Bethlehem Lutheran Church

December 14, 2016

Advent Midweek 3: Bathsheba the Adulteress (2 Samuel 11:1-5)

Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR
Advent Midweek 3 – December 14, 2016
Text: 2 Samuel 11:1-5

11 ⁱIn the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.
²It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. ³And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” ⁴So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house. ⁵And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.”

In the Commandments it’s pretty clear: You shall not commit adultery, meaning: “We should fear and love God so that we lead a sexually pure and decent life in what we say and do and husband and wife love and honor each other.” (Small Catechism)

Now, you’d think the Bible would be a great place to learn God’s morality. What better place do we have to look for upright, moral behavior than the pillars of the faith like King David? Wrong!   In this case, David was a horrible example and would even be criticized by unbelievers for what he did.

According to the Law, this is what they deserved: “If a man is found lying with the wife of another man, both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman. So you shall purge the evil from Israel.”[1] Purge the evil, whether he be the king or a beggar in the street.

Then, the adulterous couple conspired to cover it up. David called back her husband from battle, urged him to go lay with Bathsheba, and then nobody else would have to know. When that didn’t work, he even conspired to have Uriah killed so that David could save face by marrying the poor widow Bathsheba. Without TMZ around, it’s unclear how many in Israel knew the details of King David’s illicit affair, but God could not be fooled.

But God, whose steadfast love endures forever, intervened in this unholy union between David and Bathsheba Yes, the first child died, for God chose not to justify their lust. “Then David comforted his wife, Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her, and she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. And the Lord loved him.”[2]

Remember the promise which God had made to David by Nathan before all this happened? “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”[3] Who would have guessed that this is how it would happen?   But out of this dead couple, God would fulfill His promise. The Son of David would establish a godly kingdom, whose enemies would be defeated. This kingdom and the Son of David who rules it would last forever.

But this promise was not fulfilled in Solomon. It came in Jesus. As Jesus Himself points out,

⁴⁴   “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord,
                       “Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet” ’?
⁴⁵If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?”

Jesus is the Son of David who is able to bear the sins of all mankind. He is more than a special Child whom God loves. He is the reason God is gracious and does not immediately put us to death when we deserve it. The Son of David reconciled sinners to God and He is the assurance of forgiveness and love from God. And that forgiveness is for the adulterer, drunkard, thief, or sodomite.[4] The Son of David, Jesus Christ, is how every sinner is able to pray with confidence:

⁷ Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
⁸   Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
⁹   Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
¹⁰   Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
¹¹   Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
¹²   Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit. [5]

[1] Deuteronomy 22:22
[2] 2 Samuel 12:24
[3] 2 Samuel 7:12-13
[4] All people whom God preaches repentance to: David, Noah (Gen. 9), thief on the cross (Luke 23), Genesis 19:6-8
[5] Psalm 51:7-12

December 12, 2016

Funeral of A. Lorraine Roosa (2 Timothy 4:7-8)

Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR
Funeral of Alta “Lorraine” Roosa – December 12, 2016
Text: 2 Timothy 4:7-8

Fought the good fight – Lorraine lived a life of many struggles, yet the Lord sustained her through them all. 94 years of struggles. It’s never easy for a child of God, an heir of eternity to live in this world, knowing the day will come for us to lay it all down and leave it another. That’s why this Scripture describes life as a “fight.”[1]

Lorraine’s life, just like each of ours was a fight. She prayed for her children, that they and their children might keep the faith and reverently hear the Word of the Lord. She agonized in grief over losing her husband Jim, even 21 years later. She fought with infirmity and relying on her kids to care for her. She argued with God asking to go home.

But it turned out that this was her final lap of the race. The time for her labors and endurance had come to an end. But what a strange race this was, because after all her struggles and sighing, she didn’t even receive her own reward. “Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me.” Lorraine is not in heaven because of how well she fought the good fight or finished the race. She is in heaven because God gifted her with righteousness. So, you could say her life was a race which she ran, but Christ had already won the victory.

A week and a half ago, I stood by Lorraine’s bedside when we thought she was about to cross the finish line. There, I read the crucifixion and resurrection of her Lord and Savior. These are fitting events to focus on because that’s really what our life as baptized children of God is about. Lorraine was crucified with Christ and raised with Him in her baptism. So, reading the death and resurrection of her Lord was like reading her own life story. “Into your hands, I commit my spirit. You have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.”[2]

Lorraine’s life was unique and she was special to each of you. But we’re gathered here in worship because she was before God a child adopted in Christ. Her Lord is the one who fought the good fight for Lorraine and for you. And He continues to fight for you against unbelief and despair so that you would also be a child of God when your last hour comes.

My prayer for you is that your life is a fight. That may sound strange, but by God’s grace may it be a good fight. Even though you weep now, may you trust that God will bring joy in the morning.[3] Even though you long to have Lorraine back or be where she is, may God give you endurance to keep the faith. And when your race is finished, may you not receive your own prize, but the heaven which Jesus has won for you. Amen.

[1] Greek: agon, familiar to us as agony and agonize
[2][2] Said by Jesus from the cross Luke 23:46, quoted from Psalm 31:5
[3] Psalm 30:5

December 11, 2016

Joy Where Only Faith Can Find It (Matthew 11:2-15)

Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR
Third Sunday of Advent + December 11, 2016
Text: Matthew 11:2-15

The theme for this Sunday is JOY – Historically the first word heard was “Gaudete!” (Latin for Rejoice) – “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4)

But in the Gospel we have a picture of persecution and uncertainty. John is in prison for preaching the Law to Herod about his brother’s wife. John knew that he was the one crying in the wilderness, but had he prepared the right away of the Lord? Was there another whose coming would look more successful?

Where is the joy at the coming of the Lord? It’s there, but it’s hidden from the world in signs that only faith can acknowledge—“the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.” The world and the people of the world cannot bear this, even though it’s such joyous news. For them it is a threat. The Kingdom of heaven is invading their territory. They would rather hold onto the signs that their kingdom has come—sexual immorality, debauchery, idolatry, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, factions, envy, and drunkenness.[1] But the Kingdom of heaven comes and threatens to end all of that—to dethrone Satan and us and lords and let God once again rule.

Even during Jesus’ ministry this war of Kingdoms led to persecution for the faithful. We too live in a time of persecution. Faithful Christians are being edged out of society and government by a world that would rather throw us in prison than hear us preach against their lawless deeds. Church membership is on the decline as love grows cold and the hunger for God and His Word are filled with earthly amusements and pleasure. Where’s the joy?

Because this is what our eyes see, doubts arise for us just as they did for John and his disciples. There are so many religious “options” out there. So many varieties of Christianity that don’t seem so hardline—“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”[2] Maybe Pope Francis is right and we should set aside old doctrinal differences so we can just share the Lord’s Supper.[3] Maybe the progressives are right and what Paul said about homosexuality and women’s role in the Church was just based on his personal bias. Have we truly followed the Christ or is there another whose cross isn’t so heavy? Where is the joy?

The joy isn’t in the persecutions & doubts, but it exists in spite of them. The joy of Christ’s Advent is in the works which only Christ can do, just as it was in the time of John the Baptist. The Kingdom of heaven continues to come in signs that only the faithful—those who have ears to hear—can recognize. “In this Christian Church, the Holy Spirit richly and daily forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. On the Last Day, He will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ. This is most certainly true.”[4]

Even though this is such tremendously, earth-shattering good news to us who believe, the world will have none of it. They call us stupid for following ancient writings and a Man we’ve haven’t met face to face. They call us haters for believing that human sexuality is defined by our Creator. They say we’re hypocrites, uneducated, and misled by corrupt leaders. Where is our joy? It’s in our Savior who has given us ears to hear and eyes to see.

But where is the world’s joy at the end of life? Is their joy to be had in personal annihilation? Where is joy when Christ comes again in glory? Will not those same scoffers cry out for mercy, but find none? On that Great Day, their kingdom and their fleeting joy will vanish. All the power and influence, the praise of men and rich feasts, all the hope of a limitless future will melt away.

But for all who are in the Kingdom of heaven, our joy will never cease! Then, our Kingdom will not just be in spiritual signs. When our Redeemer stands on the earth, we shall see God in our flesh and our eyes shall behold Him.[5] All the sorrow that now covers our joy will be erased—sin will be no more, the devil will be condemned eternally, and death—that terrible foe who robbed us of our family and friends and filled our nights with weeping—will give up all who it has taken.

Then we who are thankful, undeserving citizens of the Kingdom of heaven will bring up this taunt: “O Death, where is your victory? O Death, where is your sting?”[6]

We are those who see the coming of the Kingdom of heaven and rejoice at its signs. Even though we now weep in persecution and doubt, our Lord will arise to bring everlasting victory and eternal joy. Thanks and praise be to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!

Questions:
Reed shaken: change the doctrine with the times
Dressed in soft clothing: kings like Herod
A prophet: Yes!

12 – “Kingdom forcefully advancing” (NIV) – “Onward Christian soldiers…till all the world adore His sacred Name.”

“Kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.” – “O Lord look down from heaven behold And let Thy pity waken How few are we within Thy fold, Thy saints by men forsaken! True faith is quenched on every hand, Men suffer not Thy Word to stand; Dark times have us overtaken.” (TLH 260:1)

[1] A selection from Galatians 5:19-21
[2] 1 John 2:15
[3] http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/10/31/pope_and_president_of_lwf_sign_joint_statement/1269150
[4] Small Catechism, Creed, 3^rd Article
[5] Job 19:25-26
[6] 1 Corinthians 15:55

December 7, 2016

Advent Midweek 2: Ruth the Moabite (Ruth 1:6-17)

Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR
Advent 2 Midweek – December 7, 2016
Text: Ruth 1:6-17

Ruth was a woman without an earthly family. Sin and its effects had caused her to lose her husband and she also lost her home and inheritance.

With Naomi she found a family.
Yet with Naomi’s God she found much more.

“Father of the fatherless and protector of widows
is God in his holy habitation.
⁶God settles the solitary in a home;
he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.” (Psalm 68:5-6)

This is in God’s nature to be a Father.
He is Creator – He is the source of our life and provides all that we need in this life. Even when Bethlehem, the house of bread, suffered famine, God shows His faithfulness in preserving life.
He creates out of nothing, so that even if we are brought to the lowest point, God is able to raise up.

In God, Ruth found a true, heavenly Father. He is one who above all, cares for her and all who cling to Him by faith. His faithfulness doesn’t change, even if droughts, sickness, sadness, or death bring change. Ruth lost everything, but in God she gained it all—a family, a home, a future, and peace.

But it didn’t stop for just Ruth:

¹³So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the Lord gave her conception, and she bore a son. ¹⁴Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! ¹⁵He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” ¹⁶Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. ¹⁷And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David. (Ruth 4:13-17)

Through her and her kinsman-redeemer, Boaz, a true redeemer was born for all people of the earth. In Him, everyone who is left poor in spirit finds solace. Amen.

December 4, 2016

Prepare Your Hearts for a Real Savior (Matthew 3:1-12)

Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR
Second Sunday in Advent + December 4, 2016
Text: Matthew 3:1-12

John the Baptist’s appearance is jarring. There’s no getting comfortable around a man who wears camel fur and eats nothing but bugs and honey. John is not someone you would want at your holiday party.

There’s also no getting comfortable with John’s message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” A spoonful of sugar may make the medicine go down, but there’s no sugar-coating the preaching of John the Baptist. It’s offensive. It’s invasive because it exposes our hearts. It’s necessary, too.

God’s Law comes into our heart and demolished any sense that we’re good enough for God. It exposes our hearts and shows none of us to be righteous. It shows us how comfortable we’ve been in ourselves and our sins, brushing them under the rug and making excuses for them. All the while, the Master of the house is near—at the very gates![1]

This is the way God prepares the way for the Christ, and how we ought to prepare ourselves for Christmas. While the world is hanging “holiday balls” and droning on about the “spirit of the season,” Christians are watchful, hearing the Word of God and taking a true spiritual look in the mirror. What we find is not good, and that’s why we are glad that God sent a Savior.

There’s a push right now to “put Christ back in Christmas” and while that’s admirable, there’s a better way to do that than just saying, “Merry Christmas.” Christmas is about salvation, and Jesus only comes for sinners. “He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21) Anyone who is not a sinner need not look forward to Christmas.

There were many who came out to hear John preach, even “Jerusalem and all Judea.”
In a similar manner, there are many who will come on Christmas to witness the spectacle and be lifted up by warm, nostalgic feelings.
But this Christmas, don’t just be a good Christian (or Pharisee/Scribe). Be a real sinner.
Be a real sinner who hears the call to repent and be saved.

Christ’s coming is a warning that the axe is laid at the root of the tree. Every tree that thinks its fruit is lovely will be cut down and burned. Everyone who says they have not sinned deceives themselves.[2] But the one who truly bears good fruit is the one who has heard the spiritual message of Christ’s arrival: You are all sinners; I have come to die for you. You are all unrighteous; I have come to be your righteousness.[3]

This Christmas, above all the other preparations that you make, prepare your heart for Christ’s birth. As we sang in the hymn:

Then cleansed be every life from sin;
Make straight the way for God within,
And let us all our hearts prepare
For Christ to come and enter there.[4]

So, rejoice in Jesus, the Savior of sinners just like you and me. That is a truly merry Christmas. Amen.
[1] Matthew 24:33
[2] 1 John 1:8-10
[3] Matthew 3:17
[4] On Jordan’s Bank the Baptist’s Cry (LSB 344, v. 2)

November 30, 2016

Advent Midweek 1: Rahab the Harlot (Joshua 2:1-11)

Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR
Advent Midweek 1 – November 30, 2016
Text: Joshua 2:1-11

Rahab had the faith to recognize “God in the heavens above”
She saw which nation the Lord was with, and threw her lot in with them.
She confessed her faith by asking for protection when Israel invaded Jericho.
She looked forward to her future being with God’s people (Heb. 11)

Her faith was also active in what she did.
She risked her life to further Israel’s mission.
She hid the spies, hoping for a future, rather than the king’s reward.
She received the benefits of faith when she and her family were delivered from death.

Is ours a living faith?
In confirmation, we promise before God that, by God’s grace, we will remain true to this faith and suffer all, even death, rather than fall away.
When that faith is challenged, where is our trust?
In the immediate reward of popularity, avoiding controversy, saving our skin from lawsuits.
Or do we stake our lives on the Kingdom God has won for us, and which is ours through Christ?

Rahab is part of the genealogy of Christ not because she was any better than the rest of us, but through faith, her hope was in the mercy and salvation of the God of heaven. By God’s grace, He will give you too the faith which makes you a citizen of His eternal Kingdom. Amen.

November 27, 2016

Blessed is Our King Who Comes! (Matthew 21:1-11)

Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR
First Sunday in Advent + November 27, 2016
Text: Matthew 21:1-11

Advent is all about the coming of our Lord. He came in the flesh, just as was promised. He comes again in great glory, just as was promised.

When He enters into Jerusalem, He shows us what sort of King He is.
He comes in lowliness: “Humble and mounted on a donkey”
Yet He has great power to save: Hosanna to the Lord of Hosts,[1] save us we pray!
He alone has the power to deliver us from our enemies:

He slays the ancient serpent the devil and all his hosts. He commands and they obey.[2]
He has the authority to overturn the power of sin and declare a person righteous before God. Blessed indeed is the man against whom the Lord does not count his iniquity (Psalm 32).
He has the power even over the grave to order our release and death itself must yield. Lazarus, come out! Young man, I say to you arise! She is not dead, but sleeping.[3]

So, He came to Jerusalem and there accomplished all that was necessary for our salvation. Where does that leave us today?
We too wait for His coming, but His final arrival and the redemption of our bodies.[4]
What will happen then?

Sin will have no more power over us. It will no longer be, “For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate…I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.”[5]
The devil will be out of the scene forever. He will no longer prowl around like a roaring lion. God will tear out the fangs of the lion[6] so that he can never again attack the work of God’s hands.
Death will be stripped of its power over us. “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”[7]

We live between His two comings: The first when He disarmed these powers for all who believe, the second coming when our victory will be complete.

Those two advents meet in the Divine Service.

Here, sins are forgiven on earth as they are in heaven. The peace He won with His first coming is delivered like a preview of the Last Day Judgment.

Here, the saints on earth sing the praises of the heavenly choir with glory to God in the highest and extolling the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

In the Lord’s Supper, we take a place at the Marriage Feast of the Lamb.[8] Even though we are a people of unclean lips, the holy, holy, holy Lord of Hosts touches our lips and cleanses us with His Body and Blood. That’s why we also join in the song of the saints in Jerusalem and sing Hosanna to the Son of David.

Our Lord has come and will come again. He is our mighty King, dressed in the splendid robes of holiness, but also in our flesh. Hosanna to the King who comes again in power and great glory to bring us an everlasting victory in His Kingdom! Amen.

[1] Psalm 118:25
[2] Mark 1:27
[3] John 11:43, Luke 7:14, Luke 8:52
[4] Romans 8:23
[5] Romans 7:14, 19
[6] 1 Peter 5:8; Psalm 58:6
[7] Revelation 1:17-18
[8] Revelation 19:9, Matthew 22:2-13

November 23, 2016

Thanking God for His Blessings in Christ (Psalm 67)

Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR
Thanksgiving Eve – November 23, 2016
Text: Psalm 67

“God bless you!” “I feel truly blessed.” “God has blessed them with children.” You hear phrases like this all the time from people. But think about what is being said. We say “God bless you” when someone sneezes, wishing them health. We say that we’re blessed or someone else is blessed when they have what they want—be it a nice house or lots of grandchildren. We say that God blesses something when it goes our way. But seldom do you hear God’s blessing on adversity.
What are we confessing when we only speak of good things as blessings? I think too often we are promoting blessing from a god who only gives health, wealth, and increase; and not death, poverty, and loss. That god’s name is Mammon, and he doesn’t just deal in currency; he is the god of prosperity. Mammon is hard at work around this time of year. When we think of what we’re thankful for, he’s craftily trained us to think of material stuff and count those as our blessings. Then, the whole world, who worships at Mammon’s altar, bombards us with the teaching that you know God’s blessing through how good your life is and what kind of stuff you have—a Pontiac or a Mercedes; Faded Glory or Ralph Lauren; Chicken of the Sea or Red Lobster. To bless others is to buy people stuff so they too can experience Mammon’s favor.
Rather than have Mammon teach us about blessing, let’s have the true God enlighten us. The blessings of God are a treasure beyond anything that can be bought or sold. They cannot wear out or become obsolete. The blessings of God cannot be stolen and they even stay with you beyond the grave.
David, in the Spirit, writes,
¹     May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us,
This is the Aaronic Benediction, first given in Numbers 6, but still received today by God’s people after every Divine Service. In the Western church it’s common for the congregation to bow their head because God said, thus “you shall put my Name upon the people and I will bless them.”[1] But what is God’s blessing?
First, that God is gracious to us. How many of you groaned when you remembered that you had to leave the house tonight? Or when you remembered you still had to go to work today? How many of you had one or many mean thoughts about another person? How many of you got more excited about upcoming sales than the extra worship services of Advent? You do realize that God consumes sinners, don’t you? The Scriptures say, “You are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you…You destroy those who speak lies; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.”[2] Just as we confessed at the beginning of service, “we justly deserve [His] temporal and eternal punishment.”
But God is gracious to us. He makes atonement for our sins. He shed the blood of His sinless Son for sinners’ sake. Therefore, the Scriptures also say, “He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.”[3] He doesn’t give us what we justly deserve; He gives “His only-begotten Son that whoever believes in Him may not perish but have eternal life.”[4] Every moment of our life God is gracious to us (right now, he’s even gracious to those who despise Him!). St. John writes, “Whenever[5] we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” So, yes, when we sin, God does not immediately punish us. He is long-suffering toward us and calls us to repent and believe that He forgives us for Jesus’ sake.
Second, God blesses us. Not only does He not punish us like we deserve, He shows His favor to us. When the Prodigal Son returned, he confessed, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But the father didn’t just make him one of his hirelings. Instead, he said to the servants, “Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate.”[6] God does the same for you. He has not only removed your sins as far as the east is from the west, but He is pleased with you! He is pleased to call you His own child, pleased to welcome you onto holy ground in this place, and pleased to receive you into eternal dwellings.
A blessing is God’s favor, spoken onto His people.[7] Think of how many ways God speaks His favor to you in the Church. When you were baptized into Christ, it is as if He said to you in the water, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.”[8] When you heard the absolution today, and when you hear this forgiveness from a brother or sister, it is as good as Jesus speaking into your ears: “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.”[9] Shortly, when you receive His Body and Blood at this altar, you will hear Him say, “Take; eat. This is my Body given for you. Take; drink. This is my Blood, shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” The Lord God has adopted you in Christ to be His own child. So, come near often, and receive your Father’s blessing.[10]
Thirdly, this Psalm teaches us that God makes His face to shine upon us. In Psalm 4, David writes, “There are many who say, ‘Who will show us some good?’” Apart from the Lord, we look for good in our circumstances. If our appetites are sated, then we’re content to say we love the Lord and He’s good to us. But as soon as we lose possessions and health, we become downcast as if God had forsaken us. Who will show us some good? Is it to be found in this fleeting life of labor, evil, and loss? Of course not! Psalm 4 continues, “Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord! You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.”[11]
The Lord makes His face to shine upon you, so that you can be sure that you have God as Father in every joy just as much as in every sorrow. What’s come before has led up to this: God blesses you and forgives all your sins, He blesses you and crowns you as His own royal sons and daughters. But here, He also promises to hear your prayers, support you, and defend you in every need. He will never leave you, nor forsake you. Therefore, we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”[12]
If this is how we see God’s blessing, it changes not only our Christmas season, but every day of our life throughout the year. Psalm 67 tells the result of God’s blessing:
²            that your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.
        ³            Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
        ⁴            Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth. Selah
        ⁵            Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
The blessing that God gives to sinners—forgiveness and adoption as children—is how the nations know Him. It’s not in wealth or prosperity. On the contrary, God often shows Himself most clearly in weakness and poverty. He shows His blessing when faith isn’t strong and when we really can’t handle what’s laid on our shoulders. God chooses those moments to make known His “saving power among all nations.”
The Lord said through the Psalmist Asaph, “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” God’s blessing is our strength in weakness, our healing in sickness, and our life in death. If everything went well all the time, who would be moved to praise the Lord? But when God shows Himself as the Helper of the helpless, praise pours forth from the lips of all the redeemed!
The Psalm concludes,
⁶            The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, shall bless us.
        ⁷            God shall bless us;
let all the ends of the earth fear him!
The earthly increase does come, but it’s not the way we know God. Christ has taught us, “Do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³²For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” In due season, God does satisfy the desires of every living thing[13]—how much more for His children! But first come the true blessings: forgiveness of sins, adoption as God’s children, and a divine promise to be our Helper in every need.
So when the Psalm confidently ends, “God shall bless us,” we know that He does with riches that cannot be found from anywhere on earth. Peace be with you in Christ Jesus both now and forever! Amen.
[1] Numbers 6:27
[2] Psalm 5:4-6
[3] Psalm 103:10
[4] John 3:16
[5] 1 John 1:9, emphasizing the ongoing conditional sentence in Greek
[6] Luke 15:11-24
[7] Tyndale Bible Dictionary, “Bless”
[8] Matthew 3:17
[9] Matthew 9:2
[10] cf. Genesis 27:26-29
[11] Psalm 4:6-7
[12] Hebrews 13:6
[13] Psalm 145:16

November 20, 2016

Do Not Despair, the Lord Returns! (Malachi 3:13-18)

Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR
Last Sunday of the Church Year – November 20, 2016
Text: Malachi 3:13-18

At first, there’s righteous anger: How could this world be so godless? Look at what’s on TV! Look at what’s accepted as normal now! Don’t you hear the filthy lyrics in popular music? Don’t you see what unchaste lives our celebrities live, and how they’re supposed to be role models for our kids?
¹Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down,
that the mountains might quake at your presence—
               ²            as when fire kindles brushwood
and the fire causes water to boil—
                              to make your name known to your adversaries,
and that the nations might tremble at your presence![1]

Then, there’s righteous disgust: I don’t want to have anything to do with this horrid world! I’m not going to watch TV at all. I’ll put myself on a moral island in this sea of filth. I’m only going to listen to classic music and KLOVE.
¹¹³ I hate the double-minded,
but I love your law.
        ¹¹⁴        You are my hiding place and my shield;
I hope in your word.
        ¹¹⁵        Depart from me, you evildoers,
that I may keep the commandments of my God.[2]

But occasionally for the saints, it gets to the point of what we hear in Malachi:
¹⁴It is vain to serve God. What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the Lord of hosts? ¹⁵And now we call the arrogant blessed. Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape.’
We’ve gotten mad and fought against ungodliness. We’ve withdrawn ourselves from every appearance of evil.[3] But now we fear it’s all for naught. The ungodly are doing fine while the righteous are miserable. This is a case of righteous despair.

Lord, we know that You knit together every person and that you create them in Your image. We know that You love our corrupt race because you gave your Son to be the way of peace.[4] But who has believed the call to repentance and the promise of eternal life?
Instead of living in God’s ways for His creatures, we see those very same people celebrating their evil. God is the giver of life, but we hear people callously refer to living human beings as an inconvenience and burden. God made marriage to be a life-long union between a man and woman, but we see spouses celebrating divorce as personal freedom and even going to the point of throwing a party about it.[5] He made women’s bodies to bear and feed their children, but we see the world turn a woman’s body into a plaything for selfish pleasure. “Evildoers not only prosper but they put God to the test and they escape” (v. 15).
From a heavenly point of view, we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,[6] but on earth, we weather against a storm of people moving away from God. We have every practical reason in the world to give up on the Lord and go with the rest. We don’t see the Lord judging all these so-called ungodly people around us. Maybe He doesn’t really care who’s righteous or wicked. Maybe the whole good and evil thing was just something that people came up with! If we were truly enlightened, why not burst these old, superstitious bonds[7] of misogyny, homophobia, and prohibition? “What is the profit of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before the Lord of hosts?” (v. 14) Maybe if we forgot about God, we’d find “true satisfaction” in our lives!
But is there really hope in that? We may grumble, “What is the profit” of staying faithful to God and His Word, but if we abandoned Him, what would we actually gain? Before we even think to speak this way against God, we’ve already been deceived by the cunning of Satan.
Think about what God has promised to His children.
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1)
“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.” (Psalm 91:14-15)
“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” (Isaiah 1:18)
From today’s Gospel: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

But those aren’t the blessings we’re wanting. We want what the wicked have: peace in our families, government leaders we can be proud of, acceptance in the eyes of friends and strangers, and a lifestyle that celebrated far and wide. We want our church to be popular (and rich wouldn’t hurt), bringing people through the doors in droves. We long for, even lust, after the fleeting sun and passing rain that “God sends on the just and the unjust.”[8] And when it seems that the unjust, unrighteous people of this world have it better off, we grumble that God doesn’t care one way or the other.
But think of this, true children of heaven, what sort of blessings do they receive? All of them, without exception, are of this world. All of the rain that God sends on the righteous and wicked tapers off and dries up. God gives earthly blessings regardless of faith, but every last one of them has an expiration date! Sure, they’re available immediately, and that makes them appealing. But they don’t last. God has appointed a Day when He will judge “between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.” (v. 18)
In that Great Day, it will be infinitely better to be the righteous, to be those who have “feared the Lord and esteemed His Name.” The wicked will see all their comfort melt away. All the good they enjoyed from God will be snatched away from them in a moment.   “Then,” in true despair, “they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’”[9] If only they had feared and trusted in the God who called to them in His Word! But, by then, there will be a great chasm fixed[10] between the righteous and the unrighteous, between those who believed in God’s only-begotten Son and those who rejected Him.[11]
But as for the sons of God whose hearts have faith in the cleansing blood of the Lamb, they will receive all the blessings promised to them. Their names will be found in the Lord’s “book of remembrance.” And to His beloved, enrolled in heaven, the Chief Shepherd will say, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”[12] And His Kingdom shall have no end.
Do not despair, beloved in the Lord! The Lord of Hosts will, without fail, distinguish between the righteous and the wicked and He will gather you to be His treasured possession forever and ever. The Apostle John writes, “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”[13] Your God who made these promises to you is also able to keep you safely in the true faith. You have received His Holy Spirit, the Comforter, Who “brings to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”[14] When Satan and the voices around you tempt you with the idea, “It is vain to serve God. What is the profit?”, you will be reassured of the profit that was gained by the death and resurrection of God’s own Son, and that such a treasure was made yours in Baptism. Because of this, you are an heir of God’s eternal kingdom. Amen.
[1] Isaiah 64:1-2
[2] Psalm 119:113-115
[3] 1 Thessalonians 5:22
[4] Luke 1:79
[5] http://www.pinterest.com/explore/divorce-party/
[6] Hebrews 12:1
[7] Psalm 2:3
[8] Matthew 5:45
[9] Luke 23:30, Gospel reading
[10] Luke 16:26
[11] Matthew 10:33
[12] Matthew 25:34
[13] 1 John 4:4
[14] John 14:26

November 13, 2016

Watching and Waiting for the Lord (Luke 21:29-36)

Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR
26^th Sunday after Pentecost + November 13, 2016
Text: Luke 21:29-36

Trying to stay awake is hard sometimes. Parents of newborns know what it’s like to have to run on fumes, not getting the sleep they need but still needing to press on with daily life. Sometimes they’re caught falling asleep at work or worse on the road. But it’s all they can do to stay awake.

But many of us can relate to burning the candle at both ends. Sometimes it’s self-inflicted, other times it’s dropped in our lap. Either way, there are many times that it’s a battle to stay conscious.

Jesus says here in the Gospel that we should “stay awake at all times.” Visions of toothpicks propping open our eyes come to mind. What could He possibly mean?

Our Lord is talking about staying awake spiritually. What does it mean to stay spiritually awake?

Spiritually awake is what we are when we see today as the end times.
All the things that Jesus predicted about the destruction of Jerusalem foreshadow the end of the world. “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. ³⁰As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. ³¹So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near.”
Many recognize that the world is falling apart, but those who are spiritually awake are looking to the end that Jesus will return with the comfort, “Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (v. 28)
So, to be spiritually awake is to have a living, active faith.

What’s the opposite of this?

“Hearts weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of life.”
That’s when we live in denial that Jesus is going to return. Things have been going along the same way forever, so what could possibly change? If he hasn’t come by now, He must not be coming, so I’ll just fall in line with those around me.[1]
The material, day-to-day living becomes greater than the spiritual. You get up one day and decide that it’s too much work to get to church, and during the week you’re just too busy to read the Bible. Before you know it, what’s right in front of you has become as important as your faith once was. These words of Jesus become a faded memory of a season in your life.
Yet as awake as you might be to the cares of life, you have fallen asleep to your spiritual condition, your need to live by every Word that comes from the mouth of the Lord, your need for His grace and forgiveness, and that His return will spring upon us suddenly.

So, how do we “stay awake at all times, praying that [we] may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man”?

Our Lord uses the very troubles and trials of life to jolt us awake and keep us watchful for His return. What we might think is an out-of-control mess is actually the very instrument God uses to strengthen and confirm our faith.

So often, we want things to be easy and smooth. It’s just one thing after another, and all we want is to have some time of rest when things aren’t crazy. Sorry to say, but it’s not God’s will for things to be carefree. That’s because He knows when things are carefree, we become complacent. We dream of a time free from crisis and tribulation, but that’s actually dreaming of a time without dependence on God, taking care of things for ourselves.

It’s in those very times of struggle that we are watchful and reliant on Him.

But Lord! Let me catch a snooze! I’m tired! I’m worn out from all that you’ve put me through! This is not yet a faithful approach, because it’s relying on our own strength. This is the spiritual equivalent to energy drinks, doing all we can to survive. But just like energy drinks run your body ragged, so does trying to face the trials of life without relying on your God.

If you want to “stay awake at all times” through struggles in your life and upset in the world, you really do need a rest, but not in the form of a nap. You need a Sabbath rest. “Come to Me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”[2] You need the renewal that only God can give. You can’t find it in a vacation or out in the woods. A Sabbath rest only comes through the Word of God.

So, come and confess your sins and have them taken off your shoulders and laid on Jesus’. Come and have your spirit refreshed by the One who created you and supports you through your whole life. Come in prayer and give your burdens and your praises to the God who works all things for good for the sake of His elect.[3] Come and take the Body and Blood of the God who strengthens you in body and soul in the one true faith unto life everlasting.

Instead of missing church because life is crazy, run here all the more because you need to stop all that you’re doing and let God do what He does. That is where you will find the energy to face every trial, to endure every sign of the end times.

Then, when the Lord comes suddenly, it won’t be like a trap or a terrible surprise. It will be a joy because this is what we have been longing, hoping, praying for. Amen.
[1] 2 Peter 3:3-10
[2] Matthew 11:28
[3] Romans 8:28-30
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR
26^th Sunday after Pentecost + November 13, 2016
Text: Luke 21:29-36

Trying to stay awake is hard sometimes. Parents of newborns know what it’s like to have to run on fumes, not getting the sleep they need but still needing to press on with daily life. Sometimes they’re caught falling asleep at work or worse on the road. But it’s all they can do to stay awake.

But many of us can relate to burning the candle at both ends. Sometimes it’s self-inflicted, other times it’s dropped in our lap. Either way, there are many times that it’s a battle to stay conscious.

Jesus says here in the Gospel that we should “stay awake at all times.” Visions of toothpicks propping open our eyes come to mind. What could He possibly mean?

Our Lord is talking about staying awake spiritually. What does it mean to stay spiritually awake?

Spiritually awake is what we are when we see today as the end times.
All the things that Jesus predicted about the destruction of Jerusalem foreshadow the end of the world. “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. ³⁰As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. ³¹So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near.”
Many recognize that the world is falling apart, but those who are spiritually awake are looking to the end that Jesus will return with the comfort, “Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (v. 28)
So, to be spiritually awake is to have a living, active faith.

What’s the opposite of this?

“Hearts weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of life.”
That’s when we live in denial that Jesus is going to return. Things have been going along the same way forever, so what could possibly change? If he hasn’t come by now, He must not be coming, so I’ll just fall in line with those around me.[1]
The material, day-to-day living becomes greater than the spiritual. You get up one day and decide that it’s too much work to get to church, and during the week you’re just too busy to read the Bible. Before you know it, what’s right in front of you has become as important as your faith once was. These words of Jesus become a faded memory of a season in your life.
Yet as awake as you might be to the cares of life, you have fallen asleep to your spiritual condition, your need to live by every Word that comes from the mouth of the Lord, your need for His grace and forgiveness, and that His return will spring upon us suddenly.