Between God and Mammon

A blog about religion, politics, business, and economics.

Category: Sermons

The Light in the Darkness

January 24, 2026 /

January 25, 2026                     Third Sunday after the Epiphany

Isaiah 9:1-4; Psalm 27:1, 5-13; 1 Corinthians 1:10-18; Matthew 4:12-23

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our Redeemer. Amen.

Please be seated.

We’re nearing the end of January, and we’ve passed through the darkest days of the year. But I wouldn’t say we’re in sunshine valley: After all, it’s Germany in the winter. Now, I’m not complaining. I’m originally from Michigan, and it’s no better there. In Michigan, we said goodbye to the sun in January and hoped to see it again sometime in March.

If we take darkness in a more figurative sense, as our reading from Isaiah does, the world is a very dark place right now. Russia’s evil aggressive war in Ukraine continues. Protesters in Iran have been slaughtered by an oppressive regime. People in Gaza are still dying from the fighting and a lack of food, medicine, and shelter. In Minnesota, two protesters were recently shot and killed by federal agents. Venezuela is no closer to democracy than it was a month ago, even after Maduro was snatched. Democracy was apparently never the goal. And then there’s Greenland.

Our reading from Isaiah was probably written sometime between 739 and 701 BC when the Assyrians destroyed the Northern Kingdom of Israel and invaded the Southern Kingdom of Judah. The Assyrians were brutal conquerors. They tortured enemy combatants to death and massacred the inhabitants of cities that resisted. Deportation was a common tactic, and they applied this to the people of Galilee, who were carried off to Assyria. Galilee was not repopulated by Jews until the Hasmonean king Aristobulus I conquered it in 104 BC.

So, when the Isaiah passage was written, the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali were depopulated and their people lost in the darkness of Assyrian captivity. But in the midst of this darkness and suffering, Isaiah promised a great light would shine on the land. The people would rejoice. God would break the yoke of their burden and the rod of their oppressor. The promised light, which would enlighten not only Galilee but the whole world, would come 7 ½ centuries later.

The verses that follow, while not included in today’s reading, are very important and part of the greater passage. Verse 5 continues the theme of verse 4: the warrior’s boots and blood-soaked garments will be burned. Verses 6 and 7 are familiar to us from the Christmas narrative: “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9:6-7, NKJV). Christians have historically believed that the expanded passage is a prophecy about the coming Messiah. Matthew does the same.

Matthew is the most Jewish of the four Gospels and was probably written for a Jewish-Christian audience in the diaspora. In fact, the early second century Church Father Papias said that Matthew was originally written in the “Hebrew language,” probably Aramaic, although most scholars are skeptical of this.[1] New Testament scholar Craig Blomberg suggests that the book’s primary purpose is apologetics in interaction with non-Christian Jews.[2] It repeatedly refers to Old Testament prophecy and shows its fulfillment in Jesus. The passage from Isaiah is one example of this. Matthew 4:14-16 refers specifically to today’s Isaiah passage to show how it is fulfilled in Jesus’s ministry in Galilee.

In Matthew’s account, Jesus was at the beginning of his preaching and teaching ministry, bringing light to those who heard Him. He now added disciples to His kingdom. First, he called two fishermen, the brothers Andrew and Simon, who was later called Peter. They immediately left their nets and followed Him. Next, he called James and John, sons of Zebedee, who likewise dropped what they were doing and joined Him. Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in the synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing disease and sickness among the people.

What can we learn from these two passages?

Jesus fulfills Isaiah 9:1-2 through his ministry in Galilee, as Matthew suggests, but also fulfills verses 3 and 4 as well. In verse 3, Isaiah says God will multiply the nation and increase its joy. All those who belong to God become part of the new universal nation of Israel. This includes us. In verse 4, God will break the “yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor.” On the cross, Jesus broke the yoke of sin and death and the rod of Satan, the oppressor. If we repent, accept the forgiveness of sins offered through Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross, and follow Him as Lord, we are freed from sin and death, and Satan has no hold over us.

Matthew 4:17 tells us that Jesus regularly told his listeners to “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near,” which was a common theme of His ministry. So, what does “repentance” mean? The Lexham Bible Dictionary defines it as “a change of attitude and action from sin toward obedience to God.”[3] It “refers to an event in which an individual attains a divinely provided new understanding of their behavior and feels compelled to change that behavior and begin a new relationship with God.”[4] Another way of understanding it is described by C.S. Lewis. In Mere Christianity, he argues that fallen humanity is in rebellion against God. The rebellion began with Adam and Eve, who ate the forbidden fruit so they would be like God (Gen 3:5). The desire to be like God, to do as we please instead of as God wants, is the essence of sin. The modern version of this desire is summed up in William Ernest Henley’s poem, which ends with the statement: “I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.” These brave-sounding words are the cry of one rebelling against God. They are also pure hubris. Repentance, according to Lewis, is when the rebel lays down his arms and stops rebelling against God. “It means unlearning all the self-conceit and self-will that we have been training ourselves into for thousands of years.”[5]

The Bible does not clearly define the kingdom of God, or God’s reign, although Jesus proclaims it. He explains it mainly through parables, each describing an aspect of it. According to the Lexham Bible Dictionary, the kingdom of God “refers primarily to God’s kingly power exercised over creation and people.”[6] Jesus inaugurated God’s rule over the world through His sacrifice on the cross and resurrection. On the cross, He broke the reign of the “rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it” (Col. 2:15). By casting out demons even before His crucifixion, Jesus demonstrated that God was the ruler of the world, not Satan.

If we look around us, it is hard to believe that God’s kingdom is already here. This is because we live in the age of “already and not yet,” where God’s people, the church, represent God to a fallen world and work to build His kingdom. Admittedly, we do not always do this well. Someday, Jesus will return and establish God’s kingdom completely. Then, every knee will bow before Him and every tongue confess Him (Phil 2:10-11), and the lion will lie down with the lamb (Isaiah 11:6). Sin and death will be no more.

Those who are in Christ Jesus already enjoy eternal life. Yes, our bodies will die, but then we are freed from sin and death and will spend eternity with Jesus. Christ died on the cross to free us from bondage to sin and death and rose for our redemption (Romans 4:25). In today’s epistle, Paul writes, “For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor 1:18).

So, what should we do? We should repent, believe in Christ as our Redeemer, and strive to follow Him as our Lord, putting Him at the center of our lives. Unlike in William Ernest Henley’s poem, we are not masters of our fate or the captain of our soul.” Instead, as we sang last week in the hymn: “Christ is the world’s true light, its Captain of salvation.” And as we follow Him, we should focus on the essentials, that is, on Christ, and not get sidetracked by factional thinking, as today’s epistle warns. Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus (Heb 12:2). Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12). Let us reflect His light into a dark world.

Amen.

[1] Craig L. Bloomberg, Matthew (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 1992), 39.

[2] Ibid., 34.

[3] Brendan Kennedy, “Repentance,” in The Lexham Bible Dictionary, ed. John D. Barry et al. (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).

[4] Ibid. Brendan Kennedy, “Repentance,” in The Lexham Bible Dictionary, ed. John D. Barry et al. (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).

[5] C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (London, William Collins, 2016), 56-7.

[6] David Seal, “Kingdom of God,” in The Lexham Bible Dictionary, ed. John D. Barry et al. (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).

Prepare the Way of the Lord

January 24, 2026 /

December 7, 2025                   Second Sunday of Advent

Isaiah 11:1-10; Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19; Romans 15:4-13; Matthew 3:1-12

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our Redeemer. Amen.

Please be seated.

What comes to mind when you think of Advent? Christmas markets? Glühwein? Christmas trees? Lights and ornaments? Children’s pageants? Christmas carols? A long time ago when I was a child, December meant “Christmas is coming!” That meant a little while longer and presents would come my way. I couldn’t wait! Advent is a joyous time. And frankly, we need it. December is a dark, cold, dreary month. The days grow shorter and shorter – and you hardly ever see the sun anyway. In describing Narnia in perpetual winter under the rule of the White Witch, Lucy says “it’s always winter, but it never gets to Christmas.”[1] That would describe December without Advent and Christmas? At least in January, the days start getting longer. But thanks to Advent and Christmas, December is a festive month.

Advent, which begins the church year, is a time of preparation for the Lord’s coming. A Church of England website says, “Advent is a season of expectation and preparation, as the Church prepares to celebrate the coming (adventus) of Christ in his incarnation, and also looks ahead to his final advent as judge at the end of time. The readings and liturgies not only direct us towards Christ’s birth, they also challenge the modern reluctance to confront the theme of divine judgement.

Advent is a penitential season. Today’s Gospel reading makes clear why. John the Baptist, who was foretold in Isaiah 40:3-4 as a voice calling in the wilderness “prepare the way for the Lord,” told the people, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matt 3:2). Accordingly, we need to examine ourselves to prepare for the coming of God’s kingdom. We should ask ourselves, “What is keeping me from giving myself fully to Christ as my Lord and Savior?”

Interestingly, to the religious leaders of the day John the Baptist had harsh words: “Bear fruit worthy of repentance.” These self-satisfied people saw no reason to repent. True, they came to undergo a baptism of repentance, but probably because that was expected of them or because everyone else was doing it. These were the most religious and respectable people in Judean society, and John the Baptist called them a “brood of vipers,” perhaps the worst insult possible. They remind me of the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, praying in the Temple (Luke 8:9-14). The Pharisee thanks God for making him so righteous, not like other people, especially that tax collector over there. The tax collector beats his chest and prays, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” The tax collector went home justified before God, because he showed true repentance.

John the Baptist continues his warning. Someone more powerful than him was coming, someone for whom he was not worthy to carry the sandals. While John baptized with water, the coming One would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire. He would separate the wheat from the chaff and gather the wheat into the granary but burn the chaff with an unquenchable fire. It’s certainly better to be the wheat! That means, we have to bear fruit, as the parable of the fig tree illustrates (Luke 13:6-9).

The one who was coming would be a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch would grow out of his roots” (Isaiah 11:1). Jesse was the father of King David, so it would be from among David’s descendants that this person would come. He will judge the poor with righteousness and decide with equity for the meek, but the wicked he will kill with the breath of his lips. He will inaugurate a reign of righteousness and faithfulness. This message is also reflected in today’s Psalm. The King’s Son will rule God’s people righteously and the poor with justice. He will defend the needy, rescue the poor and crush the oppressor.

Jesus promised He would return and judge the living and the dead, His second coming, which we proclaim in both the Apostle’s and the Nicene Creed. Jesus will establish the new heaven and earth in which righteousness will flourish and peace will prevail. This is what Isaiah describes as God’s holy mountain, where the wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together. “They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”

Today, we live in the already and not yet. We live in the already, because Christ has come. He has reconciled the world to God on the Cross and rose again to make it complete. And if we compare today’s world with that of the Roman Empire, with its slavery and gladiatorial games, we probably have moved toward greater righteousness. Still, carnivores remain carnivores. Similarly, humans remain capable of unspeakable evil, as well as of good. The Holocaust and the brutal wars in Ukraine and the Holy Land show this all too well.

In the meantime, what should we do? We should examine ourselves and repent, turning to Christ for forgiveness and honoring Him as Lord and Savior. We should work for justice and help those in need, and we should preach the Gospel to all nations. What God expects of us can be summarized in the Law of Love: “We should love the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind and love our neighbor as ourselves” (Matthew 22:37-40). Granted, we can’t do that adequately, but the Holy Spirit will help us. We should also live in harmony with one another, as Paul admonishes the church at Rome. Jesus has overcome the old division between Jews and Gentiles, and He can overcome the divisions we have today if we let the Spirit guide us.

[1] C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, 42.

Put Jesus First, Not Wealth

September 30, 2025 /

September 28, 2025                Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15; Psalm 91:1-6, 14-16; 1 Timothy 6:6-19; Luke 16:19-31

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our rock and our Redeemer. Amen.

Please be seated.

A few years ago, ABBA came out with a hit song, “Money, Money, Money,” which affirmed that it’s a rich man’s world. The hit musical Cabaret had a song “Money Makes the World Go ‘Round,” which had a similar message. Is money important? If I were to say “No,” I would sound pious, but from an earthly perspective it wouldn’t be true. Money is important. With money, you can buy the things you need and the things you want. Money brings status. Money brings power, which you can use for good or for evil. With money, you can start a business that meets people’s needs, provides employment, and promotes economic growth. Let’s face it: If you have little hope of making money, you won’t take the risk of starting a company. As someone who has studied economics and business, I’m convinced that the main difference between rich and poor countries lies in entrepreneurs, that is, those who start new companies and develop new products. Entrepreneurship is the reason why countries like Japan, South Korea, and now China have risen from poverty to prosperity. Of course, like most things, businesses can have negative as well as positive impacts on society and the planet.

So, money can be a good thing, and it can be a bad thing. One thing is sure: money can be a temptation and a trap, as today’s epistle reading tells us. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains” (1 Tim 6:10). Money is not the root of ALL evil, as some people say when they misquote this verse. But the love of it is. Now, the love of money is not the only root of evil. The love of power is perhaps even more dangerous, as we see in abundance in today’s politics. But the love of money and the love of power are closely related. If you are wealthy, you have power. If you are powerful, you can gain wealth. Vladimir Putin is rumored to be the richest man in the world. Another world leader even has his own crypto currency, from which he and his family have reportedly made billions.

When we look at today’s Gospel reading, Jesus seems to have a negative attitude toward wealth. The rich man suffers in Hades, while the poor man, Lazarus, is in paradise with Abraham. This isn’t the only time in the Gospels that Jesus seems to oppose wealth. Luke 18 relates the story of the rich young ruler, who asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus lists some of the commandments, and the rich young ruler responds, “I’ve kept these since I was a boy.” Jesus then tells him to give away everything he owns to the poor, then follow Him. The ruler turns away very sad. Jesus was asking too much! Jesus then famously said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God,” (Lk 18:25). In Luke’s version of the Beatitudes, Jesus told His disciples, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God,” (Lk 6:20). Then He said, “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation,” (Lk 6:24).

Is Jesus a socialist? Does he hate rich people? We might be tempted to say, “You better watch out, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos!” But we have a problem: Compared to all the people who have ever lived, most of us are extremely rich! Our standard of living would be unimaginably high to the rich man in the Gospel story. Even today, most people in the world have much less wealth than we do. So, if Jesus hates rich people, most of us have a problem. Also, the Bible tells us that some of the heroes of the faith were rich, including Abraham, Job, King David and King Solomon. While imperfect, they were counted among the righteous. Proverbs 28:25 says, “The righteous will prosper.”

So, why does the rich man in our story suffer in Hades? He is not portrayed as a sympathetic character. Here was a man living a life of luxury. He was dressed in purple and fine linen, which only the very rich could afford. While most people back then lived a precarious existence and were happy when they had enough bread to eat, the rich man feasted sumptuously every day. His worst offense was ignoring the poor man, Lazarus, who was at the gate of his house. He could have fed Lazarus with the scraps from his table, which would have cost him nothing. He couldn’t be bothered. He just didn’t care. So, here was a case where a rich man had no empathy for the poor man who was right on his doorstep. Their roles were reversed after death: Lazarus was comforted at Abraham’s bosom, while the rich man was in torment in Hades. The rich man asked Abraham to send Lazarus to comfort him, but Abraham said it was impossible. The rich man then asked that Lazarus be returned to life so he could warn the rich man’s brothers, who presumably were also rich and without empathy. In a reference to Jesus’ upcoming death and resurrection, Abraham says, “If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” Subsequent events would bear this out.

So, here we have a rich man suffering in eternity. Are all rich people condemned to eternal death? Abraham certainly wasn’t. In a dispute with the Sadducees about the resurrection, Jesus said that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were among the living (Mark 12:26-27). Jesus also had wealthy followers, including Mary, Martha, and Lazarus – not the Lazarus of our Gospel reading! Lydia of Thyatira, who housed Paul on a missionary journey, was a seller of purple cloth, according to church tradition. In that case, she was probably wealthy.

Money is a tool which can be used for good or for evil. It’s the excessive desire for money that’s a problem. Money can be an idol: one we worship more than we worship God. The first of Jesus’ two great commandments is, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mk 12:30). If you love money more than God, you are breaking this commandment. The second of Jesus’ commandments is, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mk 12:31). We can only do this if we love God more than all else, including money. The rich man in today’s Gospel did not love Lazarus, because he did not love God. He loved his wealth and his own pleasure more.

Shortly before Jesus told this story, He told the story of the dishonest manager, which was the Gospel reading last week. This story ended with the statement, “No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth” (Lk 16:13). This is the fundamental problem with wealth, and with power, and with fame, and everything else. As followers of Christ, we need to serve God and put Him first.

In today’s epistle, Paul warns those who are rich “not to be haughty or set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. We are to serve God and put Him first. As Jesus said, “Strive first for the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matt. 6:33).  Paul continues, “They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so they may take hold of the life that really is life.”

So, we should ask ourselves, what is the main purpose of our life? Is it to make lots of money, live a life of luxury, and enjoy worldly pleasures? This ultimately leads to failure, even if we succeed in the short run. As we all know, we can’t take money and possessions with us when we die. If the main purpose of our life is to serve God and experience the joy He gives us abundantly, this ultimately leads to success, even if we face trials and tribulations in the short run. We can and will take God’s spiritual blessings with us!

May God give us the strength to put Him first, not money. Amen.

Immigrants Are People, Too!

July 12, 2025 /

July 13, 2025              Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

Luke 10:25-37

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord. Amen.

Please be seated.

This is the year for the Detroit Tigers, Michigan’s Major League Baseball team. The Tigers are currently on top of the Central Division of the American League and have the best record in professional baseball. That makes me happy: I identify with Detroit’s sports teams. Come autumn, I’ll be rooting for the Michigan Wolverines and the Detroit Lions. You see, I’m a Detroit and University of Michigan fan and have been one since I was a child. These are two of my identity groups. I have others: my country, my religion, and even my political positions, although I no longer identify with a political party. I’m not alone: Most people identify with their groups. That can be a good thing: We have something in common with others in the same group. Unfortunately, it can divide us from people in other groups. One of the strongest identity groups for most people is their nationality, their allegiance to their country. Another strong group is their church or religion. There is a danger: If these identity groups become stronger for us than our identity as followers of Christ, we are committing idolatry and are on a slippery slope. The First Commandment tells us to have no other gods before God. If we put our group identities ahead of our allegiance to God, the objects of our identities become our gods.

In today’s Gospel reading, the lawyer asked Jesus what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus turned the question around and asked, “What is written in the Law?” The lawyer quoted Deuteronomy 6:5, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind.” He then quoted Leviticus 19:18, “love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus answered approvingly: Do this, and you will live.” The lawyer, who was obviously very perceptive, knew he had difficulty doing this and so wanted to restrict the circle of his neighbors. Leviticus seems to restrict it to “anyone among your people,” that is, to Israelites. Jesus responded with the Parable of the Good Samaritan. A man was beaten by robbers who left him half dead. A priest came by but did not help. A Levite then came by but did not help. Finally, a Samaritan came by. He stopped, bound the man’s wounds, placed him on his donkey, and led him to an inn, where he paid the innkeeper to take care of the injured man. Jesus asked the lawyer, who of the three was a neighbor to the victim? The lawyer answered correctly: “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said, “Go and do likewise.”

To appreciate the radical nature of the parable, we should understand that Jews and Samaritans disliked each other. Although both groups traced their lineage back to Moses and Aaron, they diverged in Israel’s later history. Jews believed that Samaritans were brought in by the Assyrians when they conquered Israel, while Samaritans believed they were descended from the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim. There were also religious differences. The Samaritan bible consisted solely of their version of the Torah, while the Jews revered the entire Hebrew Bible, which Christians call the Old Testament. Moreover, Samaritans offered their sacrifices on Mount Gerizim, while Jews sacrificed in the Jerusalem Temple. Through this parable, Jesus is telling the lawyer, the neighbor he must love as himself also includes this Samaritan, a heretic from an impure ethnic group. Paul echoes this principle in Galatians 3:28 – “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” The fundamental principle goes back to creation, when God created humankind in His image (Gen. 1-26-27). While this image was sullied in the Fall, it is not lost. All people bear the image of God and hence must be treated as having dignity, even if they have a different religion or are from a different nationality.

The principle that all people bear God’s image has been recognized, in somewhat modified form, by many secular documents. Article 1 of the German Basic Law states: “Human dignity is inviolable.” The Preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights begins: “Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world …” The Declaration of Independence, the founding document of the United States of America, says: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Much of the history that followed the Declaration was a struggle to expand these rights to all Americans. It took a civil war before these rights applied to African Americans, and Jim Crow, a form of Apartheid, was not abolished until passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Women could not vote until 1920. And today, the legitimate rights of LGBTQ people, such as the right to marry, are under threat.

Immigration is a complex issue, one on which Christians can legitimately take different positions. Some people argue for open borders: Those people who leave their home countries due to fear of persecution have an internationally recognized right to protection, enshrined in the UN’s 1951 Refugee Convention. And while those who leave their home countries for economic reasons do not qualify for refugee protection, who can blame them for seeking a better life for themselves and their families? Others argue that a state has a duty to protect its citizens, its economy, and its culture from external and internal threats, including those posed by uncontrolled migration. Thinking pragmatically, if large numbers of a country’s citizens believe that immigration is out of control, they will be afraid and call for restrictions, as we are seeing throughout the European Union and, especially, in the United States. Accordingly, a country needs to control immigration, but it must do so humanely. Christians should insist that immigration restrictions comply with the 1951 Refugee Convention. Deportation, when necessary, should be done humanely, with due process of law, honoring the human dignity of those being deported.

I’m a patriotic American who served in the Army for nine years, and so I hate criticizing my country. But what’s happening to immigrants in the United States right now is an affront to human dignity and unworthy of a country that many call Christian. We Americans should remember that all of us, except native Americans, are descendants of immigrants. Stephen Miller, the White House chief of staff for policy and homeland security advisor, has directed ICE, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, to arrest and deport 3000 “illegal” aliens per day. Deportation was supposed to focus on criminals and those posing a threat to public safety. But criminals are harder to find and more dangerous to arrest so, to meet the quotas, ICE has gone after the low-hanging fruit: those immigrants who are easy to find and unlikely to resist. ICE arrests immigrants at building supply stores, such as Home Depot, as they are looking for construction work. It arrests immigrants when they are at work in food processing plants or when they appear at court in compliance with legal requirements. ICE is even allowed to arrest immigrants at schools and churches. Spanish-speaking churches have reported drastic drops in attendance due to members’ fear of arrest. Many of those arrested have young children, who are then left to fend for themselves. Many detainees are in the US legally, as asylum-seekers, under temporary protective status, or on student visas. Many have green cards. Foreign students have been arrested for protesting Israel’s policy in Gaza, which violates their freedom of speech, which is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution and applies to all people in the United States, not just citizens.

Many of the deportation stories are heartbreaking. Here are some examples. Kilmar Diego Garcia was deported directly to an El Salvadoran prison without due process of law and in violation of a judge’s ruling. He has since been returned to the United States, but many others remain in that prison. Mandonna Kashanian, an Iranian woman who has been in the U.S. for 47 years and is married to an American, was arrested in New Orleans. She has no criminal record. Sae Joon Park self-deported after ICE targeted him for deportation. He has lived in the US for almost 50 years. Sae Joon Park does have a criminal record: He served time for non-violent drug offenses but has been clean since his release from prison over 10 years ago. His drug abuse was due to post-traumatic stress disorder. Sae Joon Park served in the Army and received a Purple Heart for wounds suffered in combat, which caused his PTSD.

Should Christians react? Yes, loving our neighbor requires action, just as the Samaritan did not ignore the plight of the man who had been robbed and beaten. This church, for example, gave one refugee from Afghanistan shelter and asylum to ensure that he received due process and that his case was properly examined. As Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe wrote on July 3: “We are now being faced with a series of choices between the demands of the federal government and the teachings of Jesus, and that is no choice at all.” You don’t have to support open borders – I don’t – to demand that governments treat immigrants fairly and with dignity.

If you share my concerns, there are things you can do about the plight of immigrants in the United States. Call your Senator or Representative and express your concern. Join a protest march: We’ve had two so far in Frankfurt. Vote! American citizens can vote abroad with an absentee ballot. Whether or not you’re an American citizen, you can help immigrants in the US by contributing to immigrant advocacy organizations, such as the Interfaith Refugee and Immigration Service (IRIS), sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. Above all, regardless of our nationality, let’s resolve to treat all people as image-bearers and deserving of fair treatment. Jesus calls on us to love our neighbor as ourselves. As the parable of the Good Samaritan shows, every image bearer is our neighbor, even those who are very different from us. May God grant us the grace to love them as ourselves. Amen.

Sermon: God Cares for His Church.

May 11, 2025 /

May 11, 2025              Fourth Sunday of Easter

Acts 9:36-43; Psalm 23; Rev 7:9-17; John 10:22-30

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord. Amen.

Please be seated.

Throughline of the Readings

Pentecost, the birthday of the church, is still a few weeks away, and we’re still in the Easter season, when our focus is on the Resurrection of our Lord. Still, the throughline of our readings seems to be the church and how God cares for it and its members.

When you think of the church, what comes to mind? For many people, it’s a building, like ours in Wiesbaden. You might also think of Sunday services, hymns, (hopefully) interesting sermons, and youth programs. We might also mention denominations, like the Episcopal Church or the Anglican Communion. But this is not what the Bible means. The Greek word for church used here, ekklesia, refers to an assembly of people, that is the people of God. In the Apostles Creed, we say “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints.” The catholic or universal church is the communion of saints, comprising all believers, past, present, and future. The church is God’s people.

The Readings

Let’s take a closer look at our readings.

Acts 9:36-43

The first reading recounts how Peter raised Tabitha, a disciple in Joppa. Tabitha, who was “devoted to good works and acts of charity,” had become ill and died. Peter was in nearby Lydda, where he had just healed a paralyzed man who had been bedridden for eight years (Acts 9:33-35). News of this miraculous healing caused many to turn to Christ and also reached the disciples in Joppa, who sent two of their number to fetch Peter. Peter came, prayed, and told Tabitha to get up, and she did. As a result of this miracle, many in Joppa came to Christ. This is one of many examples in Scripture where God takes care of His people

Psalm 23

This psalm is perhaps the most beloved one in the Bible. David calls the Lord his shepherd, the one who protects him, takes care of him, and comforts him. As with David, God protects and cares for us in His church.

Revelation 7:9-17

Today’s passage in Revelation begins with “A great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” (Rev 7:9). This multitude represents the triumphant church. “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb” (Rev 7:14). God promises to rescue His people from their trials and tribulations. This doesn’t mean we are immune to persecution and suffering. But it does mean that we will triumph if we remain in Jesus Christ.

The text also says that God’s people come from all tribes and languages. The gospel of Christ doesn’t eliminate nations and cultures. New Testament scholar Craig Keener writes, “This text suggests that, far from obliterating culture, God takes what is useful in each culture and transforms it into an instrument of praise for his glory.”[1] The multitude of cultures enriches the church.

The passage ends with a promise that echoes today’s psalm: for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” This echoes Christ’s promise to the faithful church at Smyrna: “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev 2:10).

John 10:22-30

In the Gospel reading, Jesus was in Jerusalem at the Feast of Dedication, which we know today as Hannukah. The leaders confronted Him and asked if He was the Messiah. Jesus replied that His works testify to him, but they do not believe, because they are not among His sheep.  In words reminiscent of today’s psalm, He then says, “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.” This is an amazing promise! If we are in Christ Jesus, He will not let anyone take us away from Him: not Caesar, not Putin, nobody! As Paul writes, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:38-39). Our ultimate triumph with Jesus is assured.

In the last verse of the passage, Jesus says, “The Father and I are one.” Here He claims equality with God. Since Jesus is God, one with the Creator of the universe, He has the power to keep us in His hand.

Characteristics of the Church

Our readings show that God cares for His church and His people. But He also expects things from us.

The People of God

Systematic theologian Millard Erickson writes, “The church is constituted of God’s people. They belong to Him and He belongs to them.”[2] God will shield them, care for them, and guard them “as the apple of his eye” (Deut. 32:10). But in return, God expects that they will be his people without reservation and without dividing their loyalty.”[3] This final point is important. Our first loyalty must be to God, not to country, political party, denomination, not even our family.

The Body of Christ

The church is how God normally builds His kingdom. Anglican theologian Michael Bird writes, “the church is the physical and visible locus of Jesus’s current activity on earth (Eph 1:22-23).”[4] Professor Christopher Moody writes, “We are the hands and feet of Jesus to a needy world, and He supplies us both life and leadership as our head.”[5] The church is one body, with Christ as the head, and is made up of many parts (1 Cor 12:12). We are those parts. Just as each part of the body is different but essential for the body’s proper functioning, so the Holy Spirit gives us all different gifts (1 Cor 12:11). We should endeavor to discover what those gifts are and use them to pursue God’s purposes. The Holy Spirit also enables the church to preach the gospel “with great power” (Acts 4:33) and, sometimes, even to perform astonishing miracles, as Peter performed in Joppa.

Discipleship

            Jesus calls us to be His disciples. In fact, that was the main description of believers in the New Testament. Disciples are learners, but not just of facts, although that is necessary. Disciples put what they learn into action. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury from 2002 to 2012, wrote an excellent short book, Being Disciples. He emphasizes that discipleship is “about how we live; not just the decisions we make, not just the things we believe, but a state of being.”[6] It’s “a relationship that continues.”[7] Williams writes about the things we should emphasize as disciples, including forgiveness, holiness, social engagement, and cultivating life in the Spirit. But he places special emphasis on three indispensable qualities: faith, hope, and love.

Faith is more than acceptance of certain propositions, such as those laid out in the Nicene Creed, as important as this is. Williams defines faith as “dependable relationship” with Jesus, “who does not change or go away.”[8] In turn, we as Christ’s disciples are called to embody this dependable relationship and offer it to others.[9]

Hope is like faith: it is in relation to the One who does not go away, who sees our past, present, and future. As Jesus said in today’s Gospel reading, “No one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28). Our hope is secure in Christ.

Williams describes love as more than doing good. It is “a deep contemplative regard for the world, for humanity in general and for human beings in particular, and for God.”[10] Our love for God and others comes from knowing that God first loved us.

Finally, Williams notes that “disciples watch; they remain alert, attentive, watching symbolic acts as well as listening for instructive words, watching the actions that give the clue to how reality is being reorganized around Jesus.”[11] That’s good advice. If we watch and listen attentively, our Master will teach us much and, through the Holy Spirit, make us more the people He wants us to be. So, let’s take time out of our busy lives to watch and listen, so we can learn what Christ is teaching us. And let us resolve to live as the people of God, placing Christ first, using our gifts for God’s kingdom, and cultivating the fruits of the spirit. Amen.

Bibliography

Bird, Michael F. Evangelical Theology: A Biblical and Systematic Introduction, 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2020.

Erickson, Millard J. Christian Theology, 3rd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2013.

Keener, Craig S. Revelation: From Biblical Text– to Contemporary Life. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000.

Moody, Christopher. Disciple-Making Disciples: A Practical Theology of the Church. Franklin, TN: Carpenter’s Son Publishing, 2021.

Williams, Rowan. Being Disciples: Essentials of the Christian Life. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2016.

[1] Craig S. Keener, Revelation: From Biblical Text– to Contemporary Life (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000), 264.

[2] Ibid., 957.

[3] Ibid., 959.

[4] Michael F. Bird, Evangelical Theology: A Biblical and Systematic Introduction, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2020), 815.

[5] Christopher Moody, Disciple-Making Disciples: A Practical Theology of the Church (Franklin, TN: Carpenter’s Son Publishing, 2021), 32.

[6] Rowan Williams, Being Disciples: Essentials of the Christian Life (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2016), 1.

[7] Ibid., 2.

[8] Ibid., 25.

[9] Ibid., 27.

[10] Ibid., 33.

[11] Ibid., 7.

God is near, and He is powerful.

February 10, 2025 /

February 9, 2025                     Fifth Sunday after Epiphany

Isaiah 6:1-8, [9-13]; Psalm 138; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord. Amen.

Please be seated.

We live in very uncertain times. The threat of trade wars in North America, wars in Ukraine and the Holy Land, and the upcoming elections in Germany are making many people uneasy. The people in Judea and Galilee in Jesus’ time also had much to worry about: Roman occupation, periodic uprisings, brutally high taxes, self-centered elites. Many Jews longed for the coming of the Messiah, who they believed would put all things right. Why is God waiting so long to rescue us, they asked? For many people, God seemed so far away, just as God does for many today. But God wasn’t far away. God the Son became incarnate in the man Jesus of Nazareth. He lived and walked with the people on earth, making His plan of salvation a reality.

Both today’s Gospel and epistle readings recount miracles of Jesus. Luke tells us about one of Jesus’ early miracles, in which He filled Simon Peter’s nets with fish. In the epistle, Paul tells the Corinthians about Jesus’ greatest miracle, His resurrection and subsequent appearances.

Did Jesus really perform the miracles reported in the New Testament? The Enlightenment philosopher David Hume defined a miracle as a violation of a natural law and argued that our uniform experience is that natural laws are never violated. Accordingly, he asserted, no account of a miracle can be credible. C.S. Lewis disagreed with Hume’s definition. “I use the word Miracle to mean an interference with Nature by supernatural power.”[1] Even if we assume that natural laws cannot be violated, and I see no compelling reason why God can’t violate the laws He created, Lewis’ broader definition of miracles allows them to occur. For example, the law of gravity predicts that if I drop a coin, it will fall to the ground. So, if I drop a coin and it lands in my outstretched hand, does the coin violate the law of gravity? No, I simply intervened in its fall. If God created the Universe, He could certainly intervene in the process of natural laws.

There is good reason to believe that miracles not only occurred in Jesus’ day but continue to occur today. New Testament scholar Craig Keener has written a two-volume scholarly work on miracles and a shorter follow-on book. Both works are carefully researched and documented. One of the most striking examples is Delia Knox, who was injured in a car accident and was confined to a wheelchair for more than 22 years. Her healing in a revival service was captured on video.[2] Church leaders and members vouch for her paralysis and healing.[3] If you want to see the video, go to YouTube and enter “Delia Knox healing.” Were all the events described in Keener’s book real miracles? I’m not sure, but they’re well documented. It’s hard to believe that these were psychosomatic illnesses.

Now, I’m not calling for Christians to reject modern medicine in favor of faith healing. Modern medicine is one of God’s great gifts to humanity and should be received with thanksgiving. But even today’s medicine has its limits.

Why don’t we see more miracles today? Craig Keener believes healing miracles are more common in Africa and Asia than in the more secular West in part because people in the majority world are more open to the possibility of miracles. Matthew 15:38 tells us that Jesus did not do many miracles in his hometown of Nazareth “because of their lack of faith.” Also, God uses miracles to get people’s attention and add credibility to His message. In many parts of the world, the Gospel is just getting established, and so God may use miracles to add credibility to this new teaching. We see this reflected in the New Testament. Jesus used the miracle of the full nets to persuade Simon Peter to follow Him, which was a critical event in Christian history. The book of Acts shows that miracles accompanied the apostles, which lent credibility to the new message and so persuaded many of them to come to faith.

The epistle reading gives us what is probably the first written account of the greatest miracle of all: Christ’s Resurrection. Paul probably wrote 1 Corinthians in 53-54 AD, that is, about 20 years after the Resurrection. But 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 goes back much earlier. Scholars believe it is a creedal statement that Paul received from Peter and James when they met in Jerusalem three years after Paul’s conversion, which would place it within five years of the Resurrection.[4] Since the passage was already in the form of a creed, N.T. Wright argues that it was probably formulated within two or three years of the Resurrection.[5] This means, the belief in Christ’s bodily Resurrection could not have been a legend: There was simply not enough time for a legend to develop, and most of the eyewitnesses were still around. New Testament scholars consider it strong evidence of what the earliest Christians believed. Let’s take a closer look at this passage.

“Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures.” Paul is saying that Jesus, the Messiah, died to redeem us from sin and that it was in accordance with the scriptures. N.T. Wright argues that Paul is not referring here to individual proof texts from the Old Testament but to “the entire sweep of biblical narrative,” which has been fulfilled in Christ.[6] The creed continues: “and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures,” which again refers to the entire sweep of the biblical narrative. Jesus’ death and Resurrection fulfilled God’s overarching goal in the history of Israel, which was the plan of salvation. Paul continues: “and that he appeared to Cephas (Peter), then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.” The resurrected Christ didn’t just appear to a small group of insiders but to many of his followers, many of whom still lived and could testify to what they saw. Jesus also appeared to His brother, James, who was an unbeliever prior to the Resurrection.

Paul continues: “Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain.” Acts chapter 9 tells us that the resurrected and ascended Jesus appeared to Paul, who was traveling to Damascus to arrest believers and take them back to Jerusalem for punishment. Christ forgave Paul, a persecutor of the church. Accordingly, Paul writes, “I worked harder than any of them — though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.”

Christ’s Resurrection from the dead is the most important event in human history, and its significance is broad. It means Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins was accepted by the Father, and so we are reconciled to God. It means that death and the grave have been defeated, and so those who are in Christ will rise with Him to eternal life. It means the powers and principalities that for so long controlled the world have been defeated. It means that the reign of God has been inaugurated on earth, so Jesus is Lord, and Caesar isn’t. That includes today’s Caesars. Of course, we live in what theologians have called the “already and not yet” era of history. The reign of God has already begun, but the powers of evil are still with us. God’s people still have much to do, spreading the Gospel, making disciples of all nations, and working for freedom, justice, and peace for all.

The world today seems totally out of joint and chaotic, and we have no idea what the future will bring. Many of us experience chaos and uncertainty in our daily lives. Some of us may have suffered terrible loss and are unable to understand why. But Romans 8:28 tells us, “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” We should remember Jesus’ words at His Ascension: “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt 28:20). Jesus’ life, death, and Resurrection show that God is not far from us but is always with us. And our God is a powerful God, as His miracles show. As Paul writes, “If God is for us, who is against us?” (Rom 8:31). Ultimately, no one. Not even Caesar. Amen.

[1]  C.S. Lewis, Miracles: A Preliminary Study, (San Francisco; CA: HarperSanFrancisco, 1996), 5.

[2]“Delia Knox healed and she sings at Bay Revival 2010” YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNg7GWnXV_c&t=580s Accessed on Sep. 9, 2023, 2:30 p.m. (CET)

[3] Craig S. Keener, Miracles Today, (Grand Rapids, MI, 2021), 51-54

[4] Gary R. Habermas and Mike Licona, The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus, (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2004), 52.

[5] N.T. Wright, The Resurrection of the Son of God, Vol. 3 of Christian Origins and the Question of God,(Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2003), 319.

[6] Ibid., 320-321.

God never promised us a rose garden

November 18, 2024 /

Church of St. Augustine of Canterbury, Wiesbaden, Germany November 17, 2024                  Twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost

Daniel 12:1-3; Psalm 16; Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25; Mark 13:1-8

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord. Amen.

Please be seated.

Some of us are old enough to remember a song by Lynn Anderson, “I Never Promised You a Rose Garden.” When we look around at the state of the world, many of us don’t see a rose garden. We just went through a pandemic that killed millions throughout the world and disrupted our lives. This was followed by a nasty bout of high inflation. There are horrific wars going on in Ukraine and the Middle East, and many in Western Europe might be worried about them spreading to our still-safe countries. Of course, even here, we live with more and more uncertainty. Germany’s government has collapsed, and new elections are on the horizon. The elections in the U.S. have just taken place, and some of us are worried about the outcome. Elections are a time of change, which can be frightening.

The Lord has also never promised us a rose garden on earth in this age, before His second coming. He does, however, encourage us to start planting and caring for one! This is what N.T. Wright calls, “building for the kingdom.”

In our Gospel reading, Jesus is with His disciples in Jerusalem, in what we now call Holy Week just before His crucifixion. When they marvel at the massive stones of the Temple, Jesus tells them that the Temple will be destroyed and “Not one stone will be left upon another.”

Christ’s prophecy was fulfilled in 70 AD, less than 40 years after His death and resurrection. The First Jewish-Roman War began in 66 AD, when the Roman governor seized money from the Temple treasury and arrested numerous Jewish leaders. The Jews revolted and won some initial successes, but were ultimately defeated by the Romans, who set fire to Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple. The war ended in 73 AD, when the Romans took the last Jewish fortress of Masala. The aftermath of the war was catastrophic for the Jews: an estimated one-third of the population was killed or enslaved. The Romans later built a pagan colony, Aelia Capitolina, on the ruins of Jerusalem and erected a shrine for worship of their god Jupiter on the Temple Mount.

In the Gospel reading, Jesus tells the disciples about other problems: wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, famines. We see these troubles today everywhere in the world around us.  Just as an aside, I’m not predicting the imminent end of the world; we’ve had these troubles throughout history. And Jesus said this was just the beginning of the birth pangs, not that the end was imminent. Christ’s return will be like a thief in the night, when no one is expecting it. Anyway, back to the passage. Jesus also tells us there will be many who come in His name “and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray.” There have been many false prophets throughout history, and some who have falsely claimed to be the Messiah. Bar Kochba, for example, led a revolt in 132 AD with initial success. Much of the populace hailed him as the Messiah, who would reestablish King David’s rule.  Bar Kochba was killed in 135 AD, and the revolt was completely crushed a year later. The Jews suffered an even worse demographic catastrophe than the destruction of Jerusalem brought, with most Jews in Judea killed or sold into slavery. The Romans renamed Judea  Syria Palaestina, in an effort to erase all memory of the region’s connection to the Jewish people.

Imagine that you were a Jew or Jewish Christian in 70 AD, when the Temple was destroyed. Imagine that you were a Jew in the diaspora, who heard about the slaughter of your people in Judea at the end of the Bar Kochba revolt. It would seem like the end of the world. But the world did not end. We today can learn from this. No matter how bad things look, it’s not the end of the world. Or if it is, it’s because Jesus has returned to establish His visible reign over the new heaven and new earth.

I’m not saying that we should just keep smiling because everything will be OK. History shows us that countries can grow and flourish but also decline and fall. This includes Christian countries. The Roman Empire officially became Christian in 380 AD under Emperor Theodosius. A century later, the Western Roman Empire fell to Aryan Germanic tribes. In the seventh century, invading Muslim Arab armies wrested historic Christian lands – Palestine, Syria, Egypt, North Africa – from the Eastern Roman Empire, and ultimately went on to conquer Spain. In the 13th century, Mongols vanquished the Christian Kievan Rus, today’s Russia and Ukraine, and in the 15th century, the Ottoman Turks occupied Constantinople and reigned over much of the Christian Balkans. In the 20th century, Communism took over the Russian Empire and then subjugated Eastern Europe, brutally suppressing Christianity. And here in Christian Germany, the atheist-pagan Hitler seized power in 1933. Hitler’s Thousand Year Reich fell 12 years after it began, leaving Christian Germany devastated and divided and millions of innocent people dead.

Almost two thousand years after the destruction of Jerusalem, a Jewish state has reappeared in Judea and Galilee. But the Jewish Temple has not been rebuilt, even though Israel controls Jerusalem. There is an important Moslem Mosque, the Dome of the Rock, on Temple Mount, and destroying it to make room for a Jewish Temple would mean war with the entire Moslem world. The reading from Hebrews tells us that the Temple is no longer needed anyway. The primary purpose of the Temple was to offer sacrifices to God for the sins of the people. Hebrews 10:12 tells us, Jesus Christ offered “for all time a single sacrifice for sins” and so made any further sacrifices superfluous. According to Psalm 51:17, the sacrifice God wants from us is “a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart,” that is, repentance, which God, will not despise.

God never promised us a rose garden. But in John 16:33, Jesus tells His disciples, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Paul writes, “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28). When Jesus gave Simon the name Peter, meaning rock, He told him the gates of Hades would not prevail against His church (Matt 16:18). Roman emperors like Nero and Diocletian tried to destroy the church but failed. Shortly after Diocletian’s terrible persecution at the end of the third century, the Emperor Constantine I issued the Edict of Milan, which legalized Christianity. Later, in 380 AD, the Roman Empire officially became Christian. The Empire that had crucified Jesus and destroyed Jerusalem now bowed the knee to Him. Closer to home, under the Nazis, the so-called German Christians accepted Hitler’s anti-Semitism and made it their own. Some even rejected the Old Testament and the “Rabbi Paul” as too Jewish. The German Christians won the church elections in 1933 and so dominated the Protestant church. The Nazis persecuted the faithful remnant, the Confessing Church, which included Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Niemöller. But when World War II ended, the Confessing Church took the reins of the new Protestant church. Here, too, the gates of Hell did not prevail.

Someday, according to today’s Old Testament reading, God’s people will be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. The saints who have already died will not be forgotten: “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever” Daniel’s prophecy is that we will receive eternal life, and Jesus promises it anew in John 3:16.

So, no matter how bad things get, let us persevere in faith. Jesus tells us, “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Rev 2:10). We have our orders, the Great Commission. Shortly before His ascension, Jesus told the eleven remaining apostles, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matt 28:19-20). All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Jesus (Matt 28:18). Christ is Lord, and Caesar isn’t. His victory over the powers of evil is assured, and if we remain faithful, we, too, will share in His victory. There really is a rose garden in our future after all. Amen.

Paradox

August 27, 2024 /

September 1, 2024                  Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Deut 4:1-2, 6-9; Psalm 15; James 1:17-27; Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O Lord. Amen.

Please be seated.

The Cambridge Online Dictionary defines paradox as “a statement or situation that may be true but seems impossible or difficult to understand because it contains two opposite facts or characteristics.” Now, this does not include direct contradictions, such as “1 plus 1 equals 2 AND, simultaneously, 1 plus 1 equals 3.” That is a contradiction, and both statements can’t be true. But if I say, “Last Sunday was a sunny day” AND “Last Sunday was a rainy day,” both statements might be true. For example, last Sunday was a sunny day in Wiesbaden, which made our picnic memorable. But in Hawaii, not only did it rain, but the big island got hit by the edges of Hurricane Hone. When I was a schoolchild, we read a story about a spoiled prince who wanted a dessert that was both hot and cold. A contradiction? Well, he was served a hot fudge sundae, which was both hot and cold, so it was a paradox, not a contradiction. For contradictions, we talk about “either-or.” For paradoxes, we talk about “both-and.”

            Christians are familiar with paradox. The nature of God, the Holy Trinity, has a paradox at its core. In the Godhead, there are three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But the three persons share the same Being or essence, hence God is one. Similarly, the nature of Jesus appears at first glance to be a contradiction: How can Jesus simultaneously be both truly God and truly human? God and humans are of two very different natures, yet Jesus combined both natures in Himself. Christian theologians have struggled with these paradoxes for centuries but have been unable to find simple answers that satisfy the human intellect. That’s because God is so much greater than our finite human intellects can comprehend.

            Today’s readings present a similar paradox when it comes to our salvation, although this is not immediately apparent. The Old Testament reading tells us that we should not add or subtract from God’s commands and must observe them diligently. A bit later, in Deuteronomy 6:5, we are told to Love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our strength. Jesus repeats this later in Mark 12:30. He then adds, quoting Leviticus 19:18, that we should love our neighbor as ourselves.

            Today’s Psalm tells us, “Whoever leads a blameless life and does what is right, who speaks the truth from his heart” may abide on God’s holy hill. In the epistle, James tells us we must rid ourselves of all sordidness and wickedness. Religion, he continues, consists of caring for orphans and widows in their distress and keeping ourselves unstained by the world. In the Gospel reading, the Pharisees confront Jesus, because some of His disciples were eating without washing their hands, which contradicted the tradition of the elders. Jesus replied that it is what comes out of our hearts that defiles us, not what comes from outside. Simply following rules is not enough: Our hearts must be righteous.

            So far, you might wonder, “Where’s the paradox?” God is telling us we need to obey His commands, put Him first, love our neighbor as ourselves, lead a blameless life, and have a righteous heart. That sounds clear enough! Here’s the problem: we can’t do it! The first of the Ten Commandments tells us, we should have no other gods before Him. Well, we don’t worship Baal or any other deity. But if a “god” is whatever we put first in our lives, do we worship money, success, power, fame, social status? If so, we’ve broken the first Commandment. Let’s not even talk about the other nine! Have we observed God’s commands diligently? Have we led blameless lives? If we’re honest, I think the answer must be “no.” Have we done enough for the needy and kept ourselves unstained by the world? For most of us, very much including myself, the answer again is “no.”

            Do I love the Lord my God with all my heart and with all my soul and with all my strength? Realistically, no. I might ask, is half of my heart and soul and strength enough? The answer should be obvious. Why should my Creator settle for half? Do I really love my neighbor as myself? No, not even close. I might comfort myself and point to someone who is even worse than I am. But does God grade on a curve? In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us to be perfect, just as our heavenly Father is perfect (Matt 5:48). Perfection is God’s standard, so He doesn’t grade on a curve. We might also comfort ourselves by saying there are some terrible sins we have never committed, such as murder. But God’s standards are higher than ours. Jesus tells us, “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment” (Matt 5:21-22). Have I ever been angry with a brother or sister? The answer is obvious. And James writes, “whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it” (Jas 2:10, NIV).

            So, to sum up the problem: we can’t meet God’s standards. And realistically, there’s nothing we can do to meet them. That’s what God’s Law and today’s readings teach us.

            Here’s the paradox: God demands that we obey his Law perfectly, but we can’t do it. But God loves us and wants everyone to be saved and spend eternity with Him. Jesus tells us, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). So, even though I don’t come close to meeting God’s standard, I can still “abide on God’s holy hill,” in the words of the Psalmist. I have been promised everlasting life. Why? Because God loves me, so He offers me the gift of salvation if I believe in His one and only Son. That’s it. Paul writes, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Eph 2:8-9, NIV).

            Now it’s important to be clear: faith is more than just intellectually accepting some propositions, although that’s part of it. To have faith means to enter a relationship with Jesus, in which we accept Him as Both Savior and Lord. Accepting Him as Savior is critically important but not enough. It’s not enough to just receive the gift of salvation that Jesus earned for us on the cross. We need to follow Him as Lord. What does this mean? Jesus tells us, “If you love me, keep my commands” (John 14:15). His commands can be summarized in the Law of Love, mentioned above: Love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves. Gospel singer Amy Grant recorded a song called “Fat Baby,” in which a man “knelt at the altar and that was the end, he’s saved and that’s all that matters to him.” He accepted Jesus as Savior, but as Lord? No. Is he really saved? I don’t know.

            And so now we return to today’s readings. In these passages, and many others, God lays out His standards, which we can’t meet. God offers us a way out: He sends His only son, Jesus, to bear the consequences for our sins in our place, and so offers us the gift of salvation. But God expects us to make progress to meet His standards. That’s what accepting Jesus as Lord means. We should strive to follow Him and do what He wants us to do.

And so, our salvation and God’s standards are a paradox. Salvation is a free gift that Jesus offers to sinners: We can do nothing to earn it, and we need do nothing to earn it. God accepts us as sinners but still expects us to meet His standards, which we can’t do on our own. The good news is that God doesn’t leave us helpless in our efforts to meet His standards. The Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, helps us not only to believe but to move along the path of sanctification.

            In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis writes, “God is easy to please, but hard to satisfy.” God is “delighted with the first feeble, stumbling effort you make tomorrow to do the simplest duty. … On the other hand, you must realise from the outset that the goal to which He is beginning to guide you is absolute perfection; and no power in the universe, except you yourself, can prevent Him from taking you to that goal.” [1]

             May God work in us to make us more like the people He wants us to be: People who love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves. Amen.

[1] C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, (London: William Collins, 2012), 203

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