The Other Six Days from Good Shepherd Lutheran Church on Vimeo. Download this sermon.

Last week I talked about Sabbath Work, Jesus action of healing a crippled woman in the synagogue on the Sabbath was a revolutionary action where God demonstrated mercy is more important than law.

This week in both our gospel text and our second reading we see that Jesus starts another revolution, however it’s a social revolution where humility is honored and sacrifice is praised.

In the ancient world, in Jesus’ day, etiquette was not simply about manners it was about honor and shame and social position and political standing, these things were very important.

In contrast to Sabbath work, both of these texts talk about the other 6 days of the week. How do we Christians honor God once we leave the holy huddle, what happens when we leave the altar and exit the door?

For some of us, we are different or we live differently outside of church, the other 6 days, we act differently in the secular world than we do in the sacred sanctuary.

This is not the case for everyone. Mother Teresa, we celebrated her 100th birthday this past week, she took God’s Word seriously and actually lived out their faith in the secular world. Mother Teresa welcomed the poor, the sick, and the lame. I think someone in our gospel text mentioned that.

Jesus said when you are having a luncheon, “when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.” Mother Teresa heard God’s message of mission and lived the other 6 days because she understood God’s unequivocal call on her life. Her legacy continues in India to this day. Did she think of herself as successful?

Mother Teresa was once asked, “How do you measure the success of your work?” She thought about the question and gave her interviewer a puzzled look, and said, “I don’t remember that the Lord ever spoke of success. He spoke only of faithfulness in love. This is the only success that really counts.”

Being faithful, we know that God is faithful, but for us it’s hard to be faithful in other six days of the week. How do we understand our role as disciples of Christ?

The writer to the Hebrews gives us a kind of laundry list of things that should be followed once we exit to door. The first one mentioned is: Let mutual love continue, not just on Sunday, but also the other 6 days.

What does that look like for you? When I think of mutual love I think it’s about honoring another person as we would like to be honored, showing respect. Have you ever met a haughty person you’ve ever liked? No, I haven’t either!
Mutual love is about respect, about being humble of heart. Jesus said it this way in our gospel text, see verse 11, “For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

There’s a story about the funeral of Charlemagne. Charlemagne was considered the greatest Christian ruler of the early Middle Ages C 742-814. There was a significant revival of art, religion and culture during his reign. After his death a mighty funeral procession left his castle for the cathedral at Aix. When the royal casket arrived, with a lot of pomp and circumstance, it was met by the local bishop, who barred the cathedral door.

“Who comes?” the Bishop asked, as was the custom.
“Charlemagne, Lord and King of the Holy Roman Empire,” proclaimed the Emperor’s proud herald.
“Him I know not,” the Bishop replied. “Who comes?”
The herald, a bit shaken, replied, “Charles the Great, a good and honest man of the earth.”
“Him I know not,” the Bishop said again. “Who comes?”
The herald, now completely crushed, responded, “Charles, a lowly sinner, who begs the gift of Christ.”
To which the Bishop, Christ’s representative, responded, “Enter! Receive Christ’s gift of life!”

God honors the humbly and sends the rich away empty handed. There are some 75 passages in the Bible that talk about God’s compassion to the humble of heart. When we show humility, mutual respect, and love for one another God honors that form of discipleship.

Don’t get me wrong, Charlemagne did not earn salvation by being great or by doing good things or by being humble. There is no way to earn salvation. We are humble out of respect for God, out of love for God, out of a desire to honor God because God has changed our heart and the result has changed our actions in life.

As Martin Luther once said we are all beggars before God, all equally needy. Whether we are Charlemagne, Mother Teresa, you or I, it doesn’t matter none of us will ever be “good enough” to force entrance into the presence of God.

How we lives our lives is NOT about being good, scripture says none of us are good, no not one. In (Luke 18:18-20) there was a ruler asked Jesus, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.” That’s pretty clear, pretty compelling.

Moralism tells us we need to be good, but being a Christian is not about being moralistic. Doing good works is the result of a changed heart, a transformation. Luther worried about doing good versus doing evil when he first became an Augustinian monk, but once her understood what Christ did his life totally changed, he was transformed.

Good works for Luther were the out growth of a transformed life, a changed heart.

In our second reading from Hebrews 13 we are given sort of a laundry list of what those good works might look like once our lives have been transformed.

Here is what the other 6 days might look like for someone who has been transformed by the Spirit of God.

• V1 Show mutual love, we already spoke about that.
• V2 is we need to Show hospitality to strangers,
• V3Remember those who are in prison,
• V4Let marriage be held in honor by all,
• V5Keep your lives free from the love of money,
• V7, imitate the lives of the faithful,
• V15 continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God,
• V16Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

These are all marks of discipleship, marks of a transformed life. I believe Mother Teresa called this faithfulness in love.

As Jesus revealed what the kingdom of God might look like to his followers, either through parable or story, it was never what we, or the world, expected.

Some of us seem to be trapped in a world where only the strongest and most cunning survive. We are trapped in a place where self-exaltation is more than just vanity, it is a necessity, however, in the end, our world becomes smaller. Yet the kingdom of God that Jesus ushers forth calls us to humility and gracious hospitality to the poor and broken.

Sabbath work is hard, but the other six days are harder still, therefore we need to learn how to be disciplined in the faith. Yesterday in our Leadership retreat we talked about marks of discipleship that help each of us remain disciplined in the faith. These were:

1. Prayer – pray continually, that was Jesus advice to his followers (Acts 10:2)
2. Study God’s word – as Lutheran’s we have a high regard for scripture (Ps 119:105)
3. Worship – v15 continually offer a sacrifice to God
4. Invite – How can people meet Christ if they never hear about him? (Rom 10:14-15)
5. Encourage – We are to be salt and light – support, come along side
6. Serve – Jesus calls each of us to serve in His kingdom (Luke 1:74)
7. Give – time, talent, and treasure – it’s part of our witness to the world

Jesus takes our perception of the world and flips it on its head. For most of us Jesus challenges how we see the world. Our lives are either more about us or about being open to the love of God who is already at work all around us.

It’s important the other six days that we remember we are living in the midst of resurrection and we need eyes of faith to see it, eyes that can only be given to us by Jesus Christ. So (Mt 5:16) Jesus said, “Let your light shine before people so they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Amen.

Sabbath Work from Good Shepherd Lutheran Church on Vimeo. Download this sermon.

Our gospel lesson today is about law and the gospel, about being crippled by pain versus standing up straight with joy, it’s about being bound by the past difficulties of life versus being freed or released by a new song of God’s grace in our lives.

When we think about Sunday, now I’m using our idea of Sunday interchangeably with the idea of Sabbath so keep that in mind, when we think about Sunday or Sabbath what pictures come to mind. Do we think about the old grind? Do we drag ourselves out of bed, fight with the kids to get them ready, and become frustrated in needing to find clothes appropriate for Sunday service. Is the Sabbath just a lot of work for you?

Is the Sabbath/Sunday about the singing, the preaching, the listening to God’s Word, the prayers, the socializing, the chatting with friends who you only see on Sundays?

The idea of Sabbath comes from two areas or traditions mentioned in the Old Testament. In Exodus 20 we see Sabbath linked to the first creation story in Genesis. God created the world in six days and on the seventh day he rested from his labor. God provided us with an example; a pattern to follow that could provide rest not only for humans, but also for animals.

Now, mind you I haven’t talked to any animals lately so I don’t know if animals actually keep a Sabbath, however animals do have a rhythm they follow that provides them with rest.

In Deuteronomy 5 we see another pattern for the Sabbath being developed. This time it relates to the exodus out of Egypt, it is related to liberty, to freedom, to a release from bondage or a deliverance from captivity. In both instances God says, “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.”

Jesus in our gospel lesson today seems to be relating more to this second idea of Sabbath than to the exodus tradition. This woman who had been bound for 18 years was released from captivity, being freed from a debilitating condition.

Jesus asks the hypothetical question, shouldn’t this woman who was “Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the Sabbath day?”

However, the leader of the synagogue had another agenda, another idea because he was operating from a different perspective a different view of life. He was concerned about keeping the rules or the law in this case as if the law saves. It does NOT!

Laws can be good things, but sometimes after we’ve created a law or a rule we have a hard time remembering back to why it was so important to make that rule or law at that time.

Most of you know I was born and raised in Minnesota. There are some laws on the books back home that I sometimes wonder about. Next time you are in Minnesota remember, it is illegal for you/someone to cross state lines with a duck on your/their head. Also be aware that there is law that declares their state bird, the mosquito is a nuisance. Duh…. Just kidding about the state bird.

I’m sure there was good intention behind these laws; however is it important that they be observed? Now I’m not making fun of law, Jesus came to fulfill the law not abolish it. (Mt 5:17)
In Lutheran theology we see three uses of the law from scripture as we understand it.

• 1st use – Curb – the law restrains, it forces discipline, most law is created for civil order.
• 2nd use – Mirror – the law also informs of or acts a mirror and shows us that we are not perfect.
• 3rd use – Rule – once we are regenerate the law brings greater truth into our lives, it helps us know and keep the will of God. The law provides truth in our lives.

There will be a quiz latter so I hope you are taking good notes.

Anyway we see this constant tension throughout scripture between the law and the gospel and our text today is a good example of seeing how these two juxtaposed ideas can exist. Just because some laws are bad does not mean that the law does not have a purpose. If there were no law how would we know that we have sinned. Law can be a civil rule or a natural principle.

Some areas of natural law are easy to spot. We don’t cut in lines. We don’t take another persons spouse. We don’t kill. Etc. the law does have a purpose.

Now for the rest of the story, as Paul Harvey would say, there is a lot more going on here.

Walter Wink, in his book Engaging the Powers, talks about Jesus’ action as more of a revolution than a rebellion. Here Jesus tries to wake people up, to jolt them into understanding the kind of life God wants for them. Jesus healing was shocking. Jesus often talked about a Kingdom of God where people were valued equally and everyone had dignity in their being.

In this surprising story Jesus breaks at least six strict cultural rules. Remember in the context of the day, society was patriarchal and women were not honored as they are today.

1. In civilized society, Jewish men did not speak to women. Remember the story in John 4 where Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well. She was shocked because a Jew would speak to a Samaritan. But when the disciples returned, the Scripture records, “They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman?” In speaking to this women in the Synagogue, v12 Jesus jettisons the male restraints on women’s freedom. He liberates! This is Sabbath work.
2. In our story Jesus calls this woman to the center of the synagogue. v12 By placing her in the geographic middle, he challenges the notion of a male monopoly on access to knowledge and to God. He is inclusive and he frees all of us. This is Sabbath work.
3. Jesus touches her, v 13 which revokes the holiness code. That is the code which protected men from a woman’s uncleanness and from her sinful seductiveness. Jesus raises the level of a crippled woman to equality with everyone else there. Jesus makes us all equal. This is Sabbath work.
4. Jesus calls her “daughter of Abraham,” v16, a term not found in any of the prior Jewish literature. This is revolutionary because it was believed that women were saved through their men. To call her a daughter of Abraham is to make her a full-fledged member of the nation of Israel with equal standing before God. Jesus gives us standing in the world. This is Sabbath work.
5. Jesus heals on the Sabbath, the holy day. In doing this Jesus demonstrates God’s compassion for people over ceremony, and he reclaims the Sabbath for the celebration of God’s astounding goodness. Jesus elevates mercy over law. This is Sabbath work.
6. Lastly, Jesus challenges the ancient belief that her illness is a direct punishment from God for sin. He asserts that she is ill, not because God willed it, but because there is evil in the world. (In other words, bad things happen to good people.) And Jesus did all this in a few seconds. Jesus acknowledges evils exists. This is Sabbath work.

Whether we come together for rest or for Sabbath celebration, Sabbath work is about liberation, about freedom, about being set free from sin death and the power of evil in this world.

So I ask you, what might be crippling you today? What is keeping you from breathing in that sweet, fresh goodness of God that’s available at the altar of God’s forgiveness?

Did you know that liturgy is called the work of the people? Liturgy, speaking God’s name, calling on God for forgiveness is Sabbath work. God makes us free through Sabbath work. God transforms us through Sabbath work. Be transformed today through this Sabbath workout.

Sabbath/Sunday is about freedom to breathe, freedom to taste and see that God is good. If Sunday has become a day of obligation, a day of stress, a day of resignation, than you need to recalibrate.

At one point in my earlier life I worked as a Quality Control Manager for Varco Oil tools. The manufacturing facility is not far from here in Orange. They make tools for drilling the deepest of wells, sometimes 2 – 3 – 4 miles below the surface. When you are drilling you use drill pipe to bore the hole and there is a drill bit at the head of the drill string. When you put miles of drill string together it is very heavy, 100’s of tons in fact.

One of my duties was to oversee the testing of some of the drill string tools. We would setup mock conditions where we would put the unit under extreme pressure and we would use strain gages on the equipment to see if the metal would fail. Every time we’d do a test we would have to recalibrate the equipment. Recalibration was essential to everything we did in QC.

So, as your spiritual QC manager, do you need to recalibrate, how do you understand Sabbath work? God frees us through acts of worship and confession. Our lives become recalibrated each week through acts of worship and confession. Without it, we may fail the test, the pressure that we are put under each week is very tough and the world very much tests each of us.

1 Peter 5:8 – says be sober, be watchful the adversary prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. Remember Sabbath work, get recalibrated so you can survive, be renewed.

Look at the impact Jesus had on the life of this woman who was crippled. It was a mighty act of God that gave her freedom, it liberated her, this daughter of Abraham.

Our God, the Lord of sea and sky is calling you once again, how will you respond?

Amen

From Membership to Discipleship to Mission from Good Shepherd Lutheran Church on Vimeo.
Download this sermon.

Stretching south for hundreds of miles from Glacier National Park in northern Montana we see massive valleys, mighty streams, and majestic mountains. The area is called the Bob Marshall Wilderness and is a favorite of backpackers, hikers, as well as some elk, a few grizzlies and some golden eagles. Fortunately, the grizzlies stay up in the high country, but you can see the golden eagles soaring, and you may see a spotted and elusive wolverine from time to time.

The Bob Marshall Wilderness hosts some 90,000 packers and hikers each year, most of them in the months of July and August. They must come in either by foot or horseback. No motorized vehicles are allowed. The forests on those rugged mountain slopes are thick with Lodgepole Pine, a tough, hardy tree with cones so thick that only extreme heat can burst forth the seeds.

For thousands — perhaps millions of years — lightning has cracked in the big sky out there down to the forests below. (Often the lightning will hit the Douglas Firs, less rugged than the Lodgepole Pines, and a forest fire will begin.) For years, of course, the United States Forest Service fought furiously to put out these fires. More recently, they have adopted a policy of managed fires. They have learned these fires have a purpose. Without them the seeds of the Lodgepole Pines are never released. The earth needs a fire cast on it or it will die.

Jesus, speaking to Peter, that blustery, Lodgepole Pine kind of a man, said, “Peter, I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” What did Jesus mean?

Jesus knew that Peter, like all of his disciples, was a wilderness that needed fire or he would die. Peter needed the fire of God’s Word to keep his heart from freezing over and to keep the passion of his soul from cooling down.

Today we are going to talk about maintenance then move to membership and then to mission.

We all know about maintenance. This past week a lift was brought in to fix one of the overhead lights in the sanctuary. Now at least all the lights will come on, however they are not fully repaired and will require more work. This church, the facilities have a lot of maintenance requirements.

Jesus, in this 12th chapter of Luke has been dealing with lots of maintenance issues in the life of a Christian. Last Sunday we talked about laying up treasures in heaven, about planning ahead, about maintaining the right focus as a Christian. The prior Sunday we talked about prayer, staying connected to God and how we should pray. The Sunday before that we spoke about the Good Samaritan, loving our neighbor and giving aid to the lost and dying.

These are all important things, there what we do after we say, ‘I believe.’ Jesus wanted his followers to maintain their sense of identity, their sense of commitment to God, but now Jesus is saying there’s more to being a Christian than worrying about the carpeting, changing the light bulbs, or watering the lawn.

Those are good things, but Jesus said, “I (have come) came to bring fire to the earth.”

Rev Michael W. Foss, in his book Power Surge, says the membership model of the American Protestant church came from an adaptation of the village church system as it was know in western Europe before the 20th century. The pastor served to provide spiritual direction for important life passages such as, birth, confirmation, marriage, critical illness, and death. This model has been pretty consistent even through the 1950’s and 60’s.

Congregations provided social and spiritual connectedness and church was a place to meet others with whom we had something in common, often our immigrant heritage. A number of years ago I was talking with a pastor about evangelism and outreach and I asked him about his efforts in this area. He said to me, “Oh, we are a church of Scandinavian and German transplants from the Midwest. We’re happy with that model; it seems to work for us.”

Perhaps that model used to work, however, the changing cultural context and emphasis we see on a secular world which we see today have forced a displacement of Christianity from the center of the individual and community life to the periphery and in turn this has caused a mutation in the membership model.

When I grew up our country church was the focal point for everything we did. Everyone in our community was a member of that local church. This model does not exist today, especially in urban environments where secularism reigns.

According to Rev Foss “The greatest weakness of the membership model has been the loss, over time, of its vision for mission of the church.” So not only has the church lost its status as the focal point of the community it has lost its understanding of what it means to be church, the community of faith, the center for our spiritual life.

Bill Easum, Lutheran Pastor and noted sociologist and lecturer has said, “Most mainline and established churches are dying because they only try to take care of their members. Three out of four will close over the next 25-30 years ….. Most mainline churches are already irrelevant to the needs of postmodern people.”

It is no wonder we see statistics such as this from major surveys that have been done:

• 91 percent of all households in the US own at least one Bible
• 80 percent of adults name the Bible as the most influential book in human history
• Yet only 38 percent of adults read the Bible in any given week
• 96 percent of adults believe in God
• 93 percent believe in the virgin birth
• Only 39 percent say Jesus did not have a physical resurrection
• 62 percent say that the Holy Spirit is NOT real
• 56 percent say a good person can earn his/her way into heaven
• And still 72 percent of those polled say that they are church members

Jesus said, “49I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!”

A teenage girl at summer camp was torn between two sets of friends. Some of them were sunbathing on the dock, saying to her “stay with us.” But her other friends were in a rowboat saying “no, come with us.” She stood, one foot on the dock, the other foot on the edge of the boat, and the boat was moving. Trying to appease everyone, trying to not decide, she ended up falling into the water; and worse, her hair got wet!

The membership model is no longer effective, if we hope to remain relevant we must move from membership to discipleship. This is what Jesus is addressing in the gospel lesson today. He is warning us that there will be times when following him will require us to turn away from something else. There will be times in this life when we will be required to say “yes” to one thing, and therefore “no” to the other.

We cannot go in both directions at once. We try to say “yes” to it all, and we end up falling in between the canoe and the dock, and we will end up miserable.

Jesus message for the disciples was startling, it was bold. “51Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!” This is dangerous talk! Moving from membership to mission requires discipleship, it requires commitment, it requires that we say no to some things and yes to other things.

Jesus’ words regarding separation occurring in families is startling, for most of us we can’t believe it, because it’s so bold. However, let’s look at some of our models down through history.

Thank God for those free thinkers throughout Christendom who have brought fire upon the earth, the early Church and the Catholic Church.

Martin Luther, who called the church back to a Gospel which emphasized grace rather than works. John Wyclif and William Tyndale, who against the wishes of church leadership produced the Bible in the language of the people. William Wilberforce, against the will of many within the church, fought the evil ravages of the institution of slavery. Thank God for a women who we celebrate today. Mary, the mother of Jesus, what grit, what determination, what willingness to be transformed by the work of the Holy Spirit in her life.

These people were trouble makers. Thinkers. Applecart shakers. Men who muddied the water just like Jesus. Heroes of the faith, we now call them, because they were not afraid of division for the sake of the gospel. They knew Jesus did not come to bring peace but a sword.

In other words: Truth. God’s truth is like that. It is a double edged sword. What sounds like peace, the peace that Christ gives, really isn’t peace as the world would have it. It is peace as God would have it. He wants us to have the peace that exists between us and Him.

Jesus uses very strong language in our reading today, he says, “56You hypocrites!” He called the people around him hypocrites because they couldn’t interpret (or maybe wouldn’t interpret) Jesus sense of intensity in regards to the kingdom of God. Can we? Can you/we understand the difference between membership and discipleship? Pay, pray, and get out of the way is over!

Jesus came to bring fire to the earth to force us out of our cone of silence. Jesus brings new life, once again in bread and wine, we need to die to sin and rise with Christ so we can be transformed, sanctified in the one true faith. It’s not about us; it’s about Christ’s work in us, it’s about the transforming work that Christ performed on the cross in mission to the world.

Allow God to start in your heart and live that transformed life today. Live like Jesus can make a difference in your family, in your community, and certainly in this church, because he can.

Amen

Trusting In God’s Promise from Good Shepherd Lutheran Church on Vimeo. Download this sermon.

There was a woman who is buried under 150-year-old live oak trees in the cemetery of an Episcopal church in rural Louisiana. In accordance with this woman’s instructions, only one word is carved on the tombstone: “Waiting.”

Our gospel text opens this morning with “32Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

Are you waiting with anticipation or fear for God’s kingdom to be fully realized in this world? When God’s kingdom is finally implemented in all its glory will you be part of that implementation plan?

Jesus said we need to be ready, anticipating, making purses that do not wear out, meaning that we to build treasures in heaven where no thief can steal or no moth can destroy; anything less than this is foolishness. And yet, most often we don’t live this way, do we?

God has a message for us this morning, it’s a message of hope and not disaster. Part of God’s message is contained in the first verse of the text. God is telling us not to be afraid, but more importantly God is telling us that the kingdom of God is at hand and the Father, the God of all creation finds pleasure in offering us the kingdom.

In the beginning God created, God’s history, as we know it from Genesis the first book in the Bible, we see even before we come to know Abram as Abraham we hear God’s message – “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield.” God wants the best for us, even we don’t know what that best may be.

Abram was fretting over God’s promise that God would give them (him and Sarah) a son, an heir. Abram said you have given me no offspring and I am old and Sarah, the text says, was barren and how could a son come “from one person, and this one as good as dead.”

Sometimes in our lives we are as good as dead before we are resurrected by God. I know of a man who felt as good as dead. His business was going no where, the funding and support were falling away, he was discouraged, as good as dead, and yet God called him into a different line of work and God blessed that person who was as good as dead.

I don’t know about you, but for me life seems so much easier when we are in church, when we are kneeling at the altar, everything seems clear, but when we leave the altar for the door everything seems to change. Yes, life can be full of fear, full of dead ends, especially if we are questioning whether or not we are on the right road, the right path, the right passageway into God’s kingdom.

God’s good pleasure is to give us the kingdom. We have one passage in our gospel text today that can help us see, help us analize what path we are on. Look at verse 34, “34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Last week we talked about snoring, no not snoring, but storing up for ourselves treasures in heaven. Remember the rich fool who missed out on life because he had the wrong focus on what life was really all about?

As a pastor I have found that many people don’t like to talk about money, especially how they spend their money, but in terms of God’s kingdom how we spend our money gives us a clue about our heart, where our heart may be. “34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Jesus said it. Are we on the right path or does that path lead to the abyss?

Some of you know the church council has been challenged this past year to read the book, “Giving to God” by Mark Allan Powell. This book is all about the Bible’s “Good News” in learning how to live a generous life. It’s about learning how to live into God’s kingdom here on earth. Sometimes we call this stewardship, but it’s more about being freed up to live as God intended us to live.

Historically, from the beginning of man we’ve heard stories about sacrifice, about showing God that we are thankful for what we are given in this life. In ancient Israel as a community gathered to celebrate they would pour out ‘drink offerings” on an altar. Some would bring sheaves of grain, others would bring small animals or birds and they were placed on the altar as a sacrifice.

Early sacrificial rules could be fairly complex, but the point is that people have given what they valued to God from the beginning of time. Obviously, that concept of giving has changed over thousands of years, but it doesn’t negate the inherent principle that giving to God is an act of worship.

Where am I going with this? Love is involved in giving. Love for God, being thankful to God drives our giving to God. “34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Giving to God, where we spend our time, talent and treasure is where our heart will end up also, it’s where it will be.

Our checkbook tells us what our first love in life is or will be in the future. I hate to break in down into such simple terms, but you see this formula over and over again in scripture.
Remember the poor woman who put a very small amount into the coin box at the temple. What did Jesus say? “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; 4 for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.” (Luke 21:2-4) She was building up her treasure in heaven.

Her love for God, her anticipation of wanting God’s kingdom to surround her, envelop her, encircle her, enfold her was so great she gave all she had to live on. The message is not the amount, but the message is about the sacrifice. She was ushering in God’s kingdom.

We saw this in the story of Zaccaeus the tax collector who sold half his wealth and gave it to the poor. It wasn’t the amount, we don’t even know what that was, but it was about the sacrifice, the love he was showing to God that paints this Rembrant for us.

Jesus said, ““34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Both of these examples show us where their hearts were, and where their lives were heading in the future. There’s no magic here, just look at your checkbook and you can see where you are going.

So this way of living, selling “your possessions,” and giving alms is good for some people. Making “purses for yourselves that do not wear out, and an unfailing treasure in heaven” that’s good for some people, maybe those Jesus freaks or disciples of Christ, but I don’t know if this message is for me. This sounds like radical Christianity, after all I’m a Lutheran.

If wasn’t in our text this morning, but look at the next verse in Luke 12:41. Impetus Peter, Peter the questioning one, look what he asks Jesus, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for everyone?”

Jesus of course responds with, those who are faithful understand what I am saying, in addition look at verse 48, “From everyone to who much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.”

These are bold, scary words for people who live in the most affluent society ever.

Follow the money, I’m sure you’ve heard that statement before. It’s used in detective shows, it’s used by senators or representatives when talking about scandal, it should also be used by most of us when we start looking at our own lives in a serious way.

Where are we and where are we going? Should we anticipate God’s kingdom or the reverse? Look at your checkbook, you’ll pretty much answer that question for yourself.

These summer texts can be tough for some of us. They really focus in on the Christian life, how we live it and what God expects of us. However, let me take you back to our opening passage, “32Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

The point of almsgiving, is not to elevate poverty – circumstantial or chosen – but rather to extol generosity as a mark of Christian living. Similarly, the watchfulness Jesus commands is not an anxious anticipation of the end of the world, but rather an eager expectation of God’s consummation of history. What Jesus is commending is faith – faith that frees one to be generous; faith that enables one to leave anxiety behind; faith that creates in one confidence about a future secured not by human endeavor or achievement, but by God alone.

In our text, Jesus is just not holding out faith as a model and goal, or a standard by which to judge us. Rather, Jesus creates faith by announcing a promise: a promise we can trust. Like a parent who loves a children deeply and desperately and wants all good things for them, so it is our Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom, to pour out God’s love in your life.

Promises create a shared expectation about the future and bind together the giver and receiver of the promise in a sort of shared anticipation. Remember God and Abraham – Promises create relationship. Promises create hope. Promises create faith.

All of our instruction about the Christian life – whether about prayer, money, watchfulness, care of neighbor, and more – are therefore anchored in the gospel promise that it is, indeed, God’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom. Remembering – indeed, exalting in – this promise enables us not only to have faith, but to answer Peter’s question: is Jesus saying this to us or to everyone? Yes!

The essence of faith is worship and the essence of worship is sacrifice. Giving ourselves to God openly, completely, sacrificially is freeing, it’s inspirational, and it’s how God calls us to live even in this 21st century world. Yes we can, yes we can, yes we can trust in God’s promise.

Amen

Ecc 1:2, 12-14, 2:18-23
Ps 49:1-12
Col 3:1-11
Lk 12:13-21

There was a rich man…..
In our gospel lesson today Jesus talks about a rich land owner who is fortunate to be blessed by abundant crops. As a farmer, you pray that God will send the rain at the right time. You pray that God will bring out the sun so the crops will grow and mature. You pray that God will bless the work so that the harvest is plentiful.

There is nothing wrong with this. The land owner seems to blessed, so much so that he asks himself, “What should I do?” That’s a logical question for any of us that is being blessed by good business, by customers coming to buy our products, we thank God for that kind of prosperity. It is good. The logical question was “What should I do?”

So far the rich man is performing well. There’s no indication that he is not honest, not hard working, not a good planner for the future and his own future security. It sounds like he is wise about preparing for the future he says, “I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.”

This is good, may it be so for Good Shepherd. May God bless us with many visitors, with many people who God may be calling to be in this community of faith. We pray for visitors, we pray for people who wish to come, we pray that they will be blessed and then be a blessing to others. There is nothing wrong with God’s blessing of prosperity.

However, we need to take a closer look at our story to see what went so terribly wrong. When we look carefully at this story, in fact all three scripture readings today have similar elements, we see there are choices being made, some good, some not so good. There are three elements I want to deal with in regards to God’s call on our lives.

• Focus – What is the focus – not the Unholy Trinity of “me, myself, and I.”
• Failure – Jesus called this rich man a fool
• Faith – Stay focused not on failure, but on faith.

From Jesus’ perspective we need to stay focused on the right stuff, not failure, but faith.

Look at the text, starting in verse 17 – , “What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ 18Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I will say to my soul,”

What’s obvious about these statements? The focus of the rich man is on himself. What do we call this kind of person, narcissistic, right? Narcissism is a personality disorder characterized by an inflated sense of self-importance, a need for admiration, and extreme self-involvement.

I think at times all of us have a little streak of narcissism within us. In our country, our secular culture we are always being told to get a better car than the Jones’, we need a better house than the Jones’, wear better perfume and clothes than the Jones’ you deserve it. Everywhere you look there is a steady stream of advertising continually feeding our ego this ongoing message of dissatisfaction.
Someone asked John D. Rockefeller (of all people) “How much wealth does it take to satisfy a person?” He replied, “Just a little bit more.” The Romans had a proverb: “Money is like sea water; the more you drink, the thirstier you become.”

When our focus is not on God, not on the ideals and principles that Jesus taught while on earth we can get very sidetracked.

Henry Ford once asked an associate about his life goals. The man replied that his goal was to make a million dollars. A few days later Ford gave the man a pair of glasses made with two silver dollars for lenses. He told the man to put them on and asked what he could see. “Nothing,” the man said. “The dollars are in the way.” Ford told him that he wanted to teach him a lesson: If his only goal was dollars, he would miss a host of greater opportunities. He should invest himself in serving others, not simply in making money.

When focus is on money, when our main line of vision is on the Unholy Trinity of “me, myself, and I, we cannot be successful in God’s kingdom. It’s impossible.

Jesus calls this rich man a fool because he failed to focus on the right future. Jesus said, “You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you.” This man lost focus.

Acquiring wealth can be intoxicating. It’s a very subtle way for Satan to turn our heart away from God. Wealth is not wrong in itself, however, what we do with our wealth, whether we use it for good or for evil is a decision we make.

This rich man just built bigger barns, he was preparing for retirement, that’s ok isn’t it? We all need to prepare for retirement someday. The rich man said, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”

Jesus said, “You fool! this very night your life will be lost and you failed to store up for yourself treasures in heaven.”

There is an old, old story about a very wealthy man who died and went to heaven. An angel guided him on a tour of the celestial city. He came to a magnificent home. “Who lives there?” asked the wealthy man. “Oh,” the angel answered, “on earth he was your gardener.” The rich man got excited. If this was the way gardeners live, just think of the kind of mansion in which he would spend eternity.
They came to an even more magnificent abode. “Whose is this?” asked the rich man, almost overwhelmed. The angel answered, “She spent her life as a missionary.” The rich man was really getting excited now.
Finally they came to a tiny eight-by-eight shack with no windows and only a piece of cloth for the door. It was the poorest home the rich man had ever seen. “This is your home,” said the angel. The wealthy man was flabbergasted. “I don’t understand. The other homes were so beautiful. Why is my home so tiny and rundown?”
The angel smiled sadly. “I’m sorry,” he said, “We did all we could with what you sent us to work with.”

The rich man lost focus and failed because he had faith in the wrong thing.

In our second reading from Paul’s letter to the Colossian Church he said, 2Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. Paul is passing along the same advice that Jesus gives us in our gospel lesson.

So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Being able to do this is a matter of faith.

There was a rich man who lost focus, failed in his mission, he did not have faith in God’s promises.

Now maybe you are saying to yourself, well I’m not a rich man or a rich woman. Perhaps most of us think of ourselves in that vain, however, let’s try to put this in perspective just for a moment.

From the standpoint of material wealth, we Americans have difficulty realizing how rich we are. Robert Heilbroner, who has written dozens of books on the subject of the economy, suggest that we go through a little mental exercise that will help us count our blessings. Imagine doing the following, and you will see how daily life is for more than a billion people in the world. Some say half the world lives this way.

1. Take out all the furniture in your home except for one table and a couple of chairs. Use blanket and pads for beds.
2. Take away all of your clothing except for your oldest dress or suit, shirt or blouse. Leave only one pair of shoes.
3. Empty the pantry and the refrigerator except for a small bag of flour, some sugar and salt, a few potatoes, some onions, and a dish of dried beans.
4. Dismantle the bathroom, shut off the running water, and remove all the electrical wiring in your house.
5. Take away the house itself and move the family into the tool shed.
6. Place your “house” in a shantytown.
7. Cancel all subscriptions to newspapers, magazines, and book clubs. This is no great loss because now none of you can read anyway.
8. Leave only one radio for the whole shantytown.
9. Move the nearest hospital or clinic ten miles away and put a midwife in charge instead of a doctor.
10. Throw away your bankbooks, stock certificates, pension plans, and insurance policies. Leave the family a cash hoard of ten dollars.
11. Give the head of the family a few acres to cultivate on which he can raise a few hundred dollars of cash crops, of which one third will go to the landlord and one tenth to the money lenders.
12. Lop off twenty-five or more years in your life expectancy.

By comparison how rich we are! And with our wealth comes responsibility. We should use it wisely, not be wasteful, and help others.

Paul again from Colossians addresses spiritual degradation and lack of focus. “8But now you must get rid of all such things — anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. 9Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices 10and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator.”

Our God wants us to stay focused not on our failures, but faith. We need to be careful not to get caught up in secular ways of the world. So far, we’ve talked about God’s expectation, the law, this what God demands of us, stay focused.

Paul said it this way, “6On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. Jesus said it this way, “21So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”

How do we store up treasures in heaven? How do we become renewed in the image of the creator? Faith – Accept God’s grace. It is grace through faith that allows us to being renewed in the image of the creator. How, faith comes through hearing God’s Word proclaimed. (Rom 10:17)

God has called us through baptism, through listening to God’s Word, through prayer, through worship, through singing, through being sanctified, through receiving bread and wine at God’s table of grace.

The good thing is these things we do, the actions we take keep us connected to God and they also keep our focus on God. It’s not magic, what we believe in we make time for. Focus not on failure, but on faith.

People that go on mission trips to serve others, people who spend time visiting or helping others, people who are active in serving in the church usually stay focused on God and God sanctifies and preserves them in the one true faith. Pay it forward, don’t be a fool!

Amen

Gen 18:20-32
Ps 85:13
Col 2:6-19
Lk 11:1-13

Over the past few months I have been talking to folks individually and in committee meetings about the importance and need for us to be a praying church. Lutherans, in a very general sense, seem to want pastors who are prayers-in-chief, however, from our gospel lesson today (Luke 11:1-13) we see that the disciples, although they admired Jesus gift of praying they wanted to learn how to pray as Jesus did.

On this one occasion after Jesus had finished praying in a certain place they asked him, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Let us pray as we begin this morning.

Lord God, you have shown us that your Son Jesus was called to be the way, the truth, and the life. Abraham prayed for the people of Sodom, Moses prayed for the people of Israel, and Jesus prayed for deliverance at Gethsemane, however, Jesus said, “Not my will, but thine be done.” We ask this morning individually and collectively, not my will, but thine be done so that the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable to you O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen

In a book by Leonard Griffith called Barriers to Christian Belief he brings to the forefront what he called real obstacles and stumbling blocks for people of faith. One of the more significant ones was unanswered prayer. Part of the problem he discovered is that people become discouraged and feel a great sense of failure in their prayer life. How about you, do you really have a tremendous prayer life? Mine varies a lot, one day good another day not so good.

Naturally, this experience leads to other questions about prayer. “How does one pray?”, “When does one pray?”, “What should one pray for?”, “Is there a special formula for prayer?” These are all important questions for us to explore, but first let me tell you about some misconceptions, misunderstandings in regards to prayer.

There was a Peanuts cartoon some years ago where Charlie Brown is kneeling beside his bed with Lucy for prayer. He suddenly stops praying and turns to Lucy, “I think I’ve just made a significant theological discovery, yes, a breakthrough. If you hold your hands upside down when you pray, you get the opposite of what you pray for.”

Yes, there are some real misunderstandings about prayer:

• A clergy person’s prayer is not better than a lay person’s prayer (Matt 6:6-9)
• Church is not the only place to pray – pray continually ( I Thess 5:16-18)
• Flowery words and phrases are not required – Spirit intercedes (Rom 8:26)
• Prayer to God is not like rubbing a magic lamp to get what you want (Matt 6:8)
• God answers all prayers, but the answer may be NO – pray for God’s will

By Jesus’ example and by the hundred’s of stories in scripture we know that God desires us to pray, and the disciples asked Jesus specifically to learn how to pray. The Lord’s Prayer is in two gospels, Matt 6:7-13 and in Luke 11:1-4. Jesus uses this prayer, which of course we now call the Lord’s Prayer to teach his followers how to pray.

What we are hearing today comes from God’s mouth, Jesus, to our ears. Jesus gave his disciples, and he gives us this example, this gift that shows us a great deal about God and God’s desire for each of us in this world.

In confirmation, through the study of Luther’s Small Catechism we see that the Lord’s Prayer is broken down into an introduction and seven petitions. Follow along with me as we look at each section so we can better understand prayer as Jesus taught it.

In our gospel text this morning Jesus starts off with, “Father, hallowed be your name.” However, in the Matt 6:9 text we see the more familiar beginning, “Our Father who art in heaven.”

Some of us in this life may not have had father’s that we can look up to, or admire, or appreciate so for some folks the use of the word father here gets in the way. In the context of the way Jesus used this term πατήρ, pater, the term means parent/s, or ancestor, leader so if that’s helpful think of it in that way. Jesus sometimes uses the term Abba in scripture, which is more of a term of endearment; however in Luke this is more a term of reverence, of respect than a term like daddy, which is more familial.

Part of that comes through with the very next word, hallowed in the Luke text. In the Matthew text Jesus uses a frame of reference, – “who art in heaven.” Either way Jesus tenderly invites us to be in connection with God. When you pray do you sense that connection?

Jesus wants us to know that we are true children of God so that we can act with confidence and boldness as we come before God. (1 John 3:1) See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Sometimes we can feel like outsiders, even in church, but here, especially when we pray we are to feel like a child of God, someone called into the faith by God for a reason. Paul told the Roman church (Rom 8:15-16) that when God called them they received a Spirit of sonship, the Spirit of God testifies with our spirit that we are truly God’s children.

Every time you begin the Lord’s pray, or any prayer for that matter, know that prayer is a reverent act because as we come before the God of all creation as a child. Look at verse 11-13 in the gospel text – Jesus emphasizes that God gives good gifts to his children.

The first petition, “Hallowed be thy name,” we’ve touch on it partly already, but when we hallow God we declare that God is holy, the name of God is holy. When we come to worship we hear God’s name being taught in truth and purity as we read scripture.

Living a life that reflects or mirrors Jesus life is also an act of hallowing God. Luther’s Small Catechism says that anyone who lives contrary to God’s Word profanes God. When we are sarcastic, mean spirited, ill-tempered, or act in ways to demean others we also profane God, we don’t hallow God. In (Psalm 103:1) it says we must Praise the Lord….

Hallowed be thy name is a call to action, a call to praise God in word and deed. A call to remind us as we pray we should acknowledge that we are speaking/listening to a holy God.

The Second Petition: “Thy/Your kingdom come” v2
Only a few words here, but they are packed with power. While on vacation Sharon and I would often stop to get cold coffee drinks, frappes. Now McDonald’s has frappes, however, the boldness of frappes in terms of coffee flavor varies dramatically from a Starbucks. In Minnesota they have Caribou Coffee and there frappes are much bolder than Starbucks. Thy kingdom come is a very bold statement.

Of course God’s kingdom will come without our petition, without our prayer, but we pray this so that God’s kingdom can boldly come to us also. We need that stiff frappe in this world because the world is a very tough place. (P183-185 Luther’s Small Catechism)

God’s kingdom is one of power, one of God’s ultimate will, but God wants us to receive it through the grace that’s offered. Grace comes to us through God’s Word, through the church, through Word and Sacrament, through friends and family, but we have to accept it. We pray for it to come.

The Third Petition: “Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matt 6:10)
This line is missing from the Luke text, but it is in Matt 6:10. Again I have to say the good and gracious will of God will come without our prayers, but again we pray this so that God’s will may sweep over our lives like a rainstorm that covers everything in it’s path. (Essential point)

God’s will; some say it hard to know God’s will. I couldn’t disagree more. God’s will is often talked about in scripture. (Deut 4:2, John 6:40, I Tim 2:4, 1 Thess 4:3) God wants all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. God wants everyone to believe in Him. God’s will is that you be sanctified in truth.

Ok, maybe you are saying to yourself that’s too general, however I would say to you if you are truly committed to the truth of God, to learn God’s ways, the way that Jesus taught in scripture most decisions in life become a lot easier.

If you are in God’s will than every motive, every action will glorify God. Let’s see, should I sell drugs to kids as a way to make a living? Pretty easy. Should I take a job that pays a lot, but takes me away from the family much of the time or should I take a job where I’m home a lot, but it pays less? A tougher question, but God’s Word can still help answer the question.

God’s will is revealed in scripture; if you really want to follow it, do whatever gives glory to God and what doesn’t, don’t do. As a human you have many personal decisions you can make where both of them or all of them can be God’s will playing out in your life.

Thy will be done – it’s a pray we need to pray everyday, every hour, every second.

The Fourth Petition: “Give us this day our daily bread.” (Luke 11:3)
God cares for us; God fulfills our needs each and every day. When George Johnson was here he talked about Bread for the World and I think he gave out bread for everyone. God gets it and certainly gives us food even when we don’t pray for it or give thanks for it. Rain falls on the evil and the good in this world so we know God provides everything. (Matt 5:45)

Some people if they have been born and raised only in the city I think lack an appreciation for how God provides daily bread. Farmers, people who live off the land have a whole different sense of how god provides because they are so dependent on God for everything.

Just take bread as an example. Where does bread come from, the store, but how did the bread get there. It came from a bakery where the wheat and other ingredients came together to be baked into bread. Where did the wheat come from, well it was grown on land, harvested and sent to the bakery. How did the wheat become wheat, well it was planted as seed, likely watered by God and owns it’s very germination process to God’s Spirit of life. Everything comes from God, we must be thankful for that.

The Fifth Petition: “Forgive us our debts/trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
This is all about asking for forgiveness and then passing that forgiveness forward to others. We don’t deserve to be forgiven, we know that we all sin and fall short of the glory of God. (Rom 3:23) We also know (Ps 28:13) anyone who conceals their sins does not prosper. (David in 2 Sam 7:4-16)

The Sixth/Seventh Petition: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matt 6:13) the Luke version – “And do not bring us to the time of trial.” We know from scripture that God temps no one. (James 1:13-14) We are tempted by our own evil desires, our own know it all attitude about life and what we should and should not do.

In this phrase we are asking God to guard us from the deceit in the world, from evil, and from trials that would bring us to despair and great shame. We know that tests come in this world, but God has promised us that no temptation has seized us that was not common to others.

Remember that God is faithful and he will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear. (1 Cor 10:12-13)

In this petition God assures us that He is faithful and protects us even when we are weak, because even then when we are weak god is strong.

So now let’s quickly go through the prayer and what we have learned from each petition so you can see what you have gained this morning.

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name – We are children of a holy God
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven – the bold Caribou frappe
Give us this day our daily bread – God blesses us so we can bless others and praise him
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors – We don’t deserve forgiveness, but ask
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil – God does not temp us, count on it
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever, Amen

Live life to the fullest, from God’s mouth to our ears, God empowers us, blesses us, feeds us, and forgives us.

Glorify God in all that you do, Amen.

Gen 18:1-10a
Col 1:15-28
Lk 10:38-42

Last week we covered an old familiar story about the “Good Samaritan.” Through that story we discovered that God expects us to be a good neighbor even to people that are not like us. The priest, the Levite, and the Samaritan all had an opportunity to serve God with compassion, and yet, only one of them did.

This week we are confronted with another familiar story about Mary and Martha, close friends of Jesus. In this story Mary sits at Jesus feet while Martha acts like Martha Steward and shows Jesus how skilled she is in the kitchen. Isn’t it good to be like Martha, after all she’s made a lot of money being the Tasmanian Devil of the kitchen.

At the start here I have to admit I’m a little more like Martha than Mary, but in our story Jesus says, “Mary has chosen the better part.” As Christians wanting to do the right thing I think we struggle as to when to be a Mary and when to be a Martha.

Some of you know I have been on something called “Walk to Emmaus,” which is very similar to the Lutheran Cursillo and also the Catholic Cursillo. The purpose of the weekend event is to prepare lay people to become effective leaders in the congregations or churches that they are a part of. On this weekend men go one weekend and women go the next weekend so that the focus can be totally on what Jesus said was the “better part.”

Once you go through a weekend you are given an opportunity to work the weekend. Each weekend event is supported by people who have gone on the weekend before, and you can work as many weekends as you like. While a pilgrim on the weekend everything is done for you, you can be the perfect Mary. People cook your food, organize and give all the talks, make your bed, lead some great singing, and guide you from event to event. No watches are allowed and the focus is totally on faith, on understanding God’s love for us.

The weekend very starkly points out the difference between a Mary, a pilgrim, someone focused only on an all knowing, loving, and omnipotent God who calls us into a faith relationship with himself. Now contrast this with a Martha type, a worker who toils behind the scenes to provide this once in a lifetime experience for the pilgrims. There have been very, very few times in my life that I have had an opportunity to be a Mary in this vain.

Walk to Emmaus or Cursillo is an amazing experience this side of heaven. It’s a grace experience that has been unmatched in my life. It was the closest experience I’ve ever had that gave me a small glimpse of what heaven might be like. If you ever have this opportunity to go on Cursillo I would encourage you to, as Jesus said ‘choose the better part.’

So, what can we learn as Christians, as followers of God if we are to choose the better part? What does choosing the better part mean in this life?

Ed Stetzer in his book Transformational Church says that choosing the better part is not about trying harder or having a better life; it’s not about simple moralism, if we think that, we are totally missing the point. The gospel message is not some try to be good, low-level therapeutic formula that makes life better or makes you a better person.

Jesus said it and I believe it, the change people need most is not in their circumstances, but in their heart. Transformation occurs not because we “do,” but because Christ has “done.”

There are two things I want you to grasp about choosing the better part today.
• Choosing the better part starts with new life, not just a new leaf
• Choosing the better part means letting go and letting God be your guide

Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians 5:17, said Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation, old things have passed away, behold all things are new, my words. This choosing of the better part means that Christ has reconciled us to himself and given us the ministry of reconciliation to the world.

As the old parts of our life pass away God creates something new. Paul said it this way in our second reading, verses 21-22 – 21And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him, before God!

Paul says we must become ambassadors for Christ. (2 Cor 5:20) What is an ambassador? Well, many years ago, when I was a student at the Lutheran Bible Institute there was a group of students who wanted to go around southern California and provide special music to local congregations. This group called themselves ‘Ambassadors for Christ.’ They wanted to share the gospel, they wanted to be a witness as to what Christ had done and was doing in their lives.

This experience of sharing the gospel wasn’t about turning over a new leaf, it wasn’t about deciding to be a better person, or trying harder, it was about taking a new path because of a changed life. It was about being reconciled to God because each person was aware that they had become a new creation through God’s unmerited favor.

God is calling you this morning to choose the better part, choose a life changed from the ground up by God’s grace through faith. Mary chose the better part and received Jesus’ attention.

Choosing the better part also means letting go of the past, of old things, of hostility, letting go of sarcasm, letting go of mean spirited behavior. We must remember that rules can attempt to modify behavior, but only the gospel can impart new life.

Letting go of distracting tasks and worries as Mary did in our story is the only way that allows room for God to work in your life. Worry – what is it? One person described worry this way, worry is “a small trickle of fear that meanders through the mind until it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained.”

Sometimes letting go of the ‘old Adam’, the old thoughts, the old ways, the worries of life can be challenging and even frightening. Once again Jesus has some advice for us on this topic. Turn with me to Matt 6 starting at verse 28. (Matt 6:28-34 NLT)

Jesus said, “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.” (Matt 6:28 NLT)

You may be saying, ok that is a trite saying that doesn’t really reflect my reality. Perhaps not, however Jesus was very clear to point out here that worrying about clothes, what you will eat or what you will drink is actually a matter of faith. Jesus words, “Why do you have so little faith?” (v 30)

There are dozens of times in the gospels where Jesus tells his followers “Don’t worry” or don’t let worry steal the joy out of life from you.

If you let go of your worry, the distractions in your life, what then, what can you hang onto?

When Martha came to complain about Mary she said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” 41But the (Jesus) Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; 42there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”

The better part cannot be taken from us. Hold on to what Jesus says is really important in life, hold on to the promises of God, the knowledge that God’s grace is sufficient and His strength is made perfect in our weakness. When we are weak, God is strong!

By your effort, your action to come here this morning you have chosen the better part. Jesus told Martha that, “Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”

God’s grace can’t be taken from you, God’s grace is bountiful; it overflows our lives and permeates our very being. God’s grace causes a transformation in us that is NOT just about turning over a new leaf, we receive new life.

As Martha Steward might have say, ‘Wake up and smell the coffee!’ Notice one last thing about choosing the better part. In our gospel text it was about the present. As Lutheran we believe that God’s kingdom has come, however it has not fully taken hold.

I mentioned Cursillo as the closest thing to heaven I have experienced, why was that? It was because God’s kingdom was fully embraced by the workers and the pilgrims and it felt like God’s kingdom was near, it was in my heart.

Here’s what Jesus said about God’s kingdom, turn to Luke the 17th chapter v21, Some Pharisees asked Jesus when the Kingdom of God would come. His answer was, “The Kingdom of God does not come in such a way as to be seen. 21No one will say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’; because the Kingdom of God is within you.” Grab hold of it, embrace it!

Let go of the past, the distractions, the worries that take you off course and let God be your guide. Hold on to God, hold on to the power in God’s promise now and it will be yours forever.

Amen

Deut 30:9-14
Col 1:1-14
Lk 10:25-37

Who Is Our Neighbor? from Good Shepherd Lutheran Church on Vimeo.
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A lawyer stood up to test Jesus; this is how our story starts or begins today. We don’t want to give lawyers a bad name, they do a pretty good job of that on their own. However, just a couple of thoughts to put this into perspective this morning….

What’s the difference between a lawyer and a terrorist?
You can negotiate with a terrorist.

Or…..

How can you spot a lawyer or for that matter a politician walking down the street?
He/she will have their hands in someone else’s pockets.

As I said, lawyers have been getting a bad rap, albeit in many instances well deserved, however, the lawyer we come across today in the gospel text is inquisitive, thoughtful, thought provoking, and yes challenging. As we begin this encounter, let us pray for insight and understanding….

Lord, we are here today to listen to your Word. We are here to learn, to question, we desire new insights into how we can love you more deeply, and our neighbor more completely. Send you Holy Spirit upon us now so that our hearts will be open and our lives changed. Amen

After the lawyer asks the question “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus does what most experienced Rabbis do; he asks a question in response to the inquiry. Jesus says, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?”

If you were asked that question this morning, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” what would your answer be? What do you believe? Do you have an answer?

The lawyer in this case, likely wanting to show his own wisdom of the law answers by willingly regurgitating a summary of writings from (Leviticus 19:18 and Duet 6:5). Jesus himself has often gone back to these texts especially when confronted with questions about the law. (Matt 22:37-40)

The lawyer’s answer, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”

Now, if we all believed this, if we all lived this way, I could stop here and we could all go home to practice what we preach. Obviously, Jesus thought this was a good answer. He even says, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”

The lawyer, a little too smart for his own good, doesn’t take this at face value, but continues to demonstrate what he thinks is wisdom, and asks, “And who is my neighbor?”

What an opening, what an opportunity for Jesus to answer the question more clearly however this question makes all of us feel a little uncomfortable. Remember this story, it’s an old story, the story of the ‘Good Samaritan.”

I’m sure most of you have heard it, if not once perhaps a dozen times. It’s a story that makes most religious people feel uncomfortable, and often folks are a little confused by it. I think it’s important that we put this story in context.

Jesus said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho.” Since this man was going from Jerusalem to Jericho it’s likely to assume this man was Jewish. This walk or trip would be one of a rocky, winding, treacherous descent of about 3,300 feet in about 17 miles. That stretch of road was notorious for being beset with thieves and danger.

Now for some this may not sound like it was too steep, 3,300 feet in 17 miles, but it’s a pretty good decline. Sharon and I drove through both Bryce canyon and Zion canyon on our way back from Minnesota earlier this week so we are aware of elevation changes relating to distance. The change we might see here would be more like some of the changes you would see on Hwy 15 driving between Las Vegas and Barstow. Hot, rocky, desolate, and if there were no paved road, it would be a nasty walk through this kind of place.

In this area there were no police. It would be an area like some of the regions in northern Afghanistan or Pakistan, lawless, maybe dominated by Taliban type folks who were very tribal in nature. It would not be unusual for someone traveling alone to be accosted or challenged. Jesus said this man fell into the hands of robbers, being stripped, beaten, and left half dead. This is not a pretty sight. Imagine yourself on such a walk, how do you feel?

A priest comes by, a man of God, a man of the cloth, surely he would help. Well, maybe he’s on his way to services and doesn’t have time to stop or help. Certainly, he can’t defile himself.

Next a Levite comes by, a member of the tribe of Levi; someone who surely knows what the right thing to do would be, after all he has a connection with OT law. A Levite would have been someone who assisted the priests in the temple, in our case an assisting minister, someone who appears righteous to others. Maybe he/she didn’t have time to get involved. Maybe they were late for work or an appointment or just didn’t want to get involved.

Last we see a Samaritan, an inhabitant of Samaria comes by. There was significant hostility between Jews and Samaritans. Jews didn’t think much of Samaritans. They were a mixed group, they did not honor God, they worshiped idols, had strange ideas about the world.

This might be like the relationship between Jews and Palestinians today. There is no affection, no concern, no love between these two groups of people. A Jew, beaten, half dead, that’s a good thing, leave him for the birds to pick apart, leave him rot along the road.

Jesus is making a point here, he’s forcing the lawyer to think more deeply about who is his neighbor. The lawyer asked in a cocky and arrogant manner, “And who is my neighbor?”

This is a question for us to ponder this morning, who is our neighbor? For some their may be a easy answer, everyone, but for many of us we think our neighbor is someone who looks like us, seems like us, talks like us, and lives like us.

Jesus turns this idea on its head stating that a Samaritan, someone hated by the Jew acts kindly toward the Jew. So, try to put yourself in the place of the Jew, beaten down, half dead, struggling with life, struggling with making it in this world. I think we can all relate to that position at one point in our life.

The world is often not kind to people. The world, because of sin can pound us; beat us into the rocky ground under the hot sun. Sin can strip us and remove our dignity so we are left for dead along the road of life. It’s not a good place to be.

Now look at the other side. Maybe God has blessed you, given you special favor, a good life, a comfortable home, good family and friends, but you see someone else who has been beaten down and left for dead. What do you do? Who is your neighbor?

Suraj Magar asks this question regularly. Suraj works as a missionary in a small village in Nepal, in the Himalayan Mountains. http://www.gfa.org/videos/ Twice he has awoken to find the hut that he was in was buried in snow. He came from a place where there was little or no snow so this was a terrifying experience for him, yet he did not stop bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ to this remote place. Beaten down, stripped of his dignity he continued on.

There was a time when the villagers wrote out an excommunication document for him and all Christians in that village, but this did not stop him. Suraj continued being a good neighbor and showed love for others in the community. It took two years for the hearts of the leaders to soften and accept Suraj and his word of hope before they allowed him to be embraced and accepted into the community. An outsider stayed the course and poured oil and wine on the injuries of those who were beaten down in this village.

Who is your neighbor? Maybe your life is not dramatic or difficult like Suraj’s life, but still you must ask the question, who is your neighbor? God has called you to this place for a reason.

Maybe there is someone at work who is not like you, but they are beaten down. Is God calling you to be a good neighbor here, or maybe it’s someone in your family or simpler still someone here at church. Maybe God is calling you to minister to someone from the softball team, or at the preschool. God puts or brings people into our lives for a reason.

“what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus embraces the idea to love God and love one another, but that’s the law talking and we are not so good at keeping the law, just like the lawyer. We make excuses, we laugh it off, but this is not a funny matter, it’s dead serious!

The sin of this world beats us up each week. Sin is brutal. The law shows us that we are sinful and need help. Paul, in our 2nd reading from Colossians said God wants something better for us and Christ came 10so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. Are you growing?

Love God and love one another that’s the law, but because we can’t always do that Paul tells us, look at verse Col 1:13 God sent Jesus – 13He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. If your like me you need this assurance, God’s love overcomes death.

Understanding who are neighbor is and showing love is what God requires, but since we are broken by sin, beaten down, stripped of our dignity, God still provides an answer for wholeness. Believe the good news, come to the altar and receive the bread and wine of forgiveness today.

Amen.

1 Kings 17:17-24
Ps 30
Gal 1:11-24
Lk 7:11-17

Good morning Good Shepherd Lutheran Church! My sermon this morning is titled “Into Arabia.” As we read in verse 17 of Galatians 1, Arabia is the region Paul travels to after his conversion and apostolic call. As you might imagine with anything biblical, there is always more in the details than first meets the eye. In this case, Paul’s journey into Arabia turns out to be a symbolic and literal turning point in his life and ministry. By the end of my sermon I will be advocating that all of us imitate Paul and go “into Arabia.” Before we get started let us bow our heads in prayer, asking God to open our eyes and prepare us for our own journey:

Prayer

It can be a good thing to be a zealot.

Of course, nowadays we usually characterize unreasonable and close-minded fanatics as zealots. We call terrorists zealots. If we do not follow their religion, and follow it exactly as they see fit, they use violence to hurt and strike fear into those with whom they disagree. There are political zealots, such as the folks on talk radio or cable news who, no matter what the issue or facts, demonize their opponents. For them, disagreement is a moral failure, and dialogue, the give and take of rational conversation, is not an option. Then there are sports zealots. Clearly the continued existence of the Clippers would not be possible without a substantial contingent of irrational fans.

But in the 1st century there was a tradition of zealotry that reached back into the complex history of Israel to justify itself. It did so because it believed that only the occasional exercise of violence in the name of God could successfully avert the wrath of God from breaking out upon the people of God. This tradition is perhaps best exemplified in the Maccabee brothers, who led a guerrilla war against the Syrian army around 166 BC. At the time foreign rule had effectively banned sacrifices, feasts and sabbaths, outlawed possession of the Jewish Scriptures and circumcision, and setup an altar to Zeus in the temple upon which unclean animals were sacrificed. The Maccabees eventually overthrew their occupiers and cleansed the temple, an event still celebrated today at Hanukkah. If you’d like to learn more about this you might consider reading the First Book of Maccabees. As Lutherans we don’t consider this book Scripture (while the Catholics do), but it does contain very interesting historical information regarding the first century. What we might wonder is where the Maccabee brothers got the idea that armed resistance was a Godly and holy practice.

Well, one model the zealots often turned to was that of Elijah. God had raised up Elijah to confront the very wicked and idolatrous king Ahab. Ahab and his wife Jezebel had forsaken the God of Israel and were not only worshipping the Canaanite God Baal themselves, but were encouraging the nation to do so. And so Elijah challenges Ahab and the prophets of Baal to a “battle of the gods” of sorts. The setup was as follows: Israel was to gather at the base of Mount Caramel. Elijah proposed the following rules:

23 Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it.
24 And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the LORD, and the God who aanswers by fire, he is God.”
(1Ki 18:23-24 ESV)

So, as you may recall, they did this. Baal did not show up. God did show up, and absolutely consumed the sacrifice. The event ended as follows:

38 aThen the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, a”The LORD, he is God; the LORD, he is God.”
40 And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape.” And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to athe brook Kishon and bslaughtered them there.
(1Ki 18:38-40 ESV)

All 450 prophets of Baal were summarily executed.

Now that may have seemed like a stunning victory for Elijah, and it was, but as it turns out Jezebel, Ahab’s wife and a devout follower of Baal, was not too happy. In response to this mass slaughter she puts out a price on Elijah’s head. He then goes out into the wilderness to effectively resign his job as prophet for God. As the Scriptures testify:

he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.” (1Ki 19:4 ESV)

Elijah’s great demonstration of zeal for the Lord is followed by intense, almost inexplicable despair. But as he’s despairing, God feeds him and tells him to go journey to Mount Horeb, which is another name for Mount Sinai where the Torah was given. This is a natural place for a despairing prophet to go. Mount Sinai is where everything started. It’s where God promised He would bring the Israelites into a land flowing with milk and honey, a veritable picture of paradise. Now the Israelites are there, but they are losing everything. Even though Ahab has relative peace with Israel’s neighbors, the compromise with foreign gods is eroding Israel’s identity. Israel was to be, in Deuteronomy’s words, a “holy nation, a royal priesthood.” They were to be the nation that renewed the world. Instead, they are barely retaining their identity as God’s people. So now Elijah comes to Sinai to see God, and God comes to Elijah. In contrast to the grand spectacle of the sacrifice, God does not come in a violent, cataclysmic event. He does not come in a great wind, or an earthquake, or in anything like the fire that consumed the sacrifice. Instead, God visits Elijah with a low whisper and asks, “What are you doing here Elijah?” Elijah responds:

“I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, bthrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.”
15 And the LORD said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus… 16 aAnd Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel.

The very king Elijah will anoint, the new king he is in service to, will bring an end to Ahab and Jezebel’s reign. In the midst of and through Elijah’s zeal God was actively restoring Israel to its mission.

So these are the models 1st century Jewish zealots took as their examples. And Paul, known as Saul prior to his conversion, would have been one of these zealots. As he writes in our epistle lesson for the day:

13 For you have heard of amy former life in Judaism, how bI persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it.
14 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely azealous was I for bthe traditions of my fathers.
15 But when he awho had set me apart bbefore I was born,1 and who ccalled me by his grace,
16 was pleased to reveal his Son to1 me, in order athat I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;2
17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.
(Gal 1:13-17 ESV)

Saul saw the early church and grieved. At the time what we think of as the church would have appeared to have been a breakaway Jewish sect. This sect worshipped a blasphemous rabbi they thought to be the messiah. Worse still, this sect was teaching that obedience to the Torah was no longer necessary. Circumcision, ritual sacrifices and matters of cleanliness, honor to the temple – all of these matters were being violated. This sect was an affront to the Maccabean tradition that had worked so hard to retain Jewish identity less than two hundred years earlier. Like Elijah, Saul would have thought that the church endangered Israel’s mission to the world. The church required destruction. And so Saul persecuted the church.

Like Elijah, God had a surprise for Saul. God revealed Jesus to Saul. Saul’s response was to go into Arabia. Why Arabia? As Galatians 4:25 testifies, Mount Sinai was in Arabia. You can imagine what Paul was thinking: “All these years I have ardently, zealously followed after the tradition of Elijah and now I find out that I have gotten everything wrong. I will walk in Elijah’s shoes and go to Sinai to speak with God.”

Like Elijah we know that God did not greet Paul in might. Paul did not find God in a great wind, or an earthquake, or a mighty fire. God met Paul in the low whisper of the crucified Christ. It was there that Paul learned that violence was necessary to restore Israel to purity, but that it was not violence against the outsider or those who violated Torah. It was violence against God’s own Son. Because the wrath of God had been appeased through the crucified Christ, God could gather to Himself a “holy nation and royal priesthood” in the church. They were no longer holy because of what they did, but rather because of what God did for them. And the renewal of all creation through them could not fail because that renewal did not depend on their obedience to a covenant established between them and God, but instead depended solely on God’s grace towards them.

Like Elijah, Paul returns from Sinai to Damascus, where he is now the envoy of the new King. Just as Jehu put Ahab and Jezebel’s corruption to an end, so the risen Christ will bring the wickedness and corruption “of this present evil age” to a final end. But he will do so not through violence or zealotry, but through the humble, self-sacrificing and suffering love He demonstrates through Christ.

I began my sermon by disclosing ahead of time that I would be advocating for us all to go “into Arabia.” I’m going to end it with that proposal. To go “into Arabia” means for us to abandon our attempts to use violence, even subtle violence, to bring about God’s will. In Arabia we receive clarification that our King is none other than the crucified Christ. And He never uses coercion or violence.

Now there are very obvious example of violence at hand for us that we all would see as terribly anti-Christian. Murder, rape, robbery – all these are obvious. As I close I’ll share two examples of violence that I think exemplify how we might be on the watch for violence in our own lives. They are more subtle forms of violence that I am sure we are all guilty of.

When I was first married, my wife and I would attempt to cook together. This was a disaster – I was very controlling in the kitchen. If a recipe called for chopped onion, the onion had to be chopped “the right way.” Even supposing there was a “right way” to cut an onion, my insistence that she do everything in a certain manner subverted the very purpose of cooking together, which was to share and celebrate our time together. The meal was for us, to nourish us bodily, but to also nourish our souls. There was no need for me to enforce the “Torah of the kitchen” or let “zeal for Thy onion consume me.” It was only later that I realized I had to give up control and simply let the cooking take place. I had to respect her person and freedom. I don’t always do that even today! But when I do, then the meal becomes a time of community and love.

Another example of non-obvious violence pertains to parents and their children. The art of being a parent involves knowing how to both respect your child and act as their guardian until they are of age to act for themselves. But sometimes parents insult their children in order to control them. Suppose a child dropped a dish and the parent were to remark, “What’s wrong with you?” Remarks like these are meant to normalize behavior. The insult attempts to produce order at the expense of destroying the child’s sense of self. Instead of belittling the child to control him or her, the better path would be to acknowledge that dishes break as a matter of course, but souls ought not be broken.

With all this in mind, go out into the world and be Christians to one another, practicing love. Violence has been done away with once and for all on the cross. It is now time to love.

Amen.

Today is Holy Trinity Sunday. It’s a day when we not only talk about the concept of the trinity, but we try to reach back into the recesses of our mind to grasp, to grapple with the full understanding of God; is the Holy Spirit God, and is the Son also God. We wrestle with these questions with the help of the Holy Spirit, and we do it by looking at the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the teacher, the one we can relate to, fully human, fully God.

Let’s Pray…
“May the Spirit of truth blend the elements of the Word and the hunger of our hearts together, and lead us ever more deeply into the heart of the Triune God.” Amen

This has been for me one of the hardest sermons I have ever written. Not because of the topic, yes it is complex; not because of the audience/listeners, I know they are astute, but it’s hard because I feel like I have to stuff ten pounds of material into a five pound bag, while being dressed in tight leotards, all the time while walking on a tightrope. Ugh! What an image….

This is likely why some Christian denominations ignore the trinity; some think it’s doctrine that’s too hard to talk about, therefore they don’t, and some diminish the doctrine by saying it’s unimportant and it can’t be understood by the average church member anyway, so why bother.

How do you understand the trinity? Is the doctrine of the trinity dead to you, meaning lifeless, uninspiring, unhelpful with regards to your faith or your life?

It reminds me a little of that old Wendy’s commercial. There are three old ladies looking at a big bun. One of them takes the top off the bun where a very small burger sits. The lady on one side, who’s wearing thick glasses says, “Where’s the beef?”

When we look at our gospel text today we might be asking the same question; “Where’s the beef?”

When you first read the text it’s a little hard to get your arms around it, but in these few verses we see an example of the trinity. Look at the text with me:

Jesus is talking, the second person of the trinity saying, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth;” The Spirit is the third person of the trinity.

Look at verse 15, Jesus again says, “All that the Father has is mine.” The second person of the trinity talking about the first person of the trinity the Father.

“Where’s the beef?” There’s lots of beef right here and it’s about the trinity. Full one pound Angus beef, tasty, flavorful, aromatic, and when your done trying to eat it you’re full; open the belt one more notch full. The essence of the trinity is packed in here.

Now some people use models to describe the trinity. Some talk about an egg, you have the shell, the yoke, and the white, but it’s still one egg. This fails to work because the yoke, the shell and the white are all parts of the egg and not the egg themselves.

Some try to use the concept of water, sighting water exists in liquid, solid and vapor forms, but again these are separate forms and are not one entity.
As Lutheran’s let’s look at Luther’s Small Catechism Page 107 where it asks the question, “How are the three divine persons distinguished from each other?” Probably most of you know this or remember this from your confirmation class:

The Father has begotten the Son from eternity; the Son is begotten of the Father from eternity; the Holy Spirit from eternity proceeds from the Father and the Son. To the Father especially is ascribed the work of creation; to the Son, the work of redemption; to the Holy Spirit, the work of sanctification. I think we’ve found the beef!

In my written sermon I have a little diagram, which may be helpful if you are reading the sermon, but most of you are not so I’ll describe it here. (Ask for volunteers to act it out.)

This is a little triangle with the word God at the center. The three corners are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. There are paths, flow channels so to speak that connect each of the 3 corners and three additional flow channels that connect the center to each corner.

The Father has begotten the Son, an act of procreation so
the essence of the Son is the same as the essence of the
Father. My son Josh looks a little like me, although he’s a lot
smarter than me, but he’s of the same human race. The Son,
Jesus was begotten from eternity, that’s from the beginning.

Now the Holy Spirit is NOT begotten, but proceeds from the Father and the Son from eternity. So is there ever a time when there was no Son or Holy Spirit, NO! But what does it mean to proceed from the Father and the Son? I’m glad you asked!

‘Proceeds from the Father and the Son, is from a simple term’ in Latin the term is filioque. It was added to the creed in 589 CE at the Third Council of Toledo. It’s where we get the term, ‘Holy Toledo,’ – just kidding.

The term filioque, from the Father somehow became a point of major controversy and in 1054 CE, it actually split the church into the church in Rome, the western church, and the church at Constantinople, the eastern church, now referred to as the Orthodox Church. It was called the East-West Schism.

Anyway, proceeding from the Father and the Son means “sent by” the Father and the Son, proceeding from both of them. We talk about the Spirit of the Father (Mt 10:20, 1 Cor 2:11) or Spirit of the Son (Gal 4:6) or Spirit of Jesus (Acts 16:7). The Eastern church professes the Spirit proceeds from the Father through the Son by way of love. Let’s not get lost in the weeds……

Sidenote – This terminology is used only in the Nicene Creed. P 104 in ELW – 3rd paragraph

Getting back to our text for today, Jesus said, “13When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”

Many people today question objective truth. Sometimes truth is hard to find, hard to know.

As Lutherans we use scripture as the source and font of all knowledge and along with the Holy Spirit we expect to be guided into all truth. Although the word trinity is NOT found in scripture the concept is on display in a number of areas. (a few – Matt 3:16-17, Matt 28:19, John 14:16-17)

Scripture is pretty clear about the works we ascribe to each person of the trinity, the Father, the work of creation. (Gen 1,2) The Son provides the work of redemption, which we see portrayed clearly in all the gospels, and the Holy Spirit the work of sanctification which we see explained in Romans 6, 1 Cor 1, 1 Thess 4, 2 Thess 2:13. Still, we have only one God.

If you’re struggling with this sermon I can understand why, understanding the trinity is hard work, but allow me to break it down, at the risk of oversimplification. This is part of the tight rope I mentioned in the beginning.

Remember the models we explored to describe the trinity, well they did not work; the egg, the water, all too elemental to describe the complexity of God.

When we try to explain the trinity in earthly, tangential forms we often fail. The way we often see the world is in a binary fashion – it is composed of pairs, pairs that go together, define each other, and ultimately are defined by or are over and under each other. Just about everything we know we learned in contrasting pairs; yes and no, up and down, hot and cold, circle and square.

The doctrine of the Trinity is, as we all know, three sides therefore it can’t be defined simply in a binary fashion. The trinity is about relationship. David Lose (Luther Seminary Professor) said this makes the trinity “routinely mundane and potentially catalytic. It can feel mundane because we all know relationships; after all, we’re all in relationships.

Accepting as mystery the confusing elements of the Trinity can be helpful – how can God be three persons in relationship, yet one God? If all we can do is talk about the triune God as being in relationship, maybe that’s a bit of a let down or is it?

Talking about the triune God as relationship shouldn’t stifle us or our enthusiasm regarding the trinity, formulas or doctrine do not save us. God’s love saves. The Son, the very spirit of the Father’s love saves through the work of redemption, the love that was shown us through his life, death and resurrection, that’s what saves! Relationship is important in the triune God.

God’s power, at the heart of the universe is love. God is love. Christ is the most complete form of love who ever walked the earth, and the Holy Spirit, the advocate, the Spirit of truth is Christ’s love among us as we live out the Easter message. Don’t get hung up on theory’s or formulas, or doctrines, the essence of the Trinity is love – relational, community love.

We know God by the love poured out for us, in baptism, in bread and wine. The Spirit of truth has shown us Jesus was glorified by the love of the Father. People should know us by our love, not our ability to sight or know or understand doctrine.

Amen