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.

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.

Epiphany 7A - "You will be Holy"

Epiphany 7A - "You will be Holy" - Leviticus 19:2 - Matt 5:48 - I Corinthians 3:16-17
(On the occasion of Polly Bloom Guinta's adoption into the holy, catholic and apostolic church through the sacrament of Holy Baptism)
Vicar Darren Harbaugh

The gospel reading this morning is quite a well-known passage from Jesus’ sermon on the mount. You don’t have to be all that biblically literate to be familiar with some of Jesus’ sayings here: “Turn the other cheek,” “Go the extra mile,” “Love your enemies.”
These sayings work better on bumper stickers than some of Jesus’ other sayings earlier in the chapter. Like, “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Anybody else find the Sermon on the Mount uncomfortable in places? You kind of wish Jesus would tone it down little a bit. For instance, Jesus is says you think you’re basically a good person because you don’t murder or commit adultery, I tell you that are in danger of hell if you get angry or have a lustful thought. Well, if all this weren’t clear enough, Jesus finally says, “You must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
How’s that working out for everybody? You all fine with your level of perfection in turning the other cheek and loving your enemy?

If we examine ourselves, we quickly realize that we are indeed not perfect. Actually, we’re pretty lousy. Ever gossiped, gotten angry, had a lustful thought? Ever cared about yourself more than others? It seems that, according to Jesus, we all deserve judgment.

We need something from outside ourselves to intervene. Because if you look to yourself to provide comfort and assurance of your salvation, you will either quickly become very depressed from the glare of your own imperfection staring back at you in the mirror or you’ll become delusional in your efforts to exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees

So what do we do with this? Well, it’s helpful to see Jesus’ comment on perfection in a larger context. Jesus is referring back to Leviticus 19:2, which reads, “You shall be holy, because I the Lord, your God am holy.” There were two categories for Israel: Yahweh, the Lord God, was holy; everything else was not. This contrast is all over the Bible: I Samuel 2 says, “There is no one holy like the Lord.” Isaiah calls Israel a worm, a nation of sinful corrupt people. But Yahweh is called the Holy One.

For Israel, only God was the creator and source of holiness. God did not give his people commands for them to generate their own holiness. Israel’s holiness comes from God’s holiness. It is outside of themselves. On their own, the Israelites “did what was right in their own eyes” as it says in the book of Judges. Holiness was by God’s grace alone.

God’s laws presuppose that God makes and keeps his people holy. For the people of Israel, God’s gift of holiness was not something that happened a long long time ago and was in the rear view mirror. God’s holiness was ever before their eyes. It was something they kept on receiving.

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What’s this mean for us?

The church is the new Israel. Like the Israelites, we are called to be holy and share in God’s holiness. Each congregation is, as St Paul says, a community of saints, which means “holy ones.”

How are believers made holy today? St. Paul connects it to when God’s Spirit comes to dwell in us. This is particular importance for us today. Listen to Paul’s words to the church from 1 Corinthians 3:
Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?...God’s Temple is holy and you are that temple.

This is awesome. We are not condemned, but rather are are holy.

But, how do you know that the Spirit dwells in you? How do you know that you stand holy and righteous before God? How do you know that you are saved? Think about this. If some one were to ask you, “How do you know that you will be with Christ after you die?” What would you say?

If you became mentally disabled or were in a coma, do you have assurance you would still possess salvation? What if you were physically unable to confess with your mouth that you were a Christian or lost the mental capacity to understand the Christian faith?

What about a baby? What assurance is there for parents that their child has been made holy?

Well, to answer all these questions, St Paul says in Galatians 3:27 – For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ.”

God makes us holy through the perfection of his son Jesus. Through baptism we have been clothed with Christ and with his righteousness. When the Father looks at us, he does not see our imperfections and our sin, He sees Christ whose blood shed on the cross atones for the sin of the world. We are God’s temple and the Holy Spirit dwells in us because we have been clothed with Christ at baptism.

Well, this indeed flies in the face of the wisdom of this world. Honestly, water, probably from the faucet, clothes one with Christ? But it’s not just ordinary water. It’s water combined with the command and promise of God’s Word.

What is this command? St Matthew records the words of our Lord in last chapter of his gospel:
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

This command from our Lord is why many of us are here today. We believe, teach, and confess that when Jesus instructed his followers to make disciples of “all nations” he meant all. Every one, everywhere. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, color, sex, or age. And how does Jesus tell us to make disciples? By baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. He places His holy name on us.

That is the command of our Lord. What are the promises? They are abundant. Believe it or not, baptism actually does something.

St. Mark writes, “Those who believe and are baptized will be saved.” St. Peter says, “Repent and be baptized everyone one of you… for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off.” St Peter also says, “Baptism saves you.” St Paul writes, “God saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” Paul calls baptism the washing of regeneration. New birth. Not long ago, Polly was born, but today she will be born again of water and the spirit as our Savior instructs us to do in John 3.

Baptism isn’t merely a profession of faith that you make. It is God adopting you into his church and making you his child. It is physical and tangible and wet. It is an offense to reason that the creator the universe would choose to come to us in such a simple, mundane manner, but this is the foolishness of God for our salvation.

God saves us not because of what we do or think, but because of what he does for us through the Holy Spirit at Baptism. Yet we don’t want to admit that we are helpless children. We like to find our identity, meaning and significance in ourselves.

Are we holy because of our superior reasoning? No, Rather, God works by defying conventional wisdom. He offers his own son as a sacrifice for us in a cruel, shameful death. He entrusts an uneducated band of fisherman with his message of salvation. Jesus is 100% God and 100% man, at the same time. God is 3 in 1. None of this makes sense. It defies the wisdom of this world. So it follows that God’s means of grace defies that wisdom as well.

So, where do you find assurance of salvation? Do you base your salvation on what you do and what you think? If so, you had better make sure you are perfect. And that your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees.

How do you know that the Spirit dwells in you? Is it because of your ability to confess the faith or capacity to understand?

Dear Christian, turn your eyes from yourself to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We are worms. He is the Holy One.

How do you know you have been made holy; that the Spirit dwells in you? Are you baptized? As we sang in our hymn, “When nothing else revives your soul, your baptism stands and makes you whole and then in death complete you.” God has given you the promise that through baptism you are his disciple. You are clothed with Christ. You are made holy because you have been given the Holy Spirit through the washing of regeneration. You are forgiven from all your sins right now.

You no longer need to be seized by a guilty conscience. You no longer need to be disturbed by sin. You are baptized into Christ. As in, you are currently in a state of baptism.

This is why we make the sign of the cross. This is the sign that will be made over Polly as Christ snatches her from the grip of the devil and proclaims her as His own Child. When we make the sign of the cross when we wake up in the morning and when before we go to bed at night, we daily remember that we have been and daily remain baptized into Christ, whose blood has set us free to be the people of God.

Luther writes in the Large Catechism, “Baptism daily strengthens the new man, always remains until we pass from this present misery to eternal glory. Therefore let everybody regard his Baptism as the daily garment, which he is to wear all the time…As we have once obtained forgiveness of sins in Baptism, so forgiveness remains day by day as long as we live.

“You will be holy, because I the Lord, your God am holy.” That's not a threat. It's a promise.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Epiphany 3 - “Perfect Unity through the Cross of Christ” I Corinthians 1:10-18

Epiphany 3
I Corinthians 1:10-18
“Perfect Unity through the Cross of Christ”
Vicar Darren Harbaugh

If you think about it, church is a unique place compared to the rest of our society. Where else do a bunch of people get together and sing songs, listen to some one talk to them, and speak the same words out loud together? We say the creed, dozens of us speaking the same thing in unison. Well, then there are those awkward times like when I accidentally start saying the Nicene Creed instead of the Apostles’ Creed. Or I skip a line and sing the wrong stanza of a hymn. I’m sure none of you have ever done that though. I think a couple weeks ago I sang a whole verse before I realized that I was he only one singing those words. Ever notice how, in church, when one person is off, it can throw off the unity of everyone around them? It can even disrupt the unity of the whole group.

In our Epistle reading St. Paul says in verse 10: “I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.”

I. “Speaking the same thing” (I Corinthians 1:10)
Notice the phrase “that all of you agree.” This literally means “that all of you speak the same thing.” When we recite the creed it is a sign that we agree; that we are on the same page, speaking the same thing

A. A Schizo-Phrenic Church (I Corinthians 1:12-13)
Unfortunately, the church in Corinth was not on the same page. Paul appealed to them to be united in the same mind, with no divisions. But they were schismatic or literally schizophrenic: “schizo” meaning split; and “phrenic” meaning mind. They had a split mind. They each claimed to follow a different leader. There were divisions and cliques. It was a divided church body.

B Perfectly- united
It was Paul’s desire that this church - with a split mind - would be united in mind and judgment. The word “united” that Paul uses was, at that time, a household word used to describe completeness from blending different parts into a whole; becoming perfectly united. For example, someone may perfectly unite pieces of cloth by sewing them together, making an article of clothing or a quilt. A cook perfectly unites ingredients in a dish of food by properly blending them to make the dish perfect and tasty to eat. Paul wanted the household of faith to be perfectly united as well.

C. The Number One Answer to Any Question.
Notice in the very beginning of our reading that Paul’s appeals to them in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is key. He brings it back to the basics. For those of you who teach Sunday School, what is the number one answer to any question? Jesus. Doesn’t matter what the question is, you gotta know that Jesus is gonna be the answer sooner of later. This has also proved to be true for me in the seminary studies as well.

1. All to the Service of Christ.
No matter was happens in church life, the answer is Jesus. Everything must be to the service of Christ. Whatever the issue: the color of the carpet, the Christmas decorations, the church sign, the coffee and snacks for fellowship, the music, children’s programs, the bulletins, the newsletter, the budget, committees and meetings, whatever it is, it must all be to the service of Christ.

2. Our Own Opinions and Agendas Come Before Christ
But if we truly examine ourselves, it seems that all too often, our own opinions and agendas come before Christ. We are reluctant to serve and strive for unity in our life together as the body of Christ. Instead of “speaking the same thing”, we often resemble the Corinthians, the church with a split mind. We all have the selfish tendency to want ourselves and our ideas to take center stage. We do not all speak the same thing. We do not all perfectly blend as ingredients. With us, it is as if each ingredient of a recipe began telling the cook how to prepare his meal. Needless to say, too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the soup.

II. The Cross Crucifies Our Pride and the Sinful Desire for Glory (Galatians 2:20, Romans 6:4)

A. God’s mercy heals all our bodily disease (physically and congregationally)
But we don’t just spoil the soup. We’ve spoiled everything because of our disease called sin. Our gospel reading mentions the amazing healing ministry of Jesus and we indeed pray for God’s mercy to heal us from our physical sickness and disease, but we should also pray that God may heal our spiritual diseases - division, disunity and the split mind of the body of Christ – internationally, nationally, and locally right here in our own congregation. Each of us is infected with the “me-first” disease. We want everything to be about us, Isn’t it amazing how our sinful mind wants to take the focus off of God and other and place it on ourselves and what we do?

What are our ideas and opinions in comparison to Christ? We honestly sabotage the work of Christ, for what? Self glorification. How easy is it to sit here and think, “Oh yeah, there are a lot of people I know that need to stop thinking of themselves.” Or “It’s too bad that so-and-so isn’t here now to hear this message. It is you. It is me. It is everyone of us. We all need to look in the mirror and ask ourselves, what am I doing, or not doing, that is spreading the disease of division and disunity?

B. The Christian life is Christ-centered and cross- focused. (I Corinthians 1:23)
What is the cure for our disease? It’s ok, you can pretend that you are in Sunday school again. What’s the cure for our disease? Jesus! Correct! Jesus! We are Lutherans, and dog gone it, we’ve got to get this right. We preach Christ crucified. Or as they say on my favorite radio program, Issues etc: We are Christ-centered and cross- focused.

1. We’ve got the cure (1 Corinthians 1:18, Isaiah 9:6-7)
We’re got the cure. But Jesus is an different like of doctor than we are used to. You are not healed because of how much we love Jesus. You are not healed because Jesus is your friend. The cure of Christ? Death. He was crucified on a cross and you are crucified with him, your sin is nailed to that cross, nevertheless you live because Christ lives in you. You live by faith in the son of God who loves you and gave His life for you. What if you were sick and a doctor told you, “I got just the perscription. You’re going to die. Then…” Hold up. Excuse me? It sounds foolish.

St Paul says, “The word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” We are the ones being saved. We’ve got the medicine that will heal the entire world! We are not like the people sitting in darkness. We want the spotlight to shine on us, but God has a different idea, through the word of the cross, Christ’s wisdom has broken forth in power, shining upon us and it continues to shine upon us. Through the word of the cross, Christ unites all those who wander and walk apart. It is only through Christ and that unity is achieved. Only he can heal our split mind and our me-first disease. Our Old Testament reading reminds us that it is only the Prince of Peace who brings true peace and unity.

2. We have seen the light (Psalm 27:1) (Matthew 4:17)
Often, our path becomes darkened or confused or troubled because Satan works to cause disunity. When this happens, we remember that we are children of the light, and we follow the one true light. Has anyone ever taken your picture with a blinding flash in a dark room? Afterwards, that flash remains in your vision like an imprint upon your retnas. As it says in our Gospel reading, we have seen a great light. The imprint of Christ and his cross is ever before us. We see the world through the eyes of faith, through Jesus-colored glasses.

With Christ and his cross ever before us, we respond to Christ’s call to live lives of repentance. Perfect unity requires repentance; Repentance of our sinful desire to cling to our own personal opinions and agenda. You came here and repented and were forgiven by the pastor who is here as the “Jesus Guy”, in the stead and by the command of Christ, announcing the grace of God to all of you. The pastor delivers Christ’s healing medicine of forgiveness to his church.

C. One Lord, One faith, One Baptism (Eph 4:3-6)
And we are the church. There is one body, one spirit, one hope, one mind. We have one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and father of all. This is the gracious reality of Christ’s true church. Thanks be to God that through baptism He has crucified and buried our sinful desires that cause disunity, so that through the Gospel we might rise to new life in perfect unity in Christ. Enlightened by the word of the cross - the life, death and resurrection of Christ - we at West Portal Lutheran Church strive to speak the same thing together, to receive restoration of our split mind, to be healed of our “me-first” disease, and to be perfectly united together in Christ who grants us forgiveness of our sins, salvation, and eternal life together. Amen.

“Rescued from the Dominion of Darkness” - Colossians 1:13-20

“Rescued from the Dominion of Darkness” - Colossians 1:13-20
11.21.10 – Sunday of the Fulfillment
Vicar Darren Harbaugh

A couple weeks ago we “fell back” an hour for daylight saving time. Instead of the sun setting around 6 o’clock, now it sets around 5. We’ve lost almost a half an hour of daylight since setting our clocks back and we’ll lose another half hour of daylight until we hit December 21st, the shortest day of the year.

I’ve never been fond of the dark. Darkness has a certain power, and not necessarily for good. You can get lost in the dark. You are vulnerable and can’t see danger coming. Even physically, humans need light. In those places in the world where it is dark a lot, like in the extreme north, people have to be on guard against depression. Physical darkness has a certain power.

Spiritual darkness indeed has power too. In the world and in our lives, spiritual darkness can seem very powerful, almost as if it controls us and rules us. We know that there is a king of darkness and that he is very powerful. But even though we feel the power of darkness, our reading from Colossians has an incredible promise for us.

In Colossians 1:13, the apostle Paul mentions the “domain of darkness.” That is a very fitting description for Satan’s realm. Satan likes to keep his work hidden and secretive. He deals in deception and fear. Sin would not be so tempting if it was out in the open and exposed to the light. It would look downright hideous, so he likes to keep it under wraps. And in this Spiritual domain of darkness, we are vulnerable to either being trapped by what we can’t see or terrified because we know that something out there is lurking.

All of us, at one point, were part of this domain of darkness, and even now, Sin and Satan still pull at us.
-Sin and Satan pull us with deception. Satan wants us to believe the lie that sin isn’t dangerous. An entire industry is built on gossiping about people, saying mean and hurtful things about others. Rather than speaking about our neighbor in the best possible way, it’s our national pastime to drag her through the mud every change we get. Maybe you hold a grudge against someone and harbor bitterness against her. And think, “What’s the harm?”
Also, our entire economy seems to be fueled by people on desiring what their neighbor has; wanting the next latest and greatest thing to come down the line rather than being content with what God has provided. We ask ourselves, “What’s wrong with wanting nice new things? What’s dangerous about wanting more money, a nicer car, a better house, a bigger TV?”

-Sin and Satan also pull us with temptation, just as with Adam and Eve in the garden; Satan still gets us to ask the question, “Is it really wrong?” Is morality determined by my own personal preference and by society? Or is it determined by God’s Word? Billions of dollars are generated by marking and selling sex via TV and computer to people in the privacy of their own home. Because it’s there, does it make it right? Living together or having sex outside of God’s plan for marriage is accepted by many and we are tempted to think, “Is it really wrong?”

-Sin and Satan also pull us with fear. Maybe you beat yourself up, over sin and the experience of sin past and present. Maybe you think that there is no way that God will forgive you for things you’ve done or accept you because of things you’ve experienced. Maybe you’ve hurt people with your actions. Maybe you have abused drugs and alcohol. Maybe you’ve committed sexual sins. Maybe you’ve destroyed a relationship. Maybe you’ve been destroyed through a relationship. Maybe you’ve had an abortion or pressured someone to get one. Maybe you’ve been the victim of physical or emotional abuse. And because of this, whatever it is, you think: “Forgiveness and acceptance is not for me.”

Maybe you’re just scared. Terrified of being alone, of dying. Paralyzed with fear of the unknown, of things that could happen to you or your family. The pull of sin and Satan can deceive us and lead us into deep discouragement and despair. We turn inward and wonder “What’s wrong with me?” We can get to the point of almost losing hope and losing faith, ready to throw in the towel and to give up trying to live for Christ.

But hold on; let’s go back to Colossians 1:13. What does it say? God has rescued us and placed us under the authority of his Son. We are not under the authority of Sin and Satan’s domain of darkness. For us as Christians, there has been a regime change. There is a new guy in charge; we are under the rule of the Son. He is our king.

Notice that the following actions are in the past tense. ‘The Father has delivered us (past tense) from the domain of darkness and transferred us (past tense) to the kingdom of his beloved Son in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” God has rescued you. It’s already happened!

It happened because of a specific historical event: redemption by the death of God’s beloved Son. Jesus’ death on the cross paid for ALL our sins and bought us back from Satan’s dominion of darkness.

-Those sins that we toyed with because we thought that they couldn’t hurt us all that much - gossiping about others, harboring bitterness toward others, craving money and possessions; those sins have been forgiven.
-Those sins we tried to rationalize away – lust of the eyes through pornography, lust of the flesh, through sexual sins; those sins have been forgiven.
-Even those sins we knew were wrong and know are deadly and even now are tormenting us with guilt- drug and alcohol abuse, adultery, murder, lies, hurtful behavior; these sins too have been forgiven.
-Also, sins of fear and doubt because of the unknown, because of experiences of abuse and pain; yes, these sins have been forgiven as well.

We have been redeemed! The price the Jesus paid was sufficient and our rescue from the domain of darkness was complete because of who Jesus is.

The Son has the authority to break the power of darkness – Now and forever. Verse 15 says that the Son is the image of the invisible God. Sometimes God may seem far away, but God doesn’t wish to keep us in the dark about his identity or his actions. When we see Christ, we see God. And in Christ, we see that God’s actions are always gracious and loving and forgiving, bringing light to those who sit in darkness.

Verse 16 says that The Son made all things; because of this, Son’s ability to rule has no limit. The Son, not Satan, is the rightful king of the universe. Satan is not equal in power to God. A few weeks ago for Reformation Day, we sang the hymn Luther wrote: “Though devils all the world should fill, All eager to devour us, We tremble not, we fear no ill; They shall not overpower us. This world’s prince may still Scowl fierce as he will, He can harm us none. He’s judged; the deed is done; One little word can fell him.” What word is that that shatters the darkness? Jesus! The name above all names, “for at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, those on heaven and those on earth and every tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord to the Lord of God the Father!” When the Son returns, we will see Him on the throne and Satan cast down.

Verse 17 says that the Son sustains all things. He’s got the whole world in His hands. There is nowhere that His power does not reach. It shines into every dark corner where Satan might lurk. We have nothing to fear – not Satan’s worst in this life, nor hell in eternity.

Jesus rose from the dead and was the firstborn, the cause, of those who rise from the dead. When Jesus returns in bright glory, we too will rise! Jesus is God himself, all the fullness of God dwells in Him. He is 100% God and 100% man, he is therefore the mediator between God and man. Even when you and I don’t feel peaceful, Jesus has established peace between us and the Father – by taking all the hatred and evil of our sins in his own body on the cross.

So when you feel the pull and power of darkness – and every Christian feels it – hold fast to God’s promise. What is that promise? We are no longer under condemnation, we are not slaves to danger and fear because have been buried with Christ by baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the death by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. God has rescued us out of the dominion of darkness and transferred us into the reign of His Son. One day, that reign will come in glory and we will be united with Christ in His resurrection. In these dark days, this gives us reason to rejoice, for His is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

Pentecost 21 - Constant, Confident Prayer – Luke 18:1-8

Pentecost 21 - Constant, Confident Prayer – Luke 18:1-8
Vicar Darren Harbaugh

Imagine you’re the parent of a 2 or 3 year old child, (this may be easier for some to imagine than others). How would you feel if that child did not communicate with you for a week? Not only that, but imagine that the child tries to do everything for himself: tries to make all his own meals, wash his own clothes, clip his own finger nails, do his own grocery shopping. This behavior would vary from humorous to downright dangerous.
It’s because small children are helpless. We all know this. It may be hard to believe, but everyone in here was a small child once. When we were children, we relied on our parents for everything. If left by ourselves, we would not have survived. When we needed something, we cried out and our parent took care of us. Our parents knew what we needed even more than we did.
Though we have grown up, we are still helpless little children. We are God’s children and are as dependant upon God for every need now as we were dependant upon our parents so long ago. But instead of calling out to our Father and receiving from Him, we often go a long time without even communicating with Him. We do not pray. And as absurd as it may be, we try to do everything for ourselves.
Why don’t we pray?
As we journey through life, we are like the kids in the back seat who constantly ask, “Are we there yet?” We don’t like God’s time schedule. We’re impatient. We’d like to be the one who’s driving, even though our feet can’t even reach the petals.
When you’re a kid in the backseat, it’s hard to see where you are going and it’s difficult to realize that any progress is being made in the journey. It is also hard to see the effect of prayer. Our prayers may not get answered in the way we would like them to be. We don’t understand. Sometimes God may appear to be indifferent, unresponsive, and unhelpful, like those parents in the front seat appear to be.
Sometimes we don’t acknowledge that we are simply helpless children. We live our lives like practical atheists, who sit in a pew on Sunday, but behave the rest of the week as if God did not exist. Other things take precedent over God.
All this can produce guilt for not praying, causing us to lose heart. Praying can feel like a chore, something to check off the to-do list. If we forget to pray, we may feel guilty and see God as a cruel judge out to punish us, rather than seeing God as our Father and ourselves as his children.
We are children, dysfunctional children, but children nonetheless. Imagine being a child again (again this may be easier for some to imagine than others). Sometimes I think it might not be half bad: no work, a free place to stay, someone cooks all your meals, does all your laundry. Kids have a good setup. Why? Because they can’t take care of themselves. They are helpless. Their parents take care of them. In the same way, Our Father takes care of us.
It’s good to see yourself as a child, in fact, Jesus said “whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." We are helpless. We need our Father’s provision and guidance.
In our Gospel reading for today, Jesus told his disciples a parable about a helpless widow. She was alone with no one to provide for her and had an adversary bringing suit against her. But she recognized that she was helpless and knew where to turn for help. Day and night she pleaded to an unrighteous judge, pestering him until he showed her justice against her adversary. Jesus points out that if this is what an unrighteous judge does, how much more will God give justice to his elect who cry out to him day and night?
We Christians are helpless, like children, like this widow, but we too know where to turn for help. Our Father in heaven is not an unrighteous judge. How much more will He protect and defend us, his Children?
The courtroom imagery Jesus uses works for our situation as well. The helpless widow had an adversary, bringing suit against her. We too have an adversary, the devil, who is like a roaring lion, walking around seeing who He can devour. Satan acts as the prosecution against us, accusing us before God. He reminds us of our sin. He loads us down with guilt for all our failures, like our failure to pray and not lose heart.
If we were alone in pleading our case, we’d be sunk. In fact, we have no case. We are indeed guilty as sin. We, like the widow, are helpless. Our sin confronts us and Satan accuses us. We have nothing to do but confess and repent, falling on the mercy of the court. Because of our sin, the verdict is that we are condemned sinners.
But it’s not case closed. We, like the widow, know where to turn for help. We have a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He has more forgiveness than we have sin. And we have an amazing defense attorney, an advocate with the Father – Jesus Christ, the righteous one.
Jesus says that God will give justice speedily to us, the elect and chosen children of God. Our justice comes through Jesus, our advocate, who offers a guilty plea in our place for our crimes against God. He gives us his innocence, his righteousness and takes our death sentence upon himself by his sacrifice on the cross.
Because of Christ, we have every reason for confidence and hope. Because of Jesus, we strive to always pray and not lose heart, as he encourages us in our Gospel reading.
Always pray? How is that possible? “Always pray” does not mean you must do nothing in life except pray every minute. It means to pray consistently and regularly, like sitting down and having a chat with your family at the dinner table. Dinner time conversation is a routine that families have. It is the same with us and our Heavenly Father. We pray consistently and confidently, day and night by developing holy habits and routines.
We all have good habits and routines in our lives like brushing our teeth and washing our face. How did you develop that habit? You did it day after day. It became a routine. It is the same with prayer. Daily prayer is like the rhythm of life. It is like breathing. It is like waking up and going to bed. It is like eating a meal.
The Bible mentions that Jesus set aside time for prayer in the morning and evening and at meals. That is a good routine for us to develop as well. The disciples recognized Jesus’ holy habit of prayer and said to Him, “Teach us how to pray.” Jesus gave them the words to say; what we call the Lord’s Prayer. The Lord’s Prayer is not an obligation, but an invitation to join Jesus in prayer to ‘Our’ Father.
We are invited to join in the pattern of Christ. In the morning, just after you wake up, join in prayer with our Savior to Our Father. In the evening, just before you go to bed, join in prayer. When you sit down for a meal, join in prayer.
If you don’t have a copy of Portals of Prayer (hold up), pick one up as you leave. They are in the back and are provided by your church to aid in your prayer and devotional life. It gives you words to say: Luther’s Morning and Evening and Table Prayers, the Lord’s Prayer, a prayer for the beginning and end of each day.
This is one of many tools you may use to help develop a prayer routine. But remember, there is no law or obligation in how you pray. Prayer is a gift, not a burden. In prayer, we receive from God, we do not perform a work for Him. No need to beat yourself up over how little you pray, or be weighed down by guilt because you don’t pray as much as you’d like. If you forget to pray, You are forgiven! Repent, turn to God in prayer and receive from Him. Nobody prays enough, nobody does anything enough. Except Jesus.
In every circumstance of life, Jesus prayed. In the book of Luke, we are told that Jesus prayed at his baptism and before he went out to preach. Jesus prayed before he chose his 12 apostles and before his transfiguration. Jesus prayed in lonely places by himself and in private with his disciples. Jesus prayed before he fed the 5,000, before the Last Supper, and before his meal in Emmaus. Jesus prayed for the Father’s will to be done, in the garden before his crucifixion. Jesus prayed for the Father to forgive those who crucified him, as he hung on the cross. Jesus prayed to commit his Spirit to his Father as He died.
Right now, Jesus is still praying and he invites us to join Him. Through Jesus’ intercession we are able to confidently approach God’s throne of grace. We pray as if it means something, because it does. We pray as if we are talking to God, because we are. We pray as if the one we are talking to has redeemed the entire world and us, because He has. We pray as if our life depends on it, because it does. We pray like the helpless children that we are, relying entirely upon our Father, constantly approaching him day and night, confident that He will hear us on account of Christ our Lord.

The Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist

The Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist
“John and Jesus”
Mark 6:14-29
Vicar Darren Harbaugh

Sermon Outline
Intro: A morbid, Christless, irrelevant story? Hardly!
A. Why is such a gruesome tale in the Bible?
B. Where is Jesus in this story?
C. What does this story mean for us?

I. John is a “type” of Christ
A. The Bible is filled with “types.” (i.e. Issac)
B. This story points to Christ

II. John and Jesus – similarities.
A. Seized and led away (v. 17; Mk 14:44-46)
B. Recognized as “righteous and holy” men (v. 20; 15:14)
C. “Greatly perplexed” authorities (v. 20; 15:4-5)
D. Authorities gave into pressure (vv. 26-27; 15:15)
E. Disciples laid body in a tomb (v. 29; 15:42-46)

III. John and You
A. John is a “type” of Jesus but also of all believers. (vv. 7-12, 30)
B. Peril, toil, and pain. (AKA: the junk of life.)
C. That’s not the end of the story (Mark 16:5-6)

IV. Jesus and You
A. You are wearing your Jesus Coat – Baptism (Gal 3:27; Rom. 6:3)
B. You are united in His Death (Rom. 6:4-5
C. You are united in His Resurrection (Rom 6:4-5)

V. Where is Jesus in your story? He is your story!

-

Intro
"I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter."
Yikes! What a morbid story! Why is such a gruesome tale in the Bible? This week’s gospel reading definitely fits into that “not-quite-PG-rated” category of Bible stories. For instance, I think it would be hard to find any children’s storybooks or flannel graph lessons that deal with this reading.
You know what else is hard to find in this story? Jesus. Where is Jesus? I was taught at Seminary that all Scripture points to and bears witness of Jesus and his redemptive work on the cross. Or to put it another way, as Lutherans, we are Christ-centered and Cross-focused just as the Holy Scriptures are Christ-centered and Cross-focused.
However, this reading from the “Gospel” –the good news about Jesus - is quite unusual in that it appears to leave Jesus behind. The reading begins talking about Jesus, but then Saint Mark - the author of this book - seems to go on a tangent about the death of John the Baptist. Jesus’ name doesn’t even appear for 13 verses. How do we make sense of this gory story? How do we see Christ in it? And what does this story mean for us - you and I who do not seem to be in danger of having our respective heads winding up on a platter? On first glance, it almost appears that today’s Gospel reading is morbid, Christ-less, and irrelevant. Is that the case? Hardly!
I to begin, let’s go back to that question: “Where is Jesus?” - that’s always a good question to ask - it turns out that Jesus is the center of this story all along. You can see this when you look at John and how he is portrayed, comparing his story to that of Jesus. You see, Saint Mark, portrays John as a “type” of Christ. The Bible is actually filled with “types.” For example, Abraham was willing to shed the blood of his only-begotten son Issac as a sacrifice. Issac is a “type” that points to Christ.
We can also see John as a type that points to Christ. Mark deliberately includes details in this account to connect the stories of John and Jesus, showing that what happened to John was what also lay in store for Jesus and by extension what lay in store for all believers in Christ. We all share in the stories of John and Jesus.
II So, where is Jesus? Even though Jesus’ name is not mentioned, our Gospel reading is very much about Him. Let’s look at 5 details in the last hours of John the Baptist and how they point to the sufferings of our Lord as recorded in Mark 14 and 15.
Pointer #1 - Both John and Jesus were seized and led away. Our reading says “Herod seized John and bound him in prison.” This points to Jesus’ capture and imprisonment. Mark 14 reads, “The men seized Jesus and arrested him.
Pointer #2 - Both John and Jesus were recognized as innocent by the men who executed them. Our reading says that Herod knew John was a “righteous and holy man.” This points to Jesus in Mark 15, when Pilate asks, "What evil has he done?"
Pointer #3 - Both John and Jesus “greatly perplexed” the authorities. Those are the exact words to describe Herod when he heard John. This points to the way, Jesus perplexed Pilate. Mark 15 says, “Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.”
Pointer # 4 - Both John and Jesus were killed after the authorities gave into pressure. Herod didn’t want to kill John. Our reading says “the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word.” This points to Mark 15, where Pilate, just like Herod, wished “to satisfy the crowd,” resulting in Jesus’ execution
Pointer # 5 - Both John and Jesus had their bodies laid in a tomb by their disciples. Verse 29 of our reading mentions this concerning John, pointing to Joseph of Arimathea laying the body of Jesus in a tomb.
III These pointers from John to Jesus show the connection that St Mark was making in this Gospel. As it was with John, so will it be for Jesus. But, John is not just a type of Jesus, pointing to his suffering as death on a cross. John is also a type of all believers – you and I. As it was for John, so will it be for us.
If you were to read all of Mark chapter 6, you would notice that this story of John is sandwiched in between a story about Jesus’ disciples. Just before our reading we are told about Jesus sending out the disciples. Then just after our reading we are told that the disciples return. This is a deliberate move by St Mark to sandwich the story of John’s beheading in-between the story of the disciples. It points to what lay in store for Christ’s disciples, who are so greatly described in our opening Hymn - “The Son of God goes Forth to War.” These disciples “mocked cross and flame, met the tyrant’s brandished steel, the lion’s gory mane…bowed their necks their death to feel.”
The hymn mentions saints who endured “peril, toil, and pain” and it offers the prayer “Oh, God to us may grace be given to follow in their train.” Though it may not seem it, you and I have much in common with John and Christians throughout the ages.
We too endure peril, toil, and pain. No, you may not be in danger of being feed to the lions or being burnt at the stake, but honestly, our lives are sometimes not very pretty – they are filled with gory details. We get in car crashes, endure manmade and natural disasters, suffer divorce, broken relationships, physical, mental and emotional turmoil. Ourselves, our friends and our loved ones become sick and die. Tragedy exists. We all can recall those moments when we get news that just makes our heart sink - much like how the disciples of John and Jesus must have felt when they received their awful gruesome news.
Besides, big tragic events, there is the normal day-to-day grind – what one of my seminary professors calls “the junk of life.” “The junk of life” consists of all the seemingly mundane goings-on that weigh us down day-after-day. As Pastor Arnold mentioned recently, the Christian endures an “on-going life-long struggle.” Maybe your life seems mundane. Sometimes, we don’t even try to find Jesus in the midst of our busy lives. Often, He doesn’t even cross our mind. Think about those repetitive responsibilities, obligations, the little things that go wrong - the frustration of driving in traffic, the printer that doesn’t work. We live in a world of sin so it should not be surprising that all these little things accumulate and produce anxiety and anger in us.
Thankfully, we are not left to tread water. The stories of John and Jesus do not end with their bodies lying in a tomb. Where is Jesus? He is risen from the dead for you, that’s where he is! You are not left alone. Because of Jesus’ resurrection, John - and all of us who believe in Christ - will have our bodies raised from the dead to be with him. We have a future glory which outweighs all the junk around us. We are not men and women without hope!
IV Whether you are in the midst of “peril, toil, and pain” or whether you are living a normal, everyday, hum-drum life, it can be easy to lose sight Jesus. We look around and wonder “Where is Jesus?” But the fact is, you are wearing Him. Galatians 3:27 says, ‘For as many of you as were baptized into Christ, have been clothed with Christ.” Everyday you are clothed with your “Jesus coat”. Baptism is not just a one-time thing that happened to you a long time ago. It is actually like something you wear. Your Father has clothed you with a daily garment so when that daily grind gets you down, your Baptism - your Jesus Coat - reminds you that you are daily united with Him.
In your baptism, you are united with Christ in His death. You participate in Christ’s suffering - the gory details, the daily grind, the “junk of life” - but you are also united with Him in His resurrection. You are given the promise that you will be raised with him. Your sins are forgiven. You have died to sin and live to Christ.
V Cling to your Jesus coat. It is an all-weather garment. When the storms of peril, toil and pain get you down, take comfort that Christians throughout the ages have endured by looking to Christ, who bore all our pain on the cross. Where is Jesus in your story? He is your story. He is THE story. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.
A morbid, Christless, irrelevant story? Hardly! We know the end of the story – life everlasting in the world to come. Amen!