“Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.” Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen. The text for our sermon this morning comes from the Old Testament lesson read a few moments ago from the first chapter of the prophet Jeremiah. Dear friends in Christ, have you ever heard talk about the ‘call of God?’ So often when we hear of it, it is some abstract idea, it is spoken of as something inward that we must discern. Christians ask themselves, ‘what is God calling me to do?’ and they search inside for the proper answer. But when we only look inside of ourselves for the calling of God, we are looking in the wrong place, for God calls us externally, just as He called Jeremiah. “Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” The Word of the Lord comes from outside of Jeremiah and calls him, in fact declaring that he had been appointed a prophet from conception. The word translated here as ‘consecrate’ has the sense of being called to be set apart for a purpose, the purposes of God. Jeremiah was called out of all of his people from the womb to be their prophet. In the same way, on the day that you were brought to the baptismal font, God consecrated you, He called you out of the midst of all people and set you apart to be His child, to be covered with the blood of Christ, to be one of his disciples in this world.
In a real sense God is not doing us any favors by calling us through Baptism. Through that washing, we have been given a legion of enemies, all seeking to destroy us. An unbaptized person is a friend of Satan and the world, he has nothing to fear from them. But you and I who are baptized, we are called out of the midst of Satan’s friends and allies, and now we are his sworn enemy. I am convinced that we do not think about this nearly often enough, for if we did, we would truly be terrified. Satan is real, and he aims to carry you, me, and every one claimed by the waters of baptism down to hell with him. What Jesus says to Peter at the end of Luke’s Gospel is also true of us: “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat.” In our culture today, and especially in Christianity today, it is popular to ignore Satan’s existence, but he is constantly working through our sin and the sin of others to destroy our faith. In fact, he is quite satisfied with being overlooked, for he has a powerful ally in our world, which is no friend to us, but instead despises our faith and wishes to lead us into the gutters of sin. Satan can threaten us much more effectively under the cover of the world’s agenda. He has convinced our world that unborn children are not human, that sex, marriage, and family have no connection, that sin is really no big deal, but simply a matter of personal choice. And Christians have played right into his hand by overlooking our enemy. But make no mistake, you are under attack, and your enemies are playing for keeps.
Jeremiah did think about what we too often refuse to, he knew the terrible forces arrayed against him, and he was petrified. “Then I said, ‘Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.’” Even at that young age, he knew the cost of God’s calling, he knew that he would have a persistent enemy, seeking to destroy his faith in his God. He knew that he would be sent as one man against a nation, calling his people to repentance, declaring that their sin was about to lead to catastrophe. He knew that he would call out the people where they were most sensitive, going after their many sins. He knew that men would hate him for his message, because his message would be the Word of God. He knew, and he was terrified.
“But the Lord said to me, ‘Do not say, “I am only a youth;” for to all whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.’” We have much to fear with a world that hates us and an enemy that will not quit, but the Lord does not leave us in fear. He instead delivers us from that fear by taking on the powers that threaten us. He promised Jeremiah that “I am with you to deliver you,” a promise that was only completely fulfilled when He became man to dwell with us, and He dwelt with us to deliver us. Jesus Christ, true God and true man, was born of a virgin and walked this earth to do battle with our enemies. He drove Satan from people, destroyed the effects of sin as He healed disease, just as we heard in our Gospel lesson today. He was our brother, bearing our flesh; He was the presence of God with us to deliver us.
The word ‘deliver’ in our text for today has almost a violent sense, the idea of God tearing us away from the clutches of our enemies. Satan thought he had us right where he wanted us, in the clutches of sin, condemned to death, with no way out. But Jesus Christ came to rip us from those that held us captive, and He did this by submitting to our penalty in our place. He let our enemies rage against Him, for while they had no hold over Him, He had taken on all of our sin and guilt, all that Satan wished to accuse us of, and He took it all to the cross. There He crushed Satan’s head by shedding His Blood for you and me. And when He rose again on the third day, He rose victorious over our enemies, and He tore us out of their clutches. We no longer have to fear Satan and this world, for Christ has triumphed over them, He came and fulfilled God’s promise through Jeremiah: “I am with you to deliver you.”
God did not only speak these words of promise to Jeremiah, He confirmed them with a touch. “Then the Lord put out His hand and touched my mouth.” When Isaiah cried out to the Lord about His sin, God removed his sin with a touch. In our Gospel lesson for today, Jesus heals with the power of His word, but He also heals with a touch. “Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Him, and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.” God knows that we are fleshly creatures, we crave the assurance of physical contact, we cannot subsist on words alone. This is one of the reasons He took on our flesh and blood in the first place. But now that he has ascended into heaven, how can we receive this assurance in a world filled with our enemies? We know that they have been defeated by Christ, but how can we endure their continual onslaught alone?
God touched Jeremiah to assure him of the promise, but also to place him in the office of proclaiming that promise. “Then the Lord put out His hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, ‘Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.’” He was to proclaim God’s word to His people, to embody that word as God’s called and appointed prophet, his task was the proclamation of Law and Gospel: “See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.” Today, God continues to appoint men, to call them out from the midst of their brothers and sisters to proclaim His word to His people. And those men are placed into the pastoral office with a touch. At ordination, other pastors lay their hands on a man, declaring that God has placed that man into the office of preaching, the office of administering the sacraments, the office of caring for the flock entrusted to him. Ordination is the assurance to you, me, and all Christians that God has called this man and appointed him to bring the Word of God to you, to proclaim that Word in the midst of a world that rejects it.
Therefore, the only task of a pastor is to bring the gifts of Christ to His people- it is not about him, in fact, he cannot let himself get in the way of what Jesus has given him to do. Our Lord knows that we cannot endure in the midst of our enemies without a constant shower of forgiveness and love, the deliverance that Christ won through the cross and empty tomb. And it is no surprise that Christ delivers those gifts through a real, fleshly person, one whom He has appointed for the task. Jesus heals through a touch, the touch of water as it is poured upon your head in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, the touch of His very Body and Blood given upon your lips, hidden under bread and wine, which cleanses you from your sin. The touch of a hand, as in private Confession and Absolution Christ’s forgiveness is spoken to you once again. Each and every time that you gather here for the Divine Service, God once again does what he did for Jeremiah. He speaks His word of comfort and peace, “Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord,” and He acts, “Then the Lord put out His hand and touched my mouth.”
In the midst of this sinful world, a world filled with those opposed to the Gospel, Jesus Christ provides to us the gifts that He won for us. He does not leave us alone, but instead comes to us with His forgiveness, physically touching us with His salvation. On this very day, Jesus Christ comes to you to touch your lips with forgiveness, life, and salvation. You dine with the Lord of heaven and earth this day, who has defeated your enemies and will continue to strengthen you until that Day when He delivers you from this veil of tears and brings you into the eternal glory He won for you, Amen.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Monday, January 28, 2013
Epiphany 3 of Series C (Luke 4:16-30)
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.” Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen. The text for our sermon this morning comes from the Gospel lesson read a few moments ago from the fourth chapter of the Gospel according to Saint Luke. Dear friends in Christ, the Prophet was anointed, set apart for the work of the Lord. We saw it last week; as the Prophet stepped into Jordan’s stream, the heavens were opened, the Spirit descended as a dove, and a voice came forth: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” The prophets, priests, and kings of the Old Testament were anointed with oil; this Prophet who is also Priest and King was anointed with water and the Holy Spirit. Indeed, His title is Christ, the Greek word that means ‘anointed one.’ But no one is anointed simply to stand around and do nothing. Prophets, priests, and kings are anointed for a task, they are anointing to do something. This Prophet is anointed for a purpose, and when Jesus comes home, He tells us why: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” The Prophet, the Christ, the one anointed at the Jordan then declares, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
Today the poor have good news preached to them. You are spiritually impoverished, conceived and born without any good, without any capacity or desire to love God. You are conceived and born with Adam’s sin, which has robbed you of all good. Spiritually, you are bankrupt, and always have been from the very moment that you began to exist. And there is no upward mobility in spiritual things, no way for you to work your way out of your situation. Your poverty is complete, total, and out of your control. Today the Prophet preaches good news to you, for He was anointed in the Jordan to bring you heavenly treasure. Today He has come into your midst to reverse your fortunes, transforming you from total and complete poverty, having nothing, to incredible wealth, having everything. You, who had no good before God, who had no ability to love God, who were conceived and born in rebellion against Him, are reconciled today with your Creator. Today you are given the very treasures of heaven itself; all God has is yours!
Today the captives have freedom preached to them. You are in captivity, imprisoned, bound to your sin. All sin enslaves, and it has enslaved you. Each of you has a sin or sins that have you fast-bound in its chains, the sin that you cannot escape, no matter how hard you try. Is it the desire for approval, the constant need to have others think well of you? Is it lust, the desire for those who are not your spouse that brings unstoppable images to you mind? Is it the language the comes from your mouth, filthy words, words that hurt, words that spread rumors and gossip, words that you are unable to hold back? Is it anger, the wrath that bubbles up uncontrollably, hurting those whom you love? Or is it a whole host of other sins, all of which hold you in bondage, all of which enslave you? Today the Prophet has come to free you. He was anointed in the Jordan to declare freedom to the captives. Today, freedom has come, today He will loose your bonds, He will break your chains. The Prophet has come to bring freedom to a creation in bondage to sin and death, to release all in prison. Today is your day of freedom; sin no longer holds you, it no longer controls you—today the Prophet has come!
Today the blind have their eyes opened. You are spiritually blind, blind to God, blind to His Prophet. Your sinful eyes cannot see your Creator, you are blind to His ways, to His great deeds in this world. You are blind to the spiritual realities that surround you, instead seeing what the world wants you to see: money, pleasure, selfishness, all under the banner that there are no spiritual realities—that this world is all there is. The blind cannot see anything but what the world tells them to see, and that vision has nothing to do with God. Today the Prophet has come to open blind eyes. It is for this reason that He was anointed in the Jordan, declared to be God’s beloved Son, Jesus the Christ. Today He reveals Himself to your blind eyes as God in the flesh, come to open eyes made blind by sin, opening them to see their God as a God of mercy and grace. Today sight has come, today those who are blind will see. Today your eyes are opened, and the sight is glorious; you see your Creator, your Lord, bearing your human flesh, standing in your midst, come to deliver, come to save, come to bring sight to the blind.
Today the oppressed are set free. You are oppressed, broken by the sin that fills this fallen world, by the sin that fills you. You are broken when others sin against you, when they attack your body or your reputation. You are broken, shattered, when relationships fall apart, when friends or loved ones abandon you, when they hurt you in ways that only those closest to you can. You are oppressed when natural disasters come upon you, from drought, to fire, to storms, taking your property and threatening your life. You are broken when disease strikes, when your body is stricken by malicious attackers with names like ‘cancer,’ ‘heart disease,’ ‘stroke,’ and ‘Alzheimer’s.’ You are oppressed by death, as it takes your loved ones, as it threatens you. Today the prophet comes to proclaim freedom. He was anointed in the Jordan to free the oppressed, to heal the broken. Today He will free you from your brokenness, He will deliver you from your oppression. Today even death will be a victim of the Prophet’s righteous wrath. The Prophet has come to proclaim the end to brokenness; through Him, you will be made whole. Today is your day of freedom, from all oppression, all brokenness.
Today the Prophet came to His hometown “to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” His agenda of freedom would begin among those who knew Him best. But those who knew Him best rejected Him. They claimed to know Him too well: “Is this not Joseph’s son?” We grew up with this guy; how can He claim to be God’s anointed one? And so they want a miracle. “And He said to them, ‘Doubtless you will quote to me the proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself.’ What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.” But no miracle is coming; the Prophet hasn’t arrived to put on a magic show, but to declare freedom to a creation in bondage to sin. And for that, the people will respond in anger. “When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and drove Him out of the town and brought Him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw Him down the cliff.” The prophetic pattern is rejection. Elijah knew this, as did Elisha, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and all the rest. They were all anointed to be rejected, to preach God’s Word to ears that wouldn’t listen. The Prophet anointed in Jordan’s stream, with the heavens open and the Spirit descending, would follow their pattern, He would die a martyr’s death as many of them had. But His hour was not yet. “Passing through their midst, He went away.”
The One who refused to do a miracle is saved by a miracle. But He is only delivered from the wrath of Nazareth in order to face the wrath of Jerusalem. His hour would come, for the Prophet, Jesus the Christ, was anointed to die. He walked through the crowd in Nazareth in order to walk the way of the cross. His death, His rejection at the hands of His relatives, His people, would bring freedom. His death wins heavenly treasure for the poor, the spiritually impoverished, for you and me. His death brings liberty to those captive to sin, for His death breaks the bonds of sin; forgiveness flows from the cross to you and me, the only proclamation that can sever sin’s chains, the only proclamation that can bring release. His death opens eyes blinded by sin, opening them to see your Creator as a God of love, mercy, and grace. Your eyes are opened to see God as He is present in the flesh of Christ, in the Word proclaimed, and the Sacraments administered. His death brings liberty to the broken and oppressed, for His death frees this creation from the bonds of sin. With His death, death itself is robbed of its power, and a day is coming when disease, disasters, and even sin will be no more. The Prophet’s death in your place inaugurated the “year of the Lord’s favor.” God is now favorable to you because of Jesus; you are acceptable to Him, He is well pleased with you. Through the cross and empty tomb, the song of the angels came to pass: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased.” The Prophet was rejected, even to the point of death, so that God could be well-pleased with you, forever.
“Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Today you have been set free from the bonds of your sin through the Absolution. Today you have heard good news preached to you, giving to you heavenly treasure. [Today you will receive Christ’s Body and Blood, healing balm for your brokenness.] Salvation has come among you today, just as surely as it came among the people of Nazareth, as their ‘hometown boy’ proclaimed the year of the Lord’s favor. The gifts of Christ are not something in the vague and far-off future; they are yours right now, they belong to you ‘today.’ The Day is coming when you will fully partake of them forever, but they are your present possession and treasure even now. Today you have been given a treasure that the world cannot give: the Anointed One has come into your midst, God’s Prophet, bearing His gifts. God’s favor is upon you; the year of the Lord’s favor on you will never end: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!” In the Name of our anointed Prophet, Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
Today the poor have good news preached to them. You are spiritually impoverished, conceived and born without any good, without any capacity or desire to love God. You are conceived and born with Adam’s sin, which has robbed you of all good. Spiritually, you are bankrupt, and always have been from the very moment that you began to exist. And there is no upward mobility in spiritual things, no way for you to work your way out of your situation. Your poverty is complete, total, and out of your control. Today the Prophet preaches good news to you, for He was anointed in the Jordan to bring you heavenly treasure. Today He has come into your midst to reverse your fortunes, transforming you from total and complete poverty, having nothing, to incredible wealth, having everything. You, who had no good before God, who had no ability to love God, who were conceived and born in rebellion against Him, are reconciled today with your Creator. Today you are given the very treasures of heaven itself; all God has is yours!
Today the captives have freedom preached to them. You are in captivity, imprisoned, bound to your sin. All sin enslaves, and it has enslaved you. Each of you has a sin or sins that have you fast-bound in its chains, the sin that you cannot escape, no matter how hard you try. Is it the desire for approval, the constant need to have others think well of you? Is it lust, the desire for those who are not your spouse that brings unstoppable images to you mind? Is it the language the comes from your mouth, filthy words, words that hurt, words that spread rumors and gossip, words that you are unable to hold back? Is it anger, the wrath that bubbles up uncontrollably, hurting those whom you love? Or is it a whole host of other sins, all of which hold you in bondage, all of which enslave you? Today the Prophet has come to free you. He was anointed in the Jordan to declare freedom to the captives. Today, freedom has come, today He will loose your bonds, He will break your chains. The Prophet has come to bring freedom to a creation in bondage to sin and death, to release all in prison. Today is your day of freedom; sin no longer holds you, it no longer controls you—today the Prophet has come!
Today the blind have their eyes opened. You are spiritually blind, blind to God, blind to His Prophet. Your sinful eyes cannot see your Creator, you are blind to His ways, to His great deeds in this world. You are blind to the spiritual realities that surround you, instead seeing what the world wants you to see: money, pleasure, selfishness, all under the banner that there are no spiritual realities—that this world is all there is. The blind cannot see anything but what the world tells them to see, and that vision has nothing to do with God. Today the Prophet has come to open blind eyes. It is for this reason that He was anointed in the Jordan, declared to be God’s beloved Son, Jesus the Christ. Today He reveals Himself to your blind eyes as God in the flesh, come to open eyes made blind by sin, opening them to see their God as a God of mercy and grace. Today sight has come, today those who are blind will see. Today your eyes are opened, and the sight is glorious; you see your Creator, your Lord, bearing your human flesh, standing in your midst, come to deliver, come to save, come to bring sight to the blind.
Today the oppressed are set free. You are oppressed, broken by the sin that fills this fallen world, by the sin that fills you. You are broken when others sin against you, when they attack your body or your reputation. You are broken, shattered, when relationships fall apart, when friends or loved ones abandon you, when they hurt you in ways that only those closest to you can. You are oppressed when natural disasters come upon you, from drought, to fire, to storms, taking your property and threatening your life. You are broken when disease strikes, when your body is stricken by malicious attackers with names like ‘cancer,’ ‘heart disease,’ ‘stroke,’ and ‘Alzheimer’s.’ You are oppressed by death, as it takes your loved ones, as it threatens you. Today the prophet comes to proclaim freedom. He was anointed in the Jordan to free the oppressed, to heal the broken. Today He will free you from your brokenness, He will deliver you from your oppression. Today even death will be a victim of the Prophet’s righteous wrath. The Prophet has come to proclaim the end to brokenness; through Him, you will be made whole. Today is your day of freedom, from all oppression, all brokenness.
Today the Prophet came to His hometown “to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” His agenda of freedom would begin among those who knew Him best. But those who knew Him best rejected Him. They claimed to know Him too well: “Is this not Joseph’s son?” We grew up with this guy; how can He claim to be God’s anointed one? And so they want a miracle. “And He said to them, ‘Doubtless you will quote to me the proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself.’ What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.” But no miracle is coming; the Prophet hasn’t arrived to put on a magic show, but to declare freedom to a creation in bondage to sin. And for that, the people will respond in anger. “When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and drove Him out of the town and brought Him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw Him down the cliff.” The prophetic pattern is rejection. Elijah knew this, as did Elisha, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and all the rest. They were all anointed to be rejected, to preach God’s Word to ears that wouldn’t listen. The Prophet anointed in Jordan’s stream, with the heavens open and the Spirit descending, would follow their pattern, He would die a martyr’s death as many of them had. But His hour was not yet. “Passing through their midst, He went away.”
The One who refused to do a miracle is saved by a miracle. But He is only delivered from the wrath of Nazareth in order to face the wrath of Jerusalem. His hour would come, for the Prophet, Jesus the Christ, was anointed to die. He walked through the crowd in Nazareth in order to walk the way of the cross. His death, His rejection at the hands of His relatives, His people, would bring freedom. His death wins heavenly treasure for the poor, the spiritually impoverished, for you and me. His death brings liberty to those captive to sin, for His death breaks the bonds of sin; forgiveness flows from the cross to you and me, the only proclamation that can sever sin’s chains, the only proclamation that can bring release. His death opens eyes blinded by sin, opening them to see your Creator as a God of love, mercy, and grace. Your eyes are opened to see God as He is present in the flesh of Christ, in the Word proclaimed, and the Sacraments administered. His death brings liberty to the broken and oppressed, for His death frees this creation from the bonds of sin. With His death, death itself is robbed of its power, and a day is coming when disease, disasters, and even sin will be no more. The Prophet’s death in your place inaugurated the “year of the Lord’s favor.” God is now favorable to you because of Jesus; you are acceptable to Him, He is well pleased with you. Through the cross and empty tomb, the song of the angels came to pass: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased.” The Prophet was rejected, even to the point of death, so that God could be well-pleased with you, forever.
“Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Today you have been set free from the bonds of your sin through the Absolution. Today you have heard good news preached to you, giving to you heavenly treasure. [Today you will receive Christ’s Body and Blood, healing balm for your brokenness.] Salvation has come among you today, just as surely as it came among the people of Nazareth, as their ‘hometown boy’ proclaimed the year of the Lord’s favor. The gifts of Christ are not something in the vague and far-off future; they are yours right now, they belong to you ‘today.’ The Day is coming when you will fully partake of them forever, but they are your present possession and treasure even now. Today you have been given a treasure that the world cannot give: the Anointed One has come into your midst, God’s Prophet, bearing His gifts. God’s favor is upon you; the year of the Lord’s favor on you will never end: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!” In the Name of our anointed Prophet, Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Reflections on 40 years of Roe vs. Wade--Part 6
Our society has fallen quite far when we see death as a solution, as an answer. When a woman faces a crisis pregnancy, when someone is infirm or aged, the answer too often is death. Death is never the answer, it isn’t a tool that we can wield. What kind of compassion do we have when we tell a frightened young woman to kill her child, when the only comfort we offer is more evil? God has a different way, a much better way. Our God is a God of life. It is His gift of life that triumphs over a culture of death. We may never end the scourge and evil of abortion, our nation may continue to deceive itself that a country which allows for the killing of its own children can protect any other liberty. But the victory remains with God; He is still in control. Death will not win, for Jesus’ grave remains empty.
God loves life; that is why He sent Jesus. Our Lord and Savior passed through every stage that we did, from conception to birth, and then walked this earth to win life through His death. His death broke the bonds of death, for His death was in our place, it was the penalty for our sin. Every sinner, from the woman who has committed an abortion, to the abortion doctor, to the abortion supporter, and even the chief of sinners, you and me, died with Christ upon that cross. It was a strange and dreadful strife, when life and death contended, but the victory remained with life. The tomb is empty, and it remains empty. He is risen, He is risen indeed, Alleluia! Christ’s life is more powerful that death itself; our greatest enemy is triumphed over, He is struck down, never to rise. Roe vs. Wade cannot change that; no power in this world can change that. On the Last Day, death itself will be destroyed, and there will only be life, forever.
God loves life; that is why He sent Jesus. Our Lord and Savior passed through every stage that we did, from conception to birth, and then walked this earth to win life through His death. His death broke the bonds of death, for His death was in our place, it was the penalty for our sin. Every sinner, from the woman who has committed an abortion, to the abortion doctor, to the abortion supporter, and even the chief of sinners, you and me, died with Christ upon that cross. It was a strange and dreadful strife, when life and death contended, but the victory remained with life. The tomb is empty, and it remains empty. He is risen, He is risen indeed, Alleluia! Christ’s life is more powerful that death itself; our greatest enemy is triumphed over, He is struck down, never to rise. Roe vs. Wade cannot change that; no power in this world can change that. On the Last Day, death itself will be destroyed, and there will only be life, forever.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Reflections on 40 years of Roe vs. Wade--Part 5
It is so easy to see abortion and other life issues as political. That is how they are framed in our media and in our culture. But that is a grave mistake, a misunderstanding of the issue, and even idolatry. A political issue can be dealt with by an election, a new law, a Supreme Court reversal. We think that if we elect the right people and pass the right laws, we have done our good deed to protect life. And there is some truth to that; the evil of abortion is protected by law, and so the law must be changed. But life is much more fundamental than politics; a human being deprived of life is excluded from politics. Life comes before, it stands above politics. Trusting in princes and presidents, in laws and court decisions is nothing else than idolatry. Only God can change hearts, and He changes them one at a time, through His Word.
God loves life, and He protects and preserves life in the same way that He preserves and protects all other good gifts, through Law and Gospel. Christians are obligated to declare to the culture, as I have done this week, that abortion is a great evil. Mothers and fathers considering abortion, and all those who support the abortion culture, are to be called to repentance, they are to be told that the Fifth Commandment applies also to the human being within the womb. But the Law can only rail against sin, it cannot change individuals or society. Only the Gospel can do that. To those broken by the Law, who see their great sin, we proclaim the Gospel. Abortion isn’t an unforgiveable sin; even that great evil has been covered with Christ’s blood. Elections and laws are important, but only the Gospel changes hearts.
God loves life, and He protects and preserves life in the same way that He preserves and protects all other good gifts, through Law and Gospel. Christians are obligated to declare to the culture, as I have done this week, that abortion is a great evil. Mothers and fathers considering abortion, and all those who support the abortion culture, are to be called to repentance, they are to be told that the Fifth Commandment applies also to the human being within the womb. But the Law can only rail against sin, it cannot change individuals or society. Only the Gospel can do that. To those broken by the Law, who see their great sin, we proclaim the Gospel. Abortion isn’t an unforgiveable sin; even that great evil has been covered with Christ’s blood. Elections and laws are important, but only the Gospel changes hearts.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Sanctity of Life Sunday (Exodus 2:15-22)
“But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live.” Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and our Savior Jesus Christ, Amen. The text for our sermon on this fortieth anniversary of Roe vs. Wade is from the Old Testament lesson read a few moments ago from the first chapter of the book of Exodus. Dear friends in Christ, our God is a God of life. He loves life; He created it. We read in Genesis that “the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” With love, with intimacy, with care, God literally stoops into the dirt to form man; He leans over to breathe into our nostrils the breath of life. And He has created with the same love and care ever since. The Psalmist declares, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.” He loves life, every life, for he has created life, every life. He created and loves the life of the smallest embryo at the moment of conception, to the life of the one a breath away from death. He loves us despite the effects of sin in our lives; He loves the sick, the infirm, the aged; He loves the mentally and physically disabled. He loves us all; each and every human being, no matter the stage of development, no matter the age, no matter the disability, can confess with David: “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.”
It is this love for life, all life, that human beings, the crown of God’s creation, are to have in their own lives. Even before the Lord declared on Mount Sinai, “You shall not murder,” it was clear that God wanted people to respect the lives of their neighbors. The second sin recorded in the Bible is murder, and when Noah leaves the ark, the Lord reminds him, “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in His own image.” This law was written on man’s heart, every person knew that innocent human life is sacred, it is to be respected and protected at all costs. It is this ingrained knowledge, this fundamental law, that Pharaoh violated. “Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, ‘When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.’” Out of fear, out of jealousy for Israel’s rapidly growing population, Pharaoh violated God’s ancient and firm command. And even worse, he didn’t target those who could fight back, but instead condemned the littlest, the most vulnerable, and condemned them to death.
The government declared that killing children was allowed; in fact, Pharaoh himself commanded it. The king had created a culture of death, where an entire classification of human beings was killed out of fear. But some rebelled; Shiphrah and Puah, those appointed to bring forth life, refused to be agents of death. They boldly stood for life in a culture of death. “But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live.” The most powerful man in Egypt, the one who held all Israel in the iron grasp of bondage, was defied by these two women. They feared God more than they feared Pharaoh. They held to His command over the words of mere men. They put their lives on the line to protect life; in fact, far from killing the male children, the Hebrew text indicates that they redoubled their efforts to help them survive the rigors of birth. The government called on them to explain their beliefs, to discard their stand for life, but they refused. “So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, ‘Why have you done this, and let the male children live?’ The midwives said to Pharaoh, ‘Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.” They were called before kings for God’s sake, and they obeyed God rather than men, they refused to submit, and through them, many children were saved.
Infanticide was Egypt’s national sin, and their violation of God’s command would result in devastation by God’s mighty outstretched hand. America is little better; in fact, America is far worse. The children of Israel died because of the fear of one man. The children of America die because of the fear of their own mothers and fathers, encouraged by a whole host of medical personnel, politicians, and nearly half of the population, the citizens of our culture of death. Fifty-four million. That is the death toll after forty years of legalized abortion on demand. Fifty-four million. It is hard for us to get a handle on those kinds of numbers. Imagine Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Wyoming, South Dakota, and North Dakota, all uninhabited. Every day, abortion kills as many unborn children as Al-Qaeda killed on 9/11.
Abraham Lincoln considered slavery to be America’s national sin, and he saw the Civil War as the deadly and destructive consequence of that sin. Abortion is our current national sin, and we are already seeing the consequences. A nation that has legalized the destruction of one class of human beings will have little trouble eliminating another class, and so the elderly, the infirm, and the disabled are all threatened. We are already seeing this in Europe, and the push for eliminating undesirables, those no longer deserving of life and precious resources, has begun to extend to our shores. Who knows what other consequences may follow? I am not saying that God will send judgment against America; I have no Word of God to say something so bold. I am simply saying that following God’s laws brings benefits in this world, and transgressing them carries grave consequences. America paid the price for treating a class of humans as sub-human before, as did ancient Egypt and Nazi Germany, and we may do so again.
Shiphrah and Puah are the patron saints of life; their bold stand for life in a culture of death is to be our pattern. They refused to give in, they feared God rather than men, and they acted in accord with their convictions. Their reverence for life came from their reverence for God, the One who gives life. They stood boldly for life, even before Pharaoh himself, regardless of the consequences. Unfortunately, we do not have the same boldness; forty years of legalized abortion on demand has lulled us to sleep. Abortion is our national sin, and we are all guilty, even if we never committed or encouraged an abortion. It has been our silence that has allowed this culture of death to reach epidemic proportions. We have been silent as television and movies separate sex from marriage; we have even been silent when sex outside of marriage enters our own families. We have been silent as politicians have opposed life or simply given it lip service; we have failed to hold them accountable and have let other issues take priority. We have been silent as women around us have entered crisis pregnancies, failing to give them the support they need; where we have been silent, the world has spoken, offering death as the solution. Our excuse cannot be that we didn’t know; abortion may occur behind closed doors, but the debate is right out in the open. We are called to boldly enter that debate, to take a stand for life with Shiphrah and Puah, regardless of the consequences; we are called upon to fear God rather than men. The time for fear is over, the time for action has come.
But even if we do follow the heroic example of Shiphrah and Puah, even if we boldly stand for life in a culture of death, we have no guarantee of success. Pharaoh, when confronted with the defiance of the Hebrew midwives, simply changed tactics. “Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, ‘Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live.’” Their heroic stand didn’t end the slaughter, and neither may ours. But we are not discouraged. With them we stand for life and entrust the results to God; if our text teaches us anything, it teaches us that God remains in control, despite the sin and death that surrounds us.
For our God is a God of life. In Exodus chapter two we learn that God spared a child from Pharaoh’s murderous designs, a child named Moses, who would deliver his people from such tyranny. In our Gospel lesson, we learn of another child spared from death, a child named Jesus, who would deliver all people from the tyranny of death. Our culture of death is doomed to defeat, for our God is a God of life, and He spared Jesus so that He would go forth and win life for all. Herod and Pharaoh thought that they were in control, but they weren’t. God is in control, and He is truly a God of life. Life will triumph over death, for Jesus Himself triumphed over death. He walked the way of the cross, standing for life even to the point of death, and then rose victorious over death itself, robbing it of its power, winning forgiveness and eternal life for all.
It is this forgiveness and life won by Christ that is brought to a guilty people; grace everlasting, given freely to those corrupted by sin. And it is this forgiveness, this grace, this life that alone is the solution to our culture of death. Only forgiveness can heal hearts broken by abortion, only forgiveness can send forth Christians to proclaim life in their world. If you have committed or encouraged an abortion, hear today the only message that can bring healing, the only message that can comfort: I, as a called an ordained servant of the Word, forgive you of that sin and all others, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Christ has died even for that sin, He has died for you. You are His forgiven child. And for the rest of us, you and me who have the stain of our national sin upon us by our silence, Christ has forgiven that sin as well as all others. You are forgiven! The God of life sent His Son to die for all your sins. Life has the victory, even in the midst of death, even if abortion is never eliminated; life has the victory, God created it, and He redeemed it, with the life, death, and resurrection of His Son. In the Name of that Son, who won life, everlasting life, for you, for me, for all people, Amen.
It is this love for life, all life, that human beings, the crown of God’s creation, are to have in their own lives. Even before the Lord declared on Mount Sinai, “You shall not murder,” it was clear that God wanted people to respect the lives of their neighbors. The second sin recorded in the Bible is murder, and when Noah leaves the ark, the Lord reminds him, “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in His own image.” This law was written on man’s heart, every person knew that innocent human life is sacred, it is to be respected and protected at all costs. It is this ingrained knowledge, this fundamental law, that Pharaoh violated. “Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, ‘When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.’” Out of fear, out of jealousy for Israel’s rapidly growing population, Pharaoh violated God’s ancient and firm command. And even worse, he didn’t target those who could fight back, but instead condemned the littlest, the most vulnerable, and condemned them to death.
The government declared that killing children was allowed; in fact, Pharaoh himself commanded it. The king had created a culture of death, where an entire classification of human beings was killed out of fear. But some rebelled; Shiphrah and Puah, those appointed to bring forth life, refused to be agents of death. They boldly stood for life in a culture of death. “But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live.” The most powerful man in Egypt, the one who held all Israel in the iron grasp of bondage, was defied by these two women. They feared God more than they feared Pharaoh. They held to His command over the words of mere men. They put their lives on the line to protect life; in fact, far from killing the male children, the Hebrew text indicates that they redoubled their efforts to help them survive the rigors of birth. The government called on them to explain their beliefs, to discard their stand for life, but they refused. “So the king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, ‘Why have you done this, and let the male children live?’ The midwives said to Pharaoh, ‘Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.” They were called before kings for God’s sake, and they obeyed God rather than men, they refused to submit, and through them, many children were saved.
Infanticide was Egypt’s national sin, and their violation of God’s command would result in devastation by God’s mighty outstretched hand. America is little better; in fact, America is far worse. The children of Israel died because of the fear of one man. The children of America die because of the fear of their own mothers and fathers, encouraged by a whole host of medical personnel, politicians, and nearly half of the population, the citizens of our culture of death. Fifty-four million. That is the death toll after forty years of legalized abortion on demand. Fifty-four million. It is hard for us to get a handle on those kinds of numbers. Imagine Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Wyoming, South Dakota, and North Dakota, all uninhabited. Every day, abortion kills as many unborn children as Al-Qaeda killed on 9/11.
Abraham Lincoln considered slavery to be America’s national sin, and he saw the Civil War as the deadly and destructive consequence of that sin. Abortion is our current national sin, and we are already seeing the consequences. A nation that has legalized the destruction of one class of human beings will have little trouble eliminating another class, and so the elderly, the infirm, and the disabled are all threatened. We are already seeing this in Europe, and the push for eliminating undesirables, those no longer deserving of life and precious resources, has begun to extend to our shores. Who knows what other consequences may follow? I am not saying that God will send judgment against America; I have no Word of God to say something so bold. I am simply saying that following God’s laws brings benefits in this world, and transgressing them carries grave consequences. America paid the price for treating a class of humans as sub-human before, as did ancient Egypt and Nazi Germany, and we may do so again.
Shiphrah and Puah are the patron saints of life; their bold stand for life in a culture of death is to be our pattern. They refused to give in, they feared God rather than men, and they acted in accord with their convictions. Their reverence for life came from their reverence for God, the One who gives life. They stood boldly for life, even before Pharaoh himself, regardless of the consequences. Unfortunately, we do not have the same boldness; forty years of legalized abortion on demand has lulled us to sleep. Abortion is our national sin, and we are all guilty, even if we never committed or encouraged an abortion. It has been our silence that has allowed this culture of death to reach epidemic proportions. We have been silent as television and movies separate sex from marriage; we have even been silent when sex outside of marriage enters our own families. We have been silent as politicians have opposed life or simply given it lip service; we have failed to hold them accountable and have let other issues take priority. We have been silent as women around us have entered crisis pregnancies, failing to give them the support they need; where we have been silent, the world has spoken, offering death as the solution. Our excuse cannot be that we didn’t know; abortion may occur behind closed doors, but the debate is right out in the open. We are called to boldly enter that debate, to take a stand for life with Shiphrah and Puah, regardless of the consequences; we are called upon to fear God rather than men. The time for fear is over, the time for action has come.
But even if we do follow the heroic example of Shiphrah and Puah, even if we boldly stand for life in a culture of death, we have no guarantee of success. Pharaoh, when confronted with the defiance of the Hebrew midwives, simply changed tactics. “Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, ‘Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live.’” Their heroic stand didn’t end the slaughter, and neither may ours. But we are not discouraged. With them we stand for life and entrust the results to God; if our text teaches us anything, it teaches us that God remains in control, despite the sin and death that surrounds us.
For our God is a God of life. In Exodus chapter two we learn that God spared a child from Pharaoh’s murderous designs, a child named Moses, who would deliver his people from such tyranny. In our Gospel lesson, we learn of another child spared from death, a child named Jesus, who would deliver all people from the tyranny of death. Our culture of death is doomed to defeat, for our God is a God of life, and He spared Jesus so that He would go forth and win life for all. Herod and Pharaoh thought that they were in control, but they weren’t. God is in control, and He is truly a God of life. Life will triumph over death, for Jesus Himself triumphed over death. He walked the way of the cross, standing for life even to the point of death, and then rose victorious over death itself, robbing it of its power, winning forgiveness and eternal life for all.
It is this forgiveness and life won by Christ that is brought to a guilty people; grace everlasting, given freely to those corrupted by sin. And it is this forgiveness, this grace, this life that alone is the solution to our culture of death. Only forgiveness can heal hearts broken by abortion, only forgiveness can send forth Christians to proclaim life in their world. If you have committed or encouraged an abortion, hear today the only message that can bring healing, the only message that can comfort: I, as a called an ordained servant of the Word, forgive you of that sin and all others, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Christ has died even for that sin, He has died for you. You are His forgiven child. And for the rest of us, you and me who have the stain of our national sin upon us by our silence, Christ has forgiven that sin as well as all others. You are forgiven! The God of life sent His Son to die for all your sins. Life has the victory, even in the midst of death, even if abortion is never eliminated; life has the victory, God created it, and He redeemed it, with the life, death, and resurrection of His Son. In the Name of that Son, who won life, everlasting life, for you, for me, for all people, Amen.
Reflections on 40 years of Roe vs. Wade--Part 4
If abortion is America’s national sin, then none of us are clean, none of us are exempt. We all have participated either actively or by standing on the sidelines. We have allowed our culture to divorce sex from marriage and sex from children, with a whole host of consequences, not least the destruction of fifty-four million innocent lives. The shows we watch, the movies we see, all encourage a culture that makes abortion possible, even necessary. We have unthinkingly accepted contraception, forgetting that abortion and contraception goes together; you cannot have one without the other. We have allowed other issues to take priority; we haven’t held our leaders accountable for this evil, especially our so-called ‘pro-life’ leaders. And on the most basic, personal level, we have failed to give pregnant women the support that they need, especially those in crisis situations.
God loves life, and He uses people like you and me to protect and preserve it. We are on the front lines, and we are called upon to speak. The patron saints of life are Shiphrah and Puah, the Hebrew midwives found in the first chapter of Exodus. These courageous women stood up for life, defying Pharaoh in word and deed. “The midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live.” They obeyed God rather than men, their bold stand is an example to us all. We are called on to stand for life, to support life, to speak up against evil. We pray for forgiveness for our silence, our inability or refusal to stand up for life, and Christ’s blood covers that sin, as it even covers the sin of abortion itself. Then, forgiven and redeemed, we speak boldly for the most vulnerable among us.
God loves life, and He uses people like you and me to protect and preserve it. We are on the front lines, and we are called upon to speak. The patron saints of life are Shiphrah and Puah, the Hebrew midwives found in the first chapter of Exodus. These courageous women stood up for life, defying Pharaoh in word and deed. “The midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live.” They obeyed God rather than men, their bold stand is an example to us all. We are called on to stand for life, to support life, to speak up against evil. We pray for forgiveness for our silence, our inability or refusal to stand up for life, and Christ’s blood covers that sin, as it even covers the sin of abortion itself. Then, forgiven and redeemed, we speak boldly for the most vulnerable among us.
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Reflections on 40 years of Roe vs. Wade--Part 3
Forgive me if I take the issue of abortion personally. It’s hard not to; Roe vs. Wade was ten years old when I was born, which means that I am missing peers, classmates, and friends. In fact, Roe vs. Wade declared that it was permissable to kill me. So, I apologize for taking abortion so personally, but for me and all those who dwelt in the womb in the past forty years, it is personal. That is really the point. We aren’t talking about globs of tissue or some other creature, we are talking about human beings. That is simple science; when conception happens, you have a new life, a new human being. And every human being should be protected. If the child in the womb isn’t a human being, then no justification for abortion is needed. If the child in the womb is a human being (and it is!) then no justification is sufficient. A hard case, when the life of a mother is in jeopardy, then is the difficult ethical choice between the lives of two human beings. But even that decision respects the life of both child and mother, declaring that every human being should be protected.
God loves every individual life; He loves you and me. The psalmist declares, “My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” Every life has value, because every life has been formed and shaped by God. The stage of development doesn’t matter; old and young, embryo and elderly, are all protected. The effects of sin don’t matter; the disabled and the infirm are all worthy of dignity, respect, and life.
God loves every individual life; He loves you and me. The psalmist declares, “My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” Every life has value, because every life has been formed and shaped by God. The stage of development doesn’t matter; old and young, embryo and elderly, are all protected. The effects of sin don’t matter; the disabled and the infirm are all worthy of dignity, respect, and life.
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