The Parable of the Unrighteous Judge and the Persistent Widow
The Long Suffering God who vindicates quickly wants his elect to pray constantly and confidently
Luke 18:1-8
1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”
Verse 1
What does “always pray” mean?
-not every second, continuously. (ie uninteruppeted) Continually – regualarly consistently and with perserverence
What does “not lose heart” mean?
-other translations say, “give up, faint” I like faint. Don’t become discouraged or give up with prayers are not anwswered immediately
Verse 2
It would be very odd for someone not to “fear God” or “respect man” in Jesus’ culture, but society was very centered around God and also shame/honor among other people. Do you think the judge would fit well into our culture today? Does he remind you of anybody?
-Yes. Everyone.
Verse 3
The widow, one of the most helpless people in Jesus’ society, is asking for protection and defense against her adversary/opponent/enemy. Who is helpless and defenseless in our society?
-poor people. She and the judge are both outside the norms of their society. Shouted at him. No shame.
Who else does scripture mention is our “adversary”?
-1 Peter 5:8 - Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
-court of law Jesus is our defense attorney. Satan is the prosecution accusing us before God
antidikos - an adversary or opponent in a lawsuit, any enemy or accuser (from, ἀντί (anti 473), against, and δίκη (dikē 1349), a cause or suit at law.
Verse 5
Why does the judge give the widow justice?
She is annoying. He doesn’t want a “beat down”
on account/because (emphasis) she gives me trouble/bothers/PESTERS!
inorder not to the end – continually, perpetpually she comes to - give one a black eye!, bruise, batter down, wear out me
- to strike/give a blow under the eyes, hit and beat the face black and blue/to cause bruises, make give in through being beaten “hit someone in the face so that he receives brown and blue marks under the eyes”
pieper – daily repentance
boxing language paul 1 cor 9:27
reputation? end up giving me a black eye
annoying – us, God – heathen judge. See if you can annoy God.
Verses 6 and 7
How do you know you are one of God’s elect?
-Baptism, Lord’s supper – outside yourself, not your own faith. What about when you are asleep, in a coma, mentally handicapped, sick.
Chosen at Baptism.
What does “cry to him day and night” mean in light of verse 1?
Regular pattern of prayer. The psalms mention this pattern. Jesus followed it, Morning and evening, meals. Kind of time DEVOTIONS!!!!
Ps 88:1 O LORD, God of my salvation; I cry out day and night before you.
Ps 222O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest.
Verse 8
Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. What will soon take place by which Jesus will ultimately “vindicate his elect?”
– Jesus’ death and resurrection. God will vindicate Jesus in resurrection by way of a cross Jerusalem is the revelation of God’s final justification
When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” What is the point of this question?
-Rhetorical question to urge faithfulness?
The principle character is God, not us The long suffering God who vindicates quickly wants his elect to pray constantly and confidently.
Good news – God is merciful and long suffering and will deliver the elect in Christ.
Our Sin: Our perception of God as a callous judge and just that.
-Our "poor widow" attitude: we accept our plight, we give up our hope, we live complacent lives as if the Son of -Man would never come again.
The Good news: God will eventually vindicate His people.
-Recieve the gift of faith which issues in continual pleading before God's throne: "Thy kingdom come!"
-The privilege of crying out: "Give me justice and defend me against my enemy!"
The church is not complacently waiting for the return of Christ; she "wrestles" with God in prayer
Friday, October 15, 2010
bible study notes. What is the truth about eternity?
Eternity. Life after death.
Our culture is obsessed with it: ghost, vampire, zombies, time travelers, superheroes, spirit guides – symbols of our desire for life without end.
-products that promise to last forever (unbreakable, lifetime guarantee)
-to keep us from aging
-give us a new life
Even those who don’t believe in God or of an after life speak about people who “passed away” “went to a better place.” We all want eternal life.
There is Fear. In everyone
where does it come from? We were designed to live forever. Adam and Eve. They rebelled, sinned, but we all long for eternal life
Ecc 3;11. God set eternity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
Jesus became flesh and over came death and our rebellion and sin. We have new life now and for eternity.
Immortal God, thank you fro sending your Son in a mortal body to win for us immortality through his death and resurrection. Send your spirit to help us grasp the value of this gift. Through Jesus’ name Amen.
What lasts forever?
Eternity is forever.
We have no experience of forever.
a year in school seems to take an eternity, until you reach the end.
WE pledge to love someone always, or we at least think it. But do you know anybody has broken up with someone they love? Even the best marriage relationship ends when death parts us.
Have you ever heard the statement “this has forever changed the course of human history.?”
But everyone agrees (scientists and religious people) that the universe will end one day, human history will cease. Is there anything that lasts forever?
yeah, lets check it out.
each read one – write next to the verse what is eternal.
-
immortality imagined
Ecc 3:11
Brainstorm movies that depict eternal life or an alternate immortal life.
Left – immortality (what form – ghosts, elves, appearing after death
Right – imagination (how is this different from eternal life as we know it in God’s Word? Met a ghost? Elves?)
Why is immortality so popular in movies and books?
Who has eternal life?
Why doesn’t everyone get it?
(via cph Truth series)
Our culture is obsessed with it: ghost, vampire, zombies, time travelers, superheroes, spirit guides – symbols of our desire for life without end.
-products that promise to last forever (unbreakable, lifetime guarantee)
-to keep us from aging
-give us a new life
Even those who don’t believe in God or of an after life speak about people who “passed away” “went to a better place.” We all want eternal life.
There is Fear. In everyone
where does it come from? We were designed to live forever. Adam and Eve. They rebelled, sinned, but we all long for eternal life
Ecc 3;11. God set eternity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
Jesus became flesh and over came death and our rebellion and sin. We have new life now and for eternity.
Immortal God, thank you fro sending your Son in a mortal body to win for us immortality through his death and resurrection. Send your spirit to help us grasp the value of this gift. Through Jesus’ name Amen.
What lasts forever?
Eternity is forever.
We have no experience of forever.
a year in school seems to take an eternity, until you reach the end.
WE pledge to love someone always, or we at least think it. But do you know anybody has broken up with someone they love? Even the best marriage relationship ends when death parts us.
Have you ever heard the statement “this has forever changed the course of human history.?”
But everyone agrees (scientists and religious people) that the universe will end one day, human history will cease. Is there anything that lasts forever?
yeah, lets check it out.
each read one – write next to the verse what is eternal.
-
immortality imagined
Ecc 3:11
Brainstorm movies that depict eternal life or an alternate immortal life.
Left – immortality (what form – ghosts, elves, appearing after death
Right – imagination (how is this different from eternal life as we know it in God’s Word? Met a ghost? Elves?)
Why is immortality so popular in movies and books?
Who has eternal life?
Why doesn’t everyone get it?
(via cph Truth series)
chapel101310
Chapel 101310
Vicar Darren Harbaugh
Can anybody tell me what this is? That’s right. It’s a thank you card. What are these cards used for? Right. We use them to show our appreciation when someone has done something special for us or given us something.
Sometimes people forget to say thank you. You may even think its rude if someone doesn’t thank you when you do something nice for them or when you give them a gift. But we often forget to thank God, who is the giver of all good gifts.
In our reading for today, Jesus gave a great gift to 10 lepers. Not leopards, like the big cats with spots on them, but lepers. These are people that had leprosy, one of the worst diseases in Jesus’ time. People who had leprosy were forced to leave their homes and their families and go to places all by where only other people with leprosy lived. They usually stayed there until they died. They hardly ever got better because there was no medicine to heal leprosy. When the 10 lepers in our story saw Jesus, they called out for help, “Jesus, have mercy on us!” We will sing these words later in chapel this morning. We are confessing that we are helpless like those lepers when we cry out “Lord, have mercy!” We have a disease worse than leprosy. We have the disease of sin.
Well, Jesus healed the lepers. It was a miracle. The lepers could finally go back to their families. Jesus also heals us, from our disease of sin by his death on the cross. We are able to join the family of God.
All 10 of the lepers in the story were healed but only one went back to thank Jesus. What are some reasons why we don’t say thank you? Yeah, we forget, don’t appreciate the gift, get distracted
Why did the one leper return? Jesus tells him, “Your faith has made you well.” The leper that returned was healed from his sickness and from his sins because of his faith in Jesus.
There are lots of things we can thank God for, but the most important is the gift of salvation and faith in Jesus Christ. We don’t need to write God a thank-you note, but we can say thank you to him when we pray to Him and sing to Him and when we continue to call out Lord, have mercy! Let’s thank God for the gifts He has given us.
Father in Heaven, thank you for giving us life, for taking care of us, and most of all for giving your Son Jesus to save us. Thank you for the most precious gift of faith and eternal life in heaven. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Vicar Darren Harbaugh
Can anybody tell me what this is? That’s right. It’s a thank you card. What are these cards used for? Right. We use them to show our appreciation when someone has done something special for us or given us something.
Sometimes people forget to say thank you. You may even think its rude if someone doesn’t thank you when you do something nice for them or when you give them a gift. But we often forget to thank God, who is the giver of all good gifts.
In our reading for today, Jesus gave a great gift to 10 lepers. Not leopards, like the big cats with spots on them, but lepers. These are people that had leprosy, one of the worst diseases in Jesus’ time. People who had leprosy were forced to leave their homes and their families and go to places all by where only other people with leprosy lived. They usually stayed there until they died. They hardly ever got better because there was no medicine to heal leprosy. When the 10 lepers in our story saw Jesus, they called out for help, “Jesus, have mercy on us!” We will sing these words later in chapel this morning. We are confessing that we are helpless like those lepers when we cry out “Lord, have mercy!” We have a disease worse than leprosy. We have the disease of sin.
Well, Jesus healed the lepers. It was a miracle. The lepers could finally go back to their families. Jesus also heals us, from our disease of sin by his death on the cross. We are able to join the family of God.
All 10 of the lepers in the story were healed but only one went back to thank Jesus. What are some reasons why we don’t say thank you? Yeah, we forget, don’t appreciate the gift, get distracted
Why did the one leper return? Jesus tells him, “Your faith has made you well.” The leper that returned was healed from his sickness and from his sins because of his faith in Jesus.
There are lots of things we can thank God for, but the most important is the gift of salvation and faith in Jesus Christ. We don’t need to write God a thank-you note, but we can say thank you to him when we pray to Him and sing to Him and when we continue to call out Lord, have mercy! Let’s thank God for the gifts He has given us.
Father in Heaven, thank you for giving us life, for taking care of us, and most of all for giving your Son Jesus to save us. Thank you for the most precious gift of faith and eternal life in heaven. In Jesus’ name we pray. 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.
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.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
What is fellowship?
I used to think that a good church had: good fellowship, good music and a good sermon. I stopped going to church when I realized that I had better fellowship with my friends at a bar, I heard better music on my ipod, and could download a better sermon online.
Why go to church?
Fellowship is indeed a good reason, but what is it? It may not mean what you think it means.
Some churches have said, "We've lost any idea of community," and responded by promoting that they are all about "fellowship." This seems to involve hanging out with other Christians. It's probably a good idea to define what fellowship is. The Bible is a good place to look.
The New Testament speaks of koinōnia - "sharing" or "participation in a common thing" Christian fellowship has a earthly but also a heavenly dimension.
We have fellowship (share/participate) with Christ - 1Co 1:9 God is faithful, by whom you were called unto the fellowship (koinōnia)of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
We have fellowship (share/participate) in the body and blood of Christ - I Cor 10:16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation (koinōnia) in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation (koinōnia)in the body of Christ?
We fellowship (share/participate) as we serve (diakonia) others - 2 cor 8:3-4 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part (koinōnia) in the relief of the saints
We fellowship (share/participate) with the Holy Spirit - 2 cor 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship (koinōnia) of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
We fellowship (share/participate) in the sufferings of Christ - Phil 3:8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share (koinōnia) his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Our God actually comes to us in his body and blood, fellowshiping with us in an awesome, mysterious way and we fellowship with him in our journey through the Christian life in an awesome mysterious way. I like hanging out with people, but fellowship with God - our creator, redeemer and sanctifier beats coffee hour any day.
p.s. All this is not to downplay the communion of the saints (where 2 or 3 are gathered, there I am in the midst of you) Also, When we sing to God, we join our voices with angels and archangels, all the saints and the whole host of heaven, magnifying and glorifying God. That is also awesome fellowship, but I think that's a whole other aspect of this "fellowship" topic to be addressed.)
Why go to church?
Fellowship is indeed a good reason, but what is it? It may not mean what you think it means.
Some churches have said, "We've lost any idea of community," and responded by promoting that they are all about "fellowship." This seems to involve hanging out with other Christians. It's probably a good idea to define what fellowship is. The Bible is a good place to look.
The New Testament speaks of koinōnia - "sharing" or "participation in a common thing" Christian fellowship has a earthly but also a heavenly dimension.
We have fellowship (share/participate) with Christ - 1Co 1:9 God is faithful, by whom you were called unto the fellowship (koinōnia)of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
We have fellowship (share/participate) in the body and blood of Christ - I Cor 10:16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation (koinōnia) in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation (koinōnia)in the body of Christ?
We fellowship (share/participate) as we serve (diakonia) others - 2 cor 8:3-4 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part (koinōnia) in the relief of the saints
We fellowship (share/participate) with the Holy Spirit - 2 cor 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship (koinōnia) of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
We fellowship (share/participate) in the sufferings of Christ - Phil 3:8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share (koinōnia) his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Our God actually comes to us in his body and blood, fellowshiping with us in an awesome, mysterious way and we fellowship with him in our journey through the Christian life in an awesome mysterious way. I like hanging out with people, but fellowship with God - our creator, redeemer and sanctifier beats coffee hour any day.
p.s. All this is not to downplay the communion of the saints (where 2 or 3 are gathered, there I am in the midst of you) Also, When we sing to God, we join our voices with angels and archangels, all the saints and the whole host of heaven, magnifying and glorifying God. That is also awesome fellowship, but I think that's a whole other aspect of this "fellowship" topic to be addressed.)
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Money Hungry? Jesus fills the hungry wth good things
Chapel message 092910
Vicar Darren Harbaugh
Money Hungry? God fills the hungry with good things.
Have you ever heard your stomach growl because you were hungry? Why does your stomach growl? [because you need food]
Sometimes we just crave food. Does anybody here have a favorite food that they want all the time? I always want pizza, sometimes I just think about it and I get hungry. Like right now.
There is another kind of hungry. Money hungry. It is a craving, like food.
Has their ever been something you really, really wanted and you just had to have it; you couldn’t live without it? When I was your age: it was a Video game system, now it’s the iphone.
Some people are so hungry for things and $money$, that they walk away from God. $money$ and things become so important that they are all you can think about. Things become more important to us than God sometimes.
God loves us gives us all that we need. He gives us these gifts and we can be content and thankful for what he provides. The Bible says that God “fills the hungry with good things.” God gives us not just food, but everything we need.
We confess that God gives us all we need every time we say the Lord’s Prayer. In what part of the Lord’s Prayer do we confess that God provides our needs, like food? [God gives us Our daily bread.] When we are hungry, God feeds us, but he gives us more than just food in our “daily bread”
Read together "What is our Daily Bread" in Small Catechism– AGPS 42 or LSB 324
What is one of the gifts that Our Father who art in heaven gives us? [food, clothing, etc]
But the best gift that God has given us is his Son Jesus. Jesus died on the cross for you. He gives you the free gift of forgiveness of sins and eternal life. He continues to satisfy our hungry souls as he feeds us with His Body and Blood in the Lord’s Supper. And he will raise our bodies to be with Him.
Don’t be money-hungry. God gives us good gifts, let’s take hold of them and be content, giving thanks to Him.
Vicar Darren Harbaugh
Money Hungry? God fills the hungry with good things.
Have you ever heard your stomach growl because you were hungry? Why does your stomach growl? [because you need food]
Sometimes we just crave food. Does anybody here have a favorite food that they want all the time? I always want pizza, sometimes I just think about it and I get hungry. Like right now.
There is another kind of hungry. Money hungry. It is a craving, like food.
Has their ever been something you really, really wanted and you just had to have it; you couldn’t live without it? When I was your age: it was a Video game system, now it’s the iphone.
Some people are so hungry for things and $money$, that they walk away from God. $money$ and things become so important that they are all you can think about. Things become more important to us than God sometimes.
God loves us gives us all that we need. He gives us these gifts and we can be content and thankful for what he provides. The Bible says that God “fills the hungry with good things.” God gives us not just food, but everything we need.
We confess that God gives us all we need every time we say the Lord’s Prayer. In what part of the Lord’s Prayer do we confess that God provides our needs, like food? [God gives us Our daily bread.] When we are hungry, God feeds us, but he gives us more than just food in our “daily bread”
Read together "What is our Daily Bread" in Small Catechism– AGPS 42 or LSB 324
What is one of the gifts that Our Father who art in heaven gives us? [food, clothing, etc]
But the best gift that God has given us is his Son Jesus. Jesus died on the cross for you. He gives you the free gift of forgiveness of sins and eternal life. He continues to satisfy our hungry souls as he feeds us with His Body and Blood in the Lord’s Supper. And he will raise our bodies to be with Him.
Don’t be money-hungry. God gives us good gifts, let’s take hold of them and be content, giving thanks to Him.
Our Hope is Not in Worldly Riches
18th Sunday after Pentecost
Luke 16:19-31
Vicar Darren Harbaugh
‘I don’t think that means what you think it means.”
Have you ever come to the realization that something you always thought to be true did not, in fact, mean what you thought it meant? For example, you know the thing you eat – two pieces of bread with meat in the middle? I always thought that was a “Sand Witch”, as in an evil, magic wizard woman that lived near a lot of dirt. I never knew why such a lady and a meal were associated, but that’s what I thought. This happens to me all the time. Maybe it’s the spelling or meaning of a word, maybe it’s somebody’s name. Maybe it’s something bigger. For the disciples and the Pharisees, it was something bigger; something way bigger.
At this point in Luke’s Gospel - which we just read - Jesus has told a series of increasingly absurd parables that seem to flip his listeners’ worldview upside down. With the coming of Jesus, there is a Great Reversal. Things are not as they seem. “The first shall be last and the last shall be first.” Jesus is blowing his disciples’ minds. They think, “If the elite, who have been blessed with riches, aren’t first on the guest list, then what hope do I have?”
But not only are Jesus’ disciples listening to these parables, but also the Pharisees, the movers and shakers of the time. And what do they think of Jesus’ parables and the Great Reversal? Well, they think it all stinks. They know that they are directly in Jesus’ crosshairs, and they grumble and ridicule the Word of God spoken through Jesus.
Then, Jesus tells another story; this time about a rich man and Lazarus, a poor beggar. The two men could not be more different. It’s like comparing a guy staying in the Presidential suite at the Ritz-Carlton to a homeless man sleeping on the street in the Tenderloin.
The rich man was clothed with fine linen and purple – the Armani suit of his day. The poor man was covered with sores.
The rich man feasted sumptuously everyday – constant lobster tail dinners and Dom Perignon. The poor man? He dreamed of scrounging scraps from the table after the dogs had eaten their fill. His life was filled with suffering, struggle and survival.
But then, the great equalizer, both men died and we find that our characters are no longer on earth, but in the hereafter. There is still a feast going on, but the Rich man is no longer the master of ceremonies. Rather, God has indeed helped Lazarus, whose name means “he whom God helps.” The angels have carried Lazarus to Abraham’s side, which if you grew up reading the old King James Version, you will remember that it reads – Abraham’s “bosom.” This is a phrase to describe a guest sitting in a place of honor at a first century Palestinian banquet. Just as the beloved disciple John reclined next to Jesus at the Last Supper, here Lazarus is reclining next to Abraham, participating with him in a feast which has no end. This is the feast of victory that we too will enjoy when we “recline at table in the kingdom of God,” as we read a couple weeks ago. This is the feast that we anticipate in our Service of the Sacrament as we are fed and comforted by the presence of our Lord in his body and blood.
Lazarus, that poor beggar in the story is now comforted. The last is indeed first. In the Beatitudes in Luke 6, Jesus said, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied.” Here is a fulfillment of that promise for Lazarus. He is being comforted, filled, satisfied.
But also see in our story that not only are the last first, but the first are last. Just after the Beatitudes in Luke 6, follow the Woes. Jesus says “Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry.” Here is fulfillment of that curse for the Rich Man who is in Hades – a place of eternal torment.
Why is the rich man in torment? Because he was rich? No, of course not. But because he did not fear, love and trust in God with all his heart, rather he feared, loved and trusted in money with all his heart. That is where all his security lay. He was selfish and unrepentant on earth and he was selfish and unrepentant in hell, ordering Lazarus around to do his bidding. And if you haven’t put 2 and 2 together by now, the Pharisees who were listening to Jesus surely had. The Pharisees who were lovers of money - selfish and unrepentant- who ridiculed the Word of Christ, and who grumbled that Jesus associated with sinners (Sinners, mind you!) could look forward to the same eternal fate as the Rich man.
I suppose that the story could end here and wouldn’t be half bad. The underdog winds up on top; the bad guy gets what he deserves. But it seems at this point in the story it’s time to consider the question: “Who are you? The good guy or the bad guy? The Rich Man or Lazarus? Do you overlook the down-trodden and outcasts? Do you find your security in your wealth and processions? Do you ignore God’s Word? Remember we confessed at the beginning of the service that we “cling to the things of this world for meaning” and that we “crave things that are physical and ignore the eternal and the needs of those around us.” That sounds an awful lot like the rich man. It sounds like the selfish and unrepentant Pharisees. We deserve what the Rich man got.
But there’s more to the story. Jesus tells his hearers - the Pharisees, the disciples and us - how we can end up like Lazarus, beggars enjoying the riches of the eternal kingdom. How does this happen? Let’s look at the rest of the story.
The Rich man wants his family to be saved and he asks that Lazarus be sent back from the dead to warn them. Abraham replies, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets – the Word of God. They must listen to Scripture.” That didn’t fly with the Rich man who responds with an emphatic “No!” NO WAY! The Rich Man disagrees with his father Abraham. For the Rich Man, the Word of God is not enough. God is not capable of working through His Word to save people by sending His Holy Spirit to produce faith. There must be some other way!
Abraham responds,” If they don’t listen to the Word that they have, they won’t believe even if some one rises from the dead.” Bingo. Sound familiar? When Jesus did actually rise from the dead, he went to his disciples and opened their minds to understand the Word. Jesus told them that Moses and the Prophets said, “that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”
God as given us Himself and His Word - The Gospel. This indeed is true riches. Paul writes: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty you might become rich.” Christ “humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” He was the first and he became last for us. He was the “firstborn of all creation,” “the exalted one, but he became “despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows” Christ took all our sin, our false trust in wealth, our neglect of others, our despising of God’s word and he bore it all as he suffered upon the cross that we might obtain an eternal inheritance. Your treasure is not material wealth or worldly possessions, but the free gift of Christ crucified and His Holy Word.
Because of the saving grace of Christ, your story does not end like the Rich man’s. The Rich man, and the Pharisees rejected the Word of God, but you, like a poor beggar, have received the Christ’s word of absolution spoken by the pastor. Your sins are forgiven. Everything we have in this life is a gift of God, especially God’s forgiveness. Listen to that Word of forgiveness. Cling to that Word of forgiveness; the Word of the one who was humiliated and despised for you, who rose from the dead for you and continues to be present with you through his Word and through the Sacrament.
You want to be in attendance at the feast Lazarus enjoyed? You’re in the right place. There is still a feast going on and there is no last call. The food is still fresh and the champagne is still on ice. We have a foretaste of the feast to come available for you today at the altar. Taste and see that the Lord is good. He is present to offer you life and forgiveness and rescue from sin, death and the devil. Join in the feast with Abraham, Issac and Jacob and all the poor beggars who have gone before us. The riches of Christ’s word and sacrament empower you hold fast to Him and to His gifts and enable you to show His mercy to those whose lives are filled with suffering, struggle and survival.
Come to the feast and dine sumptuously as we enjoy the presence of our Savior as His heavenly banquet invades this earthly space.
And may the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Luke 16:19-31
Vicar Darren Harbaugh
‘I don’t think that means what you think it means.”
Have you ever come to the realization that something you always thought to be true did not, in fact, mean what you thought it meant? For example, you know the thing you eat – two pieces of bread with meat in the middle? I always thought that was a “Sand Witch”, as in an evil, magic wizard woman that lived near a lot of dirt. I never knew why such a lady and a meal were associated, but that’s what I thought. This happens to me all the time. Maybe it’s the spelling or meaning of a word, maybe it’s somebody’s name. Maybe it’s something bigger. For the disciples and the Pharisees, it was something bigger; something way bigger.
At this point in Luke’s Gospel - which we just read - Jesus has told a series of increasingly absurd parables that seem to flip his listeners’ worldview upside down. With the coming of Jesus, there is a Great Reversal. Things are not as they seem. “The first shall be last and the last shall be first.” Jesus is blowing his disciples’ minds. They think, “If the elite, who have been blessed with riches, aren’t first on the guest list, then what hope do I have?”
But not only are Jesus’ disciples listening to these parables, but also the Pharisees, the movers and shakers of the time. And what do they think of Jesus’ parables and the Great Reversal? Well, they think it all stinks. They know that they are directly in Jesus’ crosshairs, and they grumble and ridicule the Word of God spoken through Jesus.
Then, Jesus tells another story; this time about a rich man and Lazarus, a poor beggar. The two men could not be more different. It’s like comparing a guy staying in the Presidential suite at the Ritz-Carlton to a homeless man sleeping on the street in the Tenderloin.
The rich man was clothed with fine linen and purple – the Armani suit of his day. The poor man was covered with sores.
The rich man feasted sumptuously everyday – constant lobster tail dinners and Dom Perignon. The poor man? He dreamed of scrounging scraps from the table after the dogs had eaten their fill. His life was filled with suffering, struggle and survival.
But then, the great equalizer, both men died and we find that our characters are no longer on earth, but in the hereafter. There is still a feast going on, but the Rich man is no longer the master of ceremonies. Rather, God has indeed helped Lazarus, whose name means “he whom God helps.” The angels have carried Lazarus to Abraham’s side, which if you grew up reading the old King James Version, you will remember that it reads – Abraham’s “bosom.” This is a phrase to describe a guest sitting in a place of honor at a first century Palestinian banquet. Just as the beloved disciple John reclined next to Jesus at the Last Supper, here Lazarus is reclining next to Abraham, participating with him in a feast which has no end. This is the feast of victory that we too will enjoy when we “recline at table in the kingdom of God,” as we read a couple weeks ago. This is the feast that we anticipate in our Service of the Sacrament as we are fed and comforted by the presence of our Lord in his body and blood.
Lazarus, that poor beggar in the story is now comforted. The last is indeed first. In the Beatitudes in Luke 6, Jesus said, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied.” Here is a fulfillment of that promise for Lazarus. He is being comforted, filled, satisfied.
But also see in our story that not only are the last first, but the first are last. Just after the Beatitudes in Luke 6, follow the Woes. Jesus says “Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry.” Here is fulfillment of that curse for the Rich Man who is in Hades – a place of eternal torment.
Why is the rich man in torment? Because he was rich? No, of course not. But because he did not fear, love and trust in God with all his heart, rather he feared, loved and trusted in money with all his heart. That is where all his security lay. He was selfish and unrepentant on earth and he was selfish and unrepentant in hell, ordering Lazarus around to do his bidding. And if you haven’t put 2 and 2 together by now, the Pharisees who were listening to Jesus surely had. The Pharisees who were lovers of money - selfish and unrepentant- who ridiculed the Word of Christ, and who grumbled that Jesus associated with sinners (Sinners, mind you!) could look forward to the same eternal fate as the Rich man.
I suppose that the story could end here and wouldn’t be half bad. The underdog winds up on top; the bad guy gets what he deserves. But it seems at this point in the story it’s time to consider the question: “Who are you? The good guy or the bad guy? The Rich Man or Lazarus? Do you overlook the down-trodden and outcasts? Do you find your security in your wealth and processions? Do you ignore God’s Word? Remember we confessed at the beginning of the service that we “cling to the things of this world for meaning” and that we “crave things that are physical and ignore the eternal and the needs of those around us.” That sounds an awful lot like the rich man. It sounds like the selfish and unrepentant Pharisees. We deserve what the Rich man got.
But there’s more to the story. Jesus tells his hearers - the Pharisees, the disciples and us - how we can end up like Lazarus, beggars enjoying the riches of the eternal kingdom. How does this happen? Let’s look at the rest of the story.
The Rich man wants his family to be saved and he asks that Lazarus be sent back from the dead to warn them. Abraham replies, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets – the Word of God. They must listen to Scripture.” That didn’t fly with the Rich man who responds with an emphatic “No!” NO WAY! The Rich Man disagrees with his father Abraham. For the Rich Man, the Word of God is not enough. God is not capable of working through His Word to save people by sending His Holy Spirit to produce faith. There must be some other way!
Abraham responds,” If they don’t listen to the Word that they have, they won’t believe even if some one rises from the dead.” Bingo. Sound familiar? When Jesus did actually rise from the dead, he went to his disciples and opened their minds to understand the Word. Jesus told them that Moses and the Prophets said, “that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”
God as given us Himself and His Word - The Gospel. This indeed is true riches. Paul writes: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty you might become rich.” Christ “humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” He was the first and he became last for us. He was the “firstborn of all creation,” “the exalted one, but he became “despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows” Christ took all our sin, our false trust in wealth, our neglect of others, our despising of God’s word and he bore it all as he suffered upon the cross that we might obtain an eternal inheritance. Your treasure is not material wealth or worldly possessions, but the free gift of Christ crucified and His Holy Word.
Because of the saving grace of Christ, your story does not end like the Rich man’s. The Rich man, and the Pharisees rejected the Word of God, but you, like a poor beggar, have received the Christ’s word of absolution spoken by the pastor. Your sins are forgiven. Everything we have in this life is a gift of God, especially God’s forgiveness. Listen to that Word of forgiveness. Cling to that Word of forgiveness; the Word of the one who was humiliated and despised for you, who rose from the dead for you and continues to be present with you through his Word and through the Sacrament.
You want to be in attendance at the feast Lazarus enjoyed? You’re in the right place. There is still a feast going on and there is no last call. The food is still fresh and the champagne is still on ice. We have a foretaste of the feast to come available for you today at the altar. Taste and see that the Lord is good. He is present to offer you life and forgiveness and rescue from sin, death and the devil. Join in the feast with Abraham, Issac and Jacob and all the poor beggars who have gone before us. The riches of Christ’s word and sacrament empower you hold fast to Him and to His gifts and enable you to show His mercy to those whose lives are filled with suffering, struggle and survival.
Come to the feast and dine sumptuously as we enjoy the presence of our Savior as His heavenly banquet invades this earthly space.
And may the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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