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.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
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.
-
*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.
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