Friday, October 2, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
The Mousetrap of His Cross
I got this from Rev. Gregory Alms' blog, Incarnatus Est:
Augustine, Sermon 130:
Along came the redeemer and conquered the deceiver. And what did our redeemer do to our captor? To pay our price, he set the mousetrap of his cross; as bait he placed there his own blood. While the devil, though, was able to shed that blood, he did not earn the right to drink it. And because he shed the blood of one who was not his debtor, he was ordered to release those who were his debtors" (PL 38:726-27).
Edmund Hill, The Works of Augustine: Sermons III/4, Brooklyn: New City Press, 1992, 311
Augustine, Sermon 130:
Along came the redeemer and conquered the deceiver. And what did our redeemer do to our captor? To pay our price, he set the mousetrap of his cross; as bait he placed there his own blood. While the devil, though, was able to shed that blood, he did not earn the right to drink it. And because he shed the blood of one who was not his debtor, he was ordered to release those who were his debtors" (PL 38:726-27).
Edmund Hill, The Works of Augustine: Sermons III/4, Brooklyn: New City Press, 1992, 311
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Not The Woman's Faith
The Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost
Isaiah 35:4-7
James 2:1-10,14-18
Mark 7:24-30
Grace to you and peace from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (Romans 1:7)
Sometimes, when we read incidents like this in the life of our Lord, it becomes so easy for our focus to shift from our Lord to somewhere, someone else. Well, this happens a lot with many passages, and surely with our Gospel reading this morning.
And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. But immediately a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. And he said to her, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." But she answered him, "Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." And he said to her, "For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter." And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.
The woman in our Gospel passage this morning doesn’t have anything, zero, zilch, nada, going for her. In Jewish society, women weren’t given much attention or importance, much less what they said. In Jewish society, women ranked below men in authority, in credibility. Women in Jewish society could not just come up to any man and casually strike up a conversation with him.
Secondly, St, Mark tells us that “the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth.” Being a Gentile, she could not intermingle with Jews, for she was considered unclean. This meant that she could not have any fellowship with God’s people. What is more painful, the Jews called Gentiles dogs. To the Jews, the Gentiles were no better than dogs. In Jewish worship, dogs can never be kosher. Dogs were unclean because they rooted around in garbage. In Jesus’ time, you, a Gentile, a dog, can never be a part of God’s chosen people, could never participate in the worship of God’s people, could never receive the promises and blessing of God, could never enter or be a part of God’s kingdom. Because you were a Gentile, you were a dog. You had no rights no matter who you were, no matter how good you were, no matter how sincere you were, no matter how good you were. Because you were a Gentile, you were an outsider. This was the problem of the Syrophoenician woman. She was a woman, she was a Gentile. She had no rights or anything that she could present to God or to God’s people that would make her acceptable.
Which makes me wonder about the title that most bibles put in this account. The TEV entitles this passage “A Woman’s Faith.” The NIV has “The Faith of a Syrophoenician Woman.” The ESV has “The Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith.” Well, you might ask, “So what? What of it? It is true: the woman had great faith.” True enough. But my complaint with this is that I don’t think faith is the issue in this passage. Because if the woman’s faith is the issue in this passage, what then are we to do with the Lord? Do we relegate him to the margins of our bibles, or worse, make him into a footnote, firm in our belief that he could not possibly deny grace to this woman who has demonstrated such great faith? I should hope not.
Well, St. Mark tells us: And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. And he said to her, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." Fair enough. For do we not do the same thing? Do we cook a fine meal and then feed it to the household pets first? That would be the height of absurdity. The Lord is right: feed the children first, and then the dogs can have whatever is left. It is what is meet and right.
The woman replies: "Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." And she is right. You don’t need faith to say this. Only common sense. She was only following the Lord’s logic to its logical conclusion. Where is faith in that?
This woman truly had nothing going for her. She was a woman, a Gentile. And yet, a miracle happens: And he said to her, "For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter." And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone. Why? Because of her faith? She was a woman. She was a Gentile. She had no hope. But St. Mark is telling us that now, in Jesus Christ, because of the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ, even foreigners, Gentiles, can find joy and acceptance in God’s house, in God’s temple.
MALADY
No one among us here thinks of himself or herself as an animal, right? Much less a dog. In fact, I guess we would be offended if someone told us that we smelled like a goat, or had the manners of a dog. For sure, we would never eat anyone’s leftovers, would we? And we surely would not act like dogs who have no shame or consciousness of what they looked like or what they did. We do not pee or poo like dogs whenever the urge caught up with us. And we would never just go up to any man or woman on the street and mount him or her simply because the urge came upon us. No, God forbid, we are not like that. We know right from wrong, unlike dogs. In our eyes, and, we would like to think, in other people’s eyes, we have more self respect than mere dogs. And that is also usually the thing we get wrong when we interpret this passage: we always tend to interpret this passage only from a horizontal point of view, that is, only from a human perspective. As a result, we lose our focus upon our Lord. We often forget the vertical perspective – God’s perspective.
And here’s the rub: from God’s perspective, we are truly no better than dogs. We are dogs in the sight of God. We are no different from the Syrophoenician woman: we are Gentiles. We are unclean. We have no right to stand before God, and there is nothing we can bring before God to make us acceptable to him. And we have no right to expect anything from God. BECAUSE WE, LIKE THE SYROPHOENICIAN WOMAN, ARE SINFUL. In this, we are like dogs. A dog is a dog not because of the things it does. A dog does the things it does because that is its nature, because it is a dog. The same is true for us. We aren’t sinful because we commit sins. It’s the other way around: we commit sin because we are sinful. That is our nature. Because we are by nature sinful and unclean, it is impossible for us not to sin. And no matter how sincere we are, no matter if we have faith as huge as Disneyland, God still would not accept us. Because our sincerity, our faith, will always be stained with sin. Because we, like the Syrophoenician woman, are sinful.
GOSPEL
But look at what the Lord does when the Syrophoenician woman approaches him and strikes up a conversation with him: HE TALKS WITH THE WOMAN! The Lord didn’t have to do that! No one would scold him if ever he chose to ignore the woman. And yet, THE LORD TALKS TO THE WOMAN! And so, the whole point of our passage, the Good News, is not the woman’s faith, no matter how great it may be. It is the Lord’s mercy! The Good News, for the woman, for us, is this: because of the Lord’s mercy, even Gentiles, even those excluded from God’s kingdom, can now find joy in his presence. Because of the Lord’s mercy, even dogs find acceptance in God’s house, in his kingdom. Because of the mercy of the Lord!
And Jesus, in his mercy, doesn’t give us leftover food. Indeed, he does not even give us food fit for humans. HE GIVES US SOMETHING MORE: HE GIVES US HIS TRUE BODY AND TRUE BLOOD. HE GIVES US HIS WORD, THE TRUE BREAD THAT COMES FROM HEAVEN WHICH GIVES US TRUE LIFE: ETERNAL LIFE! Eternal life, won for us by the Lord on Calvary, where his body was broken for us, where his blood was shed for us, as he hung on the cross! Eternal life, which he now gives us through his Word, through his Sacranents. It is these which strengthen and preserve our faith. Faith is not strengthened by difficulty. A strong faith stands up to virtually any confrontation. BUT IT IS GOD – through the Gospel – who makes it strong in the first place. It is not in asking for mercy, over and over, but in receiving mercy, that faith is strengthened.
In the final analysis, the Syrophoenician woman’s faith was strengthened not when she asked for mercy, but when she received mercy from the Lord.
And isn’t it the same with us? Our faith is strengthened, grows, only when we recieve mercy from our Lord, through his Word, through his Sacraments, through his atoning death on the cross – FOR US. This is most certainly true. This is most certainly for you.
May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen. (Philippians 4:7)
Isaiah 35:4-7
James 2:1-10,14-18
Mark 7:24-30
Grace to you and peace from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (Romans 1:7)
Sometimes, when we read incidents like this in the life of our Lord, it becomes so easy for our focus to shift from our Lord to somewhere, someone else. Well, this happens a lot with many passages, and surely with our Gospel reading this morning.
And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. But immediately a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. And he said to her, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." But she answered him, "Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." And he said to her, "For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter." And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.
The woman in our Gospel passage this morning doesn’t have anything, zero, zilch, nada, going for her. In Jewish society, women weren’t given much attention or importance, much less what they said. In Jewish society, women ranked below men in authority, in credibility. Women in Jewish society could not just come up to any man and casually strike up a conversation with him.
Secondly, St, Mark tells us that “the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth.” Being a Gentile, she could not intermingle with Jews, for she was considered unclean. This meant that she could not have any fellowship with God’s people. What is more painful, the Jews called Gentiles dogs. To the Jews, the Gentiles were no better than dogs. In Jewish worship, dogs can never be kosher. Dogs were unclean because they rooted around in garbage. In Jesus’ time, you, a Gentile, a dog, can never be a part of God’s chosen people, could never participate in the worship of God’s people, could never receive the promises and blessing of God, could never enter or be a part of God’s kingdom. Because you were a Gentile, you were a dog. You had no rights no matter who you were, no matter how good you were, no matter how sincere you were, no matter how good you were. Because you were a Gentile, you were an outsider. This was the problem of the Syrophoenician woman. She was a woman, she was a Gentile. She had no rights or anything that she could present to God or to God’s people that would make her acceptable.
Which makes me wonder about the title that most bibles put in this account. The TEV entitles this passage “A Woman’s Faith.” The NIV has “The Faith of a Syrophoenician Woman.” The ESV has “The Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith.” Well, you might ask, “So what? What of it? It is true: the woman had great faith.” True enough. But my complaint with this is that I don’t think faith is the issue in this passage. Because if the woman’s faith is the issue in this passage, what then are we to do with the Lord? Do we relegate him to the margins of our bibles, or worse, make him into a footnote, firm in our belief that he could not possibly deny grace to this woman who has demonstrated such great faith? I should hope not.
Well, St. Mark tells us: And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. And he said to her, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." Fair enough. For do we not do the same thing? Do we cook a fine meal and then feed it to the household pets first? That would be the height of absurdity. The Lord is right: feed the children first, and then the dogs can have whatever is left. It is what is meet and right.
The woman replies: "Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." And she is right. You don’t need faith to say this. Only common sense. She was only following the Lord’s logic to its logical conclusion. Where is faith in that?
This woman truly had nothing going for her. She was a woman, a Gentile. And yet, a miracle happens: And he said to her, "For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter." And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone. Why? Because of her faith? She was a woman. She was a Gentile. She had no hope. But St. Mark is telling us that now, in Jesus Christ, because of the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ, even foreigners, Gentiles, can find joy and acceptance in God’s house, in God’s temple.
MALADY
No one among us here thinks of himself or herself as an animal, right? Much less a dog. In fact, I guess we would be offended if someone told us that we smelled like a goat, or had the manners of a dog. For sure, we would never eat anyone’s leftovers, would we? And we surely would not act like dogs who have no shame or consciousness of what they looked like or what they did. We do not pee or poo like dogs whenever the urge caught up with us. And we would never just go up to any man or woman on the street and mount him or her simply because the urge came upon us. No, God forbid, we are not like that. We know right from wrong, unlike dogs. In our eyes, and, we would like to think, in other people’s eyes, we have more self respect than mere dogs. And that is also usually the thing we get wrong when we interpret this passage: we always tend to interpret this passage only from a horizontal point of view, that is, only from a human perspective. As a result, we lose our focus upon our Lord. We often forget the vertical perspective – God’s perspective.
And here’s the rub: from God’s perspective, we are truly no better than dogs. We are dogs in the sight of God. We are no different from the Syrophoenician woman: we are Gentiles. We are unclean. We have no right to stand before God, and there is nothing we can bring before God to make us acceptable to him. And we have no right to expect anything from God. BECAUSE WE, LIKE THE SYROPHOENICIAN WOMAN, ARE SINFUL. In this, we are like dogs. A dog is a dog not because of the things it does. A dog does the things it does because that is its nature, because it is a dog. The same is true for us. We aren’t sinful because we commit sins. It’s the other way around: we commit sin because we are sinful. That is our nature. Because we are by nature sinful and unclean, it is impossible for us not to sin. And no matter how sincere we are, no matter if we have faith as huge as Disneyland, God still would not accept us. Because our sincerity, our faith, will always be stained with sin. Because we, like the Syrophoenician woman, are sinful.
GOSPEL
But look at what the Lord does when the Syrophoenician woman approaches him and strikes up a conversation with him: HE TALKS WITH THE WOMAN! The Lord didn’t have to do that! No one would scold him if ever he chose to ignore the woman. And yet, THE LORD TALKS TO THE WOMAN! And so, the whole point of our passage, the Good News, is not the woman’s faith, no matter how great it may be. It is the Lord’s mercy! The Good News, for the woman, for us, is this: because of the Lord’s mercy, even Gentiles, even those excluded from God’s kingdom, can now find joy in his presence. Because of the Lord’s mercy, even dogs find acceptance in God’s house, in his kingdom. Because of the mercy of the Lord!
And Jesus, in his mercy, doesn’t give us leftover food. Indeed, he does not even give us food fit for humans. HE GIVES US SOMETHING MORE: HE GIVES US HIS TRUE BODY AND TRUE BLOOD. HE GIVES US HIS WORD, THE TRUE BREAD THAT COMES FROM HEAVEN WHICH GIVES US TRUE LIFE: ETERNAL LIFE! Eternal life, won for us by the Lord on Calvary, where his body was broken for us, where his blood was shed for us, as he hung on the cross! Eternal life, which he now gives us through his Word, through his Sacranents. It is these which strengthen and preserve our faith. Faith is not strengthened by difficulty. A strong faith stands up to virtually any confrontation. BUT IT IS GOD – through the Gospel – who makes it strong in the first place. It is not in asking for mercy, over and over, but in receiving mercy, that faith is strengthened.
In the final analysis, the Syrophoenician woman’s faith was strengthened not when she asked for mercy, but when she received mercy from the Lord.
And isn’t it the same with us? Our faith is strengthened, grows, only when we recieve mercy from our Lord, through his Word, through his Sacraments, through his atoning death on the cross – FOR US. This is most certainly true. This is most certainly for you.
May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen. (Philippians 4:7)
Friday, August 28, 2009
A Different Cat This Time: Pink!
When Inspector Clouseau latches on to a thought, he doesn't let go.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Still About Dogs
Suzee, as per your request, here are my sister's enfants terribles. They don't have names yet, and when I took these photos, they'd just had din-din.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
Kordero Ng Diyos (Agnus Dei)
This is a beautiful and stirring rendition of the Agnus Dei, one of the five fixed canticles in the mass.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
The Legacy Of Corazon Aquino
I hope that history will judge me as favorably as our people still regard me, because, as God is my witness, I honestly did the best I could. No more can be asked of any man.
On June 30, 1992, the traditional ceremony of political succession will unfold at the Luneta. The last time it was done that way was in 1965. I shall be there with you to proudly witness the event. This is the glory of democracy, that its most solemn moment should be the peaceful transfer of power.
- Corazon Aquino's Last State of the Nation Address
Saturday, August 1, 2009
The Light Of An Empty Room
"This is the anguish of good men, that the good they do will come to nothing, that pains suffered in obscurity or sacrifices made away from the sight of men amount to the same and mock the man or woman who bears them… That is not true. None of the good that we do is ever lost, not even the light of an empty room is wasted." -Corazon Aquino-
Friday, July 31, 2009
The Passing Away Of Tita Cory
Mrs. Corazon Cojuangco Aquino, former President of the Republic of the Philippines, widow of slain senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, restorer of democracy to this republic, passed away early Saturday morning, August 1, 2009.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
The Lord's Compassion
The Eighth Sunday After Pentecost
Genesis 9:8-17
Ephesians 3:14-21
Mark 6:45-56
Grace to you and peace from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (Romans 1:7)
Last Sunday we saw how the Lord provided in spite of the disciples’ lack of compassion and faith. This Sunday, we see more of the Lord’s compassion, for his disciples, for his people.
Our Gospel lesson this Sunday picks up right after the feeding of the five thousand. St. Mark reports that after the feeding of the five thousand,
Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray.
And we realize that even the Lord needs some time by himself, to reflect, to shut the noise of the world out, to pray, to commune with his Heavenly Father. The long awaited, possibly long planned for vacation was interrupted. Now, after the feeding of the five thousand, they have time at last.
After the Lord prays,
And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.
Why did the Lord walk on the sea? Well, first of all, he can. And possibly, he wanted to go ahead of the disciples in order to welcome them when they came to shore.
He meant to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid."
Now, the Jews had a superstition that a spirit or ghost seen on the sea was a harbinger of disaster. The disciples were afraid because of their superstition. And so, in order to calm them, the Lord comes to them, saying, “Take jeart! Do not be afraid. It is I.” Even in the midst of their fear and superstitious, the Lord reaches out to the in compassion and reassures them that it is no ghost, but the Lord himself. This situation will be repeated later on, when, out of fear, the disciples will mistake the Lord once more for a ghost, refusing to believe that he had risen from the dead. The disciples were terrified, because, St. Mark says, “they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.” They saw the miracle of the loaves, and saw their Lord walk on water, and still they were confused and afraid. Why? Because their hearts were hardened. They did not believe in the Lord.
MALADY
And much of the time, we are like the disciples. We also do not understand the Lord’s Word. Do we read the Lord’s Word? And if and when we read his Word, do we understand it? If we do not understand his Word, do we go to Bible study so that someone may explain his Word to us? When the Lord speaks his Word to us through his pastor, do we listen? When we worship, are our minds on the liturgy, or are we off somewhere else? In the events outside, or on our mobile phones, perhaps? And because we are unfamiliar with the Lord’s Word and his promises, we become fearful, like the disciples. We are afraid of our past, which results in guilt; we are afraid of our present, which results in anxiety; we are afraid of our future, which results in worry. We are, like the disciples, superstitious. And so, we attach superstitions to our fears: “Did i do something wrong?” “Am I the target of witchcraft?” “Is this an evil spirit’s doing?” “Shouldn’t we consult a Feng Shui expert?” “What’s my horoscope for today?”
Our unbelief is like the unbelief of the disciples, because we too are witnesses of the Lord’s miracles. Everytime the Lord’s Word is preached, we are witnesses of the Lord’s miracles; eveytime an infant is baptized here in front of us, we witness a miracle; everytime we partake of the Sacrament of Holy Communion, we witness a miracle. And yet, in spite of these miracles, still we will not believe. Like the disciples, our hearts are hardened – because of sin.
GOSPEL
But wait. There is another miracle here. The disciples’ unbelief and hardness of heart does not hinder the Lord from being compassionate.
When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore. And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.
The disciples’ unbelief and hardness of heart does not stop the Lord from showing compassion to those in need, to those who could not help themselves. Jesus, in spite of fear, unbelief and confusion, reaches out in compassion and heals them. Nothing can hinder the Lord from healing the sick, and saving the lost. Nothing can hinder the Lord from loving us.
And the Lord’s compassion reaches not only those people in need; the Lord’s compassion reaches not only the disciples. The Lord’s compassion also reaches us – even through time, because, like the people in his time, we too are like sheep without a shepherd; we too need his touch so that we may be healed, so that our needs may be met, so that our sins may be forgiven, because his touch brings grace, forgiveness and life. We also need the Lord’s healing touch for we too are sick with fear and unbelief.
So great is the Lord’s compassion that it reaches even to Calvary. And so vast is his sacrifice on that hill that it reaches up to heaven, to the presence of God, so that God’s grace may reach us. And because of the grace which we have received, our unbelief and fear are washed away by the blood of the only begotten Son of God, by his death on the cross.
But not only that. We see, again and again, our Lord’s compassion, even to this day. Whenever his Word is proclaimed, the Lord’s compassion reaches us. Whenever we witness and partake of his Sacraments, his compassion reaches us, bringing forgiveness and new life. Because of what he has done for us on the cross.
And so, in the midst of our guilt, our fear, our confusion and unbelief, once more, through His Word and Sacraments, the Lord comes to us full of compassion, and he tells us: “Take heart. Do not be afraid. It is I.” This is most certainly true. This is most certainly for you.
May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen. (Philippians 4:7)
Genesis 9:8-17
Ephesians 3:14-21
Mark 6:45-56
Grace to you and peace from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (Romans 1:7)
Last Sunday we saw how the Lord provided in spite of the disciples’ lack of compassion and faith. This Sunday, we see more of the Lord’s compassion, for his disciples, for his people.
Our Gospel lesson this Sunday picks up right after the feeding of the five thousand. St. Mark reports that after the feeding of the five thousand,
Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray.
And we realize that even the Lord needs some time by himself, to reflect, to shut the noise of the world out, to pray, to commune with his Heavenly Father. The long awaited, possibly long planned for vacation was interrupted. Now, after the feeding of the five thousand, they have time at last.
After the Lord prays,
And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.
Why did the Lord walk on the sea? Well, first of all, he can. And possibly, he wanted to go ahead of the disciples in order to welcome them when they came to shore.
He meant to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out, for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid."
Now, the Jews had a superstition that a spirit or ghost seen on the sea was a harbinger of disaster. The disciples were afraid because of their superstition. And so, in order to calm them, the Lord comes to them, saying, “Take jeart! Do not be afraid. It is I.” Even in the midst of their fear and superstitious, the Lord reaches out to the in compassion and reassures them that it is no ghost, but the Lord himself. This situation will be repeated later on, when, out of fear, the disciples will mistake the Lord once more for a ghost, refusing to believe that he had risen from the dead. The disciples were terrified, because, St. Mark says, “they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.” They saw the miracle of the loaves, and saw their Lord walk on water, and still they were confused and afraid. Why? Because their hearts were hardened. They did not believe in the Lord.
MALADY
And much of the time, we are like the disciples. We also do not understand the Lord’s Word. Do we read the Lord’s Word? And if and when we read his Word, do we understand it? If we do not understand his Word, do we go to Bible study so that someone may explain his Word to us? When the Lord speaks his Word to us through his pastor, do we listen? When we worship, are our minds on the liturgy, or are we off somewhere else? In the events outside, or on our mobile phones, perhaps? And because we are unfamiliar with the Lord’s Word and his promises, we become fearful, like the disciples. We are afraid of our past, which results in guilt; we are afraid of our present, which results in anxiety; we are afraid of our future, which results in worry. We are, like the disciples, superstitious. And so, we attach superstitions to our fears: “Did i do something wrong?” “Am I the target of witchcraft?” “Is this an evil spirit’s doing?” “Shouldn’t we consult a Feng Shui expert?” “What’s my horoscope for today?”
Our unbelief is like the unbelief of the disciples, because we too are witnesses of the Lord’s miracles. Everytime the Lord’s Word is preached, we are witnesses of the Lord’s miracles; eveytime an infant is baptized here in front of us, we witness a miracle; everytime we partake of the Sacrament of Holy Communion, we witness a miracle. And yet, in spite of these miracles, still we will not believe. Like the disciples, our hearts are hardened – because of sin.
GOSPEL
But wait. There is another miracle here. The disciples’ unbelief and hardness of heart does not hinder the Lord from being compassionate.
When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore. And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.
The disciples’ unbelief and hardness of heart does not stop the Lord from showing compassion to those in need, to those who could not help themselves. Jesus, in spite of fear, unbelief and confusion, reaches out in compassion and heals them. Nothing can hinder the Lord from healing the sick, and saving the lost. Nothing can hinder the Lord from loving us.
And the Lord’s compassion reaches not only those people in need; the Lord’s compassion reaches not only the disciples. The Lord’s compassion also reaches us – even through time, because, like the people in his time, we too are like sheep without a shepherd; we too need his touch so that we may be healed, so that our needs may be met, so that our sins may be forgiven, because his touch brings grace, forgiveness and life. We also need the Lord’s healing touch for we too are sick with fear and unbelief.
So great is the Lord’s compassion that it reaches even to Calvary. And so vast is his sacrifice on that hill that it reaches up to heaven, to the presence of God, so that God’s grace may reach us. And because of the grace which we have received, our unbelief and fear are washed away by the blood of the only begotten Son of God, by his death on the cross.
But not only that. We see, again and again, our Lord’s compassion, even to this day. Whenever his Word is proclaimed, the Lord’s compassion reaches us. Whenever we witness and partake of his Sacraments, his compassion reaches us, bringing forgiveness and new life. Because of what he has done for us on the cross.
And so, in the midst of our guilt, our fear, our confusion and unbelief, once more, through His Word and Sacraments, the Lord comes to us full of compassion, and he tells us: “Take heart. Do not be afraid. It is I.” This is most certainly true. This is most certainly for you.
May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen. (Philippians 4:7)
Thursday, July 16, 2009
The Lord's Provision
The Seventh Sunday After Pentecost
Jeremiah 23:1-6
Ephesians 2:16-22
Mark 6:33-44
Grace to you and peace from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (Romans 1:7)
Our Gospel lesson for this Sunday shows us the basic difference between our compassion and the Lord’s compassion. Our compassion rarely results into action. Do we not see this everytime we hear about and see dire news on the radio and on TV? And do we not see this everyday in our reactions to the various issues of everyday? For instance, if we see an accident or some act of terrorism on TV, don’t we all feel bad for the victims? Yes, we do, and yet so much of the time, that is the extent of our compassion. When we are on the street and see children sniffing glue, or begging, playing hopscotch with speeding cars and trucks on the highway, we most certainly feel pity for these children, but that is all. Rarely does our pity, our compassion, result into action. With the Lord, it is different. St. Mark tells us:
When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.
Like sheep without a shepherd. Meaning, that no one bothered to teach them, to guide them, to bring to them God’s Word. It could also mean that their lives were going nowhere. Do we not, at times, feel like this? A lot of times, we feel LOST. I myself feel this sometimes, that I am lost amid a great sea of doubt and indecision, and i feel that something is lacking in my life, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. And I know you’ve felt the same way at one time or another. So many times we are like the people who struggled to follow Jesus: we are like sheep without a shepherd. And often, we try to plug up this void, this uncertainty through our own efforts at seeking after meaning. Some try to find that meaning in drink, while others immerse themselves all the more into their work. Different means, desperate measure, but in the end, it all amounts to the same thing: we’re no better than we were. We still end up like sheep without a shepherd.
I have no doubt the disciples saw this too in the faces of the people that day. And it is likely that they too felt compassion. The thing is, they didn’t know what to do. But now look at the Lord. He doesn’t just feels compassion, he acts upon that compassion. He taught them many things, St. Mark says. In other words, the Lord responded to the needs of the people. He gave them His Word. The Lord respomds to our needs. He gives us His Word.
But all this teaching gives rise to another problem. We all know what happens in small towns when twilight descends. Farm animals are herded from the pasture back into the sheds, and stores begin to close up for the night. People young and old go into their houses, for darkness is coming.
And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, "This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat."
Again we get a glimpse of the extent of the compassion of the disciples, but, if we are to go by St. Mark’s report, the disciples’ suggestion seems to be logical. For to be able to feed five thousand, you need to prepare. A lot. You don’t just go someplace and ask people to sit for their meal. But apparently, the Lord knew what he was doing. But he answered them, "You give them something to eat." Could the Lord have been testing the disciples? St. John, in his gospel, thinks so: He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Maybe the Lord was testing the limits of the disciples’ faith, or the limits of their compassion. And they said to him, "Shall we go and buy two hundred denariif worth of bread and give it to them to eat?" And once more, the disciples show their doubt in the Lord’s compassion, in his provision.
And so much of the time we are like the disciples. So many times we doubt the Lord’s compassion for us. How many times have I desperately asked the Lord for a mirace and get me out of a sticky situation, a situation, often, of my own making? And when nothing happens, i look sullenly at heaven, doubting his compassion, and ask, “Why did you forsake me?” “Why do you continue to forsake your church?” So many times, we doubt the Lord’s compassion.
And how many times have Kristi and I doubted the Lord’s provision in the midst of our need? Whenever Kristi and I find that we’ve come up short on our budget, we look at each other and say, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” And yet, deep in our hearts, we have begun to doubt. Deep inside our hearts, our apprehension and fear ask: “Will the Lord indeed provide?”
And our doubt isn’t only on physical things. Oh no. Our doubt extends to spiritual blessings too. We doubt the Lord’s compassion and provision especially in the spiritual things. “Will the Lord truly forgive? O! But my sin is too great!” Is this piece of bread truly his body?” “Is is little cup of wine truly his blood?” The truth is, like the disciples, our hearts and our lives are steeped in doubt. Because of sin. Because we are sinners. And because of sin, it is only fitting that the Lord leave us in the middle of our doubt, in the middle of our sin. It should have been fitting that the Lord heeded the suggestion of the disciples then, and it is only fitting that the Lord send us away, for we doubt his compassion and provision.
GOSPEL
And yet, wonder of wonders, the Lord does not heed the suggestion of the disciples. Instead, he has a suggestion of his own:
And he said to them, "How many loaves do you have? Go and see." And when they had found out, they said, "Five, and two fish." Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. And taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. And they all ate and were satisfied.
Five pieces, and two fish. If you compare that to the number of people that needed to eat that evening, you’d say that those five loaves of bread and two fish were worse than nothing. But Jesus takes what the disciples have, which is nothing, and blesses it. And see what happens because of the Lord’s compassion, because of the Lord’s provision: And taking the five loaves and the two fish he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. And they all ate and were satisfied. And the blessing that the Lord bestowed that day to fill the physical needs of the people, he bestows upon us today to satisfy our spiritual need. There on the hill of Calvary, his body was broken, his blood was shed so that we who are steeped in sin might receive his blessing: grace, forgiveness, life. The Lord blesses what we have, which is nothing, and fills our souls to overflowing, because that is the nature of the Lord’s compassion and provision. His grace and provision is not merely enough; it is more than enough! It is overflowing! And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.
The people that evening witnessed a miracle, and we read about this miracle too. But there is a much, much greater miracle that the Lord did for us: he died on the cross so that we who cannot, by our own reason or strength, enter into his kingdom, may be recognized by God as his children. Because of the compassion and provision of his only begotten Son. And the miracle of the Lord’s provision is this: it is certain, it is abundant, it is more than sufficient for our needs. His Word, His Sacraments, are his provision for us – they are certain they are abundant, they are more than sufficient for the forgiveness of your sins.
When the Lord provides, it is always more than enough. This is most certainly true. This is most certainly for you.
May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen. (Philippians 4:7)
Monday, July 13, 2009
The Grand Inquisitor
“There are three powers, three powers alone, able to conquer and to hold captive forever the conscience of these impotent rebels for their happiness – those forces are miracle, mystery and authority. . .for man seeks not so much God as the miraculous. And as man cannot bear to be without the miraculous, he will create new miracles of his own for himself, and will worship deeds of sorcery and witchcraft. . .Thou didst not come down from the Cross when they shouted to Thee, ‘Come down from the cross and we will believe that Thou art He.’ Thou didst not come down, for again Thou wouldst not enslave man by a miracle, and didst crave faith given freely, not based on miracles.”
- The Grand Inquisitor, speaking with Christ (Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov)
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Dalit
That's how India's Untouchables prefer to call themselves. http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0306/feature1/
Thursday, July 9, 2009
The Logic of Faith
in Protestant theology:
Major premise: Whoever believes in Christ is saved.
Minor premise: I believe in Christ.
Conclusion: I am saved.
in Lutheran theology:
Major premise: Christ told me, "I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
Minor premise: Christ never lies, but only tells the truth.
Conclusion: I am baptized (i.e., I am saved).
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
We Are Cowards. This Is True*
The Sixth Sunday After Pentecost
Amos 7:7-19
Ephesians 1:3-14
Mark 6:14-29
We Are Cowards. This Is True.*
Grace to you and peace from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (Romans 1:7)
Like father, like son. So goes the popular saying. Whenever we hear the name Herod, we automatically remember that tyrant who had those babies in Bethlehem killed because he could not brook having a rival to the throne. And we would be correct. Herod the Great, the father of the Herod in our Gospel text today, was, to put it simply, an evil man. During his reign, he managed to kill two of his brothers-in-law, his wife Mariamne, the mother of the Herod in our Gospel text, two of his own children, and, of course, those children in Bethlehem, all because he was a coward. One historian records that, five days before his death, in order to guarantee a proper atmosphere of mourning, Herod the Great ordered the arrest of many citizens, and decreed that they should be put to death at the moment of his own death. A coward to the end. Fortunately, the soldiers could not fulfill this death wish and set the prisoners free when Herod the Great died.
Now, what about the son, Herod Antipas? Herod Antipas was not a king, but a tetrarch. The Romans, when they had conquered Israel, divided the nation into three: Herod Philip II was made tetrarch of Iturea and Trachonitis; Archelaus was put in charge of Judea, Idumea and Samaria, while to Herod Antipas was given Perea and Galilee. Herod Philip (not the Herod Philip II) was Antipas’ younger brother and husband of Herodias. Well, what else do we know about Antipas? In our Gospel text, St. Mark tells us:
King Herod heard of it, for Jesus' name had become known. Somec said, "John the Baptistd has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him." But others said, "He is Elijah." And others said, "He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old." But when Herod heard of it, he said, "John, whom I beheaded, has been raised."
Superstitious, isn’t he? Antipas was afraid that the Baptist has come back from the dead to haunt him, because he had John the Baptist beheaded. So much like his father. Well, what else do we know? In verses 17-18, we read:
For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, because he had married her. For John had been saying to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."
Antipas, it seems, was also a lecher. He couldn’t keep his hands to himself. He had to have his younger brother’s wife for himself, and since his younger brother, Herod Philip, was not a tetrarch, there was little Herod Philip could do. It also seems that Antipas was a tyrant. He would not abide criticism, especially not from a fiery prophet dressed in rags and eating locusts and wild honey!
But perhaps, the most despicable quality of Antipas was that he was a coward, like his father. Why, you might ask. Well, it’s there in our text:
And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly.
From this tiny bit of information that St. Mark gives us, we clearly see that Antipas was afraid of Herodias, and he was afraid of John the Baptist. But he wasn’t just afraid of these two:
But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. For when Herodias's daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, "Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you." And he vowed to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom." And she went out and said to her mother, "For what should I ask?" And she said, "The head of John the Baptist." And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, "I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter." And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John'se head. He went and beheaded him in the prison and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.
Turns out Antipas was also afraid of Herodias’ daughter, Salome! He was also afraid of what the people at his party would say if he denied the girl’s request. After all, he had promised the girl anything, even up to half his kingdom! But my goodness! Who would take such an oath seriously, especially after hearing the girl’s request! What a bloodthirsty girl! What a coward!
But more than this, Antipas was a coward because
Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly.
He was obssessed with what John had to say, but that was the extent of it. And in this Antipas was the worst kind of coward: he refused to face himself; he refused to acknowledge his sin before John, before God. He refused to look at himself in the mirror of God’s Law. Antipas knew it was a sin to take Herodias for himself, but he could not bring himself to admit this to himself, and to God. And that is probably why he was greatly perplexed.
MALADY
And we, like Antipas, are also cowards. We are cowards. This is true. And the more you deny it, the more the statement proves its truthfulness: we are cowards. This is true. We refuse to acknowledge our own sinfulness, like Antipas. We live everyday convinced that we are good, decent people. Good fathers providing for our families, good mothers establishing a home, good children obedient to their parents. And this may be true. But we still refuse to acknowledge that our hearts are steeped in sin. People may not see the outward acts of sin, but the truth is we who think of ourselves as "good Christians" have so much garbage sitting in the middle of our lives that the odor makes it impossible to breathe without gagging. How many of us are addicted to food, porn and shopping? How many of us are depressed, angry, unforgiving and just plain mean? How many of us are a walking, talking course on basic hypocrisy, because we just can't look at ourselves in the mirror and admit what a collection of brokenness we've become WHILE we called ourselves "good Christians"?** We are like Antipas. We are cowards. This is true.
We are sinful. And, like Antipas, we love the way we are. And we love ourselves just the way we are: no hassles, no need to think or meditate. Just sit back and relax, and just keep on doing whatever it is you’re doing. The sermon may be disturbing, but that’s only for a little while. Easy enough to forget. As long as people see that I go to church, that’s fine. Never mind what’s inside my head or heart, because no one can see that, right? It is easier to be a coward and continue living in sin, than be courageous and confront Jesus. Wrong. It will take the death of God’s Son before we can be courageous.
GOSPEL
And that is exactly what happens. Because Jesus knows we are cowards, unable to confront ourselves in the mirror of the Law, he takes it upon himself to be courageous – FOR US. Because we are cowards and incapable of becoming courageous by our own strength and wisdom, Christ becomes courageous for us. He Himself faces and confronts our sin. He comes before the presence of the Almighty, taking our cowardice, our sin with Him, and takes it all to the cross with Him!
And on the cross Jesus forces us to confront ourselves. He forces us to face our cowardice, our inability to admit that we are sinful. He Himself confronts us, faces us, and shows us the end of our sin and cowardice – His death on the cross. AND HE FORGIVES US!
There on the cross Jesus transforms us. He takes our sinful nature and nails it to the cross with him. He confronts us and transforms our cowardice into courage. The courage to receive forgiveness from the cross just as we are. The awful truth is that we cannot get our act together first before we face Jesus. We cannot first become good before we confront Jesus. Jesus will not have it. He refuses to accept us after we’ve cleaned ourselves up. Jesus wants to confront us JUST AS WE ARE. Why? BECAUSE JESUS DOES NOT WANT TO PRAISE US; HE WANTS TO FORGIVE US. And there on the cross we receive forgiveness for our sin. Forgiveness that comes to us through His Word and through His Sacraments. And the irony of this is that we cannot first become good before we receive His forgiveness; we first have to receive his forgiveness and then we become good. But, you ask, what do you mean, “good”? I still sin, I am still greedy, I am still covetous, my mind is still full of filth. Never mind. For whenever we hear His Word and receive His Sacraments, Jesus forgives us. And on and on and on until we die. And when we finally face God, we might even be surprised, because, hey, there is a resemblance! Like the Son we, sinful sons and daughters of God, have become like the Father! But that is not because of us. That’s because of Christ, who accepted us JUST AS WE ARE. Herman Sasse, in his meditation on Luther’s last words, “We are beggars. This is true,” says:
“Christ dwells only with sinners.” For the sinner and for the sinner alone is His table set. There we receive His true body and His true blood “for the forgiveness of sins” and this holds true even if forgiveness has already been received in Absolution. That here Scripture is completely on the side of Luther needs no further demonstration. Every page of the New Testament is indeed testimony of the Christ whose proper office it is “to save sinners”, “to seek and to save the lost”. And the entire saving work of Jesus, from the days when He was in Galilee and, to the amazement and alarm of the Pharisees, ate with tax collectors and sinners; to the moment when he, in contradiction with the principles of every rational morality, promised paradise to the thief on the cross, yes, His entire life on earth, from the cradle to the Cross, is one, unique grand demonstration of a wonder beyond all reason: The miracle of divine forgiveness, of the justification of the sinner. “Christ dwells only in sinners.”
The last words of Luther were: “We are beggars. This is true.” Which is to say, we are always in need of Christ’s treasure, the forgiveness of sins. Now I say to you, we are cowards. This is true. We always need Christ’s courage, the courage to face the Crucified JUST AS WE ARE: sinful, unclean, so that we may receive from his bloody hands grace, forgiveness and life. We are cowards. This is most certainly true. This is most certainly for you.
May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen. (Philippians 4:7)
*I took the liberty of revising Luther’s last words: “We are beggars. This is true.”
** Michael Spencer, When I Am Weak
Friday, July 3, 2009
The Lord's Mighty Act
The Fifth Sunday After Pentecost
Ezekiel 2:1-5
2 Corinthians 12:1-10
Mark 6:1-13
Grace to you and peace from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (Romans 1:7)
One of the most painful things, I believe, that a person can experience, is rejection, when people refuse to believe what you say. I have experienced this, and I think a lot of you have, too. Often, it is because the news we tell is hard to believe, something which people have to see for themselves before they can accept the truth of what we say. The Lord had this same experience:
He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, "Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?"
Well, can we blame Jesus’ townmates, his childhood buddies, the people he grew up with? I would not doubt that, growing up, the Lord, as a child, as a teen, and as a young man, got into trouble, and got his share of trouble while growing up. Anne Rice, the author of the Vampire Chronicles, suggests that one of the things Jesus’ relatives and friends wondered about him was his refusal to marry. In our Gospel text for today, Jesus’ townmates have a lot of questions as they sat listening to him: where did he get this learning? He did not go to a big city to learn from scholars. What is this wisdom given to him? He is so familiar with the scriptures. How are such mighty works done by his hands? He is an ordinary man, right? A carpenter. A carpenter! Why, his brothers are our friends! And his sisters live here with us in the same community! An ordinary man, but such an extraordinary mien!
And they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household." And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief.
And he could do no mighty work there, except heal a few people. It is truly a sad day in the life of our Lord, when he could do no mighty work because the hearts of his countrymen were filled with unbelief. His townmates, childhood buddies, friends, have a lot of questions, but they are the wrong ones, for the nature of all their questions is one: unbelief. They would not believe. And so, they not only reject the Lord, they also reject his Word, which is the promise of salvation to everyone who believes. And as an indictment against these people who would not believe, St. Mark offers these few words: “And he marveled because of their unbelief.”
MALADY
Do you think that the Lord would feel the same way about us in our time? Do you think that there are still times when the Lord is saddened because people would not believe? Well, noy just any people, but you yourselves. Are there times when we become like Jesus’ townmates, when we ourselves refuse to believe the Word of the Lord? And so, when the Lord, through his pastor, announces the Good News of the forgiveness of your sins, you do not believe that a simple Word can indeed absolve you of your sins. You do not rejoice in that Word. When the Lord proclaims to you his Law and his Gospel through the sermon, you do not listen; you do not believe. You would not believe that a simple Word can give you life everlasting. You simply wait for the sermon to end so that we can continue with the motions of worship. When we partake of the true body and blood of our Savior in the Sacrament of Holy Communion, do you believe that ordinary bread and a drop or two of wine can grant you forgiveness, life? When an infant is brought here in front of all of us to be baptized, do you believe in the Word the Lord says at that time? Do you believe that a simple Word, a sprinkle of water, will save that child from certain death and damnation to the eternal fires of hell? No. You do not believe. Because of sin. Because of sin, we fail to believe in the Word of the Lord. We fail to find comfort and strength in his absolution, in his Sacraments. We cannot believe that these simple things can be instruments, means of the Lord’s mighty acts in our lives. Because of our unbelief, the Lord could do no mighty acts in our lives. And once more, the Lord marvels at our unbelief.
GOSPEL
But the Lord was able to do a mighty act – not in his hometown, no. But somewhere else: on a hill called Golgotha. On that hill, the Lord ended the reign of sin, death and Satan in our lives. On that hill the Lord rendered powerless the power of death. How? When the Lord of life hung on a cross. Once more, the Lord of Life is faced with sadness in his life, probably his greatest sadness: to die on a cross as a common criminal, despised and rejected by the very people he loves. A sad day indeed, but not for us. For us, that first Good Friday is a day of victory, a day of triumph, for the Lord, on that day, was victorious over the powers of darkness and unbelief. For us, that day is a day of gladness, because by his death on the cross, the Lord is able to give us forgiveness, faith and life eternal. On that day. Because of his grace. On that hill blood was spilt. For us. Because of his grace.
And that grace continues to be efficacious, sufficient for us, even to this day, even in this hour. Everytime we gather to hear his Word and receive his Sacraments, we receive the benefits of Calvary – grace, forgiveness, life.
It may be that the Lord could do no mighty work on that one day in his life here on earth. He could do no mighty work in his own hometown for his townmates, his childhood friends, his relatives. But the one mighty work that he needed to do – for us – he did: he gave up his life, given unto death for the forgiveness of our sins, so that he may give us eternal life. The Lord’s mighty act: his death on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins. This is most certainly true. This is most certainly for you.
May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen. (Philippians 4:7)
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Touched By Grace
The Fourth Sunday After Pentecost
Lamentations 3:22-33 (22-23)
2 Corinthians 8:1-9, 13-15
Mark 5:21-43
Touched By Grace
Grace to you and peace from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. (Romans 1:7)
Our Gospel text for today tells us about the dughter of Jairus. But another story seems to have interrupted the first: the woman with bleeding. At first sight, the two stories seem unrelated, but if we look a little more closely, we realize that there is: both stories involve being touched by Jesus, and what happens when people are touched by the Lord. In the beginning of our text we read:
And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea. Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet and implored him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live." And he went with him.a great crowd followed him and thronged about him.
But as they make their way to Jairus’ home,
there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, "If I touch even his garments, I will be made well." And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.
Well, what do you think of that? I used to dread having to read and teach and preach on this text because I had the most difficult time explaining what happened to the woman with bleeding. The thing to me smacked too much of magic, and I was at a loss as to how to explain it. Well, was what happened magic? Of course not! The Lord’s power is always the power to heal, to restore, to bind up, to forgive, to give life, to save. Never can magic do these things. And so, let me try to explain this peculiar passage.
First of all, it wasn’t Jesus who touched the woman. It was the woman who touched Jesus. Well, wait a minute. That may be the case, but when the woman touched the hem of Jesus’ garment and was healed, what happened then?
And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, "Who touched my garments?"
Jesus knew two thing then: that someone touched him, and that power issued from him at that time.
And his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, 'Who touched me?'"
From this, we can draw but one conclusion: Jesus knew what the woman was thinking, AND HE PERMITTED THE WOMAN TO TOUCH THE HEM OF HIS GARMENT! Why? Because he wanted to heal the woman! Jesus probably couldn’t touch the woman himself because of the crush of people, and so he let the woman touch him instead! AND JESUS’ POWER TOUCHED HER!
And he looked around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
And so much of the time, we are like the woman with bleeding. We spend so much effort, so much time, so much money on things that do not bring true healing. We spend so much effort, so much time, so much money, on things that do not last. We are too concerned and focused on temporal, temporary things. Temporal, temporary joy, riches, honor. Oh yes. Without a doubt, these things taste good, sound good, feel good. But after a while, like the remedies the woman with bleeding sought, these things fade, and we are off again looking for that which can give us healing and peace. And like the woman with bleeding, we can never find that which can bring true healing and peace for our souls. Until Jesus touches us. Through His Word, through His Sacraments. And when Jesus touches us, we hear his Word: “your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease." Jesus touches us and announces that everything is all right.
While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler's house some who said, "Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?"
It is said that when the ancient Chinese wanted to curse you, they say, “May you outlive your children.” I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy, but this is what happened to Jairus. And what is worse, Jesus was so close! Just a few more steps, just a few more minutes, and his daughter would have been made well! We are also like Jairus’ daughter. The Master souldn’t waste his time on us because we are also dead. Dead in our sins. And no amount of money, no medicine, no good thing or work can ever give us life. We may try, but try as we may, nothing we do can ever give us life
And yet, for those whom the Lord loves, there is always hope. Listen to the Word of the Lord of life:
But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not fear, only believe." And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesusf saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. And when he had entered, he said to them, "Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping."
But why does the Lord say that? Why does he say the child is only sleeping when she is in fact dead? Because for those whom the Lord loves, there is really no death.
And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. Taking her by the hand he said to her, "Talitha cumi," which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise." And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.
Do you see now? FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES, THERE IS REALLY NO DEATH.
And it is that love which is the source of his grace. It is that love which prompted the Lord to come down to earth and make his dwelling with us, to be with us in the midst of our trials, our hardships, our sicknesses, our sadnesses, our sins. He was made sin for us, says
Part of our Old Testament reading goes: “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness, O Lord.” This is most certainly true. This is most certainly FOR YOU.
May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen. (Philippians 4:7)
Thursday, June 4, 2009
The Heart of the Matter
Here's an insight i got studying for my sermon for Holy Trinity, on the Gospel reading: I'm a former UCC, pop Evangelical, and ever since i transferred to Lutheranism, i've had the most difficult time with John 3:16, because of the phrase, "whoever believes..." Well, i was taught in sem that even belief, faith, comes from the Holy Spirit, but still, i couldn;t get around the thinking that John 3:16 was set up to have a conditional (WHOEVER BELIEVES). well, just this morning, as i was trying to hammer out a sermon for sunday (procrastinated, because of my difficulty with the WHOEVER BELIEVES phrase) i realized something (thanks to the Holy Spirit! he's never let me down yet!). i was listening to rev. steven parks' explanation of the acts 2:38 passage the other day on IE, and suddenly it hit me: you have to understand John 3:16 in the context of what Jesus says in John 3:1-15! just as in being physically born, we have neither choice nor power when we are born again! everything is by the grace and power of God, especially the Holy Spirit! Luther's explanation the the Third Article becomes clear then! and also, this quote from the Confessions:
Before a person is enlightened, converted, regenerated, renewed, and drawn by the Holy Spirit, he can hear the Gospel, meditate on it and discuss it. Nevertheless, he regards it as foolishness and cannot believe it. For he is hostile to God's will, unless the Holy Spirit is effective on him and kindles and works in him faith and obedience.
John is not setting up a conditional statement in verse 16. he's saying that, based on what Jesus said in verses 1-15, that John 3:16 is totally the work and grace of God! The Father loved us from eternity, the Son died on the cross for us and won for us forgiveness and life, and the Holy Spirit "calls, gathers and enlightens us" by the Gospel! everything in John 3:16 is God's work and grace! everything! thank you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! I knew you wouldn't let your Word go to waste on a day like the Feast of the Holy Trinity!
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Still More Good News. . .
from the cemetery still. The word, that is. Did you know that cemetery comes from the greek word koimeterion, which means a lodging place, an inn where one might stay, temporarily, for the night. Death is not the grim reaper he is made out to be, but a mere inn keeper, making things as comfortable as possible for God's elect, until the day when the Son comes to take his own to their true home.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Good News From The Cemetery
Here is the Rev. Robert Bugbee's Easter Message. Rev. Bugbee is the newly elected Synod President of The Lutheran Church -- Canada.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
DOUBT
DOUBT
I have just watched a very intriguing film: DOUBT, starring Meryl Streep and Seymour Hoffman (he's the reporter who gets glued to an antique wheelchair and set on fire in RED DRAGON). The film treats the subject of the Eighth Commandment, gossip. This is a very good talking point if you're discussing the Eighth Commandment, and why God has forbidden this among his children. The destructive power of gossip is most graphically displayed in this film. Everything is ambiguous. I would recommend this film to all pastors and members. This would be a great teaching aid, especially for the Eighth Commandment. I hope this film will give us all pause before we open our mouths.DOUBT
On another, sadder, note, something happened here a few days ago that has caused something of a media sensation and controversy, legally and doctrinally. The wife of a well known broadcast journalist here in the Philippines committed suicide, apparently because she was scammed to the tune of about US$426,000. She took her husband's gun and shot herself in the head. What was interesting was that when her husband got wind of what had happened, he rushed from his television station to their house, and with another member of their household, they opened the bathroom door, where they saw his wife. Two of them saw the same thing, and yet, they offered two very different versions of what they saw. The husband said that he saw his wife slumped in a sitting position on the bathroom floor. The household member who saw the same thing with the husband said the wife was lying prone on the bathroom floor.
My observation: that is why we need to get the message straight before we can get the message out.
Recently, I also learned that one of the bishops of the Roman Catholic Church consented to conduct funeral services, which means that the Roman Catholic Church will give the journalist's wife a Christian burial.
My observation: hmm. Makes me wonder: is the Roman Catholic Church afraid that the husband of the suicide, who is very influential both on TV and radio here in the Philippines, might give them bad publicity if they refuse to give his wife a Christian burial? There are exceptions, i will grant, but I don;t think those exceptions apply in this case. Hmm.
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