A Moment Aside for 29 September 2020

 

A Moment Aside ---- 29 September 2020

 

O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
For it was you who formed my inward parts;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
    Wonderful are your works;               (Psalm 139:1, 13-14)

     Let’s work under the idea that God made us, created us is a most wonderful way. It might even be a “mysterious” way. That being the case, then God made us to be who we are.

     The quote above is from Francis De Sales, the Roman Catholic bishop of Geneva, Switzerland back in the early 1600’s. He is considered a saint by many. Whatever that might mean, the quote seen above is his and it reflect the verses of Psalm 139 that I place below it.

     The best way to reflect the goodness of God and the grace of God is to continually become what God has created us to be. I know this will be a struggle; it is for me each and every day. If we are God’s creation, made in the image and likeness of God… which could mean a lot of things (Genesis 1:27), we should know that our “best self” reflects that image and likeness. Often we concentrate on our sins to the exclusion of grace and what God wishes us to be. God wishes us to be what we are created to be and the redemption found in Jesus Christ permits us to be and continually become what we are created to be.

     Here are a few more quotes from Christian history about what we are meant to be and how to be our “best self” (if I may use that over-ripe phrase.) These are from what are called the Fathers of the Church whose teachings on the nature of Christ, our faith, and the Christian life in general have stood the test of time.

     Read and ponder.

“Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.”              (Augustine of Hippo, ca. 430 AD, Confessions)

 

For the glory of God is the living (person) and the life of (a human) is the vision of God.                               (Irenaeus of Lyon – ca. 202 AD)

 

A Moment Aside for 24 September 2020

 

A Moment Aside ---- 24 September 2020 

A reminder... Pr. John in on holiday this Sunday, so there will not be an On-line Worship Service.

     Debt is something hard to avoid in our time. Many (if not most) homeowners have a mortgage. Lots of people have car payments, credit card payments, student loans, and other such financial obligations. It would be lovely if we could avoid such debts. It would be easier for many of us to sleep better at night.

     For Paul to say “owe no one anything…” may be one thing we might have to take as a rhetorical statement right now. Still beyond the financial and physical debt of modern life, there remain two debts that cannot be discharged. We can pay off our homes, our vehicles, our credit cards, but we cannot not pay the debt we owe to Jesus Christ and the debt we owe to one another as Christians.

     We cannot adequately repay our Savior for what he has given us. Our salvation and redemption are without cost and without a repayable sum. It will take our whole lives to reflect what we owe. The only attitude we might take is actually two-fold: a life of gratitude and a life of love that is based on Jesus’ own life.

     The second part is what Paul is talking about. (The full text of the verses in question are found below. Because of God’s love in Jesus Christ and because of his sacrifice, we are called to love one another. This then is how our debt is handled. God doesn not “need” our repayment. Indeed, Martin Luther put it this way: “God doesn’t need your good works, but your neighbor does.” It is in a life of loving service to our neighbors that our debt is taken care of.

     Does that sound too simple? Sure! It is none-the-less true. Does it sound too hard? It is a hard thing to do and to continue to do. Love of neighbor is not always easy. There are days when it is very, very tough to do. On those days, the forgiveness of God is still available when we fall short.

     …and there is tomorrow.

      Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet”; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. (Romans 13:8-10)

A Moment Aside for 22 September 2020

 

A Moment Aside ---- 22 September 2020

 

     Sometimes it occurs to me that hope is a slippery fish. I realize that this may not make much sense to some. Let’s think about it.(If you need to, look at the fish-and-bear carving above.)

     Hope is something that can easily escape us. We hope for someone we care for to regain good health. We hope for someone who far from us to return. We hope for our team to win. We hope for ice cream after dinner. If those things don’t come to pass, we are disappointed and even possibly angry. The fish has slipped out of our hands and the current has taken it further downstream. Like a fish in a fresh stream, hope can be difficult to hold on to. In truth, we may have to struggle with such hope all our lives. It can be a real wrestling match. Hope can be slippery and there are not hand-holds. We might also be afraid of crushing what we hope for.

     We might also see that hope may not lead to exactly what we are hoping for. Hope for a cure might find itself faced with a long course of therapy. Hope for our team to win the championship might result in lowering our expectations to “learning from our mistakes”, more training, new players, and “better luck next season.”

     True hope does not lead to us always looking on “the bright side of life” or finding an interpretation that some other people might refer to as “Polly-Anna.” (I think all who read this might understand that reference.) Seeing hope as a slippery thing can lead us beyond that “bright side” and “Polly-Anna” type of hope.

     Hope is sometimes referred to as one of the “theological virtues” – which are faith, hope, and love. These are virtues that are directly related to the Kingdom of God, often more than virtues like patience, perseverance, or reasonableness, although these are advantageous to have. Faith, hope, and love are necessary for life in the Kingdom. Hope has to apply to something greater than our small hopes that project our desires into the future.

     I don’t wish to appear to degrade the hopes we all hold for people, things, and events in our lives. Hope as a “Kingdom virtue” goes beyond those things, reaching out for what the Kingdom of God means to us, both now and in what is to come. There is where the hope I’m speaking of resides. This Hope (in capitals) takes us beyond ourselves into the very life and grace of God.

    And that Hope will not be disappointed.

My Sermon for 20 September 2020

 

Jonah 3:10-4:11

 When God saw what they (the Ninivites) did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it. 4 But this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he became angry. ² He prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing. ³ And now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” ⁴ And the Lord said, “Is it right for you to be angry?” ⁵ Then Jonah went out of the city and sat down east of the city, and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, waiting to see what would become of the city.

⁶ The Lord God appointed a bush,^[a] and made it come up over Jonah, to give shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort; so Jonah was very happy about the bush. ⁷ But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the bush, so that it withered. ⁸ When the sun rose, God prepared a sultry east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint and asked that he might die. He said, “It is better for me to die than to live.”

⁹ But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?” And he said, “Yes, angry enough to die.” ¹⁰ Then the Lord said, “You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labor and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night. ¹¹ And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?”

Philippians 1:21-30

21 For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer. 23 I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; 24 but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. 25 Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, 26 so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again. 27 Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, 28 and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God's doing. 29 For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well— 30 since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

Matthew 20:1-16

1 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 When he went out about nine o'clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; 4 and he said to them, "You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' So they went. 5 When he went out again about noon and about three o'clock, he did the same. 6 And about five o'clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, "Why are you standing here idle all day?' 7 They said to him, "Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, "You also go into the vineyard.' 8 When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, "Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.' 9 When those hired about five o'clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. 10 Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. 11 And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, 12 saying, "These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' 13 But he replied to one of them, "Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? 14 Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?' 16 So the last will be first, and the first will be last."

So the last will be first, and the first will be last.

·        I’ve never hired day laborers for my farm, so I don’t know if this is how things usually go. To our minds, paying a person who worked one hour the same wage as one who worked ten or twelve hours in the blazing sun is very unfair.

·        Well, fear not! This is not a lesson on business, worker’s compensation, contracts, or business ethics. It is a parable of the Kingdom of Heaven.

·        Does that put our minds at rest or does it leave us unsatisfied, troubled, and wondering? How can the Kingdom of Heaven be so obviously unjust and skewed? How could those lazy so-and-so’s who sat in the village square shade all day get the same wage as the hard-working go-getters who were hired with breakfast still in their hands? Why did the land owner tell his manager to pay the most-recently hired first? If he had paid the first hired before the others, nobody might have caught on to the scheme.

·        As I said before, this is not a lesson on how to treat the workers in your or my vineyard. If we focus on the workers, either the first hired or the last hired, or if we focus on the coin, we are looking in the wrong place. Workers will always be looking for work; human are beings that like to be busy and if that busy-ness brings a wage, all the better. The coin – a Roman denarius – was the usual daily wage for workers in most trades. It’s hard to translate the value of this coin into today’s items, but the best guess would say a family could be fed for a day or maybe two with one denarii. This whole thing gives context but doesn’t help all that much.

·        Let’s focus on the vineyard owner, the one doing the hiring. Since Jesus says at the beginning of the parable: For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning… , we can take him at his word. The Kingdom will turn all our human understanding on its ear. It will not be what we expect and in fact, might aggravate us and our expectations. We want what we consider justice and that might not be justice as God conceives such a thing. We want proper reward for all we’ve achieved for the Kingdom (or what we think we’ve achieved… for God, of course.)

·        Grace will take us on a roller coaster ride that we might not be able to comprehend or imagine. It will constantly surprise us and often shatter our usual ways. Grace knocked Paul down and blinded him on his way to Damascus! Grace led Francis of Assisi to desert from the army… twice! Grace hit Luther with an understanding of salvation by grace while he was in the washroom! Who knows how that same grace will impact any of us?

·        Grace might cause us to question a lot of things. One of the things to be questioned was brought up in reading commentaries on this portion of the Gospel. One theologian asked this question and it’s one I think we might all have to ask ourselves: When we hear this Gospel story, do we place ourselves in the group that was the first to be hired? Why not the noon time people, the 3 o’clock folks, or even the 5 o’clock people? From that perspective, the parable takes a whole different cast. Where is grace for us in those cases?

·        The idea behind this Gospel passage is Jesus’ desire to show that the Kingdom of Heaven is unlike any earthly kingdom… and that’s not really a bad thing. The Kingdom of Heaven will be a surprise and possibly a shock… and that’s not a bad thing either. The Kingdom of Heaven is and will be a kingdom of grace.

·        And at the risk of saying something trite, grace is always amazing.

So the last will be first, and the first will be last.

A Moment Aside for 17 September 2020

 

A Moment Aside ---- 17 September 2020

 

     If I might be allowed such a thing, my favourite book of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible is the book of Jonah. It reads in some ways like a comic book and I’d enjoy seeing a comic book of Jonah. Part of the book is the first reading for Sunday’s Worship, but I’m preaching on something else, so this devotional will be an edited sermon.

     The story of Jonah is well known. God calls Jonah to be a prophet to the hated city of Nineveh and warn them of destruction. So Jonah runs off to “Tarshish” (what we call Spain) so Nineveh could receive God’s wrath. Nineveh was the capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire who were the enemies of Israel and the Hebrew people. A storm hits the ship and Jonah confesses that he’s on the run from God. He’s tossed over the side and a “big fish” (a whale?) swallows him then soon vomits him up on the shore. God again says “Go to Nineveh!” and this time Jonah goes… reluctantly. He preaches “40 days more and Nineveh will be destroyed!” for only a brief time before the ruler and the people repent and declare a fast. They all dress in sack-cloth (what we’d call burlap) as well and in fact, drape all the animals in sack-cloth as well. (This is an ancient sign of repentance.) God relents and Jonah is angry. He sets up housekeeping outside the city and is glad when a plant grows up to shade him. (Remember this is Iraq or thereabouts!) A worm comes and eats the plant which falls, leaving Jonah to stew in his own juices in the desert sun. He complains to God, who says “Did you make the plant? I did! Shouldn’t I also be concerned for the thousands of people of Nineveh, many of whom don’t know their right hand from their left? And what about the animals too?”

     The story of Jonah is believed to have been told to drive home the point that God’s mercy is for more than just the people of Israel. It has real meaning for us all even today

·         God’s mercy and care are for all people.

·         God’s mercy and care are even for people different from us.

·         God’s mercy and care are even for the people we don’t like.

·         God’s mercy and care are constant, even to those who appear to oppose God.

·         God’s call will come even to the reluctant, to the prejudiced, and to the hard-headed.

·         God’s message will be proclaimed even if it takes a big fish to vomit the proclaimer up on the shore!

·         If we get angry because our rose bushes don’t look so great… well, God is concerned… and God is still concerned for the rest of the world as well.

     Of course, this brief summary does not do justice to the Book of Jonah. Read it for yourself. Think of it as a comic book and hear what the Spirit is still telling us.

A Moment Aside for 15 September 2020

 

A Moment Aside ---- 15 September 2020

 

     When it comes to truth, we need to know that it is powerful, that it is solid, and that it is not always what we want to hear. It could also be surprising. Were we to hear that it is raining outside, we can’t dispute it when we go out and get wet… even if our plans are ruined or at the very least, have to change.

     The Word of God is truth. It is powerful and solid. (“ Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword…” Hebrews 4:12) The Word of God might also might be something frightening, something surprising, and even something we don’t want to hear. Hearing what it takes to become and remain a disciple can be frightening. Hearing of the freedom of forgiveness and the grace of God can be (and maybe should be) surprising. Hearing how that freedom and forgiveness is applied to people we don’t believe are worthy of it can be repellant and could even make us angry.

     When we read the book of Jonah in the worship service, we delight in the story of Jonah running off to Spain (“Tarshish”) to escape this call as a prophet. We might giggle as Jonah is gulped down by the big fish and spewed up on the shore. We might be amazed at his preaching in Nineveh and how the people (sworn enemies of Israel and the Hebrew people) reacted. We may wonder about Jonah’s reaction and his anger at losing the castor bean plant that served as an awning for him. What we DON’T want to hear is what Jonah didn’t want to hear: God forgives those we consider unworthy… or beyond help… or who have the wrong religion… or whatever else we don’t want to hear.

     Maybe if God’s love and forgiveness and grace doesn’t apply to certain others, there could be a problem… because maybe then God’s love and forgiveness and grace doesn’t apply to us.

     Stay safe. Let God be God and decide for Godself where mercy will go. God knows better than we on things like that.

“Indeed, the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword…”  (Hebrews 4:12)

“Be still, and know that I am God!”  (Ps. 46:10)

A Service of Word and Prayer for 13 September 2020

 

Genesis 50:15-21

15 Realizing that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers said, ‘What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong that we did to him?’ 16 So they approached Joseph, saying, ‘Your father gave this instruction before he died, 17 “Say to Joseph: I beg you, forgive the crime of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you.” Now therefore please forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father.’ Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 Then his brothers also wept, fell down before him, and said, ‘We are here as your slaves.’ 19 But Joseph said to them, ‘Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? 20 Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. 21 So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your little ones.’ In this way he reassured them, speaking kindly to them.

Romans 14:1-12

1 Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions. 2 Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. 3 Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand.
    5 Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. 6 Those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord and give thanks to God.
    7 We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. 8 If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
    10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgement seat of God. 11 For it is written, ‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.’ 12 So then, each of us will be accountable to God.

Matthew 18:21-35

21 Then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?" 22 Jesus said to him, "Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. 23 "For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. 24 When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; 25 and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. 26 So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, "Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' 27 And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, "Pay what you owe.' 29 Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, "Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' 30 But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. 31 When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. 32 Then his lord summoned him and said to him, "You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?' 34 And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. 35 So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart."

 

We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.

·        Years ago, a congregation had a serious problem over deciding on a chandelier for the sanctuary. At a general meeting, the argument went on for hours. Finally one man stood up and said “Well, I don’t know if we really need a chandelier. No one here can play the chandelier! No one here can even spell ‘chandelier’! What we really need is a new light!” Some controversies are like that!

·        Paul appears to be writing about controversies he knew about in the Roman Christian community. (He hadn’t visited them yet.) The eating of meat and the observance of special days must have caused concern in the congregation. Paul exhorts them not to be judgemental. He asks and recommends that if these things are done in honor of the Lord, there is no reason to question them. He also seems to think that these controversies are what we might call “a tempest in a tea-pot.” They’re probably important enough to be discussed, but not so vital that the community should be fractured by quarreling.

·        In our own day, we still can be judgemental and often over trivia. The word used in classic Lutheran theology is “Adiaphoria”, meaning things thing neither required nor forbidden. In other words, things not essential to salvation and things you can make your own mind up about. Salvation by grace through faith is solid doctrine as is preaching the Word and celebrating the sacraments; using white or red wine at Communion is not. Neither are languages, vestments, musical styles, or where to sit during the worship service. These are things each person or congregation can make up their own minds about. Some are simply matters of taste.

·        Paul says that people on both sides of any of the controversies are doing it to honour the Lord and should be accepted as such. The “weak in faith” – whatever that meant to Paul – are to be accepted without using them to aid in opinionated quarreling.

·        As he usually does, Paul bring the focus back to honouring the Lord rather than satisfying one person or another’s taste and desires. That the community of Christians is under the grace and mercy of God is primary: each of us will be accountable to God. It even goes beyond life and death: so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.

·        This is actually something to take comfort in. Controversies over lesser things make no difference and neither life nor death make any difference to God’s grace to us. With that in mind, we are then to live our lives in that grace and we aid and support each other under that grace. Differences in opinion can be laid aside. We even serve our sisters and brothers when we point out things that have gone beyond opinion and have become dangerous to mind, body, or spirit. This so-called “fraternal correction” is a “tough love” thing.

·        And even in a case like that, whatever you do, do it in the Lord’s name. 

·        In another place, Paul recommends a similar idea to another group of Christians when he wrote So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.   (1 Corinthians 10:31  NRSV)

·        Whether we eat anything or just vegetables… whether we eat or fast… whether we observe a festival or not… whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. Nothing around us changes that… even sin, for the call to repentance is always there and the forgiveness of God never ends.

We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.

 

A Moment Aside for 12 September 2020

 

A Moment Aside ---- 12 September 2020

 

We Need a Sabbath Mind

We are reminded of the truth of the creation—that our work, though called and needed, is not necessary. The world will continue without us and came long before us. Our work is to live from and with these gifts so that we can use what time we have, what little time we have, to tend their flourishing rather than exploit them for the gains that will soon fade with the rot. The practice of Sabbath also has the effect of elevating the value of labor and of the people engaged in it. It is not a break so that we might become renewed and refreshed for more work, but is rather a time when we live in the simple reality that we are creatures whose lives are given by God. On the Sabbath, we are able to be apart from our achievements.

—from the book Wendell Berry and the Given Life by Ragan Sutterfield

 

{Yes, I borrowed this from another source, but it’s worth hearing}

 

A Moment Aside ---- 8 September 2020

 

A Moment Aside ---- 8 September 2020

     These words attributed to the great reformer, Martin Luther, can teach us much – patience, hope, trust, even joy. They can assure us that even travelling the road is a good thing.

     The trouble is we are often impatient with ourselves and with God. We want it done NOW! We want the joys and peace of paridise NOW! We want God to cleanse and change us NOW! I’d imagine that such things are possible, but so are mistakes, and missteps, and failure. We can easily be discouraged in the entire process and give up… or decide it isn’t worth it… or think we’re too far gone for such a thing to work… or get mad at God. (You can get mad at God as you might with a friend or your spouse; it is possible and permissable and realistic. One thing is for sure: if you get mad at God, you’re taking God seriously!)

     Luther reminds us that life is growth in righteousness. It is growth in healing and growth toward what we will be. It is always becoming more. It is exercise, it is the road, it is purification.

“The process is not yet finished, but it is going on.”

     None of this implies that we are saving ourselves. We always and everywhere rely on grace, first and formost. God’s saving grace assures us of salvation… and grace never leaves us where it finds us. The goal of living as a Christian is to become like Jesus Christ and grace as a free gift takes us there, although we might not be happy about every step of the journey.

     Living a life in grace is a journey. “This is not the end, but it is the road.” We can be patient with ourselves and with God through all the problems, restarts, and doubts we encounter. We can live in hope with some assurance that all this is leading somewhere, whether we can see the end or not. Most times, we get enough light to see the next step but not enough to see much beyond. We can trust that the One who leads us will lead us well. (“I know not the way, but well I know my guide.”) And we can even take joy in the journey, looking to the goal and in companionship with all the others travelling the road and with the one who said… And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Mt. 28:20)

“We are not yet what we shall be, but we are growing toward it.”

Thanks be to God!

The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost --- (Late) --- 7 September 2020

   

Ezekiel 33:7-11

7 So you, mortal, I have made a sentinel for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. 8 If I say to the wicked, "O wicked ones, you shall surely die," and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but their blood I will require at your hand. 9 But if you warn the wicked to turn from their ways, and they do not turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but you will have saved your life. 10 Now you, mortal, say to the house of Israel, Thus you have said: "Our transgressions and our sins weigh upon us, and we waste away because of them; how then can we live?" 11 Say to them, As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from their ways and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel?

Romans 13:8-14

8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet"; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, "Love your neighbor as yourself." 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. 11 Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; 12 the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; 13 let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Matthew 18:15-20

15 "If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. 16 But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."

 

The commandments…  are summed up in this word, "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.

·        We love our laws, don’t we? They let us know what we can and cannot do, what we should and should not do and just how far we can go. We know where we can park and how fast we can drive… although that never seems to hold on the 401.

·        Laws are good for the most part. They keep our food and water uncontaminated. They hold many things in check. Of course, since they are conceived, written, and enforced by fallible human beings, the application of human laws is imperfect. There are also bad laws, laws that oppress, steal, or demean.

·        The Law Paul is taking about is the Mosaic Law, the Law that includes the 10 Commandments as well as laws regarding diet, clothing, health, and personal purity. The 10 one who studied the Law of Moses, not a barrister of civil law) as to what commandment was the first, he responded that loving God was first and the second was “like it”, love your neighbor as yourself.

·        That is the law that Christians are to live under. Love as the fulfillment of the Law is less precise and yet more exacting. The Law including the 10 Commandments is meant to keep us from doing wrong to our neighbor. Paul says that love does that as well and so the Law is fulfilled. Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.

·        To some this might seem to be a way to escape the strictness of the Law and its tenants. To some this sounds too loose, yet the requirement of “love of neighbor as yourself” can be seen as a tougher law than any other. It isn’t “take care of your neighbor… unless it inconveniences you.” It goes beyond that. Luther’s Small Catechism takes the 10 Commandments and goes further, stating as a commentary what each could mean. For example, in commenting on the Eight Commandment: You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. The Catechism says We should fear and love God that we may not deceitfully belie, betray, slander, or defame our neighbor, but defend him, [think and] speak well of him, and put the best construction on everything.

·        A list of commandments could possibly be followed to the letter. It is possible that a person could do that through their own will Commandments sum up the major interpersonal and religious points.

·        Paul states that the Law is hard; it can be exacting and precise. Stealing, “coveting”, and murder are not fully defined in a legalistic way and Jesus had his own interpretation of those points. For him, “Do not kill” also included “do not hate.” When questioned by a “lawyer” (

·        and power. Admirable and yet quite dangerous. Were we to think that we could keep the Law of God perfectly, we might ask then what need we’d have of God, of Jesus Christ, or of grace. Saying we love perfectly and completely in every situation would be at least a mistake, at most a lie, in all cases, an illusion. When we are honest with ourselves, we come to realize that we all fail in loving our neighbors as ourselves (and in many cases, loving ourselves!) Without God and God’s grace, we couldn’t love at all… in the best sense. Our love would be an extension of our self-interest rather than loving so as to do no wrong to a neighbor. As in all things, we depend on grace to see us through.

·        It is the grace of God that we rely on. The greatest example is made real in the Cross of Jesus Christ, for he told his disciples at the Last Supper No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.  (John 15:13) Paul tells us of the fulfillment of the Law and his words also show us how we may become like Jesus.

The commandments…  are summed up in this word, "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.

I could not deliver my usual service on Sunday because of technical difficulties, so I recorded it late. If you wish to hear the "re-wind" of my service, use this link.

Service of Word & Prayer for 6 September 2020