The Anointed

There is this ancient object called The Cyrus Cylinder. I’ve put a small picture of it nearby. Inscribed in cuneiform on it is the announcement of Cyrus and the Persian’s victory over the Babylonian Empire and the reasons the victory happened. Those reasons according to the Cylinder are three: 1) The Babylonian King Nabonidus had suppressed the cult of Marduk, 2) That Marduk chose Cyrus to free his cult and 3) The reasons Marduk chose Cyrus were his virtues, strength and leadership skill.  In other words, “I’m so great even a god needed help from me.”

We don’t always have such an archeological piece as the Cyrus Cylinder, but I often get the feeling the important parts of the Old Testament are written more or less as counterweights to ancient propaganda or myths.  That Yahweh would occasionally get a bit annoyed as the pompous pride or simply the mythic falsehood and pronounce something like our Old Testament Lesson from Isaiah 45:1-7.  And since it is the word of God it stands while the boasts of rulers disappear. In this case The LORD spells out three reasons why “Cyrus is my anointed (Isaiah 45:1).”  And none of those reasons line up with the Cylinder.

The first reason is so that we might know that “the LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by name” is also the one who breaks the doors of bronze and cuts through the iron bars. Just like Pharoah starts off boasting that he does not know this LORD, by the end, at the bottom of the sea, he certainly did. And recorded in Ezra 1:2-4 Cyrus issues just this acknowledgement.  “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. (Ezr. 1:2 ESV)”   The second reason that the LORD has chosen Cyrus is so that his people might return from exile. “For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I call you by name, though you do not know me (Isaiah 45:4).” Israel in exile had heard the prophet Isaiah’s promises of return, but they despaired of them coming true.  How could they ever?  And the last reason Isaiah gives is that “people may know, from the rising of the sun to its setting, that there is none besides me; I AM THE LORD, and there is no other (Isaiah 45:6).” Unlike Cyrus’ boast about Marduk and the gods need for him, there is no Marduk.  There is only The LORD. And The LORD keeps his promises. Especially when we have no idea how it can be done.

Our hope does not rest on the virtues or strengths of any human ruler.  The LORD calls them today and tomorrow they are gone. If the LORD wants something done, it will be done. And the LORD works these things out for the good of his people. While we walk in darkness the LORD brings light (Isaian 45:7). While we experience calamity, it is the LORD who brings well-being. And he does it in the most amazing ways.  Our hope is in the character of the LORD himself.

And what is this character?  It is Christ who knocks down the gates of brass – Satan’s lies – and cuts through the iron fetters – our sins – which had bound us.  We who looked for treasures in the darkness and hoards in secret places and came away empty have been given heaven by grace. We have been given the name of God that is above all names. And God himself has written our names on the palm of his hands. Christ is our Cyrus, and a much better anointed he has been, opening gates that will not be closed (Isaiah 45:1).”

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A Wedding Garment

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Biblical Text: Matthew 22:1-14

The parable we pick up today often gets lumped in with those of the end time or eschatological parables. And being about the Wedding Feast is certainly has some of those shade. But how this one is told it has much more to do with the impact of the gospel in this age. The parable is about two things: 1) the invitation and summons to the feast and 2) the wedding garment. And how this sermon thinks about that division is grace alone and faith alone. And I’d assert like all the longer parables you really need to identify the part that causes offence to hear it. The offence in the first part is in the change and reminder of the grace. You have to accept it. In every generation there are those who take the invitation – the grace – for granted. They assume it is theirs, they presume upon God, because of their name or lineage or learning or some other part. But the Kingdom of Heaven is for those who respond to the summons. Now is the wedding feast. Come. And the Kingdom is for those who show up. Who accept the grace at its calling.

The second offence point is both easier and tougher. It is the wedding garment. The unlimited grace of God is on offer, but it can only be received in one way – through Christ, through faith. There are all kinds of reasons people might show up at a wedding, even crash a wedding. But you don’t get to crash the eschatological banquet in your way, wearing your clothes whatever they might be. You have to have the wedding garment. Which is faith in Christ alone. This is the distinction summed up in the aphorism “many are called, but few are chosen.” The grace of God is available to all. The call of the gospel is universal. But there are many who want it their own way. The chosen wear the righteousness of Christ.

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The Horror

Yes, I spend too much time watching TV.  And yes, I know it is not a favorite genre.  But Halloween approaches.  And horror happens to be the genre that speaks to fears and anxieties we can’t always express.  And in doing so walks on profoundly Christian ground – you might even say Holy Ground.  And we happen to be in the midst of something of a golden age of Horror film.

First of all I’m not talking about Freddy or Jason or the jump scare schlock that 16 year olds used to like to use as the excuse to get close at a drive-in.  Some of that stuff does still get made, but that version of horror was never a real fright. Neither am I talking about a monster of the week series about hunting Bigfoot or the Mothman or a Chupacabra.  I’m thinking about movies like the recent Backrooms, Obsession, the Nosferatu remake or maybe the start of this It Follows. Likewise the works of Mike Flanagan like The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass and his series TV vision of Carrie.

Now Pastor, what the heck could a nice Christian find in any of that?  Well, the first thing I’d say is that a recognition that there are more things in creation than are dreamt of in our philosophy is dawning on people. Nosferatu makes it rather explicit.  Everyone associated with poor Ellen Hutter either dismisses her thrall to the Vampire or tries to treat is with the most advanced scientific technology that cutting edge Germany could offer. When all that technology has to offer fails.  And when they go outside of pure technology reaching for occultist psychology, it too fails. What do they do?  What is the only thing that kills the vampire and prevents the fall of the entire area?  Ellen’s willing sacrifice of herself, her blood, holding the vampire until the Sun rises. There is power in the blood.  Backrooms has something of the same theme.  People stumble upon a strange parallel world of hallways and rooms that look like abandoned offices or the backrooms of a zombie mall. It’s all the parts of the world that our scientific buffered selves (thank you Charles Taylor) have cut off and say don’t exist.  But just because we’ve put them in the buffer, doesn’t mean they aren’t there.  In that movie they all get lost in the backrooms.  It is an interesting question whether the moral would be keep up your personal buffers, or something like the backrooms can’t grow and cause such fright and obsession if we kept ourselves more porous – the phrase Charles Taylor in a Secular Age uses to contrast with the buffered self.

There is this thing called the uncanny valley.  Most fakes ended up on the wrong side of it.  You could tell they were fake although the closer they were the more nervous you became.  Think the pod-people from the Body Snatchers. But AI seems to have crossed that uncanny valley.  Even a year ago it was still easy to say “that’s AI.” Today?  Have you tried chatting with one?  I can see why there are people who think it has a soul.  And since we have exiled the vocabulary and structure – good theology – with which we could talk about such things, we get the horror.  Our anxiety and fear about things we don’t have the words to describe anymore.  The artists are struggling to recover the words or as the internet joke about sex and marriage goes – recreate them from first principles. And it always starts in horror.  When you all of a sudden realize that you are naked in the middle of a dark garden and something is walking in it.

Last thought about this.  Horror artistically is like repentance is to faith.  It is the first step.  And you don’t know what comes next.  Does that thing walking out there seek to destroy me? Or does it love me?  Key horror themes. Some horror ends on Holy Ground when you are saved by an act of love.  When God shows up in whatever form he takes.  In some the characters choose poorly and the monsters do eat them. As Paul says – work out your faith with fear and trembling.

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Service and Mission

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Biblical Texts: Ecclesiastes 3:9-15, Galatians 2:1-10, Mark 10:35-45

The Sunday was given to LWML – Lutheran Women’t Missionary League. The texts for the day were not the typical lectionary texts, but were chosen by the organization. And if you listen, I’m not exactly sure why. You could pick better texts. But they do contain the themes of LWML – service and mission. Which honestly are the same theme. Service is very often what mission looks like in the local context. And the LWML as a collection of people is usually what most embodies Christ’s words in the gospel lesson. That whoever would be great among you must be a servant.

So the sermon definitely intended to make that point and acknowledge the work done by the local LWML. But you can’t just throw Ecclesiastes into the reading list without addressing what The Teacher is saying. So the sermon starts out grumpier than normal because it reflects the chosen texts. But I think it has a deep point. God has put eternity in our hearts. But God has also answered most of The Teacher’s complaints about this in the person of Christ. And if you want to feel eternity now you have to lose yourself in service. Or as The Teacher put it take joy in the toil and good that is before you.

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Seven Deadly Ones

I guess I’m just not made for Vegas.  My favorite thing about it is the food. Every culinary school grad with dreams of being the next celebrity chef I think moves to Vegas. The net result is that even in an outskirts of town “resort” hotel casino the food is fantastic.  Nothing comes from a bottle or a premade bag. Everything is hand made from ingredients delivered that day. It’s a Glutton’s paradise.

But our evening off was a Monday which unfortunately was the day that most of the shows took off also.  Unless you wanted to indulge Lust at Magic Mike, the Thunder from Down Under, or the generic Cabaret, the pickings were slim. Although it was interesting that libidinous female shows greatly outnumbered those aimed at men. There might be a story about our current moment in that.  Female lust is celebrated while male is slightly embarrassing or just tacky. Although nature still has a say as we will all probably find out as what goes on at Cornell doesn’t stay at Cornell.

When the shows didn’t pan out, after I engaged in a bit of Envy over someone who could drop $250 per ticket to get into the Sphere without blinking, Sloth took over. Hotels used to be known for terrible mattresses. Not anymore. It has been a long time since even the cheapest place I stayed in had a mattress that crooked my back. So instead of hunting for the highlife, a two hour nap mid-afternoon indulged my inner slug. And I felt a tinge of Wrath at the conference organizers that the schedule started at 8AM. They could have at least pushed it back to 9 AM.  Then I could have indulged both sloth and gluttony in the same morning.

So, I suppose that leaves me two deadly ones. I certainly understand greed, but the flashing lights of the slots and video poker hold little attraction.  A few years ago sitting at a blackjack table brought a little frisson, but looking at one this time all I could think was “that’s not going to pay the mortgage.” The Monday Night Football game (GO Bears) might entice both my greed and pride. I could tell myself a story that I have just enough math skills left that I’d be part of the “smart” money.  And the payouts at the sports desk are definitely better.  As it turns out I should have bet my Bears and their 3rd string QB. It would have paid for the trip.  But alas, I’m a glutton, not a greed head.  And writing that I just indulged my pride.  Although not as much as if I had the winning ticket to prove it.

I suppose after that tour of the seven deadly sins I should address the subject of the conference. A subject sure to break anyone’s pride. Sitting there amid the temptations of Vegas talking about addiction. And specifically porn addiction. You don’t have to go to Vegas anymore to indulge lust. Maybe that partially explains the lack of male aimed shows.  Why see the cabaret when your phone is a portal to a different world? Now the conference was full of medicalizing terms – dopamine cycles – and warnings – three stages of addiction. And without judgement upon the reality of them, that’s the way our culture allows us to talk about it without shame. Because that is the natural outcome of indulging sin, shame.  Adam and Eve recognized they were naked, stitched together fig leaves and hid.

And you can’t address the sin, until you get past the shame.  God called out “where are you?” and asked “who told you, you were naked?” And eventually he made them clothes. Fig leaves don’t last near long enough.  The medicalizing that we do that helps past the shame, though I believe it has a wrong aim.  It’s aim is management. The worst of it can be an attempt to normalize it, reference “minor attracted persons.” It’s what I call the problem of the church of acceptance. We admit we are sinners, and we just accept it. The gospel is not about acceptance.  It is absolution. Sin and shame take their toll.  We die. But Christ has freed us. We can drown that Old Adam and his addictions and the new man can arise to live forever. And yes, it is a daily struggle.  And yes we will often fail. But we are not just sinners.  We are saints. God not only gave Adam and Eve clothes, He gave them a promise.  That snake would die. And in Christ it does.

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Crooked Teeth

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Biblical Text: Matthew 21:23-32, Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32

The proverb in the Ezekeil text has always caused me some problems. It never made sense in English until I broke it down. Part of the reason I believe is that we have a few English proverbs that cover the same space, including a different one from the Bible itself. God also tells them not to use it, so maybe that had some sway. Also I don’t think we exactly had this situation play out in the same way until the current generations. Because that is what the proverb is at its core, a generational conflict. And not just a conflict, but a generational blame game.

Which is why both the OT text and the Gospel lesson are about forgiveness. Our way, man’s way, may be about a full debt accounting and a desire for Karma. But that is not the way of God. The entire purpose of Christ is forgiveness. This sermon develops that theme and why forgiveness is the acid test of living the faith.

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With Fear and Trembling

Philippians 2 – our Epistle Lesson for this week – is one of the richest passages in all of scripture.  And I think it speaks to our modern Spiritual climate in ways that we don’t want to hear.  We are all children of the Reformation.  It doesn’t matter Catholic, or Protestant or None really.  We have all absorbed a watered down sense of Grace Alone.  We have absorbed God and the Spiritual life as one big warm fuzzy. God loves you and everything is going to be ok.  Which has the advantage of being true.  But the modern add on to that is the conclusion.  So, you don’t really have to think or do anything about this spiritual life stuff. It has been taken care of.  It is Grace Alone that refuses to confront the Sovereignty of God.  It is Mere Christianity that is forever content to live in the hallway.

Paul rehearses the reason for that Grace Alone in Philippians 2:5-11.  Christ, who was God – begotten of his Father before all worlds – did not consider that equality with the Father something to be grasped.  Instead Christ took on the form of a servant. Descending into that state of humiliation all the way to death on a cross. Christ did this out of his own Sovereign Choice.  He did it to free His Father’s creation from the corruption that had taken it. He did it to free you from your sins and eternal death. It is by the Grace of Christ Alone, and because of that every knee shall bow.

But Paul’s rehearsal of Grace Alone is placed within the question of how we should then live. From Philippians 2:3-4, “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”  This was and is the mind of Christ – loving your neighbor as yourself – and should be ours. And it is here that the world we live in wants to walk a different way.  It is completely happy with God as sacrifice for our benefit.  But when the Sovereign starts asking that we follow, the world gets dramatically upset. It will take the grace, but living the faith?

Yet living the faith is exactly what Paul demands. He, Paul, cannot live it for you. “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence…. (Philippians 2:12) ”  Nobody can live the faith for you. You yourself must “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12).” This is not a negation of that Grace Alone for this is “God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure (Philippians 2:13).” This is the necessary action of faith.  His Grace is Sovereign.  We don’t get to live in the hallway. You have been made a resident of the house.  Do you want your inheritance?  And like any inheritance you can compound it or squander it. Work it out.

But then Paul adds one more thought.  While he – and we – cannot live the faith for someone else, how we live it is not meaningless. Even if it might appear to be fruitless. You live “in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. (Philippians 2:15-16).”  And we are probably familiar with that metaphor of light, but it is that idea of running or laboring in vain and what follows that hits harder.  “Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all (Philippians 2:17).” As Christ was The Sacrifice for all mankind, Paul views his life as a sacrifice for the faith of those who would believe through him and be saved eternally. This is how Paul worked his faith out in fear and trembling.

We are not Christ, THE sacrifice.  Nor are we Paul.  But we do have the same call.  To work out our faith in fear and trembling.  To humbly consider others more significant. To have the mind of Christ among ourselves. To serve the Sovereign in the means and manner available to us by his good will and pleasure. That is a strong and meaningful vocation whatever form it takes. And one that should engage the soul – your whole person.

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Grace Alone

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Biblical Text: Matthew 20:1-16

Grace Alone, along with Faith Alone and Word Alone, is a theological slogan. And slogans are powerful things. But sometimes you lose the full meaning if you don’t refresh your understanding of the slogan. This sermon – based on the text which is the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard – is that renewed proclamation of Grace Alone. This one is solid.

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Mt. Zion Stewardship Request

The council and the elders in various configurations have met a few times over the past month to discuss the budget, stewardship and Mt. Zion’s overall financial picture. We are going to ask something very specific of you.  We need you to consider increasing your offering by $20/week. More than consider, we believe that is necessary for good stewardship. The rest of this article is going to explain how we got to that request.

The Baseline budget is everything that it costs to run this place as it has been run for years.  The numbers in there in order of magnitude are Pastor’s Salary and benefits, Mortgage Payment, Utilities, Musician Salary, Building Maintenance (including landscaping and janitorial), Office (including secretary).  We have already decided for the foreseeable future that we will not be seeking a new church musician.  We will be using the iPad Substitute Organist Service and the choir will be guided by Nicholas. Those changes move the new baseline to $256,000.

Now comes the more difficult part. Last year (2025), at the higher baseline, we closed the year in the black.  We managed to close in the black due to some generous donations both mid-year and at the end of the year.  What I have labeled Current Offerings Baseline represents the offerings Mt. Zion received excluding those exceptional donations. Our donations so far this year through August are fully in line with that baseline. And as you can see, our baseline offerings do not come close to covering the baseline budget. If we did nothing, before the end of 2027 we would have exhausted our savings cushion.

So, the council and elders considered the question “what else can be cut?” There are three available items, but each item comes with trade-offs. Doing without a church secretary would save roughly $8,000 for the year. Those 10 hours a week or the tasks they represent would be moved onto Pastor’s desk which would impact lots of other things.  The second items also save $8,000 for the year.  We do without janitorial and landscaping. The trade-off is that the church presentation deteriorates. We would be putting forward a much worse face to any visitors.  The last thing looked at would be refinancing the mortgage.  This has been done repeatedly in the past.  This is why 25 years later Mt. Zion still owes quite a bit on it.  If we refinanced the current balance over 30 years that would save us roughly $9,000 for the year.  If we took all of those actions the new baseline would be $231,000. Even doing all of those actions we would still have quite a deficit.

I’m hoping that you can agree that this is not an expense problem.  This is a stewardship problem.

We asked the counting team for a specific number.  How many families or individuals gave at least $1,000 to Mt. Zion in the past year?  The response was 55. And this is what shapes our request.  Our current baseline deficit is round numbers $59,000. Doing simple math, asking each of those 55 contributors to increase their offering by roughly $1,000, which over 52 weeks turns out to be roughly $20/week, closes the deficit. So that becomes the request and challenge.  If you are reading this you are probably part of that 55.  Will you increase your offering by $20/week?

We recognize that since the number was pulled from those who donated at least $1000 in the previous year, we are asking some people to double their tithe. But we also decided that $20 is roughly one fast food meal a week. On a weekly basis we did not consider this onerous. Spiritually this is a request to look at what the LORD has provided you, and to return to the work of his Kingdom a larger percentage. I’d make the same encouragement as Malachi.  “Bring in the full tithe (Malachi 3:10).” I’ve never met a full tither yet who if you get past reluctance to be seen bragging won’t tell you that God keeps his promises and “pours down blessings (Malachi 3:10).”

We also would encourage you to talk with your assigned elder about this.  If you can happily do this, share the good news.  If this request causes angst, talk with your elder.  Those talks will serve a dual purpose.  We – the leadership boards of Mt. Zion – really need to have some idea if this will happen.  Because if it will not, much tougher decisions need to be made. But that talk would also be good for your spiritual health.  There are people who in other contexts are keen to say that Jesus talks more about money than insert your favorite political cause.  And they aren’t wrong. Jesus does talk about money quite a bit. How you spend your money – who you are rich with and where you skimp  – is the surest sign of spiritual health.  “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth…but lay up for yourself treasures in heaven. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matt. 6:19-20).”  

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Forgive Your Brother

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Biblical Text: Matthew 18:21-35

This sermon is a little bit of a deviation for me. I rarely bring things that I think are speculative into the pulpit. Best to leave them for the study. But this was something that struck me early in the week and just didn’t leave. The text is the parable of the Unforgiving Servant. So there is the simple application of forgiveness. And my speculation doesn’t erase that. It’s not a refrain, but it is a main point. You are always free to forgive. And that is the most Christ like action. But my speculation has to do with a repeated word in the text – brother. Peter’s question is “how many times do I forgive my brother?” Jesus’ summary is “forgive you brother from the heart.” And given the placement in Matthew 18 after the repeat of the Keys of the Kingdom and how to handle sin within the church the question “who is my brother?” came up. And of course that is parallel to the Good Samaritan question “who is my neighbor?” My speculation is that there is a distinction to be made. And a distinction as to what is owed. You owe your neighbor – literally anybody that is in your path – pity and material good. That is what the Good Samaritan does. But you owe your brother – your fellow in the faith – mercy. Forgive your brother. The sermon develops that distinction as well as a description of the path of radical forgiveness.

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