“no other god” (Isaiah 45:1-7; Psalm 96:1-9; Matthew 22:15-22)

Isaiah 45:1-7
Psalm 96:1-9
Matthew 22:15-22

Listen and watch sermon:

Pastor Tom Johnson, October 18, 2020

Today all our Scripture texts highlight the uniqueness of the one, holy, true and living God. God says in Isaiah, “I am YHWH, the Lord—I am that I am—and there is no other; besides me there is no god. ...From the rising of the sun to its setting place, there is no one besides, me; I am that I am—and there is no other.” Psalm 96 says that “the Lord is great and worthy of praise, to be feared—held in reverential awe—above all gods.” Paul tells the Thessalonians that by their faith in Christ they have “turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God.” And in our Gospel, Jesus with one phrase exposes the false religion of Imperial Rome.

There is no question that we live in a growing pluralistic society. By pluralistic, we mean that there is a growing cultural and political climate that recognizes and affirms a diversity of religious beliefs, religions, and gods. By some estimates, there are more than 4,300 different religions in the world. There are the great religions—Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism. Each of those are broken up into many different sects and variations. On top of those are the countless tribal religions and regional differences. In a pluralistic society, the only wrong belief is to claim that we have the right belief. In this context, it is unacceptable and intolerable arrogance to say that our God is the one and only—the true and living God—and that there is no other. And to a large extent I understand this repulsion to those who claim they alone have the truth. As we see in our Scriptures today, we do not claim to have the truth alone; the Truth claims to have us alone.

God’s Word in Isaiah tears down the wall of our pride. God affirms his own uniqueness while at the same time he expands our understanding of his work and his love for all people. He is one of a kind. And he is for all. God works through Cyrus, the Persian emperor—who himself claimed to be a god. He works through him even though he is completely oblivious and does not yet know the true and living God but only false gods.  He does this, our Scripture says, so that all may come to know God—from the rising of the sun to its setting. We know the rest of the story of king Cyrus from 2 Chronicles and Ezra. He comes to know God and helps God’s people rebuild their city and the Temple. 

Psalm 96 calls us to sing and proclaim God’s uniqueness and reign over heaven and earth “among all nations and peoples.” Paul reminds the Thessalonians that they did not come to know Christ because they were smarter or better but because God chose them so that people “in every place” may also come to know him.

Not surprisingly, Jesus most masterfully reveals this truth. And he does it by a the most common coin of his day called a denarius. It was used for over 250 years by the Roman Empire. They were so common two thousand years ago we are still finding them. I learned that you can even purchase them online! When Jesus asked whose likeness and what the inscription was, it was of Caesar Augustus Tiberius, son of the divine Augustus.” The idea was that his father reached the status of a god in his death and that he is a son of a god.  When Jesus was asked if it was lawful to pay a tribute or tax to him, they were trying to entrap him into either false religion or treason. Jesus’ response is genius. The emperor made those coins—give them back to him if you need to. But know that all wealth, all people, all things, and heaven and earth belong to God. It is God’s idea to reach out to us and reveal his uniqueness and universal love for us in Jesus Christ.  And it is still his idea to reach out to the whole world to reveal himself to a people who have not yet come to know him. 

And so we are called—not to be the frozen chosen, judgmental, nor arrogant. Nor are we to be afraid or ashamed to tell the whole world how holy, unique, good, and loving our God is and how beautifully and fully he is revealed to us in Jesus Christ. God is at work universally. He reaches out through us and in spite of us even if we are not even aware of him or have not yet come to know him. 

I cannot think of a more winsome way of sharing our faith with others—humbly acknowledging that we all have trusted in false gods—whether they people people, things, or false religion. And then to tell them of the true and living God who is for all, loves all, and has given his Son, Jesus Christ to all. Our focus should not be to attack false gods and tear down other beliefs. Our focus should rather be on the Truth and to welcome others to celebrate the holy, uniqueness and mystery of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit for all.

God lifts up his Eternal Son who was born into our likeness—whose inscription says that he alone is true and living God and that we are forgiven. It is not inscribed on silver or gold but in blood—not on a metal coin but on the wooden beams of the Cross of Christ.  And there he also proclaims an end to the reign of false gods, religion, evil, sin, and death itself. The One who created us is the same One who loves us all.

Holy God, we praise Thy name;

Lord of all, we bow before Thee.

All on earth Thy scepter claim,

All in heav’n above adore Thee.

Infinite Thy vast domain,

Everlasting is Thy reign.

Holy Father, holy Son,

Holy Spirit, three we name Thee;

Though in essence only one,

Undivided God we claim Thee

And, adoring, bend the knee

While we own the mystery.

                                     (“Holy God, We Praise Thy Name” LSB 940, vv. 1,5)

“Worry” (Philippians 4:1-9)

Philippians 4:1-9

Listen and watch sermon:

Pastor Tom Johnson, October 11, 2020

Our Scripture today says, “Do not worry about anything.” Jesus says in his sermon on the mount, “Do not worry about your life” (Matt 6:25). This is a command most of us wish we could easily obey: not to worry—not to be anxious. What is worry? Worry is when our minds and bodies are in a chronic threat response. We play and replay future, possible, negative scenarios over and over again. It is a form of fear—fear of what may or may not happen. It is also wounds from the past that have not healed that continue to plague us. Or it’s a current struggle that has not yet resolved favorably. And so, we live in state of defensiveness and fear. Worry manifests itself in fight, flight, or freeze. 

There are so many things to worry about these days—a global pandemic, loss of health, lives, and jobs. There is turmoil in politics and in our neighborhoods. We can add all of our unique and personal struggles on top of these common ones. But Paul says, “Do not worry about anything.” Some would say worry is a sin. But I think we should be careful. How helpful is it for us to add guilt to worry? Or worry about worrying?  I believe it is helpful to not always look at sin merely as what we do or fail to do and displeases God. Sin also works to hold us under its power. It is truth to say, “I worry.” But it is also truth to say, “I struggle with anxiety.” 

Worry or anxiety is the most common mental health issue in the United States. I opened my pastoral companion book yesterday to look at a list of common struggles people have, Scriptures that address it, and suggested prayers. Not surprisingly, anxiety is at the top of the list. And, no, it is not in alphabetical order. Worry takes our eyes off of the Lord who knows the number of our days and hairs on our heads. Anxiety keeps us from trusting in Jesus who says he will never leave us as orphans or forsake us. Unopposed, worry will erode our faith. Worry causes us to be preoccupied about ourselves. Worry prevents us from fulfilling God’s greatest command which is to love him with all of heart, mind, soul, and strength and to love one another as Christ loved us. Worry steals our joy. Worry can so cloud our minds that we do not recognize all the blessings around us. Proverbs 12:25 says, “Anxiety weighs down the human heart, but a good word cheers it up.” 

Yes, our text tells us to stop worrying. But the Word is also here to cheer us up. 

“Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” 

In Christ we have the remedies for worry. We have the antidotes for anxiety. Paul begins by telling us to not worry about anything but to pray about everything. Maybe you have noticed the church office wall behind Anna’s desk says, “Pray about everything; worry about nothing.” 

Prayer is taking our anxiety and worry and surrendering it up to God. 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.” It’s a beautiful and powerful thing: God not only knows and expects that we have anxiety; he wants us to unload it all upon him. Because he does not want us to be weighed down by it. Paul tells us to pray with thanksgiving. This is another antidote to worry: gratitude. When we recognize, name, and thank God for his blessings, our gratitude will transform our attitude. We will become more optimistic and less worrisome. We will be able to—by God’s strength and Spirit—to fulfill our Scripture that says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice!” Joy will flood our lives because thanksgiving has opened our eyes, ears, and our hearts. Joy is another sure antidote for anxiety—as is the peace that surpasses all understanding. It is not a peace as the world gives but only as Christ gives. It is a contentment and absence of fear that transcends life’s difficulties and human comprehension. It is a peace that rescues our imaginations from our fears. It’s a peace that calms us by God’s amazing grace.  All this strengthens our faith when we actually experience this peace—when we discover that God has actually given us the tools we need to escape the clutches of anxiety and we truly know his peace that actually quiets and calms our hearts, minds, and spirits. If that is not enough, Paul says in our Scripture, 

“Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.”

Jesus went to the mountains, seas, and wilderness to pray. I believe he went to these places to quiet his time with God but also to enjoy the stunning beauty of creation. If the news is making your anxiety worse. Turn off the TV, radio, and don’t look at social media. Instead, take a walk. Pray for our world. Surrender your worry to God. Look around. Go to an art museum. Listen to your favorite music. We not only have supernatural peace at our disposal, we have the common good. We have an infinite supply of beauty in God’s creation all around us. It will also transform our hearts and minds to fill our eyes, ears, noses, hands, mouths, and minds with the delicious goodness and beauty around us.  As Christians we know that we are more than conquerors. We are victorious over sin, evil, and death by Jesus’ death and resurrection. We may have not yet realized our victory yet before Christ’s return. But we do have prayer, thanksgiving, faith, joy, and peace that transcends anything that might hold us captive to worry. As Baptist minister and civil rights leader (Ralph Abernathy) said in the midst of his struggle said, “I don't know what the future may hold, but I know who holds the future.”

“God’s Vineyard” (Matthew 21:33-46; Isaiah 5:1-7; Psalm 80:7-14)

Matthew 21:33-46

Isaiah 5:1-7
Psalm 80:7-14

Listen and watch sermon:

Pastor Tom Johnson, October 4, 2020

This morning we have three Scriptures that use the image of a vineyard. In Isaiah, God’s people sing to their Beloved, their husband, the Lord. He chooses a fertile hill, tills, removes stones, and plants it with the best vines to produce the best grapes. He builds a watchtower to protect it. He does this to produce the best wine. But instead of the fruit of justice, there is bloodshed; instead of righteousness, there is an outcry for it. God’s purpose of planting and nurturing this vineyard was to produce a bounty of goodness and true justice. Instead, God’s people produce the bitter fruit of the wild—violence, injustice, and abuse of power.

In Psalm 80, the Bride sings again to her husband, the Lord. She sings of her salvation from slavery in Egypt. Her husband, the Lord, brought her out of the house of bondage as a vine and planted her in the Promised Land flowing with milk and honey. It is a prayer that God would tend and preserve his vine.

In our reading from Matthew, Jesus tells a parable of a vineyard. The language echos the words from Isaiah. And just like the both of the other Scriptures, God is the Landowner who has the idea in the first place to plant a vineyard. He does all the prep work to grow and press grapes, refine, and age wine. He just needs workers to protect and nurture the vineyard. He even pays them to be stewards of his property. He only expects the fruit at harvest time. That is a reasonable expectation. It is not for himself alone to enjoy. It is to bring the world the fruit of righteousness, justice, and reconciliation. 

But the tenants are overcome with violence, greed, and power. They only care about their own prosperity, comfort, and pleasure. And they are willing for others to pay the ultimate price to preserve what they see as their privilege. They have forgotten that they are merely stewards of the vineyard—not lords of it. The Landowner sends a group to collect what is his to begin with—what he paid others to care for and nurture. The tenants kill those who come to collect the fine wine for the master. They kill a larger group than the first. Finally, the Landowner sends his son. He presumes that they will receive him with respect. But they throw the son out of the vineyard and kill him. God the Father is the Landowner. Jesus is the Son who is sent by the Father who is ultimately killed.

The chief priests and Pharisees realize that they are the wicked tenants in this story. Their desire to arrest Jesus betrays the fact that they are more concerned about preserving their own power than producing true justice and righteousness. The religious leaders are the bad guys in this story. Jesus’ parable even draws out their greed, lust for power, and violence that is in their hearts. It foreshadows the day when they will cry out, “Crucify, crucify him.” It takes great courage to see ourselves as the bad guys in this parable and humbly recognize that, confess it, and change our ways. We remember that we are all stewards of God’s gifts. We have also failed. We are prone to forget all the work God did to prepare what we enjoy and are blessed with. We have received so many gifts and are so very privileged because of those who have come before us.

We, too, can be deceived by the lie that we are entitled or that we deserve the good things God has placed in our lives. We, too, can be consumed by the rat race to accumulate wealth and by greed. We, too, can disregard the lives and livelihoods of those around us especially if it secures our comfort and possessions. When let others pay the price for our gain, we break God’s command not to steal. When we let others suffer for it, we break God’s command not to murder.

What the Landowner—what our Creator—what our Heavenly Father wants is for us to participate in blessing the world through the fruit of his vineyard. He planted it. He put a hedge of protection around it. He dug a wine press. He built a watchtower. He sent the prophets to ask for his fruit time and time again. It brings him great joy to bless his creation with good fruit. It should be our joy to be able to participate in bringing his fine, well-aged wine to the world. He has even paid us—gifted us—to be his stewards of the Kingdom of God (1 Cor 4:1) and his grace in the Gospel (Eph 3:2). We get to participate in God’s miracle of growing his Kingdom. 

It is not too much for God to ask for the fruit of justice and righteousness. God has done all this work so that both our character and our actions would be a blessing to him and those around us. We are the Church, the Body of Christ. We are his Vineyard. Where else in this world of wild, greedy, prideful, and violent grapes will good fruit come from? We as church leaders and we as the whole people of God are to be that fruit. We are to be humble, grateful, content, responsible, selfless, generous, empathetic, respectful, life-preserving, and to love the world as do the Father and the Son. The Scripture says what God expects from us: to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God” (Micah 6:8).

Don’t miss the final twist of Jesus’ parable of the vineyard. The Landowner sends his Son. Together, in our fallen humanity, we did not receive him. We threw him out to be crucified. And yet, he still blesses us and gifts us. With his life, the Son purchases our forgiveness and eternal life. He makes it possible for us to bear fruit—not because we have earned or deserve his generous love but because we already have it. We do it for the Creator, Landowner, our heavenly Father—to bless this world and, in the end, give him the glory.

5 For us by wickedness betrayed,
For us, in crown of thorns arrayed,
He bore the shameful cross and death;
For us He gave His dying breath.

6 For us He rose from death again;
For us He went on high to reign;
For us He sent His Spirit here
To guide, to strengthen, and to cheer.

7 All glory to our Lord and God
For love so deep, so high, so broad;
The Trinity whom we adore
Forever and forevermore.

          (“Oh Love, How Deep,” LBW 544, vv. 5-7)