Month: November 2008

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Savior of the Nations, Come

Text: Mark 11:1-10
Date: Advent I + St. Andrew, Apostle Day + 11/30/08
Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI

Having been given another day before the Lord’s final coming or Advent, we must therefore assume another day may turn into another week, another month, another year. And so Holy Church begins to tell the whole story of God’s love for His fallen world, in an orderly way, all over again. And just as Thanksgiving Day parades mark the beginning of some sort of official countdown to Christmas in our American society, so the Lectionary, the appointed scripture readings of the Church, mark the beginning of a new liturgical year with a parade, the Triumphant Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Like a movie trailer Advent lets us view the basic highlights of the Gospel before the movie begins:

(Imagine dramatic music in the background, quickly changing clips of various scenes before our eyes, and a deeper, bass, almost sinister voice, saying:) Jesus’ Shocking Final Coming on a day that cannot be predicted. Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem—the parade that ends in tragedy. Finally, the ancient and touching account of the little infant son of Mary of Bethlehem—Is He also the Son of God? Discover the truth for yourself. Don’t miss “Savior of the Nations, Come,” being told now, each Sunday, from a pulpit near you. Continue reading “Savior of the Nations, Come”

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Ready, Set, GO!

Text: Matthew 25:31-46
Date: Last Sunday in the Church Year + 11/23/08
Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI

In the 25th chapter of Matthew’s Gospel we hear the words of our Lord Jesus talking about the coming Last Day of judgment. What may be surprising, however, is that our Lord actually speaks less about the events of that day than of the kind of life one ought to live before that day arrives. The chapter begins with the parable of the Ten Virgins, which speaks of the spiritual wisdom of being ready now by taking advantage of the grace of God available today. The parable of the Talents then speaks of using that grace of God in fruitful good works. Finally, today, we have the courtroom scene of God’s judgment. Though He uses parabolic language Jesus never says this is a parable. This is what “will” happen, he says, “when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.” Notice the word “glory” is repeated. This indicates that, on that Day, there will be nothing hidden anymore as it was in this life bur rather on full display for every eye to see (Rev. 1:7). Continue reading “Ready, Set, GO!”

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Ready, SET, Go!

Text: Matthew 25:14-30
Date: Pentecost XXVII (Proper 28) + 11/15/08
Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI

Last week the twenty-fifth chapter of St. Matthew’s Gospel began making us Ready for the Lord’s final coming by telling us of the wisdom that relies on the grace of God; relies on it today before it is too late. Because we are still waiting for the Lord’s return this Sunday we can say once again, the door of God’s grace is still open and still reaches out to one and all, the grace that gives the forgiveness of sins, that makes one ready for the last day by making you a member of the kingdom of heaven now through your baptism into Christ and by faith in Him. Now, to this wisdom that relies on grace, over against the moronic foolishness that dangerously disregards grace altogether, Jesus today further gets us Set by telling another parable about faithfulness that makes full use of this grace in good works during our time of waiting. Continue reading “Ready, SET, Go!”

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READY, Set, Go.

Text: Matthew 25:1-13
Date: Pentecost XXVI (Proper 27) + 11/09/08
Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI

A parable of the kingdom of heaven, a story about the reign and rule of God. But in this parable Jesus does not say that the kingdom of heaven is like this but will be like this. In other words He is telling of a future event, and then one that will happen only once and then be done. “The kingdom of heaven will be like” ten of the bridegroom’s attendants who were going out to meet and greet the bridegroom upon his arrival. Then will follow the marriage feast and the reception, and when the wedding is over the new life as a family.

The final three weeks of the Church Year, this year, are narrated for us from Matthew chapter 25; this week the first 13 verses, next week the Parable of the Talents (vv. 14-30) and lastly the Final Judgment (vv. 31-46). This first parable, then, deals with your life now until that day of judgment arrives, this time of preparation and waiting. And this is what God’s reign and rule will be like on that day, at that moment when the bridegroom finally arrives, when the Lord Jesus makes His visible appearance, coming again to judge the living and the dead. This is what it will be like, Jesus says; some are going to be ready, some are not, and there is coming an end to the grace of God when it is will be too late. So this parable throws the question to you and me this morning, “Are you ready?” Continue reading “READY, Set, Go.”

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Forever Blest

Text: Matthew 5:1-12
Date: All Saints’ Day (Observed) + 11/2/08
Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, Rochester Hills, MI

Living in the northern hemisphere as we do, this time of year even meteorology and the changing weather help to turn our thinking and our mood to the subject of the end times—the end times of our lives, of our world and the only thing in God’s plan of salvation left to happen short of further conversions, as we confess of our Lord in the creed, “He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead.” Maybe it is in part to encourage us to hang in there, to persevere and endure that, once a year, we pause to remember all those who have gone on before us with the sign of faith, all the saints who from their labors rest while we continue to feebly struggle. Some of the saints are well known and famous, many more are not. And as we imagine in our minds eye St. John’s vision of “a great multitude that no one could number…standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,” maybe we see some familiar faces among them, a departed mother or father, a departed child, brother, sister, uncle or aunt. I’m tempted to imagine also the faces of those who nobody but their angels have ever seen, those countless millions (!) never given the chance to live outside their own mother’s womb. As with the Holy Innocents of Bethlehem, unwitting martyrs for Christ, who more than they are the “poor in spirit,” the “meek,” or those “persecuted for righteousness’ sake” who now are the possessors of the kingdom of heaven, the heirs of the new heavens and earth?

The saints are all those forever blest with the gift of eternal life and salvation. The eternal blessing of salvation is only for those who by faith before the world confess Christ as Lord and Savior. They are forever blest because the name of Jesus is forever blest—forever blest as the only “name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Jesus is the key to understanding the blessedness of all saints and the blessed text from the Sermon on the Mount commonly called the Beatitudes, the Blessings. Continue reading “Forever Blest”