Daily Readings February 27- March 5, 2011

Daily Lectionary

February 27 The Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Life—Genesis 2:4-17; Mark 10:1-31
February 28 Man Eats the Forbidden Fruit—Genesis 3:1-24; Mark 10:32-52
March 1 The Passover—Exodus 12:1-14, 17; Mark 11:1-33
March 2 The Wedding in Cana of Galilee—John 2:1-11; Mark 12:13-44
March 3 The Bread from Heaven—Exodus 16:1-15, 31; Luke 4:14-44
March 4 Luke 5:12-39
March 5 Quinquagesima Isaiah 35:3–7, 1 Corinthians 13:1—13, Luke 18:31–43

Look forward to Quinquagesima Sunday March 6, 2011

Isaiah 35:3-7: "Our God will come and save you." With these words the prophet announces both the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, but also the proclamation of His Gospel which alone has the power to save and deliver us from all the afflictions of sin.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13: The love of Christ that moved Him to suffer and die for the sins of the whole world is described by St Paul. It is called the greatest of faith, hope, and love, because without Christ's love for us we would have nothing in which to believe and hope.

Luke 18:31-43: Jesus spoke clearly about His passion, death, and resurrection, yet "these things were hidden" from the disciples, so that they did not understand His words. It was necessary that the Son of Man suffer and die alone, for salvation from sin, death, and hell is entirely the work of our Lord. It must be received by us as a gift alone or it cannot be received at all. For their benefit the disciples were prevented from knowing these words, lest anyone of them boast in his superior knowledge or understanding. The mysteries of the faith are revealed to the blind by the Spirit of God, and so, Jesus has mercy upon blind Bartemaeus opening his eyes, in token that the mysteries of salvation are revealed to us so that we might believe in the Lord and give all praise and glory to God.

Sermon for Sexagesima Sunday 2011 February 27, 2011

Sexagesima

Luke 8:4-15

The Harvest Comes Of Itself

And In Unlikely Places

February 27, 2011

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The mysteries of the kingdom of God have been given to you, that seeing you would understand and hearing you would believe, that you would turn - repent - and your sins would be forgiven. If you do not understand this parable, you will not understand any parable (Mk 4:13).

This is the first lesson in the kingdom of God: [pause]

THE HARVEST COMES OF ITSELF AND IN UNLIKELY PLACES.

The Sower does not prepare the ground, nor does He sow only where a harvest could be expected. Instead, He casts His Word to the wayside, upon the stony ground and thorny patch.

He pays for labor that was not performed.
He welcomes back sons who wanted Him dead.
He forgives those who wasted His goods and looked after themselves.
He delivers mercy to sinners.
He pours on oil and wine, pays for everything Himself, and promises to come back.

He gives everything - His most precious thing, the Life of His only-begotten - as a ransom to reconcile mankind to His Father, to bestow His Spirit.

He does not give His Life only for those who will return His love. [pause]
He gives His Life for all: for the good and the bad, for the right and the wrong, for the faithful and unfaithful.
He is no respecter of persons. He has come for those who are sick with sin, weary with death, for those who are haunted by old grudges and oppressed by their own lusts and greed, for those with a scandalous past and secret sins.

He comes for the unrighteous and unworthy, for those being snatched at by demons, trampled with violence, choked by worry and fear, dried up in temptation.

He comes to transform them into good ground, that they would heard His Word, be forgiven and cleansed, start anew, and bear fruit with patience.

For the kingdom of God like a man scattering seed on the ground who then goes off to bed. When he rises in the morning he finds the seed has sprouted and grown, though he himself does not know how. It was not by his efforts or wisdom. While he slept the seed rose.

The earth yields it crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain.
God provides a harvest. There is more to our lives than simply seeking our next meal.
So also the kingdom of God comes of itself: but we pray that it may come to us also.
We pray that we may learn to live by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

We pray that our heavenly Father would give us His Holy Spirit so that by His grace we would believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity.

Judged by the standards of men, God is wasteful.
Not everyone receives His gifts.
Not everyone repents.
Not everyone believes.
Not everyone is weary with sin and death, tormented by demons and temptations.
Some are quite content in their sins, some think vice has its noble side.

Thus are they snatched away, choked out, or dried up. They do not enter into the kingdom even though it is bought and paid for and offered up to them for free. It is wasted on them.

For not every seed bears fruit. Many are called, but few are chosen.
But judged by the standards of the holy angels: [pause]
God is not wasteful. He is love. He is generous, merciful, kind, patient, and eager to forgive, not shirking His duty but going as a Lamb to the slaughter, laying down His Life to make us free, rescuing us from Satan's deceptions and torture.

And if some spills over the edge, if some refused outright, [pause] it does not matter.
That is what it took for full coverage.
That reckless sowing was necessary to get the seed to you.
All men were covered so that you would be among the elect.
All men were covered that all could know God loves them, as you know [pause] God loves you.

You need have then no doubt about whether you are the elect or not. All men were reconciled to the Father in the death of the Son. All men --including you. The Sower sows His Seed that it would grow, that men would believe. Thus have you been baptized and you do believe. The Word bears good fruit in you and God Himself is pleased.

Even as a great tree, full of flowers and aroma, giving shade to the weary and wood to the builder, is hidden inside a mustard seed, so is new life, hope, and peace hidden in the Word of God. For where it takes root, is watered by Holy Baptism, fertilized with the Blood of Jesus Christ, it bears a harvest a hundredfold.

The grace God gives is greater than the sins He takes away. [pause] Nothing is wasted.
For this Love, this generous and creative Word of God, Jesus Christ Our Lord, is without end.
The Kingdom comes of itself.

As unlikely as it might seem: it comes to and for you. It cleanses and forgives you. By it, your heart is noble and good. God keeps His promises.

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Daily Readings February 20-26, 2011

Daily Lectionary

February 20  The Stilling of the Storm—Mark 4:35-41; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31
February 21  Jesus Teaches Us to Pray in the Sermon on the Mount—Matthew 6:5-15; 1 Corinthians 14:1-40
February 22  Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer—John 17:1-26; 1 Corinthians 15:58–16:24
February 23  Watch and Pray—Luke 21:25-36; 2 Corinthians 1:1-24
February 24  Jesus Prays in the Garden of Gethsemane—Matthew 26:36-45; 2 Corinthians 2:1–3:3
February 25  2 Corinthians 6:11–7:16;
February 26 Sexagesima  Isaiah 55:10–13, 2 Corinthians 11:19—12:9, Luke 8:4–15

Look forward to Sexagesima Sunday February 27, 2011

Isaiah 55:10–13, 2 Corinthians 11:19—12:9, Luke 8:4–15

Scripture Alone

The Sower sows the seed of His Word (Luke 8:4–15). This Word is living and powerful (Hebrews 4:9–13) to conceive new life in those who hear it. But the planting of Christ is attacked by the devil, the world, and the flesh. Satan snatches the Word away from hard hearts. The riches and pleasures of this life choke off faith. Shallow and emotional belief withers in time of temptation and trouble. But see how Christ bears this attack for us! Christ’s cross was planted in the hard and rocky soil of Golgotha. A crown of thorns was placed upon His head. Satan and His demons hellishly hounded and devoured Him. Yet, through His dying and rising again, He destroyed these enemies of ours. Jesus is Himself the Seed which fell to the ground and died in order that it might sprout forth to new life and produce much grain. In Him, the weak are strong (2 Corinthians 11:19–12:9). He is the Word of the Father which does not return void (Isaiah 55:10–13) but yields a harvest hundredfold. 

Sermon February 20, 2011

February 19-20, 2011

Septuagesima

Matthew 20:1-16

“Life isn’t Fair”

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

I. The last first - Fairness.

“So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.” Surprise, surprise. The Kingdom of heaven is not about fairness, equity, or even, normal common sense. The fair thing, the obvious thing, the decent thing is “first come, first served.” But it is not “first come, first served” or “take a number” in the Kingdom of heaven. For the Kingdom of heaven is not the kingdom of fairness. The kingdom of fairness does exist. It is ruled with an iron fist by that most sublime of all lawyers, Job’s accuser from ancient times, Satan. Yes, Hell is ruled by the exact science of Newton’s principles of retribution: for every action there is an equal reaction. For every sin there is a punishment. The fair wages of sin is death. In Hell, it is always, “first come, first served.”

And our constant complaint has been that life is not fair. Never mind the fact that this chaos and turmoil is the product of our own sin. Never mind the fact that none of us can claim that we were born here and in this time by our own merits, that we earned or deserved it. We could have been born slaves in the American South. We could have been born Germans who lived in fear first under Hitler and then under Stalin. But, when you get right down to it, we are not complaining day in and day out about the truly great injustices and tragedies of this life, such as the lack of civil rights in China, the atrocities of the military regimes in Africa, or the sustained, legal murder and destruction of babies in their mothers’ wombs right in our own midst. Instead, we complain and grumble all day long because other people seem to be having more fun, or have nicer stuff, or better looks and more talent, than we do. We waste away the hours in daydreams, wishing we were richer, thinner, better looking, smarter, more disciplined, and so forth. We imagine ourselves humbly, graciously accepting the accolades of the masses and giving great, inspiring speeches on television. We are sure that if we were rich and powerful we could use it for good. Talk about vanity! Meanwhile, in between fantasies, we grumble about the slightest little ache, pain, or inconvenience. We impatiently tap our foot as we wait for the microwave to heat up our coffee, or the computer to boot up, thinking everything is so slow, such a waste of our precious time! At our worst, we are grossly jealous when other people prosper. We are even judgmental about our friends, thinking they’ve been handed everything, while we have gone unrewarded for our hard work. We act like children on Halloween with their goodies strewn all over the living room floor fighting over a single piece of candy and mad because it looks like someone else might have more.

II. Call to Repentance - Grace

Repent. These complaints, this dissatisfaction, this discontentment is rebellion and dissatisfaction with God. It is saying, “God you are no good at being God. My life is not very enjoyable. It should be better. You should give me more.” How dare you! Repent! The gifts are His. He distributes them not according to Satan’s laws of equity, or according to our vain lusts and evil desires, but according to His own wisdom, generosity, and mercy. We can demand nothing. But if you insist, if you demand recompense on your own merits, your own deeds, if you demand fairness, then that dishonorable judge of fairness, that old devil, will measure your wages with atomic precision: eternal torture in Hell for each and every misdeed, paid in full. You cannot pay the debt. It requires eternity in damnation.

Thanks be to God that the Kingdom of heaven does not run on fairness. Instead, it is “first come, last served.” The First-born, the One by whom all things that are came to be, did not come to be served but to serve. Fortunately for us, He did not take a number. He laid down His life. He gave us His place in line. It is not fair that He should serve us, that He should wash our stinking feet, be circumcised and baptized. It is not fair that He should live as a pauper, while we live as kings. It is not fair that He should suffer and die. But His Kingdom is not about fairness. It is about Grace. Grace is God’s undeserved love. The greatest injustice of all time - the execution of Our innocent Lord, Jesus Christ, found guilty by that most ridiculous of all kangaroo courts - that injustice is how He gives us His undeserved love. It is not fair, but the charges placed over His head were accurate. He is the King of the Jews. He is the King of kings. By His own decree, invoking His Divine Right, He rules now not by power and might, but reigns in the hearts of men who believe in Him by Grace. So we call Him, “Lord.” He is Our Lord by love.

III. The point of the parable: Generous Mercy and Grace

So, back to the parable at hand. The point is rather simple: The vineyard owner over pays. He pays more than his employees deserve. Now, it is hard for us to imagine any employer ever paying his workforce so foolishly. But that is precisely the case in this parable. This is typical behavior for the characters in Our Lord’s parables, especially those who represent Him and His Father. They tend to behave in a seemingly outrageous and foolish manner. That is because the wisdom of God confounds the wisdom of man. But however foolish he may appear, the vineyard owner is not stupid. He knows what he is doing. It is deliberate. No, it is not stupidity that causes him to overpay. It is generosity. The point of comparison, or the lesson of the parable, then, is that God is merciful, gracious, and generous. He does not give us what our labors deserve. Instead He gives us His own Son. He lavishes upon us that which we had no right to demand or expect, that which is utterly and completely unearned. Though He is the Father’s beloved, His most precious possession, nonetheless He gives Him to us that we might live. He is not stupid. He knows full well the cost of our salvation. He pays it willingly. Indeed, this is His good and gracious will. Thus He pays us, rewards us, not according to the work or deeds we’ve performed, for it is not by works or righteousness that we are saved, but according to His mercy. So He pays us with His own abundant love, with His Grace. It is His to do with as He desires. He desires you to have it and to live.

Consider, then, pay day. We go to the line and there we see a crowd gathered together. God is recklessly handing out great things to these people. Some who are gathered there are notorious and terrible sinners of the worst sort. Adulterers, murderers, drunkards, and blasphemers are in the front of the line. Do not be scandalized. Instead, rejoice, O Sinner! By the Grace of God you are counted as one of them. Rejoice and give thanks for this great mystery: God is merciful, loving, kind, patient, steadfast, generous, gracious, and faithful. He loves to forgive. Look not to your own works. Look neither at the sins of others. Make no comparisons. Look to the mercy of Almighty God in the Flesh who loves to love you. Rejoice that you are not alone. Rejoice that these once sinners now saints are with you, that you are with them. Delight in the company of your brothers and sisters, a great, terrible, forgiven people who have been brought out of bondage to sin into freedom in Christ. Revel in the joy of Grace that is not fair. Bask in the wages paid, the reward given, which you have not earned, but have received from His lavish and unfailing love. Your cup runs over, O Christian. There is nothing left to complain about.

IV. Invitation to come and get what He gives.

Come this day then to the Altar. Receive what He desires to give, that which you have not earned: His very Body and Blood. For it is now the eleventh hour and no one knows when the clock will strike twelve. You are a beggar. You have no right to make demands. But this is what He desires you to have. In Grace and Mercy, He treats you not as a hired hand, but as His own, beloved child. He pays the wages due to the First-born, the Son of Righteousness. They are yours. He pays life and salvation, the forgiveness of sins, unity and peace with Him. It is the wages He has determined for you from eternity. Here is the call. You are the chosen. It is your inheritance from Baptism for you belong to Him.

That’s Grace. Come. Be satisfied and content in these gifts. It is what He wants you to have. In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Daily Readings for February 13-19, 2011

Daily Lectionary

February 13 Jesus Teaches His Disciples to Pray—Luke 11:1-4 (Part 1), 1 Corinthians 5:9–6:20
February 14 Jesus Teaches His Disciples to Pray—Luke 11:5-8 (Part 2), 1 Corinthians 7:1-40
February 15 Jesus Teaches His Disciples to Pray—Luke 11:9-13 (Part 3), 1 Corinthians 8:1-13
February 16 The Centurion Prays to Jesus for His Servant—Matthew 8:5-13, 1 Corinthians 9:1-23
February 17 A Canaanite Woman Prays for Her Daughter—Matthew 15:21-28, 1 Corinthians 10:14-33
February 18 1 Corinthians 11:1-22
February 19 Look ahead to Sunday  Septuagesima Exodus 17:1–7, 1 Corinthians 9:24–10:5, Matthew 20:1–16

 

Look forward to Septuagesima Sunday February 20, 2011

Exodus 17:1–7, 1 Corinthians 9:24—10:5, Matthew 20:1–16

Grace Alone

The people of Israel contended with the Lord in the wilderness (Exodus 17:1–7). They were dissatisfied with His provision. In the same way, the first laborers in the vineyard complained against the landowner for the wage he provided them (Matthew 20:1–16). They charged him with being unfair, but in reality he was being generous. For the Lord does not wish to deal with us on the basis of what we deserve but on the basis of His abounding grace in Christ. The first—those who rely on their own merits—will be last. “For they were overthrown in the wilderness” (1 Corinthians 10:5). But the last, those who rely on Christ, will be first. For Christ is the Rock (1 Corinthians 9:24–10:5). He is the One who was struck and from whose side blood and water flowed that we may be cleansed of our sin.

February 12-13, 2011 sermon

Transfiguration

Matthew 17:1-9

February 12-13, 2011

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Peter, it seems, is always noticing the water beneath his feet. His eyes grow heavy and he ceases to pray. He waits in denial for the cock to crow. There on the Mount of Transfiguration it is the same. For St. Luke’s Gospel clearly tells us what Moses and Elijah were discussing. It was the Exodus of the Messiah, His departure from this world, His glorious Crucifixion. That is what heaven is interested in. It does not make the angels weep. It makes them sing. They love it. The saints revel in it. For the shameful death of Jesus is their glory. It is the fulfillment of all that Moses and Elijah prophesied. It is the Desire of nations, the Hope of Israel, the Light of the world made good. But Peter, with his standard awkwardness, misses the point. The words of Jesus have not yet broken his heart of its attachment to the finer things. He does not yet see the hidden things of God in the lowly and despised things of this world. He does not yet embrace the agony of God as perfect mercy.

That awkwardness of Peter is no stranger to us. It is a stubbornness born of pride, that wants its own way, that refuses to be sacrifice. It is the demise of marriages, the dissolution of friendships, and the root of war. It refuses to believe that parents should be honored, that spouses should be loved, or that neighbors should be protected above self. It wants lofty, soaring emotional highs, platitudes and easy answers, fancy music and ceremonies, rules to live by and improve; anything and everything but a cross, anything and everything but suffering, death, and blood. Repent. The flesh is weak. We have all succumbed to the vanity of our hearts and wanted fame, honor, and glory with men. According to the flesh, we have all been scandalized by God’s Word.

Here on the Mountain, in Moses and Elijah, is a lesson for Peter and for us. Moses had run away from God and from His people. He had committed murder. He was afraid for his own skin. But God, nonetheless, restored him. He made him His own ambassador to lead the people safely out of slavery to freedom, through the drowning, crushing waters of the Red Sea to dry ground, through death to life. Again, in the wilderness his anger would overcome him and because of it he would not be allowed to enter the promised land. A whole generation had to die in the desert and Moses along with them. The people had to be cleansed, purged of a perverse generation corrupted in Egypt. Slavery had to die. The Law had to be left on the other side of the Jordan.

But Moses did enter - through death, by Grace - the real promised land. He came to Abraham’s inheritance, the land of milk and honey that Canaan only foreshadowed. He died to being enslaved. He died to being a second-class citizen, an adopted son of questionable birth. He died to being afraid, angry, and tired. He awoke in heaven free even of himself, adopted into the household of the Trinity as a true brother of Christ! He lived his life of sorrow by faith, in suffering, with hardship and uncertainty. But in the end he came to faith’s reward. In his weakness he learned to know that there is no other place to turn. That God is his only hope. And knowing that, in weakness he was strong and in death he now lives.

Likewise, Elijah. He also ran and hid. He had called fire down from heaven. He had defeated four hundred false prophets of Baal. The only way it was okay to pray with them in Jezebel’s civic ceremony was if they were mocked and slain! But then, after the wrath of God was revealed upon them, Elijah was afraid. He ran from weak Jezebel lest she would do to him what he had done to them. Full of self-pity, wallowing in self-righteous arrogance, he was certain that he was the only one left, the only one who would not hold hands with Baal’s prophets and call them brother.

But God had mercy even on Elijah. He too was restored. He was fed by ravens, renewed in his strength and zeal, and finally, delivered even from bodily death, so that he ascended by a chariot into heaven. He, too, lived this life of sorrows, of disappointments and frustration, in a small, struggling Church. He lived by faith. He had his doubts, his worries, but now he and his faith are perfect. For what his faith could not do, God did. And by the Grace of God in the Messiah he too has come to faith’s reward.

And so, too, did Peter follow. In the end he stretched out his arms and died. For he would not stand idly by and smile nicely as incense was offered to Caesar, waiting his turn to meekly suggest one more innocuous religious option, one more qualified and weak prayer to a possible god. He was moved by the Holy Spirit. He spoke the Word of God. He laid out the only thing that matters: “Jesus died for the sins of the world. He has made full atonement for all men. He rose again and gladly calls men, ‘brother.’ There is no other salvation. And He is coming back.” And for this Gospel, this invitation to heaven, they killed him. But in that malicious act they did more to honor him then they could ever know. For the things of God are hidden from human eyes. Weakness is strength, foolishness is wisdom, death is life, and martyrdom is the single highest honor.

Above all the Divine liturgy sets us up as fools. We adore bread and wine, water, a book. We kneel before a nerdy man dressed like a clownish woman! The world scoffs at all this pomp and circumstance. But faith rejoices in it. For it confesses what the eyes cannot see: that Jesus is here for His people with healing, with acceptance, with peace. He is not transfigured here, but is hidden in the externals. Those who believe His Word submit to things they cannot understand. That is the true Theology of the Cross. You behave according the promises of God and not by what your eyes behold. The Church, too, is hidden. The saints are unknown. You are they whether the world recognizes it or not. For are you not baptized? Do you not have the Name of God upon you? Have you not been called out of darkness to light? But you are a sinner? Of course, you are. So was Peter. So were Moses and Elijah. And look what God has done for them. It is no less for you. That is a promise that cannot fail.

In + Jesus’ Name. Amen.