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Higher Homilies

Watermarked

by The Rev. George F. Borghardt III

2 King 5:1-14

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Naaman knew what he needed. Everybody knows how someone gets cured from leprosy.

First, the prophet has to come out of his house. Then, he stands and calls on the name of the Lord His God. Then, he waves his hand and cures the leper.

But that’s not what happened to Naaman. Instead, the Man of God didn’t even come out of his house to meet him. Some messenger comes with a message, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.”

I mean, why the Jordan? Wasn’t his rivers of Damascus more impressive?

The whole thing lacks real religion. There needs to be more. More than just water and a command. There needs to be something…. spectacular.

Something like, put your right foot out, put your right foot in, put your right foot out, shake it all about… move your hands like this, turn yourself around, that’s what it’s all about!

And if the man of God had told him that, I’m sure Naaman would have done it. That’s religion! The more spectacle the better.

Naaman, like everyone in this world, dear friends, is an expert on religion. Everyone knows what they need and how to get what they need.

What we need to do is do something awesome to fix our situation with God. Something spectacular. Something out of the ordinary. Something that will blow God away!

That’s what we do with religion. We are the expert. We know what’s going on with God. We don’t need someone else to tell us. We know what we need to change.

The Son of God took on your flesh, was born of the Virgin, and lived the life you should live. His death, is your death. Death to sin. Death to hell.

His resurrection is your justification, God’s proclamation that the war between the two of you is over. He’s your God. Your His child.

That’s scandal to the world. No, no, no. That can’t be right. All of salvation wrapped up in a man hanging dead on the cross two-thousand years ago? There should be more. And it certainly can’t be that all of God’s salvation is splashed on me at the baptismal font!

There’s got to be something more, something more impressive, something me. I have to decide to be washed. At least put my left foot in the water. It just can’t work if I’m a baby being splashed. I mean, everyone knows, “God helps those who help themselves.”

Now, that doesn’t work in the world. A month ago when I put my suburban in reverse and the car moved forward the last person that I needed to help me was me. What I needed was a…. you can say it… was a mechanic!

When I am sick, I’m not the right person to get myself well. What I need is a… doctor!

God doesn’t help those who help themselves. We need to repent of all that. What Naaman needed …what we need… is to repent.

You and me too. Turn. Turn from what you think. Turn from what you know. Turn from the religion that’s you. And cling to the external Word from God’s messenger.

The Lord is calling us away today from all that we think we know about religion, faith, and baptism, and to cling to the external word – His word alone.

Naaman needed to get… in… the … water. Seven times, please. Just as the Lord commanded. Naaman’s salvation, his cleansing, was in the water. There in the Jordan River.

Your salvation, your life, is in the water too. Salvation achieved on the Cross by Jesus and delivered in the water. His water. His command. Not seven times, just once. Your sins washed away. You are cleansed in the font.

The Lord has sent His messenger today, not to wave His hand or turn himself self around, but to remind you: You are baptized. You bear God’s name. The Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You are a child of God.

No matter what you may think. No matter what you have done or will do. He won’t forget that Name. He’s not gonna forget you.

It’s too good to be to true. It can’t be that because He splashed water on you, marked you with His Name, that you are a child of God.

Turn from that thinking. Trust the Lord’s words from His messenger. Your sins have been washed away by Christ in Baptism.

And when you fail, when you want to run back to the way you used to do things – that religion where you gauge how things are going between you and God by what sin you have and haven’t done today.

I’m closer to God today, I didn’t do that. I’m farther, I did. Yuck!

Run back to the water where you were cleansed. Drown that old religion again and start anew. Trust the external word.

Remember He has washed your sins away and that the final word for you on the Last Day will be: Your sins are forgiven.

Naaman knew what he needed. He needed to go into the waters of the Jordan. In the water with the Lord’s command, He would be cleansed.

You too. In the water and God’s command. You have been cleansed and forgiven.

He who believes and is baptized shall be saved. Grant this Lord, unto us all. Amen. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

 

 

The Rev. George F. Borghardt III is the assistant/youth pastor of St. Mark Lutheran Church, Conroe, Texas.  Pastor Borghardt is the Conferences Executive of Higher Things.

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Catechesis

Preparing for the Journey: The Gesima Sundays

Rev. William Weedon

If Lent is the journey to Easter; if Easter is the return to the new life given to us in our Baptism; then Gesimatide is the preparation for that journey of return to our Baptism.  The Church knows in her wisdom that we cannot be like Bilbo Baggins, simply shoved out the door for our journey without our kerchief or any plans or preparations.  So for three weeks the Church seeks to ready her children to begin the slow and sometimes painful pilgrimage back to the very fountain of their life in Christ:  back to Baptism and to the life in and from Christ Himself.

Do we need a journey back?  What do you think?  The sad fact is that we constantly fall away from and betray the new life that God gave us when we were baptized.  How often we live our lives as though Christ had not been raised from the dead!  How often we live as though death had not been squashed beneath His feet and as though sin still had the right to put us in its shackles!  Lent shows what a lie we try to live from when we would still live that old way – we who have been baptized into Christ. Lent calls:  Time to come home, child!

But the journey home calls for serious effort on our part (yes, Lutherans can speak of serious spiritual effort – for them all the credit goes to God) to return to living in the dignity of our status as beloved children of the heavenly Father.  Lent forces us to face the pain of our exile – it places us in the parable of the waiting Father and calls us for us to stop hungering for the pig slop and hit the dusty trail back to the Father (see Luke 15:11ff.)  

In German there was no mistaking what Lent was about.  In German it is called “Fasten-zeit” – the time for the fast.  And the point of the fast is to discipline our bodies so that they learn, and we learn with them, that man does not live by bread alone; that we live from every word that proceeds from the mouth of our God.  “Return to me,” we hear the Lord say on Ash Wednesday “with prayer and fasting.” (Joel 2:12-19)

Gesima-tide, then, or Pre-Lent, seeks to get us ready for Lent and for the return to the new life.  The first week’s readings stress that it will be a struggle not only with our flesh (our bellies that want to be filled, our bodies that need to be disciplined, lest we be “disqualified”), but a struggle with the inner attitude of distrust in God that breaks forth into complaining.  There’s a Lenten fast for you:  lose the griping and groaning, the moping and moaning about your life and unfair things are for you.  The second week’s readings remind us the power to change is not something found in us, but in the Word of God alone – and so the extra time for the Word built into Lent, time to gather midweek and hear God’s Word.  The following week issues the invitation for us to join the formerly blind man in following Jesus up to the road to Jerusalem, to see Him offer Himself to the Father and so return humanity to God.  

That’s gesima-tide for you:  Septuagesima (70-some days to Easter!), Sexagesima (60-some days to Easter!), Quinquagesima (50-some days to Easter!).  It’s the way the Church calls out “ready, set, and go!”  We’re on the way home!

The Rev. William Weedon is pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Hamel, Illinois. He and wife, Cindi, are the proud parents of three high school and college-aged children. An advocate of the Atkins Diet, the Lenten fast becomes interesting for Pastor Weedon.

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Pop. Culture & the Arts

Can You Tell Me How to Get (How to Get) to Sesame Street?

by Kimberly Grams

I just learned that original episodes of Sesame Street are out on DVD (Volume 2 was released in November). They come with a warning: “These early ‘Sesame Street’ episodes are intended for grown-ups, and may not suit the needs of today’s preschool child.” This is a joke, right? This is the show that taught me to READ. By kindergarten, I could read any book they threw at me. Why the warning? So, I did a little research.

Back then kids rode bikes – with no helmets! Yeah, I know, it’s safer with a helmet. But now kids can’t even SEE someone riding without a helmet. How come kids don’t need a helmet for the playground, or sledding, or at the skating rink? Back in the day, no one wore a helmet. I only had one concussion (tubing on an icy hill). So today, helmets for any activity where they might fall on their heads. And let’s wrap them in bubble wrap. OK, my kids DO have helmets, which they wear (sometimes) when they scooter –they don’t even ride bikes. When we were kids we rode our bikes everywhere. My kids are 10 and 11, but they don’t go anywhere on their own because I’m much more worried about some freak grabbing them.

And that brings up another Sesame Street “Old School” moment. Gordon befriends a little girl and brings her back to meet his wife, Susan, and get a treat. OK, I can see why you’d have red flags on this one – don’t talk to strangers. Back then no one thought that scene was weird. Should today’s kids be watching this?

Reality check. THIS was the conversation I had to have with my girls, after a 15-year old newspaper carrier was murdered in our town. A man in a car with a gun approached her on her 5 a.m. route. She was afraid, so she got in. I told my daughters that even though this is unlikely to happen to them, if someone with a gun ever approaches them, they should run away (in a zig-zag) and yell. The person probably WON’T shoot at you – people will hear and they will get caught. IF they do shoot at you, they will probably miss. If they hit you, it will hurt, but you’ll probably survive. If you get in that car, you will be DEAD. Yeah, I’m SO worried about them watching old episodes of Sesame Street.

When Sesame Street premiered we had about 4 channels. When Big Bird was on, he was the only game in town. EVERYBODY watched. We weren’t all permanently damaged. In my research, an article quoted a parent as saying “What did they do to us?” Are you serious? They’re now blaming childhood obesity on Cookie Monster. Yep, a puppet yelling “Cookies! Um, num, num, num, num!” and spewing crumbs is responsible. It couldn’t POSSIBLY be the gazillion commercials for junk food. Cookie Monster is also in trouble for smoking (and eating) a pipe during a spoof called “Monsterpiece Theater”. Cookie Monster was funny. I don’t recall anyone suddenly craving a pipe for breakfast.

Other evils of early Sesame Street? Oscar is grouchy. He has no ambition and no one is treating his obvious depression. It used to be that Big Bird was the only one to ever see Snuffleupagus. Why is Big Bird hallucinating? Now EVERYONE can see Snuffie, and Big Bird won’t have to go to rehab. Don’t even get me started on Bert and Ernie. To keep the modern child safe from the horrors of 1960’s/’70’s Sesame Street, scenes have been deleted, altered, and the whole enchilada slapped with an adult-only label.

I’m more worried about consumerism than I am about a giant yellow bird’s imaginary friend. Let’s talk about Elmo, shall we? I’m not anti-Elmo. I’m irked by what they did with Elmo outside of Sesame Street. I had a LOT of stuffed animals when I was growing up, but when did we reach the point where we need 50 different kinds of Elmos? Not for collecting mind you, but animatronic ones that DO stuff. It started with “Tickle Me” Elmo and went downhill from there. My youngest daughter used her actual imagination with the single, small stuffed Elmo she had – and she survived without even one Elmo that laughed, sang, or did the Macarena!

 

I find THAT more offensive than anything I remember from my era of Sesame Street. Something else offensive? We’re watching Nick Jr., the morning block of shows especially for preschoolers. Mine were older, but there was no school and we were checking something out. During the commercials, there was an ad for an MTV award shows with clips of famous people – and one of them says the word “slut”. They showed it about 10,000 times. In what universe is that OK? I banned Nick until after the awards, kept an eye on the commercials and wrote an email complaining (no response).

Is this a rant? Maybe. I think I’m almost done now. Pop culture influences the world and vice versa, and the world has changed. I usually like to have a point in these articles, and this time I’m not sure I do. It made me sad to see how the world has changed, mad at the PC police, and generally gave me a headache. I could say some things about the old Adam, sin in the world, etc., but I’ll leave that to the theologians. All this thinking about the state of the world has made my brain hurt.

I can’t wait to Netflix “Sesame Street: Old School”. There are lots of things from the 60’s and 70’s that I’d never let my kids do now. I wouldn’t let them play in a construction zone, but when we watch it, couldn’t I just say, “That’s not safe”? I actually watch stuff with my kids and then talk about it. Instead of being labeled “adults only”, they should be viewed with kids, maybe slightly older than preschool, as a tool to talk about how the world has changed. It’ll be nostalgic, educational and fun. I want my kids to be safe, but do we really need to drain ALL the fun out of EVERYTHING? Cookie Monster, rock on!

 

Kim Grams is a writer and pastor’s wife who lives in Scottsbluff, NE. A dancer and an avid reality TV viewer, she has also written So You Think You Can Dance? True Confessions of a Former Liturgical Dancer 

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Pop. Culture & the Arts

Desperate for “Desperate”

by Kimberly Grams

Vicarious. Cathartic. There’s something therapeutic about watching fictional people do outrageous things. “Desperate Housewives” is my favorite, over-the-top show. It’s juicy – deliciously satisfying. I rate the greatness of the episode how many times there is a plot twist I wasn’t expecting and on the cattiness of the episode, i.e. how many times I say “that witch!”

“Desperate Housewives” is one of the only shows that I DVR, but can’t WAIT to watch. Cheating, lying, stealing, blackmailing – all complete with witty banter. Fake pregnancy so people won’t know your teenage daughter is pregnant? Check. Amnesiac husband addicted to painkillers? Check. Current husband married you to boost his political campaign, so you’re having an affair with your ex-husband? Check. Have five kids and just got through cancer treatments? Check. Mystery about the new neighbor returning to the cul-de-sac years after leaving abruptly – and some unspeakable secret involving her daughter? Check.

I thought that the tornado episode would be the last and leave us hanging on indefinitely until the end of the writer’s strike. The episode started with a comment along the lines of “little did the four women know that four hours later, one of them would lose a husband, and all of them would lose a friend”. OK, Gabrielle’s current husband is evil and got staked with a fence post during the tornado, so he’s likely the dead husband. But no one liked him, so he’s not the friend. Is it Carlos, the ex-husband who got hit in the head? Is it Tom, trapped with the kids under the rubble of what used to be Wisteria Lane? Will it be Ida, who was trapped with them? Presumably the psycho-stalker girl sucked out the door by the tornado is dead, but she wasn’t a friend either. Who else? Will any main characters die? Or will Ida be the friend they will lose?

When I saw there would be at least one more episode I was definitely relieved. How much will be revealed about the aftermath of the tornado? How much of Wisteria Lane will be destroyed? What new questions will arise? The writers of this show have never been afraid to shake things up a little. The show was just hitting its creative stride again this season, and now who knows how long we’ll have to wait to find out more.

As of mid-November EW reported that there were 3 new episodes left for “Desperate Housewives,” so the one on Sunday will most likely be the last one for a long while. I thought that we might not find out the fate of Lynette’s family and the whole episode would be melodramatic and still leave us hanging. I was pleasantly surprised to see that question resolved almost immediately, as Tom and the kids were found alive at the beginning of the episode. And, as I predicted, Victor was the dead husband, and Ida the lost friend. So, some things were resolved, but we still have to wait to find out the rest of the Catherine’s-secret-about-her-daughter storyline.

The writer’s, smart people that they are (and would the stupid people who are feuding them please give them what they want so we will not be left in limbo), moved the story line along, while still tying up some issues. It was a very satisfying episode – I cried a few times (I hate crying) but I also laughed out loud several times. Lynette switching Ida’s ashes with dust from the vacuum and then running around the baseball field to scatter them was priceless. That is totally something I would do. (Note to self: when we go to scatter Dad’s ashes, don’t call and ask in advance).

Despite its outrageousness, “Desperate Housewives,” packs an emotional punch, not in the big moments, but in the quiet moments of desperation. When Lynette realizes that she missed the opportunity to get to know the amazing Ida, who sacrificed herself for the Scavo kids, or when Susan tells Bree that she needs her domestic skills to maintain sanity – these are the moments we identify with most. Which makes the show not just entertaining, but powerful.

The truth is, anyone who’s ever been a housewife has probably been desperate at some time. Most people, not just housewives, will have moments of desperation in their life. Financial troubles, health problems, job changes, marriage/divorce, kids – life and death. If you’ve never had a desperate moment you’re either very young or very, very “lucky.” Like Lynette, Susan, Gaby, and Bree, I’ve been through some desperate moments with my own friends. When my best friend’s husband was killed in 9/11, those desperate moments – desperate for information, desperate that someone would be pulled alive out of the rubble, desperate for this to not really be happening were horrific beyond belief.

My life did not turn out like I envisioned it – not by a long shot. I didn’t know my health would keep me from being the super-mom I planned to be. There are many things I planned to do with my kids that I can’t. But you know what? God sits a lot higher than we do, and can see not just down the road, but around the corner as well. For every almost every desperate situation I’ve personally faced, something good – something unexpected – has come out of it. And despite desperate situations, there have been many, many blessings. If my health hadn’t made me almost unemployable, I probably wouldn’t have become a writer.

 

As you begin this New Year, I hope and pray that your life will be blessed and that you won’t experience many desperate moments. And if you do, remember that God is with you, bringing good out of all things for those in Christ. Remember that our Father becomes “desperate” for you, to save you from all the twists and turns of the outrageous moments in life. The Lord knows your every desperation, gifts you with faith in Jesus, and provides for all you truly need for body and soul.

 

Kim Grams is a writer and pastor’s wife who lives in Scottsbluff, NE. A dancer and an avid reality TV viewer, she has also written So You Think You Can Dance? True Confessions of a Former Liturgical Dancer 

Categories
Higher Homilies

Homily for the Baptism of Our Lord, 2008

by The Rev. William Weedon

Isaiah 42:1-7; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Matthew 3:13-17

The Ethiopian Eunuch had been up to Jerusalem. He was riding home now, maybe with his brand-spanking new copy of Isaiah, and he was reading along and puzzling over what on earth the prophet was saying in what we call chapter 53 – this Lamb that is silent before its shearers, whose generation none could declare. The Holy Spirit sends Philip to run aside and ask him if he gets it. “Course not!” the Eunuch replies. “Come up and explain it to me.” Then it gets very interesting. St. Luke says that beginning from that passage, Philip preached Jesus to him.

What do you think Philip preached about Jesus? Well, look at what happened next. The first glimpse that the Eunuch gets of water, he puts the breaks on, and asks excitedly: “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” It gives ones furiously to think, to quote Poirot.

Philip preached Jesus to the Ethiopian Eunuch in such a way that he extolled the gifts of Baptism. Jesus and Baptism. They go hand in hand together. For Baptism is how Jesus gives you all that is His.

Think about today’s Gospel. There He stands in the Jordan. John pours the water over His sinless head, and things begin to happen. The Blessed Trinity is revealed to the world with great splendor and glory. First, the heavens are opened. In the parallel account in Mark, the word is “ripped open” above Jesus and John. Then, the Father’s voice speaks: “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” And as if that were not enough, down comes the Holy Spirit, descending upon Christ as a gentle dove.

Now, what’s all going on here? To get it you have to realize what St. John the Baptist realized: Jesus didn’t need any of it. It was ALL his ALREADY. To HIM heaven was already open; His heavenly Father was from eternity His heavenly Father; the Spirit eternally rested upon Him from the Father. So what gives? Why the Baptism? Says our Lord: “In order to fulfill all righteousness.”

You and I, WE needed what all happened with Him in the water. To US heaven was closed, from the day when the door closed in Eden and the Cherubim began their long vigil. WE were not children of God by our birth – rather, our wills from infancy are allied with God’s enemy, the devil. Every last one of us comes into this world insisting: “My will be done.” And you know the damage and hurt we inflict on each other as we live out that insistence. WE were bereft of the Holy Spirit, for what is born of the flesh is but flesh and thus the very thing for which we were created went unfulfilled, for we were created to be temples of the Spirit!

Because God was not content that it continue so, He sent His Son not only into our flesh, but sent Him into the waters of Jordan, into Baptism, where sinners gather. He is there because all that is ours, He will take to Himself; and all that is His, He wants to give to us. And the great exchange, the sweet swap, happens for us exactly where He appoints: in the water.

When you get into the water with Jesus – watch out! Miracles happen. Standing with Him in the water, heaven is opened to you, His Father says that YOU are His beloved child with whom He is well-pleased, and you get the gift of the Holy Spirit.

And all this is so because in the water Jesus stands with you in your sin and promises that it will all be His. There’s not a bit of it He doesn’t lift off your shoulders. When He steps down into the Jordan He is beginning His journey to Calvary where He who had no sin will be made sin for you so that in Him you might become the righteousness of God. When the water pours over His head He is promising already that He is headed for another baptism – the baptism of suffering upon the Cross. He will stand with us in all that is ours so that we can stand with Him in all that is His.

Which means your Baptism is a most precious thing, the greatest moment of your life, in fact. King Louis IX of France so well understood this. He once said: “I think more of the place where I was baptized than of Rheims Cathedral where I was crowned. It is a greater thing to be a child of God than to be the ruler of a Kingdom: [this kingdom] I shall lose at death, but the other [to be a child of God] will be my passport to an everlasting glory.”

And so for you: there is no more important moment for you than the moment you were baptized, when the water flowed over you and heaven was opened and God owned you as his beloved child and the Holy Spirit came upon you. It’s a moment you can cling to and crawl back to over and over again, as long as you live in this age of grace. The door that flung wide in your baptism remains open to you; God’s covenant with you there, His promises to you, He will ever be faithful to. When we forget our high birth and fall back again into living as children of this perishing age, we might think that God will wash his hands of us. But no, in Baptism, He doesn’t wash His hands; He goes on washing us! The door stands open and He calls us one and all to come back, to come home, to claim again our adoption rights as His children.

To go back to the Eunuch, do you see what was the Gospel that Philip preached to him so faithfully that day? Just what our Lord said the Gospel was at the end of St. Mark!

“Go and preach the Gospel to all creation.”

But what is that Gospel?

“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.” That’s the Gospel in a nutshell.

That’s how Philip preached the good news and so at the first sign of water, the Eunuch is ready to stop everything and take the plunge. He went into the water with Jesus a child of flesh born of flesh, a man destined for the grave. He came out of the water a child of God, filled with the Spirit, and destined for heaven, His true home.

This is the Gospel of the Lord which the Church proclaims in all the world: Come, get into the water with Jesus, that He who took all your sin to death on Golgotha may impart to you all that belongs to Him – forgiveness for all that comes of your thinking and living the lie – “My will be done” – and a life that never ends! Come, get into the water with Jesus, that He may lift you to the joy of being a coheir with Him of an everlasting kingdom! Greater than any kingdom or crown of this earth! Here you are made kings and priests with Him to His God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever! Amen.

Categories
Current Events

God’s Victory and God’s Gifts

by Darrell Wacker

        The BCS Championship game between Ohio State and LSU was played last night and what a performance by the “Bayou Bengals.” While taking Ohio State’s best shot in the opening minutes, LSU remained steady, stayed true to their game plan, and ultimately dominated the Buckeyes. As a long-suffering University of Kentucky football fan (I know, I know!) I am always in a distinct minority here in southwestern Ohio, where they think that “The Ohio State University” reigns supreme. I must admit my sinful nature feels a sense of satisfaction in seeing LSU manhandle the Buckeyes, if for no other reason than to say “I told you so” to all these Buckeye fans I live and work with.

I see many similarities between that football game and the game of life. I’m sure both teams were really excited about the opportunity to play for a “national championship,” and both teams endured a grueling season and many hardships along the way to put them in that game. And both teams lost during the season, with the champion Tigers losing twice. Neither team was perfect – in fact, they weren’t even close to perfect.

We aren’t perfect either – in fact we are far from it. We endure hardships, trials and temptations. We are barraged with sexually suggestive messages constantly. Alcohol use is rampant in high schools, and drug use is always around. Celebrities are front page news for their sinful lifestyles and lurid behavior, yet our society almost worships them. Peer pressure to look, act, or dress a certain way or do things which we know are wrong is a constant trial for most of us.

Like the early part of the football game, it seems that the world has taken a huge lead. When we look around us and see all of the things going on in our schools, our communities, the world at large, and yes, even the Church, it seems that Satan has a huge lead and is threatening to run away from us and win.

Thankfully, however, the game is not over. Better yet, we already know the final score, that in Jesus Christ, God has already fought and won the victory for us. Now He desires to give us freely the fruits of that victory – not a trophy made with hands, but eternal life, forgiveness of sins, and salvation from the hardships, trials, and temptations of this world.

Like LSU when they were behind, Christians need to remain steady and endure the hardships that will surely come. Christians shouldn’t be afraid to stand against the wind, resisting a culture that becomes seemingly more immoral every day. We shouldn’t be afraid to stand against pre-marital sex, drugs, alcohol, cheating, or any of the other temptations that come our way because Christians know that God has won the victory over those things already, Satan and his tricks are judged, the “deed is done”, the victory remains ours in Jesus Christ.

 

Jesus will return on the last day, and all believers will rise to meet Him, while unbelievers will be cast away with Satan. Our faith in the obedient life, death, and resurrection of Jesus will allow us to enter into the presence of the God who created us without sin or imperfection, just like God intended us to be when He created Adam and Eve.

All of us will fall prey to sin and feel the sting of its consequences, but that’s not where it ends-the Church is where forgiveness and absolution is found, unlike the world that often condones or excuses sin. St. Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 to “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing…abstain from every evil.” So, Christians need to pray continually that God would give us the fruits of His victory in Jesus Christ. He gives these fruits to us at the Divine Service. There, God gives us His gifts and we are strengthened for our own daily battles. The Church is where God comes to us in the very body and blood of Jesus in, with, and under the bread and wine for the forgiveness of sin. The Church is where we are reminded over and over again of our Baptism and that we are part of a larger family that loves and supports us.

God uses our fellow believers to console us and encourage us. Being surrounded with other believers is a tremendous blessing and a defense against the Evil One. God can use our Christian friends to help us resist worldly temptations. God also gives us loving and forgiving parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles who love us in spite of the selfish, sinful things we do. While it may be hard to believe, they have faced many of the same temptations as you, and they might have even given in to them as well. For those of you who don’t have someone that close or are uncomfortable with talking to a relative, your Pastor can be a great person to talk to. He will give you the comfort and peace that comes from God’s Word.

God has provided many tools to help us stay steady and stay faithful. It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that we can come to faith, and it is only by God’s grace and mercy that we can remain in the faith, standing against Satan and the world. When we inevitably fail, it is only God who can forgive and restore us through Jesus. Finally, God will also raise us to new life on the last day to spend eternity with Him. Come Lord Jesus!

Categories
Higher Homilies

Actions Speak Louder than Words

by The Rev. Randy Asburry

Matthew 2:1-12

“Actions speak louder than words.” No doubt, you’ve heard that saying, and you know exactly what it means. Another person can speak a promise to you, but his action of keeping that promise says much more than the mere promise. A spouse can say, “I love you,” but unless those words are backed up by actions of love, devotion, and commitment, then the words ring hollow. “Actions speak louder than words.” Somehow, we just know how true it is.

It’s even truer for God, especially on this day of celebrating the Epiphany of our Lord. As soon as Adam and Eve had fallen into the deep, dark hole of sin and death, the hole of separating themselves and the whole human race from God, God made a promise to save them and the whole human race. You remember the promise. God spoke to the deceiving serpent and said, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Gen. 3:15). God gave His promise, and the human race would eagerly wait to witness His actions of fulfilling that promise. Actions speak louder than words.

Through the centuries God gave plenty of actions to save and redeem His chosen people, Israel – the exodus from Egypt; the tabernacle worship; the royal line of David; the temple worship; the return from Babylonian exile. But what about the rest of the human race? The rest of the world was still waiting for God’s actions to confirm His gracious words. As we heard in our first reading, the Prophet Isaiah had promised God’s actions for all nations: “the LORD will arise upon you, and His glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.” And speaking of those nations from around the globe, Isaiah also said, “They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring the good news, the praises of the LORD.” Those were God’s words. Now, what about His actions to speak His grace and mercy loudly and clearly for all nations?

That’s what Epiphany is all about. God’s action in sending His Son into the world speaks quite loudly. The Son of God taking on human flesh to restore us to God’s favor and life with God speaks quite loudly. But if He had remained secluded in a tiny corner in the little town of Bethlehem, unannounced and not adored, then a small whisper would speak much more loudly. No, the Infant God in the flesh chose to reveal Himself beyond the bounds of Israel and to all nations. And His epiphany, His appearing, to the Magi speaks louder than words. Isaiah’s words gave the promise; Jesus’ appearing to the Magi gives the loud-sounding action.

We can see how the actions of the Magi spoke at first. They sought the newborn King of the Jews, and so they journeyed to Jerusalem. Resting on their own wisdom, their actions showed that they didn’t quite get it, not just yet. The divine King would not be found in the human centers of power. They still needed to hear the words and promises of God.

We can see how the actions of King Herod spoke. He was greatly troubled at the mere thought of a king other than himself. Even though he said that he wanted to worship the Child, his later actions betrayed him. Instead of seeking to worship the Holy Child, he wanted exterminate Him. We can see this by his action of slaughtering the Holy Innocents in Bethlehem.

So, let’s return to the Magi, now as they are led to the Christ Child. Their actions speak louder than words. And have you ever noticed that now the Magi say absolutely nothing? No words; just actions. The star leads them to the house where they find Mary and Jesus. Yes, “they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy” when they saw the star. And they don’t say a word – at least not as Scripture records the epiphany for us. But their actions speak quite loudly and quite well.

“And going into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother….” Actions speak louder than words! They saw the Christ Child – the Word of God made flesh, the Savior of the world, sitting in His mother’s lap. Imagine the awe and wonder. I don’t know about you, but I’d sure be speechless. Notice how God’s actions of coming and appearing sparked their actions of bowing and offering.

“…They fell down and worshiped him.” Their worship did not make Him the Christ-Child. Their worship did not cause Him to come and appear for all nations to receive. Rather, they fell down and worshiped because that’s just what you do when you come into the presence of the living God. Actions speak louder than words! Being in the presence of the Creator and Savior of the world calls for different actions, non-everyday actions.

“Then, opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.” As Leo the Great proclaimed, the gold was for the King, the incense, for God, and the myrrh, for Man. The action of this offering spoke quite loudly: this Child is the God-Man, the King who comes to save all people from their sins. This royal Child, God in humble human guise, comes specifically to live our human life, to die our death, and to bring us back to life with God. After all, it’s through His death on a cross that He conquers death and forgives sins. And since He is God in the flesh, death cannot contain Him. His resurrection brings life for all who cling to Him in faith, for all who bow down before Him. Yes, actions speak louder than words. His actions rescue and redeem us, and they free us to bow before Him just as the Magi did.

This is the great mystery that St. Paul proclaims to us today. This Christ Child, this Infant Savior, comes not just for Israelites, but also for us Gentiles. This Infant King who would ascend the throne of His cross comes not just for the “good religious people,” but also for sinners such as us. St. Paul said it this way: “This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” God’s actions in sending His Son and revealing Him to the nations spoke quite loudly: He reconciles all people – even us – to Himself!

So, what about our actions in response? Do our actions speak loudly that we are followers of the Holy Child? Do they speak loudly and clearly that this Holy Child is the God-Man who comes to reconcile us with God? We could go in many different directions, but today let’s focus on actions in worship. Yes, actions speak louder than words even in the liturgy. For example, do you join in singing the hymns, or do you just stand there and gawk around? Do you participate in the prayers by bowing your head, folding your hands, and saying, “Lord, have mercy” or “Hear our prayer,” or are you figuring out what’s for lunch when you get home? Actions do speak louder than words.

When we process in at the beginning of the Divine Service, our actions communicate something: we are entering the presence of the living God, God-in-the-Flesh, God-with-us even now. When we stand for the Gospel reading, for the Creed and the Prayers, and for the liturgy of Communion, we confess that God is truly with us, to reveal Himself by forgiving us. When we kneel at the Communion rail, we tell the world that we humbly bow before our King, and we gratefully receive His mercy in Body and Blood.

Let me recommend another action that speaks quite loudly, and it goes with some familiar words. In the Creed we say, “who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven.” Let’s bow when we say these words. After all, it’s a great mystery that the Son of God would come down from heaven, take on our skin and bones, be one of us, live among us, die for us, and rise again for us, and thus bring us salvation. Let’s bow, literally and physically, when we confess our Lord’s Incarnation. And then, right after we say, “and was made man,” let’s stand up straight again. After all, we wouldn’t want to join the mock worship of the soldiers when our Lord “was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.” So, don’t be shy to bow when we confess our Lord’s Incarnation. Christians have done it for centuries.

Yes, actions speak louder than words. Certainly our Lord’s actions of coming and revealing Himself speak quite loudly to save and comfort us. Our actions can speak quite loudly too, as we bow before Him for His great mercy and life. Amen.

 

The Rev. Randy Asburry is pastor of Hope Lutheran Church in Saint Louis, Mo.  His RAsburry’s Res is a new addition to the blogosphere where he recently posted this sermon.

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Current Events

Reviewed and Resolved? Or Repented and Restored!

Reviewed and Resolved? Or Repented and Restored!

by Darrell Wacker

Another year has come and gone,
and with the passing of Christmas, it is not unusual for us to look at the upcoming year as a new beginning
or a fresh start. The passing of a year can be a useful place for us to take stock of our lives and think about ways to do better.

It is pretty common for people of all stripes to make resolutions in January. Resolutions can vary from losing weight, getting a better job, studying harder, or to do more volunteer work. Some resolutions are made with a great deal of thought, while others are made with little or none. Some are private, while others are very public, almost boasting. Regardless of the who, what, when, or where of each resolution, most of them seem to share the same basic motivation-to change some aspect of life for the better.

Certainly, I believe New Year’s resolutions, or Lenten fasting, or other attempts we make to better our lives can be good things if kept in the proper perspective. However, these sorts of promises or resolutions usually have one fatal flaw-they rest solely upon our weak and imperfect human actions to achieve the desired outcome. Sure, we may ask a friend or a spouse to help hold us to our promise, but in the end, most resolutions rest on our own will power, our own deeds. It’s no wonder most resolutions are broken within a few weeks!

 

God has also given us a form of resolution, and it is called repentance. Webster defines repentance “to turn away from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one’s life.” It also refers to repentance as feeling regret or contrition, or changing one’s mind. It is true that all of these sound much like a resolution, but true repentance is different than a resolution in one very significant way. Unlike a resolution, which relies on human works to bring about a change, Christians who repent of sin are relying on God, and God alone, to forgive sin and bring us back into a relationship with God.

God calls us to repentance over and over again throughout the Bible. In fact, the entirety of Scripture is the cyclical story of sin, repentance, forgiveness, and restoration. Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:32 that He came to call sinners to repentance. He also warns us in Luke 13:3 that unless we repent, we will perish. Certainly, Jesus isn’t mincing words here-why all this talk about repentance? How is that supposed to make us feel good about God or ourselves?

Sin isn’t a very popular topic of discussion in our society, or forthat matter, the church. It seems that people would much rather feel good about themselves and be pumped up about finding purpose in life rather than talk about sin. But the reality is we need to hear about sin. It’s the reality of the world we live in, and it’s the reality of our lives. Sin will literally kill each one of us at some point-not cancer, or heart disease, or a car crash, but sin! Sin is what kills, and it kills in a way nothing else can, because sin separates us from God with no way to earn our way back into good standing.

 

I know, I know, that’s not a very nice thought for the New Year, is it? It certainly isn’t a pretty picture, and you won’t hear it in many places, but it’s the plain, simple, Biblical truth.

The beauty, though, is in the rest of the story. Repentance, just like a new year, is about rejuvenation, restoration, and a new beginning. Repentance gives us all of this and so much more!

 

Repentance consists of two things-contrition (feeling sad about having sinned and offended God) and faith. Faith is a key component, because this gift is what allows us to overcome the rational part of our minds and hear the sweet words of God when he forgives us. The gift of faith is what allows us to trust in the perfect life, death, and resurrection of Jesus as the complete satisfaction for our sins. Without faith, these are just hollow, historical events. But with faith, we receive Jesus in His sacraments that make things right, and we know Jesus is our only hope.

God does not leave us to wallow in our sins, but instead promises forgiveness and restoration. He promises this in Jeremiah 31:34, where the prophet records these words of comfort: “For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (ESV)

Like others, I have made some resolutions for the New Year, and they will sound familiar-lose some weight, spend more time with my family, etc. However, more important than a resolution is my prayer for myself and all Christians-that by the power of the Holy Spirit, God would grant me the desire to study His Word, eat and drink His body and blood, and He would keep me in the one true faith until life everlasting. This is also my prayer for each of you. Happy New Year!

 

Darrell Wacker is a member of St. Timothy Lutheran Church in Huber Heights, Ohio, where he serves on the Parish Education Committee and as a Communion Assistant.  He works for the YMCA of Greene County as a Grant Writer and as a freelance sports writer covering high school sports for Times Community Newspapers in Dayton, Ohio.  He is the husband of Barbara, and the father of Matthew (19) and Daniel (7).

 

 

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Pop. Culture & the Arts

It’s Not FAIR: (or, Cheetahs Never Prosper)

by Kim Grams

OK, here’s the plan:

1) Finish my current picture book inspired by “Dancing with the Stars”;

2) Find an agent, who finds a publisher, who gives me a lovely advance and lots of publicity;

3) Get famous – just enough to be invited on “Dancing with the Stars”, but not enough to be annoying;

4) Go on Dancing with the Stars and get voted off first because a) I don’t have a gigantic fan base, b) I have Fibromyalgia which means my body often doesn’t cooperate with my brain, and c) I’ll probably be the worst dancer (see point b).

So, I’m voted off first. Would that be fair? Shouldn’t I get points for trying? Shouldn’t people vote for me because I have a disability? What if I’m bad, but I’m REALLY funny? Should people vote for me to see what hilarious thing I’ll do next? No, they shouldn’t. (Unless there’s actually someone who is worse than me, or someone who’s slightly better but really boring). Even though entertainment value factors in, it’s still a DANCE competition, and the best dancers should get the votes.

Which brings as to the just finished season and Sabrina, the Cheetah girl. She, in my and many other’s opinion, should have taken home the trophy – or at least given the others a run for their money in the finals. But that didn’t happen. She was unexpectedly, unexplainably voted off, halfway through the competition. It was shocking, and for the first time in my reality-show-with-voting history, something terribly unfair happened.

Now there have been other times when someone didn’t make it as far as many thought they should. Looking at American Idol, there are examples like Chris Daughtry and Melinda Doolittle. But at least, in those cases, I can see some reason behind their ousting. Chris was maybe too “rock” for the Idol crowd, and Melinda may have skewed too old for younger voters. For Daughtry, being voted out a bit earlier actually seemed to have helped his credibility in the non-Idol, rock community.

But, what about Sabrina? I can’t think of any reason whatsoever for this very unfair development. She’s young, she’s hot, and she’s on the Disney Channel. She’s good, not conceited about it, and did I mention really GOOD? She and her professional partner, Mark, were invited back to give a sneak peek of their live tour performance and she looked like a professional. How could she have been voted out so fast? Were too many of her voter’s out trick-R-treating on that fateful Monday night? Who is her fan base and where were they?

One thing that I suspected long before this season is that the voting system for Dancing with the Stars may be inaccurate. You get so many votes per phone line or email (plus the whole text messaging thing that I don’t know how to do – yes, I know, I’m archaic). Sometimes I can get my fair share of allowed votes, sometimes not. Sometimes I can vote from my cell phone, while other times I’m told I’ve reached the limit on my votes – even when I haven’t placed any yet. This gets even trickier if your family doesn’t all want to vote for the same person. I’m not the only one who has experienced glitches. Even on the last night, when they should expect a high volume of calls, they still only gave a half hour to vote; my family in Ohio got busy signals the whole time.

Even though I enjoyed the rest of the season, it felt tainted. It could’ve been perfect. That’s the cool thing about the TV world. It can be perfect. It can be any world you want it to be. But it’s really only an illusion. Our REAL perfect world is waiting for us in eternal life – and it was paid for with Jesus’ blood – not by your commercial sponsor. Sometimes, I’m so focused on everything going exactly right, right now, that I forget that. We all have many hopes and dreams for this life. Some of them will work out. Some of them won’t. No matter how imperfect or discouraging life sometimes seems, when God looks at us, He sees perfect, courtesy of Jesus Christ.

Good thing for me. If I had to depend on my ability to get a book deal or be on Dancing with the Stars for salvation, I’d be in big trouble. Sometimes life’s not fair – whether it’s a bum deal on a reality TV show, or something really unfair, like an unexpected health condition. It’s easy to loose sight of the prize. I have to remember to focus on the real prize (and I’m not talking about the mirrored trophy ball). It’s good to have dreams and goals. But whether we ultimately obtain them here on earth doesn’t really matter in the long run.

So unfair or not, I still like my reality vote-for-your-favorite shows. And I probably won’t be getting out my high-heels and sequin dress anytime soon. But for now, I’m gonna quit writing this article. I have a picture book to finish.

Kim Grams is a writer and pastor’s wife who lives in Scottsbluff, NE. A dancer and an avid reality TV viewer, she has also written So You Think You Can Dance? True Confessions of a Former Liturgical Dancer 

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Pop. Culture & the Arts

Higher Movies: The Golden Compass: An Anti-Christian Fantasy

by Nathan Fischer

The Golden Compass is a breathtaking journey into a fantasy world very similar to our own. The story itself is riveting, the characters are all quite likeable or quite villainous, and the tension between them makes for two very exciting hours. I also thought the musical score and cinematography were nearly perfect, which helped to amplify the whole experience. However, despite how well-made The Golden Compass may have been, it carried in its story some noticeably anti-Christian elements. Sometimes these elements were subtle, sometimes they were more than obvious, but they were always present.

We learn in the beginning that there many parallel universes to our own universe (think “the wood between the worlds” in The Magician’s Nephew). Binding all of these worlds together in The Golden Compass is the dust. Dust is important because it is the cause of tension between the Magisterium and the scientific community throughout the ages.

A Magisterium in the real world (our world) is, simply put, an ecclesiastical term for the teaching authority of the church. It is used much the same way in The Golden Compass, except that the entire church is portrayed as a very wicked Magisterium. It is an old, dogmatic, totalitarian group that wants nothing more than to control all so-called “free thinkers.”

This is evident when scientists create a device called an Alethiometer, which uses dust in order to determine any truth. The Magisterium (aka: Christian church) does not like any truth but their own, though, and thus they destroy every Alethiometer but one. That one is given to the heroine of the story, little Lyra Belacqua. She must now use it to stop the Magisterium from holding little children hostage in the frozen wasteland of the north.

Also interesting is that the place where the children are being held captive is called the experimental station. There the Magisterium separates their spirits from the little children and holds them under extreme totalitarian control. This stands in stark contrast to C.S. Lewis’ The Silver Chair, in which characters Eustace and Jill attend the Experiment House, where children are allowed to run free and do whatever it is they wish to do – which is generally causing mayhem and bullying other children.

There is a strong anti-Lewis theme throughout the film, which helps to fuel Pullman’s anti-Christian imagery. For example, as the four children in Narnia were given new, honorable last names by Aslan, so also is Lyra given a new last name by Lorek (bear prince who becomes king) in The Golden Compass. Her name, however, is hardly honorable, even if we are told to think it is. She is called Silvertongue. Why? Because she lies through her teeth, and as long as it is for a good purpose, it is considered noble and cunning of her to lie, so she is rewarded for it. She is such a good little utilitarian.

In the end, the overriding theme to the entire movie seems to be: the Christian church is lying to you in order to keep your free will under submission; science, however, can reveal the truth in all things and this truth that science reveals will set you free from the totalitarian dictatorship of the church. The Alethiometer is considered proof of this. The Magisterium believes that the dust came about from a bad thing that some people had done a long, long time ago – the dust causes sin. The bad thing, of course, is a reference to the eating of the Tree of the Knowledge. Science, however, views the releasing of the dust as a good thing. It is through this act that truth is finally discovered. Thus, while it is not stated outright, the implication is that God lied and Satan spoke truth.

The Golden Compass can be called nothing but anti-Christian (and, I would say, is very pointedly anti-Lewis as well). Now, it is quite painfully obvious that this is Pullman’s driving theme. But just because it is obvious does not mean it is harmless. Even Christ used parables – images are powerful tools, and Christian parents should be very cautious about letting their children see the images presented in The Golden Compass. They require discernment.

In the end, though, we must trust in Christ. Pullman never addresses the Gospel. That is his fatal mistake. He tugs on the anti-authoritarian tendencies of people (especially young people) today, but he never addresses the Gospel. He cannot! Because the Gospel sets us free in a way that science never can, and that is something Philip Pullman will never understand. The church that proclaims the Gospel of Christ’s death for our sins is a place of true freedom.

It is not a sin to see The Golden Compass, and despite its obvious agenda, it is quite an enjoyable movie overall. However, the Christian should be certain to hold Christ and Him crucified at the center of his sight throughout the film. The image of the cross must cover the images on that movie screen. Christ must be our true compass.

Though sin holds sway over us on this earth, there is an earth to come (not a parallel earth, but a new earth). From dust we came and to dust we shall return. This dust binds us all together in that sin of the first Adam. But there came a second Adam, and He died for Philip Pullman, for you, and for the entire world. Thus the final reality is not that “dust” binds all together, but that Christ binds all together. Christ Jesus Crucified is the reality from which the entire cosmos lives and is sustained. He is our reality, for we are baptized into him, and the demonic spirits truly have been separated from us in that Holy Water. Rejoice, for you are saved! Through His blood shed for you, you shall rise again on that glorious day of His returning, to live freely with Christ Jesus forever in the new creation to come.

 

Nathan Fischer is a graduate of Concordia University – Wisconsin, and a first year student of Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, IN.