Saturday, December 31, 2011

Strength for a New Year

When the songwriter asked the musical question, “What are you doing New Year’s Eve?” I doubt the answer he expected to receive was “I’m going to church.” But here we are. And it is absolutely appropriate to be here, to gather around God’s Word, to remember our baptism and to eat and drink at our Lord’s Table. I don’t have to tell you, many people will celebrate to excess this evening. We are here to celebrate the excessive generosity and grace of God. I’m bold to say that ours will be the more satisfying celebration.
Tonight you may get the sense that you are standing with one foot in the past and the other in the future. If you were here on Christmas Eve, then you may remember we talked about the tension between “What’s Next” and “What Just Happened?” Maybe we feel that more intensely at the transition from one year to the next. It’s not a bad idea to take a few moments tonight to ponder; to reflect; to ask yourself, with regard to the year now past, “What Just Happened?” My hope is that you will have many reasons to give thanks to God when you do that. We don’t do that nearly enough. Stop and remember and give thanks tonight. Great is His Faithfulness indeed.
At the same time there is also “What’s Next,” and it’s good to be prepared. A new year can symbolize a new beginning, if we want it to be. It can also just be more of the same. Regardless of your mindset going in, there are some things you can count on in this new calendar year. I’m pretty sure you will be surprised at some point by good news, or bad. Things are going to happen that you didn’t see coming. Life is going to throw you some curve balls. When that happens, what will you rely on? What is going to give you stability? Tonight we are going to dip our toe into each of the readings you’ve heard, and by doing so, my prayer is that you will see and trust the strength that is available to you in God’s Word.
We begin with the Old Testament Lesson from Isaiah chapter 30, and when you first listened to it, you might have thought, “that it’s kind of a downer.” Well, it is, because it describes reality. You may sometimes hear people say that you can learn from negative examples how NOT to do things. That’s what we’re invited to do with this passage. We’re introduced to “a rebellious people, lying children, children unwilling to hear the instruction of the LORD;” people who ask God’s preachers to tell them “smooth things” and “illusions” so that they don’t have to deal with the Holy One of Israel. They’re basically saying, ‘Tell us what we want to hear; tell us that’s we’re basically OK; tell us that everything is going to be all right and that we don’t have to take God seriously.’ But God’s not having any of that. He says, “If you’d rather have man’s lies than my truth, here’s what I would compare your lives to: A bulge in a wall that breaks and collapses, or a clay pot that is shattered so violently that it’s totally useless.”
What does that mean to you and me? It’s simple. When a person ignores God’s Word and does his or her own thing, the outcome is predictable. God himself compares it to collapse and destruction; a shattering. The human preference is for smooth things, illusions, easy-to-swallow teachings that give us permission to do whatever we want. You and I are challenged to ask ourselves, number one, will I be a hearer of God’s Word this year; and number two, being a hearer of God’s Word, will I be a doer of God’s Word? In verse fifteen, the Lord says “In returning and rest you shall be saved.” Did you hear that? You can return to the Holy One; the door is always open; the invitation stands. The result of hearing and doing the Word of God is rest—the deep soul rest of being right with God. The alternative to that is personal collapse. Is that really a difficult choice?
Next we have Romans 8, and the encouragement given by the apostle Paul. Here Paul writes to tell us that God is fundamentally for us. He is on your side. His allegiance is to you. The way you can know that for sure is to look at Christ, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried and who rose again on the third day. He went through all of that to exchange your sin for his holiness, and nothing can take His holiness away from you. Paul gives us that big list: tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, sword, death, life, angels, rulers, the present, the future, nothing can separate you from the love and forgiveness of Jesus.
Do you see what Paul is teaching us to do? So often we live as surface dwellers; we just look at the surface level of things. What I mean by that is that we tend to interpret God’s love for us based on our current circumstances. If things happen to be going well for us in general, we tend to think we have God’s blessing. And if we’re really being honest, we would admit that we feel we deserve everything going well. We expect it. But if things start to go wrong; when problems come our way (and you know they will) then what’s a common reaction? God must be mad at me! Right? God must be punishing me for something I did! God must really have something against me—a person can really feel that way. But did you hear that list Paul made? Do you see what he’s teaching us to do? He’s teaching to not be a surface dweller. Don’t interpret God’s love for you based on your current circumstances. He, of all people, should know! As a missionary of Jesus Christ, he was beaten with stones, flogged with whips, mobbed and left for dead, lived through a shipwreck, endured assassination attempts, and lived under house arrest. If he interpreted God’s love for him based on his circumstances, he could’ve easily come to the conclusion that God hated him! But that was not His conclusion. Why? Because Paul could look past his circumstances to see Christ. He could see beyond the surface level to the Savior. You can do the same. This is what the Gospel of Jesus is! It is the news that you are loved; you are accepted; you are forgiven; you are a priceless treasure to God! How do you know? He gave up His own Son to get you! Paul’s words come down to you at the beginning of this year, and he says, “Do you ever wonder if God really loves you? Then look to Christ on the cross. Don’t look to your circumstances. Those will always be bad. It’s a sinful world. Jesus died for you. God is for you. Don’t ever doubt it. This is precisely the resource we need to face the future.
One more way to approach the new year from a position of strength—that comes from tonight’s Gospel lesson. There Jesus uses words like “action,”” readiness,” and “service” to describe what his followers ought to be like. He paints a picture of servants in a constant state of preparedness for the master’s return. The servants understand their mission, and they are carrying out that mission with urgency. The master could show up anytime, so they’ve got to be ready.
The application is pretty obvious, isn’t it? Do you understand your mission as a Christian? Do you have a sense of urgency about that mission? Or are you letting other things take priority in your life?
One of my favorite movies is a Japanese film called “Ikiru” that tells the story of an office worker who only begins to really live when he is diagnosed with stomach cancer. He realizes his days are numbered, and only then does he begin to think about doing something of lasting value with his life.
In the closing hours of 2011, please hear me. Don’t wait for bad news to shock you into a sense of urgency. Develop that urgency now. You are here for a reason. Do you know what it is? It is to show God to people. It is to be the hands and feet and mouth of Jesus wherever you go. If you can lock onto this mission in the coming year, it will fill you up. When you do the good God has prepared for you to do, of course it feels right; of course it feels meaningful. It’s what you were meant to do. So go after it.
It’s almost 2012. What has God said to us tonight? He’s said: “Be a hearer and a doer of My Word. Remember that I am fundamentally for you, and if you forget, look to Christ. And commit yourself to the mission I’ve given you with urgency.” Strong Advice from our Source of Strength; in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Sunday, December 25, 2011

The Light Shines in the Darkness

Christmas presents problems. Can I say that without getting in trouble? It’s the truth. Christmas, and everything that comes with it, creates conflict. That may not be what you expected to hear on this Christmas morning, but deep down inside we all know that it’s true. But here’s the deal: that conflict may not be such a bad thing.

Christmas means a lot of things to a lot of people. The Christmas that Christians celebrate is just as cluttered as the rest of the world, but our clutter has meaning because it focuses on Christ. Christmas literally means the Mass or service celebrated in the church to mark the birth of Christ. Christmas is about Jesus Christ. Period. And that presents problems.

A special education teacher once shared a interesting account. Certain children who were apparently not Christian or did not come from Christian homes were noticeably uncomfortable singing Christmas carols—the simple ones we all like, like “Silent Night.” She claimed some of the children even became violent when they heard references to Jesus Christ. This was not merely an emotional issue, though I’m sure it was at least this. When it was time to sing “Jingle Bells” and “Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer” these same children were noticeably relieved. They didn’t have to hear about Jesus anymore. Now we can sing about jolly old St. Nick and jingle bells, because they really don’t matter to us. If, however, Jesus Christ is the Son of God, He matters, and somehow these children knew it. They wanted to escape.

At the beginning of his gospel, John speaks of a conflict between light and darkness. As much as our Christmases try to cover up this struggle—with lights, parties, presents, etc.—the struggle goes on. John says that the light was shining in the darkness and the darkness tried to overcome the light but it was unsuccessful. Still this conflict between light and dark, between God and Satan, between belief and unbelief will continue as long as the world keeps spinning. Jesus is the light of the world. The ultimate proof that He is that Light is His resurrection from the dead. In our lives today He remains in combat with Satan, the Prince of Darkness.

Christmas would be a lot more fun for some folks if they just didn’t face to face the person of Jesus. The prophet Simeon told the mother of Jesus that He would be an obstacle; He would make people feel uncomfortable. He still does this. We Christians admit that we don’t understand everything we should about Jesus, but we do believe He brings a new dimension into our lives, and because he brings a new dimension into our lives, we can look at our own death differently. In Jesus, God is making a claim on everyone’s life, a claim that cannot be avoided.
We, like everyone else, can be carried away with Christmas busyness that has very little to do with Christ. You have given yourself a great gift today, by being here. You have given yourself the gift of time; time to reflect on what all the fuss is about. This is supposed to be a birthday celebration, with an important twist. Behind the manger; behind Joseph, Mary, and the Baby, something much more important and mysterious was happening. Jesus is not just one more child among other children. He is the one child who calls people, wherever they are, to worship Him!

Today’s Gospel reveals the mystery at the heart of our worship: “The Word was made flesh and He dwelt among us.” By these words the broad expanse of time and space are brought together. Heaven becomes part of earth. God becomes Mary’s child and this child becomes the brother of every man and woman who has ever lived. God has chosen to share permanently in our humanity: “the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” He did not come down to look around like a King walking among his people in disguise, only to retreat to the comfort of his castle. He came down to take our pain and misery upon Himself.

The book of Genesis, the first book in the Bible, begins, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Then Genesis says that God spoke words to arrange what he had created. This Word that God spoke was not a sound that was heard and then lost into space. The Word that God spoke was the Word that was always with God. This Word has always lived face-to-face with God, and this Word was God himself, and by this Word God made all things. The opening verses of John’s gospel tie this all together for us. The creative Word is Jesus, who entered a flesh and blood body like ours, not just to live among us for a time, but to execute the ultimate rescue mission. That’s who is sleeping away in the manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes.

This is Christmas. Our eyes see a baby. Faith looks at the baby and confesses, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. All things were made by Him. And the Word was made flesh.” The God who cannot be seen can now be seen in His Son. The Creator has joined his creatures as a creature. “He was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary and was made man.” The God whose existence cannot be counted in days, weeks, months, years, or centuries was born and died. He was born, not for himself, but for you. He died, not for his sins, but for yours. As an infant, he took upon himself all the ills that belonged to us. All our sicknesses were transferred to him. All of our problems were presented to Christ. He suffered them patiently until He could pay for them in full. Christmas created a conflict that climaxed at the cross; a conflict in which Jesus conquered on Easter morning. This is the light that shines in the darkness. This is the light that shines in your heart. This is the lamp that lights your way. This is the light that will surround you for eternity. This is the joy of Christmas.

Adapted from a sermon by Rev. Dr. David Scaer

Saturday, December 24, 2011

How to Ponder Christmas

I don’t know if you noticed. I don’t know if you pay attention to such things or particularly care. But this year, Christmas stuff began to appear in your local big box retailer before Halloween. Before a single “trick or treat” was spoken, aisles of red and green stuff began to take over the seasonal section. I make this observation not to condemn the commercialization of Christmas, but just to say, boy, we seem to be stuck on “What’s Next.”Think about your own life. How much time do you spend getting ready for the next thing? How much energy do you spend preparing for the next big event? What happens after the next big event takes place? Is there any time to reflect on what just happened? Christmas is a perfect example. Think of everything that you have done over the past couple weeks to get ready for tonight and tomorrow. Will there be any time for you to just sit back and enjoy yourself? And after Christmas Day has come and gone, will Christmas stay with you? Or will we set our sights on shopping, or New Years, or just the routine of life as usual? We are great at looking forward to things. We’re stuck on “What’s Next.” We’re not so good at “What Just Happened?” We don’t give ourselves much time to reflect—or even much time to enjoy the moment. We’re missing out when we just scramble towards the next thing without taking time to think about what has happened and what it means.Now, having said that, I’ve met plenty of people who have a defining experience in their lives that they think about often. For some, that defining experience was their military service in a war. For others, it has to do with their first taste of independence, or meeting their future spouse, or becoming a parent. For still others, that defining experience may be decidedly negative: the breakup of a marriage and family; a horrible accident, or just cruel, heartbreaking words that can’t be forgotten. I would guess that most of us do have a memory that we return to time and again—one that seems to define us, for better or for worse.On this Christmas Eve, we are invited into the defining experience of a young virgin mother named Mary. We are invited to imagine what it might have possibly been like to give birth to the Son of the Most High God in a stable. We are invited to put the brakes on the holiday express—if only for a few moments—and think about what happened there in Bethlehem, for Scripture tells us that “Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.”What are the things that Mary treasured and pondered? I think we can safely start with the angel Gabriel’s announcement to her: that she would conceive and have a son named Jesus, who would take the throne of David and be the Son of God. Then to feel the unmistakable signs of that life growing inside of her. Certainly she would have reflected on Joseph’s reaction to this news—his own experience with an angel messenger—his acceptance of her and her miracle baby. She would have remembered the rough road to Bethlehem and the mounting frustration of being turned away again and again until the stable was offered as an option. Then there was the pain of childbirth, surpassed only by the wonder of this baby boy. As she held little Jesus that night, did she ponder the promises the angel had made? Did she run them through her mind again? “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. And the Lord will give him the throne of His ancestor David. He will be King over the people of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end.” We can only wonder if she heard those words as she wrapped her little one in strips of cloth to keep him warm and secure. It’s safe to say she would later ponder the abrupt arrival of shepherds from the fields, breaking the relative peace of the stall with a fantastic story. No doubt she would treasure the memory of their weather-worn faces as they reported their angelic encounter. She now had more words to turn over in her mind: “A great joy will come to all the people: the Savior, who is Christ the Lord, was born for you today in David’s town. This is how you will know him: you will find a Baby all wrapped up and lying in a manger.” That was her boy—her Yeshua. It was all happening just as the Lord had said. It is no wonder that Mary treasured and pondered these things. She would return to this defining experience and probably cling to it with all her might in the challenging years ahead.You would do well to ponder these things yourself—and not just the events of Jesus’ birth, but the rest of His life as well. We would all do well to stop and create the time we need to reflect on the good news of great joy which is for us and everyone! As I mentioned before, this big event called Christmas is a perfect example of busyness versus reflection. It’s a timely example of “What’s Next” versus “What Just Happened?” But it is hardly the only one we could name.The fact is, we fill our lives—we jam pack our lives—with stuff. Our homes are filled with possessions, our calendars are filled with events, our hearts and minds are filled with ideas and needs—but how much of that “filling” is truly “of God?” Wouldn’t we really rather get possessions for ourselves than give them away in God’s name? Don’t we effectively schedule God out of our plans—making Him the first option to get cut from our calendars? And don’t we really prefer the thoughts and ideas generated by Hollywood and man’s imagination to the ones generated by Holy Scripture? It turns out that this reflection stuff can be awfully uncomfortable, when it reveals that we often live our lives as if God doesn’t matter.This Christmas Eve there is good news of great joy for you, because God still does what He did in Bethlehem. He breaks into our reality. The power of His message breaks into our lives like a brick being thrown through a pane of glass. Jesus comes to you whether you’re ready for Him or not; whether you’re looking for Him or not; and His arrival in your life demands a response. Jesus was not born into our world of a virgin mother so that you and I would have an excuse to party and exchange presents. Jesus, the eternal Son of God, did not agree to lower himself to the point of having his first crib be an animal’s feeding trough so that you could have a day off from work. No. The shadow of a cross falls across the manger where that baby lies. He will grow up to do what you and I could never do—that is, live a perfect life; exactly the way God wants us to live. But then he does something unexpected with that perfect life—He gives it as a sacrifice. He breaks into this world to lay down his life for you. He comes to take the punishment that we deserve for our sins, and he will pay for our selfishness dearly, nailed to a cross. He comes to become one of us in order to switch places with us—he gets our sin and our death; you and I get his forgiveness and life. And let’s not forget that He broke into our world not just to die our death but to defeat death. A ray of morning light also falls across the manger where the baby lies—the light of Easter morning! He rose from the dead physically, three days after dying, so that we would not fear death. Moreover, we rightly look forward to a time when we too will rise physically because Jesus did first. He broke into our reality to change it—to rise from the dead and to give us confidence that death is now nothing more than a doorway to a new kind of life made possible by his resurrection.In your hearing of these words, the good news of a Savior, Jesus has broken into your reality right now. He wants you to know the peace of forgiveness. He wants you to know the confidence of life with him that never ends. He wants to show you the best way of life there is. He wants you to follow Him; to stop serving yourself and to start serving Him by serving those around you. But first, he wants you to believe that He broke into this world at Christmas to begin a journey that would save you from the slavery of sin, the terror of death, and the punishment of hell. He wants you to believe that He broke into this world to make a connection with you—a connection that gives you hope and happiness today—a connection that will never be broken. His arrival in your life demands a response. What is yours? My prayer is that your response will be the “yes” of faith; the greatest gift of all. Ponder these things, and may it be a Merry Christmas for you

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Have A Radical Christmas

There once was a man who was kind of a bum. Talented and successful, he neglected his wife and his children, his work and his friends, his community and his colleagues. He drank too much, lost his temper too often, was cruel too many times. Then one day he had a tremendous religious experience and was transformed totally. He became a good and loving husband, a generous and sympathetic father, a diligent and creative worker, a loyal friend, a dedicated member of his community. He was sober and kind and patient and gentle. At first everyone rejoiced in the change. They said that they had known all along that he was a good man. Then they realized that the change was for real and that, to continue their relationships with him, they would have to change too. He lost his wife and his family and his job and his friends. He went back to being a bum and got everything back.
Today, in great Advent tradition, we have John the Baptist coming out of the wilderness, wearing wild animal skins—kind of an Old Testament prophet costume—looking, acting, probably smelling wild. But his message is even wilder. He’s preaching repentance. He is not genteel or polite, and he’s not there to spare peoples’ feelings. If anyone is offendable, they will be offended. He cuts right to the chase, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near. You have been waiting for the Messiah, pay attention – he’s coming.” He is saying to anyone who will listen: “repent, get ready, prepare the way of the Lord.” Cut through all the distractions, eliminate the nonsense in your lives. Stop turning away from God. God is searching for you so quit running after stupid stuff. Let him find you.
Surprise, surprise: There are “religious” people who have a problem with John. He’s not one of them. Plus, he’s popular; his message of radical change threatens to upset the status quo. And, they’re about to find out just how radical John is. Pedigree and lineage—values so dearly held by the religious people—are meaningless to this wilderness weirdo.
On the television show M*A*S*H, Dr. Charles Emerson Winchester III made it clear what separated him from everybody else: "I’m a Winchester," he would say. For him, it was his family name that made him superior to everyone else. Other people do it in different ways. One woman received her education at Harvard and found a way to work Harvard into every conversation. That’s what John the Baptist was dealing with here. John the Baptist was completely unimpressed with the very thing that the religious people had built their lives upon. They were the "children of Abraham." It’s like they said, “I’m a Winchester.” That settles it. That’s all you need to know.
Then comes John the Baptist, who tells them, in so many words, “That don’t mean a thing.” Now you probably know where this is going; maybe you sense how John translates to our situation. We can hear him now. "Just because your name is on the membership roster, just because you give an offering, just because your parents or grandparents were in this church, just because you are a volunteer, just because you are the minister; none of those things alone are what saves you. Just saying, “I’m a Winchester," “I’m a Lutheran,” “I’m a Christian,” doesn’t make it so. What’s in your heart? What’s in your mind? That’s the question.
John shows up during this “most wonderful time of the year;” He crashes the “Winter Holiday Party” and makes a scene that we dare not ignore. “Repent!” he says. Take a look at your life, see where you have put your priorities, where your treasure really lies. To "repent" means literally to "change one's mind." When you repent of sin, you're saying, "I thought it was a good thing, but now I know it's not.”
Repentance is not a once-in-a-lifetime event, but a daily action. We need to “die daily to our sin,” as Martin Luther reminds us. Richard Jensen says it powerfully, “the repentant person comes before God saying, ‘I can’t do it myself God. Kill me and give me new life. You buried me in baptism. Bury me again today. Raise me to new life.’”
Repentance is to stop running after everything else and see that God is pursuing you. Repentance is to make decisions for God each day that show your connection to Him. Clothes, status, the right friends or address means nothing – only the fact that God has claimed you and loves you. Repentance – live like it is true.
And still there’s a Pharisee in us, who says, "What I want out of Jesus is help for this life. If He gets me out of a jam, or cures my sickness, or keeps me wealthy and prosperous and out of most trouble, well, that's the savior I'm looking for. I'm not really concerned with those abstract concepts like final judgment, resurrection of the dead, heaven or hell or eternal life. I want a savior who's going to show results." But if this is the Savior you're looking for, you'll pass right by Jesus. He sacrificed Himself to make you holy with God, not popular or successful. He warns that the world will persecute the Church. He tells you that He disciplines His children and even uses affliction and weakness to strengthen our faith. If you're looking for a savior to make this world paradise, you'll go by Jesus; He came to deliver you from this world to everlasting paradise. Better change your mind while there's time. In other words, repent.
Repent, repent, repent…there’s that side of us that just doesn't want to be righteous, that wants to hold onto sin. That sinner in us constantly tempts us with thoughts like, "Jesus is so loving that I can hold onto this sin. Maybe it makes my life easier. Maybe I'm afraid to live without it. Maybe I just like it. Maybe I'm addicted to it. At any rate, the savior that I have in mind is one who tells me that those sins are okay, that he'll save me anyway." That's a popular idea of Jesus, too; but it's not the Jesus the Scriptures proclaim.
That Jesus says, "Let you hold on to sin? I've already carried all your sins to the cross and suffered them there. The only way you can have them now is to take them back from Me. I didn't go to the cross to let you hold onto poison; I swallowed it all!" Do you see? To hold onto sin now is to say that you want a Savior who dies for most of your sins, but not all of them. It's to say that Jesus isn't quite so holy that He won't let a few sins go by. That's not the Savior Jesus Christ who promises forgiveness and eternal life. Change your mind while there's still time. In other words, repent.
We look forward to our Christmas celebration in just a couple weeks' time. But the King is just as near to you as He was to Mary the day of His birth. He’s here for you in Scripture and at His Supper table. His kingdom of radical forgiveness and new life is here for you, if you want it. Stop running. Surrender control. Trust in Jesus and live like you mean it. Clear a path for God to come in and demolish your old self; then watch as he crafts a beautiful new person. Don’t wait. Change your mind.