Hope

But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep.  For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel's call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 (RSV)

The believers at Thessaloniki had been told that those who had already died before Jesus' return would not be raised. Someone had gotten it into his head that only those who were alive on the earth when the Lord returned would be taken into the Kingdom. Those who had died, who fell asleep in the Lord, were beyond any hope of the resurrection.

This seeking 'new things' about God rarely comforts or encourages anyone. Most of the time, it adds to the burdens we bear and does nothing to lift them. Because of this, the Thessalonians were in deep sorrow and grief over those who had died. How could God be so cruel not to allow those who had died to enter the Kingdom?

When we abandon the Apostolic witness for some new thing about God, we surrender hope. When we invent new things about God, we want to be the ones in control. Adam and Eve thought they would have equality or even superiority over God with their new 'wisdom.' All they gained was their loss of trust in God and fear of what God might do to them.

God committed them to hope in His promise to be fulfilled in the coming of Jesus. The death and resurrection of Jesus is the hope of all. St. Paul reminded the Thessalonians Christians that in Christ, death is but a sleep. When Jesus comes, the sleepers will awaken and join Him in His Kingdom.

We are called to be God's Church, alive and caring for His creation. We are called to bring the hope in our Lord Jesus to all who will hear. We are to proclaim that even the dead are not truly dead. In Christ, they are sleeping in the hope of the resurrection.

Let us continue to hope in the promises God has made, which are fulfilled in Jesus.

Two Coins

He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury; and he saw a poor widow put in two copper coins. And he said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; for they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all the living that she had." Luke 21:1–4 (RSV)

Two copper coins, called lepton, was her offering in the Temple. Two lepta, coins you would earn if you worked six minutes on any given day. Almost without any real value compared to the amounts others were putting in that day. They would not glitter like the gold and silver coins that tumbled into the offering. She, like her two copper coins, would hardly be noticed.

Jesus did. He noticed the widow. Jesus noticed all those whom others had written off. He noticed those who the 'right people' would not give the time of day. Jesus noticed the ill, deformed, the disabled, the leper, the sinner, all whose brokenness others chose not to see.

There was no sin in giving out of one's abundance. God blesses the wealthy to give to the work of the Lord out of their abundance. We can give thanks for their stewardship, but giving from your excess is not a challenge. What they gave did not come close to who they were nor would it cause their bellies to growl that evening.

The widow put in her life. The coins were food for supper or a few sticks for warmth against the chill of the night. They were her treasure, and she chose to give it to the Lord.

I marvel at such devotion, such faith, for all she had left to her was her trust in God. We pray, 'give us this day our daily bread,' with hardly a thought. The widow knew that any bread she would receive that day would be pure grace. It would be holy bread, a mercy of God for which she would give true thanks.

Where are our hearts when we bring our offerings to the Lord? Where are our hearts when we pray 'give us this day our daily bread'? It is always the question in everything we do, where are our hearts? The widow's heart was living in trust that God will provide. Where are our hearts?

The Resurrection

There came to Jesus some Sadducees, those who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man's brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man must take the wife and raise up children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and died without children; and the second and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died. Afterward the woman also died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife."

And Jesus said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage; but those who are accounted worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, for they cannot die any more, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living; for all live to him." And some of the scribes answered, "Teacher, you have spoken well." For they no longer dared to ask him any question. Luke 20:27–40 (RSV)

It was the second funeral that week. I was visiting with family and friends before the funeral beginning. A person introduced themselves to me and thanked me for the sermon I had preached at the first funeral earlier that week. "It was good to hear about the resurrection of Jesus in your message,' they said. 'It doesn't happen as much as it should these days.'

'If we don't preach the death and resurrection of Jesus, why are we here?' I replied.

If Christ is not raised from the dead, there is no point whatsoever to the Christian faith. The resurrection is the center of what we believe and proclaim. If we do not proclaim that Good News, we waste our time when we gather to worship.

Without the resurrection, Holy Baptism would be a pointless exercise. If Jesus is not raised from the dead, then Holy Communion is merely bread and wine with no meaning beyond that itself. If Jesus is not raised from the dead, then the grave is the final destination of everyone who has lived, is alive today, and will one day be born.

As St. Paul teaches, if Christ is not raised from the dead, we of all people are most to be pitied.

Thanks be to God that Jesus, in fact, was raised from the dead. His triumph over sin and death is the beating heart of who we are as Christians. In the face of everything that leads to death, the promise of the resurrection is our bulwark and strength. Thanks be to God that we can proclaim this Good News.

A Day Not Yet Come

The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

It shall come to pass in the latter days

that the mountain of the house of the LORD

shall be established as the highest of the mountains,

and shall be raised above the hills;

and all the nations shall flow to it,

and many peoples shall come, and say:

"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,

to the house of the God of Jacob;

that he may teach us his ways

and that we may walk in his paths."

For out of Zion shall go forth the law,

and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

He shall judge between the nations,

and shall decide for many peoples;

and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,

and their spears into pruning hooks;

nation shall not lift up sword against nation,

neither shall they learn war any more.

Isaiah 2:1–4 (RSV)

The word that came to Isaiah is a vision of what is to come in the 'latter days.' It is a beautiful vision where all people come to the Lord to be taught by Him, to walk in His paths, and the violence of war will be forgotten. God will be amid all peoples, their hearts tunes to Him alone, and everyone is alive in His love. There will be justice and peace where none shall suffer for any want.

These are not the latter days. The nations are not of one heart and mind. None seek after the justice of the Lord nor seek to walk in HIs paths. There is no peace among nations as more and more is spent on weapons we must use and weapons we dare not use.

For long ages, Israel hoped that the coming of the Messiah would bring about these days. They prayed for it with aching hearts, wanting the endless wars to be no more. They sought after the days when no one would hunger, and each person would be treated as one worthy of God. 'When the Messiah comes, all will be well,' they said to one another.

But their Messiah fueled dreams did not lead to the days of Isaiah's vision. People sought their ways, worshiped all manner of things instead of God, and deafened their ears to the Lord's teachings. Swords and spears were kept sharp and ready for war.

When Messiah came, lived among them, preaching, teaching, healing, feeding, casting out demons, and raising the dead, they nailed Him to a cross. They could not, would not, face the truth that they may have spoken of God's Kingdom, but none wanted it. All were too concerned with themselves to require a Messiah.

Jesus' resurrection signaled the beginning of the fulfillment of Isaiah's vision. Jesus has called those who are baptized in His Name to live the fulfillment. We do not live in the disappointment of our failures to follow Him. We repent of them, rejecting the folly of our race and ask to be made new.

The day will come when Isaiah's vision will be fulfilled when we cannot say. We ask that Jesus make us a new creation today, forgiven and called. Called to follow our Lord as best we can until the latter-day arrives.

Dear to Jesus

But we were gentle among you, like a nurse taking care of her children. So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. 1 Thessalonians 2:7–8 (RSV)

It was a bright, cold January morning as I boarded the MetroBus that would drop me at the foot of Seminary Hill. It was a full bus, as it often was weekday mornings. So, I stood, holding on to the overhead railing, swaying with the rhythms of the bus as it rolled on. A morning much like any other on the way to a Church History class, or was it Systematic Theology? Thoughts drifted as I prayed that I had studied for the right test.

'Excuse me,' invaded my thoughts, 'Do you know Jesus?' The young man grasping the handrail next to me had asked an important question. 'Do I know Jesus?' The seminary mind began to click, 'can you really know Jesus?' 'How could we know what we knew was what needed to be known?' He spoke again, more urgently, for the question was of great importance to him, 'Do you know Jesus?'

He was deflated when I answered, 'Yes, I do. I believe that He is my Savior.' His disappointment lasted only a second,' What are you doing for Him to show your love for Him?' His backup question was intended to leave sputtering for an answer, which he then could swoop in to rescue me with some task to prove my love for the Savior.

'I am attending seminary, studying to be a pastor of His Church.' was my reply. One would have thought I had just announced the death of his dog. The disappointment was written on his face as he mumbled, 'that's great, good for you.' Before I could say anything more, he was on to the next person swaying to the bus rhythm, 'Do you know Jesus?'

I know he meant well, wanting to share the Gospel with me that morning. I do not doubt that he was sincere. I am also confident that I was a number to him, how many he had led to the Lord that day.

I am grateful for the lesson he taught me. Even if you are ablaze with the Spirit, eager to tell anyone who will listen about Jesus if you fail to see them as a person, as someone God loves, your words will ring hollow. If you do not love those God has given into your care, you will lose them all if they are not very dear to you.

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11 (RSV)

Jesus loves His flock, laying down His life them. Those whom He calls to shepherd His flock will learn to hold them all very dear to their hearts, for they are very dear to Jesus, the Good Shepherd.

In a Desert Place

Hear the word of the LORD,

you rulers of Sodom!

Give ear to the teaching of our God,

you people of Gomorrah!

"What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?

says the LORD;

I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams

and the fat of fed beasts;

I do not delight in the blood of bulls,

or of lambs, or of he-goats.

"When you come to appear before me,

who requires of you

this trampling of my courts?

Bring no more vain offerings;

incense is an abomination to me.

New moon and sabbath and the calling of assemblies—

I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.

Your new moons and your appointed feasts

my soul hates;

they have become a burden to me,

I am weary of bearing them.

When you spread forth your hands,

I will hide my eyes from you;

even though you make many prayers,

I will not listen;

your hands are full of blood.

Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;

remove the evil of your doings

from before my eyes;

cease to do evil,

learn to do good;

seek justice,

correct oppression;

defend the fatherless,

plead for the widow.

"Come now, let us reason together,

says the LORD:

though your sins are like scarlet,

they shall be as white as snow;

though they are red like crimson,

they shall become like wool.

If you are willing and obedient,

you shall eat the good of the land;

But if you refuse and rebel,

you shall be devoured by the sword;

for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

Isaiah 1:10–20 (RSV)

A parishioner once came to the pastor's study in great distress. They related to their pastor how heart-sick they were that their worship seemed so lifeless. Try as they might, their words rang hollow. Their faith seemed to be a fraud that God clearly could see. They had read this passage from Isaiah and now trembled at the thought of God who would not hold guiltless those whose worship was a charade.

The pastor asked if they could read the passage from Isaiah aloud. They did, though it was painful for the parishioner to read the words of Isaiah. 'This is how I feel in worship! These past weeks have been agony for me. How can God love someone as empty as I am?'

The pastor let the silence between them linger for a time, silently praying for the anguished soul before him. 'Please understand what I am about to say. I am not worried about you, your faith, or your salvation. Yes, you are in a desert time right now, where every effort to love, praise, and pray to God rings hollow. I cannot tell you how long it will last; only the Father knows. A desert time, a dry time in faith, is no sin. It is common to all believers, some more so than others. The Father's love is still very much alive for you, even if you cannot sense it now.'

The parishioner was confused; they saw themselves as falling under the judgment of God. The terror of God's wrath was genuine to them. 'Yes, God's wrath is a fearful thing,' said the pastor, 'but you are missing an essential point in this Word from God. God speaks to those comfortable souls in their self-satisfaction that they do not see they have ceased to believe. True, they say the right words, perform the right acts of worship, but their hearts are far from holy fear. They take the love of God for granted, going about their lives, however they chose. If God can not shake them from their folly, they will certainly perish.'

'This is not you. You are struggling in the desert where even the Lord's Prayer seems like dust and ashes in your mouth. The self-satisfied don't even notice that their faith has died within them. Not you. You are longing for the faith, pleading with God to restore you and bring you out of this dry land. Though you may not realize it, even the prayers that seem so weak and false to you now are among the sweetest the Father hears. You long to have the true life of faith alive again. It is, for your heart has the holy fear of God, you still seek after Him even when it seems as if all blessings have fled, you still seek the Father."

We all have those desert times where worship, prayer, and love of God appear to have left us. Even if we are tempted to give up in despair, God is still with us, and the desert time will end. We are to be more fearful of the times when we are so at ease, so self-satisfied that we play at worship, prayer, and love for God, but it has no meaning in our hearts.

Jesus has come for those in the desert place, who long to love God. The Father's love poured out on us through our Lord Jesus will water our thirsty souls. Thanks be to God.

Have This Mind Among Yourselves

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:1–11 (RSV)

"Have this mind among yourselves,"

It is said that one of the results of the Reformation was the rise of individualism. One cannot say that was a goal of Luther's, but a by-product of the concept of the 'priesthood of all believers.' Luther understood this to mean that each Christian can go directly to Christ for forgiveness; a priest is not needed to dole out what Jesus offers freely. Luther's main concern about forgiveness centered around the sale of indulgences. Pope Leo X wanted to build St. Peter's in Rome and need the money. Leo authorized the sale of indulgences, which promised forgiveness to the purchaser at bargain rates.

Luther's criticism of this hawking of forgiveness was correct and needed. Forgiveness was a gift of God the Father through the dying and rising of Jesus. I was not a commodity that the Church would offer for sale. The Church had been tasked with proclaiming Jesus risen from the dead by whom we now have forgiveness.

The Roman church of the sixteenth-century erred on forgiveness to make money and control the population. The twenty-first-century church is plagued with hyper-individualism where a person does not need the Church. Neither is a healthy place to be, nor is it the purpose of the Church.

The Church, the Body of Christ, is all believers bound together in mutual love and grace, serving Christ through serving each other. How do we know this to be so? We look to Jesus, who humbled Himself, becoming human, taking the form of a servant (a slave as it reads in Greek). In obedience to His Father and for the sake of all creation, Jesus suffered and died on the cross.

Our mind in Christ is that of service to the other. We set ourselves aside so that the neighbor might hear the Good News, receive the mercy and forgiveness the Father desires that they have, and become part of Christ's Body, that is the Church.

In Luther's treatise, "On the Freedom of the Christian," he wrote, "A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all."

This is our mindset. We are free, completely free in Christ. Being perfectly free in Christ, we are the humble servant of all. There can be no such creature as an 'individual Christian.' We are only truly alive and free when we are in Christ humbly serving all for Jesus' sake.

The Stones Cry Out

As Jesus was now drawing near, at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" And some of the Pharisees in the multitude said to him, "Teacher, rebuke your disciples." He answered, "I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out." Luke 19:37–40 (RSV)

I am happily amused when people come to NE Iowa for the first time. So many have it in their minds that Iowa is one vast flat expanse of corn and soybeans. Even lifelong Iowans, if they grew up in the state's flat middle, are amazed when they head north out of Strawberry Point toward Elkader. Whether they continue on Highway 13 toward Prairie du Chien or head east on 128, they are surprised by the hills. They are treated to the rolling countryside. As they get closer to the Mississippi, the small mountains (Iowa Mountains) often stun them for the beauty they offer.

It does not take too great an imagination to see the smile on God's face as He created this part of Iowa. Scripture witnesses that all things respond to their Creator with rejoicing and praise. True, one could argue that these passages are merely poetic license on the part of the writer. I would argue otherwise. You cannot gaze upon all the Father has made and be deaf to their praises of His love.

St. Paul wrote in Romans that creation waits with eager longing for its redemption (Romans 8.19). We are not the only ones saved and redeemed by the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. Why should not the redeemed creation offer its praise to the Father for so great a mercy?

The Pharisees would have the crowds silent as Jesus enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Their 'hosannas' and praises of God the Father for the One who comes in the Name of the Lord grate on their sensitive ears. The Pharisees cannot imagine the Messiah coming like this, nor could it be a carpenter from Nazareth. 'Shut them up, Jesus! We won't have them praising God about You!'

With a smile, a knowing smile, Jesus announces that the stones of the ground, the stones of the walls of Jerusalem, the very stones of the Temple itself are waiting their turn to sing their praises of God. Jesus knows that all things will be made new, redeemed, and transformed. Why shouldn't the stones sing God's praises?

We have eyes that do not see the rejoicing of the hills of NE Iowa in all their majesty. We have grown numb to the Mississippi's glad flow in honor of God's purpose. We gaze across the green fields of an Iowa Summer and fail to see their hosanna's to the Lord.

All these created things, when they reflect the glory of their Creator are a hint, an astounding hint of the new heaven and earth to come. How can we not give God the praise due Him for the creation of this wonder and beauty? All the more praise for Jesus, who has redeemed it all.

The Body of Christ

For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe, according to the working of his great might which he accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come; and he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fulness of him who fills all in all. Ephesians 1:15–23 (RSV)

'I do not cease to give thank for you,' thus St. Paul writes to the Ephesian Church. Some five to seven years before St. Paul wrote this letter, he had spent around two and a half years with the Ephesians. He had helped to begin their church, caring for its well-being, and faithfulness to Christ.

These are words that any faithful pastor could write to the parish to whom God calls them to serve. Like St. Paul, the pastor sees the Holy Spirit at work in the parish. As the members go about their lives, the pastor sees their devotion to Christ and His Church.

It is an easy temptation to chide a congregation for their devotion to their particular church. Yes, the pastor wants his parish to be aware of the larger Church and its mission in the world. A wise pastor can see the parish members serving through that part of the Body of Christ, of His Holy Church, that is their local congregation.

A congregation is rooted in the Gospel of Christ, in the message of Jesus' death and resurrection. It is the Gospel message that the Holy Spirit pours out on the local parish. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, the parish calls a pastor to serve them, preaching and teaching for the sake of the faithful.

These combine to demonstrate the abiding love of the Father as He empowers each congregation to serve the Gospel where it has pleased God to place that congregation. Each congregation draws inspiration from the faithful who have served Christ throughout the life of the congregation. The present generation of believers is tasked to continue the witness to Christ so future generations will hear the saving Word of God.

Our little parish here in Northeast Iowa may seem to of small importance, but that is incorrect. Though the world may not know of us as they do the Ephesians to whom St. Paul has written, we carry the same Gospel message in our own time and place. Ours is a great a witness as was theirs.

I do not cease to give thanks for you, faithful believers in the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. You who are of the same Body of Christ as our Ephesian brothers and sisters, witnessing to our Lord Jesus.

Love Beyond Time

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace which he lavished upon us. For he has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fulness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. Ephesians 1:3–10 (RSV)

'Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world.' The universe is between 13.7 and 14 billion years old. Human beings have been around for 200,000 years. The percentage of our time on the universe's stage is so ridiculously small it isn't worth trying to figure it out.

My mind goes into neutral when I consider the amount of time since the beginning of all things. The numbers are too big. The beginning of all things is so far in the past that it makes no sense. Still, St. Paul states that we are chosen of God the Father before all things were called into being.

Here is where misguided souls wander off into the folly of trying to explain predestination in all of its incomprehensible forms. Attempting to sort out what this means in how God has ordered things according to His will and purpose lies beyond my poor mind. We want a God who makes sense to us at all times, something God refuses to do. He is hidden from us, as are His will and purpose for all things.

We receive from God the Father His love and mercy, which has been ours before anything existed. Yes, we are destined in His love to be His dear children. I pray we see that we need not know how God has done what He has chosen to do. We are loved before all things and will be love beyond the end of time.

Perhaps this great mystery will one day be unwound for us. Maybe it won't. In truth, it does not matter one wit for we know the One who loves us has before the long ages were called into being.

On Being Healed

As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging;  and hearing a multitude going by, he inquired what this meant. They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." And he cried, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" And Jesus stopped, and commanded him to be brought to him; and when he came near, he asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, let me receive my sight." And Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

Luke 18:35–43 (RSV)

Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem and the cross. His disciples were willing to go with Him even if they did not understand what it meant. Jesus did not hold back what it meant, but as St. Luke records, they did not understand what Jesus meant, for it was hidden from them. I have often pondered why God would hide His purpose from us, but such is the nature of God. As Luther correctly noted, 'Surely, you are a God who hides Himself.'

As Jesus taught His disciples in John's Gospel, there are many things He longed to teach them, but they could not bear them, not yet. The Father reveals to us the things our hearts and spirits can bear. We could not grasp the eternal purpose of God, nor could we stand under the divine weight of His purpose. It is grace and mercy that we know only those things we need to know.

The blind man sitting by the road outside Jericho knew enough of Jesus that he shouted out in the hope that Jesus would hear him. He would not let anyone silence his voice, adding volume to his plea to Jesus. How many times over the three years of His travels and ministry had Jesus heard voices crying out to Him? How many pleas for mercy, healing, food, or forgiveness? We only know of a handful whose cries gained a response. It is reasonable to assume that many did not have their pleas heard, not as expected.

Jesus stopped for this man. 'What do you want me to do for you?' 'Lord, let me receive my sight.' The man wanted the light to flood his dark world. He had heard the world go by, the laughter of children at play, the market noises, and the peculiar sounds of the night. He wants to see what made children laugh, the bustling market, and the stars who watched over the sleeping world.

'Your faith has made you well,' are the words of Jesus that rolled back the darkness of the man's sightless eyes. We often forget that when Jesus declares someone well in the Gospels, the word also means to be saved. Our Orthodox brothers and sisters see more clearly here than we in the West do. They know that our salvation is our ultimate healing from sin and death.

Our salvation is not merely a legal transaction between God and ourselves. Yes, Jesus bears the weight of sin and death on the cross. He does this for our healing. Jesus' resurrection will remove the blindness of His disciples. They, too, are healed by the rising of Jesus, as are we all.

On a Theology of the Cross

Let him who is taught the word share all good things with him who teaches.

Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption; but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. Galatians 6:6–10 (RSV)

Luther taught that a theologian of the cross would say what a thing is and not seek a theological way out. A true theologian will not sugar coat God's Word nor try to explain the hard parts away. A theologian of the cross looks to the suffering and death of Jesus and refuses to blink. He will say to all around him, 'See what sin, your sin and mine, have done! Can any of us pretend that this is not our doing?'

St. Paul was a theologian of the cross. He never hesitated to say what needed saying. He was not concerned if his hearers were pleased or comfortable with his words. If it needed to be said, it needed to be said. Trying to soften the Word to make it more pleasing to the ears puts people's salvation in danger.

St. Paul is not happy with the Galatian Church. They have listened to preachers of glory, preachers like the wealth 'gospel' hucksters of our present time. They talk only about the great and wonderful things God will do for you if you follow their words. They may speak of Jesus but don't want to go to the cross with Jesus.

The Gospel gets down in the mess of human existence. It gets into the genuine pain and suffering of the world. It faces the impossible problems we encounter, calling them what they are. Salvation is why Jesus has come, and it will take Him to the cross where all the broken mess of humanity is redeemed.

The Gospel speaks the truth about sin, death, and the devil. The Gospel speaks the truth about Jesus that He and He alone is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Christ the King

And when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find an ass tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If any one says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord has need of them,' and he will send them immediately." This took place to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

"Tell the daughter of Zion,

Behold, your king is coming to you,

humble, and mounted on an ass,

and on a colt, the foal of an ass."

The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the ass and the colt, and put their garments on them, and he sat thereon. Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" And when he entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, "Who is this?" And the crowds said, "This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee." Matthew 21:1–11 (RSV)

In 1925, Pope Pius XI declared the last Sunday of Pentecost would be Christ the King Sunday. Fascism was rising in Italy and Germany, which centered on the cult of Der Führer or Il Duce. The modern trend of reducing the Christian faith to a private affair was gaining traction. In the aftermath of WWI, there was a rise in godlessness due to the war's carnage. Pius XI established Christ the King as a witness that Jesus is still the Lord and King of all things.

Sadly, WWI was followed by WWII, then Korea, then Viet Nam, then a variety of wars in the Middle East as well as small wars around the world. Godlessness continued its increase, first in Europe, then spread to North America and beyond. Even today, various political groups are vying for power throughout the world. As Ecclesiastes notes: 'there is nothing new under the sun.'

We can say 'thank you' to Pius XI for reminding the Church that despite all the wars, petty tyrants, godless lives, and other follies of the human race, that Jesus Christ is our Lord and King. He rules overall, and this fallen world will one day be made new.

Our Treasure, Our God

"Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms; provide yourselves with purses that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Luke 12:32–34 (RSV)

The First Commandment - You shall have no other gods.

What does this mean? We are to fear, love, and trust God above all things

My Dad had his first heart attack at forty-three. Thankfully, it wasn't a severe episode. His heart had very little damage. He was home from hospital in a few days. The first follow-up visit with his doctor was a challenge for him. Dad smoked three packs a day and had done so since he entered the army years before. 

His doctor looked over the charts and tests, then said to Dad, "You are a fortunate man. This heart attack was a warning. You need to make changes, now, or the next time it may not go so well." Dad must have made some half-hearted promise about trying harder. The doctor looked him straight in the eye, "if you don't quit smoking today, you will probably die the next time."

He did that day quit smoking. As far as I know, he never lit another cigarette for the rest of his life. I am glad that I was already married, and living in the Twin Cities for life was not pleasant for the first weeks of his quitting. Anyone who has ever smoked and quit will understand. Your body loves the nicotine, wants the nicotine, craves the nicotine. It punishes you for denying its nicotine. Your body wants its god back.

Jesus is not against owning possessions. He does warn us about letting the things we own get in the way of loving and serving God. Our Father desires that we have all the blessings of His Kingdom. Those blessings will be more incredible than we could begin to imagine. They will be far greater than any treasure we cling to in this life.

Jesus would have us shed anything that we worship in place of God. I know that is a fearful thing even to contemplate. Yet, things become the object of our worship, and we become forgetful of God the Father. Jesus puts it plainly; what we treasure is too easily our god. 

The Father wants to give us the Kingdom. He wants us to worship the only One worthy of worship. 

We are entering the most 'stuff' oriented time of the year. We are encouraged to spend and get as much as we can. We are treading on perilous ground these days. Let your heart be focused on the Father and Him only. Soon you will discover that all things will indeed one day, be yours.

Faith and Numbers

And he said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat, nor about your body, what you shall put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass which is alive in the field today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O men of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be of anxious mind. For all the nations of the world seek these things; and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things shall be yours as well. Luke 12:22–31 (RSV)

I watch the squirrels in our backyard busily burying nuts so when Spring arrives, they will have some food after their winter sleep. They do this instinctually as uncounted generations of squirrels before them have done. If it crosses their minds, they do not think of their need in the Spring. They are not anxious about what may come when winter passes.

I spend too much time with numbers. How many infected today, how many in the ICU, on a ventilator, and how many cases in Clayton County. What are the percentages? How many have died? Sometimes those numbers have names that I know, who are more than a statistic. They are members of my parish. They are people who I have pastored over the years. They are friends. They are family.

The numbers wear on me. The names of those I know worry me. I read the words of Jesus about not being anxious, and I know He is speaking to my troubled heart. I hear myself saying, 'But Jesus, what about these numbers? What about the people who are dear to me who are among these numbers? What about those whose jobs are gone? What about those whose lives are turned upside down through no fault of their own? What about those who have died?

The realities of life severely batter faith at times. Now, when numbers become people we know and love in a time of pandemic, faith feels so little, so helpless. If our faith was only a product of human will, it would die under the weight of the numbers. It is in those times that I genuinely envy the squirrels in my backyard. They have no thought or care for any numbers.

The Holy Spirit, the author of faith, lifts my heart from the numbers to the One who is not undone by a pandemic. The Holy Spirit feeds my soul with the hope that does not rely upon the things of this life. The Spirit reminds me that the Father provides for the squirrels in my backyard. He causes the days to come one after the other. A pandemic does not undo his will and purpose.

We are more than a number to the Father. We are His beloved. We are enfolded in His love and purpose even when we cannot see beyond the numbers. The Father's love is never gone from us. As a pandemic stalks the world and our hearts fail within us, He is still God. So even as we are drowning in numbers, His love calms our hearts. We are His, and all we need comes from His hands. We are never a number to Him.

On Pharisees

While he was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him; so he went in and sat at table. The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner. And the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of extortion and wickedness. You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? But give for alms those things which are within; and behold, everything is clean for you. "But woe to you Pharisees! for you tithe mint and rue and every herb, and neglect justice and the love of God; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. Luke 11:37–42 (RSV)

As we have noted before, Jesus was not concerned with whom He broke bread. One day it is Matthew, the tax collector; the next, a Pharisee. No Pharisee would invite a tax collector to dinner, nor would a tax collector attend a meal where he would be the object of pious indignation. Jesus broke bread with whoever would join Him for a meal.

The Pharisees were concerned with the Law of God beyond the point of obsession. It was held that if ten Jews could keep the Law perfectly for one day, then the Messiah would come. It would be a wonder if one Pharisee kept the First Commandment for a day, let alone the other 612 commandments in the Torah. One would have to credit them for trying.

Keeping the Law was a desirable goal for the Pharisees; it soon became the practice of looking for anyone's tiniest failure to keep the Law. It doesn't take too much time of someone scrutinizing your every action, waiting to pounce on the slightest error, for you to begin to resent a Pharisee.

The Pharisee who invited Jesus to a meal was astonished that Jesus didn't wash His hands before they ate. He could not rejoice that he was breaking bread with Jesus. He was concerned with protecting God from those whose fingernails had a bit of dirt under them.

Jesus never is harsh with sinners who come to Him for mercy and grace. Jesus is kind and gentle to those who know they are sinners without hope, save God the Father should act in mercy. Not so with the Pharisees, the scribes, lawyers, priests, and other 'pious' folk who can't imagine that they are sinners on the same level as a prostitute.

Jesus is gentle with tax collectors and prostitutes, for they have no illusions about their status before God. They need the soothing balm of grace. The 'pious' Temple folk who have convinced themselves that their sins are a small matter need to be shaken from their self-deception.

The Father loves them all and desires all come to Him. Jesus will not play with the pretense that the Pharisee's legal piety gets them anywhere. They have turned God's gift in the Law into an impossible standard to which they hold everyone. They offer no consolation to a terrified soul that fails to keep the law, only more law.

He teaches the Pharisees that all their obsession with the Law is not even half of who God desires them to be, He would have justice, and the love of God be that which they are all known.

Pity on Nineveh

And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?" Jonah 4:11 (RSV)

The fish is a lovely story for small children as they get acquainted with Scripture. This story is what most people recall about the book of Jonah. It is a good story set within the larger story of Jonah. We must ask, "Just why is Jonah in the belly of a fish?"

God does not usually appoint large fish to swallow humans whole and alive. A sensible person with a basic understanding of biology would know that digestion does not wait three days. Creatures swallowed whole and alive are not so for very long. We need to get beyond the fish as to why Jonah is there.

God had commanded Jonah to go to Nineveh to proclaim God's Word against its people's wickedness. Nineveh was the capital city of the Assyrian Empire. In the eyes of most Jews, it was a city that deserved the wrath of God; the sooner, the better.

Jonah was of that frame of mind. Nineveh needed to be punished, for it was a wicked place. Jonah also knew that God is merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. Jonah wasn't going to take the chance that once Nineveh heard God's Word, they would repent. Jonah would have none of it, so he ran.

Luther taught that the good and gracious will of God is done, even without our prayer. But we ask in this prayer that it might be done in us. God wanted Jonah to go to Nineveh, and to Nineveh, he will go. After three days in a fish's digestive system, perhaps Nineveh looked like an alternative.

Jonah's opinion had not changed, and he said the absolute bare minimum he could once at Nineveh, "Forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown!" Jonah must have been confident that the Assyrians would never forsake their gods for the God of a conquered people, so he found a spot on a nearby hill to watch the show. He wanted the fire of God to consume them all.

But they repented, from the king down to the lowest beggar in the gutter. Jonah fumed and sputtered against God for sparing them. In Jonah's mind, they did not deserve mercy. Jonah wanted God's wrath, for he determined that is all the people of Nineveh deserved.

"And should not I pity Nineveh..?" God tells Jonah. Here is the Gospel Jonah could not see, much less proclaim to Nineveh. Still, God will have pity, mercy, grace on all who turn from their sin, and seek Him out. It is a word we still need to hear and learn to practice.

"And should not I pity the Republicans, the Democrats, the wealthy, the welfare families, the doubters, the wretched mass of the human race?" If we are ready to call down God's wrath on anyone, it would be well if we were to change what God said to Jonah, "And should not I pity you?" For without the mercy, the pity, the grace of God, we would know our left from our right. We would not know God the Father who longs to save us.

On Confronting Evil

Now Jesus was casting out a demon that was dumb; when the demon had gone out, the dumb man spoke, and the people marveled. But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons"; while others, to test him, sought from him a sign from heaven. But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Luke 11:14–20 (RSV)

Jesus never regarded evil as anything other than evil. He never said or implied that one could find a middle ground with evil. Evil's only purpose is to attack God in any way it can. There is no compromise with evil. No deal can be struck. It must be cast out. Jesus does not heal the demonic. It is cast out.

As a race, we must shed ourselves of the notion that we can control evil, bend its malice toward our ends. The moment we step onto evil's ground, it has us. We may think that we have it under our control, but make no mistake, evil can only be mastered, cast out, by the power of God. When we think of ourselves as God, we have already fallen.

We have been warned of the days when people will call evil good and good evil. This has been so from the very beginning. Those who witnessed Jesus cast out the demon from the mute man called Him evil, for they could not imagine God acting in the way they disapproved.

As we gaze around us, we see all manner of things once regarded as evil, now being called a good thing. What was once considered by all as a sin against God is not held up as 'personal freedom.' Each age makes its bargain with the evil one, so have these days.

In the past, folk would attempt to hide the evil to which they consented, but not so today. Evil is celebrated as liberation, the imagined freedom to be done with God. So little do people fear God that we live in a time almost without shame.

Shame caused Peter to weep bitter tears at his denial of Jesus. Shame hid Adam and Eve when they rebelled against God. Shame cover Abel's body after Cain chose the evil of murder over God. Shame warns us that the path we have chosen leads away from God the Father.

Jesus endured our shame on the cross. He confronted sin, death, and the devil as He was pinned to the wood. Jesus let all the evil we have done throughout time to focus its malice on Him. Evil, in its assault on Jesus, spent itself and was undone.

We can have no place for evil in our lives. It will tempt us time and again, tempt us to trust it over our Lord. It will whisper lies in our ears, promising all the wonders of creation at our fingertips. However, it comes upon us, let us cry out to Jesus to cast the evil out of our lives. Let us plead for Jesus to fill us with His life.

On The Supper

The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?  Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. 1 Corinthians 10:16–17 (RSV)

It is a great sadness that we use the gift of the Supper to create divisions among ourselves. Jesus gave His Body and Blood as the means by which we might know our sins are forgiven. We too often use it as a measure of the purity of the other's faith.

However, St. Paul is quite correct that our eating and drinking at our Lord's Table and by His command are made one with Him. We fail when we try to understand what our Lord is doing in the Supper. We wish to take it to pieces, analyze each piece, and observe what we think the Supper is.

Western Christians would write a scientific paper on the Supper as one might do after dissecting a frog. The outcome of such efforts produces a dead frog and confusion as to what the Supper truly might be. Our Orthodoxy Brothers and Sister have a far more healthy understanding. The Supper is a mystery that comes from God. It is not be taken apart in a vain attempt to comprehend the Supper. The Supper is a mystery of God, which no explanation can suffice.

What is true about the Supper are these: The Supper is our Lord's at which you and I are invited guests. As a guest, it is not our place to tell the Host how He might prepare and serve the meal. Nor should we waste time in speculation by what means our Host had provided the meal.

Our minds might stumble at His words, 'my body, my blood,' yet we know that Jesus speaks the Truth for He is the Truth of God. We eat the heavenly meal, feasting on our Lord's Body and Blood, not because we know it can be, instead because Jesus proclaims it to be.

The Supper is our forgiveness, life, and salvation. As we partake of it, we are united in the Body of Christ. Jesus is clear that this is why we are intended to gather around His Body. The pandemic has taken much, but it has given each of us a small gift. It has taken our buildings, our organizations, but it cannot take our Lord from us. Though all the trappings of Christianity are denied us, it cannot remove us from the Lord and His promises.

On Learning to Pray

He was praying in a certain place, and when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." And he said to them, "When you pray, say:

"Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread; and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive every one who is indebted to us; and lead us not into temptation." Luke 11:1–4 (RSV)

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. And he who searches the hearts of men knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. Romans 8:26–27 (RSV)

Can you remember learning to pray the Lord's Prayer? If you were born in a Christian home, a worshiping family, the Our Father is woven your being. It makes almost as much sense to ask when you learned to breathe. One hardly needs to think about the Lord's Prayer.

I expect reading the Lord's Prayer as St. Luke recorded it in his Gospel tripped you up a bit. It is a challenge to read it as parts of it are missing. We are so locked into St. Matthew's version than any other seems wrong.

St. Luke does record the disciples asking Jesus to 'teach them to pray'. We have begun to confess those words as we prepare to pray the Our Father. We need to learn the prayer. This does not mean that we are not able to recite the Lord's Prayer. A small child can learn to do that.

No, we need to be taught to regard the words of the Lord's Prayer as life-giving, life-sustaining. We learn the depth of the Father's mercy and grace as our lips form the words. We want to be taught the Lord's Prayer by the Lord, so each word becomes more precious to us than our breath.

St. Paul reminds us how vital our prayers are to the Father. Even as we are learning the Lord's Prayer as the bedrock of our life of prayer, St. Paul teaches that the Father will not let our prayers go unspoken. Thus the Holy Spirit journeys through our heart and soul, searching out every syllable of prayer that we cannot put into words.

The Spirit prays what we cannot pray with the language of heaven. There is no prayer we can pray or not even understand. There is a prayer within us which the Spirit lifts before God.

A lifetime of one hundred years is hardly a beginning in prayer. The Lord's Prayer is simple to pray and takes a lifetime to learn the love contained within it. Thanks be to God through His Holy Spirit that we learn to pray, even when we have no words.