Sunday, March 27, 2022
Sermon Text for March 27, 2022 - "Come Home"
“Come Home!
March 27, 2022
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Today we hear one of the most moving, touching, and often repeated parables of Jesus – and one which we need to hear with fresh ears for today’s world. This story, like most of Jesus’ parables, is one that is meant to be told about who God really is, and how God really is. Indeed, at least one commentator points out that the real hero of this story is not the prodigal son who chooses to return home, but the father who forgives and welcomes him. The story should not be called “The Prodigal Son,” but instead “The Prodigal Father.” One the one hand, the dictionary defines the word “prodigal” as “spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant.” But on the other hand, it also defines “prodigal” as “having or giving something on a lavish scale.” Which describes the father in this story: the father is as much lavish as the son is wasteful and reckless, but this shows how God really is.
First of all, God is generous. God is generous to everyone, to both the grateful and the ungrateful. In this particular case, the son is ungrateful. He wants to have his share of his father’s property before his father even dies; in other words, he’s looking at his father just as a source of wealth, rather than as someone who provides him with a home, care, and love. He’s saying that he wants to be able to live without his father: maybe he sees life with his father as being too restrictive or too boring. Maybe he thinks there are too many rules he has to follow while living at home. Or, maybe he just wants to be able to strike out on his own. The whole point, though, is how impatient he is about wanting what he feels is rightfully is, and acting as though he doesn’t need his father. But what is remarkable about his father, right from the beginning, is how generous he is towards his son, even though his son doesn’t really appreciate him. The fact that the father is willing to divide up his property among his sons before he even dies shows how generous he really is. God is even generous to people who take Him for granted. Of course, this doesn’t mean at all that we should allow ourselves to take God for granted: we are always to recognize that everything we have comes from God as a free gift, which He gives us out of His love for us, and that He is always generous to us, even in ways we don’t recognize. We are also to encourage others to recognize that everything we have in this world, everything we own, everything around us, is a free gift God gives us, out of His generosity. But, again, one of the many wonderful things about God is He doesn’t lay any conditions on His generosity: He provides life and everything necessary for living life, especially food, clothing, home, family, and friends to everyone, whether they recognize or appreciate Him or not. Even if people waste the gifts He has given them, He still continues to give them all kinds of good gifts, because He does not run out of good gifts. He is also so generous to everyone because He does hope that eventually people will appreciate Him and what He does for them. However, He does not force anyone to appreciate Him, nor does He force anyone to be grateful to Him. In this way, He is the best kind of parent: those of you who are parents know that, sometimes, one of the things you hope for is that eventually your children, your family, will recognize and appreciate everything you’ve done for them and you’ve given them; and, you also know that the best way to do this is to keep providing and being generous, and do so patiently. God is the best kind of parent in this way, because He continues to provide while being patient. He waits patiently for people to recognize Him and thank Him. Which leads to the next point:
God is waiting. God is waiting on every single person: in fact, on the one hand, He waits on people hand and foot. He waits on people by serving them with all His good gifts. On the other hand, He is also waiting for everyone to recognize and appreciate how generous He is with His good gifts. But He is also generous with His gifts because, again, eventually He hopes for every person to be in a relationship with Him. So He acts as though every person was already in a relationship with Him, whether they are or not. He does this because He has given each person life, and each person everything they need for life. He also loves each and every person, and everything He has made. Everyone has special and equal value to Him, and so He treats each person the same way. Even though people may take Him for granted, He still values each person. He also does not hold anything against anyone: He does not push people away because of what they have done, but instead He still remains close to each person, because He loves and values each person, each of us.
During the height of the conflict in Northern Ireland, about forty or fifty years ago, there was a father and a son, named Ronald Bunting and Ronnie Bunting, who were on opposite sides of the conflict: Ronald Bunting, the father, was the head of a pro-British paramilitary, and Ronnie Bunting, the son, was the head of an Irish Nationalist paramilitary. In other words, they were on extreme opposite sides of the conflict. They should have hated each other, and even should have wanted to kill each other, because they were very much on opposite sides in two armies who were deadly enemies, they actually still remained close. Even though the father could have even denied he had a son, and even though the son could have denied and denounced his father, they still remained in constant friendly communication with each other. Eventually, Ronnie Bunting was assassinated by another pro-British paramilitary, not the one headed by his dad, but a different one. But when his son was killed, Ronald Bunting not only publicly mourned his son, he still acknowledged him as his son whom he loved. Ronald Bunting also arranged for his son to be buried along with the rest of his family, continuing to acknowledge that even though he and his son fought on opposite sides of the conflict, they still loved each other as family. This is a powerful lesson we can learn from, even for today: unfortunately, the political and social arguments which have been going on the past few years have torn friends and families apart. While this is a sad reality of what can happen when we let opinions, stresses, and conflicts get in the way of relationships, what we hear from Jesus today is something different: even though there are many things which we might use to divide us from each other, God, our Father, does not use anything to divide us from Him. He also does not want us to let anything separate us from each other, because He has made us to be in caring relationship with each other, just as He is in a caring relationship with each person and each thing. Even though people may consider themselves separated from Him, He does not consider Himself separated from anyone, and still remains close with everyone. He still acknowledges each and every one of us, believers or not, as His child and someone He deeply loves. He demonstrates this by being generous to each and every person; by helping them in every time of need, even in times of sickness, illness, or hardship; and meeting them where they are, at every situation. Which then means:
God meets us where we are. Notice that the father has been waiting this whole time, and it is as though he has been sitting on his porch this whole time waiting for any sign of his son coming home, or any news about his son. When his son finally does show up, the father doesn’t even wait for his son to show up at the front door: he runs all the way out to his son, even while his son is still far away. We would also probably expect the father to scold his son, to say something along the lines of, “Where have you been?” in an angry way, and to make his son feel guilty and ashamed for having run away from home having wasted his father’s property. But the father doesn’t do any of that: instead, he embraces his son and welcomes him home right away. Also, when his son tries to speak, he doesn’t even let his son give the speech he’s prepared. He isn’t interested in hearing his son beat himself up over how bad he’s been, or how bad he feels. He only wants to welcome his son and be good to him again. We usually think that God only helps people who are willing to ask him for help: that is not the case at all. He does not even wait for people to try to help themselves: instead, God helps everyone where they are, and is willing to go out to them to meet them where they are. He does not even wait for people to pray: He gives people what they need before they even ask. If we go back to the original definition of “prodigal,” we could not only say that God is lavish and generous, but, in a way, we would also think He is reckless and wasteful. Normally we would want to make sure that if we help someone it’s going to be worth it: that they would use what we give them wisely. However, God gives things to people without any conditions or expectations, simply out of love and care. It would even seem that Him sending His Son to die on the cross would be reckless and wasteful: Jesus gave up His life and shed His blood, even for people who would continue to separate themselves from God, who would take Him for granted, and who would even hate Him. But He still willingly gave up His life, out of a desire to love and be generous to everyone. He was still willing to meet everyone where they were, and die for them.
One thing to keep in mind, however, is that even though God meets us where we are, He does not allow us to remain where we are. He brings us to where we need to be. The father in this story did not make his son stay out on the porch until he apologized, and then allowed him to come in. Instead, he brought his son into the house right away, and then started making everything better for him. He had him take a bath, then put his best robe and shoes on him. Then, he threw him a party. In the same way, even though God meets us where we are, He does not allow us to stay stuck in where we are: He brings us to Him and makes things better for us. He does not even wait for us to apologize, and does not want us to beat ourselves up over how we have lived or what we have done: He accepts us as we are, and makes things better for us right away. He takes away the stain of our guilt and sin by washing us clean in the blood of His Son Jesus. He takes away everything from our lives which is keeping us from living the life of joy and happiness He wants us to live, and gives us a new life to put on like new clothes. He moves us forward to where we need to be, and changes us.
So, indeed, God is inviting you to come back home again. He is coming out to meet you where you are, to help you. He has been waiting for you all along, and He is coming to you to turn things around for you, change your life, and make things better for you. He has never stopped loving you, and will never stop loving you. He doesn’t want you to come home so He can make you feel guilty or ashamed of yourself. He doesn’t want you to beat yourself up over anything you’ve done, or what has happened to you. He cares about you, and so He wants to bring you to where you need to be: to a place of peace, contentment, healing, and wholeness. He isn’t going to make you go through some sort of waiting period before He helps you: He loves you unconditionally and wants to help you right now. He wants to heal you of whatever has been causing your heart to hurt. He wants you – He will meet you where you are, and make things better for you. So come back home – God’s waiting to love you again.
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Sunday, March 20, 2022
Sermon Text for March 20, 2022 - "God is Faithful"
“God is Faithful”
March 20, 2022
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Baseball’s back – and thank God! After a time when it looked like even the start of Spring Training would never happen, baseball is finally up and running. Spring Training has been taking place, and we look forward to Opening Day happening right around the end of this month. Finally, in the midst of ongoing bad news and disaster, we have some good news. And, no matter which team you’re rooting for, Spring Training is also a time of hope. We get to see our favorite teams in action, and see them as they prepare for the regular season, looking forward to victory during the playoffs later on this year. Baseball season will hopefully be a source of happiness for us, even as we continue to struggle with the world going the direction it’s currently going.
And, even though it has traditionally been a more solemn and serious time, Lent is also actually a time of hope. In the past, Lent has usually been a time when we focus on how bad we are and how good God is; how God expects us to do better or we will miss out on Heaven; and how we are to shape up and do better. While, as we are reminded in our Bible readings today, we are to be constantly vigilant to guard against sin and falling into temptation, the real purpose of Lent is not for us to beat ourselves up over how bad we are, and how much we have done wrong, but instead for us to remember how good God is, and how much good He has done for us. Lent is not a time for us to torture ourselves, but instead to remember how Jesus, by His own torture and suffering, has already freed us from guilt and shame, by causing every sin we have committed to be forgiven. So, really, when it comes right down to it, Lent us not about us: it is all about God. This means that, just like Spring Training, Lent really is a time of hope. It is a time for us to look forward, even in the midst of all the disaster we and the world are in right now, to the good God is going to do for us, just as He has done in the past, and has been doing all along. Today in particular, we hear about a lot of things God has done, and will continue to do. Today we hear, once again, about how much God really loves us and cares for us. Today we hear not about what we should be doing for God, but what He is doing for us, and how He is. From each of our Bible readings this morning, we hear something special about who God is, and how He is.
First of all, God is relentless. This means He does not give up. He does not give up on His plans, He does not give up on His promises. When He says He will do something, He does everything He can to make sure it happens. He does not lose interest in this world He has made, and He does not lose interest in us. In our First Reading from Exodus, we hear about how God has a plan to rescue His people from slavery in Egypt. These are the same people He had made a promise to Abraham that He, God, would be their God, and they would be His special chosen people. He loves His people, so when they suffer, He suffers as well. So, He is going to do everything He can to free His people. The God of the Old Testament is the same as the God of the New Testament: a God who loves His people, and who is willing to do anything and everything for them to show them how much He loves them. This includes us today: we are God’s people. We are His people whom He loves. The reason He pursues relentlessly after us is because He loves us. Even when we choose to stray away, God pursues after us to bring us back. In fact, when all of us had strayed away from God and were separated from Him by sin, He sent His Son to die on the cross, to cleanse us of our sins by shedding His blood, to remove the sin which had separated us from Him, and then to rise again to give us the promise of eternal life. But the point is, it was God who did everything. It was God who did the pursuing. It was God who did the work. It was God who did the saving. Also notice: in none of this story does God insist that His people have to make the effort to free themselves from slavery. They can’t: they’re oppressed under the power of Pharaoh and can’t free themselves. So God is going to do it all for them. He’s going to be the one who pressures Pharaoh into letting them go. He’s going to be the one who will clear the way for them to be able to move into their home. He’s going to be the one who will fight their battles for them and win. He’s going to be the one who will bring them safely to the land He promised them long before. The God who did this for His people long ago is the same God who does all this for us now: He removes obstacles. He overcomes all attacks against us. He frees us from any and all sinful influences and temptations. He fights our battles for us and wins.
Second, God is faithful. As St. Paul points out in today’s Second Reading, God was still faithful to His people even when they sinned against Him, and even after He had freed them from slavery in Egypt and were waiting in the desert to enter their promised home. He still loved them, and was still faithful to them even though they were faithless to Him. He still remains faithful to us, even though we still fall into temptation. Temptation is inevitable: once again, we are to be vigilant and guard ourselves against temptation. I will not go into detail about temptations we face today, since, as I’ve mentioned in previous sermons, the point is not to point accusatory fingers at certain people and demand they shape up. Since none of us can ever be totally perfect, we are all to remember that, at some time or other, we have fallen into temptation. We have all sinned. We have all gone against living the life God wants us to live. Yet, because God loves us, He does not leave us alone in our temptation. Whenever we are tempted, God comes to rescue us, and provides a way out. No temptation we face in this world is one that hasn’t been faced by anyone else before, so God knows exactly how to rescue us from whatever temptation we are under, which could potentially wreck us and our lives. Also, this means we can, and should, feel free to seek out the help of anyone who has had to deal with the same temptation we are dealing with, and have God work through them to help rescue us from that temptation. As mentioned in a previous sermon, we frequently need outside help – and God is the best outside help we have. He also is willing to help us for as long as it takes, and whatever it takes, and never give up on us.
Finally, God is patient. Again, He does not leave us alone in our temptation, or our struggle. He still remains in charge. We need someone who is faithful and who remains in charge. Even though God created this world, unfortunately, because sin and the power of the devil still continue to remain a reality, disasters still happen. Jesus Himself points to two disasters: the slaughter of certain Jews who had been offering sacrifices, who were killed by the Roman government, as well as people who were killed when a tower fell on them. Disasters unfortunately still happen, and are unavoidable. This does not mean that these disasters are necessarily punishments from God. Disasters often simply happen because they happen: the punishment for our sin was already taken on by Jesus, and cleansed by His blood. So when disaster happens, it is not because of something God is punishing us for, it is simply happening because this world remains imperfect and sinful. To take what Jesus reminds us and apply it to today, people who died from the coronavirus were no worse than anyone else. People who are currently dying in the war in Ukraine are no worse than anyone else. People who die of cancer, or of heart attacks, are no worse than anyone else. People who die in car accidents are no worse than anyone else. But what all this means is that death is inevitable. Any one of who are alive right here, right now today could be dead tomorrow. A friend or loved one could be alive today, and then suddenly pass away tomorrow. So we are always to keep in mind that, because death is inevitable, we are saved for eternal life. We are saved from sin for life with God. So we are to remember that at all times: that any moment could be our last, and we are to keep ready to live with God forever. It also means, again, as we hear in our Second Reading, that we are to be on guard, and always remember who we are: we are God’s people. And as God’s people, we are to live lives of repentance: to ask God to forgive us and help us avoid temptation whenever we sin. We also ask for God to help make our lives better again, especially if the temptation we have fallen into has caused our life to take a turn for the worse, or wrecked our life in some way. God does not cast us aside and let us be completely ruined: He does something to intervene and change us. Which is the meaning of the story of the fig tree and the gardener Jesus tells: that the gardener refuses to give up on the fig tree, but relentlessly cares for it, doing whatever it takes to make it better again. Every fig tree is valuable to him, just as every person is valuable to God. God is not letting anyone simply be ruined by sin and temptation: He is working to change the hearts, minds, and lives of every single person, because He loves each person. Notice, however, that it is not saying that we are the ones who have to shape up and do better: God takes on the responsibility of improving us. It is also not saying that we are the ones who have to put in the effort to make our lives better and be more productive: God takes on the responsibility of making us better and causing us to bear the fruit of being His. We are not striving for perfection: rather, God is the one doing all the work making us better. This is actually a great comfort, because it means that, even when we can’t change our situation, or we can’t change something that is holding us back from living the life God wants us to live, God is already working behind the scenes, doing all the work for us. Even though there seems to be no letup in the attack on Ukraine, we can still believe that God is working behind the scenes to bring an end to the war. Even though there seems to be no letup to the combined effects of the pandemic and the war over here, especially higher prices and higher gas prices, we can still believe that God is working behind the scenes to bring relief to our economic troubles. If there is something in your life that needs changing, but you can’t change it yourself, God can do it for you. Pray to Him, and ask Him to take control of that part of your life that needs changing, then let go, and let Him take on doing the work of changing you. You no longer need to be frustrated because you’ve been trying to change something about yourself for too long, with no luck. God wants to take on the work of changing you, if you let Him. But He won’t force you: you have to let Him take charge and change you. In our Gospel reading next week, we will be hearing one of Jesus’ best-loved and familiar stories: the Prodigal Son. And what we will hear is that the real important character in the story is not the son who does wrong and comes home, but it is the father who, all along, has been patiently waiting for his son to come home. And when his son does come home, he welcomes his son back right away, cleans him up, gives him his finest clothes to wear, and throws him a party. Again, it is the father who does all this for his son. And God wants to do the same thing for you: He wants to change your life. He wants to break the power of whatever sin or temptation has a hold of you right now. He wants to make things better for you. He wants to heal you. So let God take charge of you, let Him change you, let Him take control of you, let Him rescue you, let Him do all the work you need to do for you. You are valuable to Him, and He loves you, so let Him free you from everything you need to be freed from today.
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Sunday, March 13, 2022
Sermon Text for March 13, 2022 - "Stand Firm!"
“Stand Firm!”
March 13, 2022
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
It was about this time last month, four years ago, that I was privileged to visit Israel. It was an experience that either changed or confirmed my life, my worldview, my spiritual direction, my understanding of my purpose, and understanding of what it means to be a Christian. One of the things about Israel is that there is a church on every nearly site traditionally connected with the life or ministry of Jesus mentioned in the Gospels. One particular one is located on one of the hills of Jerusalem, and is actually connected with today’s Gospel reading. It is known as the Church of Dominus Flevit, which in Latin means, “the Lord is crying.”
This is the view from the church courtyard overlooking the city. Traditionally, this is the place where Jesus overlooked the city and wept over it, because it was the city which, even during the time of the prophet Jeremiah, whom we hear about in today’s First Reading, had continually rejected the messages, and messengers, of God, sent to it to encourage its people to repent, to turn away from sin, and turn back to God. It was a city that was almost continually in trouble and lacking peace, because its people, especially its kings, kept trying to go their own direction, especially by worshipping false gods, instead of listening to and following the one true God. Even today, for various reasons, Jerusalem remains a city lacking peace.
One of the most poignant images I found while looking for things to photograph at the Dominus Flevit Church was this barbed wire and wall, which actually serves as an image for how parts of Jerusalem are: different areas are actually divided by barbed wire, mostly to separate human beings from inflicting violence on each other. It is also an image which illustrates today’s world: a world divided, a world separated, a world at war. A city over which Jesus continues to weep, a world over which Jesus continues to weep.
The world today lacks complete peace, because there are still many who have rejected Jesus and His message of peace. Today, Jesus still continues to weep over the world, because there are many who have rejected Him and the peace He has to offer. He loves this world and all the people in it, and so, just as He did in the past, He hurts and He suffers when His love is rejected. Just as we are heartbroken when the love we offer someone is either rejected or abused, Jesus is also heartbroken whenever the love He offers is rejected. Just as we are also hurt when someone refuses or rejects something good we have to offer them, especially something that will help them, Jesus also hurts. And so, because people continue to reject Him, He continues to weep. He genuinely hurts because we choose to hurt each other and be at war.
And we are at war. But we are largely at war because of an unseen enemy: the devil. As we talked about last week, the devil remains a reality, and continues to sow temptation in the world. We are also at war because we live in a world that is at war with itself. And the reason this world is at war with itself is because, much like back in the past, many people have chosen to reject Jesus. Many people have chosen to reject the offer of peace that comes through following Jesus which Jesus offers all people. This is why war is currently taking place between Ukraine and Russia, why innocent people are being chased out of their homes and forced to flee for their lives, why conflict continues in other parts of the world, why division takes place in society, why robberies and murders continue to happen, why relationships between people break down, and why mistrust and suspicion continues to run rampant. All because people have rejected Jesus’ offer of peace, peace that comes from trusting and following Him. Trusting and following Him means accepting His encouragement to live in peace and cooperation with each other, to seek what is best for each other’s well-being, and to build up and defend the lives and reputations of each other. To turn away from Jesus, to reject His offer of peace, to reject trusting and following Him to live in peace with others, means being at war.
However, in saying we are at war, we are to be careful. It is easy for us to try to lay the blame for being at war on a specific person, or a group of people. It is easy for us to try to divide ourselves into “us” and “them,” and insist that we are always in the right, and the other people are the enemy. We are not to look at each other as being the enemy. It is a temptation to want to call out other people for doing what we think is wrong or sinful. But it is unfair and unjust to do so, because when we do so, we are putting ourselves in the position of judge, trying to justify ourselves by pointing out what we think is wrong with other people. When we point fingers in accusation against other people, especially to try to make ourselves look better than other people, we are putting up a false image, both of ourselves and other people, and failing to realize that we are actually all the same. When we do so, we also fail to realize that many of the things we accuse other people of doing are actually things which we ourselves do. We are to realize that we are all equally responsible for falling into temptation. We too, along with many others, have rejected Jesus. We have rejected the peace Jesus offers us that comes from trusting Him and following Him, and as a result, we all lack the peace we need. We are all included in the “they” which St. Paul talks about in today’s Second Reading, whose god is the belly, and whose glory is in the shame with our minds set on earthly things. We too continually struggle with having our minds be set on earthly things, because we are tempted to focus on those things which are turning us away from God and keeping us from trusting Him. These are especially things that are causing us to doubt God, or things that are causing us to give into our fleshly nature, such as anger at ourselves or other people, hatred, a desire to dominate or control other people, or a desire to destroy other people. We are to realize that we are as much responsible for causing our suffering ourselves as other people are. We are also to realize further that we are all equally struggling together against temptation all the time, and that we are all just as equally easily able to fall into temptation at any time. So our approach is never to point fingers at other people and accuse them of being sinners because of falling into temptation, because we can just as easily have fingers pointed in accusation at us, because we too have fallen into many of the same temptations. We are among the many who, at some point or other, have rejected Jesus.
Yet, even though there are many who have rejected Jesus, He continues to offer Himself freely. He continues to offer Himself to us freely. As He says in today’s Gospel reading, even though there are many people who still want to drive Him away, even the rulers of nations, He continues to offer Himself to all people. He continues to offer His healing, His peace, His comfort, His love, to all people. He continues to offer an alternative to suffering that comes from trying to go in the opposite of God’s leading and direction. He continues to preach His Word, the truth of His love, care, and concern for all people, even if it is rejected. Even though Jesus’ heart is broken whenever His love is rejected, He continues to offer His love freely and abundantly to all people – even to people who reject Him and break His heart. Jesus still remains available to change the hearts of minds of anyone who causes war and bloodshed. Jesus still remains available to change the hearts and minds of anyone who chooses to cause hatred and division. Jesus still remains available to change the hearts and minds of anyone chooses to destroy other people’s lives. Jesus still remains available to change the hearts and minds of those who want to accuse and judge other people. Jesus remains persistent in calling us to repent, to turn away from those things which are keeping us from living the life God wants us to live, especially in relationship with other people. He is just as persistent in showing love to all people, especially to us, and freeing us from all those things which are keeping us from living a live of peace. So much so that He sacrificed His life on the cross to free us from the power of temptation, sin, and the devil over us, so the sins which we have committed as a result of falling into temptation could be forgiven, and then rising again to show us that a better life, a better alternative, awaits us. He took all the hurts, heartbreaks, and sadnesses we caused Him to suffer, took them all to the cross, and cleansed them away by His blood. He caused everything we inflicted on Him to disappear by cleansing them away with His blood. This is the good news: that even though we have all fallen into temptation, and have equally chosen to be at war with the life God wants for us, and with each other, we are forgiven. Jesus’ blood has cleansed away all the hurts, pains, and sufferings we have caused ourselves to suffer, and have caused each other to suffer. We are free from having to live such a life, because Jesus has freed us to live a life of peace – peace that comes from living the life of trusting in God and His direction for us, which means living in peace with each other. In a world which continues to remain at war, we have a higher purpose: to be people of peace. We are, as St. Paul encourages us, to remember that we are citizens of a better world, the Kingdom of Heaven. And as citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, we are to remember that the Kingdom of Heaven is not somewhere far away, but it is right here among us, right now. We are the Kingdom of Heaven. In the Kingdom of Heaven, all people live together in peace and cooperation with each other, because all people are under the rule of God who desires peace and cooperation among all people. And as the Kingdom of Heaven, we are not only to model this for the rest of the world, but we are to be active in being the means God is using to change the world to be one of peace. Just as we are being changed by Jesus, we are to become agents of change for the world. Just as Jesus remains available to change the hearts and minds of those who want to continue to cause war, hurt, and division, we are to be available to be agents of change, to work to change the attitude of war, hurt, and division that persists today.
And it starts here with us: first, we are to ask Jesus to change us. We are to admit that whenever we choose to hurt ourselves, or hurt each other, we are hurting Jesus. We are to admit that whenever we choose to reject Jesus’ love, or cause other people to reject Jesus’ love, we are hurting Jesus. But then we are to remember that Jesus took all the hurts we inflicted on Him, all the heartbreaks and sadness we have caused Him to suffer, and has cleansed them all away, caused them all to disappear by His blood. We are forgiven for all the hurts and sufferings we have caused. We are then to believe that because we are forgiven, we are free from the hurts, the sufferings we have done to ourselves, or others have done to us. We are to remember that Jesus loves us, and wants the best for us, and others. We are then to ask Jesus to help us no longer hurt ourselves and others, but instead to live in peace and cooperation with each other, and to seek each other’s healing and well-being. We are then to stand firm in this purpose: that we are to work to bring peace into our lives and the lives of other people; to bring healing and comfort to all those who are suffering, including ourselves; and to bring peace and unity to a divided world. We are to stand firm in our purpose to live a higher way: to be the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Peace.
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Sunday, March 6, 2022
Sermon Text for March 6, 2022 - "No One Will Be Put to Shame"
“No One Will Be Put to Shame”
March 6, 2022
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Many years ago, one of my former church family members at the congregation I served in Northern California, who is now with the Lord, would frequently tell a story about something that happened to her on September 12, 2001, the day after the events of 9-11. She was working in her front yard that day, and a group of door-to-door missionaries from a certain organization were going around the neighborhood, came up to her, and asked if she was aware of what had happened the day before. Her response was simple: “Yes, the devil’s been very busy, hasn’t he?” Which effectively ended the conversation, because she did have a good point: it did seem like the devil had been very busy, with the mayhem and destruction that had taken place on 9-11.
And nowadays, it’s not hard to imagine that the devil still continues to be busy. At least the past two weeks have demonstrated that, unfortunately, at times evil continues to rear its head. We hear stories, and see pictures, of the destruction caused by constant bombardment of homes and cities in Ukraine, as Russia continues to step up its invasion. We hear of innocent people being killed, especially in bombing attacks. We hear of refugees having to flee their homes; in many cases, we hear of the shock many refugees express at the fact that, in many cases only the day before, they were going about their normal lives, living as they had always done, and then all of a sudden having to pack up and flee across the border to a different country. We also hear of, and experience the effects of, the war taking place even over here in our own country, as gas prices continue to soar, causing the prices of everything else continue to soar, as it has been doing all along because of the effects of the pandemic. So, in all honesty, it’s not hard for us to say the devil has been very busy lately.
This has always seemed to be the case as well. This is certainly not the first time many of us have lived through an economic crisis. This is also certainly not the first time many of us have lived through a war, or the effects of a war. 9-11, which was mentioned earlier, forced us to face the reality of terrorism, especially religious terrorism, and how bad it could get even here in this country. We have also faced many situations that have shown us that we still have to live with evil: we have had crimes committed against us. We have either had to suffer abuse, or have had a close friend or family member suffer abuse. We have had to deal with conflict, whether in our families, or in our communities. We have to deal with bullying in our schools. We have to deal with the pain of dysfunctional and broken relationships. We have had to suffer disasters, which have caused destruction to our properties, or even our physical well-beings We wonder whether there is any help or relief in sight, any end to our suffering, or the sufferings of our friends and family members. We watch the news and wonder whether there is going to be an end to the war going on in Ukraine and Russia. We hear of ongoing hatred between people, for different reasons, and the violence and murder caused by such hatred. We keep having to experience bullying in different ways, and wonder if there is anything we can do to stop it completely. We hear and experience all the other ways that people attempt to hurt and destroy each other. It’s easy for us to think the devil is busy, and evil is going to win. Evil continues to be a reality we have to live with.
And yet, today we hear some good news: even though the devil’s always busy, and even though there are times he seems to be busier than others, he is ultimately defeated. The purpose of Lent is for us to remember that even though evil continues to be a reality, there is an even greater reality: Jesus has already defeated the devil and the power of evil. The reason He came to die on the cross and rise again was to defeat the devil. The devil continues to try to ruin people’s lives, but everything he tries will ultimately be defeated: he cannot win. God has always been more powerful than the devil and evil, and He still continues to This is something God has always been doing: as we hear about in today’s First Reading from Deuteronomy, we hear about how God wanted His people, and how He wants us, to remember that He delivered from slavery and suffering, and brought them to where they needed to be. He is even still doing the same thing for us today: He is delivering us from our suffering, and bringing us to where we need to be. And as we hear about in today’s Gospel reading, Jesus was even able to defeat the devil by using the Word of God against him. Even though the devil himself tried to quote the Bible to tempt Jesus, Jesus was able to see through his lies, and tell the truth to defeat the devil.
We always have to remember that the devil is a liar: everything he says is a lie. Whatever he claims is always going to be reality is a lie. If we’re being told that there is no hope for this world, that there will never be an end to whatever war and conflict happens to be taking place, that is a lie from the devil. If we’re being told that we’re going to be stuck in whatever difficult or sad situation we’re in permanently, that is a lie from the devil. If we’re being told that we’re on our own, there is no help, not even from God, that is a lie from the devil. If we’re being told that whatever evil we’re having to suffer is coming from God, especially as a punishment, that is a lie from the devil. If we’re being told that whatever evil is taking place in the world is caused by God, that is a lie from the devil. If we’re being told, especially using Bible verses, that we deserve whatever bad thing is happening to us because of who we are, or something we’ve done, that is a lie from the devil. If we’re being told that we deserve whatever abuse we get because of something we’ve done or haven’t done, that is a lie from the devil. Even though the devil may still be real, everything he says is not real.
So what is real? Simple: Jesus is real. Even though the devil may be busy, Jesus is even busier. We may think that Jesus is simply sitting back watching everything unfold, letting the devil do what he wants to do, but that itself is a lie. Wherever the devil is trying to stir up trouble, Jesus is right there fighting against him and frustrating his plans. Wherever war is taking place, Jesus is working to bring peace and an end to the war. Wherever people are suffering at the hands of other people, Jesus is fighting on their side and rescuing them from those who are hurting them. Wherever people are suffering from a lack of any kind of need, Jesus is working on providing them with what they need. Wherever people are having to suffer from the effects of having given into temptation, and have wrecked or destroyed their lives in the process, Jesus is working on forgiving them, having them forgive themselves, and restoring their lives to where He wants them to be. Wherever people are suffering from the effects of abuse, Jesus is working on rescuing them and healing them in body and mind, and letting them know they didn’t deserve the abuse they had to suffer. Wherever people are suffering in broken relationships, Jesus is working on rescuing them and healing them from what they have had to suffer. Wherever people are fighting with each other over differences in religion, politics, or other opinion, Jesus is working to bring peace, an end to conflict, and restore relationships and friendships. Wherever people have had to deal with the destruction of disaster, whether natural or human-made, Jesus is working to restore what has been lost. Just as even in Old Testament times, God, through Jesus, is working hard to deliver us from our suffering. He is working hard to deliver us from slavery to feeling like we are trapped in the suffering of the world and the suffering we, or other people, inflict on us. Jesus is even fighting for us right here, right now. And what can we do? Trust Him and let Him fight for us. Even though there are things we may be having to fight right now, we are not alone: Jesus is fighting for us, and He can fight even better than we can. Whatever battle we’re having to fight, we can let go, stop trying to fight, stop trying to figure out how we’re going to win, and let Jesus fight and win our battle for us. He already did so by His death and resurrection – He already defeated the devil and the powers of evil. Jesus’ victory is already guaranteed, because the devil has already lost.
And the devil knows he’s already lost. The devil knows whatever he’s making us suffer isn’t going to last forever, and Jesus is ultimately going to win. The devil knows that those who are attacking us and trying to hurt us in any way are ultimately going to be defeated, and we’re going to win, because Jesus is going to win. So, the unfortunate reality is, he’s going to try harder than ever to bring us down. He’s going to try to step up his attacks. He’s going to try to escalate the war in Eastern Europe. He’s going to try to cause abuse and dysfunction in families and relationships to become even worse. He’s going to try to stir up even more conflict and hatred between people. He’s going to try to cause children and adults to bully each other even more. He’s going to try to cause even more trouble among us by causing the effects of the war and the pandemic to escalate. He’s going to try to make it look like he’s going to win. He’s ultimately going to try to put us to shame, and make us regret trusting Jesus to fight and win for us.
But he won’t succeed. And here’s why: in today’s Second Reading, in Romans 10:11, we have a solid promise from God’s Word: “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” Another way to understand this is to say that anyone who trusts in Jesus will never regret it. Anyone who trusts in Jesus will never be embarrassed. Anyone who trusts in Jesus will never be disappointed or let down. Even though there have been a lot of people in our lives who have let us down, Jesus will never let us down. Even though there have been people who have promised to be there for us in times of trouble or conflict, but have ended up running away and leaving us, Jesus will never leave us alone. Even though the devil may try to convince us that trusting in Jesus is stupid, embarrassing, and will ultimately disappoint us, Jesus Himself begs to differ. Jesus has never, and will not, let anyone who trusts in Him be disappointed in any way. If anything, Jesus will shame the devil, and will shame those who try to convince us of the devil’s lies. Jesus will embarrass those who try to embarrass us for trusting that Jesus is going to fight and win for us. Jesus will call out the lies of the devil, just like He did before. Jesus will never give us any reason to regret trusting Him to fight and win for us. Jesus will never treat us the way other people have treated us: He will never disappoint us, He will keep His word, He will keep His promises, He will do everything He has said He will do. He will deliver and rescue us, He will forgive us, He will heal us, He will restore us. He will defeat the devil, and the devil has already lost.
So even though it may seem like the devil is busy, Jesus will put an end to him and all his works. Jesus will deliver us – He has already won. And no one who trusts Him to fight and win will ever be let down or disappointed. The devil has already been defeated; his lies have already been defeated. No one who trusts in Jesus will ever regret it – so let us trust Jesus to fight and win, because He has already fought and won for us, and He will win!
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.