Sunday, January 30, 2011

Good Foolishness

A pastor had a conversation with a church member that went something like this:

"Pastor, I honestly don't like your sermons lately. I don't care for the "cross" idea being emphasized so much. Don't you think it would be much more effective to preach Jesus as our teacher and example?"

The pastor responded, "You mean, if I were to preach Christ as example, you would be willing to follow Him?"

"Yes, pastor, my sincere desire is to follow in the footsteps of Christ."

"OK," said the pastor, "let's take the first step. The Bible tells us that Jesus lived a perfect life, free from sin. He did not sin once. Can you take that step?"

"No," the man replied, "I do sin. I admit it."

The pastor continued. "Suppose for a moment that a person is driving along in his car and loses control, smashes into a tree and is pinned inside of the car. As he's trapped there, he is able to see and hear a passing motorist offer these words of advice: "You must exercise more caution when driving. You would do well to follow my example and drive safely." Well, the trapped driver is completely unable to follow that good advice. First he must be rescued. Don't you think our first need of Jesus is as our Rescuer?

What do you think? What do you think of sermons that emphasize what that man called "the cross idea"? Naturally, we would rather hear sermons about success in life; about God taking away all our difficulties; but over and over we hear about a man nailed to a wooden cross—a pretty gruesome image, when you stop and think about it. But as we let God's Word speak to us today, I believe that the message of Jesus' cross will show itself to be the most practical, most relevant, most timely message that we can concentrate on as Christians. Jesus' loving sacrifice on the cross is God's greatest display of power. That sounds foolish to many, but it is the message that saves souls and changes lives for eternity.

In today's Epistle Lesson, the apostle Paul tells the Corinthian Christians that his bottom line is always going to be the cross of Christ. He writes: "…the message of the cross is folly [foolishness] to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God…we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God."

This is what it always comes down to: Jesus suffering and dying on the cross. Preachers can talk about Jesus in all kinds of ways—Jesus as a good example to follow; Jesus as a revolutionary leader; Jesus as CEO; but any teaching about Jesus that bypasses His cross and sacrificial death is at best incomplete; at worst, that kind of teaching gets Jesus wrong and leads people astray.

Why was the apostle Paul so adamant about this? Because souls were and are at stake. There is no real forgiveness of sins; there is no such thing as eternal life outside of these simple facts: God loved each of us sinners so much that, rather than let us die and go to hell, He sent His Son into this world to die on a cross and rise again from the dead. In that dying, he absorbed all of your sins and the hell they deserved, taking them all away from you. And in that rising, he supplies you with never-ending life. That is the power of the cross. This is the great and painful lengths to which Jesus went to make it possible for you to live with him for eternity.

So how exactly is this message practical? How is it relevant, or up-to-date? Here's how: If you believe that Jesus died and rose for you; if you believe that Baptism connects you to Jesus; If you believe that He loved you enough to sacrifice his own life for you, then it's going to change the way you think; the way you see life; the way you respond in certain situations; in short, it will change you fro the inside out. The forgiveness received from Jesus changes your heart; so you are not just forgiven, but forgiving. We pray it all the time in the Lord's Prayer: "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." Since God has forgotten our sins, the Holy Spirit urges and enables us to forget the sins of those who have hurt us. This has some very practical applications.

I'd like to read you a portion of a letter written by a Christian whose thinking was changed by the cross of Jesus. It reads as follows:

Four years ago, I felt that God had thrown me into a pit and had deserted me. I never felt such intense pain, anger, and humiliation. Losing my title and position at work very nearly destroyed me. It forced me to face my biggest fear: failure. I had spent my life trying to prove myself, trying to impress others, so now the thought of facing my co-workers in my new circumstances was unbearable.

But it was not the fact that I had been demoted that devastated me; it was the manner in which it had happened. My boss, who I thought was a friend, lied about my job performance and his role in my demotion. He had given me an outstanding evaluation, and then, without my knowledge, had written a letter saying I had problems. I confronted him about his role in the matter. He denied any involvement, and I believed him. It wasn't until two months later that I found out about the letter that had been written. Now, not only did I have to deal with the pain of failure, but the betrayal of a friend.

It was only when I turned to God, remembering His forgiving love that he displayed on the cross, and asking for His help in forgiving this person, that I was finally able to leave my dark pit. When the Lord lifted me out, I was a new person. And after I forgave my boss, I experienced a peace and joy that I had never felt before. It was then that I realized that forgiveness truly has a healing power.

I thought that writing about my painful experience might help someone else to experience the love and forgiveness of God. He is the only One who can take away pain and anger and replace it with love, peace, and joy.

Is there someone in your life right now that is in need of your forgiveness? Are you actually in pain today because you haven't forgiven someone? Take the time soon to remember how Jesus "swallowed His pride," how He was nailed to a cross and rose from the grave for you—for your eternal well-being. And in that remembrance, you will experience the love Jesus has for you; love that gives you the courage to say, "I forgive you." Does that sound naïve or weak or foolish? Maybe. But the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. Amen.


Thursday, January 27, 2011

Fighting Room Only

If some cynical joker, disgusted at our parochial squabbling, were to write over the church door, "Fighting Room Only," he would be telling the sober truth, albeit unconsciously. To believe on the Lord Jesus Christ does not mean only that we have become acquainted with a "catechismful" of facts about Him; it means that we have been drawn into the live momentum of a life that was lived to destroy the works of the devil. And there is fighting room only. "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life" is not just something that lends solemn pathos to the confirmaton service; it is written over our whole life. Every minute brings a decision for or against Christ, and the decision involves a struggle and a fight.

Dr. Martin Franzmann, "The Young Man Who Fled"

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Luther on the Gospel

See to it, therefore, that you do not make a Moses out of Christ, or a book of laws and doctrines out of the gospel. For the gospel does not expressly demand works of our own by which we become righteous and are saved; indeed it condemns such works. Rather the gospel demands faith in Christ: that he has overcome for us sin, death, and hell, and thus gives us righteousness, life, and salvation not through our works, but through his own works, death, and suffering, in order that we may avail ourselves of his death and victory as though we had done it ourselves.

"Prefaces to the New Testament" (1546)

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Where Is Jesus Leading Us?

When I was in high school, I tried out for a role in play, and to my surprise, I made the cast! I was excited for a moment, until it dawned on me that I knew very little about acting. Fortunately, our director knew what he was doing, and he had us go through different exercises to help us improve. One exercise in particular sticks out in my mind.

The director split the cast up into pairs and then one of us was blindfolded. Our partner had to guide us through the book stacks in the library without hitting anything, but they could only use words to guide us. I was one of the "lucky" ones to be blindfolded, and at first I was starting to reconsider this whole acting thing, but as my partner gave me directions, my trust in that person began to grow. It was an exercise in trust and teamwork, things that were probably more important to the success of the play than the ability of any one actor. It was scary to let someone else lead me around, but trust was built as I followed the guiding words of my partner.

Have you ever wondered what went on in the minds and hearts of Jesus' first disciples? Have you ever wondered what compelled them to obey the man who said, "Come, follow me?" What moved them to immediately leave it all behind and answer the calling of the Lord? As you think about those questions, and the response of Peter, Andrew, James, and John, I'd also like for you to ask yourself, "Could I have followed Jesus that way?" Or maybe more to the point, "Am I following Jesus that way?" Do I put all of my trust in Jesus to lead me? Is following Him really the number one priority in my life?

It is crucial that we listen to the teaching Jesus does here in this passage. This first sermon Jesus preaches in Matthew's gospel begins like this: "Repent! For the kingdom of heaven is near." It was the same message John the Baptist came preaching, except now it was being delivered by the one John had prepared the way for. The content, however was the same: repent!

Jesus began his mission by announcing that it was not OK to keep on living comfortably in sin. His words apply to you and me today. Jesus says to you, turn away from your sin. Turn away from your self-reliance. Turn away from your trust in self. Turn away from a messed-up set of priorities. Turn to me and follow me, Jesus says. Why? Because the kingdom of heaven is near. And Jesus is the only way to enter that kingdom. Turn to Jesus, because His suffering and death on the cross and His victory of the grave was for you. Every single way that you have sinned and fallen short has been forgotten by God, because of Jesus' willingness to stand in the way of our punishment. As we keep on turning to God, every day, every hour, confessing our need for Him, He forgives us and renews our desire to follow Him all the way to heaven. The lifestyle of the Christian person is one of repentance leading to the forgiveness of sins; a continuous loop of saving grace.

Now make no mistake, as you follow Jesus through life, you may wonder, "Where is He leading me?" The disciples had the same concern. The same men who seemed to answer Jesus' call so perfectly didn't really understand His mission; they would worry about who was the greatest disciple; they would prevent little children from coming to see Jesus; a few even betrayed the One who had called them. They didn't always trust Jesus to lead them. But the loop of saving grace continued—Jesus forgave and they followed.

They followed him to Jerusalem. They followed Him to an upper room, to a dark garden, to a judgment hall, and finally a select few followed him to Golgotha, the hill of the skull where Jesus was nailed to a cross. It was there that Jesus showed his disciples just how much He loved them.

Jesus led His disciples to another hilltop, after his defeat of death on Easter. The disciples followed the living Son of God to the top of this hill, and there He made them fishers of men. Just before ascending into heaven, Jesus gave this command: "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always." They had followed Jesus through good times and bad; now it was time for the disciples to become disciplers; to become fishers of men, drawing people up out of the depths of sin and death; catching them in the great net of God's grace in Jesus.

So when you begin to wonder, "Where is Jesus leading me?" Remember where He led His disciples. He led them to His cross. He leads you there too, when you are burdened and beaten down by sin. He leads you through repentance to the refreshing forgiveness of sins, reminding you of just how much He loves you.

And remember, Jesus led His disciples to a mountain where He made them disciplers; he commissioned them to go fish for people; so keep in mind that wherever Jesus takes you, He wants the same for you. Wherever God has put you, cast your net out; catch people with kindness; grab them with grace; let them see Jesus in you. Let them know that He has opened the gate to the kingdom of heaven. Let Him lead you there.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Luther on Gifts

God did not give you your gifts for you to tickle yourself with them, but for you to help your neighbor with them when he needs it, and thus by your strength to bear his weakness, by your piety and honor to cover up his sin and to conceal his shame, as God through Christ has done for you and still does every day.

Commentary on "The Sermon on the Mount" (1532)

LW 21, 216--18

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Enriched In Christ

Every so often the devil comes sneaking around, usually when you are most vulnerable, whispering his accusations: "Shame on you. How dare you call yourself a Christian." His goal is to make you second-guess your God and your calling—the God, who in His mercy, "Saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit." (Titus 3: 5) In those crucial moments, the life-giving words of God's grace must intercept the devil's death-dealing words, or we are lost.

Corinth was a sinking city. The quicksand of sin and shame had pulled this place and people all the way down. Two thirds of the 600,000 residents were slaves. Most converts to the Way of Jesus were from the bottom of the social ladder. Jesus was their only status. A cozy, social-club Christianity would never do in this urgent setting. The apostle Paul was the Holy Spirit's man, calling these people out for the purpose of living out their calling.

In the ancient world, the very name Corinthian was shorthand for vice and immorality. In fact, Paul once said he could not address the believers in Corinth as spiritually mature, but as "mere infants in Christ." In such an unreceptive place, Paul needed to establish some credentials, and his claim to credibility is found in verse one. He describes himself as called by God to be an apostle. He is sent with authority to act on behalf of the sender, the Lord Jesus.

God's message, sent through Paul, is far from timid. He never tiptoes around the truth. Confident in his apostolic calling, Paul is wholeheartedly invested in the Gospel's power to save; he proclaims it with a demonstration of the Spirit's power. The unstable and divided church at Corinth heard Paul reveal God's clear will for them—that all people be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. God desires the same enriching, the same saving, he same wholeness for you and me.

But day and night Satan drags up our shortcomings, battering us with moral failures, shackling us with images of inferiority and feelings of self-hatred. He wants you to reject what God has said about you. He wants you to say, "God doesn't really delight in me. How could He?" Satan desperately wants you to reject the Biblical truth that God has declared you holy in Christ.

Now, it must be said there are times when we feel guilt that is appropriate. Appropriate guilt is a recognition of sin that leads to repentance. Having been confronted by God's Law, the sinner regrets and turns away from wickedness, and the Gospel light of forgiveness shines on his or her heart. Inappropriate guilt, on the other hand, is the temptation to believe that God isn't powerful enough or kind enough to forgive my sin. Inappropriate guilt is a temptation to believe that you are so bad that God could never use a person like you to do kingdom work. But that simply isn't true. Every satanic temptation is a lie. God's truth is that He calls you holy; He calls you a saint; He calls you a son or daughter. He wants to enrich you in every way with His gifts.

That word "enrich" in verse five has a lot to say to you and me. To enrich means to add something that was not already present. Foods and drinks are often advertised as enriched with vitamin C or other nutrients. From our mother's womb, we are deficient, lacking ingredients for salvation. We need to be enriched in Christ. We need all the Jesus we can get. In the first nine verses of 1 Corinthians, Christ is named no less than nine times. Sends a message, doesn't it? The antidote to guilt is Jesus, who lifts your weight of guilt onto His crucified shoulders. When the devil comes around with his whispers and lies, we can point to Jesus, confronting our enemy with the fact that Jesus has paid the full price for our guilt and shelters us with His resurrected life and Spirit.

Clearly, we need all the Jesus we can get, and the good news is you are in exactly the right place to receive Him. Every good thing He earned by dying and rising was applied to you when you were baptized. He wrote His name on you in the water and you are now His. He speaks to you continually through His Word that we sing and speak together in worship. The Lord's Supper enriches you, because the blood that Jesus shed on Calvary has power that flows into the communion cup. As forgiveness is served, we are enriched in Jesus; enriched in our identity as someone who belongs to Him; and enriched in our sense of calling.

Because here's the deal; you and I are not the only ones who need all the Jesus we can get. There are hurting people; desperate, devastated people out there who are not getting any Jesus at all. Do we care? Do we care enough to find ways to connect with them? Do we care enough to invite them to meet Jesus and the places where His gifts are given away? You and I have been called out to live out our calling. Let us resolve today in the power of the Holy Spirit to enrich the lives of those around us with Jesus. Let's enrich the lives of those around us with His compassion and service. And let's begin today.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

(Not Quite) Headline News

One big surprise that took place at my installation was being interviewed by a local news team. For the full article and video, go to: http://www.whiznews.com/content/news/local/2011/01/09/new-pastor-at-trinity-lutheran-church

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Trinity Lutheran

This is the setting in which I am now sharing Christ's gifts. It brings the beauty of His mercy to life!

Welcome!

New year, new church, new blog! Check back for the usual sermon manuscripts, Bible Studies, and other random posts.