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Text: Daniel 12:1-3
Date: Pentecost XXV (Proper 28) + 11/18/12

As the Church calendar comes to a close each year the scripture readings point to the last things, the doctrine of the Last Day, the day of judgment, what you confess every Sunday that you “look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.” We need to hear about the doctrine of the Day of Resurrection because we increasingly need the encouragement to persevere in faith. We need that encouragement to persevere because every year we are closer to that Day than ever. And, while popular TV preachers try to paint a promising, hopeful picture of “your best life now,” the Bible warns that the last days will be characterized not by progress and happiness but by increasing trouble, tribulation and distress. While many churches seek to emphasize a positive, dare I say “happy” worship experience, the only truly helpful (and “joyful”!) thing is when the Church acts as a moral and cultured force in society, calling sin “sin,” and being about the dispensing of the forgiveness of sins and the true hope of eternal life through the gospel of the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God. When Jesus spoke of the signs of the Last Day He drew His followers’ attention to what has been written in the scriptures including our reading today from the prophet Daniel. This text will help us take a realistic attitude to life and faith in this sinful world with the increasing hope of final victory in The Day of Resurrection. Continue reading “The Day of Resurrection”

Text: 1 Kings 17:8-16
Date: Pentecost XXIV (Proper 27) + 11/11/12

Jesus praised a poor widow’s offering as being proportionately more than even the large sums the rich people were giving in the temple, implying a greater faith, love and thanksgiving to God. Elijah was sent to a poor Gentile widow to receive sustenance for his journey. The similarity of the two stories would seem to be only in that the central character in each was a poor widow. But that which really ties the two stories together is God’s care and blessing even through seemingly meager resources. When it comes to the big picture of life it’s even worse. On our own we have no resources and yet we have a loving God who supplies us with forgiveness, life and salvation and everything we need solely out of His love for us as a wonderful gift in spite of, and even because of our impoverishment. This is what is behind St. Paul’s statement sung in today’s Alleluia Verse from Second Corinthians—“You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Cor 8:9). The prophet Elijah was called to represent the one true God who is the source of all life and the God of all comfort and salvation from sin and death. Continue reading “The Widow's Offering”

Text: Ecclesiastes 5:10-20
Date: Pentecost XXI (Proper 24) + 10/21/12

“Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, ‘How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!’ And the disciples were amazed…. And they were exceedingly astonished” (Mark 10:23-24, 26). “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 5:10). “Uh, oh! It must be time for the annual stewardship program. Grab your checkbooks, gentlemen, the preacher’s going to preach about money.” And if that is your fear let me begin by putting your mind to rest. Today we’re not going to use these scripture readings to give Biblical advice only on God-pleasing financial planning and sensible budgeting, though we could.

Rather I draw your attention to the final two verses of today’s reading from Ecclesiastes. “Everyone to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.” “With Joy in Your Heart” is the message of how God’s people discover how to live in this world with the certain hope of the greater eternal life promised us by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Continue reading “With Joy in Your Heart”

Text: Amos 5:6-7, 10-15
Date: Pentecost XX (Proper 23) + 10/14/12

The prophet Amos was sent to deliver a challenging word to a people who had become spiritually self-secure. They were convinced God was on their side but only by virtue of their outward connection with the covenant nation. The evidence showed (in verses 10-12 of our text) that true repentance and faith of the heart was lacking. It was the same with the rich man in today’s Gospel who, thinking he had the catechism pretty well down pat, and having fulfilled all the requirements of the Law was shocked at Jesus’ further challenge to “go, sell all that you have and give to the poor.” St. Mark reports, “disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” Yes, repentance, faith and salvation do have an effect also on your money. So in every generation there is the temptation to resist daily repentance and a lively faith and presume on God’s grace taking refuge only in our outward affiliation with the Church. Amos calls God’s people of every age to the renewal of repentance and faith (the two always go together) saying that if you will, “it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you and be gracious to you.” Continue reading “The God of Hosts Be With You”

Text: Genesis 2:18-25
Date: Pentecost XIX + 10/14/12

One Hundred and seventy-six years ago on October 2, 1836 naturalist Charles Darwin (1809-1882) returned to Falmouth, England aboard the HMS Beagle after a five-year journey collecting biological data he would later use to develop his theory of evolution. Increasingly through the years his so-called “theory” has taken on the illusion of “fact” in the public realm even without passing the usual scientific tests that alone distinguish facts from theories and mere hypotheses from fantasies. Such is the wisdom of this world. Continue reading “One is the Loneliest Number”

Text: Numbers 11
Date: Pentecost XVIII (Proper 21) + 9/30/12

When people talk about “the spirit of the times” they mean to set about describing the character, the mood, the temper or disposition of people populating a place at a particular time. God’s Word before us today describes God’s people of all times, the Church as she struggles between faithfulness to the God who called her into existence and the spirit of the world that tempts us to fall back into disobedience and faithlessness. The Spirit of the Church in this world is always such a struggle. There are times when we may feel especially, purposefully committed, faithful and bold in following the Lord who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. But then, if we are honest, there are times when such jealousy for the Lord turns into only pride of self. The account of Israel’s initial travels in the wilderness after their miraculous deliverance from slavery in Egypt describes all-too-familiar thoughts and emotions of the Church today, of a people called to follow the saving God by faith in His Word and promise alone. We need the encouragement of God’s Word to remain faithful through it all, to be able to repent when we are in the wrong, and nevertheless, as Luther said, to “sin boldly and yet believe in God more boldly still” when we act in the right of God’s Word. For this struggle and journey God gives His Holy Spirit to all whom He has called into His family. Continue reading “The Spirit of the Church”

Text: Jeremiah 11:18-20
Date: Pentecost XVII (Proper 20) + 9/23/12

In a world where one TV pundit famously promises that “the spin stops here because we’re looking out for you,” a time when a lot of people are arguing angrily in the public square about politics and religion, a moment of conflicting worldviews dismantling formerly solid, unquestioned values and self-evident truths, even the Church is threatened to violate her own tenets and teachings. In concert with our Synodical President’s testimony before a congressional committee and any number of supporting statements from our district conventions this summer regarding the threat to religious liberty posed by the so-called “women’s preventive care” mandate from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the faculty of our Ft. Wayne seminary has recently published a statement on Religious Liberty.[1] They remind us of Martin Luther’s own confrontation against the princes and the emperor of the Roman Empire at the Diet of Worms where he famously said, “My conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against my conscience. May God help me. Amen.” This reminds us of the earlier bold confession of the Apostle Peter before the Jewish council, upon the threat of imprisonment and death, saying, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). And there are many other examples in history that we could mention. Continue reading “Silencing the Messenger”

Text: Isaiah 50:4-10
Date: Pentecost XVI (Proper 19) + 9/16/12

Interestingly, we have never heard today’s Gospel (Mark 9:14-29) on a Sunday in any of our previous lectionaries. Even more interestingly this new addition we share only with the Episcopal Church. St. Mark’s account of Jesus’ healing of a boy with an unclean spirit agrees with Matthew and Luke that this incident happened immediately following our Lord’s Transfiguration (Mt 17:14-19; Lk 9:37-42). It seems that while Jesus and His inner circle of disciples, Peter, James and John, were having their “mountain top experience,” the other disciples were approached by a man who asked them to cast out an evil spirit from his son. The disciples apparently tried, as they had previously been authorized to do and even had success (Mark 6:7 and 13), but in this instance they were not able. When He arrived Jesus took the opportunity to speak about faith, both to his disciples (calling them, “O faithless generation”) and to the man who now doubted that if His disciples couldn’t heal his son, maybe Jesus couldn’t either. “If you can,” asked the man. “If you can!” answered an exasperated Jesus. There is no question that Jesus can heal the boy. What was in question was the man’s faith. “All things are possible for one who believes,” challenged Jesus. Continue reading “Who Is My Adversary?”