The Church Season of Trinity - The 4th Sunday after Trinity - The Visitation (Transferred)

The Church Season of Trinity

The Fourth Sunday after Trinity

The Visitation

Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (July 1, 2012)

Readings:        Psalm 138

                        Isaiah 11:1-5
                        Romans 12:9-16
                        Luke 1:39-56

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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 the Gospel lesson from St. Luke the first chapter, verses commonly known as The Visitation.

Luke 1:39–56

³⁹ In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, ⁴⁰ and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, ⁴² and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! ⁴³ And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴ For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵ And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

⁴⁶ And Mary said,
       “My soul magnifies the Lord,
⁴⁷        and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
⁴⁸    for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
⁴⁹    for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
⁵⁰    And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
⁵¹    He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
⁵²    he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
⁵³    he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
⁵⁴    He has helped his servant Israel,
           in remembrance of his mercy,
⁵⁵    as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
⁵⁶ And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.

Grace, Mercy, and Peace be to you from the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

              Pregnant Mary who is the mother of Jesus Christ visits her cousin Elizabeth who Is the mother of John the Baptist.  Elizabeth’s father is Zechariah a Levite and a temple priest.  

            And so this meeting takes place in hills Judah, part of the Southern kingdom of Israel, now a place where the threat of rockets and missiles may be launched from or may land.  A place which was arguably last totally safe under the rule of King Solomon as mentioned in 1 Kings 4:25.  A place where the prophet Micah (2:6) prophesized these words, “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ” (Mt 2:6)  This is the land of Judah of which Sirach speaks, “¹⁵ Despite all this the people did not repent, nor did they forsake their sins, until they were carried off as plunder from their land, and were scattered over all the earth. The people were left very few in number, but with a ruler from the house of David.” 48:15 (NRSV)  Pretty good notes from a person whose words are housed not in our Bible, but in the words of the what we call the Apocrypha, extra books not sacred, but good for informational purposes as Martin Luther would state.  Actually pretty good words for our time too, carried off as plunder, scattered over the earth, left few in number, that is what we as Christians have become, that is what we are, and increasingly that is what we will be.

            Chapter 1, verse 39, reads, “In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country.”  So states our Gospel lesson a visitation in a formally safe meeting ground.  And what we hear in those following verses following verse 39, is what Mary saw, what Mary heard, what Mary said, what Elizabeth saw, what Elizabeth heard, and what Elizabeth physically felt.  And were all this evidence to be offered to a courtroom today, it would be more than enough to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt, that all that was said, all that was heard, and the contents of all this discussion not only happened as they said, it would be considered the truth too.

            We here today read it, hear it, and we say we believe it, but we don’t.  It’s just a story we hear or read, usually only at Christmas.  A story from a book called the Bible that very, very few people actually read.  A book which we think has some truth, some fairy tales, and it’s up to us to pick and choose which are which, which words we think God would say and which ones we don’t think God would say.  For most of us the Bible is a good starting point for self-justification, like a true and false test, with the exception that the correct answers of what is true is based solely upon our own opinion. 

            But dare us not be reminded of what the Bible says about itself, as St. Paul writes, “¹⁶ All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…”, 2 Timothy 3:16 (ESV)  Dare us not also to be reminded that as Christians, as Lutherans, as members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, that we confess that the Bible IS the Word of God, infallible and without error.  At least those are the words we stated when each one of us became members of the Lutheran Church.  For those of you who are older it doesn’t matter what synod, or what Lutheran Church version it was when you said it way back when, that is what you said.  And for newer members, those who weren’t born Lutheran, like me, that is what you were taught the Lutheran church believed based upon what the Bible said about itself, and by what Jesus said about the Bible.  Jesus said, ³⁹ “You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf.” John 5:39  So according to Jesus’ red letter words, this IS the very Word of God.  This IS what God has given us to believe about Jesus, and this IS what He has freely given us the faith to believe.

            So how does all this relate to Mary?  Verse 39, “In those days…”  Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth, Jesus in Mary’s womb, John the Baptist in Elizabeth’s womb.  Okay, maybe we can believe that, but somehow we fail to hear the implication of a baby leaping in one mother’s womb, when Jesus’ mother speaks.  We prefer not to hear or speak to our society about wombs being blessed.  Because its too confusing.  You know, because at the time of this scripture John the Baptist was after all just a fetus and Jesus was only fetal tissue, and all that is just a bit too much and too confusing to sort out.  And certainly it is much too hard to explain to anyone these days.

            But now look at verse 42 and listen to the words of Elizabeth, “Blessed is the fruit of your womb” she exclaims, “blessed is she who believed that there would be fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” And if you’re wondering what Mary thought, see verse 45.  Mary believed.  And if you’re wondering what Mary believed, well that’s back in verses 1:26 through 37 and Mary said “Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to YOUR Word.”

            Now comes the good part, beginning in verse 46, the Magnificat, meaning my soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices”, just what it says right there in verse 46.  Mary did not rejoice for herself, she rejoiced that she had received a savior.  From these first few words we know that Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, was not born between 1946 and 1964, because she did not frame this miracle in the god she wanted for herself, she said she was of “low estate”, but in the God which had given her a soul, given her grace, and honored her with the blessing of the Holy Spirit.

            Now listen to the litany of words which flow from Mary’s lips…listen to the personal pronouns.

Verse 48, “For He has regarded the low estate” It is not Big Mary and little Jesus as rendered in Roman Catholic artwork and belief.  It is not big us little Jesus as in what we want the Bible to say.

Verse 49, “For He has done great things for me.”  Mary received the Holy Spirit and so was blessed.  You received the Holy Spirit in Baptism and so you ARE blessed.

Verse 50, “And His mercy”  It is in Jesus Christ’s mercy that generations are blessed.  Christ’s mercy to the poor the sick, the lame, His mercy to endures the cross, His mercy endureth forever, from generation to generation.

Verse 51, “He has shown strength” Not a strength of His arms to hold onto nails on the cross, but that He would have the strength to honor His Father and hang there, not for Himself, but for us.  Even in the face of people like our generation who are so proud we can’t admit that we believe in Jesus to people around us because we are so proud of ourselves. 

Verse 52, “He has put down the mighty.”  The truth is our father’s and mother’s, grandparents and beyond knew and read the scriptures more than we do.  For we are more likely to quote the book of Benjamin Franklin, “God helps those who helps themselves,” than we are to read the Bible and learn just the opposite, that God came to help sinners, which  are those who cannot help themselves.

Verse 53, “He has filled the hungry with good things.”  But all too often we despise the food which He offers. We want winning lotto tickets, and to be fed with the smugness that our enemies have tripped and fallen that they got they got a poke in the eye because they deserve it.   And yet Jesus Christ fills you today with good things from Himself, His body and His blood. 

Verse 54, “He has helped His servant in the remembrance of His mercy.”  Jesus said, “DO THIS, in remembrance of ME.”

Versee 55, “as He spoke to our Father’s, to Abraham and to His posterity forever.” Christ’s posterity throughout all scriptures speak that He provides you with your posterity.  Simon Peter answered Jesus, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”(Jn 6:68-69)

            Mary is definitely not a baby boomer, she does not believe in what she has done, but instead what God has done for her.  And for Mary and Elizabeth who would bear their children in a few months from the time of this writing, that was enough. The fetus of Elizabeth would be John the Baptist the last of the human prophets, who we hear of in scripture proclaiming repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  The fetal tissue of Mary, who IS THE prophet, priest, and King who would in His first sermon proclaim repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

And Mary and Elizabeth believed that because it was God’s will not their own.

            Repent, believe and believe the Word of God.  Salvation does not come from within but from Jesus Christ and Him alone.  Believe the personal pronouns, the He is Jesus and it is Jesus who comes to comfort you.  In all that you would face in your lives, whether it be sickness, adversity, times of personal pain, times of personal crisis, when your world is exactly like the long years of turmoil in that far off land of Judah.  Look not within, but look to Jesus Christ.  He is with you always, He counts your every tear, He knows your inner turmoil, He knows your pain, He knows your anguish, He knows your joys, He knows your pride, HE Knows you, that is His joy.  To be Your servant, even unto death.

            Do not share the truth of your scriptural analysis, but do not fail to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Love your enemies, give to the poor, assist the weak, comfort those who are low in spirit.  Point  not with your thumb to your chest, but point them with your lips to Jesus Christ, point them with your thoughts to Jesus Christ, point them with your heart to the one who gave you salvation, in spite of yourself.

            Now turn back to Luke 1, verse 47, read and hear these words, “my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”  That comfort was for Mary, that comfort IS for you, that comfort is to be shared in this world.  It is eternal comfort won for you by Jesus Christ, forever and ever.  Amen.

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The Season of Trinity - The Nativity of St. John the Baptist

The Church Season of Trinity

The Third Sunday after Trinity

The Nativity of St. John the Baptist

Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (June 24, 2012)

 

 

Readings:        Psalm 85:1-13

                        Isaiah 40:1-5

                        Acts 13:13-26

                        Luke 1:57-80

 

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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 1^st chapter of St. Luke, especially the following verses:

 

Luke 1:57–80, ESV

“Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.” And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered. And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him. And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.”

 

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

           

Today we proclaim the nativity of St. John the Baptist. St. Luke tells us that Elizabeth, John's mother, was sixth months along in her pregnancy when the Christ child was conceived in the womb of Mary. Dec 24th, the birth of Jesus, minus six months equals…so today, the birthday of John the Baptist.

 

John the Baptist’s birth is the fulfillment of prophecy. Here in the birth of John the Baptist we see that God is keeping His Word to save His people from their sin. "But pastor…Jesus is the One who saves the people from their sin, not John! You just said that!" You're right, but how is one saved? Through faith alone in God's grace alone which He bestows upon us because Christ alone. And how does one get this sort of saving faith? Through hearing; hearing the Word of Christ. This is precisely what God was doing through John the Baptist. Through a simple man like John, God was pointing to and proclaiming and announcing the arrival of His salvation plan in the flesh for all to hear and see and cleave to in faith. Here in the life and ministry of John we get a glimpse of profound faithfulness to God's call to serve Christ and make Him known. This is why we honor John today—his example.

 

Of course, at this point many of you may be wondering how we could possibly emulate such a profound example. There is no doubt about it: This guy was truly special. His miraculous conception to a couple of fossil parents is proof that right from the get-go God had something very special in mind with John. In fact, his father, Zechariah, picks up on these great expectations in his psalm of praise, the Benedictus; a psalm that burst forth from his lips at the circumcision and naming of his son months after his tongue had been stopped because of his doubt over the angel's message that he and his wife would conceive and bear a son and call his name John. Zechariah faithfully proclaims, "You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare His ways." You think dad had high hopes for his son? No pressure, right?

 

And here's the thing: John lived up to these great expectations. He did boldly proclaim and point to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He did boldly and faithfully stand firm and call people to repentance; calling them to turn and return to the light and life that is found only in the Christ. He did all this from the midst of the loneliness and separation that is the wilderness. He wasn't living the posh lifestyle in the big city. He wasn't rich. He wore nasty old camel hair outfits. He lived on honey and locusts. He wasn't well-liked by everyone. In fact, he was so disliked by some because of his propensity to tell it like it is that he literally lost his head because he dared to call a sin a sin. Oh…if only we could be so bold and follow his example.

 

Well…here's the thing: Sometimes good examples also have a way of teaching us what not to do. Remember: Before John met his fate with the chopping block, he languished in a Roman prison cell for a while. It was during this time of imprisonment that he sent messengers to Jesus to ask Him if He truly was the Messiah, or if they should be looking for someone else. Think about that for a moment. John, as a prophet—a foreseer and foreteller of the Christ—knew the victorious, Judgment Day ending to the Christ story. "Here is the Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Here is the One whose sandal I'm not fit to untie. Here is the One who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, to clear His threshing floor; to gather the wheat into His heavenly storehouses, and to cast all the sinful chaff into the eternal, unquenchable fire."

 

And yet…in the middle of this glorious, miraculous birth/baptism with water and this triumphant, glorious return on Judgment Day was all this pain and suffering. Here in between these two bookends of divine glory was a cross. This is what John didn't get. This is where he struggled in his faith…perhaps even doubted. "Are you really the Christ? I'm dying here! Life in Christ is not supposed to be this way. Where's all the fire and brimstone and victory that I saw and heard and was told to proclaim? If you are the Christ, then how about breaking out that winnowing fork and winnowing away some of this chaff that put me into prison?"

 

This is when our Lord sends those messengers back to John, saying, "You go tell John what you have witnessed and beheld here today. The blind have had their sight restored. The lame have walked. The lepers have been cleansed. The deaf have had their hearing restored, and the dead have been resurrected." Basically, Jesus sent these men back to John to remind him of the very prophecies John (and Isaiah) had proclaimed about the Christ. "This is what the Christ will do and accomplish." This is what Jesus, the Christ, was doing. He was the Christ. He was the promise in the flesh. He just wasn't matching John's idea of how things should be progressing. Jesus' timeline and methods weren't syncing up with John's. In a very real way, Jesus sent these men back to John with the message to turn around and return back to the Word and Promise of God; a Word and Promise that John was forgetting because of the crosses he was bearing.

 

And that's really the key thing out of all of this—Remembrance. Yes—we all have a way of forgetting the words and promises of God, sometimes when things get tough in life, and sometimes when things are going along really good. We forget that Christ is with us always. He will never forsake us or forget us. We forget to give thanks in all circumstances. We forget that we are but mere stewards of God's gifts and resources. We forget that we have no rights, except for the right to present and eternal punishment. Everything else is a blessing and a gift from God.

 

We forget…but God doesn't. God never forgets. He is always faithful. He remembers His oath to save His people; a holy covenant that He made to our father Abraham. And that word choice itself in this psalm of praise is very interesting and telling. You see, that word "covenant" (diatheke in the Greek) is used in only two places in all the Gospels—here in the Benedictus in verse 72, which reminds us of God's faithfulness to His people and His remembrance of His promise to save His people from their sin, and again at the end of the Gospels, where Christ Himself refers to the consecrated elements of bread and wine as His very body and blood—a new covenant for the complete forgiveness of all sin. Again, here is God's faithfulness coming through loud and clear. "I haven't forgotten you or forsaken you. I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Here is your salvation. Here is your forgiveness. Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

 

John the Baptist was a great example of what it means to be faithful to God. His life was also a great and profound example of the fact that anyone can be shaken and battered in that faith. Anyone can and will suffer and struggle when cross-bearing comes into play. That's where Christ's call and reminder to return back to God and His Word and Promise still rings true for us today. Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! Behold, God's plan and promise of salvation in the flesh, for you, for me, and for the entire world!

 

I pray the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ strengthen you in your spirit so that you, like John, may be bold and courageous and faithful in pointing to and proclaiming and trusting in the faithfulness and mercy and love of your God and Father—faithfulness, mercy, and love made flesh and hung on a cross for the forgiveness of all your sin. Amen

 

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The Season of Trinity - The 2nd Sunday After Trinity

The Church Season of Trinity

The Second Sunday after Trinity, One Year Series

Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (June 17, 2012)

Readings:        Psalm 34 verses 12 - 22

                        Proverbs 9:1-10
                        1 John 3:13-18
                        Luke 14:15-24

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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 16^th chapter of St. Luke, especially the following verse:

Luke 14:15-24 (NIV)

¹⁵ When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.” ¹⁶ Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. ¹⁷ At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ ¹⁸ “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ ¹⁹ “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ ²⁰ “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’ ²¹ “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ ²² “‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ ²³ “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. ²⁴ I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.’”

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

Jesus tells this parable to a group of Pharisees gathered for dinner, which appears to be spoken against the Jews as a nation. It is to them, men who have already tried to put Jesus to the test at this very dinner, and seems to be in response to an expression by one of the guests at the dinner about how blessed they were to be God's Chosen people. Jesus said, "Blessed is everyone who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God." Jesus' response is something to effect that those who will be doing that eating may be different that you expect.

The people invited to the feast of God's favor are Israel, in the time of Jesus. That would make God the man who was giving the big dinner, in our parable. The feast of salvation rests on Jesus. You might also see Jesus as the One who was bringing the invitation. He wasn't specifically, but the Prophets, and John were calling the original invitees to the dinner, and preachers of the Gospel ever since are involved in the second wave of invitations in the parable.

The invitation is the Gospel. When Jesus arrived, the invitation was given, but Israel was no longer interested, as a group. Some Jews saved, of course, but most of Israel had better things to do. Faithfulness was a minority report among ancient Israel. In the days of the prophets, they had their ba'als and their Ashtorahs, and in Jesus' day, they simply did not know, believe in, or love God. Jesus told them that and their various excuses used in the parable are the story.

So, who was rejected? The Jews. Old Testament, First Century, at the time of Jesus and since. Not every Jewish person was rejected, of course, just those who were too busy, who had something better to do, who did not believe. Life, pleasure, business, family, whatever excuses they might have had, they were not ready or willing to come when they were invited to the banquet of salvation, summed up finally in Jesus. God said, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" And Israel responded, "It is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish."

The Judgment of God is depicted clearly enough: "none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner." They were judged to be unfit and undeserving, to use the words of our theme this morning. Some of the children of Israel had taken their special relationship with God for granted. It was about them and not about God, in their minds. It was about this world and this life and nothing greater, as far as they were willing to see. So, naturally, the things of this world were more important, and distracted them from God and faith and faithfulness.

They were the sort of people who thought that being the Chosen People of God obligated God to them, but not the other way around. God had chosen them, so He had to take care of them, and give them special treatment. There are Christians today who think pretty much the same way. They believe that God will jump at their command and they can name it and claim it and have whatever blessings that they want. Our political class even have a word for that feeling now, entitlement. The Jews felt a sense of entitlement, God owed them something. Christians who hold to theology of glory also have that sense of entitlement. They may use the language of promise, but amounts to the same thing: God owes them, somehow.

The entire history of the Christian Church is last half of the parable. We are the ones that the servants were sent to find in the along the highways and the hedges and to compel to come in. Of course, along the highways and in the hedges one would find beggars and criminals, the homeless and the worthless. We are described in the parable as, "the poor and crippled and blind and lame". We are the ones who one would never expect to find invited to such a nice dinner. We are the unfit and undeserving. That's the Gospel. We are invited by the boundless grace of God to a salvation prepared without our knowledge and readied for us by the generosity and goodness of God without any thought to our fitness or belonging. More than just invited, He has sent His servants out to compel us to come, forcing us against our nature to partake of a salvation we would willingly reject, except for His compassion and love.

"While we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly." You still are not worthy. I know that I am not. The true power of the Gospel lies in that one fact. We are unfit and undeserving, and yet He speaks His absolution over us, and feeds us with His holy Supper, and calls us His children, and claims us by name for His family. What is He giving us? Peace and resurrection from our graves, and the promise of life beyond sorrow and sickness, without pain and facing no more death. The devil comes calling, and he does, and shout accusations that we are not good enough, or that we do not believe strongly enough, or that we have not shaped-up our lives enough - and he is right. But God speaks to us, in Christ, and says that He has forgiven us, and He welcomes us into His presence, stands us up when we fall and simply invites us to go and sin no more.

The pains and troubles we face in life are not His judgment against us. They are simply the pains and sorrows that befall everyone who lives in this sin-distorted world. Jesus says to us that in spite of what we think and regardless of how we feel, He does love us, we are forgiven, and we shall live forever in glory with Him. When we are tempted to doubt, we are invited to look at the cross, and see what He endured for us, and hear Him say, "It is finished!" And believe.

He isn't waiting for you to accept His gift, nor does He expect you to shape up and finally deserve it. He paid for you. That is what "everything is ready now" in the parable means. He has sent His Word and His servants to bring you in to join the dinner of everlasting life. You are poor, crippled, blind, and lame, unable to save yourself, so Jesus did it in your place and for you. The man at the dinner with Jesus was right, "Blessed is everyone who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God." He simply did not understand who it was that was going to be there. He thought he and his fellow Pharisees were the ones - they worked so hard for so long, they were sure they deserved it. But God has the feast of salvation planned for the unfit and undeserving - like you and me. Let us rejoice and give thanks to the Lord. Amen.

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The Season of Trinity - The 1st Sunday after Trinity

The Church Season of Trinity

The First Sunday after Trinity

Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (June 10, 2012)

Readings:        Psalm 33:12-33

                        Genesis 15:1-6
                        1 John 4:16-21
                        Luke 16:19-31

            I was away this Sunday on vacation.  The Rev. Russell Zimmerman delivered the Word of God in my stead.  Thanks be to God. Pastor Wright.

Psalm 33:12–22, ESV

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage! The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds. The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue. Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.”

Genesis 15:1–6, ESV

“After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.”

1 John 4:16–21, ESV

“So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.”

Luke 16:19–31, ESV

““There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’ ””

 

 

 

 

Holy Trinity Sunday

The Church Season of Trinity
Holy Trinity Sunday

Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (June 3, 2012) 

Readings:        Isaiah 6:1-7

                        Romans 11:33-36
                        John 3:1-17

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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 3^rd chapter of St. John, especially the following verses.

John 3: 14-17

¹⁴And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. ¹⁶"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

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

   Today is the celebration of one of the great mysteries of the faith – the teaching of the Holy Trinity.  It is one of those teachings of the Bible that no one can understand no matter how much they study and think about it and that is a hard saying.  Scriptures pointing to the reality of the Trinity teaches us that God is a community of three persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  It teaches that all of God is available in God the Father, all of God is available in God the Son, and that all of God is available in God the Holy Spirit.  Now, by human logic, if each person of the Trinity is all of God, then there are three gods, but that is not what the Bible teaches.  The Bible teaches that there is one and only one God.  So, the Bible teaches that God is fully available in each and every person of the Trinity and yet there are not three gods, but only one God.  No one can really understand this.  Fortunately, God does not ask us to understand the Trinity.  He only asks us to believe it.  And what do we believe?  Well we say exactly what we believe each Sunday when we repeat one of the Creeds. And this is precisely what “Creed” means, from the Latin word “credo” or “I believe.”

But, none of those things are in the Bible.  As a matter of fact, yes, they are…

I believe                                                                                  (Hab. 2:4; Rom. 4:5)

In God                                                                                     (Deut. 6:4 1 Cor. 8:6)
The Father                                                                             (Psalm 89:27; Matthew 7:11)
Almighty                                                                                 (Genesis 7:1; 2 Cor. 6:18)
Maker of heaven and earth                                                    (Psalm 33:6; John 5:17)
And in Jesus                                                                            (Zech 9:9; Matthew 1:21)
Christ                                                                                      (Daniel 9:24; John 3:34)
His only                                                                                  (Zechariah 13:7; John 1:14)
Son                                                                                          (Psalm 2:7; Matthew 16:16)
Our Lord                                                                                 (Jeremiah 23:6; John 20:28)
Who was conceived                                                                (Jeremiah 31:22; Luke 1:31)
By the Holy Spirit                                                                   (Daniel 2:45; Matthew 1:20)
Born                                                                                        (Isaiah 9:6; John 1:14)
Of the Virgin Mary                                                                 (Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:43)
Suffered                                                                                  (Isaiah 50:6; Luke 23:25)
Under Pontius Pilate                                                              (Psalm 2:2; Luke 18:32)
Was crucified                                                                         (Psalm 22:17; John 3:14)
Died                                                                                        (Daniel 9:26; Rom. 5:8)
And was buried                                                                       (Isaiah 53:9; John 12:24)
Descended into hell                                                                (Psalm 16:10; Ephesians 4:9)
And on the third day                                                               (Hosea 6:2; Matthew 26:32; Acts 10:40-41)

He rose again from the dead                                                  (Isaiah 63:1; 2 Timothy 2:8)

Ascended into heaven                                                             (Psalm 68:19; Col. 2:15)
And sits at the right hand of the God the Father Almighty   (Psalm 110:1; Mark 16:19)
From thence he will come                                                      (Isaiah 66:15; Acts 1:11)
To judge                                                                                  (Wisdom of Solomon 6:6; Acts 17:31)
The living and the dead                                                          (Daniel 12:2; 1 Cor. 15:51)
I believe in the Holy Spirit                                                     (Zechariah 12:10; John 15:26)
The holy                                                                                  (Psalm 45:14; Ephesians 5:26)
Christian Church                                                                    (Psalm 22:26; Matthew 16:18)
The communion of saints                                                        (Exodus 19:5; Ephesians 4:3)
The forgiveness of sins                                                           (Psalm 32:1; Acts 10:43)
The resurrection of the body                                                  (Isaiah 66:14; John 5:28)
And the life everlasting                                                          (Psalm 16:11; 1 Peter 1:4)
Amen!                                                                                      (Psalm 72:19; 2 Cor. 1:20)

We speak of God the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth.  This means that God the Father takes the lead in creating all things including the human race.  At the same time the Holy Spirit inspired John the Apostle to speak of Jesus and write,“All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.  From these words we learn that the Son of God had a role in the creative process.

We speak of God the Son as the redeemer.  This means that God the Son takes the lead in the work of redemption.  At the same time, today’s Gospel tells us, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”  So we see that it is God the Father who gives God the Son to be our savior.

We speak of God the Holy Spirit as the Sanctifier.  This means that the Holy Spirit is the one who makes us holy in the sight of God.  He does this by delivering forgiveness and working faith in us by means of the Gospel.  At the same time, the Holy Spirit inspired Luke to tell us that His Gospel dealt with, “ all that Jesus began to do and teach.”  These words teach us that Jesus continued to do and teach even after He ascended into heaven.

The life of Christ has several examples of the Trinity working together.  Listen to the words of Gabriel speaking to the Virgin Mary: “The angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.”   The incarnation was a team effort.

That same triune God that was working together at His incarnation continued to do so throughout His life.  Jesus began His public ministry at His Baptism.  What happened?  The Holy Spirit came down as a dove.  The Father declared that Jesus is His beloved Son and that He is well pleased with Jesus.  Jesus began His mission of salvation together with the Father and Holy Spirit, and all are active in completing our salvation.  He regularly prayed to His Father, and the Spirit was with him every step of the way.

There is one time when the Son of God was alone.  That was the time when He cried out, “My God, My God, Why have You forsaken Me?”  Jesus had just endured a fatal dose of cruel torture for us.  His cry came from the cross as He endured hell for us.  Even His Father abandoned him as He went through hell for us. Yet even though Jesus was alone in His suffering, the influence of the Father was still there – Jesus was carrying out His Father’s will by going to the cross.  On Easter morning, the Father raised him from the dead.  Later, when Jesus ascended into heaven, He sent His Holy Spirit to establish and nurture the Church. He did all this out of love for us – so that we could have eternal life.

We aren’t born with eternal life.  Each and every one of us has inherited a broken relationship with God.  It is that broken relationship that makes life in this world so hard.  We all have hassles in our lives.  We are all familiar with Murphy’s Law: If anything can go wrong it will go wrong at the worst possible time and in the worst possible way.  We live with frustration, danger, injury, and disease.  Sooner or later each and every one of us will die.  All of these are the results and the symptoms of our sin – our broken relationship with the Triune God – a broken relationship that can only end in both temporal and eternal death.  Jesus took the lead to create a new, healthy relationship with God.  He took the lead and the Father and the Holy Spirit supported Him as He sacrificed Himself to save us from our sin.

How do we receive that new relationship?  Once again we see the teamwork of the Triune God at work.  Just as the Father sent the Son to earn our forgiveness, so He sends the Holy Spirit to offer that forgiveness to us through the gift of faith.  In today’s Gospel Jesus tells Nicodemus and us that the Holy Spirit must give us a new birth.  All those who believe in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins are born again from above.

This is all a great mystery.  God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit have worked out all the details.  They have worked together to satisfy both love and justice.  They have even given us the faith that receives the benefits of their teamwork.

            And so then as sinful humans what do we still ask?  What can I then do?  What is my role? Your role in your salvation is nothing, Jesus did it all and His promise to you is conveyed to you through the water and the Word combined in Holy Baptism.  Your role in your forgiveness is nothing, it is conveyed to you by receiving the bread and wine, the body and blood of Christ.  Hear the Word of God who gives you forgiveness.  And really that is all we are to do in Church, receive because those is Christ’s imperatives.  Go baptize, Do this, this is for you.

            Yes, but shouldn’t I do something?  YES!  Help the poor the sick and the lame, comfort your friends and your enemies. Do this not for salvation, nor to gain favor with God, but rather because of the richness of grace you have received freely.

 We will never understand how this all works in this world.  We may not even understand it in the next.  Fortunately, God does not ask us to understand it.  He only expects us to believe it and then He even supplies the faith that does the believing.  It is all a gift from the true God who loves us and wants us to live with Him forever and ever.  Amen

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