesus’ miracle was the request for a sign from heaven. “And others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven” (v. 16). It’s difficult to determine exactly what these miracle seekers expected. Jesus had just worked a miracle by casting out the demon. Wasn’t  that not enough for them? Did they need more proof that this Jesus was indeed the Christ of God? Just after today’s Gospel lesson, Jesus rebuked those who were so evil that they asked for greater signs than the ones Jesus delivered in the flesh (11:29-32). Jesus said, “This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet” (29). Moreover, “For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation” (30). The common ground between the prophet, Jonah, and Jesus in this context is their preaching and their miracle. Jonah was miraculously kept alive in the belly of the fish for three days before coming back from the “dead” to preach in Nineveh. Jesus was crucified, dead, and buried for three days before returning from the dead to send the preached Word to the ends of the earth. So what about those who wanted another sign? As many of the hearers of Jonah and of Jesus did not believe their message and received death, so those who were looking for something greater than Jesus would be disappointed. They would be left to stand on the sidelines and in the words people would use today, Jesus had nothing more than a “dying church,” a “maintenance ministry,” just waiting for the doors to close.

            Something more than Jesus has been a problem through the centuries.  People have been proclaiming more groups, gatherings, any hook, crook, or device to bring people into church saying that the preaching of the Gospel was not the main thing. But if the Gospel is a step toward something greater, then the church becomes the image of those in this Gospel lesson who saw Jesus’ miracle and then still said they wanted something more.

            What difference does it make? It cuts to the heart of whether or not Jesus is the focus and center our theology. When the Gospel is primary, then Jesus Christ is always at the center. And all that we have and all that we do must serve Him and Him alone: that we may obtain the forgiveness of sins.

            Three reactions to Jesus’ miracle of the healing; to marvel in faith, to accuse Jesus of Satanic arts, or to ask for a greater sign.   The trap here is any false belief, from the fantasy that Jesus is an ally of Satan to the desire for a miracle greater than the miracle of salvation. They all take your eyes off of Christ, either to the left or to the right.  But in faith our eyes are always drawn toward Jesus Christ, who is, “the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb 12:2).  Thank God gives us Jesus Christ through the working of the Holy Spirit, and yes we will see it three ways, the way of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the way to eternal life. Amen.

+SDG+

The Second Sunday in Lent - Reminiscere - March 4, 2012

The Church Season of Lent,

The First Sunday in Lent - Reminiscere,

Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (March 4, 2012)

One Year Series

Readings:        Psalm 121       

                        Gen. 32:22-32            

                        1 Thessalonians 4:1-7                         

                        Matthew 15:21-28

+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 15^h chapter of 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

We are just Like the Canaanite woman of our Gospel lesson today, our faith looks, even yearns for a bread crumb from the table of our Lord or does it? Regardless, just like her we are Beggars. That is why the Holy Spirit has gathered us here today, isn't it? That tiny bit of bread and little sip of wine we received last week or will next week.  Yet sometimes we don’t have enough desire to even beg except on the 1^st and 3^rd Sundays, we’re too good for that.  Even knowing that every Lord's Day, gives us a foretaste of the Feast to Come.  Of course those very astute Christians, Lutherans listening will say, you’re preaching the Gospel as Law by being snide about when we have communion, to which I would say, good listening!

 Here is what we learn from the Canaanite woman and her faith.

“But she came and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, help me." And he answered, "It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly.” Matthew 15:25-28

Now the question we must address here is what exactly is the essence of this blessed woman's faith? Of what does her faith consist? What is the substance of it? From where does it come? And the answer is . . . . Jesus, the Son of the living God.

The Canaanite woman's faith, like the faith of all the patriarchs, like the apostles, like Luther, like everybody who truly believes--and I hope and pray like your faith—looks to Jesus, "the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2

Because He is the only begotten Son who sits at the right hand of His Father—then, and now, and forever—Jesus is the very essence by which faith exists; He is the very substance of which faith consists; the very source from which faith is established.

Faith is nothing more nor less than looking to God for what you cannot hope to do for yourself, for what no other person or thing can do, Faith does not say, "I think I can," or "I know I can," or "my believing hard enough will make it so." Faith knows that in Christ, and only in Christ "all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our(B) Amen to God for his glory."Let not your hearts be troubled”.(B) 2 Corinthians 1:20  Jesus did not say, "Believe in yourself." He did not say, "Any old faith will do." He said, "Believe in God; believe also in me." John 14:1

And, as the Apostle Paul writes, "faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible." Hebrews 11:1-3 But do we believe it?

And that is what we learn from this Canaanite woman in her time of great trouble, need, emptiness, and helplessness. By these our Lord is testing, stretching, exercising, and indeed strengthening her faith and ours rather like mighty oak trees become hardened in response to stormy winds and weight training builds muscle by first tearing it down.

The first test and exercise for the Canaanite woman is the tribulation of her demon oppressed daughter. It is what drives her to Jesus in the first place. Without tribulation, who would ever look to God in Christ in the first place?

The second test is God's initial silence and postponement of help. This Canaanite woman had heard great things about his Jesus and believe He could help her. So she came begging, crying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon." But he did not answer her a word. Here, in God's initial silence, we begin to find out if it is really faith in Him or if it is merely just covering another base to see what will work?

            The Canaanite woman does not move on or try to cover other bases or try other religions or philosophies just in case. How about you?

The third test is to see if the promises of God and this Christ who is set before us are really for us too, even though they have not been given directly to us by revelation or verifiable personal contact. Jesus, not even responding to the woman but to the disciples says, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

In the same way, Jesus does not speak to us directly, but only through the Word and Sacraments which He gave to the apostles to pass along to us. We are very much like the Canaanite woman, aren't we. If we are to believe it is only through the Word of promise first spoken to others and handed down to us. But who of us likes hand me downs? And worse, who likes to beg for them. It's bad enough to beg for anything, but to beg for something that has already been used and discarded?

And yet that is the fourth test we see the Canaanite woman subjected to—the test of whether or not we are willing to acknowledge and admit that we are indeed are not worthy of God's attention, let alone His blessings. Having not even been acknowledged by Jesus, yet she prevails upon Him, "Lord, help me." And he answered, "It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."

Every one of us, every believer in Christ, any person who has the hope of life everlasting in heaven begins from this point of admitting your unworthiness before God and being willing to accept whatever little scrap or crumb He condescends to give as better than the most expensive and precious earthly possession we may own or covet.

Yes, all here baptized into Jesus Christ, we are--beggars. And let us give thanks to the Lord that He brings, even drives us to realize and rejoice in those trials and tribulations without which we would never really call on the Lord at all, or come to any kind of meaningful faith, or beg for whatever He deems fit and best to give us. Let us pray for that daily bread and receive the heavenly crumbs of our Lord often together here.

Like the Canaanite woman, as we pass through this vale of tears and walk through the Valley of the Shadow of death, we exist from day to day on the crumbs that fall from [our] masters' table. But what crumbs they are! What a feast it is! A crumb from our Lord and Master's table is infinitely better than any all-you-can eat buffet; any two for twenty deal or a thousand five-star, seven course banquets. A crumb from our Lord even a little rather tasteless little wafer from the table and hand of our Lord is a piece of the Bread of the Life that makes you a part of the whole loaf Himself, forgives you all of your sins, and gives you a never ending life of all-you-can eat banquets feasts with God -- in the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

+SDG+

The Time of Lent - NAmes of the Sundays in Lent

The Time of Lent, the names of Sundays in Lent and their meanings

The Time of Lent is a penitential time, meaning a time for repentance, learning, fasting, practicing self-control, and growing in faith. While all these practices are encouraged throughout the year, the time of Lent encourages a heightened awareness of Jesus Christ's suffering and death on the Cross.

Lent began with Ash Wednesday on March 9, 2011. Our Savior Lutheran Church celebrates Ash Wednesday each year by offering, to those who wish it, the imposition of ashes upon their forehead, to remind us, "Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return."(Genesis 3:19)

The time of Lent is 40 days which does not include Sundays. So you will see the Sundays during Lent titled "Sunday in Lent" along with a Latin title. The Latin titles are explained below...

Invocabit – First Sunday in Lent
Psalm 91:15 – Invocavit me et exaudiam eum
Introit - He shall call upon Me

Reminiscere – Second Sunday in Lent
Psalm 25:6 – Reminiscere miserationum tuarum Domine
Introit - Remember, O Lord

Oculi – The Third Sunday in Lent
Psalm 25:15 – Oculi mei simper ad Dominum
Introit - Mine eyes

Laetare – The Fourth Sunday in Lent
Latin opening of Introit "Rejoice ye"

Judica – The Fifth Sunday in Lent - Passion Sunday
Latin opening of Introit "Judge me"
Psalm 42, Judica me, Deus