Readings:
Psalm 16
Psalm 46
Ephesians 6:10-18
John 16:1-14
Sermon:
"Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."
John 8:31-36
Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen
"For ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free..."
Though he had felt the truth work through him as scribbled on that page late at night, the candles burning at his eyes, though he felt a sense of freedom he had never felt before, a sense of freedom he never felt as his soul cried out in torture and torment, it quickly evaporate with every long step he took towards that Cathedral. The story of Jan Hus was probably whispered through the halls of the monastaries and churches. Burned alive at the stake for challenging the authority of the church it was warning to those who might dare to rise up, to stand up and question those prevailing and prevelant thoughts of their day. For John Wycliffe, the spiritual mentor of Hus, his death wouldn't be as grostesque, he would be allowed to live out his days. But death would come and so would the desecration of his grave. For his heresy his remains burned and thrown into the River Swift as to try and prevent his bodily resurrection.
Step by step, that slow march to the doors of Wittenberg Cathedral... step by step, the screams pain of Hus as he was burned alive in his martyrs death, haunting his ears....step by step, the smell of Hus and Wycliffe and so many others who dared to defy the churches, fate filling his nostrils... step by step, he had to have been able to almost feel the flames as if they were upon him...
Then, with a single hit from a hammer, a sound that would ring through the Holy Empire, a tremor would be unleashed that would shake the foundations of Church and Faith forever.
Almost 102 years after Hus' death, almost 102 years after he uttered those last words, "in a hundred years, God will raise up a man whose calls for reform cannot be suppressed", Dr. Martin Luther, a priest from a small town in the back waters of Germany would nail those 95 thesis on the Cathedral door and set in motion the wheels of the Protestant Reformation....
For Luther and for those reformers who would join his ranks, teaching other doctrines within the Christian Faith, doctrines that perhaps would drive a wedge between them, John Calvin, Huldrych Zwingli, Thomas Muntzer, Thomas Cramner, their defiance would carry with it a heavy cost. A writ of Excommunication from the Pope would be a death warrant. No longer protected by the laws of the church, if these men were murdered then so be it, finding themselves outside of Romes decrees it was no longer a sin, at times it was even sanctioned.
But, as St. Paul knew so too did they, "According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." (Philipians 1:20 and 21).
For them to know the truth... to know truth was to set them free....
No matter what could come, no matter what would come they would that freedom that only God could grant, that freedom that could only be found in Christ and at his cross and, within it, that peace that only could be given in the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Come life or death, come triumph or trial, they knew that to abide in the truth, to dwell amidst its warming glow, was enough to sustain them in all that they could ever want or need. In the words of Hus, "God is my witness that I have never taught that of which I have by false witnesses been accused. In the truth of the Gospel which I have written, taught, and preached, I will die today with gladness." In the words of Luther, "Here I stand, I can do no other, God have mercy upon me."
Almost 500 years later there is still a great deal we can learn from those Reformers. Like the now deafening sound of that parchment being pounded into that church door that would usher in a new era of religious reawakening and freedom, our voices too must lift, raising up a rich testamony for the message of Christ, teaching and preaching the truth of our salvation unto the world.
Just as surely as they made there stand for their faith we too must make our stand for our faith, trusting in the love of God, in the guiding hand and protecting graces of Him to sustain us in all that we do and all that we face. There we must realize that there will be those amongst us who challenge our faith, who will try and silence us for that maessage of salvation in Christ, perhaps not in as dramatic of a way as those fathers of the Reformation, or those forebearers to it, but nonetheless in other forms of persecution that try at our very being and seek to silence us in a sense of fear.
There we must cast aside fear and doubt, knowing that every step of the way that we are protected by a loving God who understands us and our needs, who knows the trials and pains we may face in His name, and for our testimony for his name. If we make that stand for the truth, for the Bible, for faith, for Christ, we know that amidst the wars of soul that we may find ourselves in we will wear the whole armor of God, that we too will be able to make our stand.
Pray for that strength dear friends, dear brothers and sisters, pray for that strength to stand against this world and all the forces that may be sent to tear you away from the blessings of your salvation, knowing that God will always answer your prayers. Pray and edify and strengthen one another in their walks knowing that God gives us fellowship, that God gives us one another that we may uplift each other to face any challenges that come our way. And in all things know that it is by His power and by the great sacrifice of His Son that the truth has come into this world, it is by His power and the strength of His Holy Spirit that it has been sustained from age to age, it is by His power that we are free.
Now the peace of the Lord that transcends all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus even unto life everlasting. Amen.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Episode 6: 10/29/08
Readings:
Psalm 49
Ezra 6:1-22
Revelation 11:14-12:6
Luke 11:37-52
Sermon:
When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. But the Pharisee, noticing that Jesus did not first wash before the meal, was surprised.
Then the Lord said to him, "Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also?
Luke 11:37-40
You could almost imagine...
You could almost imagine the unimpressed look that the Pharisee gave him as he sat for dinner. On the road much of the time he probably never had many opportunities to wash his clothes, he perhaps looked a bit dusty, maybe even a little bit dirty, and then, as he took his seat at the table, the washtub was left untouched.
But then for that Pharisee, it wasn't just a matter of hygiene, it was matter of the law. The Levitical Code that governed his life, that governed his every step, his ever move, it had rules about every aspect of dining, it had rules about every aspect of the cleanliness. To see this man, this supposed teacher, this one that so many called Rabbi sit at his table without taking the necessary steps or abiding in the necessary customs, it was perplexing to him and perhaps even a little bit offensive.
Knowing the Pharisees, one could only image the condescension in his voice as he mentioned it to Jesus. After all these were the same men who would stand in the temple and pray amidst their arrogance and pride, "God, I thank You, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican." (Luke 18:11). They were same who would look to Christ dining with the publicans and sinners, asking in their self righteous tones "How is it that he eats and drinks with publicans and sinners?" (Mark 2:16) With every opportunity they had, they looked to try and shame Jesus, to chip away at his credibility, to make him look unworthy in the eyes of all around in the hopes of destroying him.
As small of a chance as it was, an opportunity to shame him had come upon this Pharisee and he wasn't going to let it pass him by.
There, though Christ's words may have seemed hard, they may have seemed harsh, they were given in the knowledge of who this man was and an understanding of what he was trying to do.
“Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.”
So worried about the outward appearances, so worried about the outward show, so worried about how they looked to others, the Pharisees placed their importance not the inner being, but on their outward appearances. There, if they looked righteous to their fellow man, if they looked more righteous than their fellow man, if they abided in every aspect of rigid adherence to the law, they believed that they would be seen as righteous in the eyes of the Lord.
Yet there, placing so much importance on that appearance, where they would be seen as clean on the outside, on the inside they would be unclean.
Compassion, dear brothers and sisters... compassion, love, generosity, these Pharisees, in their quest to be more righteous would forget these things, chasing them far from their minds. Humbleness, meekness, submissiveness, these Pharisees, in their rigid adherence, would cast these things aside, elevating their status, believing that they deserved, they earned, their salvation because of their own works and the selfrighteousness they placed upon their deeds. To them the blessings of God weren't a gift, they were essentially a payment for the show that these men put on for the world to see, like so much theater.
And in that.... Christ, even with his harsh words, would call them to repentance, not in anger or hatred, but in love, understanding that this was the only language they would understand, finding a lesson for them in even the smallest of things.
How often though do we find ourselves like those Pharisees, our concerns the outward appearances, rather than the inner needs? Perhaps we don't speak the words, perhaps we don't say the same things aloud that they said, but how often do we treat our salvation as if it was something that we ourselves have earned, that we ourselves are deserving of because of who we are, not because of who God is, what Christ did and what the Spirit has called us to? How often do we find ourselves more concerned about the small things others are doing, rather than the larger problems we have in our own lives? Are we to be those who Christ asks of when he says "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? (Matthew 7:3 and 4)
There, though we must, in love, as Christ has done, call our brothers and sisters to accountability, it can only be according to the same standards by which we live our own lives. There, though we must worry about the spiritual walks of our beloved brethren, it can only be in so much as seeking a way to edify them in the Gospel message of Christ, yes, showing they are convicted by the law, but also that they are free by the power of the gospel.
Ours must be to worry more about who we are on the inside rather than what we look like on the outside, to magnify that love of Christ in our lives and the lives of others, to show the grace, compassion and mercy of our God for this world, to live our lives as examples of a heavenly walk and yet never believing that somehow we are more righteous, we are more worthy, we are more deserving than our fellow man for it.
There, amidst these things we find then that we are not just washed clean on the outside but, by the blood of the lamb, washed clean on the inside, with a soul that is justified in the eyes of the Lord, realizing that though we may not be perfect, that we are made perfect in His love and there we will not live our lives as the hypocrite does.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Psalm 49
Ezra 6:1-22
Revelation 11:14-12:6
Luke 11:37-52
Sermon:
When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. But the Pharisee, noticing that Jesus did not first wash before the meal, was surprised.
Then the Lord said to him, "Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also?
Luke 11:37-40
You could almost imagine...
You could almost imagine the unimpressed look that the Pharisee gave him as he sat for dinner. On the road much of the time he probably never had many opportunities to wash his clothes, he perhaps looked a bit dusty, maybe even a little bit dirty, and then, as he took his seat at the table, the washtub was left untouched.
But then for that Pharisee, it wasn't just a matter of hygiene, it was matter of the law. The Levitical Code that governed his life, that governed his every step, his ever move, it had rules about every aspect of dining, it had rules about every aspect of the cleanliness. To see this man, this supposed teacher, this one that so many called Rabbi sit at his table without taking the necessary steps or abiding in the necessary customs, it was perplexing to him and perhaps even a little bit offensive.
Knowing the Pharisees, one could only image the condescension in his voice as he mentioned it to Jesus. After all these were the same men who would stand in the temple and pray amidst their arrogance and pride, "God, I thank You, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican." (Luke 18:11). They were same who would look to Christ dining with the publicans and sinners, asking in their self righteous tones "How is it that he eats and drinks with publicans and sinners?" (Mark 2:16) With every opportunity they had, they looked to try and shame Jesus, to chip away at his credibility, to make him look unworthy in the eyes of all around in the hopes of destroying him.
As small of a chance as it was, an opportunity to shame him had come upon this Pharisee and he wasn't going to let it pass him by.
There, though Christ's words may have seemed hard, they may have seemed harsh, they were given in the knowledge of who this man was and an understanding of what he was trying to do.
“Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.”
So worried about the outward appearances, so worried about the outward show, so worried about how they looked to others, the Pharisees placed their importance not the inner being, but on their outward appearances. There, if they looked righteous to their fellow man, if they looked more righteous than their fellow man, if they abided in every aspect of rigid adherence to the law, they believed that they would be seen as righteous in the eyes of the Lord.
Yet there, placing so much importance on that appearance, where they would be seen as clean on the outside, on the inside they would be unclean.
Compassion, dear brothers and sisters... compassion, love, generosity, these Pharisees, in their quest to be more righteous would forget these things, chasing them far from their minds. Humbleness, meekness, submissiveness, these Pharisees, in their rigid adherence, would cast these things aside, elevating their status, believing that they deserved, they earned, their salvation because of their own works and the selfrighteousness they placed upon their deeds. To them the blessings of God weren't a gift, they were essentially a payment for the show that these men put on for the world to see, like so much theater.
And in that.... Christ, even with his harsh words, would call them to repentance, not in anger or hatred, but in love, understanding that this was the only language they would understand, finding a lesson for them in even the smallest of things.
How often though do we find ourselves like those Pharisees, our concerns the outward appearances, rather than the inner needs? Perhaps we don't speak the words, perhaps we don't say the same things aloud that they said, but how often do we treat our salvation as if it was something that we ourselves have earned, that we ourselves are deserving of because of who we are, not because of who God is, what Christ did and what the Spirit has called us to? How often do we find ourselves more concerned about the small things others are doing, rather than the larger problems we have in our own lives? Are we to be those who Christ asks of when he says "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? (Matthew 7:3 and 4)
There, though we must, in love, as Christ has done, call our brothers and sisters to accountability, it can only be according to the same standards by which we live our own lives. There, though we must worry about the spiritual walks of our beloved brethren, it can only be in so much as seeking a way to edify them in the Gospel message of Christ, yes, showing they are convicted by the law, but also that they are free by the power of the gospel.
Ours must be to worry more about who we are on the inside rather than what we look like on the outside, to magnify that love of Christ in our lives and the lives of others, to show the grace, compassion and mercy of our God for this world, to live our lives as examples of a heavenly walk and yet never believing that somehow we are more righteous, we are more worthy, we are more deserving than our fellow man for it.
There, amidst these things we find then that we are not just washed clean on the outside but, by the blood of the lamb, washed clean on the inside, with a soul that is justified in the eyes of the Lord, realizing that though we may not be perfect, that we are made perfect in His love and there we will not live our lives as the hypocrite does.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Episode 5: 10/27/08
Readings:
Psalm 44
Zechariah 1:1-17
Revelation 11:1-14
Luke 11:14-26
Sermon:
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
James 4:7-10
Grace, Mercy and Peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.
To hear a man who had no voice speak, to hear the words escape from his lips for the first time... it amazed the crowds...
They had never seen anything quite like it before. To them there were constants, the dead could not rise to live once more as if they had done nothing but falling into a deep sleep and were now awake, the lepers could not be healed as if they had nothing more than a cold, and the mute, they could not just clear their throats and suddenly begin to speak as if they had been their whole lives.
Even today amidst all our modern science and modern technology, even amidst all our medical breakthroughs there are things that we just can't do. Even today the miracles of Christ remain just that, miracles... miracles that can't be duplicated, miracles that can not be emulated or imitated, no matter how far we may push ourselves to the limits of progress.
And so, if they remain, even amidst all our advancements, mysteries and wonders, one could only imagine how amazing it must have seemed to those who looked on 2000 years ago. Still, just as we would have perhaps watched with a degree of skeptism, wondering what sort of trickery was being used to decieve our better judgment and senses, so did those who actually did watch Christ perform his miracle watch with their own skeptism. The difference though was that, where we would watch it and perhaps believe that it was some sort of illusion, or the work of a snake oil salesman, they believed that it was the work of Beezlebub, an ancient Ba'al, an ancient prince of Demons, to whom the fallen would bow before.
It wouldn't be the first, or the last time he would be accused of it. In Mark we would read that the Pharisees would the accusation to try and condemn Christ in the eyes of the faithful, "And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils." (Mark 3:22)
Yet there we are told, "But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth. If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you." (Luke 11:17-20)
Throughout the word of God we are told that we can not serve two masters, that we can not bow before the Lord God Almighty and before the false idols of foreign lands, we can not divide ourselves between the Prince of Peace and the Prince of this world, splitting ourselves between the two. And there we find the message of our Gospel Lesson from Luke interwoven amidst todays text from James.
Each of us... each and every one of us face our own Demons. Knowing our weaknesses and our challenges Satan, united with his minions, working for our spiritual demise, places them within our lifes. They are the stumbling blocks put there to cause us to fall or to falter in our steps, hoping that one more soul may be gained in his perpetual war with Heaven. They can come in any way, in any shape or in any form. They can be our physical afflictions, or the haunting memories of a bad choice we made, playing and replaying in our minds, or it could be the weakness of our flesh and the lusts of our bodies, or it could be pain and hardship faced by those we love. Whatever it is or could be Satan has a demon that can and will target it throughout our lives.
But in that we are given blessed assurance... blessed assurance that no matter what may happen, no matter what may come, that the devil, that these demons, will flee from us. There, in the words of James, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up."
Through the life, death and sacrifice of Christ, we have the power to cleanse our hands and purify our hearts in a way that is seen as acceptable to God. Through the power of Christ we submit to God in a way that is seen as right and good, in a way that draws Him near to us and that allows us to draw near to him. And there... there, through that wondrious, awesome power, God gives us the strength to resist the power of the Devil and the power of his demons, casting them away from our presence, purging them from our hearts and our minds and souls and our being.
Where we are weak and prone to attack from Satan and from his armies, God makes us strong. Where we have stumbled, and wounded ourselves, seeing the Devil and his flocks hovering over us as vultures waiting to feast upon us, God lifts us up and heals us, carrying us to safety. Where we are blinded by pain and sorrow, lead only into the darkness to which he has dominion over, God lifts the veil that covers our eyes that we might see the light that cuts through the night.
There, come what may, come what must, Satan and his Demons have no power over us, if we humble ourselves in the eyes of the Lord, submitting ourselves to Him, knowing that the power of Christ is sufficient and faithful to us and our salvation. The glory and the grace and the mercy of God, our heavenly father, will come upon us through the power of His Holy Spirit, to cast out, to heal, to cleanse all that which will seek our damnation.
Yes, perhaps we will still face troubles and hardships, Satan will always be testing the strength of the power God, our salvation through Christ and the works of the Spirit within us, seeking a way back after he has fled. But God... God, who is good and faithful, will always be there beside us, and His Spirit will always chase away the powers that Satan sends.
Now the peace of the Lord that transcends all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus even unto life everlasting. Amen.
Psalm 44
Zechariah 1:1-17
Revelation 11:1-14
Luke 11:14-26
Sermon:
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
James 4:7-10
Grace, Mercy and Peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.
To hear a man who had no voice speak, to hear the words escape from his lips for the first time... it amazed the crowds...
They had never seen anything quite like it before. To them there were constants, the dead could not rise to live once more as if they had done nothing but falling into a deep sleep and were now awake, the lepers could not be healed as if they had nothing more than a cold, and the mute, they could not just clear their throats and suddenly begin to speak as if they had been their whole lives.
Even today amidst all our modern science and modern technology, even amidst all our medical breakthroughs there are things that we just can't do. Even today the miracles of Christ remain just that, miracles... miracles that can't be duplicated, miracles that can not be emulated or imitated, no matter how far we may push ourselves to the limits of progress.
And so, if they remain, even amidst all our advancements, mysteries and wonders, one could only imagine how amazing it must have seemed to those who looked on 2000 years ago. Still, just as we would have perhaps watched with a degree of skeptism, wondering what sort of trickery was being used to decieve our better judgment and senses, so did those who actually did watch Christ perform his miracle watch with their own skeptism. The difference though was that, where we would watch it and perhaps believe that it was some sort of illusion, or the work of a snake oil salesman, they believed that it was the work of Beezlebub, an ancient Ba'al, an ancient prince of Demons, to whom the fallen would bow before.
It wouldn't be the first, or the last time he would be accused of it. In Mark we would read that the Pharisees would the accusation to try and condemn Christ in the eyes of the faithful, "And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils." (Mark 3:22)
Yet there we are told, "But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth. If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you." (Luke 11:17-20)
Throughout the word of God we are told that we can not serve two masters, that we can not bow before the Lord God Almighty and before the false idols of foreign lands, we can not divide ourselves between the Prince of Peace and the Prince of this world, splitting ourselves between the two. And there we find the message of our Gospel Lesson from Luke interwoven amidst todays text from James.
Each of us... each and every one of us face our own Demons. Knowing our weaknesses and our challenges Satan, united with his minions, working for our spiritual demise, places them within our lifes. They are the stumbling blocks put there to cause us to fall or to falter in our steps, hoping that one more soul may be gained in his perpetual war with Heaven. They can come in any way, in any shape or in any form. They can be our physical afflictions, or the haunting memories of a bad choice we made, playing and replaying in our minds, or it could be the weakness of our flesh and the lusts of our bodies, or it could be pain and hardship faced by those we love. Whatever it is or could be Satan has a demon that can and will target it throughout our lives.
But in that we are given blessed assurance... blessed assurance that no matter what may happen, no matter what may come, that the devil, that these demons, will flee from us. There, in the words of James, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up."
Through the life, death and sacrifice of Christ, we have the power to cleanse our hands and purify our hearts in a way that is seen as acceptable to God. Through the power of Christ we submit to God in a way that is seen as right and good, in a way that draws Him near to us and that allows us to draw near to him. And there... there, through that wondrious, awesome power, God gives us the strength to resist the power of the Devil and the power of his demons, casting them away from our presence, purging them from our hearts and our minds and souls and our being.
Where we are weak and prone to attack from Satan and from his armies, God makes us strong. Where we have stumbled, and wounded ourselves, seeing the Devil and his flocks hovering over us as vultures waiting to feast upon us, God lifts us up and heals us, carrying us to safety. Where we are blinded by pain and sorrow, lead only into the darkness to which he has dominion over, God lifts the veil that covers our eyes that we might see the light that cuts through the night.
There, come what may, come what must, Satan and his Demons have no power over us, if we humble ourselves in the eyes of the Lord, submitting ourselves to Him, knowing that the power of Christ is sufficient and faithful to us and our salvation. The glory and the grace and the mercy of God, our heavenly father, will come upon us through the power of His Holy Spirit, to cast out, to heal, to cleanse all that which will seek our damnation.
Yes, perhaps we will still face troubles and hardships, Satan will always be testing the strength of the power God, our salvation through Christ and the works of the Spirit within us, seeking a way back after he has fled. But God... God, who is good and faithful, will always be there beside us, and His Spirit will always chase away the powers that Satan sends.
Now the peace of the Lord that transcends all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus even unto life everlasting. Amen.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Episode 4: 10/24/08
Readings:
Psalm 35
Ezra 3:1-13
Rev 9:1-21
Luke 10:38-42
Sermon:
Today’s gospel reading is one of the most familiar, and beloved, stories in Scripture, the story of the two sisters Martha and Mary. As a little girl, I loved the thought of being able to sit at Jesus’s feet and enjoy his undivided attention and to hear his words of approval: “You have chosen the best thing.” To my great disappointment, however, this argument never carried much weight with my very Martha-like mother: “Well, Jesus probably wouldn’t have been visiting very often if Martha hadn’t fixed such a good dinner and kept such a nice house. Now stop daydreaming and go wash the dishes.”
As I got older, however, I, like most women found myself turning into my mother and getting more in touch with the Martha side of my personality. It’s easy to get stressed and frazzled from trying to take on too many responsibilities and worries, and to forget the joy of sitting at Jesus’s feet and basking in his love.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Mary and Martha themselves probably weren’t such simplistic characters as we may assume from the reading. I’m sure Mary did her share of the housework most of the time, and I’m sure Martha was able to kick back and relax after doing everything necessary to ensure that her guest had a good meal and a comfortable place to sleep for the night. Jesus usually had no place to lay his head, so he probably looked forward to these visits with his friends. And they undoubtedly looked forward to the chances they had to lavish their love on him in the ways they knew best.
Today we may not be able to invite Jesus over for dinner as Mary and Martha could, but we can still have the chance to lavish our love on him and to bask in his love. Jesus reminds us that whatever we do for the least of our brothers and sisters, we do for him. He calls us to be servants, and to love one another as he loves us. In that ideal of Christian servanthood, we see the best aspects of Mary and Martha combined, loving Jesus by loving our neighbors with both our prayers and our hands-on help.
As we approach the holiday season, many opportunities to serve our brothers and sisters present themselves, though we shouldn’t limit ourselves to thinking of them only at Thanksgiving or Christmas. There are food banks to be stocked, shelters to be supplied, hospitals and retirement homes to be visited, and when done with a spirit of love and joy, these tasks become a holy offering to our Lord.
My dear friend Cyberpastor Ed Boston of Do the Right Thing has come up with an idea that combines both of these ideals of love and service. He is challenging his friends and listeners to adopt the family of an active-duty military person for Thanksgiving. He suggests that we buy that family everything they need to enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner: turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, the works. But he has a few more ideas to make that even more special.
First, he says, tell the family in advance that you will be providing their dinner for Thanksgiving. Not in a spirit of making them feel obligated, but to let them relax and know that that is taken care of, that they won’t have to wonder how they will manage it. Next, he says, don’t just give a gift card to the grocery store. Do the shopping yourself and pick out something nicer than they would probably pick out for themselves. Deliver the groceries yourself, and see the joy on their faces, not just for the food but for the care that went into it.
And don’t just drop off your bags of groceries and then drop that family from your life. Come back at Christmas, and build a relationship with them. Let them know you will be there for them during the year. And let the joy of serving our brothers and sisters open your heart to spreading God’s love to others, just as he lavishes his love upon us.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Psalm 35
Ezra 3:1-13
Rev 9:1-21
Luke 10:38-42
Sermon:
Today’s gospel reading is one of the most familiar, and beloved, stories in Scripture, the story of the two sisters Martha and Mary. As a little girl, I loved the thought of being able to sit at Jesus’s feet and enjoy his undivided attention and to hear his words of approval: “You have chosen the best thing.” To my great disappointment, however, this argument never carried much weight with my very Martha-like mother: “Well, Jesus probably wouldn’t have been visiting very often if Martha hadn’t fixed such a good dinner and kept such a nice house. Now stop daydreaming and go wash the dishes.”
As I got older, however, I, like most women found myself turning into my mother and getting more in touch with the Martha side of my personality. It’s easy to get stressed and frazzled from trying to take on too many responsibilities and worries, and to forget the joy of sitting at Jesus’s feet and basking in his love.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Mary and Martha themselves probably weren’t such simplistic characters as we may assume from the reading. I’m sure Mary did her share of the housework most of the time, and I’m sure Martha was able to kick back and relax after doing everything necessary to ensure that her guest had a good meal and a comfortable place to sleep for the night. Jesus usually had no place to lay his head, so he probably looked forward to these visits with his friends. And they undoubtedly looked forward to the chances they had to lavish their love on him in the ways they knew best.
Today we may not be able to invite Jesus over for dinner as Mary and Martha could, but we can still have the chance to lavish our love on him and to bask in his love. Jesus reminds us that whatever we do for the least of our brothers and sisters, we do for him. He calls us to be servants, and to love one another as he loves us. In that ideal of Christian servanthood, we see the best aspects of Mary and Martha combined, loving Jesus by loving our neighbors with both our prayers and our hands-on help.
As we approach the holiday season, many opportunities to serve our brothers and sisters present themselves, though we shouldn’t limit ourselves to thinking of them only at Thanksgiving or Christmas. There are food banks to be stocked, shelters to be supplied, hospitals and retirement homes to be visited, and when done with a spirit of love and joy, these tasks become a holy offering to our Lord.
My dear friend Cyberpastor Ed Boston of Do the Right Thing has come up with an idea that combines both of these ideals of love and service. He is challenging his friends and listeners to adopt the family of an active-duty military person for Thanksgiving. He suggests that we buy that family everything they need to enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner: turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, the works. But he has a few more ideas to make that even more special.
First, he says, tell the family in advance that you will be providing their dinner for Thanksgiving. Not in a spirit of making them feel obligated, but to let them relax and know that that is taken care of, that they won’t have to wonder how they will manage it. Next, he says, don’t just give a gift card to the grocery store. Do the shopping yourself and pick out something nicer than they would probably pick out for themselves. Deliver the groceries yourself, and see the joy on their faces, not just for the food but for the care that went into it.
And don’t just drop off your bags of groceries and then drop that family from your life. Come back at Christmas, and build a relationship with them. Let them know you will be there for them during the year. And let the joy of serving our brothers and sisters open your heart to spreading God’s love to others, just as he lavishes his love upon us.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Episode 3: 10/22/08
Readings:
Psalm 119:25-48
Lamentations 2:8-15
Revelation 8:1-13
Luke 10:17-24
Sermon:
Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were interpreting for the people said to them, “Don’t mourn or weep on such a day as this! For today is a sacred day before the Lord your God.” For the people had all been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law. And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”
Nehemeiah 8:9 and 10
Grace, Mercy and Peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen..
For seventy years...
For seventy years the children of Israel lived in the captivity of the Babylonian Empire, a price paid for the sins and idolatry of their father. For each of them it was an awful burden to bear, an awful price to be paid. They would be taken from their homes, from the land of promise that the Lord, their God had given to them, forced, at the price of their lives, to bow and to worship at the feet of false idols and foreign gods, forced to submit to foreign powers and foreign princes who knew not them or their God.
Yet they had faith... They had faith and they believed their would come a time when, as He had delivered their fathers and their mothers from the captivity of Pharaoh, so to would he deliver them from the hands of these dark powers that had threatened to destroy them. They prayed for the coming of this time, for the moment when they would no longer find themselves under this hard, harsh rule.
So the return to Jerusalem, it was long awaited....
But as they now found themselves once more in that city, as they surveyed the walls that surrounded it, as they finally felt the fulfilment of that deep longing of their spirits, once more able to put together the shattered pieces of their lives, they listened... they listened to the words of the law and they wept and they mourned.
As Nehemiah would later cry out, even after the return, and the joy of that restoration, "Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it: And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins: also they have dominion over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress." (Nehemiah 9:36 and 37)
Life.... life is more than bricks and mortar, my dear brethren. Life is more than the fences that surround us, the walls that surround us, the houses we live in. Even as we look elsewhere and long to be there life is more then just the places that we are at...
The joy of life... the joy of life comes from joy of the Lord and that... that is our strength.
As our Saviour, Christ Jesus, says in our gospel lesson today, "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight."
There, amidst our trials and our triumphs, amidst our challenges and our successes, in good times and in bad, God, our Heavenly Father, our Beloved Father, He assures us victory, He promises us that the powers that threaten to destroy us, that powers of this world that we struggle against, they will have no authority over us. We shall know salvation, we shall know redemption and in that all praise shall go to the Lord God Almighty, that same Lord God who, even as the sins of their fathers demanded His wrath, delivered the children of Isreal from the hands of their captivy, the same Lord God who, even as our sins demand His eternal damnation, has now delivered us from the dark captivity of the grave.
Despite the pain and sorrow it would cause Him, He would deliver His son, that we might finally conquer the power of sin, death and the Devil. "Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." (John 12:30-32)
Just as the children of Isreal cried out, just as they wept and mourned, seeing all that their works had done, and knowing that amidst their sins, as the law convicted them, nothing they could do would bring them the peace they so desperately sought, so we find ourselves. Our trust and our faith must be in the Lord, for it is He who brings to us joy, it is He who gives us strength, it is He who allows us to endure, it He who, even as we were lost in sin, gave His only Son that the dark clouds that hovered over us, might finally be broken apart, that the rays of a golden sun might shine upon us, warming us even as we find ourselves frozen amidst a cold world.
Therefore know that despite everything, you have a loving God, a God who is always faithful to us, standing beside you, giving you the power to overcome. "I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one." (1 John 2:13 and 14).
Trust in Him, trust in His power, hold fast to it, humbling yourself in His eyes, submitting to His divine plan in your life, knowing the joy of His strength. Pray as David had prayed "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit." (Psalm 51:10-12). Turn your eyes not to the bricks and mortar of this world but to the salvation that we have in Christ, feeling the power and the comfort of the Holy Spirit within your life. Know that through the power of the Son we have a defense that no wall would be strong enough to withstand, that no princes of this world can conquer.
Turn your eyes to the things of heaven, knowing that in your faith, God, who is loving will care for you in a merciful love that understands all of your needs. "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?" (Matthew 6:25 and 28).
Therefore, remove fear and doubt and pride from your hearts and minds, knowing only the joy that we can find in the strength of Lord.
Lord, grant this unto us all
Now the peace of the Lord that transcends all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus even unto life everlasting. Amen
Psalm 119:25-48
Lamentations 2:8-15
Revelation 8:1-13
Luke 10:17-24
Sermon:
Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were interpreting for the people said to them, “Don’t mourn or weep on such a day as this! For today is a sacred day before the Lord your God.” For the people had all been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law. And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”
Nehemeiah 8:9 and 10
Grace, Mercy and Peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen..
For seventy years...
For seventy years the children of Israel lived in the captivity of the Babylonian Empire, a price paid for the sins and idolatry of their father. For each of them it was an awful burden to bear, an awful price to be paid. They would be taken from their homes, from the land of promise that the Lord, their God had given to them, forced, at the price of their lives, to bow and to worship at the feet of false idols and foreign gods, forced to submit to foreign powers and foreign princes who knew not them or their God.
Yet they had faith... They had faith and they believed their would come a time when, as He had delivered their fathers and their mothers from the captivity of Pharaoh, so to would he deliver them from the hands of these dark powers that had threatened to destroy them. They prayed for the coming of this time, for the moment when they would no longer find themselves under this hard, harsh rule.
So the return to Jerusalem, it was long awaited....
But as they now found themselves once more in that city, as they surveyed the walls that surrounded it, as they finally felt the fulfilment of that deep longing of their spirits, once more able to put together the shattered pieces of their lives, they listened... they listened to the words of the law and they wept and they mourned.
As Nehemiah would later cry out, even after the return, and the joy of that restoration, "Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are servants in it: And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins: also they have dominion over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress." (Nehemiah 9:36 and 37)
Life.... life is more than bricks and mortar, my dear brethren. Life is more than the fences that surround us, the walls that surround us, the houses we live in. Even as we look elsewhere and long to be there life is more then just the places that we are at...
The joy of life... the joy of life comes from joy of the Lord and that... that is our strength.
As our Saviour, Christ Jesus, says in our gospel lesson today, "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight."
There, amidst our trials and our triumphs, amidst our challenges and our successes, in good times and in bad, God, our Heavenly Father, our Beloved Father, He assures us victory, He promises us that the powers that threaten to destroy us, that powers of this world that we struggle against, they will have no authority over us. We shall know salvation, we shall know redemption and in that all praise shall go to the Lord God Almighty, that same Lord God who, even as the sins of their fathers demanded His wrath, delivered the children of Isreal from the hands of their captivy, the same Lord God who, even as our sins demand His eternal damnation, has now delivered us from the dark captivity of the grave.
Despite the pain and sorrow it would cause Him, He would deliver His son, that we might finally conquer the power of sin, death and the Devil. "Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." (John 12:30-32)
Just as the children of Isreal cried out, just as they wept and mourned, seeing all that their works had done, and knowing that amidst their sins, as the law convicted them, nothing they could do would bring them the peace they so desperately sought, so we find ourselves. Our trust and our faith must be in the Lord, for it is He who brings to us joy, it is He who gives us strength, it is He who allows us to endure, it He who, even as we were lost in sin, gave His only Son that the dark clouds that hovered over us, might finally be broken apart, that the rays of a golden sun might shine upon us, warming us even as we find ourselves frozen amidst a cold world.
Therefore know that despite everything, you have a loving God, a God who is always faithful to us, standing beside you, giving you the power to overcome. "I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one." (1 John 2:13 and 14).
Trust in Him, trust in His power, hold fast to it, humbling yourself in His eyes, submitting to His divine plan in your life, knowing the joy of His strength. Pray as David had prayed "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit." (Psalm 51:10-12). Turn your eyes not to the bricks and mortar of this world but to the salvation that we have in Christ, feeling the power and the comfort of the Holy Spirit within your life. Know that through the power of the Son we have a defense that no wall would be strong enough to withstand, that no princes of this world can conquer.
Turn your eyes to the things of heaven, knowing that in your faith, God, who is loving will care for you in a merciful love that understands all of your needs. "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?" (Matthew 6:25 and 28).
Therefore, remove fear and doubt and pride from your hearts and minds, knowing only the joy that we can find in the strength of Lord.
Lord, grant this unto us all
Now the peace of the Lord that transcends all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus even unto life everlasting. Amen
Monday, October 20, 2008
Episode 2: 10/20/08
Readings:
Psalm 9
Jeremiah 44:1-14
Revelation 7
Luke 9:51-62
Sermon:
When I read in the news, as I did this morning, that the Taliban have slaughtered a busload of innocent travelers in Afghanistan, or as I pray for the hundreds of hostages being held captive around the world, or for my brothers and sisters in Christ who are being abused and arrested for their faith, or even for my friends who are struggling through illness and unemployment and any number of afflictions, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of violence and oppression and human suffering in this world. I sometimes wish I was a superhero or a fairy godmother, that I could swoop down on giant wings or wave my wand and make everything right again. And I’m not the only one. The huge popularity of films like The Dark Knight and Ironman reflects a deep longing in the soul for someone who will not “ignore the cry of the afflicted,” (Psalm 9:12) but who will cause our enemies to “stumble and perish” (Psalm 9:3).
But then reality kicks in, and I realize that the job of setting the world right is not the job of a middle-aged mother or even Batman or Ironman. It is the job of a Messiah. Scripture gives the job description of the Messiah as one who will free the captives, heal the sick, give sight to the blind, and give comfort to the brokenhearted (Isaiah 61:1). But where modern superheroes are the product of wishful thinking, the Messianic promises of Scripture are based on a solid track record of God acting in history on behalf of His people.
Psalm 9, the psalm we read today, and the other psalms of judgment, reflect the deep longings of Israel for God to step in and make things right again, to crush the enemies of His people so that they could once again live in peace and freedom. It is comforting to think that “the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish.” (Psalm 9:18). We hope for the day when the wicked will be destroyed and their names blotted out of memory. But while we wait and hope, the violence and oppression and suffering continues, and our enemies, far from being smited, appear to be prospering at our expense. It is easy to fall into despair and cry out “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1).
What then are we to do? Some of us are called to be soldiers or lawmakers or diplomats who can take action on behalf of the needy and oppressed. That is a high calling, and one that is deserving of honor. But that doesn’t let the rest of us off the hook. We can all pray, and we should.
We often think of prayer as a last resort or as something we can do to keep busy while other people do the real work. But prayer is real work, and a very powerful weapon against the evil that threatens the innocent and helpless. Praying for God’s protection and deliverance is not just wishful thinking. It honors Him by remembering that when His people “cried out to the LORD in their trouble,” that “he delivered them from their distress.” (Psalm 107:6). He has done it before and He will do it again. While we may have to wait for the Day of the Lord to see this promise completely fulfilled, we can feel confident that He hears our prayers even now and answers them. Who knows how many people have been rescued or released through the power of prayer? Who can know what moments of peace or comfort may have been granted to a suffering person because someone was praying for them? Even in the tragic cases where our prayers seem to have been ignored, we have the comfort of knowing that God will find a way of bringing good out of the evil that has been done.
And yet even this is not enough. Our Lord doesn’t allow us the luxury of becoming too comfortable in the glow of praying for the innocent and defenseless. No, He kicks it up a notch and commands us to do something that is humanly impossible: He commands us to love our enemies and to pray for them.
It’s easy for me to pray for my enemies to be smited, but that’s not what He has in mind. He wants us to pray for our enemies to be saved. We are told by St. Peter that God does not want anyone to perish but for all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). St. Paul reminds us that our real fight is not against flesh and blood but “against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12) As our baptismal covenant reminds us, we must renounce “the evil powers of this world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God.” (BCP p 302)
The same evil powers that corrupt and destroy the souls of those who behead hostages or persecute the followers of Christ also seek to destroy us, either directly as victims of violence and oppression, or indirectly, by sowing in us a spirit of fear and defeat. By praying for our enemies, we are forced to look at them through God's eyes and see souls so distorted and perverted by sin and evil that it is humanly impossible for them to turn away from destruction.
And when we do that, we see not only how God sees them, but how He sees all of us who are slaves to sin and death. We realize that Our Lord never asks us to do anything He hasn’t already done for us, and that as St. Paul reminds us, “when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son." (Romans 5:10). If God loved us enough in the depths of our rebellion against Him to sacrifice His Son for us, we cannot refuse His command to pray that our enemies be snatched from the jaws of the roaring beast that seeks to devour them, and the innocent through them. Every enemy that we can help snatch away from that beast brings us that much closer to the defeat of our ultimate Enemy.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Psalm 9
Jeremiah 44:1-14
Revelation 7
Luke 9:51-62
Sermon:
When I read in the news, as I did this morning, that the Taliban have slaughtered a busload of innocent travelers in Afghanistan, or as I pray for the hundreds of hostages being held captive around the world, or for my brothers and sisters in Christ who are being abused and arrested for their faith, or even for my friends who are struggling through illness and unemployment and any number of afflictions, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of violence and oppression and human suffering in this world. I sometimes wish I was a superhero or a fairy godmother, that I could swoop down on giant wings or wave my wand and make everything right again. And I’m not the only one. The huge popularity of films like The Dark Knight and Ironman reflects a deep longing in the soul for someone who will not “ignore the cry of the afflicted,” (Psalm 9:12) but who will cause our enemies to “stumble and perish” (Psalm 9:3).
But then reality kicks in, and I realize that the job of setting the world right is not the job of a middle-aged mother or even Batman or Ironman. It is the job of a Messiah. Scripture gives the job description of the Messiah as one who will free the captives, heal the sick, give sight to the blind, and give comfort to the brokenhearted (Isaiah 61:1). But where modern superheroes are the product of wishful thinking, the Messianic promises of Scripture are based on a solid track record of God acting in history on behalf of His people.
Psalm 9, the psalm we read today, and the other psalms of judgment, reflect the deep longings of Israel for God to step in and make things right again, to crush the enemies of His people so that they could once again live in peace and freedom. It is comforting to think that “the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish.” (Psalm 9:18). We hope for the day when the wicked will be destroyed and their names blotted out of memory. But while we wait and hope, the violence and oppression and suffering continues, and our enemies, far from being smited, appear to be prospering at our expense. It is easy to fall into despair and cry out “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1).
What then are we to do? Some of us are called to be soldiers or lawmakers or diplomats who can take action on behalf of the needy and oppressed. That is a high calling, and one that is deserving of honor. But that doesn’t let the rest of us off the hook. We can all pray, and we should.
We often think of prayer as a last resort or as something we can do to keep busy while other people do the real work. But prayer is real work, and a very powerful weapon against the evil that threatens the innocent and helpless. Praying for God’s protection and deliverance is not just wishful thinking. It honors Him by remembering that when His people “cried out to the LORD in their trouble,” that “he delivered them from their distress.” (Psalm 107:6). He has done it before and He will do it again. While we may have to wait for the Day of the Lord to see this promise completely fulfilled, we can feel confident that He hears our prayers even now and answers them. Who knows how many people have been rescued or released through the power of prayer? Who can know what moments of peace or comfort may have been granted to a suffering person because someone was praying for them? Even in the tragic cases where our prayers seem to have been ignored, we have the comfort of knowing that God will find a way of bringing good out of the evil that has been done.
And yet even this is not enough. Our Lord doesn’t allow us the luxury of becoming too comfortable in the glow of praying for the innocent and defenseless. No, He kicks it up a notch and commands us to do something that is humanly impossible: He commands us to love our enemies and to pray for them.
It’s easy for me to pray for my enemies to be smited, but that’s not what He has in mind. He wants us to pray for our enemies to be saved. We are told by St. Peter that God does not want anyone to perish but for all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). St. Paul reminds us that our real fight is not against flesh and blood but “against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12) As our baptismal covenant reminds us, we must renounce “the evil powers of this world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God.” (BCP p 302)
The same evil powers that corrupt and destroy the souls of those who behead hostages or persecute the followers of Christ also seek to destroy us, either directly as victims of violence and oppression, or indirectly, by sowing in us a spirit of fear and defeat. By praying for our enemies, we are forced to look at them through God's eyes and see souls so distorted and perverted by sin and evil that it is humanly impossible for them to turn away from destruction.
And when we do that, we see not only how God sees them, but how He sees all of us who are slaves to sin and death. We realize that Our Lord never asks us to do anything He hasn’t already done for us, and that as St. Paul reminds us, “when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son." (Romans 5:10). If God loved us enough in the depths of our rebellion against Him to sacrifice His Son for us, we cannot refuse His command to pray that our enemies be snatched from the jaws of the roaring beast that seeks to devour them, and the innocent through them. Every enemy that we can help snatch away from that beast brings us that much closer to the defeat of our ultimate Enemy.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Episode 1: 10/16/08
Readings:
Psalm 22
Jeremiah 38:14-28
Acts 28:1-16
Luke 9:28-36
Sermon:
So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes. Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.
Job 2:7-10
Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.
By the end...
By the end Job... he had come to learn of the vast scope of the human experience. A man of considerable means and importance, blessed with a wife and family, he praised the Lord, knowing that it wasn't his hand or his works that produced for him the substance and the riches that he had, it was from the hand of his Heavenly Father that all good things did flow.
To have it all torn from his grasp, to have it all ripped away, to watch as the servants came to him to tell him that his sons and daughters had died, that his estate laid in ashes, that robbers had come and carried off his wealth, it was enough to have made even the most righteous of men question. Then, as if the torment of the spirit, the anguish of the soul wasn't enough, to feel the boils cover his body, bringing the such pain. One could hardly blamed Job if he turned his eyes to the heaven's and, as David had in the Psalm, cried out to the Lord, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent." (Psalm 22:1 and 2)
In his pain and his sorrow and his anguish and his torment, who would have rebuked him for it? Who would have denied him that cry of the soul?
It wouldn't be his wife. Her admonition would be clear, "Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die."
He could have done it very easily, and the trials, the tribulation, the suffering, it would have ended. Satan, having proven his point, would have grown tired of Job, displaying he was not the man of unquestionable integrity, and faith, and turned his eyes elsewhere, leaving the broken man to put back together the shattered pieces of his life.
Yet, where he could have, he could not, he would not, he did not. "What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?" There he knew that to deny his God, to deny his Heavenly Father, to curse His name, it would have caused a death worth than any torment he had known in this world. He knew that the Lord had not foresaken him, even if it had felt, at times, as if He had, but that he lived in a world prone to suffering, and that though it was capable of lifting one man to the greatest of heights among his peers with one hand, with a stroke of the other it was capable of cutting him down to the lowest of the low.
The only great equalizer was not money or success or fame or fortune, it was, it is, it remains faith.
Through it all there is a lesson to learn from the faith of Job. As the Apostle James would write in his Epistle, "Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy." (James 5:9 and 10).
Even when it seems like things are at their worst, when it seems like we can't sink any lower or we can't have any more troubles, even when it seems like we are at our worst or like the world has broken us, God, our Heavenly Father, has not and will not foresake us. Through the power of His Holy Spirit He is there to give us strength and comfort and peace. Paul, writing to the Corinthians, would testify to it even in his life "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Corinthians 12:9)
So much so does He care for us in our afflictions, that even as the wages of sin threaten to destroy us, even as redemption became to high of a price for us to pay, He would not leave us to our own ill fate, the destruction of our own making. He would offer a sacrifice greater than any that we could offer that "though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool" (Isaiah 1:18) "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
In all our challenges, in all our trials, in all our troubles, in all our pain and suffering, may we remember the name of the Lord, seeking His love, guidence, grace, mercy and peace, in all that we are and all that we do, knowing whatever may come, seeking like waves of sorrow eroding at our soul, He who is good and loving, will care for us as a Father cares for his Children. Put your trust in the Lord, in His salvation, in His strength and now that it shall never be misplaced.
Lord, grant this unto us all
Now the peace of the Lord that transcends all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, even unto live everlasting. Amen.
Psalm 22
Jeremiah 38:14-28
Acts 28:1-16
Luke 9:28-36
Sermon:
So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes. Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.
Job 2:7-10
Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.
By the end...
By the end Job... he had come to learn of the vast scope of the human experience. A man of considerable means and importance, blessed with a wife and family, he praised the Lord, knowing that it wasn't his hand or his works that produced for him the substance and the riches that he had, it was from the hand of his Heavenly Father that all good things did flow.
To have it all torn from his grasp, to have it all ripped away, to watch as the servants came to him to tell him that his sons and daughters had died, that his estate laid in ashes, that robbers had come and carried off his wealth, it was enough to have made even the most righteous of men question. Then, as if the torment of the spirit, the anguish of the soul wasn't enough, to feel the boils cover his body, bringing the such pain. One could hardly blamed Job if he turned his eyes to the heaven's and, as David had in the Psalm, cried out to the Lord, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent." (Psalm 22:1 and 2)
In his pain and his sorrow and his anguish and his torment, who would have rebuked him for it? Who would have denied him that cry of the soul?
It wouldn't be his wife. Her admonition would be clear, "Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die."
He could have done it very easily, and the trials, the tribulation, the suffering, it would have ended. Satan, having proven his point, would have grown tired of Job, displaying he was not the man of unquestionable integrity, and faith, and turned his eyes elsewhere, leaving the broken man to put back together the shattered pieces of his life.
Yet, where he could have, he could not, he would not, he did not. "What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?" There he knew that to deny his God, to deny his Heavenly Father, to curse His name, it would have caused a death worth than any torment he had known in this world. He knew that the Lord had not foresaken him, even if it had felt, at times, as if He had, but that he lived in a world prone to suffering, and that though it was capable of lifting one man to the greatest of heights among his peers with one hand, with a stroke of the other it was capable of cutting him down to the lowest of the low.
The only great equalizer was not money or success or fame or fortune, it was, it is, it remains faith.
Through it all there is a lesson to learn from the faith of Job. As the Apostle James would write in his Epistle, "Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy." (James 5:9 and 10).
Even when it seems like things are at their worst, when it seems like we can't sink any lower or we can't have any more troubles, even when it seems like we are at our worst or like the world has broken us, God, our Heavenly Father, has not and will not foresake us. Through the power of His Holy Spirit He is there to give us strength and comfort and peace. Paul, writing to the Corinthians, would testify to it even in his life "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Corinthians 12:9)
So much so does He care for us in our afflictions, that even as the wages of sin threaten to destroy us, even as redemption became to high of a price for us to pay, He would not leave us to our own ill fate, the destruction of our own making. He would offer a sacrifice greater than any that we could offer that "though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool" (Isaiah 1:18) "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
In all our challenges, in all our trials, in all our troubles, in all our pain and suffering, may we remember the name of the Lord, seeking His love, guidence, grace, mercy and peace, in all that we are and all that we do, knowing whatever may come, seeking like waves of sorrow eroding at our soul, He who is good and loving, will care for us as a Father cares for his Children. Put your trust in the Lord, in His salvation, in His strength and now that it shall never be misplaced.
Lord, grant this unto us all
Now the peace of the Lord that transcends all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, even unto live everlasting. Amen.
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