Compare, Catechism, Context

 

God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. My sermon is entitled Compare, Catechism and Context, and my focus is our first reading (Deuteronomy 5:12-15). Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

Are you a stat head? I was writing the first part of this sermon on Friday, May 24, as I was waiting for my stepson to pick me up to take me to the Pirates-Braves game. He’s a Braves fan, and I wanted to inform him that the Pirates beat the Braves 1115 times, and lost 1050 games. The Braves made 18 World Series appearances, and won 4 times. The Pirates made 9 appearances, and won 5 championships. If you are interested, you can find all these comparisons on stathead.com.

People like to compare everything under the sun: sports teams and players, restaurants, grocery stores, vehicles, religious denominations, apples and oranges. The list is endless. I open with Compare because in a moment, we are going to compare the 3^rd Commandment from Exodus and Deuteronomy.

The word compare means to examine the character or qualities of things to discover resemblances or differences. The word comes to us from the Latin comparare, meaning to liken, and is composed of two smaller words. Com means with or together, and par means equal. Look at that, I mentioned two sports in one sermon!

If we compare the second and fifth books of the Pentateuch, we see that Exodus is the account of the going forth from Egypt by the Hebrew people. In addition to that liberation, the book establishes the law and dwelling at Mt. Sinai. Deuteronomy is a law book, and literally means “second law.”

Reading a law book is not something most people do for pleasure. They read it for a purpose. In Deuteronomy, the purpose is to understand justice – in this case that God’s justice may roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. (Amos 5:24) Unfortunately, this important point is lost on many Christians. “The purpose of the law is to outline a level of moral performance compatible with the self-revelation of Israel’s God and Israel’s high calling. The care to regulate life by law, one of the chief characteristics of Judaism, is seen in the adaption of an ancient legal tradition to new situations.”[1] This was the case in Deuteronomy, written 40 years after the Commandments in Exodus.

In Dt 16:20, we read, “Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” We continue to hear this message not only from the prophets, but also from Jesus. Hence, the law of God in Deuteronomy comes down on the side of widows, the fatherless and aliens.

Unlike the Ten Commandments in Exodus, Deuteronomy’s are prefaced by Moses speaking to the people. He summons them to himself so that they may hear these Commandments, reminding them that they first heard them on the mountain 40 years earlier.

In a side-by-side comparison, the first two Commandments in Deuteronomy (5:6-11) are verbatim of Exodus (20:1-7). But when we get to the Third Commandment, Exodus opens with remember, and Deuteronomy with observe. They both tell us that the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord God, and no one, including livestock, is to do any work. Deuteronomy specifies ox and donkey among the livestock, and repeats the importance of servants resting.

While Exodus reminds the reader that God rested on the seventh day after He created the heaven and the earth, Deuteronomy states that the people should “remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.” (5:11) So, the first account recalls creation, and the second, the Exodus event, Passover. My study of this passage indicated that unlike the ties of this commandment to creation, Deuteronomy’s is tied to a humanitarian motive. Even if the people did not personally experience their freedom from slavery, Moses reminded them that God did this wonderful thing for you. Therefore, keep the Sabbath holy and it will go well for you and yours.

Now, if you remember from the bulletin, I was at the Pastor’s Conference a few weeks ago. Our speaker was Rev. Dr. Andrew Steinmann, Professor Emeritus of Theology and Hebrew at Concordia University Chicago. When you have a chance to ask a pertinent question to someone of that caliber, you don’t take a pass. I asked him about the two versions of the Decalogue (Ten Commandments) in Exodus and Deuteronomy, especially the 3^rd Commandment, and he pointed me to an article he had written last year.[2]

The article analyzed the Decalogue and defended the pedagogical use of it in Luther’s catechisms. Dr. Steinmann concluded that “literary analysis is useful in helping to determine the message and meaning of the biblical text. However, literary analysis is not and should never be the final arbiter of how the Christian faith is taught.”[3] With that, we move from Compare to Catechism.

The people in Deuteronomy did not experience the Exodus as did the previous generation. They needed to be reminded of their faith and what God had done for them. The Decalogue, like Lutheran teaching, is Gospel and Law. God brought forth people from slavery (Gospel) and commanded them to observe and avoid certain actions (Law). 500 years ago, Martin Luther discovered upon his visits to churches that the faith was not being taught by pastors or the fathers in the families. Like Moses, Luther set about teaching the faith to a new generation.

When we turn to the Third Commandment in the Small Catechism, we read, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” It means that “We should fear and love God so that we do not despair preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.” Citing the passage of Martha and Mary (Lk 10:38-42), the Catechism tells us that “As Christians, God’s Word leads us to delight in His wondrous works of creation and redemption.” God’s Word opens our eyes to see all of His good works.

Are your eyes opened when God’s Word is read to you when we gather for worship on Sundays? Do you read Genesis or the Psalms and marvel at what God has created for you to enjoy? Do your hearts swell when you hear of the love that Jesus Christ pours out for you on the Cross or in His Last Supper? Do you take to heart a pastor’s sermon or simply tolerate it?

The Small Catechism goes on to explain the Sabbath day and the necessity of rest, as well as the need to read and reflect upon God’s Word. Sadly, there are Christians, and maybe even some who hear or read these words, who loathe and reject Scripture because it is the sole authority on how to live. And so, by devoting ourselves to reading the Word both in private devotion and in public worship, we follow the example of the first followers of Jesus Christ. In Acts, we read, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (2:42)

Today, the significance of the Third Commandment does not require us to observe the Sabbath as in the Old Testament, but it still applies to our Christian life and worship. We need physical rest from our labors. As I have aged, I realized several years ago when I was working for a catering company in Naperville, Illinois, where I loaded and unloaded vans and trucks with food, beverages, dishes and utensils, that my body needed a short rest when I got home. Since I have returned to the area, my property needs constant upkeep. After a full day of working outside, I need a rest the following day. As you age, you may discover the same.

We need physical rest, but we also need rest from the “impossible task of seeking security, righteousness, and salvation through our efforts, works and accomplishments.” The Catechism points to Jesus as the One who calls us to rest a while (Mk 6:31). Our Lord and Master said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Mt 11:28) He gives us spiritual rest from our sins, and because Christ does so, we will only find it when we are in the Word every day.

But even if we are in the Word every day, we still need to gather together as believers. When the solar eclipse occurred recently, people remarked about the necessity of gathering together to experience it. It is true that there is something special in the gathering with others for events: sports, weddings, funerals, confirmations, military retirements, baptisms, and even family gatherings at Christmas and other holidays. To a greater degree, gathering together for worship where God is present as His Word is proclaimed and His Sacraments are administered through the Means of Grace are most valuable. To hear the voice of the Shepherd through the pastor is not merely informative, but it is care for your soul, the balm of Gilead.

Lastly, we need one another. When I don’t see someone in church for weeks or months, I contact them to see if everything is alright. I am also happy that we have people who take time to visit people confined to their homes or personal care homes.

Friends, if you do not have a Small Catechism, you should purchase one and read it as a devotional book. Now, not many of you have a copy of the Book of Concord, however, it is available online. One valuable work in the Book of Concord is Luther’s Large Catechism. In addition to what is taught in the Small Catechism, Luther reminds us that though the Third Commandment does not apply to Christians in the outward sense, keeping the Sabbath as the Jews did, there is the matter of freedom through Christ to keep it. We keep it because we love God.

Luther reminds us that Sunday has been appointed as the Lord’s Day, and that our way of worship should be orderly (1 Cor 14:40). He writes that since we have God’s Word readily available to us, we should be in the Word not only on Sunday, but daily. Most importantly, as adults, we should teach young people the Commandments, Creeds, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Sacraments, all of which we covered over the past year.

Why should we do this? Luther tells us that the Word sanctifies us righteous men and women. He wrote, “Do not think that [being in the Word daily] is optional for you or of no great importance. Think that it is God’s commandment, who will require an account from you about how you have heard, learned, and honored His Word.”[4] He quotes Romans 14:12, “So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.” There is more that Luther wrote, but let me put it this way for you. Start reading God’s Word. Start trusting God’s Word.

That said, let’s put the Third Commandment into some Context, my third point. I spend a good amount of time in God’s Word. Being in the Word is what I do early in the morning. I spend time reading and praying the Psalms and a chapter of the Bible. I take time to research not only commentaries, but also the sermons of the Church Fathers and Luther.

Why do I spend time in God’s Word? I do so as an act of love for you. It's an act of love because the Word of God is not always comforting, but can be challenging. If I am not reading, studying and contemplating God’s Word to preach it to you, then I bring judgment upon myself by neglecting my duties.

Why should you spend time in God’s Word? I will leave that answer to Luther. “The Word is so effective that whenever it is seriously contemplated, heard and used, it is bound to never be without fruit (Isa 55:11; Mk 4:20). It always awakens new understanding, pleasure and devoutness and produces a pure heart and pure thoughts (Phil 4:8). For these words are not lazy or dead, but are creative, living words (Heb 4:12). And even though no other interest or necessity moves us, this truth ought to urge everyone to the Word, because thereby the devil is put to flight and driven away (Jas 4:7). Besides, this commandment is fulfilled and this exercise in the Word is more pleasing to God than any work of hypocrisy, however brilliant.”[5]

Friends, there is enough hypocrisy around and talkers do little to nothing to benefit our souls. The Bible, however, offers brilliant insights that fulfill our lives. Share God’s Word with your family and neighbors. Share God’s Word especially with the children in your life – your grandchildren and children, your friends’ children and your neighbors’. Invite them not only to our Vacation Bible School, but also to our Sunday Worship. Why should they go elsewhere when the Means of God’s Grace through Word and Sacrament are offered here? Lastly, if you are not reading God’s Word every day, start reading and start trusting. And may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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[1] Joseph Blenkinsopp, “Deuteronomy,” The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc. (1990), p. 95.

[2] Andrew E. Steinmann, “Research Note: On the Numbering and Teaching of the Decalogue,” Concordia Theological Quarterly 87 (2023), pp. 353-357.

[3] Ibid., p. 357.

[4] Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House (2005). p. 396 ¶98

[5] ¶102

Passage, Presence, Purpose

 

God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. My sermon is entitled Isaiah’s Three P’s: Passage, Presence and Purpose, and my focus is our first reading (Isaiah 6:1-8). Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

I have preached on Isaiah 6:1-8 previously, and titled that sermon Isaiah’s Three C’s: Confession, Commission and Cost. The passage was for a Sunday early in the Season of Epiphany. Why would the Church employ it now on Trinity Sunday? To answer that question, we turn to my first point, Passage.

Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost. It introduces us to the season when we hear about Jesus’ ministry and our ministry. Although we focus on the doctrine of our belief of a Triune God, none of the readings lays out in explicit terms how the Divine Trinity is structured. Isaiah is chosen for today because of the rare triad in v. 3: “Holy, Holy, Holy.” The early Church considered this to be a Trinitarian formula. However, during the Arian controversy, the Church stepped away from using this text because Arius used it against the Church to support his heretical position that the Three Persons were not co-equal. Arius taught that the Son of God did not always exist but was begotten/made before time by God the Father; therefore, Jesus was not coeternal with God the Father.

Arianism was condemned during the Council of Nicea in 325 AD. From that gathering of bishops, we also have the mainstreamed statement of our Faith, the Nicene Creed. There are remnants of Arianism alive and well in the world today, which is why Christian Churches do not consider as Christian the Unitarians, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, because they do not believe in a Triune God as the Creeds state. Enough on why we read Isaiah 6:1-8 on Trinity Sunday. Now, let’s look at the passage.

It's rare and unusual to mark an event by the death of an individual. The Ides of March recall the assassination of Julius Caesar, and November 22, 1963 ended not only the life of President Kennedy but a period of time the media dubbed Camelot. Here, the death of Uzziah was symbolic of Isaiah’s view of the nation, its plight and problem. From this point, Judah’s truly hopeless situation emerges.

Isaiah is allowed to see God’s glory, as Jesus stated in John 12:41. Not only did Isaiah describe the Lord’s majesty, but he also expressed the truth that God is present in all his majesty at the Center of people’s lives. The temple is not merely a symbol of God’s indwelling presence, but the reality of it. In the Temple God met his people in the sacrifice.[1]

As Isaiah witnessed the interaction of the seraphim calling to one another, we are reminded of the absolute holiness of the space. The Hebrew repetition of a word indicated totality. And when the angels speak the truth about God – that God is holy – this is so far beyond what we can comprehend that a super-superlative had to be invented to express it. God’s holiness is so complete that the only reaction of anything in His presence, animate or inanimate, is to tremble. Isaiah tells us that the foundations of the threshold shook at the voice of him who called.

Before I move forward, I want you to take a moment and think of this space, God’s house, as absolutely holy. I want you to consider that our awesome God is here. Think of shaking in His presence. Feel your teeth chatter; your knees knock; your legs buckling; and an inability to control your organs. That is how God’s awesomeness made Isaiah physically feel. God’s awesomeness made Isaiah consider that in the presence of a totally holy God, I am a sinner among sinners. And so, he said, “Woe is me! For I am lost, I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King. The Lord of hosts!”

Isaiah knew how utterly filthy he and his people were that no number of sacrifices could cleanse them. With that, God – using an angel – brought to Isaiah a live coal from the altar. The perpetual fire on the altar went beyond symbolizing divine wrath, for the altar was the place where the holy God accepted and was satisfied by blood sacrifice.[2] It holds together the ideas of atonement, propitiation and satisfaction required by God and of forgiveness, cleansing and reconciliation needed by his people. All of this is brought to Isaiah in this one live coal.[3]

Isaiah confessed his sinfulness and God responded instantaneously. The immediate effect of this atonement is reconciliation. In the following verses, Isaiah, now cleansed of his sin, is free to speak, and willfully goes to do what God commands. In a nutshell, that is our passage.

From Passage to Presence, my second point. Here’s a question for you. Have you ever watched a movie and said, “I know where that place is!”? Cindy and I watched Crazy Heart, and in an opening scene Jeff Bridges pulls into a parking lot of his next gig, Spare Room Bowling Alley. We once drove past the New Mexican landmark and noticed the oversized pins on the roof. Another example. Previously, I told you that I served as Chaplain at the now-defunct Western Center, which was in an early scene of Silence of the Lambs. I am sure you have seen movies or pictures and recognized such scenes.

I mention that because I have another question for you. The temple Isaiah cites in verse one, where is it? Instinctively, you may say, “Jerusalem.” That could be, but it could also be the Heavenly Temple. In the understanding of the Hebrew people the two are inseparable. They do not think of them as unrelated realities. The more important reality described in this text is how Isaiah finds himself in the presence of the living God – the Holy One. This is a terrifying situation because Isaiah knows full well that the unholy cannot endure the presence of the Holy.

If, for the Hebrew people, the two Temples are inseparable, are they for us? Does not God fill this space with His Divine Presence? Yes, and not just this space, but every space where we gather to worship. After all, when we gather, do we not begin offering each other the Peace of Christ, a peace that the world cannot give? Yes, and as I approach the altar, do we not sing praise to our Triune God in this space? Do we not begin our worship in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit?[4] Amen, we do! We boldly invoke our Triune God because He has claimed us and named us.

We recently completed our study of the Small Catechism with the Sacraments. We spent two sessions on the Sacrament of the Altar, and were reminded of the Four Parts of the Lord’s Supper: its Nature, Benefit, Power, and how to worthily receive it. How do you worthily receive the Sacrament? How do you prepare yourself to take and eat Christ’s Body and drink His Blood in, with and under the form of bread and wine?

Do you fast? Do you pray? Do you read and reflect upon the Scriptures for the day? Do you recall how God saved you through the waters of Baptism when you were baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit? Do you call to mind your sins and seek confession and absolution? Do you review the Small Catechism which guides you on how to worthily receive this powerful Sacrament?

Although we are steadfast Lutherans, we benefit at times by turning to the words of other holy men and women. The Russian Orthodox priest, John of Kronstadt said, “There is nothing on earth higher, greater or more holy than the Divine Liturgy, nothing more solemn, nothing more life giving.” Bishop Makarios said “Whoever respects the altar and gives it its due holiness will see amazing spiritual scenes, and God will uncover for him the hidden mysteries.” Another priest said, “During the Holy Liturgy, the church is full of angels, martyrs and saints, and this is something that we need to take into consideration while attending the Holy Liturgy.”[5]

While attending Holy Liturgy or Divine Worship, do we see ourselves like Isaiah, as men and women of unclean lips living among people with unclean lips? Like Isaiah, we live among earthly people who have unclean lips. Their speech reflects their heart. They gossip. They lie. They slander. They speak crudely about their neighbor, in-laws and even spouses. Throughout my 67 years, I worked in Babcock and Wilcox, and in between calls, other businesses. There, unclean lips would be a polite way of describing people’s speech.

As one Church Father put it, “To take part in the talk of worldly people without defiling our own heart is all but impossible. If we permit ourselves to discuss their affairs with them, we grow accustomed to a manner of speech unbecoming to us, and we end clinging to it with pleasure and are no longer entirely willing to leave it. … So, being such a person, why should I be surprised that God is slow to hear my prayers when I pay no attention to God’s command?”[6]

Friends, in this world, created by God, and in this space, where we worship our Triune God, the Holy, Holy, Holy One is present. Keep that in mind not only when we are here worshipping, but every moment of every day because God has claimed us to be righteous men and women. If you need a reminder that you are made righteous, call to mind Martin Luther’s advice: Daily recite the Ten Commandments, the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer and the Sacraments of our Church, including Confession and Absolution. I find this practice to be immensely valuable to being a Christian man in this world of madmen. That said, we move from my second point, Presence, to my third, Purpose.

What is our purpose? To answer that, we keep in mind that first, God claims you; second, God cleanses you; and third, God commissions you. As I was writing this part of the sermon, I read a short pamphlet by Jack Preus entitled The Vocation of Every Christian.[7] In his own words, Preus reminds you that God created and claimed you in a call and cleansing much like Isaiah’s. Through Baptism, you have been made clean. Like Isaiah, you have been made righteous men and women for a purpose. That purpose is simple: To love your neighbor.

God has not given the treasure of the Gospel for the Church to hoard and protect within the safe confines of its sanctuaries. God sends you into the world with His words of love on your lips and His works on your hands so that, as you have been transformed by the power of God’s Word, you may likewise transform reality through word and deed. Thus, there is an outward impulse of the Gospel whereby those whom God has drawn draw others. You go out so that others might come in.[8]

You are inside-out people. You do not live for yourself or within yourself. Martin Luther said that to live inside of yourself is not Christian. Our justification before God is as complete as it can be, for God Himself did it. Our justification is finished. Our role is simply to receive it. God’s role is to give. And so, He does. He gives us everything: Baptism, Absolution, Lord’s Supper, preaching of the Gospel – everything. So, the Christian lives in God alone through faith.[9]

Good works have nothing to do with our relationship of faith with God, but they have everything to do with our relationship of love with our fellow human beings. As a Christian, you have a two-fold calling, or vocation, both of which involve your living outside of yourselves. The first is the call to live in God through faith in Christ. That comes through the Gospel in one of its forms, Baptism, evangelism, the Word about Christ, etc. The second is the call to live in your neighbor through love. This call is from and out of the Gospel. In the first call, our good works are nothing. In the second, they are everything. So, we live out the implications of the Gospel call through our vocation as Christians.[10]

Luther said that when we show love to our neighbor, it is God who is acting. We are wearing God’s mask. “If you find yourself in a work by which you accomplish something good for God, or the holy, or yourself, but not for your neighbor alone then you should know that that work is not a good work.”[11] And any good work may not be merely “spiritual,” it must be tangible and for your neighbor. These tasks may be drab and lowly, but no matter what they are, you must have faith to see that it is truly God who is working, and not you. In other words, all of our tasks are Cross-marked.

Your tasks of love may be lost on others. Your neighbor may not respond to God’s love. You may feel like Isaiah (6:9ff) preaching to an unresponsive people. That’s okay, because as Christians we ultimately find our identity not in what we do nor even in what we think or feel. We find our identity in Christ Jesus. That is why we Lutherans preach and embrace Christ crucified. Copy that, and may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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[1] J. Alec Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press (1993), p. 76

[2] See Leviticus 6:12-13; 17:11.

[3] J. Alec Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, IL InterVarsity Press (1993), p. 78.

[4] For an understanding of the parts of the Lutheran Liturgy, see: https://www.lcms.org/worship/liturgy-parts

[5] Bishoy, The Art of Orthodoxy: The Liturgy is Filled with Saints, Angels and Martyrs. www.theartoforthodoxy.com, Jan 27, 2022.

[6] Steven A. McKinion, Ed., Thomas C. Oden, Gen Ed., Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: Old Testament X: Isaiah 1-39. Downers Grove, IL InterVarsity Press (2004), Gregory the Great, p. 53.

[7] Jacob A. O. Preus III, The Vocation of Every Christian: Life in Christ as a Holy Calling. St. Louis: The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (2019).

[8] Ibid., p. 5.

[9] Ibid., p. 7.

[10] Ibid., p. 8.

[11] Preus quoting Gustaf Wingren, Luther on Vocation (Philadelphia: Muhlenberg Press, 1957), p. 120.

Holy Indifference!

 

God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. My sermon is entitled Four Eyes, and my focus is Acts, Chapter 2. … Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

Four-Eyes! Kids called me that as soon as I started wearing glasses. Kids have called their classmates four-eyes for over 100 years. Four-eyes is simply slang for a person who wears glasses. Four I’s is also the title of my sermon. Four I’s as in the letter between H and J, and not the organ for vision. Four I’s: intoxication, indwelling, involvement and indifference. Intoxication and indwelling from Acts; involvement and indifference from our place in the world today.

First, intoxication. We commonly understand intoxication as drunk. Picture Mayberry’s Otis or the lovable Foster Brooks. Drunks. Only for 400 years have we understood intoxication as drunk on rum, rye or red wine. Before that, intoxication meant poisoning. The root word – toxic – pertains to Greek warriors who dipped their arrows in poison before combat and shot them at their enemies.

Intoxicated is what the apostles’ opponents claimed they were. And while I enjoy the way the New Living Translation puts it – “They’re just drunk, that’s all!” – the one that reads – “They had too much new wine” – is ironic. Ironic because in the Old Testament, new wine or sweet wine symbolized the joy and abundant blessings that God would give his people in the messianic age. In Joel, we read, “On that day the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk.” (3:18)

In Amos, we read, “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when the plowman shall overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes who sows the seed; the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit.” (9:13-14)

Jesus hinted that he would give the new wine of divine life when he turned water into wine at Cana. In another place he said, “No one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins – and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.” (Mk 2:22) And so, at Pentecost, new wine is the Holy Spirit, the gift of love that is poured forth into our hearts.

Though the crowd heard diverse languages from a group of Galileans, their reactions differed widely, from bewilderment to scoffing accusations that the believers were drunk; however, miraculous signs invite faith but do require an explanation of what they signify. In other words, the apostles were intoxicated, but not poisoned. Intoxicated with the Holy Spirit, but not wine.

From intoxication to indwelling. Indwelling describes a medical condition, such as a catheter, but more commonly describes an inner guiding force. Something takes up residence within you and becomes part of you, such as a catheter or a spirit.

Something took up residence in the apostles and became part of them. Acts described this force as the Holy Spirit that descended from heaven like a terrifying wind, filled the house and then rested on each believer.

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost reminds us how indispensable the Spirit is for our faith and salvation. Pentecost reminds us that we are not saved by doctrinal orthodoxy or our determination to follow scrupulously rules and commandments. We are saved by the acts of God.

The indwelling Holy Spirit bestows on us the virtues of faith, hope and love from which all other Christian virtues and actions follow. As it did in the first believers, the Spirit produces in us a particular kind of fruit. St. Paul listed the fruit as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Gal 5:22-23) In short, the Holy Spirit dwelling within the believer produces the character of Jesus.

On Pentecost, the Trinity imparted a gracious gift that produced in each believer the character of Jesus. Frightened men and women who hid from authorities no longer feared dungeon and death. They faced it because the character of Jesus now dwelt within them. The character of Jesus dwelt within them.

From indwelling to involvement. Acts teaches us that on Pentecost, the believers did not remain in the place where the Holy Spirit descended upon them. Rather, as soon as they received the Holy Spirit, they began to witness.

Following Jesus’ last command – You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth – their witnessing flowed naturally. (Acts 1:18)

Their witnessing began in Jerusalem, and quickly reached Italy, Greece, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Libya – the cities and regions mentioned in verses 9 and 10. The Gospel spread like wildfire because Christians – filled with the Holy Spirit – cut people to the heart with words like repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit; and save yourselves from this crooked generation. (Acts 2:37-40)

Christians spoke like that because they were intoxicated with the power of the Holy Spirit. The power of the Spirit brought about their ability to speak other languages, but it was clear that the church was not building a language institute but a body of believers sent to every nation on earth. Christians involved in the world resulted in 3,000 baptisms on Pentecost.

Folks, I have preached and pastored since 1987. I participated in gatherings of a million Christians, and several years ago I traveled to Ecuador where I witnessed the phenomenal growth of Evangelical Church, but I never heard of a baptism of 3,000 people. This occurred because Christians intoxicated with the Holy Spirit were involved in the world.

Christians intoxicated with the Holy Spirit involved in the world. … Folks, are you intoxicated with the Holy Spirit? Does the Holy Spirit dwell within you to the degree that you speak and act like you drank too much? Are you involved in the world?

Apart from voting, most Christians avoid involvement in the world. We excuse ourselves because we dislike politics and despise dirty tricks. Yet, we see that Jesus involved himself in the lives of thousands of people by teaching God’s Word, forgiving their sins, healing their infirmities and quenching their hunger. In short, Jesus challenged the establishment.

Jon Kuhrt, a Christian involved with London’s homeless recently wrote, “We have no choice about being political because if we choose not to engage then it is a vote for the status quo … Christians [must] be involved because we believe in a God who cares passionately about his world and his creation, and consequently how it is run. The Bible is hugely political – in that it is about how God wants people to behave and act towards him, and towards each other. This involves economics and law because these are tools that need to be used to build justice.

As believers in God, we have much to bring to politics – a deeper commitment to justice and compassion which throughout history has made a difference in the political sphere through people like William Wilberforce, Martin Luther King, Desmond Tutu and many others.”

Kuhrt goes on to say, “Be involved in your local community – what issues do local people care about? How can you help make a noise about key issues local to you?  How does your church or youth group connect with issues of justice either locally or globally?  How can you build knowledge of what is going on and get passionate with others about making a stand?

Join the Christian group of the party that you believe in and be an advocate for Jesus’ politics within it.  Be brave and courageous – don’t just follow the crowd, but be willing to ask the difficult questions.” Be involved, but be indifferent.

Hence, my last point, indifference. Indifference does not contradict my previous point. By indifference I do not mean apathy or a “who cares” or “whatever” attitude. On the contrary, holy indifference means total openness to God’s will in one’s life. In other words, whatever God wills for me, I will strive with all my heart, mind and soul to conform to His will. I will not prefer health to sickness, riches to poverty, honor to dishonor, a long life to a short one.

So, how did Jesus expect His disciples to attain holy indifference? How did the first Christians achieve acceptance of God’s will? How did sentenced Christians bring glory to Christ? Through a constant, dynamic prayer life which led them to total confidence in God and a willingness to give themselves wholly to the Trinity.

They were indifferent because they knew God directed them. Their love for Father, Son and Spirit was so deep that all obstacles between God and themselves were removed to the point that they knew how to use things properly, for example, talent, money, property or politics to glorify God. They were able to do so because they recognized that all things came from God, and that all people were from God. Hence, the first Christians not only withstood their enemies’ insults about intoxication, but also welcomed them if they brought glory to Christ and His Gospel.

Friends, four-eyes is not the worst insult people will hurl at you. Intoxication is not the worst accusation people will make. A Christian intoxicated with the indwelling Holy Spirit involved in the world who employs holy indifference will make all the difference needed to bring about God’s Kingdom because of what Father, Son and Spirit have done. Allow this God to work in you, and know that when He does, the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

JESUS PRAYS

 

When you pray, do you ask God for anything? If you do, what is it? When I was your age, I asked God for friends and to be funny. I asked God to help me in baseball and school. When I got to high school, I asked God to help me be popular, and later to be successful. So, nothing I asked for was really important.

Do you know what I ask God to give me today? I ask God to make me indifferent. That means that I want to be okay with whatever God gives me. As I have gotten older, I have learned that it’s better for me to accept God’s plan for me than for me to give God my plans.

Here is what I mean. I prayed for good health, but I got sick and got well many times. I have fallen more times than I can remember and was in two car wrecks. I had teeth replaced and surgery on my shoulder. With age, arthritis accompanies me everywhere.

Maybe your parents have gone through the same thing. They pray to be successful so that they can take care of you, but they may not make as much money as they want.

I say this because in our Gospel today (Jn 17), Jesus prays not for all the things we often pray for. He prays for his disciples to be protected from evil, the evil one and that His Father make them holy. And do you know what? That is Jesus’ prayer for you too. Jesus prays for you to be protected from sin, Satan and for you to be holy. So, the next time you pray, ask Jesus what He wants for you.

With that, let us pray. Heavenly Father, from whom all fatherhood in heaven and earth is named: Bless these and all children, and give their parents the spirit of wisdom and love, so that the homes in which they grow up may be to them an image of Your Kingdom, and the care of their parents a likeness of Your love. We pray in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Ask for Anything

 

God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. My sermon is entitled “Ask for Anything,” and my focus is our Epistle (1 John 5:9-15) Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.

What do you ask from God? Are your requests personal, familial, professional, ecclesial, societal or global? Do you ask God for eternal life for yourself and your loved ones? A long life? A healthy body and a healthy mind? A successful, wealthy career? Do you pray for the church? For our Synod’s leaders and pastors? For our members and Christians everywhere? Do you pray for our nation and neighborhood? Our police and border patrol officers, first responders and health care workers, military personnel and judges? Across the globe, do you pray for people’s needs? For families starving for food, religious freedom and relief from oppression? What did you ask from God today?

Let us ask God for anything, but first let us ask God to help us understand this passage. Let us understand this passage as John wrote it, as Luther interpreted it, and as we might apply it.

John opened today’s passage, “If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son.” We believe an eyewitness’s testimony. When one witnesses an event and shares the recollection with family or friends, on social media or in court, we regard this testimony as reliable. We accept testimony from men, women and children, should we not accept the testimony of God? We believe others when it concerns earthly matters, should we not believe God when it concerns His Son?

God’s testimony to His Son unified the final passage of John’s Letter. Essentially, John said, “Believers have the Son. Unbelievers do not have the Son. To have the Son is to have eternal life and eternal truth.”

To have the Son is to have eternal life and eternal truth. That was vital in a Greek culture that valued the eternal and esteemed the Ancients, e.g., Homer, Aristotle, Plato. Greeks believed no faith was certain unless its object, foundation, origin and end existed from the beginning. That prompted John to write, if you have fellowship with us – apostolic eyewitnesses – you have fellowship with the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, the Eternal Word.

John urged Christians to be confident, knowing that they alone knew the one true God through Christ and His Church. Think Joe Namath guaranteeing a Superbowl victory. Multiply that superior confidence exponentially and you have John. With an attitude of superiority, he guaranteed victory over Satan, sin and death, and so inspired fellow believers to abide in fellowship with Christ and His Church.

Though John’s letter was classic rhetoric, it appealed to his readers’ deepest emotions. He wrote not only about concepts and ideas regarding Christ and Christians, but also about behavior. John urged Christians to retain their core values against the attacks of the dark powers from whom God promised to protect them. In other words, John taught behavior reflects belief.

Because behavior reflects belief, John galvanized and steeled Christians for struggles against the world, the flesh, the devil and false teachers. If they could endure these things until the day when they would see Christ, they would see Him just as he is. Until then, they could confidently ask for whatever they needed.

Verse 14 reminded them, “To know is to be assured; to be assured is to be confident; to be confident is to ask for the very things that we know that God intends for us to have and to hold.” This assurance was not merely theoretical or a matter of inner personal experience. Christians discovered God’s assurance in life’s ambiguities through a continual relationship with God through His Son and within the common life of the Church, that is, those who share that relationship. … Here is the heart of John’s letter: Divine indwelling, abiding in God, walking as children of the light and all other expressions of belonging to God are not primarily individual but communal. In other words, Christians have fellowship with God only through the Church, not apart from it. That is why John repeated to church members, “Love one another.” Church members are all God’s children and deserve to be loved as His children.

Regarding our epistle, Martin Luther affirmed that no true prayer is unheard and unanswered. Concerning God’s promise, Luther wrote, “Do you mean to say that this promise is always true even though God often does not give what we have asked for? Did He not let David pray for the life of his son in vain? … I have often said how a prayer must be ordered and arranged. In our petitions we should not prescribe to God [some] measure, limit, place or person; but we should commit all … to Him who knows how to give … what is good for us. This is why He … set up this order … in the Lord’s Prayer [and] … put before us three objectives, which must always have precedence: the hallowing of His name, His kingdom and His will. Then follow our daily bread and deliverance from temptation and all troubles. … If this precedes, then that which is ours will certainly follow. Accordingly, St. John says, “If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us …”

Continuing, Luther wrote, “You have His complete will, and God will certainly not think otherwise in His heart than the Lord’s Prayer shows you. …  Therefore, when in trouble and danger … pray for deliverance and help, but in the way the Lord’s Prayer teaches you.”

I admire the simplicity of Luther’s theology. John’s theology, like his Letter, can be complicated, leading to hours of head scratching. Luther’s understanding clarified what John meant. We can ask God “anything, [and] according to his will he hears us,” but we must ask according to how the Son taught us to pray.

As children of God, our common denominator is the prayer Jesus taught. He said, “Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

If we ask for anything according to God’s good and gracious will, we know that he will hear us, but undoubtedly, John’s assurance puzzled countless Christians whose prayers were not answered in ways they hoped. Prayer is not an unlimited ATM card from Jesus, which purchases and produces on demand. Nothing should encourage us to suppose that God will grant anything we choose to ask, simply because we want it. It is the will of God, not the believer’s whim, which is the cardinal rule of prayer.

One who prays should know that God considers and acts on all requests to maximize the coming of His kingdom and the fulfillment of His will. Therefore, we can ask for anything because according to his will, God hears us.

According to his will, God hears us, but at times, we doubt. Like Christians, athletes have doubts, especially when the future seems like an incessant uphill battle. In these moments, athletes must find the strength to push forward, work harder and be better. Some are lucky to have coaches and mentors who put things into perspective and motivate them.

John’s Letter motivated Christians not to win a contest or a crown, but to remain faithful to God through fellowship with Christ through the Church. … Friends, remain faithful to God through fellowship with Christ through the Church.

God gave you what you need to remain faithful to Him through fellowship with Christ and His Church. God answered your prayers and gave you the means of grace. God opened His ears to your prayers through His Word and Sacraments. You have those. What else do you need? Perhaps a small catechism to learn your faith. Friends, learn your faith.

“What you learn no one can take from you,” my father often said. He applied this not only to his profession, but also to of our faith. His religious learning did not end at confirmation, but continued throughout adulthood; and his behavior reflected his beliefs. That inspires me.

My father died in 2003. He was one of many from The Greatest Generation who inspired me more than most of us from the Baby Boom Generation. I have often said that old people are much more interesting than young people, and I am serious about that because experience comes through living life, and the longer you have lived, the more you have experienced.

The elderly ask for the Lord’s Supper. They know Christ’s Body and Blood sustains them through their last days. What they learned about Christ, no one took from them, even on their deathbeds. Behavior reflects belief. That inspires me.

When you enter your last days, will your behavior reflect your beliefs? Will a lifetime of learning about your faith and fellowship in Christ accompany you to the grave? Will your relationship with Christ through his Church inspire anyone? What if you do not live to be 90 or 70? Does your behavior inspire anyone today? Does your behavior reflect belief?

As we come to the end of the school year, a test for you. When you get home, make a list of the people you think you inspire or want to inspire. Next, call them and ask them if you inspire them. Prepare yourself for unexpected responses.

If your behavior inspires no one; if your relationship with Christ through His Church inspires no one; if your behavior does not reflect your belief, talk to God. Ask the Holy Spirit dwelling in you to come alive and then, reflect on John’s words: “If we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” Finally, pray as Luther taught. Children of light, pray to the Trinity for that grace. Pray in Jesus’ Holy Name, and may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding keep your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.