Conversations

            My sermon is entitled Conversations with God and Others, and my focus is on Genesis (18:1-10) and Luke (10: 41-42). 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 standing 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.

Conversations mark every moment of my day. My wife, Cindy, and I engage in conversations about family, jobs, news, chores, and plans for the future. At work or school, conversations focus on accomplishing goals, executing tasks, reporting outcomes and assigning blame or credit. Conversations in public settings – as we enter and leave church or the supermarket – are friendly and short. Certain conversations with a pastor, counselor, physician or attorney are so confidential that a court of law cannot force us to reveal them.

Conversations generally involve one or two people, but sometimes more. Right now, we’re having a conversation, and most of us are holding separate conversations in our heads. You’re wondering where I’m going with this, and I’m wondering if you’re following me.

Then there are conversations with God. In those conversations, we pour out our thoughts, emotions, desires and disappointments. We cry with the psalmist, O God, you are my God—it is you I seek! For you my body yearns; for you my soul thirsts. In the end, we admit that the Lord probes us and knows us. Conversations with God often start with, “Lord, listen to me,” while the Lord asks us to listen to Him. Let’s look at how our Scriptural characters conversed with God and how those conversations apply to our lives today.

Abraham and Sarah offered hospitality to the Lord, and are models of faith in the Old Testament. Genesis records that they believed God would make Abraham the father of a great nation; that Abraham listened to and obeyed God’s Word; and that God indeed fulfilled His promise.

From their conversations with God, we learn that in contrast to a resistant, mistrustful world, Abraham and Sarah are responsive and receptive to God’s Word. The correlation between God’s call and their response reveals God’s promise and human faith. God promises. Abraham and Sarah listen, accept and obey.

Is it as simple as God promises and Abraham listens, accepts and obeys? What does God promise and to whom? God says: “Go forth from your land and your father’s house to a land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the families of the earth will find blessing in you.”

God promises a 75-year-old childless nomad that He will make him the father of a great nation. Abraham thinks for a moment and responds, “Two problems, God. I’m gonna need some land and a son.”

Read Genesis 12–25 and see that Abraham does not accept God’s promises blindly. He made backup plans. To spare his life before Pharaoh, he passed Sarah off as his sister. Because Sarah bore him no children, he took her suggestion to father Ishmael through Hagar, her Egyptian maid. Even when God reaffirmed his promise, Abraham, like Sarah, laughed and asked, “Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth at ninety?” He then said, “God, listen to me. Let my son Ishmael live in your favor.” God replied, “Abe, listen to me. Your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you shall call him Isaac. I will make an everlasting covenant with him whom Sarah shall bear to you by this time next year.”

Abraham’s faith did not occur in a vacuum. It was not without anguish. He was not always sure and often formed backup plans. Nevertheless, the faith to which Abraham is called and for which he is celebrated demonstrates that he acknowledged that God can shatter the normal definitions of reality and bring about newness.

Abraham’s story has meaning because it is set against a fixed and settled world. Our world is no different. We are taught that the world is entrusted to us, that we can construct our own future, or that inequality and oppression run so deep that there is no power on earth or in heaven that can make real change. Our world dictates either inordinate pride or deep despair. Abraham reminds us that God did not abandon creation to us and to our backup plans. Our gracious God promises the amazing gift of life, and God always fulfills His promises.

God always fulfills His promises. Do you think Jesus said that to Mary the moment Martha interrupted Him? Like Abraham and Sarah, Martha and Mary offer hospitality to the Lord. The sisters are models of discipleship in the New Testament. We know from the raising of Lazarus that they believed that God was working through Jesus. As Abraham wanted God to listen to his backup plans, Martha wanted Jesus to listen to her, while Jesus wanted Martha and Mary to listen to Him.

We can appreciate Martha’s predicament. Jesus came to dinner. We do not know how many of his disciples accompanied him, but the passage begins by telling us that they went on their way. Earlier in the chapter Jesus sent out an additional 72 disciples. We also know that the Twelve were not among this second group of disciples. So, it’s possible that Jesus showed up with 84 disciples – the 12 plus the 72. Martha’s problem is threefold: the demands of hospitality are immense; she alone is fulfilling them; and Jesus does not notice.

Surprisingly, Jesus rejects her solution and assessment. “Your problem,” he says, “is that you are anxious and troubled. It’s not that you have too much to do. You are busy with secondary and unneeded matters. Attend to me and listen to my word.”

In the wider context, today’s passage begins with a reference to Jesus’ journey. He is not alone on his way to Jerusalem. His disciples join him, and along the way, he meets would-be followers and a lawyer before he reaches Martha’s house. Some express interest in following Jesus, but must perform important tasks – burying the dead and bidding adieu to family. Luke reminds us that would-be followers must disengage themselves from these responsibilities and relationships.

Without diminishing the importance of her duties to her guests, Martha’s fault, like the lawyer who claimed he was prepared to do his duty for his neighbor, was in not letting Jesus love her as neighbor. As Peter at the foot washing thought, she too made the mistake of thinking that she was the host and Jesus was the guest.

Now, how do these passages apply to our lives? How do we offer Christian hospitality? Are we models of faith like Abraham and Sarah? Are we models of discipleship like Martha and Mary? Do we take time to listen to God? Do we believe God’s promises to us will be fulfilled?

First, hospitality. In the Lutheran tradition, there are three elements of Christian hospitality or table fellowship with Jesus: teaching, eating and the presence of Jesus. When we gather for worship those three are present. At times as ordained ministers, elders, ushers and sacristans, we are so busy preparing and celebrating liturgy that we forget that the posture in which we receive Jesus’ divine service is not the busyness of human doing, but the stillness of listening to His words. As the Apology of the Augsburg Confession reminds us, faith is the highest form of worship. Be still and know that I am God.

Second, are we models of faith like Abraham and Sarah? Several years ago, I attended a presentation by Pastor Joel Bierman entitled Man and Woman in Christ. He challenged pastors to preach like Paul, saying, unlike the Apostle, we’re too timid to say, “Imitate me!” So, I’m going to reveal something about my life, and challenge you to imitate me.

Less than a year into our marriage, my wife, Cindy, made two announcements in two weeks. For the longest time, even before we met, she considered retiring and moving. Retiring and moving, like any change causes stress. … My life changed dramatically since I left the Catholic priesthood in 2008 after 21 years of ministry. I became a well-paid fundraising professional in Berkeley, California when I met Cindy in July 2009. Neither of us was “looking to get married,” but God brought us together, and the rest is history. History in the making.

Cindy’s desires to retire and move made me anxious about our finances. While I was in the colloquy program, I would have to find a new job in whatever city we landed. So, like any reasonable person, I made plans … but they collapsed.

Recall that in his conversations with God, Abraham created backup plans; however, God would fulfill His promises not according to backup plans, but according to His plan. I found myself in a similar situation. I made plans for employment, and God rejected them, much in the same way that the Lord rejected Abraham’s and Martha’s plans.

Has God ever rejected your plans and said something like He did to Abraham and Martha, “Listen to me!”? Listening to God means that we are not only models of faith but also models of discipleship.

Models of faith, models of discipleship listen to God. We know that God speaks to us through creation, history, Word and sacrament. Do we consider that God speaks to us through other people? Have you ever considered that God speaks to you through your spouse or other family members?

You know, the person who drew me to the Missouri Synod is my wife. Did your spouse or someone close to you draw you into a deeper relationship with God? I would like us to consider that Mary, by sitting at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said drew her sister into a deeper relationship with Jesus.

Because you love the Lord and those closest to you, what are you doing to be drawn closer to God? Some have made a Marriage Encounter weekend or some other marriage enrichment weekend. I know from presenting dozens of such weekends how they deepen a couple’s love. Some people dialogue daily on matters deeper than family and work activities. Cindy and I spend time together each day praying, journaling and dialoging. We also read a number of “couple books,” such as Couples of the Bible: A One-Year Devotional Study to Draw You Closer to God and Each Other. This keeps us focused on our relationship, on each other and on God’s plan for us. It challenges us to be hospitable to our gracious God, and to be models of faith and discipleship.

In short, imitate us. Be models of faith and discipleship. Know that God has called you into His immense love, to be attentive to His Word, and to be models of faith and discipleship to others. Today, I ask you to do just one thing. Set aside 14 minutes (the length of this sermon) to listen to God speaking to you and reflect upon His promises. Only one thing is required – that you sit and listen.

I encourage you to do this because we need a church full of people who are humble before the Lord, but bold enough to say to other people, “Imitate me.” Let the Holy Spirit speak to your heart daily, and when you do, may the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Confessions and Calls

God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. My sermon is entitled Confessions and Calls, and my focus is our Gospel (Luke 5:1-13). … 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.

Two months ago, Robert Francis Prevost, a native Chicagoan, was elected to be the Bishop of Rome, the Holy Father or the Head of the Catholic Church, aka, Pope Leo XIV. I open with that statement because Leo is spiritually related to Martin Luther. Both men were prepared for priestly ministry by the Order of St. Augustine (OSA). The Augustinians were formed in 1244 but have no historical connection to St. Augustine. The Order bases its call on the teachings and lifestyle of Augustine.

St. Augustine’s writings undeniably influenced Martin Luther. Luther joined the Order of Saint Augustine at Erfurt in July 1505 and received a spiritual formation that focused on “Great Father Augustine.” Luther’s superior and confessor, Johann von Stauptiz, O.S.A., gave Augustine especial emphasis, and it is certain that Luther read, studied, memorized and cited Augustine more than any other non-Scriptural source.

Why talk about the Holy Father and the Father of the Reformation? My reason is based on a seminal book that should be read by every Christian at least once. Augustine’s Confessions outlines his sinful youth and his conversion to Christianity. If you are interested in how Pope Leo and Martin Luther were formed in spirit and in thought, read Confessions.

Confessions are also found in our Gospel today, and confession/absolution is an integral part of our Divine Service. So, it is these two confessions I will address today. In Luke, we find Simon (I shall refer to him as Peter for simplicity’s sake) confessing that he is a sinful man and that Jesus is Lord. Before we reflect on that, some background.

In chapter four, Luke tells us that in Capernaum Jesus entered Peter’s house and rebuked the fever that beset his mother-in-law. Jesus also rebuked an unclean spirit that possessed a man in the synagogue. The spirits identified Jesus as the Holy One of God and Son of God, and undoubtedly, Peter knew about these activities.

The setting of today’s passage shows us that a great crowd followed Jesus from Capernaum to Lake Gennesaret (Sea of Galilee), and pressed close to hear the Word of God. Jesus had to create space between the crowd and himself so that the Word of God could be heard. Asking Peter to borrow one of his boats so that he could preach and catechize the crowd, the fisherman obliges. In turn, Jesus generously thanks him and then requests that he and his partners do something that defies all logic. He tells them to lower their nets for a catch.

Some Church Fathers point out that it is morning, and the fishermen had been fishing through the night. Even if we do not fish, we understand that the best fishing time is early in the morning, and that time had already passed. The Fathers tell us that this is a reference to Isaiah. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shown.” (9:2) From now on, these men will always be in the Light of Christ.

Upon seeing the catch, the astonished Peter falls at Jesus’ knees and pleads, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” Peter’s confession is two-fold. He realizes how sinful he is and that Jesus is Lord. St. Cyril of Alexandria wrote this about Peter’s confession. “Peter, carried back to the memory of his former sins, trembles and is afraid. As an impure man, he does not dare to receive the one who is pure. His fear was praiseworthy, because he had been taught by the law to distinguish between the holy and the profane.”[i]

In his sermon on this Gospel, Martin Luther separates the passage into two parts. The first is what God does for us, how Christ provides not only for our bodily needs, but also for our spiritual needs.[ii] The second part is the teaching about the spiritual distress and conflict of the conscience and what true comfort it is.[iii] Peter, writes Luther, “begins to feel his own unworthiness and sin and must confess and lament that he is a poor sinner.”[iv]

That Peter sees himself as a poor sinner raises a question for self-reflection: Have you ever given thought to the kind of person you are? We like to think that we are good people, but if we thoroughly examine our lives, like Peter, we might fall to pieces and collapse before God. Peter realizes the kind of person he is, and in Jesus, God shows him how He cares for him and loves him.

In his Confessions, Augustine writes of his own awareness of sin by relating what he experienced when he reflected on stealing pears. You may dismiss Augustine’s example as irrelevant because he writes about stealing pears, but this tiny sin turns out to be the very essence of sin. Augustine was not writing about a sin but sin itself. He did not need the pears. He did not even eat all of them. He threw them to the pigs. Augustine realized that he took pleasure in doing what was not allowed. “My desire was to enjoy not what I sought by stealing but merely the excitement of thieving and the doing of what was wrong.” And yet, when we come face to face with our sin, we are like Augustine, Peter, Isaiah, or Adam. We are horrendous sinners.

Luther wrote that when Peter becomes aware of the miracle (catch) and the type of person Jesus is, he knows that he does not deserve this great kindness, but rather wrath. Luther reminds us: “Here you see how a poor, miserable conscience, when it truly begins to feel its sins, struggles, runs, and flees from God when He comes near.” The conscience “cannot endure the verdict of the Law, which shows it its sins and God’s eternal wrath.” Left alone, our conscience would leave us there ready to flee from Christ when He comes near. Yes, the Law convicts us of our sin, but we see great kindness in Jesus, when He says, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”

We see how Jesus responds to Peter’s confession of sin – with forgiveness, mercy and love, because He does not want Peter left to mire in his sin. The same goes for us. God does not want us to mire in our sin.

This is why it is with such joy that a pastor says, “Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Our Liturgy reminds us, as our Gospel does today, that the Law indeed convicts us and the Gospel totally frees us. That, folks, covers Confession; now on to Call.[v]

As Lutherans, we know that Scripture is divided into two parts: commandments (law) and promises (gospel). The commandments teach what ought to be done, but they do not give the power to do it. The law convicts a person of wrongdoing and sin and leads to despair. However, the promises of God set a person free, for what cannot be accomplished by works of the law is easily and quickly accomplished through faith.

In The Freedom of a Christian, Luther taught that the promises of God give what the commandments of God demand . . . so that all things may be God’s alone, both the commandments and the fulfilling of the commandments. Through faith alone without works the soul is justified by the Word of God, made a free child of God, and filled with every blessing. Faith derives such great power from God for three reasons.

First, it lives and rules in the soul. Second, faith alone truly honors God. The soul consents to be obedient to God’s will and allows itself to be treated according to God’s good pleasure. For this reason, we must cling to God’s promises, never doubting that he who is true, just, and wise will do, dispose, and provide all things well. Finally, faith “unites the soul with Christ as a bride is united with her bridegroom.” As in a marriage covenant, everything is held in common, the good and the evil, so that the soul can take glory in the goodness of Christ as though it were its own, and Christ takes the sin, death, and evil of the soul upon himself.

Through faith, Christians also become like kings and priests to God, in the manner of Christ. As kings, Christians are exalted above all things in spiritual power and rule amid enemies or oppression, because God works in all things for good to those who believe. As priests, Christians are worthy to come before God in intercession for others and to teach one another divine things. The priesthood is not for a select group of “ecclesiastics” but is for all believers, though not all are called to teach or preach publicly.

Some people are called to teach and preach. Pastor Koontz is an excellent teacher and preacher, and one I admire him for that. But if I am not called to preach and teach publicly, how do I live my call to live as a freed Christian? I am called to love my neighbor.

Luther asked, “If faith does all things, why then are good works commanded?” Because a Christian, though by faith a free lord of all and subject to none, is also a servant of all and subject to all. Good works follow faith as day follows night. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shown.” We live in the Light of Christ, and we live in the world, with its temptations and bodily enticements that hinder us.

I can tell you that as a Pastor for 38 years, it is not always easy to love other Christians. People have agendas that do not mirror the Kingdom of God. That is why we need the discipline of good works as Luther understood it. The discipline of good works can be effective in conforming the outer bodily person to the inner spiritual person, as the Christian does such works out of spontaneous love in obedience to God.

We see in our Gospel that immediately after Peter confesses his sin, Jesus says, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” Peter eventually subjected himself to Jesus and His teaching to the point of his own crucifixion. Subjecting himself to Jesus led Peter to catching men. Another fishing reference reminds us that when you catch a fish in your net or on your line, it dies. When you catch a person for Christ. He does not die, but lives. The sinful self must die, but through the waters of Baptism, a new person emerges.

As Christians, you are not caught up in yourself, but in Christ and your neighbor. You live in Christ through faith, and in the neighbor through love. That said, I close with St. Augustine’s prayer: “I will love you Lord, and I will give you thanks and confession to your name because you have forgiven me such great evils and nefarious deeds. I attribute to your great grace and mercy that you have melted my sins away like ice… I confess that everything has been forgiven, both the evil things I did of my own accord, and those which I did not do because of your guidance.” [vi]

Friends, as you daily confess your sin and live your baptismal call, may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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[i] Arthur A. Just, Jr., Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: New Testament III Luke. Downers Grove IL: InterVarsity Press (2003), p. 89.

[ii] A Year in the Gospels with Martin Luther: Sermons from Luther’s Church Postil, Volume 2. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House (2018), pp. 743ff.

[iii] Ibid., p. 752.

[iv] Ibid.

[v] This is referenced from The Freedom of a Christian by Martin Luther.

[vi] Confessions of St. Augustine, Book IX.

Church Circumstances Challenge Us

 

God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. My sermon is entitled Three C’s of Colossians: Church, Circumstances and Challenge. My focus is our Epistle (Colossians). … 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.

If you were to write a letter to a church you’ve never visited—one facing confusion, cultural pressure, and spiritual drift—what would you say? Paul’s letter to the Colossians does just that. In its vision of Christ, of his body the church, and of the mystery of God hidden for all ages, Colossians is truly majestic, and certainly a worthy representative of Pauline heritage.[1] The city of Colossae was an important commercial route in Turkey that connected Ephesus to Tarsus and Iconium, all centers of early Christian activity. It was a textile center noted for purple wool products but compared to other cities and towns in the region, Colossae was one of the least important. Jewish families from Babylon had been forcibly resettled there around 200 BC. Today, Colossae is a site for archeological digs. For the pilgrim or casual observer, there is nothing to see.

The church was probably founded by Epaphras, a native son of the city. He is mentioned in Paul’s letter twice. We read in chapter one that the people learned the Gospel from Epaphras, Paul’s dear fellow servant and a faithful minister of Christ. He told Paul of the church members’ love in the Spirit. (Col 1:7-8) Paul mentioned Epaphras again in closing his letter: He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis. (Col 4:12-13)

Under Epaphras, the church in Colossae grew and bore fruit. When Paul wrote of faith, hope and love in the opening verses and which he expanded upon later in the letter, he meant this. Faith in Jesus is a condition for being presented holy and blameless before Christ and was how believers were raised with Him. (Col 1:4, 23; 2:5, 7, 12) Love is the practice within the church that holds the body together. (1:4, 8; 2:2; 3:14) Finally, hope is something outside the believer. (1:5, 23, 27) Paul wrote of this hope produced by Christ’s death and resurrection when he wrote these words to the Romans, “For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?” (Rom 8:24) A better translation is “How can anyone still hope for what he sees?”[2]

Paul realized that the Paschal Mystery, Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection, already saved the Colossians, and indeed all believers in Christ as Lord. What happened on the cross rescued Christians from evil (moral and otherwise). Yet, Paul realized that its end is still something of the future. And the intercession of Christ Jesus at the right hand of God is why Paul can write that Christians must work out their salvation with fear and trembling. (Phil 2:12) God’s grace working in us reminds us that we cannot have salvation without the grace of God. Therefore, he reminds the Christians in Colossae and in every time and place that we must always hope because we will all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. (2 Cor 5:10; Rom 2:6-11)

We can never remove hope from the church. Faith leads us to Christ. Love holds us together in Christ. Hope motivates us to stay focused on what we cannot see, but believe is held out for us in heaven, which is eternal life in our Triune God. But even a church grounded in faith, hope, and love is not immune to confusion. That brings us to the second ‘C’—Circumstances.

There is a second person from Colossae who is named in Paul’s personal letter to Philemon. That person is Philemon’s slave, Onesimus. He brings to mind the circumstances in the Church at Colossae and the purpose of Paul’s Letter.

Paul did not establish the church, nor did he visit it, but the purpose of his Letter was to bolster the faith of the community and correct errors that Onesimus reported about the church. When Paul wrote, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces,” (Col 2:8) he was concerned about false teaching. He further elaborated on the worship of angels and demands to observe food rules and festivals, new moons and sabbaths, as well as ascetic practices.[3]

This teaching arose within the believing community. Jewish and Greek elements were woven into Christian teaching. It was a complex syncretism that incorporated features of Judaism, paganism, Christianity, magic, astrology and mystery religions. Paul referred to some initiation rite and expressed his concern not only for the church in Colossae, but also Laodicea, which was the center of these mystery cults.

Paul strongly stated that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in Christ, (Col 2:3) and that no other elements of the universe hold power over Christians because they have been delivered from the power of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son. (Col 1:13) So, believers in Christ do not need to worry about food or drink, for Christ through his death will present believers holy and without blemish before God the Father.

Now, a number of people have written with great certainty about the false teaching Paul addressed in Colossians, but they are guessing. There is nothing wrong with guessing if all are aware of how much guesswork is involved. What we do know is that Paul’s opponents combined belief in Christ with Jewish and pagan ideas to shape a hierarchical system of heavenly beings in which Christ was subordinate to angelic powers to whom worship was due.[4] As Paul wrote, all things are mere shadows of what is to come, but only in Christ can we find reality.

So, what is the Challenge of Colossians for Christians today? Writing from a prison cell, Paul understood what was happening in his world. If we could place Paul in our world today, he would certainly address the same ethical and moral issues the Church has addressed recently – abortion, euthanasia, alternate lifestyles, marriages and family life, poverty, disease and evangelization. As I pondered this passage, I began to realize what else he might say.

To put this in context, let me go back to an email I received and my granddaughter’s visit. A while ago, I was reading an email from Jordan Peterson, the Canadian clinical psychologist. All his messages begin with “Hello” and end with a discount on whatever it is he is selling. This email dealt with a question he is often asked, “What is the meaning of life?” Peterson says the path to meaning is through responsibility. For us, that responsibility is the call to sainthood—not canonization, but daily discipleship.

Do I dedicate my life to following Christ and His teachings? Am I a member of the Church, the congregation of saints, in which the Gospel is rightly taught, and the Sacraments are rightly administered?[5] Isn’t that the highest possible goal for each of us? Isn’t that your goal?

 Pursuing that goal looks differently for each of us. Life often dictates how we pursue sainthood because of age, occupation, health, wealth or family, but dedicating myself to Christ’s Gospel and assisted by the Sacraments is my highest goal.

That said, the second incident that contextualizes the challenge of Colossians for the Christian today happened when we took our granddaughter, Emma, to the Beaver Library to return and borrow books and videos. As she was browsing, I took some time to do the same in the sections for philosophy, psychology, religion and social sciences. What dawned on me was the number of books, periodicals, websites and other media that are available to us, and the importance we place on them. You don’t have to have studied philosophy and theology to know that more people will turn to psychology and social sciences to seek advice on how to understand the meaning of life or avoid suffering rather than seek it from the ancient philosophers, Paul, Augustine, Luther or the Bible.

My point is that while these other fields help us understand, they do not save. Unlike the Gospel and Cross of Christ, they do not deliver us from evil and into everlasting and abundant life. And yet, even steadfast Christians readily seek them sooner than the Sacraments and prayer to assist them deal with some situation or sin, with temptations and trials, with relationships and right living.

So, what is the challenge of Colossians for the Christian today? In a word, syncretism. Syncretism is the blending of different religious ideas into one system. In Colossae, it was angel worship and asceticism. Today, it might be the belief that therapy replaces confession, or that success is a sign of God’s favor. While some say that syncretism in the Church in America is materialism, individualism and nationalism, others claim that is the integration of Buddhism and Confucianism into Christianity which resulted in the Unification Church. Other cultures have influenced God’s Word even before Jesus. We see the influence of the Canaanites in Psalms; of Persian religions on later Jewish writings due to the Babylonian captivity; and of Greek philosophy on Paul and Roman culture in Peter’s Letters.

When cultures meet and interact, they exchange religious ideas. The belief that all religions offer truth, or that different religions present different paths to God is syncretism. Syncretism operates on the assumption that combining certain teachings produces a better way of knowing and/or reaching God. Now, this is not to say that we cannot learn anything about ourselves as individuals, families and society from psychology and social sciences. Nor am I saying that our religion is now pure or distilled because we are always in some sort of dialogue with other denominations when Covid, government restrictions, economic downturns impact how we worship and support the Church. Even the loss of self-control when dealing with one another over congregational needs impacts our worship and church support.

The worlds of ideas, religions and cultures impact my life, but when it comes to how I live, the only road I take is the one that leads to and through the Cross of Christ and His teaching for I am assured that heeding that call to come to Him through grace will lead me to God the Father. Aided by God’s Word, the Sacraments and prayer in solitude and in common, I hope to pursue my call to live as a saint among saints. In closing my last sermon here, I ask you—what road are you walking? Will you join me on the path that leads through the Cross, toward the hope that does not disappoint? Even though we may never see one another again, I ask you to join me on the Way, and when you do may the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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[1] Raymond E. Brown, An Introduction to the New Testament, New York: Doubleday (1997), p. 599.

[2] Joseph A. Fitzmyer, SJ, “The Letter to the Romans,” The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, Englewood Cliffs NJ: Prentice Hall (1990), p. 854.

[3] Ibid., p. 877.

[4] Brown, pp. 607f.

[5] Augsburg Confession, Article VII, “Of the Church.”

FRESH AIR

 

God’s grace, peace and mercy be with you. My sermon is entitled AIR (Appoint, Instruct, Report), and my focus is our Gospel (Luke 10:1-20). … 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.

Before I get into my first point, I would like to note that the Gospels list many people that Jesus encountered throughout his three years of preaching. Among the people Jesus encountered are the famous (Peter, John the Baptist, his mother, Mary Magdalene) and the infamous (Judas Iscariot, Herod, Pontius Pilate). The Gospels name individuals (Martha, Mary, Lazarus, Jairus, Zacchaeus) and leave others anonymous (rich young man, man born blind, widow at the treasury). There are followers and would-be followers. (We read about would-be followers last Sunday in Luke 9:51-62.)

In today’s passage, Jesus appointed others (or other disciples) to go ahead of him. You understand that I like to explain the meaning of the words in the passage, and today’s first word is appoint. To appoint means to officially set, fix or name something or someone. It also means to provide with complete and usually appropriate or elegant furnishings or equipment. For example, you appointed the parsonage, the pastor’s office and the new conference room (at Mt. Olive). Appoint comes to us from the French who got it from the Latin word, appunctare, which means to bring back to the point or restore. Two smaller Latin words, ad, meaning to, and punctum, meaning a point, were joined to form appoint.

In our Gospel today, Jesus appointed 70 or 72, depending on which translation you read. I won’t quibble over the specific amount. I would, however, like to take a moment to distinguish this group from the Twelve Jesus sent ahead of him at the beginning of chapter nine. There is a distinction between the Twelve, Apostles and disciples.

Disciples are those who accept and spread Jesus’ message. The 72 individuals in today’s passage are among the disciples, and because they were sent by Jesus on a mission, we can also refer to them as apostles. Other Apostles (with a capital A) were sent by the Church, specifically, Matthias, Barnabas and Paul. Paul warns the Corinthians to be on guard against super apostles and false apostles who lead people astray.[1] Then there are the Twelve chosen by Jesus. We read of the Twelve in Mark 3, Matthew 10 and Luke 6. Though the list of names varies slightly, these men were with Jesus continually, and received special instruction and training.[2] These Twelve Apostles instructed all the disciples, that is, the Church, to choose seven good men to tend to the needs of the Hellenist widows.[3] Today, the Church continues to call and appoint men and women as pastors, deaconesses, teachers and other positions to serve God’s people, but only after they have been trained and certified by the Church.

Personally, even though I was ordained in 1987, and the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod accepted that ordination as valid, I still had to undergo study and training before I was appointed as a pastor. Now, I hope I do not disappoint you if I move onto my second point, Instruct.

Although our version reads, “And he said to them,” other versions explicitly use the word instruct in some form. Literally, instruct means to build. It also means to teach, train, inform or impart knowledge. My colloquy process into the Synod included reading and understanding not only the Book of Concord, but also writings by Luther, Walther and Peiper (the first two presidents of the Missouri Synod). I had to know how to use Lutheran liturgical books and understand Lutheran lingo, like the gradual, winkle and so on.

Jesus catechized and built these 72 into teams that would further his message and ministry. His instructions to these were like those he gave in chapter nine. They were to take no money or other provisions. This meant that they would have to rely upon others’ hospitality and bless those who offer it. They were to speak and act prophetically towards those who rejected Christ’s teaching.

The tone is grim, but Jesus’ instruction prepared these first Christian missionaries for the rejection that would eventually be their lot. Luke seeks to incorporate the rejection of Jesus in Jerusalem and the rejection of the Christian Gospel by most of Israel into God’s plan of salvation. Rejection of the missionaries is rejection of Jesus and God the Father. Luke wants readers, including us, to know that rejection is painful, but God’s grace overcomes this pain and wins through it. Rejection is painful, but God’s grace overcomes it. Now, let me turn to my last point, Report.

In verse 17, the 72 returned to report to Jesus what happened. The mission was a remarkable success. They returned in joy and announced their victory over demonic power. Every translation of this verse tells us that they reported their success with joy, great joy or excitement. Jesus acknowledged their success and then taught them to draw confidence from it.

Jesus then pointed to a greater reason for joy: that their “names are written in heaven.” This means that they enjoy all the rights of citizenship in the kingdom. Jesus borrowed this from the ancient custom where cities and kingdoms publicly listed all the people who enjoyed the rights of citizenship. Jesus applied this to them because they would enjoy all the rights, privileges and prospects in God’s Kingdom. Hence, their joy, Christian joy, however, does not rest upon personal achievement. It rests upon a deep sense of relationship with God and a knowledge of the destiny to which that relationship leads.[4]

This report and its accompanying joy led me to wonder how family members and friends carry out their apostolic ministry. I asked them to report how they are living their apostolic mission. In view of this passage (10:1-20), some responded with brief replies, and others with long, detailed answers. I gleaned from their answers a few sentences to share.

Joe from Illinois reported that his wife and he have been teaching Tai Chi and Kung Fu for several decades. “These are Chinese arts, but we always are careful not to embrace any Eastern mysticism. The classes give us the opportunity to let people know, subtly, about the Lord and his working in our lives. People notice the unique way that we encourage others. We always offer to pray for anyone who is having issues. … Because we are adoptive parents of two daughters from China, we also share the many ways the Lord directly blessed us in the adoption process. It is always a challenge to know how and when to testify to others. We are never as bold as we would like to be. Everyone is eager to ‘unfriend’ someone rather than discuss their differences.”

Joe then added, “When I used to do a monthly Jail Ministry, it was much easier to talk about Jesus to inmates who knew they had failed. Our prayer is to be bolder and take more risks.”

For several years, Pastor Bob relied upon me for pulpit supply. He wrote extensively about his wife’s and his apostolic works as well as their congregation’s. “Beside the personal sharing of Jesus with friends and family, we are involved in mission activities in Honduras and in the US. I travel to Honduras and Michele travels on the youth mission camps with Trinity.” As a couple, they financially support Compassion International, Hearts for Honduras, and Muslim Outreach.

Pastor Bob continued to tell me that in 1996, when he became the Pastor of Trinity Lutheran, the congregation was not sponsoring any missionaries. Now the congregation supports San Pablo Hispanic Ministry in Aurora, IL; two Lutheran Bible Translators; Deaconess Lori Wilbert and her prison ministry; and Messiah for Muslims, an LCMS outreach to Muslims in Chicagoland.

Pastor Bob challenges people to pray about getting personally involved in sharing Christ by (1) asking God to show me how I might get personally involved; (2) asking God to reveal how I might financially support missions; and (3) begin to see and be renewed in seeing that I am a missionary to my neighbor. To do that, he concludes, I must have a personal walk with Jesus.

Friends, you and I must have a personal walk with Jesus. Recall that I said earlier that Christian joy does not rest upon achievement. It rests upon a deep sense of relationship with God and a knowledge of the destiny to which that relationship leads. I repeat this quote because among my friends, I count as many reports on how Christians witness their apostolic work as we read in our Gospel passage today. In this congregation, you witness to God’s Kingdom by participating as volunteers in Vacation Bible School. You supply our Blessing Cupboard with food. We cleaned out the pastor’s office and found dozens of Bibles that we put in the Cupboard. They were gone in no time. You do the administrative, bookkeeping and outside work that allows me to focus on preaching, praying and visiting those in need. And what would we do without the Elders, ushers, readers, greeters, acolytes and the wonderful women of the Altar Guild?!

My point in illustrating how you and others witness to Christ through unique apostolic works is to give ideas on how each of us might share the Gospel with others who need to hear it. True, as Joe said, it is easier to talk about Jesus to inmates who know they failed, but that opportunity may not avail itself to us. Our prayer is to be bolder and take more risks, and we will see others’ prayers answered.

Friends, I want you to see prayers answered. They will be answered in ways you do not expect. When Cindy and I returned to Pennsylvania in March 2020, I planned to just be retired. I did not have a call, and the area team leader for the security company I had worked for in Illinois told me that there was no work for me in Pennsylvania. And then, District President Chris Wicher appointed me to serve as Pastor Emeritus (Mt. Olive), and the team leader of the security company also found an opportunity for background work. God answered prayers in ways I did not expect.

Every Sunday, I came here to preach and lead worship for five, and then 15, 25, 35 and now 50-60 people. I came to this congregation to serve God, you and for those unable to be with us because of age or illness. I came to instruct young people and adults through catechism class and Bible study sessions. I came to organize our liturgical ministries (Elders, Altar Guild, Acolytes, Readers, Greeters and Ushers) and to make you aware of a church beyond here – the Eastern District, the Synod, the 204 LCMS vetted ministries and missions that we should be supporting. I came here to be involved and get you involved in Vacation Bible School and clean up days, the District Convention and Women in Mission. I did all that because our Triune God is a God of relationships. God does not want us to come to worship and get to the breakfast buffet first or be home in time for the kickoff. God wants your relationship circle to expand beyond a few people you hang with. God wants us to be in fellowship with Him – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – and that happens only through our Divine Worship.

Now, I know that all of you appreciate what God has done to this congregation through me. There have been a couple of bumps in the road, but the fact remains that you have worked well with me and have established fellowship with me and this church through our Divine Worship.

In two weeks, Joel Lissy will occupy the seat that I will vacate. Hopefully, you will continue to occupy your seats and bring others to sit next to you. We saw how Alex Espenship continually brought classmates from Geneva to church with him. Alex is a good role model for you. Even though he was not a member, every week he asked young men to come to church with him. When is the last time you asked a neighbor or a stranger to come to church with you? Alex did that, and I am sure he will continue to bring people with him to church because the Word of God is powerful and active, and each time we gather, God graces you with a life-changing message: the Good News of Jesus changes lives. The Good News of Jesus changes lives. The Good News changed my life. The Good News changed your life. If we want to report back to God and one another that the Good News of Jesus changed someone else’s life this week, all we must do is walk with Jesus, pray to the Holy Spirit to make us bolder, take risks, and see prayers answered. For the remaining days you have, do that, and when you do, the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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[1] 2 Corinthians 11:5, 13.

[2] Mark 9:35; Luke 18:31.

[3] Acts 6.

[4] Brendan Byrne, The Hospitality of God: A Reading of Luke’s Gospel. Collegeville MN: The Liturgical Press (2000), p. 96.