Vicar Darren Harbaugh
Pentecost 6 july 24
“But, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Romans 8:37
Today I’d like to talk about nike. When I was growing up, I wanted a pair of Nike Air Jordans. Those are basketball shoes. Nike always had these great commercials featuring Michael Jordan, doing funny and zany things. I felt like if I had a pair of Nikes, my life would be better. I would be able to run a little faster and jump a little higher than everyone else.
I never got that pair of Nikes. I got whatever was on sale at the store and, of course, I blamed all my problems on that cheap pair of shoes I was stuck with
It’s a nice thought though, right? Put on a pair of magic shoes and all your problems go away, you become superhuman in your ability to deal with adversity, life is great.
It seems like this is how many people approach Christianity. Take, for instance, verse 37 from our epistle reading, “But in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” I remember seeing this verse on one of those Christian motivational posters. There is a picture of a man on top of a mountain arms raised in victory, with the phrase “More than conquerors!” pasted on the bottom. The impression is: With Jesus, you to can conquer any obstacle, even Mt Everest.
I’ve seen Christian leaders using this line of thought, instructing believers on how to conquer lust and fear and envy and other “impossible habits” perhaps by following their “5 principles of success.” Some Christian leaders tell believers to pray for whatever they want and they will get it.
They treat Jesus like a magic pair of Nikes that you slip on to make your life better.
So what do you think? What does experience tell you? Do Christians have any problems in life? Ever encountered any rough patches?
Right. Obviously, we still face anxiety and worry, divorce, family struggles, job setbacks, financial trouble, alcoholism, persistent sin and many other problems.
Sometimes we Christians, experience these troubles more than non-Christians. You can look at an unbelieving friend who seems to be a great person, with a wonderful marriage, a happy family, a fulfilling career and think “What’s going on?”
His parents must have bought him a pair of Nikes when he was a kid. That’s gotta be it.
If you haven’t realized it by now, let me break the news to you: being a Christian does not mean that all life’s problems automatically vanish. Nor does being a Christian mean an easy road to money, success and happiness. But I’ll take it that you’ve figured that out by now.
So what about Romans 8:37? “But in all these things we are more than conquerors though him who loved us.”
We do not achieve success in whatever we put out mind to That is not what this is talking about. You can go down to Ocean Beach, offer God a really sincere prayer, and then try to swim from here to China and back, and well, I’m sorry but in this situation you will not be more than a conquerer.
Paul says that we are more than conquerers in “all these things.” All what things? A couple verses earlier it says, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? …No, in all these things we are more than conquereors through Him who loved us.”
Notice, we conquer IN these things not despite these things. We conquer not by avoiding or escaping, or by strapping on our Nikes and out-running the problems of life. No, we conquer in experiencing them.
Conquer in experiencing problems? “That’ll never work.” What a foolish way to achieve a victory. Yeah, That’s what they said as Jesus lifted up on the cross.
It is not our courage and strength and endurance by which we conquer. No, it is all Christ.
All the junk that you experience in this life. All that guilt and pain. All those trials and tempations. All the stuff that keeps you up at night. Those regrets you can’t shake. The mistakes that you feel you can never correct. Those things you wish you could erase from your memory, but remain seared there, taunting you.
Jesus takes all these things upon himself.
The sadness you feel because a loved one has been torn from this life, the depression you experience because your health has been diminished by disease and age, the frustration you have because illness has so limited you that simply living and existing is hard work.
Jesus takes all these things upon himself.
And because Christ has suffered all these things for us on the cross, that is what brings the victory. We have victory in the worst adversity. We are more than conquerors “though him who loved us.”
This love is not a vague sentimental affection. It refers to a specific historical act of love on Christ’s part: his death upon the cross.
Our religion is not a religion only of love, but it is a religion of Christ’s love, a love that hung on the cross and walked out of the grave and ascended to the Father to intercede for us, opening to us the doors of heaven. This is a love that is for us all.
As it says in verse 32 “God who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things.”
We are given all things: our sins are forgiven; God’s demands, impossible for us because of sin, are fulfilled,; the bonds of death itself are broken. Christ ,by his innocent life, suffering, death and resurrection has arisen victorious to release us from bondage, and to heal our hurt and bitterness.
How great is His love for us! Nothing, I repeat nothing, can separate us from Christ, his love and his victory!
We’ve talked a lot about victory and conquering. The Greek word for overcoming, conquering or being victorious is “nikao.” The root word for victory is NeeKay or Nike.
Let me put it in a biblical context for you
I Corinthians 15 54
Death is swallowed up in nike.
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy nike?
Thanks be to God, who giveth us the nike through our Lord Jesus Christ.
I did not get the nike from my parents, but thanks be to God who gives us the nike (the victory) through our Lord Jesus Christ.
The nike is yours.
You don’t even have to pay retail price for it. You don’t have to pay anything at all. Free nike! Free Victory!
You know what’s even better though. Nike was not a good enough word for St Paul to describe the victory we have though the love of Christ. We are more than conquers. Paul made up a word – huper nikao– Hyper victorious, surpassingly successful, an ultimate overcomer, a complete conquer, or, dare I say, super nike. In Christ, we have the super nike. We are super victorious.
A few weeks ago, the Giants played my favorite team the Detroit Tigers and the 2nd game of the series was a super nike for the Giants. They won 15-3. A super victory, excessive, more than expected. In Christ, we are not simply going to be victorious, we are going to be REALLY victorious.
How do we live victoriously? Because of all this junk in life, we are being killed all day long, but through Christ we endure and survive in the midst of it all. You may remember St. Paul’s autobiography from 2 Corinthains 4. He said, "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For while we live we are always being given up to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh" (2 Cor. 4:8-12). Then he says: "So we do not lose heart!" (2 Cor. 4:16a).
Nothing shall wipe us out! Nothing shall separate us from the love and the life of Christ! Nothing! We endure. We survive.
Though we are being killed all day long, we survive because the Lamb of God was willing allow himself to be slaughtered on the cross, enduring the suffering and shame so that we would not be led to the slaughterhouse.
This was a very real, physical, tangible historical act of love. We survive and endure because Christ continues to come to us in love in a very real, physical, tangible, present way, comforting us with his love and grace. You receive Christ’s love and comfort in your ear from the sound waves of the sermon and the absolution. You receive Christ’s love and comfort on your lips in the bread and the wine, his body and blood. We come away refreshed and strengthened.
So that when we see the problems that we face in life, that we will continue to face in this life, in light of the suffering of Christ, we see that they are no longer life-threatening, but life enhancing. Our struggles are no longer final word, but a prelude to something greater that finds its resolution in the suffering of Christ for us.
All the trials in your life point you to the One that suffered for us, in all these things we are more than conquerors though him who loved us. In all these things. The more we see the suffering of Christ in our troubles, the more we are enabled to view them as a victory-producing gift from God.
Christ’s death didn’t look victorious to those who saw it. Even today, it defies the logic of the world. But God's love and loving action in our lives though Word and Sacrament remains victorious—even when it is most hidden by our external and internal sufferings.
The troubles, anxiety, stress, and danger that we face in may no way seem like a victory, but in experiencing them we conquer, because God shows us again and again, day after day his hyper conquering super nike love though Christ our Lord. His love leaps from the ink and paper of Holy Scripture into our hearts as the Holy Spirit enlightens and strengthens us.
So we are able to boldly confess along with St Paul. “ I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angel nor principalities, not rulers nor things present nor things to come or height nor depth nor any other created things shall be able to separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
We walk the way of the Cross
Walking the Way of the Cross
Pentecost 2
Matthew 10:34-42
Vicar Darren Harbaugh
A little over 150 years ago, the Civil War began. It’s been referred to as the “Brother’s War,” in part because families were torn apart by differing loyalties.
At the battle of Shiloh, when two Kentucky regiments were fighting each other, one of the Union soldiers wounded his own brother and took him prisoner. After the soldier handed over his brother, he began firing at a man near a tree. The captured brother shouted, "Bill! Hold your fire! That's father!"
Loyalties in the Civil War ran deep, with the result that it set a man against his father. Families were divided, severed in two.
Imagine if the Union Soldiers had said, “This is too much! I can’t handle such family conflict.” Our country’s history would read a bit differently.
There have been times when millions of men have given up a comfortable, quiet life with friends and family, and have taken up arms in service to their nation. They were willing to suffer loss of life and limb for a greater cause.
In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 10, Jesus issues a similar call of duty to his disciples.
The disciples were enlisted men, commissioned by Jesus to proclaim the kingdom of God; sent out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Jesus gives the disciples their marching orders: This is not to be a peacekeeping mission. They will be right in the thick of it. “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth,” Jesus says “I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.”
Jesus is saying that because of him, there will be conflict. And he draws a line in the sand, saying, “Are you with me?”
The disciples needed to know they were not entitled to a quiet life. Followers of Jesus have signed away all their rights to a comfortable self-determined existence.
The disciples found out that the message “Jesus is Lord” is a declaration of war against sin and selfishness often provoking a violent response from those threatened by it. This has always been the case. Sometimes this hostility comes from your own friends and family. Try talking about sin with someone who is proud of their ungodly behavior and see how far you get.
By saying that he came to bring a sword, Jesus was telling his disciples that loyalty to God and his mission comes first. The result may be that family ties are strained to the breaking point. A true disciple knows who to love more, putting the cause of Christ above all else.
As much as you love your children or grandchildren; As much as your love your parents and grandparents - Jesus demands a loyalty which transcends even the closest family tie.
Hear his word again: “I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter in law against her mother in law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother, more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”
Loyalty to Christ may mean that your family is no longer a place of refuge.
The world seeks peace – a truce, a ceasefire - achieved by overlooking or ignoring differences. There could be “peace” if Christians stopped sharing the good news of Christ – the forgiveness of sins that he offers to all.
Jesus doesn’t want any part of this false peace. It’s just avoiding conflict, allowing the world to go undisturbed in sin. God decided that it is better to have war and division, saving as many people as possible, rather than let everyone die in their sin. Christ came to remove sin, to offer His righteousness to all. Because of this, he did not shy from confrontation. His whole experience was the opposite of a peaceful, quiet way of life, impacting even His family. At one point, his family tried seizing him. Because of his teaching, they thought he was insane.
If you choose the comfortable path, if you fail to share Christ because you don’t want to deal with the shame and embarrassment that come along with it, you are not worthy to be called a Christian.
Sometimes religion is kept off-limits at family gatherings or other social events so that things stay pleasant. I can’t imagine that is what Jesus had in mind when he was dining with sinners.
But beyond some potentially awkward dinner conversation, Jesus addresses something even more demanding.
He says,“And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
If you’re looking for a nice, comfy, convenient religion, this is not it. If you are not willing to forsake all that is important to you, friends, family, your very life, then you will have no part of eternal life with God.
Christ suffered and died for you and He expects you to follow him, even to death. You might as well consider yourself an enlisted soldier, under the command of another. Following Christ is like going to battle. It can be lethal.
“Take up your cross” had very specific, revolting, and terrifying connotations for the people of Gallilee in Jesus’ Day.
Not only was crucifixion the cruelest form of execution, but it was the ultimate shame if a member of your family was crucified. The public disgrace and physical suffering began not just when the condemned man was hung on the cross, but with the procession through the streets in which the victim was forced carry the heavy cross-piece while enduring the insults of the crowd on the way to execution.
Jesus himself would literally go through that experience of a savage death and public disgrace. In Matthew 10 this is the prospect that he holds before any “worthy” disciple.
The familiar language of discipleship – come follow after me – takes on the morbid sense of following Jesus on the march to execution.
Will you be called on to suffer physically for the sake of Christ? Not likely. But he cross is whatever Christians suffer for living their Christian faith in the world; confessing the gospel of Christ crucified. Whoever refuses or is unwilling to bear this cross, can no longer claim to be a Christian.
The cross is our life as Christians, and guess what, Jesus wants us to be happy about it. He says in Matthew 5 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
“Rejoice and be glad!”
This is just what the apostles in Acts 5. They were beaten and left “rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name of Jesus”
In Acts 16, Paul and Silas were beaten with rods and thrown into prison where their feet were put in stocks and at midnight hey “were praying and singing hymns to God”
What do you do after being attacked and imprisoned for being a Christian? You sing “A Mighty Fortress”, “And take they our life, Goods, fame, child ,and wife, Though these all be gone. Our vict’ry has been won. The Kingdom ours remaineth.”
“The Kingdom ours remaineth.” That’s why Christians throughout the ages have given up a comfortable, quiet life with friends and family in service to their Savior, willing to suffer loss of life and limb.
Jesus says ‘Rejoice and be glad,” - because your reward is great is heaven!
What is this reward? Eternal life. How do we receive the reward? We receive it because Christ has come to us and identified with us. Whoever receives Christ’s messengers and the Word they bring, receives Christ and also receives the reward of a righteous person as it says in verses 40-42.
By believing the word preached to you, Christ identifies with you though faith. As Paul says in Romans 10, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” Christ unites with you with His Righteousness. His victory over sin, death and the devil that he won by his death on the cross is your victory. In Christ, you find your reward - eternal life.
But it’s tough. If we don’t love Christ more than family, if we don’t bear our cross enduring shame, suffering, and abuse for Christ then we are not worthy of him.
Well, we aren’t worthy. Like John the Baptist, we aren’t worthy to even unloose Jesus’ sandals. Like the Prodigal Son, we aren’t worthy to be called son by our Father in heaven.
What we are worthy of, is death, because we’re sinners.
But Jesus - whom Pilate confessed did nothing worthy of death - died on our behalf, so that we would be counted worthy in the Father’s eyes. And now because of Christ and the cross, we are counted worthy to bear our cross and to suffer for that name. But with Paul, we confess that the suffering of this present time is not worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us.
That glory will be revealed on that great and final day when we sing “Worthy is Christ, the lamb who was slain, whose blood set us free to be the people of God, Power and riches wisdom and strength glory and honor and blessing are his.”
What a day.
Though we enter into the kingdom through much tribulation as it says in Acts 14, we do indeed enter into the kingdom. The assurance of eternal glory makes us able to bear the cross.
We look to the eternal unseen things, in spite of affliction, in spite of the worst the world has to throw at us. Eternal life is yours right now because of the cross of Christ our Lord. Amen.
Pentecost 2
Matthew 10:34-42
Vicar Darren Harbaugh
A little over 150 years ago, the Civil War began. It’s been referred to as the “Brother’s War,” in part because families were torn apart by differing loyalties.
At the battle of Shiloh, when two Kentucky regiments were fighting each other, one of the Union soldiers wounded his own brother and took him prisoner. After the soldier handed over his brother, he began firing at a man near a tree. The captured brother shouted, "Bill! Hold your fire! That's father!"
Loyalties in the Civil War ran deep, with the result that it set a man against his father. Families were divided, severed in two.
Imagine if the Union Soldiers had said, “This is too much! I can’t handle such family conflict.” Our country’s history would read a bit differently.
There have been times when millions of men have given up a comfortable, quiet life with friends and family, and have taken up arms in service to their nation. They were willing to suffer loss of life and limb for a greater cause.
In the Gospel reading today from Matthew 10, Jesus issues a similar call of duty to his disciples.
The disciples were enlisted men, commissioned by Jesus to proclaim the kingdom of God; sent out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Jesus gives the disciples their marching orders: This is not to be a peacekeeping mission. They will be right in the thick of it. “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth,” Jesus says “I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.”
Jesus is saying that because of him, there will be conflict. And he draws a line in the sand, saying, “Are you with me?”
The disciples needed to know they were not entitled to a quiet life. Followers of Jesus have signed away all their rights to a comfortable self-determined existence.
The disciples found out that the message “Jesus is Lord” is a declaration of war against sin and selfishness often provoking a violent response from those threatened by it. This has always been the case. Sometimes this hostility comes from your own friends and family. Try talking about sin with someone who is proud of their ungodly behavior and see how far you get.
By saying that he came to bring a sword, Jesus was telling his disciples that loyalty to God and his mission comes first. The result may be that family ties are strained to the breaking point. A true disciple knows who to love more, putting the cause of Christ above all else.
As much as you love your children or grandchildren; As much as your love your parents and grandparents - Jesus demands a loyalty which transcends even the closest family tie.
Hear his word again: “I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter in law against her mother in law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother, more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”
Loyalty to Christ may mean that your family is no longer a place of refuge.
The world seeks peace – a truce, a ceasefire - achieved by overlooking or ignoring differences. There could be “peace” if Christians stopped sharing the good news of Christ – the forgiveness of sins that he offers to all.
Jesus doesn’t want any part of this false peace. It’s just avoiding conflict, allowing the world to go undisturbed in sin. God decided that it is better to have war and division, saving as many people as possible, rather than let everyone die in their sin. Christ came to remove sin, to offer His righteousness to all. Because of this, he did not shy from confrontation. His whole experience was the opposite of a peaceful, quiet way of life, impacting even His family. At one point, his family tried seizing him. Because of his teaching, they thought he was insane.
If you choose the comfortable path, if you fail to share Christ because you don’t want to deal with the shame and embarrassment that come along with it, you are not worthy to be called a Christian.
Sometimes religion is kept off-limits at family gatherings or other social events so that things stay pleasant. I can’t imagine that is what Jesus had in mind when he was dining with sinners.
But beyond some potentially awkward dinner conversation, Jesus addresses something even more demanding.
He says,“And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
If you’re looking for a nice, comfy, convenient religion, this is not it. If you are not willing to forsake all that is important to you, friends, family, your very life, then you will have no part of eternal life with God.
Christ suffered and died for you and He expects you to follow him, even to death. You might as well consider yourself an enlisted soldier, under the command of another. Following Christ is like going to battle. It can be lethal.
“Take up your cross” had very specific, revolting, and terrifying connotations for the people of Gallilee in Jesus’ Day.
Not only was crucifixion the cruelest form of execution, but it was the ultimate shame if a member of your family was crucified. The public disgrace and physical suffering began not just when the condemned man was hung on the cross, but with the procession through the streets in which the victim was forced carry the heavy cross-piece while enduring the insults of the crowd on the way to execution.
Jesus himself would literally go through that experience of a savage death and public disgrace. In Matthew 10 this is the prospect that he holds before any “worthy” disciple.
The familiar language of discipleship – come follow after me – takes on the morbid sense of following Jesus on the march to execution.
Will you be called on to suffer physically for the sake of Christ? Not likely. But he cross is whatever Christians suffer for living their Christian faith in the world; confessing the gospel of Christ crucified. Whoever refuses or is unwilling to bear this cross, can no longer claim to be a Christian.
The cross is our life as Christians, and guess what, Jesus wants us to be happy about it. He says in Matthew 5 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
“Rejoice and be glad!”
This is just what the apostles in Acts 5. They were beaten and left “rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name of Jesus”
In Acts 16, Paul and Silas were beaten with rods and thrown into prison where their feet were put in stocks and at midnight hey “were praying and singing hymns to God”
What do you do after being attacked and imprisoned for being a Christian? You sing “A Mighty Fortress”, “And take they our life, Goods, fame, child ,and wife, Though these all be gone. Our vict’ry has been won. The Kingdom ours remaineth.”
“The Kingdom ours remaineth.” That’s why Christians throughout the ages have given up a comfortable, quiet life with friends and family in service to their Savior, willing to suffer loss of life and limb.
Jesus says ‘Rejoice and be glad,” - because your reward is great is heaven!
What is this reward? Eternal life. How do we receive the reward? We receive it because Christ has come to us and identified with us. Whoever receives Christ’s messengers and the Word they bring, receives Christ and also receives the reward of a righteous person as it says in verses 40-42.
By believing the word preached to you, Christ identifies with you though faith. As Paul says in Romans 10, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” Christ unites with you with His Righteousness. His victory over sin, death and the devil that he won by his death on the cross is your victory. In Christ, you find your reward - eternal life.
But it’s tough. If we don’t love Christ more than family, if we don’t bear our cross enduring shame, suffering, and abuse for Christ then we are not worthy of him.
Well, we aren’t worthy. Like John the Baptist, we aren’t worthy to even unloose Jesus’ sandals. Like the Prodigal Son, we aren’t worthy to be called son by our Father in heaven.
What we are worthy of, is death, because we’re sinners.
But Jesus - whom Pilate confessed did nothing worthy of death - died on our behalf, so that we would be counted worthy in the Father’s eyes. And now because of Christ and the cross, we are counted worthy to bear our cross and to suffer for that name. But with Paul, we confess that the suffering of this present time is not worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us.
That glory will be revealed on that great and final day when we sing “Worthy is Christ, the lamb who was slain, whose blood set us free to be the people of God, Power and riches wisdom and strength glory and honor and blessing are his.”
What a day.
Though we enter into the kingdom through much tribulation as it says in Acts 14, we do indeed enter into the kingdom. The assurance of eternal glory makes us able to bear the cross.
We look to the eternal unseen things, in spite of affliction, in spite of the worst the world has to throw at us. Eternal life is yours right now because of the cross of Christ our Lord. Amen.
Monday, June 20, 2011
A blessed belated Holy Trinity Sunday
This about sums up the Trinity:
Romans 11
Vicar Darren Harbaugh
O, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
Romans 11
Vicar Darren Harbaugh
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Big Y You
If you write things about God, it is inevitable that the spell checker will not understand your capital letter, big "Y" "You". As in "May Your name be glorified."
At some point, folks thought they'd show reverence to God, even in regard to pronouns - You, His, etc. I'm sure it was the good old King James Version that popularized it. Maybe it was rooted in 'The Name' business of the Jews - Don't say Yahweh's name and all that. Who knows.
I'm again learning to love the King James ("Authorized Version") on this its 400th anniversary. The KJV causes me to slow down and consider the text rather than breezing through it with all its 'Thees' and 'Thous.' I think the KJV, really outshines than any other version in its oral presentation of the word. When I die, I want Psalm 23 read at my funeral - in the KJV.
And it's got saying power. The third version of the NIV (first released in 1984) came out this year.
But best of all, I think the KJV still retains in its pages bit more of the majesty and awe of God. Reverence. Maybe its just because the Thees and Thous sound more like the Bible. Fine, I'll grant that.
However you slice it, reverence is not all that popular today. From the way we dress, to how we speak, to how we think - publicly and privately. Reverence is more or less considered old-fashioned. Like pews and organs and hymnals and the KJV. Maybe they are old-fashioned. I like old-fashioned donuts though. They are quite tasty. I like Wrigley Field. That's pretty old-fashioned. It's even been referred to as a baseball cathedral, and not in a pejorative manner. People say that Wrigley is a shrine, that it fills them with awe and reverence. And it's only a 1/4 the age of the KJV, 1/20th the age of the Christian church, and, well, I guess I can't put a fraction to it in comparison to the Ageless One, but you get the idea.
Some things seem ageless, but only One is. The KJV may not be ageless, but at least it still evokes reverence in my mind. Even in its pronouns.
At some point, folks thought they'd show reverence to God, even in regard to pronouns - You, His, etc. I'm sure it was the good old King James Version that popularized it. Maybe it was rooted in 'The Name' business of the Jews - Don't say Yahweh's name and all that. Who knows.
I'm again learning to love the King James ("Authorized Version") on this its 400th anniversary. The KJV causes me to slow down and consider the text rather than breezing through it with all its 'Thees' and 'Thous.' I think the KJV, really outshines than any other version in its oral presentation of the word. When I die, I want Psalm 23 read at my funeral - in the KJV.
And it's got saying power. The third version of the NIV (first released in 1984) came out this year.
But best of all, I think the KJV still retains in its pages bit more of the majesty and awe of God. Reverence. Maybe its just because the Thees and Thous sound more like the Bible. Fine, I'll grant that.
However you slice it, reverence is not all that popular today. From the way we dress, to how we speak, to how we think - publicly and privately. Reverence is more or less considered old-fashioned. Like pews and organs and hymnals and the KJV. Maybe they are old-fashioned. I like old-fashioned donuts though. They are quite tasty. I like Wrigley Field. That's pretty old-fashioned. It's even been referred to as a baseball cathedral, and not in a pejorative manner. People say that Wrigley is a shrine, that it fills them with awe and reverence. And it's only a 1/4 the age of the KJV, 1/20th the age of the Christian church, and, well, I guess I can't put a fraction to it in comparison to the Ageless One, but you get the idea.
Some things seem ageless, but only One is. The KJV may not be ageless, but at least it still evokes reverence in my mind. Even in its pronouns.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
"Jesus, here I share Your woe; help me there Your joy to know."
This is a verse from the hymn" Let us ever walk with Jesus." I like it.
Let us suffer here with Jesus, and with patience bear our cross.
Joy will follow all our sadness; where He is, there is no loss.
Though today we sow no laughter, we shall reap celestial joy;
All discomforts that annoy shall give way to mirth here-after.
Jesus, here I share Your woe; help me there Your joy to know.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Augustine's words
I liked this. Not much more to say. Merry Christmas!
Augustine, confessions 7.18
Then I sought a way of obtaining strength sufficient to enjoy Thee; and found it not, until I embraced that Mediator betwixt God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who is over all, God blessed for evermore, calling unto me, and saying, I am the way, the truth, and the life, and mingling that food which I was unable to receive, with our flesh.
For, the Word was made flesh, that Thy wisdom, whereby Thou createdst all things, might provide milk for our infant state. For I did not hold to my Lord Jesus Christ, I, humbled, to the Humble; nor knew I yet whereto His infirmity would guide us. For Thy Word, the Eternal Truth, far above the higher parts of Thy Creation, raises up the subdued unto Itself: but in this lower world built for Itself a lowly habitation of our clay, whereby to abase from themselves such as would be subdued, and bring them over to Himself; allaying their swelling, and tomenting their love; to the end they might go on no further in self-confidence, but rather consent to become weak, seeing before their feet the Divinity weak by taking our coats of skin; and wearied, might cast themselves down upon It, and It rising, might lift them up.
Augustine, confessions 7.18
Monday, June 13, 2011
I am a skunk.
I live in a busy area. To the left is one of the busiest intersections in town - St Francis Circle. To the right is one of the busiest intersections in town - 19th Ave (AKA Hwy 1. You can turn left going southbound!) and Sloat. There are always rumbling tractor trailers, screeching tires, and reeving motors serenading us just out side the window. It's fine. It's city noise. Everybody needs to get somewhere.
But this morning when I stepped out to to go work, there were two skunks looking at me, right in front of the door.
I was struck my a number of things. First, that such creatures exist. Aren't skunks only in cartoons? Second, that they existed in front of my house. They had fur and were not wearing a collar. Third, that they could afflict me with their superpower of smell. What would I do? I would smell. Bad. Forever. Forth, that I looked just like them. They were black and white. I was black and white. Their white stripe was across their back. Mine was around my neck. I am a skunk.
I think my doppelgangers recognized our similarity in appearance and regarded it fondly because the left me alone and wandered off. I don't know if they considered me one of their own, or just had other things to do. Probably the latter. Everybody is busy it seems. Even skunks.
But this morning when I stepped out to to go work, there were two skunks looking at me, right in front of the door.
I was struck my a number of things. First, that such creatures exist. Aren't skunks only in cartoons? Second, that they existed in front of my house. They had fur and were not wearing a collar. Third, that they could afflict me with their superpower of smell. What would I do? I would smell. Bad. Forever. Forth, that I looked just like them. They were black and white. I was black and white. Their white stripe was across their back. Mine was around my neck. I am a skunk.
I think my doppelgangers recognized our similarity in appearance and regarded it fondly because the left me alone and wandered off. I don't know if they considered me one of their own, or just had other things to do. Probably the latter. Everybody is busy it seems. Even skunks.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Geese, God and the American people
Garrison Keillor once wrote, "It is more worthy in the eyes of God and better for us as a people if a writer make three pages sharp and funny about the lives of geese than to make three hundred fat and flabby about God or the American people."
I will try, as I always do, to continue writing fat and flabby words about geese, God and the American people.
-
I think this is a great modern paraphrase of the Magnificat. Particularly Luke 1:53: "He has filled the hungry with good things"
Also perhaps a fulfillment of the beatitudes, Luke 6:21: "Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied."
Or maybe this is a case of Things being filled with good hungry.
(link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Os-CACRwM8)
I will try, as I always do, to continue writing fat and flabby words about geese, God and the American people.
-
I think this is a great modern paraphrase of the Magnificat. Particularly Luke 1:53: "He has filled the hungry with good things"
Also perhaps a fulfillment of the beatitudes, Luke 6:21: "Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied."
Or maybe this is a case of Things being filled with good hungry.
(link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Os-CACRwM8)
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Healthy. Wealthy. Wise.
I wish I could be an early riser.
Part of me idealizes waking up at the break of dawn, getting the morning paper, a cup of joe and enjoying the stillness before the day comes to life.
I like twilight (small “t”) – dusk and dawn. I’m seen a fair share more dusks in my day though. It’s that time when things don’t look quite like they are supposed to look or at least how you remember them looking during the day (or night).
I remember playing catch with my dad and I was not quite so fond of dusk then. I’d want to keep playing until my nose was in danger of being broken by a rapidly-advancing baseball that blended perfectly with the quickly-graying night sky.
I originally had a Lou Whitaker autograph model mitt, followed by a Bo Jackson model that was replaced by a non-autograph model in high school which I then lost while at college. But then my buddy Melvin gave me a mitt he found in the bathroom at Dodger Stadium.
With this new mitt, I joined the baseball team (The Preachers) while at seminary. It served me well at second base. I felt much less afraid in my fielding this time around than I did 10 years prior.
In manning the keystone for the Preachers, I had my first opportunity to play under the lights. I felt like a big leaguer. But I also felt sad. Because Baseball felt sad. I don’t think it’s a game that is meant to thrive at night. It does. And it does it well, but it knows that it is just moon lighting. Baseball is meant for the afternoon, but even so, a day game is a relic. It exists as a once-a-week token Sunday matinee, with an occasional weekday game. But it’s a shadow of the past. Like the Sunday drive in the country. Like reading the newspaper early in the morning with a cup of Joe. Maybe it’s all just good in theory, but not in practice. Gotta watch out for those things. There’s a lot of them.
Bonhoeffer wrote something about how it’s not natural for man to be up at night, living his life illuminated by the glow of a florescent tube; his internal clock determined by an artificial time schedule. He actually wrote none of those words. That is just how I remember what he said. And I’ll leave it at that. Good night. See you in the morning.
Part of me idealizes waking up at the break of dawn, getting the morning paper, a cup of joe and enjoying the stillness before the day comes to life.
I like twilight (small “t”) – dusk and dawn. I’m seen a fair share more dusks in my day though. It’s that time when things don’t look quite like they are supposed to look or at least how you remember them looking during the day (or night).
I remember playing catch with my dad and I was not quite so fond of dusk then. I’d want to keep playing until my nose was in danger of being broken by a rapidly-advancing baseball that blended perfectly with the quickly-graying night sky.
I originally had a Lou Whitaker autograph model mitt, followed by a Bo Jackson model that was replaced by a non-autograph model in high school which I then lost while at college. But then my buddy Melvin gave me a mitt he found in the bathroom at Dodger Stadium.
With this new mitt, I joined the baseball team (The Preachers) while at seminary. It served me well at second base. I felt much less afraid in my fielding this time around than I did 10 years prior.
In manning the keystone for the Preachers, I had my first opportunity to play under the lights. I felt like a big leaguer. But I also felt sad. Because Baseball felt sad. I don’t think it’s a game that is meant to thrive at night. It does. And it does it well, but it knows that it is just moon lighting. Baseball is meant for the afternoon, but even so, a day game is a relic. It exists as a once-a-week token Sunday matinee, with an occasional weekday game. But it’s a shadow of the past. Like the Sunday drive in the country. Like reading the newspaper early in the morning with a cup of Joe. Maybe it’s all just good in theory, but not in practice. Gotta watch out for those things. There’s a lot of them.
Bonhoeffer wrote something about how it’s not natural for man to be up at night, living his life illuminated by the glow of a florescent tube; his internal clock determined by an artificial time schedule. He actually wrote none of those words. That is just how I remember what he said. And I’ll leave it at that. Good night. See you in the morning.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Yosemite
I went to Yosemite. Beautiful. Sunshine, waterfalls, rock faces and such. Last time I was there I couldn't see anything. It was completely snowed out. Spent the night sleeping in my car parked in a snow-filled campsite, frightened that keeping the heater on would attract bears. Keith and I reclined our seats and slept ok. Can't say the same for the one scrunched up in the back seat (Sorry, Amber!). That was over 12 years ago. Twelve years from now my child will be finishing 7th grade. I'll let you know how all that turns out.
My favorite part of the trip was a conversation I overheard in the bathroom between a Dad and his 10 year-old-ish son.
"Dad, what is your favorite beer?"
"Maybe Anchor Steam. Maybe Sierra Nevada...It all depends on the day though"
"You like Pacifico too."
"That is true."
Simple. But I appreciate a Father teaching his child such wisdom at a young age. A beer is not just a beer, but is indeed intertwined with the essence of the day. It often takes until 6 or 7 PM - fully experiencing a day - to properly choose the right beer for that specific occasion.
Later that day I drank a PBR while surfing barefoot down Upper Yosemite Falls. I don't know what that says about my day. At least I avoided snow. And being eaten by a bear.
My favorite part of the trip was a conversation I overheard in the bathroom between a Dad and his 10 year-old-ish son.
"Dad, what is your favorite beer?"
"Maybe Anchor Steam. Maybe Sierra Nevada...It all depends on the day though"
"You like Pacifico too."
"That is true."
Simple. But I appreciate a Father teaching his child such wisdom at a young age. A beer is not just a beer, but is indeed intertwined with the essence of the day. It often takes until 6 or 7 PM - fully experiencing a day - to properly choose the right beer for that specific occasion.
Later that day I drank a PBR while surfing barefoot down Upper Yosemite Falls. I don't know what that says about my day. At least I avoided snow. And being eaten by a bear.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Kyrie Eleison!
I’m not a very good phone talker. I get distracted. I don’t like speaking into a plastic machine. Don’t get me wrong, I like connecting with friends, I guess just not the medium of phone conversation. I’m not going to stop doing it though even though I find it a difficult mode of communication.
Prayer is difficult too. I get distracted. I often don’t like the feeling that I’m talking to a wall or a book. I’m not going to stop doing it though.
As it was with the disciples, so it is with us “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). I need to be taught. Well, I suppose Jesus already taught us with the Lord’s prayer. I that case, I need to continue my studies.
There is the old phase: lex orandi, lex credendi – the law of praying is the law of believing (or something close to that). It means the way we pray is the way we believe. It orders it. This is intended I think in relation to matters of corporate worship, but I believe it goes for our own personal prayer as well. Our praying orders/directs/shapes/molds/guides our believing. I’m not one for trite American pop- christianity slogans, though I used to have quite a few bummer stickers in high school and college, but let’s not get into that now… But I remember on bummer sticker that said “7 days without prayer make one weak.” Once you are done picking yourself of the ground from laughter, we can see that there is truth in the statement. There is so much law and works-based theology underlying American pop-christianity that I often try to hide my eye as often as possible, but I guess this is true. I think I would put it a different way though:”… I was going to think of a slogan but maybe I’d just try and fit these 316 verses on a bummer sticker: http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?search=pray&searchtype=all&version1=47&spanbegin=1&spanend=73
I guess it’s not as snappy as the previous phase, but I think it gets the job done-ish.
Outside of the Lord’s Prayer, I think the best prayer is “Lord, have mercy.” Kyrie eleison!” Says it all.
The Litany (LSB 288) is amazing in regard to this. I could pray the litany everyday of my life and never get tired of it and it would always remain relevant. It’s basically an expansion of the Kyrie. It’s origin is old. It was purged of error by Luther and translated into English by Cranmer for his Book of Common Prayer. It includes petition for almost everything you could think of: pregnant women, children, those traveling, the sick, widow and orphans and on and on.
Usually, Becca and I listen to the news in the morning and it always seems like there is something that I could include in the litany. “Lord, deliver us from…lightning and tempest (tornadoes); from calamity by fire and water (tsunamis, nuclear power plants).” Give to all peoples concord and peace (Egypt, Libya, Afghanistan, well, the entire Middle East)” and on and on.
Not to mention opportunity to include petitions for prayer requests from church, to lift up family members, friends, co-workers.
Basically, it’s been a great resource for me. That petition about seeking the Lord’s deliverance from tempest made me pause for a while this morning. I don’t know any one affected in Joplin, but it makes me sad. All around the country petitions of the Lord’s mercy are being offered for them. I suppose that brings comfort knowing that the faithful will also petition the Lord on my behalf should tragedy befall me.
-
Another resource that has been blowing my mind is Starck’s Prayer book. If you want an antidote to American pop-christianity, this is it. It was written by a pastor in the 1700’s. But it’s straight up medieval, in a good way. My understanding is that Rev. Starck dealt with a lot of death, plagues, etc and that is evident. This prayer book is really in line with the art of dying well. It is always in mind that our last breath is near and that for many around us it is even closer. His prayers emanate utter and complete dependence on God at every moment. While the prayers are completely practical and applicable to our daily lives, they are also theological to the core, as in good theology. They are the opposite of pop-psycho-emotionalism christiantity; yet they honestly stir my soul more because they deliver doses of God’s law and his gospel. Starck is great. This book and Gerhard’s Sacred Meditations, probably two desert island books.
Also the Treasury of Daily Prayer, but if you don’t already have that, I’m surprised that your still reading this, go get it. It's cool.
-
“And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he [Jesus] departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” (Mark 1:35)
Prayer is difficult too. I get distracted. I often don’t like the feeling that I’m talking to a wall or a book. I’m not going to stop doing it though.
As it was with the disciples, so it is with us “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). I need to be taught. Well, I suppose Jesus already taught us with the Lord’s prayer. I that case, I need to continue my studies.
There is the old phase: lex orandi, lex credendi – the law of praying is the law of believing (or something close to that). It means the way we pray is the way we believe. It orders it. This is intended I think in relation to matters of corporate worship, but I believe it goes for our own personal prayer as well. Our praying orders/directs/shapes/molds/guides our believing. I’m not one for trite American pop- christianity slogans, though I used to have quite a few bummer stickers in high school and college, but let’s not get into that now… But I remember on bummer sticker that said “7 days without prayer make one weak.” Once you are done picking yourself of the ground from laughter, we can see that there is truth in the statement. There is so much law and works-based theology underlying American pop-christianity that I often try to hide my eye as often as possible, but I guess this is true. I think I would put it a different way though:”… I was going to think of a slogan but maybe I’d just try and fit these 316 verses on a bummer sticker: http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?search=pray&searchtype=all&version1=47&spanbegin=1&spanend=73
I guess it’s not as snappy as the previous phase, but I think it gets the job done-ish.
Outside of the Lord’s Prayer, I think the best prayer is “Lord, have mercy.” Kyrie eleison!” Says it all.
The Litany (LSB 288) is amazing in regard to this. I could pray the litany everyday of my life and never get tired of it and it would always remain relevant. It’s basically an expansion of the Kyrie. It’s origin is old. It was purged of error by Luther and translated into English by Cranmer for his Book of Common Prayer. It includes petition for almost everything you could think of: pregnant women, children, those traveling, the sick, widow and orphans and on and on.
Usually, Becca and I listen to the news in the morning and it always seems like there is something that I could include in the litany. “Lord, deliver us from…lightning and tempest (tornadoes); from calamity by fire and water (tsunamis, nuclear power plants).” Give to all peoples concord and peace (Egypt, Libya, Afghanistan, well, the entire Middle East)” and on and on.
Not to mention opportunity to include petitions for prayer requests from church, to lift up family members, friends, co-workers.
Basically, it’s been a great resource for me. That petition about seeking the Lord’s deliverance from tempest made me pause for a while this morning. I don’t know any one affected in Joplin, but it makes me sad. All around the country petitions of the Lord’s mercy are being offered for them. I suppose that brings comfort knowing that the faithful will also petition the Lord on my behalf should tragedy befall me.
-
Another resource that has been blowing my mind is Starck’s Prayer book. If you want an antidote to American pop-christianity, this is it. It was written by a pastor in the 1700’s. But it’s straight up medieval, in a good way. My understanding is that Rev. Starck dealt with a lot of death, plagues, etc and that is evident. This prayer book is really in line with the art of dying well. It is always in mind that our last breath is near and that for many around us it is even closer. His prayers emanate utter and complete dependence on God at every moment. While the prayers are completely practical and applicable to our daily lives, they are also theological to the core, as in good theology. They are the opposite of pop-psycho-emotionalism christiantity; yet they honestly stir my soul more because they deliver doses of God’s law and his gospel. Starck is great. This book and Gerhard’s Sacred Meditations, probably two desert island books.
Also the Treasury of Daily Prayer, but if you don’t already have that, I’m surprised that your still reading this, go get it. It's cool.
-
“And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he [Jesus] departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” (Mark 1:35)
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
For you, O Lord, are my hope,
my trust, O LORD, from my youth.
Upon you I have leaned from before my birth;
you are he who took me from my mother’s womb.
My praise is continually of you.
I have been as a portent to many,
but you are my strong refuge.
My mouth is filled with your praise,
and with your glory all the day.
Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
forsake me not when my strength is spent.
O God, be not far from me;
O my God, make haste to help me!
But I will hope continually
and will praise you yet more and more.
My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,
of your deeds of salvation all the day,
for their number is past my knowledge.
With the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD I will come;
I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.
O God, from my youth you have taught me,
and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.
So even to old age and gray hairs,
O God, do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your might to another generation,
your power to all those to come.
(ps 71, selected portions)
my trust, O LORD, from my youth.
Upon you I have leaned from before my birth;
you are he who took me from my mother’s womb.
My praise is continually of you.
I have been as a portent to many,
but you are my strong refuge.
My mouth is filled with your praise,
and with your glory all the day.
Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
forsake me not when my strength is spent.
O God, be not far from me;
O my God, make haste to help me!
But I will hope continually
and will praise you yet more and more.
My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,
of your deeds of salvation all the day,
for their number is past my knowledge.
With the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD I will come;
I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.
O God, from my youth you have taught me,
and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.
So even to old age and gray hairs,
O God, do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your might to another generation,
your power to all those to come.
(ps 71, selected portions)
Monday, May 9, 2011
Baptism of June Paul Harbaugh - Acts 2:38-39 - For You and Your Children – Easter 3
Baptism of June Paul Harbaugh
Acts 2:38-39 - "For You and Your Children" – Easter 3
Vicar Darren Harbaugh
What are you doing here? There’s lot of other places you could be and a lot of other things you could be doing. So, what are you doing here? Think about it. In the meantime, I’ll preach a sermon.
In our reading from Acts 2, Peter proclaims to the crowd in Jerusalem that Jesus, whom they had crucified, is the messiah and the God of Israel.
The Spirit worked though Peter’s words and all the men were cut or pierced to the heart, meaning they experienced the deepest emotional sorrow a human can feel. Their minds and souls and bodies were overwhelmed and agitated to the breaking point. That’s what the realization of sin and guilt can do to a person.
These men, had earlier shouted for Jesus’ crucifixion, spit on him, laughed at him, and rejoiced at Jesus’ death, which was confirmed when his side was pierced with a spear. But now, these men themselves were pierced, pierced to the heart by the Word of God, which is more powerful than any two-edged sword, or any Roman spear.
These men just realized what they had done; becoming the latest in a line of tragic characters - like Peter who wept bitterly at the rooster’s crow - feeling the weight of his denial; like Judas who was grieved at the fate of Jesus - recognizing the mistake of his betrayal.
These condemned men of Jerusalem cried out to Peter, a man well acquainted with sin but even more acquainted with absolution, granted by the Lord himself. They cry, “What shall we do?”
Peter says: “Repent and be baptized.”
You’ve heard that word “repent” before. What does it mean? Repentance is not just acknowledging sin and feeling sorry - Judas did that. Repentance is receiving God’s pardon, a complete change from a former life to a new and different life. It leads to recreation. Jesus wants to kill you. But just like He wasn’t left to rot in the grave, we too rise to new life with him. Those who are in Christ are a new creation, the old is gone and the new has come.
This is what happens in baptism. You get wet, you get cleansed from the filth of your sins, you get a new spirit, you get God’s Spirit, and you get a new heart.
In Baptism, you are cleansed with water and you receive forgiveness. We hear the word “forgiveness” a lot, but what does it mean?
Forgiveness means that your sin, your debt, your punishment, your penalty has been dismissed - set free. It is as if none of your sins had been committed. You have entered God witness protection program. In baptism, your old life of sin has been wiped away, erased.
But in Christ, it’s not just that the bad has been taken away, but the good, the righteous and the holy is given to you. In baptism, you have received the free gift of the Holy Spirit. A present, no strings attached. All this is a promise from God.
But who is this promise of baptism, forgiveness of sins, and the Holy Spirit for? Only for Jews? Only for Men? Only for adults 18 and older? Only for people smart enough to understand?
The Bible says “This promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off - everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
Everyone.
That’s why we’ve got a bunch of family and friends in town this weekend. Becca and I, along with the holy catholic and apostolic church, believe St. Peter’s words and God’s promise that baptism effects the forgiveness of sins, gives the gift of the Holy Spirit and is for us, and for our children. So we brought our daughter June to be baptized today.
You know, I have to admit that not too many years ago, when I started going to a Lutheran church, the hardest thing for me to accept was infant baptism. I could not understand how a baby could ask Jesus to come into their heart. I could not understand how a baby could make a decision and chose to follow Jesus.
It’s because I didn’t understand God’s grace.
My baby, June, is not even three weeks old. She is helpless. She hasn’t made a decision in her life. But when I saw the water poured on her head and heard the words: I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, I saw God’s grace.
This morning, June had to have her diaper changed, she had to be fed, she had to be dressed. She didn’t do any of that for herself. She didn’t even pick out her own outfit. We, her parents, do everything for her. She does nothing. Throughout my life, Baptism had been a symbol of people making decisions and doing something. Now, well, I have a living, breathing, crying, pooping, visual aid of God’s grace.
It is clear from Scripture that Baptism is the work of God. He brings us to faith in Him. He is not waiting for us to take the first step. Grace is not something we do. We are not saved by grace plus something else.
This, dear friends in Christ, is good news. It is THE gospel. We need this gospel now more than ever.
You may be a baptized, confirmed and faithful member of the church. You may confess along with St Paul that you are saved by grace through faith, not of yourself, but as a free gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
But, back to my question at the beginning, what are you doing here? Honestly. Do you have your answer?
At one point, I thought that the main reason to go to church was to praise God.
You know where this thinking got me? I concluded, “Well, you know, I think I can praise God just fine in my bed, thank you very much. I can praise God while eating Sunday morning brunch. I can praise God while watching the game on TV. Why go to church?” So I stopped going.
The problem in my thinking? I had the direction of communication wrong. You don’t go to church primarily to pray, praise and sing. You go to hear and learn and receive.
If the service is understood as God giving us the forgiveness of sins, then you’ve got to be there. You lame excuse for missing a Sunday won’t cut it. Perhaps the low attendance of members here and in so many churches across our country is a reflection of how we define the service. If I am acting, then I can do it another time. If God is acting, I better be there.
We call this time that we meet together the “Divine service.” That’s not us serving God; It’s God serving us.
And God loves to serve us. He served us to the point of death. Even death on a cross. He rose triumphantly from the grave and continues to serve us though his baptismal promises to us.
And we need God and his promises. Where do you find God? Not deep down in your heart. God is found hanging on a cross, dying for your sins. God’s true body and blood are found in the bread and the wine of the Lord’s Supper. God is found is the saving waters of Holy Baptism. God is found right here in church for you for the forgiveness of sins. You know what’s cool about that? It’s objective. It’s tangible. It’s not dependent on you. The way that God served you at your baptism is the same way he continues to serve you today
Your baptism is still valid right now. You daily die and rise with Christ. You still have the Holy Spirit and forgiveness, which was bestowed upon you at Baptism. And this promise isn’t just for you, but also for your children and all who are far off. God’s grace extends to those you think don’t deserve it. It extends to those who can’t choose it. It extends even to a little baby.
Today, that little heathen that we were living with for 3 weeks was born again in Christ. If she were to die tomorrow, I know that because of God’s baptismal promise of forgiveness and the Holy Spirit, she will spend eternity with Christ.
That’s an amazing gift for her. For us her father and mother.
That’s why we are here. Everyone of us. That why we keep coming here: To be served by God and to receive his gracious gift of forgiveness. Amen.
*Some material adapted from "Fire and the Staff" by Klemet Preus
Acts 2:38-39 - "For You and Your Children" – Easter 3
Vicar Darren Harbaugh
What are you doing here? There’s lot of other places you could be and a lot of other things you could be doing. So, what are you doing here? Think about it. In the meantime, I’ll preach a sermon.
In our reading from Acts 2, Peter proclaims to the crowd in Jerusalem that Jesus, whom they had crucified, is the messiah and the God of Israel.
The Spirit worked though Peter’s words and all the men were cut or pierced to the heart, meaning they experienced the deepest emotional sorrow a human can feel. Their minds and souls and bodies were overwhelmed and agitated to the breaking point. That’s what the realization of sin and guilt can do to a person.
These men, had earlier shouted for Jesus’ crucifixion, spit on him, laughed at him, and rejoiced at Jesus’ death, which was confirmed when his side was pierced with a spear. But now, these men themselves were pierced, pierced to the heart by the Word of God, which is more powerful than any two-edged sword, or any Roman spear.
These men just realized what they had done; becoming the latest in a line of tragic characters - like Peter who wept bitterly at the rooster’s crow - feeling the weight of his denial; like Judas who was grieved at the fate of Jesus - recognizing the mistake of his betrayal.
These condemned men of Jerusalem cried out to Peter, a man well acquainted with sin but even more acquainted with absolution, granted by the Lord himself. They cry, “What shall we do?”
Peter says: “Repent and be baptized.”
You’ve heard that word “repent” before. What does it mean? Repentance is not just acknowledging sin and feeling sorry - Judas did that. Repentance is receiving God’s pardon, a complete change from a former life to a new and different life. It leads to recreation. Jesus wants to kill you. But just like He wasn’t left to rot in the grave, we too rise to new life with him. Those who are in Christ are a new creation, the old is gone and the new has come.
This is what happens in baptism. You get wet, you get cleansed from the filth of your sins, you get a new spirit, you get God’s Spirit, and you get a new heart.
In Baptism, you are cleansed with water and you receive forgiveness. We hear the word “forgiveness” a lot, but what does it mean?
Forgiveness means that your sin, your debt, your punishment, your penalty has been dismissed - set free. It is as if none of your sins had been committed. You have entered God witness protection program. In baptism, your old life of sin has been wiped away, erased.
But in Christ, it’s not just that the bad has been taken away, but the good, the righteous and the holy is given to you. In baptism, you have received the free gift of the Holy Spirit. A present, no strings attached. All this is a promise from God.
But who is this promise of baptism, forgiveness of sins, and the Holy Spirit for? Only for Jews? Only for Men? Only for adults 18 and older? Only for people smart enough to understand?
The Bible says “This promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off - everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
Everyone.
That’s why we’ve got a bunch of family and friends in town this weekend. Becca and I, along with the holy catholic and apostolic church, believe St. Peter’s words and God’s promise that baptism effects the forgiveness of sins, gives the gift of the Holy Spirit and is for us, and for our children. So we brought our daughter June to be baptized today.
You know, I have to admit that not too many years ago, when I started going to a Lutheran church, the hardest thing for me to accept was infant baptism. I could not understand how a baby could ask Jesus to come into their heart. I could not understand how a baby could make a decision and chose to follow Jesus.
It’s because I didn’t understand God’s grace.
My baby, June, is not even three weeks old. She is helpless. She hasn’t made a decision in her life. But when I saw the water poured on her head and heard the words: I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, I saw God’s grace.
This morning, June had to have her diaper changed, she had to be fed, she had to be dressed. She didn’t do any of that for herself. She didn’t even pick out her own outfit. We, her parents, do everything for her. She does nothing. Throughout my life, Baptism had been a symbol of people making decisions and doing something. Now, well, I have a living, breathing, crying, pooping, visual aid of God’s grace.
It is clear from Scripture that Baptism is the work of God. He brings us to faith in Him. He is not waiting for us to take the first step. Grace is not something we do. We are not saved by grace plus something else.
This, dear friends in Christ, is good news. It is THE gospel. We need this gospel now more than ever.
You may be a baptized, confirmed and faithful member of the church. You may confess along with St Paul that you are saved by grace through faith, not of yourself, but as a free gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
But, back to my question at the beginning, what are you doing here? Honestly. Do you have your answer?
At one point, I thought that the main reason to go to church was to praise God.
You know where this thinking got me? I concluded, “Well, you know, I think I can praise God just fine in my bed, thank you very much. I can praise God while eating Sunday morning brunch. I can praise God while watching the game on TV. Why go to church?” So I stopped going.
The problem in my thinking? I had the direction of communication wrong. You don’t go to church primarily to pray, praise and sing. You go to hear and learn and receive.
If the service is understood as God giving us the forgiveness of sins, then you’ve got to be there. You lame excuse for missing a Sunday won’t cut it. Perhaps the low attendance of members here and in so many churches across our country is a reflection of how we define the service. If I am acting, then I can do it another time. If God is acting, I better be there.
We call this time that we meet together the “Divine service.” That’s not us serving God; It’s God serving us.
And God loves to serve us. He served us to the point of death. Even death on a cross. He rose triumphantly from the grave and continues to serve us though his baptismal promises to us.
And we need God and his promises. Where do you find God? Not deep down in your heart. God is found hanging on a cross, dying for your sins. God’s true body and blood are found in the bread and the wine of the Lord’s Supper. God is found is the saving waters of Holy Baptism. God is found right here in church for you for the forgiveness of sins. You know what’s cool about that? It’s objective. It’s tangible. It’s not dependent on you. The way that God served you at your baptism is the same way he continues to serve you today
Your baptism is still valid right now. You daily die and rise with Christ. You still have the Holy Spirit and forgiveness, which was bestowed upon you at Baptism. And this promise isn’t just for you, but also for your children and all who are far off. God’s grace extends to those you think don’t deserve it. It extends to those who can’t choose it. It extends even to a little baby.
Today, that little heathen that we were living with for 3 weeks was born again in Christ. If she were to die tomorrow, I know that because of God’s baptismal promise of forgiveness and the Holy Spirit, she will spend eternity with Christ.
That’s an amazing gift for her. For us her father and mother.
That’s why we are here. Everyone of us. That why we keep coming here: To be served by God and to receive his gracious gift of forgiveness. Amen.
*Some material adapted from "Fire and the Staff" by Klemet Preus
Sunday, April 24, 2011
The Sacrament of Unity - I Corinthians 11:23-32
The Sacrament of Unity - I Corinthians 11:23-32
Vicar Darren Harbaugh
We see from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians that there was a problem in that church involving the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. The people there were treating it like it was a cocktail party. The wealthiest members of the church sat inside in the VIP lounge, gorging themselves and getting drunk, while the poor people sat outside, sometimes left with nothing at all to eat.
Needless to say, this created divisions in the church. Paul needed to remind the Corinthians that the Lord’s Supper is not a private meal, or an all-you-can-eat buffet with an open bar, but it is the LORD’S supper. It doesn’t hurt for us to remember what the Lord’s Supper is about either. After all, it is Maundy Thursday. We remember the evening that Jesus ate the Last Supper with his disciples. Our celebration tonight may seem the polar opposite of that gluttonous, exclusionary Corinthian debacle, but Paul’s words are still relevant for our own local community today as we approach our Lord in his Supper.
The first part of our epistle reading is familiar – the Words of institution - but listen again to the second part: “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. “
We believe the words of the Apostle Paul. We’ve even got the cards to proof it. This passage is the reason you’ve got one of these cards in front of you in the pew. We take Paul’s words seriously. We desire that all who come to the Lord’s Supper eat in a worthy manner, and that everyone examines himself.
Let’s look at these two statements about “examining yourself” and “eating in an unworthy manner.”
What does it mean to examine yourself? Well, you must believe that you are really eating the true body and blood of Christ for the forgiveness of sins. Those are the two big things we want kids to learn about the Lord’s Supper as they go through Catechism. #1: True body and blood of Christ. #2 for the forgiveness of sins.
So, you want to examine yourself, that you actually believe what the Lord’s supper is and what it does. People in the Corinthian church actually got sick and died because they did not discern the body in the Lord’s Supper.
But there is another aspect involved here. Our card here welcomes all confessional Lutherans who are in agreement with these statements. We want all at our altar to be in agreement with each other. This comes from the Apostle Paul in I Corinthians 10, when he says: “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.”
I repeat: “we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.”
There is one bread, there is one body. We desire that all who come to the altar be united in confession and belief, united with one another.
Remember the Corinthian congregation? Instead of partaking in the Lord’s meal, each person acted like it was their own meal.
That leads to the next phrase, “eating in an unworthy manner.” How do you eat the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner? When you act like it is your own personal meal. It’s not. It is the LORD’S Supper. It is Communion - communion with Christ, and also communion with one another. You are but one of many guests who is invited to the Lord’s feast. It’s is not just God’s vertical relationship with us, but also the horizontal relationship we have with one another.
When Jesus said “Take and eat, this is my body given for you.” The “You” is not singular. It is plural. If Jesus was from Texas, perhaps He would have said, “this is my body given for all ya’ll.
The Lord’s Supper is not a private matter or the property of an individual Christian but it is a celebration of the whole body of Christ. We will share eternity together.
But, maybe there are times when you don’t know the name of a person kneeling at the altar, participating in this amazing celebration with you. I dare you to introduce yourself to that person after the service. Don’t worry; they probably don’t know your name either. I’ll even give an good introduction: “Well, the vicar said we had to do this, so, ‘Hello, my name is…fill-in-the blank.”
Being shy or not knowing names is one thing, but remember, that Corinthian congregation that was divided disunity? They not only treated the Lord’s supper like their own personal meal, but there was an even more grave matter: they had no respect for one another.
How do you eat the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner? If you come to the Lord’s Table and there is unresolved disunity between you and another person in this church, then you are eating the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner. You are guilty concerning the body and blood of Christ.
It’s as great a crime as the crime of those who butchered the body of Christ and shed his blood. It’s as great a crime as Judas’ betrayal, Pilate’s condemnation and the bloodlust of the crowds in Jerusalem.
You have no right to come to this altar if you are treating another member of this church with disrespect, if you hold a grudge, spread gossip, or harbor bitterness.
We sin against God and we sin against others and must be willing to do what is needed to remove any division that is between us and someone else. Christ calls on us to repent and set aside disunity. A good time to do this is when we share the peace.
This is why it is so important to trust that the Lord’s Supper is for the forgiveness of our sins. Because we sin. A lot. We gossip and bicker. We talk behind people’s backs. We don’t think the best of others, rather, we often we assume the worst of our brothers and sisters in Christ. We put our own ideas and opinions above others. We want our voice to be heard. We don’t care about disunity.
But, Christ strengthens us to do as he did, to serve one anther. To love one another, so that others will know that we are His disciples.
Our gospel reading describes the first Lord's feast where Jesus gave his disciples the example of serving one another by washing their feet. But that is only the tip of the iceberg. He humbled himself not only to the point of washing two dozen dirty, smelly feet, but he humbled himself to the point of a degrading death on a cross.
Christ still serves us in the Lord’s Supper. There he forgives you from all your sins. In the supper, we are united to Christ whom we have dishonored and sinned against and we are united to our fellow Christians whom we have also disrespected and sinned against. In the Lord’s Supper we are also given the promise of a fabulous feast to come.
Remember that the Lord’s Supper is a feast! It’s not a microwave dinner that you eat all by yourself. It’s not a power bar that fits in nutrition among all the other things in life. It’s not a buffet that is all about you and what you want. It is not even a home cooked meal that you put a lot of your own effort into.
It is a feast! And, remember, it is the LORD’s feast. He is the host. He sends the invitations. He sets rules. You don’t go into a great feast and start demanding things of the host. He serves what is on his menu, and we show him honor and respect.
What is remarkable about this feast is that Jesus is not just the host, but he is also the honored guest, the waiter, and the meal.
This meal of his body and blood, to this day, still enlivens the senses. When you come up to the altar for the Lord’s Supper, You smell the wine. It is the sweetest scent you could ever smell. It is the smell of the Lord’s death, of the forgiveness of sins, of communion with Christ and one another.
It's the same when we actually taste the wine and the bread. That is the taste of Christ’s revelation, of fellowship with God and with others. It is the taste of our Lord’s own body and blood, the same body that was crucified, raised from the dead, glorified and raised into heaven.
At the Lord’s Supper, we look back not just at the crucifixion, but we look forward to the Lord’s final coming when we all will be raised to heaven. Past, present and future are united in this meal. It is something that happened in the past, but happens a fresh right here and transforms our lives today. The Lord’s Supper is also a foretaste of that great feast to come at the end of time.
Do you want to be in attendance at that great feast on the Last Day? Good news we’re all on the guest list. But if there is anything in your life that is an obstacle to unity - Repent. Whatever it is, set it aside. Come together with your brothers and sisters in Christ in mutual love, forgiveness and repentance.
The Lord, who forgives you and loves you, invites you to His supper of unity. Taste and see that the Lord is good. We are privileged to participate in the new covenant in Christ’s blood. It is a covenant that he has made, not privately with an individual, but with all his people together as one body. Come to the altar as we proclaim Christ’s death to one another by eating and drinking his body and blood for the forgiveness of sins until he comes again to take us all to that heavenly feast that has no end. Amen
Vicar Darren Harbaugh
We see from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians that there was a problem in that church involving the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. The people there were treating it like it was a cocktail party. The wealthiest members of the church sat inside in the VIP lounge, gorging themselves and getting drunk, while the poor people sat outside, sometimes left with nothing at all to eat.
Needless to say, this created divisions in the church. Paul needed to remind the Corinthians that the Lord’s Supper is not a private meal, or an all-you-can-eat buffet with an open bar, but it is the LORD’S supper. It doesn’t hurt for us to remember what the Lord’s Supper is about either. After all, it is Maundy Thursday. We remember the evening that Jesus ate the Last Supper with his disciples. Our celebration tonight may seem the polar opposite of that gluttonous, exclusionary Corinthian debacle, but Paul’s words are still relevant for our own local community today as we approach our Lord in his Supper.
The first part of our epistle reading is familiar – the Words of institution - but listen again to the second part: “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. “
We believe the words of the Apostle Paul. We’ve even got the cards to proof it. This passage is the reason you’ve got one of these cards in front of you in the pew. We take Paul’s words seriously. We desire that all who come to the Lord’s Supper eat in a worthy manner, and that everyone examines himself.
Let’s look at these two statements about “examining yourself” and “eating in an unworthy manner.”
What does it mean to examine yourself? Well, you must believe that you are really eating the true body and blood of Christ for the forgiveness of sins. Those are the two big things we want kids to learn about the Lord’s Supper as they go through Catechism. #1: True body and blood of Christ. #2 for the forgiveness of sins.
So, you want to examine yourself, that you actually believe what the Lord’s supper is and what it does. People in the Corinthian church actually got sick and died because they did not discern the body in the Lord’s Supper.
But there is another aspect involved here. Our card here welcomes all confessional Lutherans who are in agreement with these statements. We want all at our altar to be in agreement with each other. This comes from the Apostle Paul in I Corinthians 10, when he says: “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.”
I repeat: “we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.”
There is one bread, there is one body. We desire that all who come to the altar be united in confession and belief, united with one another.
Remember the Corinthian congregation? Instead of partaking in the Lord’s meal, each person acted like it was their own meal.
That leads to the next phrase, “eating in an unworthy manner.” How do you eat the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner? When you act like it is your own personal meal. It’s not. It is the LORD’S Supper. It is Communion - communion with Christ, and also communion with one another. You are but one of many guests who is invited to the Lord’s feast. It’s is not just God’s vertical relationship with us, but also the horizontal relationship we have with one another.
When Jesus said “Take and eat, this is my body given for you.” The “You” is not singular. It is plural. If Jesus was from Texas, perhaps He would have said, “this is my body given for all ya’ll.
The Lord’s Supper is not a private matter or the property of an individual Christian but it is a celebration of the whole body of Christ. We will share eternity together.
But, maybe there are times when you don’t know the name of a person kneeling at the altar, participating in this amazing celebration with you. I dare you to introduce yourself to that person after the service. Don’t worry; they probably don’t know your name either. I’ll even give an good introduction: “Well, the vicar said we had to do this, so, ‘Hello, my name is…fill-in-the blank.”
Being shy or not knowing names is one thing, but remember, that Corinthian congregation that was divided disunity? They not only treated the Lord’s supper like their own personal meal, but there was an even more grave matter: they had no respect for one another.
How do you eat the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner? If you come to the Lord’s Table and there is unresolved disunity between you and another person in this church, then you are eating the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner. You are guilty concerning the body and blood of Christ.
It’s as great a crime as the crime of those who butchered the body of Christ and shed his blood. It’s as great a crime as Judas’ betrayal, Pilate’s condemnation and the bloodlust of the crowds in Jerusalem.
You have no right to come to this altar if you are treating another member of this church with disrespect, if you hold a grudge, spread gossip, or harbor bitterness.
We sin against God and we sin against others and must be willing to do what is needed to remove any division that is between us and someone else. Christ calls on us to repent and set aside disunity. A good time to do this is when we share the peace.
This is why it is so important to trust that the Lord’s Supper is for the forgiveness of our sins. Because we sin. A lot. We gossip and bicker. We talk behind people’s backs. We don’t think the best of others, rather, we often we assume the worst of our brothers and sisters in Christ. We put our own ideas and opinions above others. We want our voice to be heard. We don’t care about disunity.
But, Christ strengthens us to do as he did, to serve one anther. To love one another, so that others will know that we are His disciples.
Our gospel reading describes the first Lord's feast where Jesus gave his disciples the example of serving one another by washing their feet. But that is only the tip of the iceberg. He humbled himself not only to the point of washing two dozen dirty, smelly feet, but he humbled himself to the point of a degrading death on a cross.
Christ still serves us in the Lord’s Supper. There he forgives you from all your sins. In the supper, we are united to Christ whom we have dishonored and sinned against and we are united to our fellow Christians whom we have also disrespected and sinned against. In the Lord’s Supper we are also given the promise of a fabulous feast to come.
Remember that the Lord’s Supper is a feast! It’s not a microwave dinner that you eat all by yourself. It’s not a power bar that fits in nutrition among all the other things in life. It’s not a buffet that is all about you and what you want. It is not even a home cooked meal that you put a lot of your own effort into.
It is a feast! And, remember, it is the LORD’s feast. He is the host. He sends the invitations. He sets rules. You don’t go into a great feast and start demanding things of the host. He serves what is on his menu, and we show him honor and respect.
What is remarkable about this feast is that Jesus is not just the host, but he is also the honored guest, the waiter, and the meal.
This meal of his body and blood, to this day, still enlivens the senses. When you come up to the altar for the Lord’s Supper, You smell the wine. It is the sweetest scent you could ever smell. It is the smell of the Lord’s death, of the forgiveness of sins, of communion with Christ and one another.
It's the same when we actually taste the wine and the bread. That is the taste of Christ’s revelation, of fellowship with God and with others. It is the taste of our Lord’s own body and blood, the same body that was crucified, raised from the dead, glorified and raised into heaven.
At the Lord’s Supper, we look back not just at the crucifixion, but we look forward to the Lord’s final coming when we all will be raised to heaven. Past, present and future are united in this meal. It is something that happened in the past, but happens a fresh right here and transforms our lives today. The Lord’s Supper is also a foretaste of that great feast to come at the end of time.
Do you want to be in attendance at that great feast on the Last Day? Good news we’re all on the guest list. But if there is anything in your life that is an obstacle to unity - Repent. Whatever it is, set it aside. Come together with your brothers and sisters in Christ in mutual love, forgiveness and repentance.
The Lord, who forgives you and loves you, invites you to His supper of unity. Taste and see that the Lord is good. We are privileged to participate in the new covenant in Christ’s blood. It is a covenant that he has made, not privately with an individual, but with all his people together as one body. Come to the altar as we proclaim Christ’s death to one another by eating and drinking his body and blood for the forgiveness of sins until he comes again to take us all to that heavenly feast that has no end. Amen
Monday, March 21, 2011
March 19, 2011 - Partners in Faith Seminar Series - "Is Truth Relative?" - John 14:6 and John 18:37-38
Vicar Darren Harbaugh
“What is Truth?” That’s a good question. It was asked 2,000 years ago by Pontius Pilate the Governor of Judea, who was in charge of Jesus’ Trial, and the question is still asked today.
'We live in a time when truth is seen as something relative, impossible to know for sure.' You may have heard people say things like: "I have my truth. You have your truth. As long as we respect our differences, that is all that matters." It seems that today the most important "truth" for many people is their extreme doubt that truth can be known. And there is another “truth” that is equally important, which is: those who claim to know the truth are wrong.*
It seems nice to believe that everyone can have their own truth, however, let’s look at this practically. Let’s say that you were pulled over by a police officer and he told you that you were driving 20 miles an hour over the speed limit. How do you think the officer would react if you said, “Well, you have your truth and I have mine. And I happen to believe that I wasn’t speeding.” Do you think the officer would say, “You know, I respect our differences? Have a nice day?” Yeah…I doubt it.
Have you ever heard of the word “Truthiness”? It was a word made up by comedian Steven Colbert. This word actually made it’s way into the dictionary. Truthiness is defined as "the quality of preferring facts that one simply wishes to be true, rather than facts that are known to be true." Or in other words, Truthiness is when you believe something is true in spite of the facts.
There are a lot of things that we may wish to be true, but that’s truthiness. Truth deals with facts and reality. Either you ate cereal for breakfast, or you didn’t. The truth can make a big difference. Either you paid your taxes this year or you didn’t. It is not possible for multiple, conflicting truths to exist along side one another.
Christians are under no illusions about truth. Christianity is a religion based on facts and reality. It is a historical religion. The accounts of Jesus are eyewitness testimony to the events that they report. For example, the Apostle John wrote: That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life….we proclaim also to you.
Christians do not just believe that Jesus existed and was a good teacher, but rather that he is God, just as He claimed to be.
Some people say Jesus is God. Others say he is not God. It’s either one or the other. It’s not helping anybody to imagine that both opinions are equally true. Jesus made some bold claims. He said things about himself that could only be true of God, so as author C.S. Lewis says, if Jesus is not God, he’s either a lunatic or a liar.
But, we believe that Jesus substantiated his divine claims by rising from the dead. We actually believe that a man rose from the dead. That is basis of the entire Christian faith. This is not truthiness. It’s not something nice that we wish to be true, in spite of the facts. Who would dream up something like the resurrection and choose to make it the pillar of their religion? People just don’t go around rising from the dead. At least, I haven’t run into any. We don’t believe that Jesus rose from the dead because we just “know it from the gut,” we believe it because of multiple eyewitness accounts that are recorded in this book. We believe the resurrection because it is true; it is the most well attested event in ancient history.
The Apostle Paul writes that if Christ has not been raised from the dead, then preaching is in vain and the faith of Christians in in vain. It’s futile. And Christians are of all people to be most pitied.
This is honest. Christians would deserve to be pitied, except for the fact that Jesus did raise from the dead. If that actually happened, which it did, then that’s big. That proves that Jesus is God.
And if Jesus rose from the dead, if He is God, then truth takes on added meaning. Jesus came not just to give us some good teachings, but he came to actually reveal truth to us. Truth is reality, God’s reality. We believe that through Jesus, the Truth, God’s reality, is something that can be known.
For example, look at John 14:6, Speaking about himself, Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except though me.” Jesus was not just claiming to teach people some truths. He was claiming to be THE truth, in the flesh.
In this sense, Truth is not teaching about God that was communicated by Jesus, but it is God’s very reality revealing itself – actually occurring! - in Jesus.
The Greek word that Jesus used when he said “I am the truth” is Aletheia. And it means “something that is disclosed or revealed. Jesus is indeed the alethia, the truth, God’s reality revealed to man.
And we need the Truth. We need the revelation of God’s reality, because all too often God appears hidden. If God is all-powerful, if God is all-loving, If God is not evil, then how could He allow the earthquake and tsunami in Japan?
Honestly, I don’t know. This is a terrible and tragic event. We mourn with all the families of Japan.
But, one thing I do know, while God may be hidden in this tragic event, God has revealed himself specifically in the person of Jesus Christ. When things in life may confuse us, when we are uncertain about what is true and what is real, we see in Jesus, God’s reality revealed, God’s truth for us.
This is truth that is not just correct knowledge of facts but an encounter with CHRIST, truth in the flesh.
Truth is not just an abstract concept. It is a reality. Our God is not just an abstract concept. He is reality. We believe that Jesus still comes to us in a real, tangible way. He comes to us when we hear the voice of Jesus speaking through the words of the bible. He comes when one person tells another the good things God has done.
But as I said in the beginning, when Jesus stood trial, the governor Pontius Pilate asked him the question: "What is truth?"
But Pilate doesn’t care to find out the answer. He just dismisses the subject of the truth altogether, as if Truth is something relative, impossible to know for sure. Yet, all the while, Pilate had THE truth right in front of him. Seems like not much has changed.
Jesus doesn’t give an answer to Pilate, at least not in words. Jesus’ conversation with Pilate was followed by his suffering and death and resurrection. On the cross and at the empty tomb, we learn what truth is.
We would prefer to have our own truth and live life our own way, but the reality is that Christ is the only way. We have the Truth right in front of us. And it is only through Christ - his life, death and resurrection - that we can ever find true hope, true joy and true peace.
-
*As Pastor Paul McCain points out: http://cyberbrethren.com/2010/06/25/does-being-and-remaining-lutheran-still-matter/
Vicar Darren Harbaugh
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”
“What is Truth?” That’s a good question. It was asked 2,000 years ago by Pontius Pilate the Governor of Judea, who was in charge of Jesus’ Trial, and the question is still asked today.
'We live in a time when truth is seen as something relative, impossible to know for sure.' You may have heard people say things like: "I have my truth. You have your truth. As long as we respect our differences, that is all that matters." It seems that today the most important "truth" for many people is their extreme doubt that truth can be known. And there is another “truth” that is equally important, which is: those who claim to know the truth are wrong.*
It seems nice to believe that everyone can have their own truth, however, let’s look at this practically. Let’s say that you were pulled over by a police officer and he told you that you were driving 20 miles an hour over the speed limit. How do you think the officer would react if you said, “Well, you have your truth and I have mine. And I happen to believe that I wasn’t speeding.” Do you think the officer would say, “You know, I respect our differences? Have a nice day?” Yeah…I doubt it.
Have you ever heard of the word “Truthiness”? It was a word made up by comedian Steven Colbert. This word actually made it’s way into the dictionary. Truthiness is defined as "the quality of preferring facts that one simply wishes to be true, rather than facts that are known to be true." Or in other words, Truthiness is when you believe something is true in spite of the facts.
There are a lot of things that we may wish to be true, but that’s truthiness. Truth deals with facts and reality. Either you ate cereal for breakfast, or you didn’t. The truth can make a big difference. Either you paid your taxes this year or you didn’t. It is not possible for multiple, conflicting truths to exist along side one another.
Christians are under no illusions about truth. Christianity is a religion based on facts and reality. It is a historical religion. The accounts of Jesus are eyewitness testimony to the events that they report. For example, the Apostle John wrote: That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life….we proclaim also to you.
Christians do not just believe that Jesus existed and was a good teacher, but rather that he is God, just as He claimed to be.
Some people say Jesus is God. Others say he is not God. It’s either one or the other. It’s not helping anybody to imagine that both opinions are equally true. Jesus made some bold claims. He said things about himself that could only be true of God, so as author C.S. Lewis says, if Jesus is not God, he’s either a lunatic or a liar.
But, we believe that Jesus substantiated his divine claims by rising from the dead. We actually believe that a man rose from the dead. That is basis of the entire Christian faith. This is not truthiness. It’s not something nice that we wish to be true, in spite of the facts. Who would dream up something like the resurrection and choose to make it the pillar of their religion? People just don’t go around rising from the dead. At least, I haven’t run into any. We don’t believe that Jesus rose from the dead because we just “know it from the gut,” we believe it because of multiple eyewitness accounts that are recorded in this book. We believe the resurrection because it is true; it is the most well attested event in ancient history.
The Apostle Paul writes that if Christ has not been raised from the dead, then preaching is in vain and the faith of Christians in in vain. It’s futile. And Christians are of all people to be most pitied.
This is honest. Christians would deserve to be pitied, except for the fact that Jesus did raise from the dead. If that actually happened, which it did, then that’s big. That proves that Jesus is God.
And if Jesus rose from the dead, if He is God, then truth takes on added meaning. Jesus came not just to give us some good teachings, but he came to actually reveal truth to us. Truth is reality, God’s reality. We believe that through Jesus, the Truth, God’s reality, is something that can be known.
For example, look at John 14:6, Speaking about himself, Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except though me.” Jesus was not just claiming to teach people some truths. He was claiming to be THE truth, in the flesh.
In this sense, Truth is not teaching about God that was communicated by Jesus, but it is God’s very reality revealing itself – actually occurring! - in Jesus.
The Greek word that Jesus used when he said “I am the truth” is Aletheia. And it means “something that is disclosed or revealed. Jesus is indeed the alethia, the truth, God’s reality revealed to man.
And we need the Truth. We need the revelation of God’s reality, because all too often God appears hidden. If God is all-powerful, if God is all-loving, If God is not evil, then how could He allow the earthquake and tsunami in Japan?
Honestly, I don’t know. This is a terrible and tragic event. We mourn with all the families of Japan.
But, one thing I do know, while God may be hidden in this tragic event, God has revealed himself specifically in the person of Jesus Christ. When things in life may confuse us, when we are uncertain about what is true and what is real, we see in Jesus, God’s reality revealed, God’s truth for us.
This is truth that is not just correct knowledge of facts but an encounter with CHRIST, truth in the flesh.
Truth is not just an abstract concept. It is a reality. Our God is not just an abstract concept. He is reality. We believe that Jesus still comes to us in a real, tangible way. He comes to us when we hear the voice of Jesus speaking through the words of the bible. He comes when one person tells another the good things God has done.
But as I said in the beginning, when Jesus stood trial, the governor Pontius Pilate asked him the question: "What is truth?"
But Pilate doesn’t care to find out the answer. He just dismisses the subject of the truth altogether, as if Truth is something relative, impossible to know for sure. Yet, all the while, Pilate had THE truth right in front of him. Seems like not much has changed.
Jesus doesn’t give an answer to Pilate, at least not in words. Jesus’ conversation with Pilate was followed by his suffering and death and resurrection. On the cross and at the empty tomb, we learn what truth is.
We would prefer to have our own truth and live life our own way, but the reality is that Christ is the only way. We have the Truth right in front of us. And it is only through Christ - his life, death and resurrection - that we can ever find true hope, true joy and true peace.
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*As Pastor Paul McCain points out: http://cyberbrethren.com/2010/06/25/does-being-and-remaining-lutheran-still-matter/
Monday, February 28, 2011
Epiphany 8 Matthew 6:24-24
Epiphany 8 Matthew 6:24-24
Vicar Darren Harbaugh
What do you do with our gospel reading? We are so far removed from the people that Jesus is speaking to that His words about basic physical need can fly right past us if we’re not careful. Keep in mind that Jesus is not an American; He is a first century Galilean Jew. And he is talking to people that are living hand to mouth. They’re worried about having enough food to feed themselves and their children. They are worried about not having clothes to keep themselves warm.
Does anybody here relate to this? Does this hit home for any of us? Maybe a very few.
It’s no secret, we’re rich. We are not first-century Galilean Jews. We’re Americans and making money is in the fabric of our capitalist, consumer-driven society. Money makes the world go round and we’ve got a lot of it. Even our middle class is unbelievably wealthy. Think about the rest of the world, which we don’t really do all that often because it can get kind of depressing. I once heard that if you own more than one pair of shoes and you get to choose what you eat for lunch, you’re rich. Well, yeah, that’s us.
Unlike the Galileans that Jesus was talking to, we do not have the slightest concern about whether or not we will be fed and clothed. That’s not to say that we don’t worry though. Oh, we have worries, but not that we will starve to death. We worry…that we won’t get the retirement plan we want. We worry that we won’t be able to travel as widely as we’d like in our old age. We worry that we’ll only be able to go to the mall once this week. We worry that we won’t be the first of our friends to own the newest version of the iphone, or ipad or Xbox. Or whatever else is coming out.
But we can quickly see that having money and possessions is not the issue. For example, Abraham and David were very wealthy. The question isn’t: “do you have money and possessions?” It’s “Are you controlled by your money and possessions? Where do you look for your security and identity and meaning? If you lost all your money and pocessions tomorrow, what would that mean for you? Does your money serve you (and by extension others) or are you a slave to your money? Do you trust in the Lord for every provision and acknowledge that every good thing comes from him, or are you anxious and worried about your financial future?
Let’s look more closely at what Jesus says about all this and see what it means for us today.
In verse 24 of our reading, Jesus says that you cannot serve God and money. Being a slave is not a part-time job. It involves total commitment. It is literally impossible to serve two masters. Either you serve God, or you serve money.
How do we become an undivided slave of God? Stop worrying. It’s easier said that done though. Worry is as much a part of our society as materialism is. They seem to go hand in hand. Concern for tomorrow is built into our commercial and economic structures. But worry is a sign that we do not trust God to provide. The people of God are to live “a carefree life of confident dependence on a caring and generous Father,” as R.T. France says. That sounds attractive, but it’s difficult to relate to. The people of God are to be generous toward others, but anxiety about the future devours any thought of this. To us modern Western disciples with 9-5 jobs and mortgages and children to put through school and investment portfolios, Jesus and his wandering band of rag tag disciples may seem like they have more in common with the sensibilities of Haight and Ashbury than of Wall Street.
Jesus is not telling us to become hippies and live in a van down by the river. Just saying, “Don’t worry, be happy” is law. We can’t do it. We even get anxious and worry about the fact that we are not able to stop worrying. We need the gospel. We need a heavenly Father who cares for us and offers us His righteousness and his kingdom. We need someone who feeds us and clothes us physically and spiritually and makes the idea of worrying about money and pocessions laughable.
Starting in verse 25, Jesus tackles this issue of worry and anxiety. And He teaches his disciples with these great questions; a method that was common with rabbis. I don’t know exactly what first century Galilean humor was like, but it seems like Jesus is being kind of silly here.
Jesus says, “Life is more than food, right?” You can see all the disciples following along and nodding, “Yeah.” “And the body is more than clothing, right?” “Yeah.”
“Have you ever seen a bird driving a tractor?” “No.” “Have you ever seen a bird in overalls gathering crops into a little bird barn?” “No.” “Is there an abundance of farms in the Central Valley owned and operated by birds?” “No.”
“Well, your heavenly father feeds the birds and you’re more valuable than a bird, right?” “Yeah.”
It may be a good time for us to pick up bird watching. In fact, Luther says that we are put to shame by the birds. He calls birds: “theologians,” “little saints,” “our lords in teaching us wisdom.” Luther goes on to say:
I guess in this case, it’s a good thing to be a bird brain.
In verse 27, Jesus asks, “Can anyone add an hour to their life by worrying?” “No.” The opposite actually, anxiety shortens your life.
Then in verse 28, Jesus turns to the flowers. Look at the craftsmanship that God put into flowers. Yet, as Luther pointed out, cows walk all over them and eat them. “Flowers do not put in a hard day’s work at the office, right?” “No.” “If God clothes something that is burned for fuel and something that that cows walk on, He will clothe you too, right?” “Yeah”
Jesus then reiterates his point in verses 31 and 32: Don’t worry about food and drink and clothing, this is what the Gentiles worry about. God knows what you need.
There are two types or people. God’s people and everybody else. Everybody else does not know God. They are deceived about what is important in life. They worry about…stuff. But we are God’s people. Our lives are to be characterized by calm confidence in Our father. Why? Our Father knows what we need. Jesus had just got done teaching the disciples the Lord’s Prayer. You’ll notice that the language about ‘Our Heavenly Father’ is still quite evident in this passage as well. Our Heavenly Father feeds the birds and Our Heavenly Father knows what we need even before we ask.
Needing daily bread was very relevant for the people of Jesus’ day. It rang true everyday. Maybe the need isn’t there in the same way for us, but looking to God as Our Father who daily provides for us, is relevant to people of any age, any nation, any race, any socio-economic standing.. The Lord’s Prayer should always be on our lips. We are able to come to Our heavenly Father as little children come to their Father. How awesome is that?
We all know verse 33. Seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you.” God’s kingdom and His righteousness are ours though the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. The one who faced the cross for you will give you the strength to live each day. Christ has redeemed you. He has bought you. He has placed all your worry and anxiety on himself and died for it all on the cross. He has given you his righteousness and the Father has adopted you as his child and heir of his kingdom. Once you have the righteousness of Christ, living as co-heir with Him in the kingdom of God, why sweat the small stuff of life? You don’t need to worry about food or drink or clothing or anything else. You are free. You are released from bondage to worry and anxiety. Our Father knows what you need and he provides for you. You do not provide for yourself. God provides for you physically and spiritually. That is good news.
In Matthew 4:4, Jesus said “man does not live by bread alone.” This is most certainly true. Man does not live by bread alone or bank accounts alone, or investment portfolios alone, or retirement packages alone, or nice cars alone or electronic gadgets alone. What do you live by? You live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
You live by the Word…God’s Word. And here you are fed that Word regularly. Just as at home, you wouldn’t want to miss a meal, why would you want to miss being fed by your Heavenly Father? Missing a weekend at church is like skipping a meal. And today God feeds you with his Word and with his very Body and Blood. God has clothed you with his righteousness in Holy Baptism. Fed and clothed spiritually and physically by our God, we live as the children of God. We are not controlled by money and possessions. Our security and identity and meaning is found in Christ crucified. It’s more than a worry-free philosophy. It the way of life for us as the people of God in our Life Together, united through Christ our Lord.
Vicar Darren Harbaugh
[24 ] “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
[25 ] “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? [26 ] Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? [27 ] And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? [28 ] And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, [29 ] yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. [30 ] But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? [31 ] Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ [32 ] For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. [33 ] But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
[34 ] “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
(Matthew 6:24-34 ESV)
What do you do with our gospel reading? We are so far removed from the people that Jesus is speaking to that His words about basic physical need can fly right past us if we’re not careful. Keep in mind that Jesus is not an American; He is a first century Galilean Jew. And he is talking to people that are living hand to mouth. They’re worried about having enough food to feed themselves and their children. They are worried about not having clothes to keep themselves warm.
Does anybody here relate to this? Does this hit home for any of us? Maybe a very few.
It’s no secret, we’re rich. We are not first-century Galilean Jews. We’re Americans and making money is in the fabric of our capitalist, consumer-driven society. Money makes the world go round and we’ve got a lot of it. Even our middle class is unbelievably wealthy. Think about the rest of the world, which we don’t really do all that often because it can get kind of depressing. I once heard that if you own more than one pair of shoes and you get to choose what you eat for lunch, you’re rich. Well, yeah, that’s us.
Unlike the Galileans that Jesus was talking to, we do not have the slightest concern about whether or not we will be fed and clothed. That’s not to say that we don’t worry though. Oh, we have worries, but not that we will starve to death. We worry…that we won’t get the retirement plan we want. We worry that we won’t be able to travel as widely as we’d like in our old age. We worry that we’ll only be able to go to the mall once this week. We worry that we won’t be the first of our friends to own the newest version of the iphone, or ipad or Xbox. Or whatever else is coming out.
But we can quickly see that having money and possessions is not the issue. For example, Abraham and David were very wealthy. The question isn’t: “do you have money and possessions?” It’s “Are you controlled by your money and possessions? Where do you look for your security and identity and meaning? If you lost all your money and pocessions tomorrow, what would that mean for you? Does your money serve you (and by extension others) or are you a slave to your money? Do you trust in the Lord for every provision and acknowledge that every good thing comes from him, or are you anxious and worried about your financial future?
Let’s look more closely at what Jesus says about all this and see what it means for us today.
In verse 24 of our reading, Jesus says that you cannot serve God and money. Being a slave is not a part-time job. It involves total commitment. It is literally impossible to serve two masters. Either you serve God, or you serve money.
How do we become an undivided slave of God? Stop worrying. It’s easier said that done though. Worry is as much a part of our society as materialism is. They seem to go hand in hand. Concern for tomorrow is built into our commercial and economic structures. But worry is a sign that we do not trust God to provide. The people of God are to live “a carefree life of confident dependence on a caring and generous Father,” as R.T. France says. That sounds attractive, but it’s difficult to relate to. The people of God are to be generous toward others, but anxiety about the future devours any thought of this. To us modern Western disciples with 9-5 jobs and mortgages and children to put through school and investment portfolios, Jesus and his wandering band of rag tag disciples may seem like they have more in common with the sensibilities of Haight and Ashbury than of Wall Street.
Jesus is not telling us to become hippies and live in a van down by the river. Just saying, “Don’t worry, be happy” is law. We can’t do it. We even get anxious and worry about the fact that we are not able to stop worrying. We need the gospel. We need a heavenly Father who cares for us and offers us His righteousness and his kingdom. We need someone who feeds us and clothes us physically and spiritually and makes the idea of worrying about money and pocessions laughable.
Starting in verse 25, Jesus tackles this issue of worry and anxiety. And He teaches his disciples with these great questions; a method that was common with rabbis. I don’t know exactly what first century Galilean humor was like, but it seems like Jesus is being kind of silly here.
Jesus says, “Life is more than food, right?” You can see all the disciples following along and nodding, “Yeah.” “And the body is more than clothing, right?” “Yeah.”
“Have you ever seen a bird driving a tractor?” “No.” “Have you ever seen a bird in overalls gathering crops into a little bird barn?” “No.” “Is there an abundance of farms in the Central Valley owned and operated by birds?” “No.”
“Well, your heavenly father feeds the birds and you’re more valuable than a bird, right?” “Yeah.”
It may be a good time for us to pick up bird watching. In fact, Luther says that we are put to shame by the birds. He calls birds: “theologians,” “little saints,” “our lords in teaching us wisdom.” Luther goes on to say:
A bird does the work for which it was created…and sings to our Lord God a little song for the privilege of doing this. Early in the morning it rises, sits upon a twig and sings a song it has learned, while it knows not where to obtain its food, and yet it is not worried as to where to get its breakfast. Ay, shame on you now, that the little birds are more pious and believing than you; they are happy and sing with joy and know not whether they have anything to eat.
I guess in this case, it’s a good thing to be a bird brain.
In verse 27, Jesus asks, “Can anyone add an hour to their life by worrying?” “No.” The opposite actually, anxiety shortens your life.
Then in verse 28, Jesus turns to the flowers. Look at the craftsmanship that God put into flowers. Yet, as Luther pointed out, cows walk all over them and eat them. “Flowers do not put in a hard day’s work at the office, right?” “No.” “If God clothes something that is burned for fuel and something that that cows walk on, He will clothe you too, right?” “Yeah”
Jesus then reiterates his point in verses 31 and 32: Don’t worry about food and drink and clothing, this is what the Gentiles worry about. God knows what you need.
There are two types or people. God’s people and everybody else. Everybody else does not know God. They are deceived about what is important in life. They worry about…stuff. But we are God’s people. Our lives are to be characterized by calm confidence in Our father. Why? Our Father knows what we need. Jesus had just got done teaching the disciples the Lord’s Prayer. You’ll notice that the language about ‘Our Heavenly Father’ is still quite evident in this passage as well. Our Heavenly Father feeds the birds and Our Heavenly Father knows what we need even before we ask.
Needing daily bread was very relevant for the people of Jesus’ day. It rang true everyday. Maybe the need isn’t there in the same way for us, but looking to God as Our Father who daily provides for us, is relevant to people of any age, any nation, any race, any socio-economic standing.. The Lord’s Prayer should always be on our lips. We are able to come to Our heavenly Father as little children come to their Father. How awesome is that?
We all know verse 33. Seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you.” God’s kingdom and His righteousness are ours though the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. The one who faced the cross for you will give you the strength to live each day. Christ has redeemed you. He has bought you. He has placed all your worry and anxiety on himself and died for it all on the cross. He has given you his righteousness and the Father has adopted you as his child and heir of his kingdom. Once you have the righteousness of Christ, living as co-heir with Him in the kingdom of God, why sweat the small stuff of life? You don’t need to worry about food or drink or clothing or anything else. You are free. You are released from bondage to worry and anxiety. Our Father knows what you need and he provides for you. You do not provide for yourself. God provides for you physically and spiritually. That is good news.
In Matthew 4:4, Jesus said “man does not live by bread alone.” This is most certainly true. Man does not live by bread alone or bank accounts alone, or investment portfolios alone, or retirement packages alone, or nice cars alone or electronic gadgets alone. What do you live by? You live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
You live by the Word…God’s Word. And here you are fed that Word regularly. Just as at home, you wouldn’t want to miss a meal, why would you want to miss being fed by your Heavenly Father? Missing a weekend at church is like skipping a meal. And today God feeds you with his Word and with his very Body and Blood. God has clothed you with his righteousness in Holy Baptism. Fed and clothed spiritually and physically by our God, we live as the children of God. We are not controlled by money and possessions. Our security and identity and meaning is found in Christ crucified. It’s more than a worry-free philosophy. It the way of life for us as the people of God in our Life Together, united through Christ our Lord.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Epiphany 7A - "You will be Holy"
Epiphany 7A - "You will be Holy" - Leviticus 19:2 - Matt 5:48 - I Corinthians 3:16-17
(On the occasion of Polly Bloom Guinta's adoption into the holy, catholic and apostolic church through the sacrament of Holy Baptism)
Vicar Darren Harbaugh
The gospel reading this morning is quite a well-known passage from Jesus’ sermon on the mount. You don’t have to be all that biblically literate to be familiar with some of Jesus’ sayings here: “Turn the other cheek,” “Go the extra mile,” “Love your enemies.”
These sayings work better on bumper stickers than some of Jesus’ other sayings earlier in the chapter. Like, “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Anybody else find the Sermon on the Mount uncomfortable in places? You kind of wish Jesus would tone it down little a bit. For instance, Jesus is says you think you’re basically a good person because you don’t murder or commit adultery, I tell you that are in danger of hell if you get angry or have a lustful thought. Well, if all this weren’t clear enough, Jesus finally says, “You must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
How’s that working out for everybody? You all fine with your level of perfection in turning the other cheek and loving your enemy?
If we examine ourselves, we quickly realize that we are indeed not perfect. Actually, we’re pretty lousy. Ever gossiped, gotten angry, had a lustful thought? Ever cared about yourself more than others? It seems that, according to Jesus, we all deserve judgment.
We need something from outside ourselves to intervene. Because if you look to yourself to provide comfort and assurance of your salvation, you will either quickly become very depressed from the glare of your own imperfection staring back at you in the mirror or you’ll become delusional in your efforts to exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees
So what do we do with this? Well, it’s helpful to see Jesus’ comment on perfection in a larger context. Jesus is referring back to Leviticus 19:2, which reads, “You shall be holy, because I the Lord, your God am holy.” There were two categories for Israel: Yahweh, the Lord God, was holy; everything else was not. This contrast is all over the Bible: I Samuel 2 says, “There is no one holy like the Lord.” Isaiah calls Israel a worm, a nation of sinful corrupt people. But Yahweh is called the Holy One.
For Israel, only God was the creator and source of holiness. God did not give his people commands for them to generate their own holiness. Israel’s holiness comes from God’s holiness. It is outside of themselves. On their own, the Israelites “did what was right in their own eyes” as it says in the book of Judges. Holiness was by God’s grace alone.
God’s laws presuppose that God makes and keeps his people holy. For the people of Israel, God’s gift of holiness was not something that happened a long long time ago and was in the rear view mirror. God’s holiness was ever before their eyes. It was something they kept on receiving.
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What’s this mean for us?
The church is the new Israel. Like the Israelites, we are called to be holy and share in God’s holiness. Each congregation is, as St Paul says, a community of saints, which means “holy ones.”
How are believers made holy today? St. Paul connects it to when God’s Spirit comes to dwell in us. This is particular importance for us today. Listen to Paul’s words to the church from 1 Corinthians 3:
Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?...God’s Temple is holy and you are that temple.
This is awesome. We are not condemned, but rather are are holy.
But, how do you know that the Spirit dwells in you? How do you know that you stand holy and righteous before God? How do you know that you are saved? Think about this. If some one were to ask you, “How do you know that you will be with Christ after you die?” What would you say?
If you became mentally disabled or were in a coma, do you have assurance you would still possess salvation? What if you were physically unable to confess with your mouth that you were a Christian or lost the mental capacity to understand the Christian faith?
What about a baby? What assurance is there for parents that their child has been made holy?
Well, to answer all these questions, St Paul says in Galatians 3:27 – For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ.”
God makes us holy through the perfection of his son Jesus. Through baptism we have been clothed with Christ and with his righteousness. When the Father looks at us, he does not see our imperfections and our sin, He sees Christ whose blood shed on the cross atones for the sin of the world. We are God’s temple and the Holy Spirit dwells in us because we have been clothed with Christ at baptism.
Well, this indeed flies in the face of the wisdom of this world. Honestly, water, probably from the faucet, clothes one with Christ? But it’s not just ordinary water. It’s water combined with the command and promise of God’s Word.
What is this command? St Matthew records the words of our Lord in last chapter of his gospel:
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
This command from our Lord is why many of us are here today. We believe, teach, and confess that when Jesus instructed his followers to make disciples of “all nations” he meant all. Every one, everywhere. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, color, sex, or age. And how does Jesus tell us to make disciples? By baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. He places His holy name on us.
That is the command of our Lord. What are the promises? They are abundant. Believe it or not, baptism actually does something.
St. Mark writes, “Those who believe and are baptized will be saved.” St. Peter says, “Repent and be baptized everyone one of you… for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off.” St Peter also says, “Baptism saves you.” St Paul writes, “God saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” Paul calls baptism the washing of regeneration. New birth. Not long ago, Polly was born, but today she will be born again of water and the spirit as our Savior instructs us to do in John 3.
Baptism isn’t merely a profession of faith that you make. It is God adopting you into his church and making you his child. It is physical and tangible and wet. It is an offense to reason that the creator the universe would choose to come to us in such a simple, mundane manner, but this is the foolishness of God for our salvation.
God saves us not because of what we do or think, but because of what he does for us through the Holy Spirit at Baptism. Yet we don’t want to admit that we are helpless children. We like to find our identity, meaning and significance in ourselves.
Are we holy because of our superior reasoning? No, Rather, God works by defying conventional wisdom. He offers his own son as a sacrifice for us in a cruel, shameful death. He entrusts an uneducated band of fisherman with his message of salvation. Jesus is 100% God and 100% man, at the same time. God is 3 in 1. None of this makes sense. It defies the wisdom of this world. So it follows that God’s means of grace defies that wisdom as well.
So, where do you find assurance of salvation? Do you base your salvation on what you do and what you think? If so, you had better make sure you are perfect. And that your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees.
How do you know that the Spirit dwells in you? Is it because of your ability to confess the faith or capacity to understand?
Dear Christian, turn your eyes from yourself to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We are worms. He is the Holy One.
How do you know you have been made holy; that the Spirit dwells in you? Are you baptized? As we sang in our hymn, “When nothing else revives your soul, your baptism stands and makes you whole and then in death complete you.” God has given you the promise that through baptism you are his disciple. You are clothed with Christ. You are made holy because you have been given the Holy Spirit through the washing of regeneration. You are forgiven from all your sins right now.
You no longer need to be seized by a guilty conscience. You no longer need to be disturbed by sin. You are baptized into Christ. As in, you are currently in a state of baptism.
This is why we make the sign of the cross. This is the sign that will be made over Polly as Christ snatches her from the grip of the devil and proclaims her as His own Child. When we make the sign of the cross when we wake up in the morning and when before we go to bed at night, we daily remember that we have been and daily remain baptized into Christ, whose blood has set us free to be the people of God.
Luther writes in the Large Catechism, “Baptism daily strengthens the new man, always remains until we pass from this present misery to eternal glory. Therefore let everybody regard his Baptism as the daily garment, which he is to wear all the time…As we have once obtained forgiveness of sins in Baptism, so forgiveness remains day by day as long as we live.
“You will be holy, because I the Lord, your God am holy.” That's not a threat. It's a promise.
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
(On the occasion of Polly Bloom Guinta's adoption into the holy, catholic and apostolic church through the sacrament of Holy Baptism)
Vicar Darren Harbaugh
The gospel reading this morning is quite a well-known passage from Jesus’ sermon on the mount. You don’t have to be all that biblically literate to be familiar with some of Jesus’ sayings here: “Turn the other cheek,” “Go the extra mile,” “Love your enemies.”
These sayings work better on bumper stickers than some of Jesus’ other sayings earlier in the chapter. Like, “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Anybody else find the Sermon on the Mount uncomfortable in places? You kind of wish Jesus would tone it down little a bit. For instance, Jesus is says you think you’re basically a good person because you don’t murder or commit adultery, I tell you that are in danger of hell if you get angry or have a lustful thought. Well, if all this weren’t clear enough, Jesus finally says, “You must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
How’s that working out for everybody? You all fine with your level of perfection in turning the other cheek and loving your enemy?
If we examine ourselves, we quickly realize that we are indeed not perfect. Actually, we’re pretty lousy. Ever gossiped, gotten angry, had a lustful thought? Ever cared about yourself more than others? It seems that, according to Jesus, we all deserve judgment.
We need something from outside ourselves to intervene. Because if you look to yourself to provide comfort and assurance of your salvation, you will either quickly become very depressed from the glare of your own imperfection staring back at you in the mirror or you’ll become delusional in your efforts to exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees
So what do we do with this? Well, it’s helpful to see Jesus’ comment on perfection in a larger context. Jesus is referring back to Leviticus 19:2, which reads, “You shall be holy, because I the Lord, your God am holy.” There were two categories for Israel: Yahweh, the Lord God, was holy; everything else was not. This contrast is all over the Bible: I Samuel 2 says, “There is no one holy like the Lord.” Isaiah calls Israel a worm, a nation of sinful corrupt people. But Yahweh is called the Holy One.
For Israel, only God was the creator and source of holiness. God did not give his people commands for them to generate their own holiness. Israel’s holiness comes from God’s holiness. It is outside of themselves. On their own, the Israelites “did what was right in their own eyes” as it says in the book of Judges. Holiness was by God’s grace alone.
God’s laws presuppose that God makes and keeps his people holy. For the people of Israel, God’s gift of holiness was not something that happened a long long time ago and was in the rear view mirror. God’s holiness was ever before their eyes. It was something they kept on receiving.
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What’s this mean for us?
The church is the new Israel. Like the Israelites, we are called to be holy and share in God’s holiness. Each congregation is, as St Paul says, a community of saints, which means “holy ones.”
How are believers made holy today? St. Paul connects it to when God’s Spirit comes to dwell in us. This is particular importance for us today. Listen to Paul’s words to the church from 1 Corinthians 3:
Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?...God’s Temple is holy and you are that temple.
This is awesome. We are not condemned, but rather are are holy.
But, how do you know that the Spirit dwells in you? How do you know that you stand holy and righteous before God? How do you know that you are saved? Think about this. If some one were to ask you, “How do you know that you will be with Christ after you die?” What would you say?
If you became mentally disabled or were in a coma, do you have assurance you would still possess salvation? What if you were physically unable to confess with your mouth that you were a Christian or lost the mental capacity to understand the Christian faith?
What about a baby? What assurance is there for parents that their child has been made holy?
Well, to answer all these questions, St Paul says in Galatians 3:27 – For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ.”
God makes us holy through the perfection of his son Jesus. Through baptism we have been clothed with Christ and with his righteousness. When the Father looks at us, he does not see our imperfections and our sin, He sees Christ whose blood shed on the cross atones for the sin of the world. We are God’s temple and the Holy Spirit dwells in us because we have been clothed with Christ at baptism.
Well, this indeed flies in the face of the wisdom of this world. Honestly, water, probably from the faucet, clothes one with Christ? But it’s not just ordinary water. It’s water combined with the command and promise of God’s Word.
What is this command? St Matthew records the words of our Lord in last chapter of his gospel:
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
This command from our Lord is why many of us are here today. We believe, teach, and confess that when Jesus instructed his followers to make disciples of “all nations” he meant all. Every one, everywhere. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, color, sex, or age. And how does Jesus tell us to make disciples? By baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. He places His holy name on us.
That is the command of our Lord. What are the promises? They are abundant. Believe it or not, baptism actually does something.
St. Mark writes, “Those who believe and are baptized will be saved.” St. Peter says, “Repent and be baptized everyone one of you… for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off.” St Peter also says, “Baptism saves you.” St Paul writes, “God saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” Paul calls baptism the washing of regeneration. New birth. Not long ago, Polly was born, but today she will be born again of water and the spirit as our Savior instructs us to do in John 3.
Baptism isn’t merely a profession of faith that you make. It is God adopting you into his church and making you his child. It is physical and tangible and wet. It is an offense to reason that the creator the universe would choose to come to us in such a simple, mundane manner, but this is the foolishness of God for our salvation.
God saves us not because of what we do or think, but because of what he does for us through the Holy Spirit at Baptism. Yet we don’t want to admit that we are helpless children. We like to find our identity, meaning and significance in ourselves.
Are we holy because of our superior reasoning? No, Rather, God works by defying conventional wisdom. He offers his own son as a sacrifice for us in a cruel, shameful death. He entrusts an uneducated band of fisherman with his message of salvation. Jesus is 100% God and 100% man, at the same time. God is 3 in 1. None of this makes sense. It defies the wisdom of this world. So it follows that God’s means of grace defies that wisdom as well.
So, where do you find assurance of salvation? Do you base your salvation on what you do and what you think? If so, you had better make sure you are perfect. And that your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees.
How do you know that the Spirit dwells in you? Is it because of your ability to confess the faith or capacity to understand?
Dear Christian, turn your eyes from yourself to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We are worms. He is the Holy One.
How do you know you have been made holy; that the Spirit dwells in you? Are you baptized? As we sang in our hymn, “When nothing else revives your soul, your baptism stands and makes you whole and then in death complete you.” God has given you the promise that through baptism you are his disciple. You are clothed with Christ. You are made holy because you have been given the Holy Spirit through the washing of regeneration. You are forgiven from all your sins right now.
You no longer need to be seized by a guilty conscience. You no longer need to be disturbed by sin. You are baptized into Christ. As in, you are currently in a state of baptism.
This is why we make the sign of the cross. This is the sign that will be made over Polly as Christ snatches her from the grip of the devil and proclaims her as His own Child. When we make the sign of the cross when we wake up in the morning and when before we go to bed at night, we daily remember that we have been and daily remain baptized into Christ, whose blood has set us free to be the people of God.
Luther writes in the Large Catechism, “Baptism daily strengthens the new man, always remains until we pass from this present misery to eternal glory. Therefore let everybody regard his Baptism as the daily garment, which he is to wear all the time…As we have once obtained forgiveness of sins in Baptism, so forgiveness remains day by day as long as we live.
“You will be holy, because I the Lord, your God am holy.” That's not a threat. It's a promise.
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Fine outward training
Here's kind of the flipside of what I wrote the other day. It's for our church newsletter.
“Fine Outward Training"
Vicar Darren Harbaugh
Around the country, millions of people are beginning to see the end of a long winter…at least those people who are baseball fans. Many of us eagerly counted down the days until players reported to Spring Training, beginning their month-long time of preparation for the new season. I’m sure that many of you are especially excited this year to see if Lincecum, Posey, Wilson and the rest of the boys can lead the Giants to a repeat of their World Series victory.
During spring training, I like to prepare myself for the long season ahead. I usually spend time watching Ken Burns' Baseball documentary, re-reading classic baseball books like "The Glory of Their Times," and watching great games from the past.
This year, baseball’s Spring Training and the Lenten season overlap fairly nicely. Just as Spring Training is a time of preparation for baseball players (and some rabid fans), Lent is a time of Christian preparation often marked by increased attention devoted to almsgiving, fasting, and prayer (rooted in our Lord’s teaching in Matthew 6:1-18). Lent is a 40 day penitential season, allowing us to repent and examine ourselves as the great feast of the Resurrection of our Lord approaches.
Just as baseball players prepare physically in anticipation of Opening Day and the start of a new season, Christians prepare spiritually in anticipation of the annual celebration of new life through the Easter triumph - the Resurrection of Christ.
There are many ways that we can prepare spiritually.
If you have neglected daily devotions, now is a great time to reintroduce that holy habit. Pick up a Portals of Prayer from the church narthex or order “Treasury of Daily Prayer” (www.cph.org/prayer) to help assist you.
Also, you are invited to attend one of our midweek Lenten services Wednesday at 7PM (proceeded by a dinner at 6). The sermons at these services will focus upon interactions between Jesus and Peter and how these reflect upon our own pride, complacency, misunderstanding, discipleship, and denial.
Perhaps you would like to practice the discipline of fasting by eating more simply on certain days. Traditionally, fasting has meant 1/4 meal for breakfast and lunch, with a simple dinner and abstaining from meat and wine on Fridays.
Just by means of a disclaimer, lest you think the Vicar is trying to introduce a “Romanizing” practice, in the Small Catechism Martin Luther says that fasting is "a fine outward training." It’s a Christian’s Spring Training, so to speak.
Also, the LCMS’ website says: “If a Christian wants to give something up for Lent as a way of remembering and personalizing the great sacrifice that Christ made on the cross for our sins, then that Christian is certainly free to do so.”
Amen! We are free in Christ! And if you do indeed chose to exercise your Christian freedom by fasting, you need not simply “give up” something. As Pastor Wil Weedon writes, “By not eating so much, you actually have more money to give to others who have less than you, and by not fixing elaborate meals, you also have more time to spend in the Word and prayer.
Further, by going hungry each day you experience solidarity with those many members of the human race who also go hungry each day. Above all, we teach ourselves that the hunger behind all hungers is the hunger for God Himself.”
I wish you a blessed Spring Training, er, I mean, Lenten season as we joyfully prepare ourselves spiritually for the coming Easter celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord.
“Fine Outward Training"
Vicar Darren Harbaugh
Around the country, millions of people are beginning to see the end of a long winter…at least those people who are baseball fans. Many of us eagerly counted down the days until players reported to Spring Training, beginning their month-long time of preparation for the new season. I’m sure that many of you are especially excited this year to see if Lincecum, Posey, Wilson and the rest of the boys can lead the Giants to a repeat of their World Series victory.
During spring training, I like to prepare myself for the long season ahead. I usually spend time watching Ken Burns' Baseball documentary, re-reading classic baseball books like "The Glory of Their Times," and watching great games from the past.
This year, baseball’s Spring Training and the Lenten season overlap fairly nicely. Just as Spring Training is a time of preparation for baseball players (and some rabid fans), Lent is a time of Christian preparation often marked by increased attention devoted to almsgiving, fasting, and prayer (rooted in our Lord’s teaching in Matthew 6:1-18). Lent is a 40 day penitential season, allowing us to repent and examine ourselves as the great feast of the Resurrection of our Lord approaches.
Just as baseball players prepare physically in anticipation of Opening Day and the start of a new season, Christians prepare spiritually in anticipation of the annual celebration of new life through the Easter triumph - the Resurrection of Christ.
There are many ways that we can prepare spiritually.
If you have neglected daily devotions, now is a great time to reintroduce that holy habit. Pick up a Portals of Prayer from the church narthex or order “Treasury of Daily Prayer” (www.cph.org/prayer) to help assist you.
Also, you are invited to attend one of our midweek Lenten services Wednesday at 7PM (proceeded by a dinner at 6). The sermons at these services will focus upon interactions between Jesus and Peter and how these reflect upon our own pride, complacency, misunderstanding, discipleship, and denial.
Perhaps you would like to practice the discipline of fasting by eating more simply on certain days. Traditionally, fasting has meant 1/4 meal for breakfast and lunch, with a simple dinner and abstaining from meat and wine on Fridays.
Just by means of a disclaimer, lest you think the Vicar is trying to introduce a “Romanizing” practice, in the Small Catechism Martin Luther says that fasting is "a fine outward training." It’s a Christian’s Spring Training, so to speak.
Also, the LCMS’ website says: “If a Christian wants to give something up for Lent as a way of remembering and personalizing the great sacrifice that Christ made on the cross for our sins, then that Christian is certainly free to do so.”
Amen! We are free in Christ! And if you do indeed chose to exercise your Christian freedom by fasting, you need not simply “give up” something. As Pastor Wil Weedon writes, “By not eating so much, you actually have more money to give to others who have less than you, and by not fixing elaborate meals, you also have more time to spend in the Word and prayer.
Further, by going hungry each day you experience solidarity with those many members of the human race who also go hungry each day. Above all, we teach ourselves that the hunger behind all hungers is the hunger for God Himself.”
I wish you a blessed Spring Training, er, I mean, Lenten season as we joyfully prepare ourselves spiritually for the coming Easter celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
A season of preparation
This year we are fortunate that Lent and baseball Spring Training overlap fairly nicely. It seems that with this intersection of the church/mlb year, 2011 provides opportunity for increased bodily and spiritual preparation in light of our annual celebration of new life and the restoration of all things - The Resurrection of Christ and Opening Day.
Lent is a 40 day penitential season allowing us to repent, examine ourselves and prepare for the Great Feast of the Resurrection of our Lord.
Spring training is a month-long (plus 2 weeks for pitchers and catcher) time of preparation for the new season. As Lent is a time of Christian preparation marked by increased attention devoted to fasting, almsgiving, and prayer, I submit that Spring training may also mark for us a period of baseball preparation.
Here are proposals:
-Abstain from watching, reading about, or following any sport except baseball. Avert your eyes from NBA, NFL, NHL, and NCAA news and event. It will help cleanse your mind and help prepare you for the long season ahead.
- Set aside money dedicated to purchasing mlb.tv or a tickets to few games this season.
-Spend time mediating on the testimony of those who have gone before us. Watch Ken Burns' Baseball documentary. Go to itunes and peruse "Baseball's Best Games." I plan on watching Game 5 of the 1984 World Series, perhaps 1991 WS Game 7, or 2001 WS game 7. Read, mark and learn the inspired words of "Ball Four" or "The Glory of Their Times" or "Bill James' Historical Baseball Abstract." If you have not inwardly digested these books, examine yourself. Repent. You obviously have not experienced the good news of baseball. It is my fervent desire for all who endure the crush of defeat to be comforted by the pure joy of baseball so that we all believe, teach and confess in one accord.
Lent is a 40 day penitential season allowing us to repent, examine ourselves and prepare for the Great Feast of the Resurrection of our Lord.
Spring training is a month-long (plus 2 weeks for pitchers and catcher) time of preparation for the new season. As Lent is a time of Christian preparation marked by increased attention devoted to fasting, almsgiving, and prayer, I submit that Spring training may also mark for us a period of baseball preparation.
Here are proposals:
-Abstain from watching, reading about, or following any sport except baseball. Avert your eyes from NBA, NFL, NHL, and NCAA news and event. It will help cleanse your mind and help prepare you for the long season ahead.
- Set aside money dedicated to purchasing mlb.tv or a tickets to few games this season.
-Spend time mediating on the testimony of those who have gone before us. Watch Ken Burns' Baseball documentary. Go to itunes and peruse "Baseball's Best Games." I plan on watching Game 5 of the 1984 World Series, perhaps 1991 WS Game 7, or 2001 WS game 7. Read, mark and learn the inspired words of "Ball Four" or "The Glory of Their Times" or "Bill James' Historical Baseball Abstract." If you have not inwardly digested these books, examine yourself. Repent. You obviously have not experienced the good news of baseball. It is my fervent desire for all who endure the crush of defeat to be comforted by the pure joy of baseball so that we all believe, teach and confess in one accord.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Street Art
We had an enjoyable time at SFMOMA the other day. Great stuff there, photo, art things. A 'bible' with all the letters rearranged in alphabetical order. Don't know what I think about that one, but it was interesting. I remembered it. It was better than the naked people stuff. They had a show on wine and art. You got to smell wine. Yum. There was a cool photo show, with photos from all around the world. Reminiscencings and whatnot galore. We then got a bite to eat in the delicious cafe and noticed a guy taking a poop on the sidewalk across the street.
SF day in the park
I enjoy San Francisco. It's a delightful odd town. We walked around Delores Park the other day after eating some tasty baked goods. It was a sunny day and the park was filled with people lounging on the grass. There was the token drag queenish flamboyant crowd, also a large group of people hula hooping, others walking on a tightrope, other assorted normal folk, fartsniffers, hippies, hipsters, moms and babies. My favorite moment was when a guy that looked like a 19th century ringmaster/snake oil salesman (with top hat, tuxedo, handle bar mustasche and spats) looked at a girl that walked by in some sort of see-through lingerie outfit and rolling his eyes he said, "A bit much, don't you think?"
Monday, January 24, 2011
Epiphany 3 - “Perfect Unity through the Cross of Christ” I Corinthians 1:10-18
Epiphany 3
I Corinthians 1:10-18
“Perfect Unity through the Cross of Christ”
Vicar Darren Harbaugh
If you think about it, church is a unique place compared to the rest of our society. Where else do a bunch of people get together and sing songs, listen to some one talk to them, and speak the same words out loud together? We say the creed, dozens of us speaking the same thing in unison. Well, then there are those awkward times like when I accidentally start saying the Nicene Creed instead of the Apostles’ Creed. Or I skip a line and sing the wrong stanza of a hymn. I’m sure none of you have ever done that though. I think a couple weeks ago I sang a whole verse before I realized that I was he only one singing those words. Ever notice how, in church, when one person is off, it can throw off the unity of everyone around them? It can even disrupt the unity of the whole group.
In our Epistle reading St. Paul says in verse 10: “I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.”
I. “Speaking the same thing” (I Corinthians 1:10)
Notice the phrase “that all of you agree.” This literally means “that all of you speak the same thing.” When we recite the creed it is a sign that we agree; that we are on the same page, speaking the same thing
A. A Schizo-Phrenic Church (I Corinthians 1:12-13)
Unfortunately, the church in Corinth was not on the same page. Paul appealed to them to be united in the same mind, with no divisions. But they were schismatic or literally schizophrenic: “schizo” meaning split; and “phrenic” meaning mind. They had a split mind. They each claimed to follow a different leader. There were divisions and cliques. It was a divided church body.
B Perfectly- united
It was Paul’s desire that this church - with a split mind - would be united in mind and judgment. The word “united” that Paul uses was, at that time, a household word used to describe completeness from blending different parts into a whole; becoming perfectly united. For example, someone may perfectly unite pieces of cloth by sewing them together, making an article of clothing or a quilt. A cook perfectly unites ingredients in a dish of food by properly blending them to make the dish perfect and tasty to eat. Paul wanted the household of faith to be perfectly united as well.
C. The Number One Answer to Any Question.
Notice in the very beginning of our reading that Paul’s appeals to them in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is key. He brings it back to the basics. For those of you who teach Sunday School, what is the number one answer to any question? Jesus. Doesn’t matter what the question is, you gotta know that Jesus is gonna be the answer sooner of later. This has also proved to be true for me in the seminary studies as well.
1. All to the Service of Christ.
No matter was happens in church life, the answer is Jesus. Everything must be to the service of Christ. Whatever the issue: the color of the carpet, the Christmas decorations, the church sign, the coffee and snacks for fellowship, the music, children’s programs, the bulletins, the newsletter, the budget, committees and meetings, whatever it is, it must all be to the service of Christ.
2. Our Own Opinions and Agendas Come Before Christ
But if we truly examine ourselves, it seems that all too often, our own opinions and agendas come before Christ. We are reluctant to serve and strive for unity in our life together as the body of Christ. Instead of “speaking the same thing”, we often resemble the Corinthians, the church with a split mind. We all have the selfish tendency to want ourselves and our ideas to take center stage. We do not all speak the same thing. We do not all perfectly blend as ingredients. With us, it is as if each ingredient of a recipe began telling the cook how to prepare his meal. Needless to say, too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the soup.
II. The Cross Crucifies Our Pride and the Sinful Desire for Glory (Galatians 2:20, Romans 6:4)
A. God’s mercy heals all our bodily disease (physically and congregationally)
But we don’t just spoil the soup. We’ve spoiled everything because of our disease called sin. Our gospel reading mentions the amazing healing ministry of Jesus and we indeed pray for God’s mercy to heal us from our physical sickness and disease, but we should also pray that God may heal our spiritual diseases - division, disunity and the split mind of the body of Christ – internationally, nationally, and locally right here in our own congregation. Each of us is infected with the “me-first” disease. We want everything to be about us, Isn’t it amazing how our sinful mind wants to take the focus off of God and other and place it on ourselves and what we do?
What are our ideas and opinions in comparison to Christ? We honestly sabotage the work of Christ, for what? Self glorification. How easy is it to sit here and think, “Oh yeah, there are a lot of people I know that need to stop thinking of themselves.” Or “It’s too bad that so-and-so isn’t here now to hear this message. It is you. It is me. It is everyone of us. We all need to look in the mirror and ask ourselves, what am I doing, or not doing, that is spreading the disease of division and disunity?
B. The Christian life is Christ-centered and cross- focused. (I Corinthians 1:23)
What is the cure for our disease? It’s ok, you can pretend that you are in Sunday school again. What’s the cure for our disease? Jesus! Correct! Jesus! We are Lutherans, and dog gone it, we’ve got to get this right. We preach Christ crucified. Or as they say on my favorite radio program, Issues etc: We are Christ-centered and cross- focused.
1. We’ve got the cure (1 Corinthians 1:18, Isaiah 9:6-7)
We’re got the cure. But Jesus is an different like of doctor than we are used to. You are not healed because of how much we love Jesus. You are not healed because Jesus is your friend. The cure of Christ? Death. He was crucified on a cross and you are crucified with him, your sin is nailed to that cross, nevertheless you live because Christ lives in you. You live by faith in the son of God who loves you and gave His life for you. What if you were sick and a doctor told you, “I got just the perscription. You’re going to die. Then…” Hold up. Excuse me? It sounds foolish.
St Paul says, “The word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” We are the ones being saved. We’ve got the medicine that will heal the entire world! We are not like the people sitting in darkness. We want the spotlight to shine on us, but God has a different idea, through the word of the cross, Christ’s wisdom has broken forth in power, shining upon us and it continues to shine upon us. Through the word of the cross, Christ unites all those who wander and walk apart. It is only through Christ and that unity is achieved. Only he can heal our split mind and our me-first disease. Our Old Testament reading reminds us that it is only the Prince of Peace who brings true peace and unity.
2. We have seen the light (Psalm 27:1) (Matthew 4:17)
Often, our path becomes darkened or confused or troubled because Satan works to cause disunity. When this happens, we remember that we are children of the light, and we follow the one true light. Has anyone ever taken your picture with a blinding flash in a dark room? Afterwards, that flash remains in your vision like an imprint upon your retnas. As it says in our Gospel reading, we have seen a great light. The imprint of Christ and his cross is ever before us. We see the world through the eyes of faith, through Jesus-colored glasses.
With Christ and his cross ever before us, we respond to Christ’s call to live lives of repentance. Perfect unity requires repentance; Repentance of our sinful desire to cling to our own personal opinions and agenda. You came here and repented and were forgiven by the pastor who is here as the “Jesus Guy”, in the stead and by the command of Christ, announcing the grace of God to all of you. The pastor delivers Christ’s healing medicine of forgiveness to his church.
C. One Lord, One faith, One Baptism (Eph 4:3-6)
And we are the church. There is one body, one spirit, one hope, one mind. We have one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and father of all. This is the gracious reality of Christ’s true church. Thanks be to God that through baptism He has crucified and buried our sinful desires that cause disunity, so that through the Gospel we might rise to new life in perfect unity in Christ. Enlightened by the word of the cross - the life, death and resurrection of Christ - we at West Portal Lutheran Church strive to speak the same thing together, to receive restoration of our split mind, to be healed of our “me-first” disease, and to be perfectly united together in Christ who grants us forgiveness of our sins, salvation, and eternal life together. Amen.
I Corinthians 1:10-18
“Perfect Unity through the Cross of Christ”
Vicar Darren Harbaugh
If you think about it, church is a unique place compared to the rest of our society. Where else do a bunch of people get together and sing songs, listen to some one talk to them, and speak the same words out loud together? We say the creed, dozens of us speaking the same thing in unison. Well, then there are those awkward times like when I accidentally start saying the Nicene Creed instead of the Apostles’ Creed. Or I skip a line and sing the wrong stanza of a hymn. I’m sure none of you have ever done that though. I think a couple weeks ago I sang a whole verse before I realized that I was he only one singing those words. Ever notice how, in church, when one person is off, it can throw off the unity of everyone around them? It can even disrupt the unity of the whole group.
In our Epistle reading St. Paul says in verse 10: “I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.”
I. “Speaking the same thing” (I Corinthians 1:10)
Notice the phrase “that all of you agree.” This literally means “that all of you speak the same thing.” When we recite the creed it is a sign that we agree; that we are on the same page, speaking the same thing
A. A Schizo-Phrenic Church (I Corinthians 1:12-13)
Unfortunately, the church in Corinth was not on the same page. Paul appealed to them to be united in the same mind, with no divisions. But they were schismatic or literally schizophrenic: “schizo” meaning split; and “phrenic” meaning mind. They had a split mind. They each claimed to follow a different leader. There were divisions and cliques. It was a divided church body.
B Perfectly- united
It was Paul’s desire that this church - with a split mind - would be united in mind and judgment. The word “united” that Paul uses was, at that time, a household word used to describe completeness from blending different parts into a whole; becoming perfectly united. For example, someone may perfectly unite pieces of cloth by sewing them together, making an article of clothing or a quilt. A cook perfectly unites ingredients in a dish of food by properly blending them to make the dish perfect and tasty to eat. Paul wanted the household of faith to be perfectly united as well.
C. The Number One Answer to Any Question.
Notice in the very beginning of our reading that Paul’s appeals to them in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is key. He brings it back to the basics. For those of you who teach Sunday School, what is the number one answer to any question? Jesus. Doesn’t matter what the question is, you gotta know that Jesus is gonna be the answer sooner of later. This has also proved to be true for me in the seminary studies as well.
1. All to the Service of Christ.
No matter was happens in church life, the answer is Jesus. Everything must be to the service of Christ. Whatever the issue: the color of the carpet, the Christmas decorations, the church sign, the coffee and snacks for fellowship, the music, children’s programs, the bulletins, the newsletter, the budget, committees and meetings, whatever it is, it must all be to the service of Christ.
2. Our Own Opinions and Agendas Come Before Christ
But if we truly examine ourselves, it seems that all too often, our own opinions and agendas come before Christ. We are reluctant to serve and strive for unity in our life together as the body of Christ. Instead of “speaking the same thing”, we often resemble the Corinthians, the church with a split mind. We all have the selfish tendency to want ourselves and our ideas to take center stage. We do not all speak the same thing. We do not all perfectly blend as ingredients. With us, it is as if each ingredient of a recipe began telling the cook how to prepare his meal. Needless to say, too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the soup.
II. The Cross Crucifies Our Pride and the Sinful Desire for Glory (Galatians 2:20, Romans 6:4)
A. God’s mercy heals all our bodily disease (physically and congregationally)
But we don’t just spoil the soup. We’ve spoiled everything because of our disease called sin. Our gospel reading mentions the amazing healing ministry of Jesus and we indeed pray for God’s mercy to heal us from our physical sickness and disease, but we should also pray that God may heal our spiritual diseases - division, disunity and the split mind of the body of Christ – internationally, nationally, and locally right here in our own congregation. Each of us is infected with the “me-first” disease. We want everything to be about us, Isn’t it amazing how our sinful mind wants to take the focus off of God and other and place it on ourselves and what we do?
What are our ideas and opinions in comparison to Christ? We honestly sabotage the work of Christ, for what? Self glorification. How easy is it to sit here and think, “Oh yeah, there are a lot of people I know that need to stop thinking of themselves.” Or “It’s too bad that so-and-so isn’t here now to hear this message. It is you. It is me. It is everyone of us. We all need to look in the mirror and ask ourselves, what am I doing, or not doing, that is spreading the disease of division and disunity?
B. The Christian life is Christ-centered and cross- focused. (I Corinthians 1:23)
What is the cure for our disease? It’s ok, you can pretend that you are in Sunday school again. What’s the cure for our disease? Jesus! Correct! Jesus! We are Lutherans, and dog gone it, we’ve got to get this right. We preach Christ crucified. Or as they say on my favorite radio program, Issues etc: We are Christ-centered and cross- focused.
1. We’ve got the cure (1 Corinthians 1:18, Isaiah 9:6-7)
We’re got the cure. But Jesus is an different like of doctor than we are used to. You are not healed because of how much we love Jesus. You are not healed because Jesus is your friend. The cure of Christ? Death. He was crucified on a cross and you are crucified with him, your sin is nailed to that cross, nevertheless you live because Christ lives in you. You live by faith in the son of God who loves you and gave His life for you. What if you were sick and a doctor told you, “I got just the perscription. You’re going to die. Then…” Hold up. Excuse me? It sounds foolish.
St Paul says, “The word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” We are the ones being saved. We’ve got the medicine that will heal the entire world! We are not like the people sitting in darkness. We want the spotlight to shine on us, but God has a different idea, through the word of the cross, Christ’s wisdom has broken forth in power, shining upon us and it continues to shine upon us. Through the word of the cross, Christ unites all those who wander and walk apart. It is only through Christ and that unity is achieved. Only he can heal our split mind and our me-first disease. Our Old Testament reading reminds us that it is only the Prince of Peace who brings true peace and unity.
2. We have seen the light (Psalm 27:1) (Matthew 4:17)
Often, our path becomes darkened or confused or troubled because Satan works to cause disunity. When this happens, we remember that we are children of the light, and we follow the one true light. Has anyone ever taken your picture with a blinding flash in a dark room? Afterwards, that flash remains in your vision like an imprint upon your retnas. As it says in our Gospel reading, we have seen a great light. The imprint of Christ and his cross is ever before us. We see the world through the eyes of faith, through Jesus-colored glasses.
With Christ and his cross ever before us, we respond to Christ’s call to live lives of repentance. Perfect unity requires repentance; Repentance of our sinful desire to cling to our own personal opinions and agenda. You came here and repented and were forgiven by the pastor who is here as the “Jesus Guy”, in the stead and by the command of Christ, announcing the grace of God to all of you. The pastor delivers Christ’s healing medicine of forgiveness to his church.
C. One Lord, One faith, One Baptism (Eph 4:3-6)
And we are the church. There is one body, one spirit, one hope, one mind. We have one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and father of all. This is the gracious reality of Christ’s true church. Thanks be to God that through baptism He has crucified and buried our sinful desires that cause disunity, so that through the Gospel we might rise to new life in perfect unity in Christ. Enlightened by the word of the cross - the life, death and resurrection of Christ - we at West Portal Lutheran Church strive to speak the same thing together, to receive restoration of our split mind, to be healed of our “me-first” disease, and to be perfectly united together in Christ who grants us forgiveness of our sins, salvation, and eternal life together. Amen.
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