“The Kingdom is like a treasure in a field” (Matthew 13:44)

Matthew 13:31-33,44-52

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Pastor Tom Johnson, July 30, 2017

Jesus calls us again to contemplate the Kingdom—to think about his role as King and our role as citizens. So, he tells us parables. He tells stories to illustrate the truth of who he is for us, who we are to him, and who we are to each other. The parable of the treasure in the field is a brief illustration of the Kingdom—one of a number strung together. And it is one that is worth pondering and taking to heart. And again, Jesus does not tell this one parable to complete our picture but to highlight the truth about our relationship with him and one another.

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”

This is the first century equivalent of winning the lottery. The odds are this would almost never happen—let’s say one in a billion that someone would stumble upon so much wealth abandoned for someone else to claim. It is so much treasure that he cannot stash it in his home because someone is likely to see him hauling all that stuff back and forth. So, he must hide it where it is and buy the field. In order to purchase the field he must sell all he has. He surrenders all his earthly possessions with joy so that he can claim the treasure. His personal wealth is nothing compared to the incalculable worth of the treasure.

And so the Kingdom of God comes to us. From a human perspective, it too is something unlikely and unexpected—such a rare find that it seems like we did not find the treasure but that the treasure found us...like we are predestined. The treasure catches our eye. The treasure trips us unaware. The treasure steals our loyalty. All that we have accumulated—all that we call our own suddenly seems like nickels and dimes compared to the pot of gold worth millions.

So we with joy let go of what we own—to lay hold of the infinite value of our treasure in heaven. “Seek first the Kingdom of God,” Jesus says, “and all these things will be given to you” (Matt 6:33). Apart from God, we live in spiritual poverty. But in him, we are all rich in love, grace and mercy. The prophet Isaiah says that our own righteousness is like filthy rags, [our righteousness is] like autumn leaves that wither and fall (Isa 64:6). But in Christ, we are clothed in righteousness—the beautiful and brilliant robes we found—or that found us—in the treasure chests. “Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to the Cross I cling; Naked come to Thee for dress; Helpless look to Thee for grace; Foul, I to the fountain fly; Wash me, Savior, or I die.”

And so here we are having stubbed our toes on the grace of God. We love because he first loved us. Mercy has found us—we will not be punished or rejected because of our sin. Grace has found us—we have a righteousness that is not our own. We love others with the love that found us first. It is free. It is freely given. Such treasure challenges us to joyfully let go of what we think belongs to us. Such treasure wakes us up to the heavenly reality that seems too rare and too good to be true. Such treasure transforms our lives from the bottom-up and the inside-out. We realize who we really are: royal daughters and sons of the Kingdom. We are called to measure all things in light of his priceless gift. We can let go—open our hands—surrender our time, talent, and treasure for what is infinitely greater. So we invest all we are and all we have in the treasure of God’s love—with joy—not to purchase the treasure but because it has already found us. We are the ones—not the treasure—who are carried away by our joy. God has given his Son of infinite worth. We are purchased not with gold or silver but his precious blood. The reign of God emerges as we discover this gift. His Kingdom comes and we will never be the same.

Jesus, priceless treasure,
Fount of purest pleasure,
Truest friend to me,
Ah, how long in anguish.
Shall my spirit languish,
Yearning, Lord for Thee?
Thou art mine, O Lamb divine!
I will suffer naught to hide thee;
Naught I ask beside Thee.
          (“Jesus, Priceless Treasure,” LSB 743 v. 1)

“Groaning for Redemption” (Romans 8:12-25)

Romans 8:12-25
Matthew 13:24-30,36-43

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Pastor Tom Johnson, July 23, 2017

One of the great comforts of Scripture is that we are allowed to groan. We can complain to God. We have permission to tell him what we think is not right and not fair. We are allowed to cry out about our injustices, hurts, and our losses. We are going through the book of Exodus in our Wednesday noon Bible study. That’s what the people of God do over and over again. They grumble. They groan. They become bored and impatient. They let Moses and God know they are not happy.  Our Gospel reading is a parable about the Kingdom of Heaven. And the question is why God would allow both weeds and wheat to grow together until harvest—why God would allow good and evil to coexist in the world. The workers question the master, “Do you want us to go gather the weeds?” “No,” the master says. This parable is one of a string of parables. It is one aspect of being a member of God’s family but still living out our lives in a world plagued by evil. It’s okay to question it. It’s normal to wonder why God does not end evil today.  We have permission to groan and yearn for the day when God will right every wrong, bring life where there is death, and righteousness where there is sinfulness. That’s what we all long for and pray for: for Jesus to come back and make all things new.

But the problem is not just with what is out there in the world. It is not enough to groan about what others do. Our groaning and our struggle is also with and within ourselves. In 1970 it was cartoonist Walt Kelly who said famously, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.” It is a sober reminder that even as the children of God—as those who have been baptized into God’s family—we are both simultaneously sinners and saints. As the Reformers coined nearly 500 years ago: simul justus et peccador “simultaneously justified and sinner. We have in the field of our hearts both weeds and wheat growing. And it is normal and even desirable that we groan for the redemption of our bodies—that we yearn to be free not only from suffering, persecution from without but also our own sinful nature from within. One I was asked by a stranger, “Are you saved?” I knew what they were asking. They were asking if I believed in Jesus and had the assurance of forgiveness and eternal life. But I could not resist. “Am I saved?” “Yes, but I am being saved daily by God’s Spirit. And I am not yet ultimately saved until Jesus comes back to make all things new.”

If we are not groaning for the redemption of this world, we are either in denial or are in critical need of compassion and empathy. How many shootings need to happen right here in Chicago before we begin to groan and cry out? How many persecutions all over the world? How many innocent lives lost in war? How many injustices ? How many weeds threatening to rob the wheat of precious soil, water, and sunlight? If we are not groaning for the redemption of our own bodies—our own selves, we are also either in denial or in critical need of self-reflection and what Paul calls "the Spirit who bears witness with our own spirit."

When we hear the Word of God and the Holy Spirit works in our minds, hearts, and lives, God shows us that we are both sinners and saints. The Spirit shows us that we have both weeds and wheat growing in the fields of our hearts. We are children of God. We cry out “Abba! Father!” We have forgiveness and the promise of eternal life. But we are also still part of this world and part of creation itself that groans for redemption. We join God in grieving over the brokenness of our world and the evil that continues to threaten us from without and from within—the weeds out there and the weeds right here in our relationships together and in our hearts. The good news is that our groaning is legitimate and validated. Our sense that things are not right in the world and within ourselves is correct. God is also grieved and saddened. But he is not just complaining about it or tolerating evil. He sends his Son to be born into the world, to suffer and die, so that he would redeem us—and the whole world. And we are redeemed—bought—purchased “not with perishable things such as gold or silver, but with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Pet 1:18,19). And so Jesus makes all things new. He transforms our complaining to thanksgiving, our suffering into victory, and our groaning to shouts for joy.

“It will not return empty,” Isaiah 55:10,11

Isaiah 55:10-13

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Pastor Tom Johnson, July 16, 2017

This morning’s reading from Isaiah is about the precipitation of God’s Word into the world and upon the soil of our hearts and lives.  His Word is like rain and snow that that comes from the sky above to the earth below. Rain, yes. But snow? Snow is still on the mountain peaks in mid-July in places like the Rocky Mountains. But I am still blown away by the beauty of the vegetation and flowers that grow at 14,000 feet right next to snow drifts and melting ice.

High altitude vegetation on Mt. Bierstadt, Colorado

One farmer explained the benefits of snow. Snow falls and covers the ground. It melts and trickles slowly into the soil. The ground thaws and drinks in the water. The ground freezes again and the water turns to ice. Water expands as it changes from liquid to ice. The expanse works the soil to break it up and make it easier for seeds to take root, receive nutrients, and for the plant to break through the topsoil. It may look like nothing is happening beneath that expanse entombed in white powder. But snow, water, and ice are tilling the ground naturally and doing what would take hours of labor and machinery. It’s why farmers will not tell you to pray for rain or pray for sunshine. They tell you to pray for favorable weather. Favorable weather for farmers is just the right balance of healthy soil, moisture, and sunshine.

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”

And that is what God was teaching the Israelites in the desert with the Manna—the daily bread from heaven. He says in Deuteronomy (8:3), “He humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with manna, with which neither you nor your ancestors were acquainted, in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” But the problem is we often neglect or doubt the ministry of the Word. And we can neglect this heavenly treasure in different ways. We can get so busy with work and play—feeding our mouths and stomachs—that we forget to feed our souls. That is the point of Jesus’ parable of the sower in our Gospel reading: that God works to plant the Word into our lives. And that he wants a bountiful harvest. But a lack of depth of knowledge or the troubles, anxieties, and seduction of this world threaten to rob us of the joy and peace that is ours in Christ. It is what I really like about our Scripture from Isaiah. He has every season in mind. Not just spring and summer but fall and winter: rain and snow! A sower of seed understand the seasonal nature of life.

There will be times of drought and days with gentle rain. There will be days when sunlight bathes crops activating photosynthesis and growth just as there will be days when ice and snow seem to seal the fields shut for weeks and months at a time. So are the seasons of farming and the seasons of life. So the Word of God works visibly and invisibly in our lives. So it seems like some days we observe and experience the Word’s dynamic photosynthesis. And other days it seems like nothing is happening beneath that cold, icy, and hard exterior. The Word of God will not return empty—his Word will accomplish that which He purposes—his Word shall succeed in the thing for which He sent it. So God has promised us in our text.

Just as rain and snow produce a yield of earthly fruit, so the Word of God will produce a yield of heavenly fruit—what Scripture calls the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23)—fruit we all desperately need. Isaiah mentions two of them: joy and peace! So be encouraged. God’s Word will fall upon the fields of our lives. Sometimes it fails gently and our parched soil drinks in. Sometimes it falls cold and heavy. But don’t lose heart. It will melt and trickle slowly into the ground. The earth will thaw and drink in the water. Do not be anxious when the ground freezes again and the water turns to ice. This is the normal Christian life. Water expands as it changes from liquid to ice. The expanse will work the soil and make it easier for the seed to take root, receive nutrients of the Spirit, and for the growth to break through the soil to the sunshine above. God sends the favorable weather. It may look like nothing is happening beneath that expanse of colorless snow and ice. But the rain and snow of God’s Word tills and feeds the ground. It shall succeed. God will accomplish his purpose. His Word will not return empty.

Almighty God, Your Word is cast
Like seed into the ground;
Now let the dew of heav’n descend
And righteous fruits abound.

Let not the world’s deceitful cares
The rising plant destroy,
But let it yield a hundredfold
The fruits of peace and joy.
          (“Almighty God Your Word is Cast” LSB 577 vv. 1 & 3)

Pastor Groll preaches "Who's in Charge?" (Zechariah 9:9-12)

Sunday morning we welcomed Rev. Dr. Doug Groll as our guest pastor. Dr. Groll is professor emeritus at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO and the former head of the Center for Hispanic Studies. He and his family served as missionaries in Venezuela for 12 years; he still is very active in training Hispanic church workers, writing, and preaching.

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Zechariah 9:9-12
9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion!
   Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!
Lo, your king comes to you;
   triumphant and victorious is he,
humble and riding on a donkey,
   on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
10 He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
   and the warhorse from Jerusalem;
and the battle-bow shall be cut off,
   and he shall command peace to the nations;
his dominion shall be from sea to sea,
   and from the River to the ends of the earth.
11 As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,
   I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
12 Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;
   today I declare that I will restore to you double.

“Welcome” (Matthew 10:40-42)

Matthew 10:40-42

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Pastor Tom Johnson, July 2, 2017

The very first word in our bulletins after the title page and heading is the word welcome. It is the first words I say as I have the privilege to speak on behalf of our church family: “Welcome to First Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church in the strong name of Jesus.” And I notice that Marlo will usually end her announcements with the same words: “We welcome you to make your home among us.” This is a further invitation to become a part of the life of our community of faith. Welcome, wilkommen, bienvenidos. We seem to be saying the same thing in various languages—that we are glad to see the visitor, we hope they feel at ease and at home, we wish them well, and we are prepared to do what we can to make it a good visit.

Jesus’ words about welcoming others in our Gospel reveal a greater depth and greater sense of urgency. There is a lot at stake in how we do or do not welcome others. It seems that everyone is a stakeholder in the welcoming business. When we welcome Jesus into our lives, we are welcoming God the Father. When others welcome us as Jesus’ disciples—in the name of Jesus, they are welcoming Jesus himself. When we welcome others as Jesus’ disciples—in Jesus’ name, we are welcoming Jesus. When we do not welcome one another, we are denying ourselves God’s reward. We are missing out on the blessings that flow from participating in this great welcoming enterprise we call the Kingdom of God and the Gospel. Welcoming God into our lives and welcoming others is one of the most important ways we fulfill the great commandment to love God with our whole being and love one another as Christ has loved us.

But it will never happen if we are so self-absorbed that we do not even notice the visitor. Or that our coming together is about what we want to get out of it. We deny ourselves God’s reward. When we do not welcome others because they do not measure up to our standard, we cut ourselves off from God’s blessings. When we judge others and name particular attributes or behaviors that would make them unwelcome, we have not only rejected the individual but the face of Jesus himself. A lack of acceptance of who or how a person is is rejection. It is the antithesis of welcoming. And people are smart. Kids especially will pick this up quickly. If we are not genuinely happy to see each other, that message of rejection will be loud and clear. “If possible, as far as it depends upon you,” Scripture says, “be at peace with all people” (Rom 12:18). I think this is the most disturbing and encouraging truth of Jesus’ words of wisdom this morning:

Jesus cares just as much about transforming the life of the visitor as he does transforming the life of the Christian community. Remember that Jesus did not come for the righteous but for the sinner. He receives the broken. He welcomes the sinner. To welcome someone in the name of a disciple or in the name of Jesus is to see that welcome as something greater than one individual glad to see another individual. It is to consider our welcome as part of the work for the Kingdom of God. We are not just being nice or friendly. We have the privilege of participating in the life of Christ and of his Body. And to drive this point home, Jesus gives the most underwhelming example: “Whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.” Such a small act of kindness—a cup of water. Such a person lacking an impressive resume—a little child.

And yet, it is not the greatness of the act itself but the heart of the one who is genuinely welcoming and accepting the most small, simple, and most helpless among us. And consider the greatness of the message that comes with that cold, cup of water: “You matter. I care. Jesus loves you. And here is just a little evidence of that love.” Christ welcomes us to the family of God through a splash of water in the Triune name. And we welcome the newly baptized with the words: “We welcome you in the name of the Lord.” And Christ welcomes us to his Table to receive his Body and Blood with the words: “Take, eat. Drink of it, all of you.” He is a good host. And so we should be.

Yesterday, I was sharing this with our community meals guests. And they were sharing this message with me. One woman says she sometimes gets extra food at the pantry and puts it at the door of her neighbor who happened to be sitting close by. He nodded his head vigorously in affirmation. When we give up our seat on the bus or open the door, we are not just preventing it from slamming them in the face, we are saying, “I see you. You are not invisible. You have a place in this world. You matter to God. You are the face of Christ.” These are not just random acts of kindness, they are the mighty work of the Holy Spirit. We are welcomed by God as sinners. We welcome others as we are—a work in progress. And we are the hands and face of God to those we welcome. And those we welcome are the face of Christ to us. We see just how interwoven all these relationships are. Jesus welcomes us. We welcome God when we welcome Christ. We encounter the divine in small acts of kindness in Jesus’ name both as those who welcome and those who are welcomed. Jesus wants his welcome of us to be contagious. So that his welcome spreads, our family grows, and we all enjoy the assurance of acceptance, forgiveness, and eternal life.