Looking at the Lessons - Advent 3 gospel Matthew 11:2-10

Can you take a spaceship to heaven?  How did a leopard get its spots? Take a listen to Looking at the Lessons with Pastor Darren Harbaugh, June and Sam as we look at Matthew 11:2-10, the appointed Gospel lesson for Advent 3 2018

soundcloud.com/user-794642312/advent-3-gospel-2018

Happy New Year! You are Baptized!

Happy 2016!  You know that song Auld Lang Syne? It’s the one you hear every New Year’s Eve that no one can understand.  That phrase is Scottish and is translated “old long since” or perhaps better understood as “times gone by.”  It’s a song reminiscing on (and drinking “a cup of kindness” for) the good old days.  The founder of The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, C.F.W. Walther, had quite a different perspective as the new year approached: 

"Should the Christian stand all day long at the grave of all joys which he enjoyed in past years? Through Holy Baptism a great stream of joy has been conducted in his heart, which does not drain away, but streams forward with his life until its waves carry him into the sea of a blessed eternity. Should the Christian be reminded all day long that the flowers of his youth fall more and more? He stands planted by God in the water of his Baptism as a palm tree which becomes greener and greener and whose leaves never wither. Yes, his Baptism makes death for him like a short winter's nap, out of which an eternal spring--an eternal youth—follow”

We Christians have the hope of eternal youth!  The old is gone and the new has come.  We experience a daily rebirth.  I am reminded of images where the passing year is represented by an old man with a long white beard carrying an hourglass and sickle and the new year is imagined as a baby in diapers wearing a top hat. Perhaps not exactly a biblical image, but to me it brings to mind that we Christians  put off the old man (sin) and put on the new man (Christ), not just yearly, but daily.  We daily remember that we are baptized.  This is Walther’s hope for the New Year as well.

”Now then, all of you who believe in God's Word, let your watchword for entering the new year be this: 'I am baptized!' Although the world may laugh at this comfort, the enthusiasts vex its confidence . . . nevertheless, abandon any other dearly held pledges and speak only throughout the entire year to come, in all terrors of conscience and necessity through sin and death: 'I am baptized! I am baptized! Hallelujah!' And you shall prevail! In every time of need, you will find comfort in your Baptism; on account of it Satan will flee from your faith and confession; and in death you will see heaven opened and will finally come into the joy of your Lord to celebrate a great year of jubilee, a year of praise, with all the angels forever and ever. Amen!”

I know a fellow believer, who if you ask him, “How are you?,” his response is often “I am baptized!”  Seems to be a pretty good answer to me.  As Walther reminds us: “Baptism is a bath that washed me not only once when I received it – washed me pure with Christ’s blood – but it continuously washes me clean even daily for as long as I hold it in faith.”

There are lots of pledges and resolutions we can make for the New Year, but our greatest comfort and joy comes from our baptism.  If we are to drink “a cup of kindness” in remembrance of anything, let us toast to our baptisms!  

Note: The quote from C.F.W. Walther comes via Treasury of Daily Prayer (or the PrayNow mobile app), a great resource I highly recommend for devotional use.

What Child is This?

What Child is This? – Luke 1:40-52 – Christmas 2 2016

Concordia Lutheran Church – Columbus, Ohio – Rev. Darren M. Harbaugh

I’m sure it’s happened to you before.  You go to the store with your family.  Something catches your eye.  Before you know it, your spouse asks, “Where’s the kid?”  

A missing child.  It’s our worst nightmare. So there’s a lot in our gospel reading that causes us to sympathize with Mary and Joseph. 

But this is more than simply a story about a lost kid.  This reading draws attention to who Jesus is – the very Son of God.  And it’s my prayer today that you too remember who Jesus is…and that this brings you comfort in the midst of your troubles.

-

In our reading from Luke, Jesus and his family have traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover feast.  And as they are returning home, Mary and Joseph begin to panic when they are unable to find their son among all their relatives and friends. They return to Jerusalem and they find him in the temple…sitting among the teachers…astonishing them with his questions and answers.  It’s a great story…But…Jesus’ mother was not amused.  They had been looking for him for 3 days.

She says to him, “Son, why have you done this do us?  Look, your father and I have been worried sick searching for you.”  Perhaps a similar thing would come out of our mouths if we found ourselves in that situation.

But notice Jesus’ response to his mother.  He says, “Why is it that you were looking for me?  Didn’t you know that I must be in my father’s house?”

Now…it kind of sounds like this 12-year old is giving his mom a little lip, doesn’t it?  But remember who he is.  This isn’t some 7th grader that wants to spend time at a friend’s house.

Yes, Mary and Joseph were freaking out.  Yes, 3 days had passed since they’d last seen their son.  Yes, they had experienced some serious trauma from this whole event.  However, when it comes down to it, the fact is, they had forgotten who their son was.  They should have known that it was completely appropriate for the Son of God to be in his Father’s house, discussing God’s Word.

What was Jesus doing in the Temple?  He was revealing who he was.  Everyone was amazed at his understanding and his answers.  He wasn’t merely sharing interesting facts that he had picked up from Jeopardy or Trivial Pursuit.  The questions and answers of this 12 year old boy displayed for the teachers of Israel that this was indeed the divine Son of the Father.

You’ve got to imagine that this boy’s questions and answers were similar to those he used later in life with the religious authorities.  Like when Jesus said to them, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” or “The baptism of John, from where did it come?  From heaven or from man?” or “Why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?” or “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.”

And remember again what time of year this episode with the boy Jesus occurred.  Since it was Passover, Jesus likely discussed the Passover sacrifice and prophesies about the coming messiah.  Imagine that. The 12 year old Jesus speaking to the well-educated teachers about the sacrificial death of the coming one - the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world -  who would be led to slaughter; this messiah who would be pieced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities;  the Christ, who would be punished to bring us peace, who would bring healing though his wounds.

Now we don’t know any of the specifics of Jesus’ conversations with the teachers in the temple, but they had to be saying to themselves.  Who is this kid?  Indeed.  What child is this? Nails, spear shall pierce him through.  The cross be borne for me, for you.  Hail, hail, the Word made flesh.  The babe, the son of Mary.

Jesus is the son of the Father.  The Son whose Father had sent him to work salvation for us sinners.

As our reading from Ephesians tells us, God the Father loves us so much that he chose us from the foundation of the world, He predestined us for adoption as sons through his son Jesus Christ.  In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he has lavished upon us...In him we have obtained an eternal inheritance.

And this mystery of salvation was just beginning to be revealed through the young boy in the temple

-

So...while we can sympathize with Mary…While we can understand the fears of a Mother who’s lost her child…we’ve got to recognize what’s going on here.  On first glance, Jesus’ response to his worried mother’s scolding may seem harsh and unreasonable. “Why were you looking for me?  Didn’t you know?”

But if we consider who Jesus is, his response in fact is quite gentle and respectful.  Remember, He is the perfect messiah…and he is humbly reminding his parents of the truths that they had been given 12 years earlier about who their son was…and about his purpose in coming to earth.  Mary and Joseph had neglected and forgotten the words that should have guided them and helped them when they were so worried.

They had forgotten the words of the angel Gabriel who had told Mary: “you will…bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High… and of his kingdom there will be no end.… the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.”

They had forgotten what the angel had told Joseph: “Your son is from the Holy Spirit..He will save his people from their sins”

They had forgotten what the Elizabeth had said to Mary: “Blessed is the fruit of your womb!...Why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”

They had forgotten the words the angel spoke to the shepherds: “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

They had forgotten the words of the angel choir who rejoiced at their sons’ birth saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased”

Mary and Joseph had forgotten the words of Simeon who had held their son in his arms and said, “Lord, my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all people.”

Mary and Joseph had forgotten quite a bit…and the boy Jesus was lovingly reminding his parents about these promises.  He was pointing out where their help is found when are worried, or fearful or in any sort of distress.

-This is an important reminder for us as well.  The amazing promises of Christmas are still fresh in our minds, so let us take Christ’s words of promise to heart as we face the troubles of our own lives.

-Let us accept, in humble repentance, the gentle correction of the Lord.  Jesus answered his mother Mary with a loving rebuke and often God’s word does the same to us.  We are God’s chosen people, but we are also very confused and troubled people as well.  God’s word directs us to truths about Christ that need to be known and constantly remembered.

Remember God rebukes those whom he loves.  When the disciples where in a storm, Jesus pointed out their little faith to them.  They had forgotten that Jesus was the Lord of Creation, that he had repeatedly told them of the great things that he and they would do in the future.

Consider also, Christ’s loving rebuke of Thomas when that doubting disciple neglected Jesus’ predictions that he would rise from the dead; his claims that he was the true messiah, the resurrection and the life.

What about us?  We each face problems of many shapes and sizes.  Health concerns.  Worries about finances.  Anxiety over the future. We each encounter a multitude of questions and doubts – “Where is the Lord now?  Does he really love us?”

And perhaps you feel quite justified about your worries and doubts. “Why are you doing this to me, God?  Don’t you know what I’ve been going through?  I’ve been worried sick.” But like Mary and Joseph, we grieve the Lord by neglecting the truths and promises of his Word.  And frankly, this behavior is sinful.  

We become fearful.  We complain.  We doubt, and by doing this, we are robbing ourselves of the comfort and encouragement that Christ wants us to have.  Listen to his word.  Gladly hear it and learn it.  Christ is constantly speaking to you through his word. In the midst of your weakness, in the middle of your confused thinking…Christ is continually speaking, delivering to you to his word of truth.  His word which is the only thing that will revive you.  And when, through the power of the Holy Spirit, you have discovered once again the encouragement of God’s word, Christ urges you to not forget it.  Keep God’s promises ever before your eyes, ever on your lips.  Speak of his promises.  Speak of them to your children and your grandchildren, speak of them when you rise in the morning and when you lay down to sleep at night.  Speak of them when you leave your house and when you return.    

Cling to the promises of God.  In your complaining, in your confused thinking, in your doubt, God’s Word reminds you of who Jesus is – He the Son of God, the true Passover lamb that takes away the sin of the world.  He is your savior and mine.  In his word, his mercy and his grace are freely offered. You are forgiven.  His word gives you life and comfort and strength when troubles threaten.  In the name of Jesus. Amen.

TS Elliot on the new year

I am not eager to rehearse 

My thoughts and theory which you have forgotten. 

These things have served their purpose: let them be. 

So with your own, and pray they be forgiven 

By others, as I pray you to forgive

Both bad and good. Last season's fruit is eaten 

And the fullfed beast shall kick the empty pail. 

For last year's words belong to last year's language 

And next year's words await another voice.

Hello deer

There's a big deer statue overlooking the Scioto River here in Columbus. It's pretty cool but kind of freaks me out.  I think its because it reminds me of that creepy Minotour thing that Sean Connery fights in Time Bandits.

Christmas Eve Sermon - Mysterous Good News

Christmas Eve 2015 - Luke 2;1-20 - Mysterious Good News

Tonight we come to celebrate the birth of Jesus. We hear that familiar reading from Luke 2…the same old story that we hear every year.  But wrapped inside this familiar story is a great mystery. An incredible truth that confounds the most educated people in the world...yet is something that even little children can comprehend.  A kindergartener can tell you that Jesus was born in a manger and can believe that Christ is savior of the world.

            On the very first Christmas, Almighty God, maker of Heaven and Earth, revealed himself in the newborn flesh of the Christ Child.  You want to know God? You think he’s too mysterious or distant or beyond your understanding? Well, then, look at the manger.  Look at the Christ Child.  Here, the mystery of God is revealed. 

            Scripture often speaks of light coming to dark places. This is precisely how God reveals his greatest mystery, the one that was hidden from the foundation of the world…He sheds some light on the subject.  Consider that evening in the countryside of Judea so many years ago. The shepherds were out in the fields.  Not much to do but sit under the stars and keep an eye out for straying sheep. Lots of silence and solitude.  And darkness.

            Then, like someone flashing a camera bulb, or flicking on a light switch in a pitch black room…there was a brilliant light.  An angel appeared, the glory of the Lord lit up the sky, and the hills, and the trees, and the sheep, and the grass, the shepherds’ awestruck faces.

            This intense light was also how God appeared to his people Israel in the Old Testament – as a pillar of fire in the night sky, or his glory filling the temple.   Yet the mysterious glory of the Lord that the shepherds saw was a sign that God was physically present in a different way…

            The shepherds are terrified; paralyzed with trembling and fear…as the angel delivers his message. A message that’s good news, of great joy for all the people - “Unto you is born today in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be the sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.

            It’s all too much to take in. A Savior! The long awaited Christ, the Messiah has come! The Lord, Yahweh, the God of Israel himself, is present..not in a pillar of fire…or in a temple, but in the flesh and blood of a tiny baby, lying a wooden manger where the animals feed. 

            But the greatest mystery of all is this: The angel said, “unto you” a savior is born. This is a sign for you.  Why would the Lord of heaven and earth care to reveal himself to poor shepherds?

            But before there’s even a moment to consider all this incredible news, suddenly “a multitude of the heavenly host appears.”  Meaning a battalion of angelic soldiers arrives on the scene.  The night sky is not filled with fat floating babies with wings.  No, God has called in Supernatural Special Forces of the Heavens for this job.

And they all speak in union, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth, peace to those with whom he is pleased.”  Then as suddenly as they appeared, they’re gone.  Darkness and silence once again.

           

-2000 years ago, God revealed his good news to lowly shepherds.  Today God still reveals that good news of great joy which is for you.  Promising peace among those with whom he is pleased.

            Well, that makes you think.  What causes God to be pleased…with YOU? What do you do to deserve his love? You and I don’t even talk to God all that much.  If we stood before God and he examined our calendars and our pocketbooks, He wouldn’t find evidence that He’s much a priority in our lives.  When your angry thoughts and hateful words and spiteful actions are all piled up, what is there that God sees that makes him love you? 

            Is it because you’re basically a good person?  Not according to God’s standard. His law says that if you even have a single hateful thought toward another person , you’re in danger of hell. 

            Not one of us can honestly say that we have no sin to repent of or that there’s nothing that we need to change.  God’s light shines on the dark places of your life.  The places that no one else can see.  When His light shines on us and our sin, it’s terrifying.  But as the angel said to the shepherds.  “Don’t be afraid.”

God has a message for you - good news of great joy for all people. A child has been born. God is pleased with you and he loves you because of His Son Jesus Christ. 

In Christ, the mystery is revealed: God became man.  For you.  God, who is so righteous and powerful that it boggles the mind, has taken on human flesh for you.  To save you.  The Father loved you so much that he sent his Son to be born, to live and die for you, to forgive you of all your sins…as He bears their penalty on the cross.  He’s your Savior.  Christ the Lord.  Christmas is all about the birth of Christ. And the birth of Christ is really the story of God’s grace for you.

            The all-powerful, all-knowing God spent 9 months in a womb. Any time you’ve changed a baby’s diapers, given them a bath, rocked them to sleep, remember… that’s what Mary did to God Almighty.  God humbled himself in this way because he loves you that much.  He endured all the struggles and temptations we experience, he was like us in every way -  even as a baby – to bring us salvation.

            On Christmas we don’t simply hear “the same old story,”…like it’s a piece of trivia or a dusty fact long forgotten. The Message of Christmas is an experience of God’s grace.  But it’s an experience that’s leaves us with more than just a warm, fuzzy feeling.  The incarnation of Christ is an actual Historical event, something that really happened in space and time that brings life to you every day.  Right now, you are forgiven!  You are changed by the Word of Christ.

            Notice how Christ affected the Shepherds,  They went to Bethlehem and it was just as the angel had said.  There was Jesus lying in a manger.  The Shepherds encountered Christ, the savior of the World, and then they responded by going and spreading the word,

            But notice what else it says about the shepherds: “They went back to work.”  They heard this amazing message…and they went…back to being shepherds.  Of course!  They’ve got work to do!  But…they went back to work changed.  They returned to their work praising and glorifying God for what they had seen and heard.

You too have encountered Christ, the savior of the World….Through his Word…Through his presence his sacraments.  YOU have been changed.  YOU been given the same amazing message of God’s forgiveness to take with you…to your job…to your family…to your friends.

When you have good news - any good news…an engagement, a birth - you tell people about it. You just can’t keep it in.   Brothers and Sisters, you’ve been given THE greatest news.  And it’s my prayer for you this evening, that the Lord makes this mysterious gift of Christmas fresh in your hearts each and every day.  That Christ’s love may be at work in your lives, as you return to your vocations praising and glorifying God…and sharing His amazing grace to others.

And you want to see even more evidence of God’s amazing grace?  More proof of His undeserved love that is for all people? Then, just look at the folks sitting around you right now.  He chose us to be his people through the waters of baptism. God could have spread His Gospel message any way he wanted to but He chose to use ordinary, lowly, shepherds.  Today he chooses to use you and I, as ordinary and lowly as we may be.  

            What did we do to deserve such a role in God’s salvation story?  Absolutely nothing.  That’s God’s grace.  It’s impossible to explain.  It’s simply a gift to be received. 

-Like the presence of God in a tiny baby in a wooden manger in Bethlehem. Like the presence of God here among us today.  Christ’s body and blood in, with and under the bread and the wine for you for the forgiveness of all your sins.  His Christmas gift for you.  “O holy child of Bethlehem descend to us we pray//  Cast out our sin and enter in.  Be born in us today. Amen.

My School Was In A Field

I think I wrote this sometime last year.

My School Was In A Field

I wonder what it would be like to ride a bus to class,

green seats,

gum stuck underneath

or walk, 

each dark new day,

backpack clad 

beside streets.

My school was in a field.

A Dodge Caravan carried me there.

Twelve years old I would have preferred camels,

shoes with bells, 

traversing moor and mountain,

rather than passing

blurry rows of corn.

Now I sit and stare at blades of grass growing between cobblestones half-covered with asphalt

waiting for the next icy afternoon.

Purity comes in a crunchy plastic bottle.

huh?

i am darren harbaugh and i still exist

Pentecost 6 july 24

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.

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.

A blessed belated Holy Trinity Sunday

This about sums up the Trinity:

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

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.

"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.

Augustine's words

I liked this. Not much more to say. Merry Christmas!

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

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.

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)

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.

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.