Maturing Faith

Biblical Text: John 20:19-31

The 2nd Sunday of Easter always has the Gospel Text of the Apostle Thomas. There are two things that you can preach from this text. 1) The Office of the Keys. And I touch on that at the start. 2) Figure out something to say about doubt. And that is the tougher one. Mainline Protestantism – which the LCMS is both part of and not part of – for a generation plus has glorified doubt. Which is a terrible misreading of this text and what the bible consistently has to say about it. It is not that the Bible denies doubt. In fact as I’ll build in the sermon, it isn’t just Thomas. Everyone has some significant doubt. But doubt is a childish thing. If you are going to accomplish anything – if you are going to have life – you are going to have faith. They, faith and doubt, aren’t opposites. Doubt is a valid starting point that must give way when proof is offered. It could give way to knowledge. It could give way to accomplishment. It can give way to faith. Doubt is the starting childish position that matures into something real. The Introit for the day really starts off with the theme – “Like Newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation.” (In Latin that is Quasimodogenidi, the famed Hunchback was born on this Sunday and so called Quasimodo.) Jesus tells Thomas to “stop being faithless and believe.” That is a maturing faith. One that stops with childish things and believes.

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A Concrete Faith

The letter of First Peter doesn’t get the respect or attention is should. It gets chosen to start on Easter 2 because it synchs up with Jesus’ words after the Thomas episode. “Though you have not seen him, you love him (1 Peter 1:8)” aligns nicely with “blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed (John 20:29).” But it is such a great example of the concrete nature of the gospel. We live in the era of the “word salad.” I muse sometimes that we have moved from a print age that produced high rhetoric like the Lincoln-Douglas debates to common rhetoric like the letters Civil War soldiers sent home. Sure, there might be a bit of survival fallacy, the letters that serviced were bound to be moving, but the fact that they were written by 8^th grade educated privates from the middle of nowhere and they are more meaningful than anything produced by professional wordsmiths in the past 50 years says something. That gave way to the bonhomie of radio addresses. Which themselves gave way to television. And as we adapted to television the “sound bite age” came upon us. The most complicated arguments got reduced to 10 sec clips. The Word Salad, in the sports world often called corporate banalities, summed up by Seinfeld as “Yadda, yadda, yadda” was created to avoid the sound bite. It’s a style of speaking to be seen on TV talking but saying absolutely nothing. More air than an angel food cake or a good meringue. Compare that to the concrete of Peter.

Why has God acted? “According to his great mercy.” As God repeated said about himself he is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” Who God is has lead him to act.

What is the act of God that comes from this mercy? “He has caused us to be born again to a living hope.” We were dead in our sins and God’s mercy has caused us to be born again. We are born again not by re-entering our mother’s womb as Nicodemus quipped, but in hope. Where we did not have hope, we now have hope.

Why do we now have hope? “Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” If there is one thing we knew it was that dead people are dead. They don’t come back. Until one did. The fact that one did – Jesus Christ – gives hope.

What is the concrete nature of this hope? You have “an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for you.” The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the proof that the sacrifice of the cross stands. Heaven has been opened for you. This life may pass away, but your life is in the resurrection. And death no longer has any hold over it.

When do we come into this inheritance? It is “guarded through faith…to be revealed in the last time.” It is yours right now in faith. You can choose to live right now as if this is just the beginning of eternal life. Which it is. And it will be revealed as such at the last time when all the sons of God are revealed (Romans 8:19). So this inheritance is now and not yet. Nothing stops us from living it now by faith. The fullness has not yet been revealed.

Why do we live in this now and not yet? “You have been grieved by various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith…may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” The Christian living by faith, even thought they have not seen, is the highest praise that one can give to God. God has testified and revealed himself. The devil’s first move is to call God a liar. Faith is simply believing what God has said and revealed about himself. He is not liar, but a good and gracious Lord. All creation is meant to render unto God his glory. The Christian who lives by faith does this.

What again is the outcome of this? You “obtain the outcomes of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” Now souls in our day and age might sound like an airy word, but to avoid the idea of cherubs floating on clouds, maybe we should simply gloss soul as self. The outcome of you faith is the salvation of your self, your person, your consciousness, who you are. In the resurrection of Jesus Christ, you, what makes you you, has been saved.

We tend to think of faith lightly. To Peter, that faith is very concrete. And as we read this letter over the Easter season we will learn more.

Are You Born Again?

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Biblical Text: John 3:1-17

I’m sorry, we had audio problems this morning. The audio recording of the sermon wasn’t good enough for me to really use. If I have a little time tomorrow I might do an after the fact recording. Which sometimes I hate Satan, because this one felt on fire with good material. The manuscript is never 100%. There is always something in the moment that is better. And a re-recording is never the same. An actual congregation just makes things live. The text has John 3:16, but the sermon and in my reading the text is really about the interaction between Jesus and Nicodemus. John 3:16 is a conclusion only earned in a very specific conversation. “Are you born again?”

And that question takes in baptism, faith and just who you think God is. Nicodemus’s last words in the middle of the story are “how can these things be?” As the sermon would develop, he’s got a very specific concept of God. A concept tied to the fleshy existence of the children of Abraham. Jesus challenges him and through him us to believe in the Spiritual God. The God who so loved the world.

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You Are Blessed

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Biblical Text: Matthew 5:1-11

The main text for the day is the Beatitudes, which are the opening lines of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. The follow a rhetorical pattern common in the day: Blessed are a certain people, for they will get some reward. The rhetorical pattern was a way to introduce poetically what the good life entailed. The patter would often extol certain virtues. The problem with Jesus’ beatitudes is that absolutely nobody would base the good life on what he blesses. And since the entire sermon on the mount is something of a constitution for the Kingdom of Heaven or the People of God, when you hear the Beatitudes you really need to think about how they apply.

That is what this sermon does. As it moves into proclamation. I’d argue that only a Lutheran can honestly read them. Or someone who can rightly hear law and gospel. Because you can only hear the beatitudes and the rest of the sermon if you hear “the kingdom of heaven is yours.” It does not come to you by works. It comes to you in the poverty of your spirit. When you have nothing to offer, Christ gives it to you. The promises, the second half of each beatitude, are yours already. You are blessed to be able to do the first parts, because Christ has given you the second. Christ has given you the Kingdom

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Prophecy and Fulfillment

The Old Testament lesson for today (Isaiah 7:10-17) is the greatest example of how predictive prophecy often works. And in this case, it is not without its irony. Among the generally impious Kings of Israel and Judah, Ahaz stands out as maybe the most impious. The book of Kings records that “he even burned his son as an offering according to the despicable practices of the nations (2 Kings 16:3).” He personally offered sacrifices to various gods at the high places. And on a trip to Syria to meet the King of Assyria, Ahaz witnessed an altar in Damascus that he so fell in love with he sent his priest to get all the measurements. He then had the priests in Jerusalem built a replica, rip out the Altar of the temple and install his. He invited the King of Damascus down to preside with him over the inaugural offerings on the new altar. And he instructed his priests to do all their offerings on the new altar.

But for some reason God is not completely concerned about that blasphemous altar at this time. What he is demonstrating to Ahaz – the worst of them – is His faithfulness to his covenant with David, Ahaz’s lineage. The Northern Kingdom of Israel has aligned itself with Syria and is attacking Judah, the remains of the Davidic Kingdom. God sends Isaiah and promises Ahaz “don’t worry, have faith, they will not win, and within 65 years they won’t even be a nation.” And the prophet tells Ahaz to ask for anything he wants as a sign. “Let it be deep as sheol or as high as heaven (Isaiah 7:10).” What an opportunity! I can only imagine what I might ask for. But sticking with Ahaz’s unbelief, when the prophet of God tells him ask anything…Ahaz responds that “I will not put God to the test! (Isaiah 7:12).” Only Ahaz could multiply his impiety by being pious at exactly the wrong time. He’s quoting Deuteronomy 6:16 and Moses’ instructions to not be like Israel immediately after the Red Sea complaining that they had no water (Exodus 17) and that Egypt was better. But God is telling him to ask!

So even though Ahaz doesn’t believe, and won’t listen to the Word of the prophet and “wearies God” quoting scripture back to him, God is faithful. And through the prophet Isaiah delivers unto Ahaz a sign of that faithfulness. There will always be a Davidic King. In this immediate timeframe it is you – absolutely worthless Ahaz. “And the virgin shall conceive and bear a son…and before the child is a boy, the land of the two kings you dread will be deserted (Isaiah 7:14-16).” Imagine the impassioned prophet, and I always imagined Isaiah as someone who didn’t suffer fools gladly, of which Ahaz was a fool, imagine Isaiah pointing at some young lady at the royal court. And to them a child was born and a son was given (Isaiah 9).

That nearer fulfillment is like staring at mountains. You see the shorter mountains in front, but there are often greater mountains in the back. From a distance you can really tell how far off. There might be valleys between the peaks. As the nearer fulfillment was God’s sign about keeping his covenant with David, that there would always be a Davidic King, so also the greater fulfillment. And likewise the miracle of the greater fulfillment is much greater. In that still living Kingdom, one is lead to believe that the young lady conceived in the normal way. Crossing the valley of the years, Mary would conceive and bear a son, not in the normal way, but by the Holy Spirit. Not just a young woman, but the virgin. And the Virgin Mary’s son would be the eternal Davidic King. The child born and given to all of us. After long years, where even the heirs of David – like Joseph – probably chuckled at the claims, God is faithful. And unlike Ahaz, Joseph, with some angelic help, believes.

All the great prophecies, the signs and wonders of God, find their tallest peak fulfillment in Christ. Now we might often wonder what is beyond those peaks. The first advent points to the final advent. And we’d love to know the valley on the other side. But the sign of God keeps us focused on the mount – on Christ himself. Unlike Ahaz, have faith. “If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all (Isaiah 7:9).” If the promise was good for Ahaz, it will be even more so for the man of faith.

Walls of the Heart

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Biblical Texts: Luke 19:1-10, Isaiah 1:10-18

The liturgical calendar gets more than a nod here, this is All Saints (Observed). The hymns carry the heavy load, maybe more so this year as I chose the lessons for the regular Sunday instead of the All Saints texts. The same texts tend to get skipped year after year. In this case the story of Zaccheaus and a rather harsh sounding Isaiah text. But I picked them for what I thought is an important, but often ignored aspect of All Saints. The day is usually given over to the Saints at Rest. Let me explain three terms. You have the Church Militant or the Saints Militant which is you and me if you are reading this. You have the Church/Saints at rest who are those who have died in the faith. Eventually you will have the church/saints triumphant who are all the saints in the resurrection. For a protestant All Saints is typically the day to remember those now with Christ. But these lessons were perfect I thought to meditate on the Church militant, and maybe even more specifically from a Protestant perspective what makes a saint.

Zaccheaus is an interesting view. The sermon connects it to an Old Testament story that I put forward in typological fashion. How different walls need to come down to enter the promised land. The walls that make a saint are the walls of the heart. It is the call of Jesus, when we are up a tree, that tells us to come down and invites himself in. And Zaccheaus complies and receives him joyfully. The sermon picks up from there.

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On Not Losing Heart (or Who you pray to and What you pray for)

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Biblical Text: Luke 18:1-8

As a Protestant I am tied to a doctrine of perspicuity. All that fancy word means is that the typical Christian is able to read and understand the scriptures. The intro to this sermon elaborates a bit, but the reason I was thinking about that is because this gospel lesson is one that I think pushes that border. The plain reading would be something like “go be a monk and pray all the time” or “pester God more.” But neither of those I’m convinced are what it is about. Instead, like all parables, it is first about who God is. It reveals God the Father to us. And second, it is a nudge toward what we should be praying for. I’ll admit that the second point is not as direct, but I still think that the typical Christian who has been catechized can see it. Because it hinges on what is justice. The woman demands justice against her adversary. And yes, we have temporal adversaries which is why we pray for our daily bread. But our real adversaries are those comic things: the devil, the world and our sinful nature.

This sermon is about praying and not losing heart – keeping the faith – that God will finally deliver us from evil.

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God, You Cannot Be Serious

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Biblical Text: Habakkuk 1:1-2:4

I think this longer passage – the lectionary as read cuts out important parts – is one of the most important in the bible. At least to the curious. Habakkuk the prophet has had it. He asks the question that I think many people do when things are going well, “God, where are you? Why do you do nothing?” And unlike most places, here God responds. He is doing something. He’s sending “the Chaldeans.” Now the Chaldeans are just code for Assyria/Babylon/Persia, the great power that takes Israel into exile. And God elaborates on who they are. It is what God often does, set one evil against another. But we don’t like that. The prophet doesn’t like that. He pushes back at God a second time. “Really, that is what you want me to go preach? Babylon?” And God answers one more time. And he makes clear what he is after – faith.

This sermon sets Habakkuk’s story in the light of Adam, Eve and the Old Snake. What Satan is always pitching in knowledge. “You will know.” It is not that God won’t grant knowledge, but that knowledge from God comes at the appropriate time. When we have the wisdom to handle it. Satan doesn’t care the damage it leaves. The “Violence”. The “Justice perverted.” But God does this because he is not really about knowledge. He wants us to have faith. He wants us to trust Him. And that is the second answer. Habakkuk, write the vision. It’s the same vision as always. The promise of Christ and his kingdom. And its the promise, “It will come. Wait for it. The righteous live by faith.”

On a rhetorical note, these sermon gets a little hot. To me it was meant to match the prophet’s complaint.

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The Ask

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Biblical Text: Philemon 1-21, (Luke 14:25-35 as background)

The letter to Philemon is to me almost the proof of the entire bible. There is no way this letter survives without divine shepherding. And it carries the heart of the gospel in it. Faith that there is more than this. Faith that God will provide. The Love of the Saints. The centrality of the cross. How Christianity is not just a philosophy or a religion, but it is a confession that must be lived. How the living of that confession can deepen and is always unique. In the Sermon I use the phrase “The Ask.” If you’ve done sales, or leadership of any types, you know you eventually must get to the ask. Philemon is one story of the Gospel Ask. The promises are given. Are you willing to live them?

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The Raven

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Biblical Text: Luke 12:22-34

I’ve never really found belief in God to be that big of a problem. A materialist philosophy is so obviously full of holes it requires more faith than any of the world religions. But a base belief is God doesn’t really buy you much. It answers a bunch of questions that ultimately don’t mean much to you personally. It just moves you onto the questions of the character of this god. Is he a Loki trickster? Is he a god that requires child sacrifice? Is he the Calvinist God who would condemn billions on hell without a chance to demonstrate his grace? Or is he the God the prophets proclaimed – slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love?

The Gospel lesson is Jesus in prophet mode. “You are worth much more than birds.” He’s proclaiming the steadfast love of God for his creation. Which still brings on the question, how do we know? We know: 1) because the life of Christ fully reveals the love of the Father. For God so loved the world that he gave his only son. 2) because we have faith and that faith endures and hopes and is not put to shame. If you put that faith in the things of this world, it never returns anything. If you put that faith in god, he gives you the kingdom.

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