Sermon for 21st Sunday after Pentecost: "Mission Impossible"

+ 21^st Sunday after Pentecost – October 21, 2012 +

Series B, Proper 24: Ecclesiastes 5:10-20; Hebrews 4:1-13 (14-16); Mark 10:23-31

In the Name of + Jesus. Amen.

            Jesus’ words make us uncomfortable.  You can try to wiggle out of from under his words: “Well, Jesus was only talking to that certain rich man and his teaching on riches doesn’t apply to you.” Or you can dance around the issue saying “But Jesus is talking about the difficulty of salvation.” True enough. But Jesus condemns both, our love of riches and our love of self-righteous religion, our many attempts to save ourselves. So we can’t dismiss Jesus’ words so easily

            Words that cause everyone to wrestle: the rich man, the disciples, you and me.

            That’s right, even pastors struggle with this text. There’s tension. On the one hand possessions and wealth are great blessings. Jesus uses the stuff of his creation to forgive and provide a church, an income, house, shoes, cars and the like. But on the other hand, when wealth falls from God’s good and generous hands into the hands of sinful men, trouble begins. Voltaire once said that “When it comes to money, everyone has the same religion.”

            But pastors aren’t alone. You’re at war within yourselves too. On the one hand you’re thankful for your earthly blessings. The catechism calls these first articles gifts. And gifts they are. Gratitude and praise abound. And yet you forget the Giver and only look at the gifts. We worry. We doubt. We covet. We hold onto our wealth like Gollum in Tolkien’s Hobbit and LOTR. “No, you can’t have it. It’s my precious.” Our hands and hearts are a locked in a death grip.

Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.

            But we’re not alone. According to Solomon, “Everyone to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them…this is the gift of God.” Wealth comes from the generous hand of God, Solomon says. And yet Ecclesiastes also warns that wealth and possessions are vanity, emptiness, meaninglessness, dust in the wind. Solomon ought to know. He was the richest man in the world at his time. The envy of all the rulers around him. Even the Queen of Sheba paid a personal visit to see his collection. He could buy anything, do anything, go anywhere. He had gardens, houses, Egyptian horses, a harem of over 900 wives and concubines. But it was all vanity, meaningless, consumptive.

            Jesus’ words shocked and astonished the disciples. We get that. Jesus went right for our gods: riches and religion. In Jesus’ day – much like ours - wealth was admired and sought after. It was considered a sign of God’s blessing. When you “counted your blessings,” the more you could count, the more God had blessed you. By the way, beware of preachers today who proclaim this kind of false gospel. It’ll leave your bank account and your faith in ruins.

            How do you resolve the tension? Should we empty our bank accounts, sell all we have and take a vow of poverty, live the monastic life in order to get right with God? Many have tried.

            Truth is, neither riches nor poverty will save you. The problem isn’t wealth but sin. Sin corrupts everything including your enjoyment of the good things God gives us. He blesses you; gives you a little joy, and you turn around and make it into an all-consuming idol that robs you of every last ounce of joy in your life.

            Luther teaches us that whatever you put your trust and security and hope in, that’s your god. Problem is, the riches and wealth are temporary, fading. So whether its riches or your own self-righteousness, it’s a poor god to fear, love and trust in.

            Jesus’ teaching makes us squirm because our love of “stuff” and our love of self is exposed. We’re afraid. We doubt. We covet. We sin. All of this has to go. None of it’ll fit through the eye of the needle. His warning about riches is for our good. There’s always danger in clinging to our stuff; danger in always wanting and accumulating more to the point that we don’t fit through the narrow door of the kingdom.

            The disciples were astonished. And the astonishment shouldn’t be lost on us either, especially when, compared to the rest of the world, most of us fit Jesus’ definition of “rich.”

            And, like us, the disciples didn’t know know what to do with Jesus’ teaching. They overheard Jesus’ conversation with the rich man. They saw him go away sorrowful. “If that guy – loaded with possessions and piety – if he doesn’t get an automatic ticket to heaven, then who can be saved? Jesus, this sounds impossible. “What about us, Jesus? We left our family and possessions and our nets and followed you.”

            Finally, the disciples ask the right question. “Who then can be saved?”

            And with a one sentence sermon, Jesus preaches the entire OT and NT, answering both the rich man and the disciples. “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For with God all things are possible.”

            The currency of the Kingdom of God isn’t found in our riches or our righteousness, but in Christ’s righteousness. It’s not only difficult for one who trusts in riches or self-righteousness to get into heaven; it’s impossible. Salvation isn’t a transaction. Book-keeping doesn’t work in the Kingdom of heaven. It’s salvation by ransom, reversal, exchange. Jesus gives you all of his righteousness and he takes all of your sin. The last are first. The Losers are winners. The poor in spirit inherit the kingdom. The ungodly are justified. Scandalous. Outrageous forgiveness!

           
That’s where Jesus points us. Not to our bank accounts, our assets, or our self, but to Him, His kingdom and His righteousness. “Seek first the kingdom and its righteousness, and all these things you worry about – clothing, shoes, food, drink, house, home, whatever – all these things will be added to you.”

            What about your wealth? What do you do with it? Solomon says, “Enjoy it while you have it. Enjoy your work and wealth. These are gifts from God.” After all, “We bring nothing into this world from our mother’s womb; we take nothing out of this world. The wealth that promised us happiness and security instead causes us anxiety, sickness, and anger. That’s the difference between the true God and false ones. False gods consume their communicants. In Christianity you feast on Jesus. The true God gives you His body and blood to consume for your forgiveness.

            And to the world, the disciples, the rich man and us, this is Jesus’ most astonishing teaching: that your salvation doesn’t come from your good works or riches…or even out of God's surplus. Nor God's riches. Nor God's greatness, but from his poverty. Only when God gave all of it up. Gave up the glory and riches and honor. As Jesus came from his mother's womb he went again, naked as he came; he took nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand." Born into nothing. Died with nothing.

            And from that nothingness comes your salvation. Jesus discarded everything, came to suffer, bleed, and die for you, taking you back through the eye of the needle with him. He takes your guilty, lying, coveting, greedy, rebellious sinful nature all the way to the cross and wrestles your sin to the grave. His life and blood, drained in order to fill the chalice with eternal life. His side, pierced in order to flood the font and bring you through the eye of the needle into paradise.

            This is the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, though he was rich, for our sakes became poor so that through his poverty you might be made rich.” Because the poverty and nothingness of God is richer than the riches of men. (Rev. Eli Davis)

            With Christ in the center, wealth takes its proper place, as servant, not master. Freely you have received. Freely give. Serve the neighbor. Provide for your family; live in your vocations. Remember the church: Evangelism, Youth Group, Preschool, Hispanic outreach, the Music Academy, campus ministry, Gospel Seeds, homeless care – these are just a few ideas here at Redeemer. The Church is where you receive that hundred-fold Christ talked about. A Heavenly Father. A new family and a new home, Christ’s body, the Church. Jesus feeds and nourishes you with his body and blood.

            In this life, if you have plenty, rejoice, enjoy and share the joy with those in need. And if you’re in need, rejoice that your life is free from the clutter of wealth.  That’s why St. Paul says, “I’ve learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know what it is to be abased and to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”  To be content is to have your heart at rest in Jesus, and through Him to receive all things as gift from the hand of God.

            Hold everything with the dead hand of faith, enjoy it while you have it; you can’t take it with you. Live, work and play as free men and women in Christ. Enjoy the food on your table, the wine or beer in your glass, the work God has given you to do each day. These are His gifts to you. Hold them loosely and they won’t hold you. Remember, your joy comes not from the gifts but from the giver-God who gave them.

            In Christ your wrestling is over. For with man it is impossible, but not with God. In Christ, all things are possible. For Jesus can, has and will do the impossible for you.

In the Name of + Jesus. Amen.

Sermon for 20th Sunday after Pentecost: “Riches to Rags to Riches”

+ 20th Sunday after Pentecost - Oct 14, 2012 +
Series B, proper 23: Amos 5:6-15; Hebrews 3:12-19; Mark 10:17-22
 
 In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Something’s missing. You know the feeling. Frantic searching. Turning couch cushions and doormats upside down. Tossing papers like confetti. Running around on hands and knees, out of breath. And finally, there is it. How did you ever miss it? It was right in front of you the whole time.

That’s where we find this rich young man in today’s Gospel reading. He was missing something too. Otherwise he wouldn’t have come running up to Jesus and knelt at his feet and asked: Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?

We know he’s wealthy because of Jesus’ comments later on as the discussion progresses. So what could a rich young man possibly be missing? He had everything he could ever want; he could do whatever he wanted. Possessions. Wealth. Status. He had it made. He could have anything that money could buy. He was the model citizen, the kind of guy a Pharisee’s daughter would’ve brought home.

He had all the riches and he was religious too. His religion was man’s religion, old Adam’s default setting: do it yourself religion. The good and bad you do are measured by a checklist. Or a punch-card. Or better yet, a transaction, something this wealthy man would’ve been more familiar with. “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Perhaps Jesus could give him some secret techniques for making a spiritual profit just as there were for making a temporal one." [Capon - Kingdom, Grace, Judgment, 383].

He had it all, possessions and piety. And yet, riches and religious weren’t enough to address that nagging doubt in the back of his mind that something was lacking in his life.

And how does Jesus answer the man’s question? He plays along with the rich young man’s game. You ask a Law question; you get a Law answer. After all, since when do you do something to receive an inheritance? You don’t. It’s a gift. Someone dies and names you as an heir. That’s how you inherit. It’s not by doing but by grace. By being in the favor of the one who died and left you the inheritance.

Jesus answers the man accordingly, giving him a brief catechism review along the way. You know the commandments: Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness. Do not defraud. Honor your father and mother. Jesus goes right down the second table of the Law, you know, the ones that deal with you and your neighbors.

"Teacher, all these I have kept since my youth."
And how does Jesus answer that? I know how I would’ve responded. Huh, yeah right. Kept the commandments? Try again. There’s no way you’ve done any of those things, let alone perfectly. The Law always leaves us with something that we didn’t do, some place where we could improve.

And while we’re busy keeping score and pointing fingers at who’s the greatest sinner of all, Jesus goes to the heart of the matter. Notice how Jesus does it: looking on him, he loved him... Don’t overlook those words. Jesus doesn’t love him because he’s kept the commandments. But in spite of his attempts to do so. Jesus loves isn’t based on a transaction or what we’ve done or left undone.

            Jesus spoke in love to kill the gods of riches and religion that he clung so dearly in order to give him the one thing he was truly lacking: Jesus. Jesus is a jealous God; you cannot serve God and mammon; God and yourself. But he is as jealous for you as he was for that rich young man. He wants you to be his own and be in his kingdom, no matter what the cost to Himself. He’s willing and able to pay it.

            Jesus is in the business of clearing out whatever gets in the way of your following Him through death to eternal life. I wonder. What would Jesus say to me? What’s getting in the way of my following Him? My ego? My pride? My stuff? My sin! What would He say to you? Looking on you in love, wanting you to be His own, embracing you in His death and life, what do you suppose He would say to you? What is it that gets in the way of your hearing the Word, of your receiving forgiveness, of your following Jesus as He leads you through this life, through your death, and on to your resurrection to eternal life? What is the junk that is getting between you and Jesus? Who or what is it that you, or your family, or your congregation fears, loves and trusts above all things? What is it that you set your heart on for financial security, emotional support, physical safety?  It could be anything, really. Our hearts are capable of turning any good gift into an idol. Whatever it is, it sure isn’t worth hanging on to, is it?

            In a way, Church is like Jesus’ rummage sale. All your junk. All your sin. All that clutters your heart and mind; all that stands between you and Jesus. Everything has to go. You can’t take it home with you; it’ll bury you. So leave it here with Jesus: your sin, your guilt, your death. He wants to take it from you. He has taken it all from you upon himself, nailed it to the cross and buried in his tomb. Your debt is paid; you have been ransomed by His blood. And you can’t have your sins back, not over Jesus’ dead body. Because Jesus will not let anything - not sin, death, Satan the grave stand in His way of saving you.

            That’s what it means to follow him. Not to keep a perfect checklist of all the commandments you’ve kept. That’s a sad, losing game, just ask the rich young man. No, following Jesus means to die and rise with Jesus; to lose your life of self-righteous pride and find true righteousness in Jesus’ blood; to become last in order to be first; to be poor in spirit yet inherit the kingdom of heaven.

This is what it means to live in your Baptism. Daily dying and rising. Daily we hear those words: “follow me.” It’s not a to-do list; it’s Jesus leading you to his Word. Follow me. Jesus leading you to pardon and peace in absolution. Follow me. Jesus leading you to eat and drink his body and blood. Follow me. Jesus leading you to the poor in love and mercy.

What must I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus‘ answer: Follow me.

You almost miss it, don’t you? The young man did. All he heard was that stuff about selling everything and giving the money to the poor – another commandment, and one he couldn’t keep. But he missed the answer to his question. What must I do to inherit eternal life? “Follow me.” Follow Jesus. Those were the words spoken to the fishermen and the tax collector Matthew. “Follow me.” It’s more than an invitation. Here was the answer the young man was searching for. He lacked one thing. In all his riches and all his religion and all his commandment-keeping, he lacked one thing. And that one thing was not poverty; it was Jesus.

He lacked Jesus and faith in Jesus. And Jesus was offering Himself with the words “follow me.” And whatever got in the way of following Jesus had to go. Don’t let your riches get in the way of Christ’s riches. Don’t let your works get in the way of Christ’s work. Just like the rich young man.

No wonder Jesus Prunes. Rummages. Strips. And kills our old Adam. Dethrones our false idols and puts a King, crowned in glory on the cross, in its place. For there on the cross, Christ gives up everything to be your King, your Savior, your Redeemer. By his poverty you have become rich. By his death you are given life. By his suffering on earth you are given treasure in heaven.

For that is what the Kingdom of God is: inheritance. Gift. And it’s given by the King, who makes you heirs by his death on the cross. The currency of the Kingdom of God cannot be purchased by gold or silver, by status or wealth, by poverty or piety, but by the holy precious blood and the innocent suffering and death of Jesus.

So what happened to that rich young man? He went away downcast, Mark says, for he had great possessions. But what happened next? Did he go home take a look around at all his stuff and say, “He’s right, this is absolute vanity. It’s all rubbish. It just gets in the way and I can’t take it with me anyhow.” Maybe he packed it all up and dropped it off at Goodwill and ran to catch up with Jesus on the road. Maybe he joined the church later and was baptized.

Some scholars, and I'm inclined to believe them, say this was Mark, telling his own story. How else would he have known that Jesus loved the man?  At any rate, we just don’t know. Mark is a good storyteller that way. We’re not told the end because he wants us to read ourselves into the story. Will you leave sorrowful? Or will you see that what you seek was right in front of you the whole time: Jesus speaking to you in his Word. Jesus forgiving your sin with a word. Jesus baptizing you in his death and resurrection. Jesus feeding you with life and salvation.

Whatever it is that you lack; whatever it is that you need whatever peace and comfort you seek. You won’t find it by following the rich young man. But you will find it in Jesus, just as he has promised. For your inheritance, and all that you lack is found in Christ Crucified.

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ebenezer Scrooge and the Rich Young Man

Following C.S. Lewis, I don't believe in coincidences. So I hardly think it's an accident (although it may have been unintentional on his part) that Charles Dickens' classic, A Christmas Carol, seems to reflect a great deal of Jesus teaching on riches, especially from this coming Sunday's Gospel reading, Mark 10:17-22 (three-year series for LSB). The week after only further proves the initial thesis where the Gospel reading continues with Mark 10:23-31 and Jesus' teaching on the impossibility of man's salvation. When riches and man-made religion are his god, there is no hope. With man it is impossible; but not with God.

The Old Adam is a perfect Scrooge: a stingy old miser with no concern for anything or anyone but himself and his security. And though Ebenezer Scrooge and the rich young man have many incongruities (this is, after all, an imperfect analogy), it would appear that there are at least a few similarities worth exploring. I had even considered molding a sermon around the idea and illustration but reneged on the thought for fear of the illustration taking over and becoming the god of the day. That is why I have relegated it to this place, in part for my amusement to see if the thought really holds all the way through and in part to get it out of my system. Who knows, maybe it will prove helpful in the end despite my reservations.

At first glance the comparison seems merely superficial. Both men love money clearly enough. Jesus' teaching: "You cannot serve God and mammon" echoes throughout. Although there is a stark contrast between Scrooge's daily behavior and the momentary glimpse into the life of the rich young man in Mark 10. Scrooge operates on a greedy, narcissistic basis. Scrooge requires nothing from anyone and gives nothing to anyone. While the rich young man (who, in the end, reveals his own sorrowful faith in his god) approaches Jesus out of an apparent need. His wealth and reputation make him the model citizen in Jesus' day or our own, at least outwardly speaking. The letter of the Law he claims to have kept. He clearly has the wealth of a Victorian miser. And yet, he lacks something. He wouldn't have come to Jesus otherwise. He runs to Jesus, kneels and asks his question (even if for the wrong reasons and though he seeks the wrong answers by asking the wrong questions) "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life." He runs to Jesus. Scrooge runs to no man. The rich young man kneels. Scrooge kneels for no man, but perhaps for a precious coin. Instead of seeking answers, Jacob Marley and three spirits (past, present and future) pursue this penny-pincher throughout the night as heralds of a message.

Here is where the parallel comes closest, both men receive (and are in need of) a message of condemnation. Scrooge, with his callous, insatiable greed needs, receives three messages all with the same point: possess your money properly or it will possess you; and you had better figure it out before its too late. And it wasn't until death became apparent with the last visitor that Scrooge finally began to see clearly. But the epiphany, if it may be called such a thing in a Christmas tale, did not come until the morning. To quote Mumford and Sons, it's not the long walk home that will change this heart, but the welcome I receive at the restart.

Now, the rich young man's religion also needed exposing. His riches were, no doubt, his religion, or at least a part of his religion. But Jesus reveals his false gods by carefully laid questions and answers.

So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.  You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’”  And he answered and said to Him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.”  Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Neither his riches nor his religion could make up for the one thing he lacked. And neither his riches nor his religion could answer the question he asked Jesus. Only Jesus could answer that. He didn't go away sorrowful merely because of his riches. But the riches exposed both his trust in them (to his own ruin) and his failure to fully keep the commandments, even though he claimed he could.

This reminds me of Lewis's words in the opening of The Great Divorce, "If we insist on keeping Hell (or even Earth) we shall not see heaven: if we accept Heaven we shall not be able to retain even the smallest souvenirs of Hell."

In many ways Scrooge and the rich young man find themselves in a raccoon trap as illustrated in the children's classic story Where the Red Fern Grows. The best way to catch a coon, according to the boy, is by placing a small shiny object in a jar-like container so that when the raccoon reaches in to grab it he is trapped. All the raccoon would have to do to escape would be to release the object from its claws. But it will not. It is dead set on keeping it.

Because both men insist - in fact they are dead set as we are - on keeping their shiny objects (whatever they may be). And that is why they are both sent messages because. Love, or at the very least some kind of compassion, motivates Jacob Marley to send the spirits to Ebenezer Scrooge; he doesn't want him to end up like him. Jesus' motives are hardly unclear however. Only Mark's gospel records this salient detail. "Jesus, looking on the man, loved him and then said..."

That is to say, that Jesus' work of removing his false idols - riches and religion - from his heart was a work of love. In love he prunes when he must and even performs a full heart transplant, a violent coup against the kings we've put on His throne. Jesus must lay us bare; like Eustace we must be un-dragoned. We are un-Scrooged - not by haunting spirits, but by the Holy Spirit in Baptism. That water is violent for your old Adam but quickening for your new life in Christ. Follow me!

And there was greater love still. Jesus was "setting out on his journey" Mark records. There's another detail worth noting. Where's he journeying too? Jerusalem. Trial. Mockery. Whips. Scourging. Suffering. Crucifixion. Death. Right after Jesus discourse on riches, religion and the impossibility of man saving himself by any means, he tells us how the last become first: death and resurrection. And what's more, he's going to be the one dying and rising. He, the one who was and who is and who is to come, will be put in the grave.

Even in the Disney version of A Christmas Carol that last and final scene before Scrooge awakes always gives me a graveyard chill. Whose name is on the tombstone? What poor soul? No one's there to attend his funeral. No friends or loved ones. He is alone. Abandoned to the grave. And Death extends his muted finger calmly to the headstone. There, etched in stone, a rock that yields no help for Ebenezer, is his own name. He is helpless.

And then from death awaken me. That these mines eyes with joy may see. O, Son of God Thy glorious face. My Savior and my fount of grace. Lord Jesus Christ, my prayer attend!

In the morning, Scrooge awoke with joy that he wasn't dead. It was Christmas. There was still time. And he was not alone after all. And what about the rich young man. Did he wake up? Did he follow Jesus? We don't know. Some scholars think this is Mark including his own story into the gospels. It's possible. But Mark doesn't give us the ending we want. But he does give us the ending we need. He draws us into the story. We're no better than Scrooge or the rich young man. Rich or poor, we all have our gods, our riches and religion. And Christ has come to claim those too. He is a jealous God. No other gods will do. No other god will comfort when loved ones die suddenly. No other gods will show mercy when we're in grief. No other gods will crawl into the grave on your behalf and rise again. No other gods have died for you. But this one - Jesus - has. Through him, through his cross and the resurrection, God has blessed us, every one. And he continues to do so. Follow me!

With great joy we awake for our names are not chiseled on that tomb. In fact, that tomb is empty. If there is any inscription it reads like this: "He is not here; He is risen." Your epitaph is written in his fleshly scars, etched in his hands and feet and side.

What joy. You are not alone. You are forgiven. Christ has done the impossible for you.

A How-To-Be Book: Review of Family Vocation by Gene Veith and Mary Moerbe

To God, to parents and to teachers we can never offer enough thanks and compensation.

 

- Martin Luther, Large Catechism, 4th Commandment, 130.

 

Family help books, "How-to" books, parenting for dummies and "10 rules for a successful family" style books are like friends and relatives in the Lutheran Church: they're everywhere. But unlike those happy encounters with friends and relatives, every time we come across another book offering sage advice and Christian wisdom for parents, children and families we feel more discouraged and disillusioned than when we picked up the book.

No doubt there are many good books on the topic of family vocation out there on the shelves of Christian bookstores. And while I'm not going to take the time to read each and every one of them I think some broad conclusions are generally true for this genre of books in the Christian life:

1. They typically ignore Christian history, especially the Lutheran Reformation.
2. Which means they also ignore the centrality of the doctrine of Justification in the life of the Church, especially families.
3. The Sacraments are rarely, if ever a hub of the family life. And the importance of being gathered around the Word, font, absolution and Eucharist - which is the best thing a family can do - is often left aside.
4. As a result they fail to understand the Christian life in this world, namely, vocation.First receiving in their vocation as Christians and then giving and receiving in their vocations in family and household (not to mention the other two estates: Church and State).
5. Thisusually means that parenting, family life and childhood usually wind up in a pious display of moralism and legalism or pop-psychology and pragmatic solutions. Granted there's a place for tips and practical advice. But if that's all that Christians have to say on the subject then you're better off reading the best practical tips on parenting from anyone who has good advice, Christian or nto.
6. And lastly, all of the above examples come as a result of interpreting the Scriptures as a rule-book or a "How-to" book instead of the living, active, performative Word of Christ that kills and makes alive, shaping our vocation with God and the neighbor.

 If you're tired of reading those kinds of books. And if you're looking for a book that places Christ and his gifts at the center of the family then you should read Family Vocation by Gene E. Veith and Mary J. Moerbe. This father / daughter dynamic duo presents a lucid explanation of the doctrine of vocation throughout, a solid and unwavering witness to Christ Crucified and his presence in our Church and families and an edifying read on family vocation. This is not another "how-to" book. This is a "how-to-be" book. Called by Christ through the cross in the water by the Word, sustained by his body and blood. And you are called to serve in the vocations of family: marriage, parenting, childhood.

Today we don't need more culture warriors. What we need is a reformation. There is mass confusion on every side. Families struggle. Churches are often a place of refuge but are ill equipped, serving Law rather than Gospel. Families are buried under the stress of more than economic woes. The Reformation era was similar in many ways. In Luther's day the doctrine of Justification had been buried under volumes of papal indulgences and monastic traditions. The Gospel suffered under the weight of man's self righteousness. The monastery and the convent were the highest hold orders one could attain.

Martin Luther, however, as he was recovering the gospel and the Word of God, insisted that all of life in the world is a realm for Christian service and that our everyday activities in the workplace, culture, the church, and especially the family are vocations from God. Luther specifically described the family as a "holy order," a special realm of Christian love. (Veith and Moerbe, Family Vocation, p. 20).

Today the family is constantly bombarded from the world outside and often from guilt or shame and the struggles of daily life from inside the family. We're tempted to rely on ourselves. To think it's all up to us when it comes to the strength, protection and future of our families. However, Justification set men free in the Reformation. It still sets us free. You are forgiven by grace for Christ's sake on the cross. You are free! So too, the doctrine of vocation sets us free. You are free from works righteousness. Free from moralism and legalism. Free to be who you are in Christ.

But what we can learn from the Reformation is that the solution to our family problems will not be a matter of moral laws, more rules to live by, or more principles for successful living. The major contribution of of the Reformation was to place the gospel of Jesus Christ - justification by grace through faith in the atoning work of Christ - at the center of every facet of Christian teaching and every facet of Christian life, including the family. And the key to making that application and renewing contemporary families is the doctrine of vocation. (Veith and Moerbe, Family Vocation, p. 20).

In other words, the solution to our family problems is not found in the Law but in the Gospel, not according to the ways of our old Adam but by the life, death, resurrection and presence of the Second Adam, the perfect Son who had made us perfect children of the heavenly Father; not in ourselves, but in Christ: his sacrifice for us on the cross and in the living sacrifice of vocation. If the doctrine of justification is the one upon which the church stands of falls, then the doctrine of vocation is the one on which the the family stands or falls. And Family Vocation provides us with a firm foundation for all three major areas: marriage, parenting and childhood. By bringing the Reformation to families today they are set free in the gospel for tomorrow and free to serve others in the doctrine of vocation today.

This book was a joy to read from start to finish. The authors' own compassion and care within their family vocation was evident as well, giving the book a delightful human touch that is often lacking from self proclaimed experts. This is also the kind of book that would serve well in a congregational setting for a Bible study, small group discussion or parent's education night. Personally I have been recommending it to all our families at Redeemer, HB and I will be using it for our preschool parents' night coming up next year. No matter what your family is going through - struggles or joys - this book is well worth your time as well. Family Vocation shows our families the freedom of the christian life and the joys of vocation, no matter how ordinary or everyday they appear to be.

So, what do we do? Veith and Moerbe address this question in their conclusion.

Vocation centers on the ordinary and the mundane. Reviving the family in the culture starts with one's own marriage, one's own parenthood, one's own extended family. Christians can start by viewing the members of their families as gifts of God, indeed, as masks of God. If Christians can live out their faith in love and service to their spouses, children, and parents, then the institutions of marriage, parenthood and the family itself will be transfigured. Restored Christian families could become a catalyst for the restoration of families throughout the culture.

It will also help to recover the doctrine of vocation - teaching it to children, so that they will understand what will be happening in their lives, and throughout the Church, so that Christians will understand how and where to live out their faith. The message is simple, though the task can only be carried out through the cross of Christ: love and serve your wife. Love and serve your husband. Love and serve your children. Love and serve your parents. Love and serve. (Veith and Moerbe, Family Vocation, p. 233).

Thanks to Family Vocation for showing us that the love and service of Christ on the cross shapes, sustains and gives life to our love and service in our families.

Apologetics 101, Part 2: Method Prevents Madness

“Proper prior planning prevents piss poor performance”

– British Army adage.

 

This statement is equally true on the battlefield of Christian apologetics. In part 1 we began to answer the question, “what is truth?” And in order to answer that question it is vital to lay out a proper method for investigating religious truth claims. When it comes to empirical, scientific or legal-historical research, method must precede the conclusion. Assuming is always dangerous, especially when engaging in apologetics. In order to avoid circular reasoning and begging the question, arguments must follow sound logical methods.

What are those methods? And how does one go about evaluating religious truth claims? The following three ways stand out:
1) Classification of truth claims
2) The empirical method
3) The historical-legal method

Truth Claims

As we have previously discussed (see Contradictions don’t coexist), the one thing in common with all world religions is their mutually incompatibility. They say and make mutually contradictory claims to truth. Here a little logic goes a long way. The law of non-contradiction says that if x is true, then non-x cannot also be true. For example, the Muslim view of Jesus – that he was not God and did not die on the cross - and the Christian view of Jesus – that he is God and did die on the cross and rise from the dead – cannot both be true. It’s possible that they are both wrong, but they cannot both be right.
Every religious position is a worldview. And every religious position makes truth claims. “Brahma is all.” “It’s true because I feel the burning in my bosom.” “All that exists in the world is material and natural causes.” These are but a few of the religious positions in popular culture today. But how do you determine which one, if any, is true?

A helpful answer comes from the school of Analytical Philosophers in the 20^th century, also known as the logical positivists. When examining assertions they discovered three basic kinds of truth claims: 1) analytic statements (those of logic and mathematics), 2) synthetic statements (those of facts and empirical methods) and 3) non-sensical or logically meaningless statements (statements that purport neither logic nor fact).

Analytical statements are necessarily true, true upon definition. For example, 2 hobbits + 2 hobbits = 4 hobbits (and a party!). Or, all unmarried men are bachelors. This is logical. But it doesn’t help determine whether something is true or not. “Logic, said the great twentieth century philosopher Wittgenstein, is the scaffolding of the world. Logic provides structure and assists you in organizing the facts of the world, but logic does not help one whit in telling you the actual “stuff” of the world.”[1] Religious truth claims do not fall into this category since there is no way of evaluating the contents of their respective assertions.

Synthetic statements are statements of fact that can be verified and/or falsified. Synthetic claims are determined to be true or false after the facts have been examined, evidence weighed, and the case deemed probable or improbable. Scientists, historians and lawyers use this method. For example, Water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit at sea level; George Washington crossed the Delaware by walking on water; Pontius Pilate was the Roman Procurator in Judea in the 1^st century A.D. These claims are evaluated based on known evidence and the empirical procedure. 100% certainty exists only in the world of mathematics, not the world of facts, since there is always the possibility that new evidence will come to light and overturn the claim. However, we don’t live life by possibilities, but probability. In the language of the courtroom, we operate based on the standard that evidence is shown beyond a reasonable doubt. There is only one religious claim that falls into this category, namely, Christianity. It is both verifiable and falsifiable; read 1 Corinthians 15.

All other religious positions fall into the third category, meaningless statements. These assertions cannot be verified or falsified. They are neither true nor false. In fact there is no way to test whether or not they are true or false. For example, “Blue sleeps faster than Thursday.” “The universe is expanding at a uniform rate.” “All is Brahman.” And the new atheists’ mascot, “The flying spaghetti monster.”These claims are logically meaningless, or non-sensical.

Although skeptics pigeonhole Christianity into this third category it rightfully belongs in the category of synthetic truth claims. Which leads us to the empirical and historical-legal methods.

The Empirical Method

Christianity is both verifiable and falsifiable. “If Christ is not raised, then your faith is in vain…eat, drink and be merry. But in fact, Christ is raised from the dead.” St. Paul asserts that the central claim of Christianity has both empirical and historical value and therefore is open to investigation. No wonder so many Christian apologists are lawyers.

Today, Christianity is on trial. And we have the best case possible. This is where the other tools - the empirical and historical/legal methods - are quite useful. “This method involves 1) a clear recognition and accurate statement of a problem to be solved; 2) the formulation of working hypotheses which appear to explain the problem; 3) the determination of specific methods of investigation which will yield reliable and pertinent data on the problem; 4) the accurate collection and recording of the relevant data; 5) the re-checking of the facts to establish their soundness and pertinence to the problem under investigation; and 6) the testing of the hypotheses against the data, thereby confirming or disconfirming the hypotheses in question.”[2]

We live in a world where facts are known and knowable. Investigation of the facts is important especially for religious assertions. Christianity not only lends itself well to these methods of historical and empirical investigation, but it also has an overwhelming amount of evidence in this regard. And, as Craig Parton notes, “The empirical method is simply a roadmap that we follow to see if we can arrive at the King’s Castle and not at the local garbage dump. Just because we use a map to get to the castle does not mean we honor the map over the King or the Castle.”[3]

Every stage of the empirical method can and should be applied to the propositions made by Christianity. This method is a tool. It is useful in apologetics. But it has its limits too. Apologetics can go no further than demonstrating that the historical claims of Christianity are true and that one can ascent to this knowledge as historical fact. In classic theological terms, apologetics deals with the notitia and assensus of faith but not the fiducia, or saving faith. The creative work of instilling faith and trust in these factual events and in our factual Savior is solely the work of the Holy Spirit. The goal of apologetics is to present both a negative case against the false claims of religious and skeptical worldviews and a positive case for the veracity of the historic Christian faith using a panoply of sound methods and tactics, always giving a reason for the hope that is within us (1 Peter 3:15).

The Historical-Legal Method

Unlike many of the world religions you don’t have to try Christianity in order to find out what’s in it. Christianity opens itself up to critical, historical investigation. The Lutheran Confessions make the similar claims when it comes to the doctrine: "This we believe, teach and confess." Christianity is an open book for anyone who has a mind open enough to investigate its claims. Furthermore, Christianity is a synthetic truth claim because it hinges upon one central event as having occurred in history: Christ’s death and resurrection. And this event is open to investigation. Christianity’s claim to truth stands or falls on the death and resurrection of Jesus. Christianity’s claim is unique: God entered human history in time and space as a human being. In Jesus, God is tangible. In Jesus God could be touched, heard and seen like any other historical figure (1 John 1:1-4). In other words, use a standard method of historical or legal investigation – preferably one used by people in that field - and apply it to the resurrection of Jesus. Where does the evidence lead? What are the conclusions? That is the simple goal of this tool. Lawyers and historians “re-create” the past every day using these methods. They are reliable and useful in presenting the clearest defense of the Christian faith. These are some of the very same methods used by the apostles themselves. And they are the same methods Christians need to employ today.

You may have noticed that, up until the end this article, we have not included any great assertions for the truthfulness of the Christian faith. This is intentional. We have merely been establishing the grounds upon which to investigate religious truth claims. By using objective standards the Christian relates to the common base of knowledge all people share and at the same time have demonstrated an ability to engage in an argument by avoiding logical pitfalls and biased arguments. Now that the foundation has been laid we are ready to proceed with the method. In Apologetics 101, Part 3: Christianity on Trial we will apply the same methods we have explored here to Christianity in order to equip ourselves to remain steadfast in defense.

---

[1] Parton, Craig. Religion on Trial. Wipf and Stock, 2008. p. 29.

[2] Montgomery, John Warwick. Tractatus Logico Theologicus, Verlag fur Kultur und Wissenschaft, 2005. p. 35-36.

[3] Parton, Craig. Religion on Trial. Wipf and Stock, 2008. p. 25.

Sermon for 18th Sunday after Pentecost: "The Lord Remembers"

+ 18^th Sunday after Pentecost +

Proper 21, Series B: Numbers 11; James 5:13-20; Mark 9:38-50

In the Name of + Jesus. Amen.

             Today’s Old Testament reading begins in poverty and ends in abundance. It begins in memory but ends in hope. It begins in physical need but ends in temporal and spiritual blessing. It begins in death and ends with life. And all of this because of a Word, the Spirit-filled, life-giving Word of the Lord. That same Word that came to Moses and the elders of Israel, to Eldad and Medad, the disciples, the unknown exorcist in the Gospel reading.

            That’s the advantage we – the New Israel, the Church – have; the veil is lifted. We see YHWH’s promises and fulfilled in Christ. We see the Day of Atonement in Good Friday. We see the Passover blood of the Lamb shed fulfilled in the Lord’s Supper. We see the Red Sea crossing in our Baptism. We see the Promised Land in the new heavens and the new earth.

            But all they saw was the wilderness. Eden’s condemnation is palpable in the desert. It’s a place of testing. Suffering. And death. In a way the people were right: “Why have you brought us out of the land of Egypt to die in this wilderness?” YHWH did bring them out to the wilderness to die. But not the death they had in mind. Rather, the death of their foolish pride.

            “We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!”

             But that fish wasn’t really free. It came at the end of the whip. There were strings attached. Make the bricks. Work hard and you’ll be fed. Don’t work; you die. But the Manna – and later the quail – that was different. That was a gift from YHWH’s gracious hand. No whips or cords attached. Free. Undeserved. Grace. Gift. That’s the way the Lord works. But the people had forgotten that too.

            That’s where the Numbers 11 begins: in memory, both your memory,
Israel’s memory and YHWH’s memory.
            No doubt, you remember Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. On that day, Israel looked in faith upon the Lord’s rescue. They were free. The foe was defeated. And shouts of praise and victory filled the air: “I will sing unto the Lord for He has triumphed gloriously, the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.”

            Israel’s memory, however, is different. Israel’s memory is both selective and nostalgic. Her slavery, once recorded in detail, is gone and the food she once ate, remembered in detail, is suddenly free (v. 5). Their memory was twisted. Instead of singing praise, she voices a lament (v. 4–6). Instead of celebrating God’s strength, she cries of her weakness (v. 6). And, when God gives her manna, she looks and laments (v. 6).

             Our old sinful nature works the same way: selective memory. We have impeccable memories when it comes to the sins of others: our spouses and children, friends, neighbors and fellow members at church. But we have instant amnesia the moment the finger of the Law gets pointed our direction: “Who me?” It’s a spiritual amnesia – a deadly disease - passed down from Adam. Israel wasn’t the first to forget God’s Word and neither are we.

            We have the same sinful flesh that the Israelites did. And that’s who has to die. That little brat Luther called the Old Adam. St. Paul and Jesus call it our sinful flesh. Thankfully, Jesus doesn’t send us out into the wilderness. Instead, He plunges us into his death and resurrection. He drowns our Old Adam in Baptism and raises us to new life, His life, now your life. Death to life. That’s the Lord’s way of doing things for you and for Israel.

            And that is what Israel had forgotten.

            They failed to see God’s present blessing because of their distorted memory of the past. They did not eat meat freely. They were enslaved. Life was not easier in Egypt it was a burden. They didn’t walk out of Egypt’s prison for good behavior; YHWH rescued them. Israel’s sin was a twisted version of the 9^th and 10^th commandments: coveting. Rather than covet what someone else has in the present, Israel covets what she thought she had in the past. The end result is always the same. God’s present gifts are devalued because of the way one remembers the past. God gives Israel manna, yet she looks on it in sinful blindness and laments.

             That’s why when we break the 9^th and 10^th commandment we also break the first. To covet – whether past or present – is to look upon the Lord’s merciful gifts with disdain. To forget that it was his blessing and deliverance that saved us. To doubt – like Israel did – that the Lord’s Word really can do what he says it will do, even when it comes in feeble forms of water, word, bread and wine. It is to fear, love and trust in our interpretation of the past rather than the reality of God’s saving promises.

            For Israel, the past had become their idol. And we’re no different. Today people still fall into this sin. Selective and nostalgic memories of the past may be helpful but they can also cause us to overlook Christ’s actual saving work in both the past and the present. Some memories are personal, others congregational.

            And perhaps, as we look ahead to the 50^th anniversary of Redeemer, today’s OT reading is a good reminder of whose memory is the best: Christ’s, not ours. We’ve all got memories. Memories of how the church or this board or that activity used to be. Memories of the glory days gone by…but they often hide the glory of Christ present and hidden among us today and ignore the future hope in Christ’s saving work in the years to come. Remembering the past is not a bad thing. Far from it. But when you remember the past who are you remembering? Yourself and all the great things you did? Or the promises and faithfulness of Christ and all the great things he has done and is doing? Whose memory is better? The Good News is that this isn’t your church or my church. It wasn’t Israel’s land or Moses’ people. It’s not your word or my word.  It’s Christ’s church, Christ’s people and Christ’s Word. And this congregation – this communion of saints – is a gift.

            Moses reminds us that it wasn’t Israel’s memory – or our own - that serve us best. But the Lord’s. Over and over again we hear the Old Testament refrain: “and YHWH remembered his covenant” with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Israel, Redeemer Lutheran, you and me.

            Even though Israel had forgotten the Lord; He never forgot them. And he will never forget you either. His promise to Israel – to feed them, to provide for them, to rescue and deliver them, to bring them into his promised land, to be their God and dwell with them in the flesh – that is also His promise to you. A promise he never forgets.

             Once again, the Lord fulfilled his promise to dwell with his people. In the center of the camp of Israel stood the tabernacle. The place where YHWH promised to dwell with his people Blessing. Forgiveness. Holiness. Jesus does the same for you today, in a new fleshly temple that of human hands and skin and bones. Every Divine Service is a fulfillment of the promises of YHWH – never will I leave you, never will I forsake you. Here Christ continues to dwell with you, his people.

            For the mouth of the Lord that spoke to the prophets is the same mouth of the Lord that cried in Mary’s lap. The mouth of the Lord that cried out in judgment over Israel’s sin is the same mouth that cried out on Good Friday in judgment and payment for Israel’s sins and yours. The mouth of the Lord that filled Moses and the whole camp of Israel with His Spirit is the same Lord who breathed out his Spirit on his disciples in the upper room with the authority to forgive sin and at Pentecost to fill the Church with his crucified and risen presence.

            Here is the blessed reversal. So that you may have eternal life and have it abundantly, Jesus is born in poverty and humility for you. So that you stand before the Father in perfect obedience and righteousness, Jesus takes your disobedience and sin upon himself. So that the Holy Spirit is poured out upon you to raise you up to new life, all of our guilt and judgment are poured out Jesus. And through the cross, what began in sinful poverty ends in abundant forgiveness. What began with only a memory of our sin ends with a record of cancelled guilt. You are free. You are forgiven. His death is your life.

            God remembers Christ’s death for you when the water is poured out in your Baptism. When the absolution is delivered into your ears. When the body and blood of His son are placed into your mouth. The devil and your sinful flesh have impeccable memories when it comes to your past sin. And they’re always ready to throw it back in your face. But the Father remembers his covenant. He remembers the cross. He remembers the blood. And he remembers your sin no more. Sin, forgotten. Paid for. You are forgiven. And don’t ever forget it.

                        ³¹ “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— ³² not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord. ³³ But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people…I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” (Jeremiah 31)

            And that’s a memory worth holding onto.

In the Name of + Jesus. Amen.