“Swords to Plowshares” (Isaiah 2:1-5)

Isaiah 2:1-5

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Pastor Tom Johnson, November 27, 2022

It’s a sad commentary. History measures our progress by the advancement of technology for warfare: the Stone Age with sharp stone arrows and spear heads, the Bronze Age with it’s even stronger and sharper instruments of death along with the advent of the sword. The Iron Age brought an even superior metal. But it doesn’t stop there. So much technology was developed to increase the efficiency in taking human life: steel made guns and cannons possible, Newtonian physics led to explosive missiles, Einstein’s E=MC² led to the atomic bomb.

I know from talking to many of you, how much heartbreak and despair we have at the news of another mass shooting. A mass shooting can be defined by the shooting of four or more people excluding the shooter. There has been 607 mass shootings in the United States this year alone. Lord, have mercy. There has been about 1,000 shooting incidents in New York City this year alone. The same alarming rate of gun violence can be seen in other major cities across the United States and all over the world. It’s even increasing at an alarming rate in countries that have never seen such violence such as Sweden and Japan. In the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, it is estimated that 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers and 100,000 Russian soldiers have been killed. It is estimated that 40,000 civilians have been killed. Lord, have mercy.

How do we as God’s people respond to such violence? What can you and I do about this? Is there any action we can take? Does the Bible have anything to say? It just so happens that today we have powerful Scripture to bring us light and hope. In our Gospel reading, Jesus tells us to stay awake—to live mindfully—to be ready and alert to when he comes again. As we live in expectation of the Prince of peace, we are called to “put on the Lord Jesus and make no provision for the flesh.” We are to be imitators of God. Like Jesus, we are to pray for our enemies. Our Psalm calls us to pray for the peace and quietness of God’s people and to “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” “The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective,” Scripture says (James 5:16b). It’s not just an ornament in our worship or an optional part of our lives. We need prayer. This world needs our prayers. One of the great stories of our time is how prayer finds its way to places of devastation because of the Comfort Dogs.

Last week, I was looking at pictures from the Colorado nightclub shooting on CNN’s website. One was of a woman holding another distraught woman. Her patch had the Lutheran Church Charities comfort dog logo. In another picture, you can see hearts with victims’ names on them made by the same Lutheran ministry. Religious organizations are not normally allowed to come and pray with victims. But the dogs and their handlers open the door so that people in need can receive the emotional and spiritual support in their time of need. When we pray, “Come, Lord Jesus,” we pray that his Kingdom would hurry up and come. We pray that his Kingdom promises would come in our time. And so it does through prayer, the Word of God, the gifts of God, and the love of Christ’s disciples. We put on the Lord Jesus, who is the Prince of Peace.

In the United Nations Plaza in New York City, there is a large sculpture of a man with a hammer. The sword he is holding is being transformed into a plowshare. This was a gift from the Soviet Union in 1959. It’s entitled, “Let us beat swords into plowshares”—inspired by Isaiah chapter 2. Several months ago, Elizabeth and I had lunch with a retired pastor and his wife. The wife talked about how much she enjoys hammering guns into garden tools even in her 70’s. She does this with a ministry called Swords to Plowshares. 

Our reading from Isaiah gives a vision of peace Jesus brings to the world. “Nation will not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they learn war any more.” “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks.” There will be a global transformation of weapons into farm tools. A hot fire will soften the metal so it softens. They will pound sword into plowshares that break up the soil to plant life-giving seed. They will hammer spear-tips into a sickle-like shape to prune the vines and trees so that they yield more fruit. Instead of being instruments of death, they are now tools for sustaining and increasing life. This is not just a promise for the future. God reconciles us and the world to himself. As God’s people we have received a ministry of reconciliation. Our work is to point to Jesus who brings peace which the world cannot give.

But this re-purposing of metal is the result of an even more radical transformation. The fire of the Holy Spirit softens our minds and hearts. The hammer of God’s Word reshapes our minds of metal and hearts of stone. God “creates in us a new heart and renews a right spirit within us” (Ps 51). Before we beat swords into plowshares, God the potter must first pound us lumps of clay. He molds and shapes us into his vessels of peace, love, and good news. This is the Gospel: God transforming instruments of death into instruments for life.

One of the most cruel instruments of death is the Roman cross. It was designed to prolong the agony and pain of the one condemned. To make sure he was dead, the soldier pierced Jesus with a spear. Out of him flowed blood and water. It appeared to be the beating down and defeat of Jesus of Nazareth. It appeared to hammer the one who claimed to be King down into the dust. But Christ’s death was instead the crushing of evil which pulverized our sin and even death itself. Jesus beat the cross, the nails, and the spear into instruments of peace and life by his precious and innocent body and blood. He rose triumphantly to life on the third day to show that he has won the war for humanity though battles still go on.

And so we pray, Come, Lord Jesus. Come, beat swords into plowshares, spears into pruning hooks, guns into garden tools, missiles of destruction into rockets for space exploration, atom bombs into clean nuclear energy, disputed gang turf into community gardens. Come, remake our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh, our wayward souls into children of God, our guilt into forgiveness, our shame into joy, and our self-centered lives into vessels for your glory. And so we pray, “Even so. Amen, come Lord Jesus.”

“The sun of righteousness will rise” (Malachi 4:1-2a)

Malachi 4:1-2

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Pastor Tom Johnson, November 13, 2022

God is good—all the time. All the time—God is good.

British biologist Richard Dawkins identifies as an atheist. He says there is no God. He does not think any concept of god can be good. Dawkins wrote a book called “The God Delusion.” He toured in a bus to promote his book. On the side of the bus it said, “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.” In response to his book “The God Delusion,” Alister McGrath—professor of science and religion at the University of Oxford—wrote his own book called “The Dawkins Delusion.” 

And then they had a conversation about their books that was recorded. Alister McGrath grew up an atheist so he not only qualifies intellectually to debate Dawkins—he has empathy for Dawkins. In an amazing turn of the conversation, Dawkins admits that the reason he does not believe in God is not because of the science—but because of all the injustice in the world. Bad things still happen to good people. “If there is a God,” Dawkins says, “why does he not intervene and stop those things from happening.” “I cannot believe in a god who sees all the suffering in the world and does not care enough to do anything about it. I cannot believe in a god like that.” Alister McGrath responds with wisdom and compassion: “I cannot very well believe in a god like that either. That is not the god I believe in.”

Not just preeminent atheists—but all of us are repulsed by a distant and uncaring god. If that is who people think God is, then no wonder our churches are declining in membership and attendance. The truth is that every human being longs to know a benevolent God—the true and living God who loves and cares for us deeply. The truth is that when an atheist says, “I will not believe in an uncaring God,” they are making a profound statement of faith. They are, in fact, longing to believe in a benevolent God. And they long to see the evidence of God in the world we live in. The world can often seem like a dark and godless place. Every time we read the newspaper, turn on the television, or hear the radio, we have another reminder that evil is a palpable reality. It is easy to become overwhelmed by all the bad news and darkness. How long, O Lord? When will you come and right every wrong?

When the disciples walk through the Temple with Jesus, he tells them about wars, natural disasters, plagues, and devastation that will happen. He says that their days will continue to be darkened by evil, sin, and death. He does not say why God will allow these things to happen. But there is light. He promises to protect and preserve their souls through those difficult days ahead. Jesus promises that light and life will prevail.

As we approach Advent, we hear more readings about the end of days—the time Jesus comes to judge the living and the dead—just as we confess in the Apostles’ Creed. Our reading from Malachi says “the day is coming burning like an oven.” This holy heat and consuming fire will purge the world of the arrogant and evildoers. If God is good and loves us and all his creation, this is a day we look forward to—not one we shrink away or recoil from. And so we pray, “Come, Lord Jesus.” We want God to purge arrogance and evil from the world. And that begins with us. Scripture says “Judgment begins with the household of God” (1 Peter 4:17). Jesus baptizes us with the fire of his Word and Holy Spirit. Like a refiner’s fire, God works to remove the impurities and contamination from our hearts and lives. This “burning like an oven” is good for us. It is good for the world. And the day will come when all sin, evil, and even death itself will be burned up by God’s righteous judgment. The Bible does not say when Jesus will come. The Bible does not say exactly how he will judge the nations. There is much we don’t know. But we do know that we still have to walk by faith, not by sight. We must trust God. We believe that he is good. We live in the assurance that whatever judgment he renders is just and good.

I love how our Psalm—Psalm 98–puts it: “The Lord will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity.” In other words, we trust that God is always good and fair. God will intervene and call to account every human soul. He will humble those who are proud. He will finally stop those who do evil. This is also good news. It’s good news for those who were persecuted in the early church. It is good news for those many Christians who suffer persecution, imprisonment, and death because of their faith in Jesus today. Those whom Jesus will judge are not named. Those to whom Jesus will bring fire are not identified—only as “the arrogant and evildoers.” It is not our job to say who or what they are. We do not add our words to God’s Word.

Our comfort is that God is good. God cares about our suffering. And there will come a day when he will deal swiftly with all the injustice we see in the world. We don’t know why God delays in finally doling out his justice. One reason he delays is out of his grace and mercy. As Scripture says, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

“But for you,” our reading from Malachi says, “but for you who revere my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings.” The dawn of this bright morning star has already come and shined in the person of Jesus Christ. He has already suffered judgment for us on the Cross of Calvary. We have seen God’s justice when he conquered sin, evil, and death by the selfless sacrifice of the Son of God. And we will see his divine justice again.

This sun of righteousness has already arisen out of the empty tomb in burning glory. He brings healing in his wings. He gives life and flight to our forgiveness, life, and salvation. The burning sun shines in our hearts, lives, and the whole world. He bears our healing on his wings—healing of body, mind, and spirit. And we will see his divine justice again when he comes in glory. 

God is good—all the time. All the time—God is good.

“You will laugh” (Luke 6:21b)

Luke 6:20-31

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Pastor Tom Johnson, November 6, 2022

“Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.” Jesus promises laughter to be part of God’s reign in our lives. Godly laughter is a guaranteed consequence to the good news of Christ’s Kingdom crashing into our world. Laughter is an involuntary response of the body. Giggling and roaring laughter are wordless but audible celebration. We cannot really decide when we are going to laugh. Something may tickle our funny bone. It may be the relief after a close call with lethal danger. Laughter can come when we clearly see how foolish we humans can be. It can come when we release the stress of confronting truth that makes us feel uncomfortable. It can result from the discovery of irony—two things that you would not expect to come together—a juxtaposition of incongruities. 

But in this same sermon Jesus says there is a laughter that should be turned into mourning and weeping—laughter that needs to stop. This may be the laughter that comes as the expense of others—laughter that mocks others—celebrates another’s demise or destruction. Jesus wants us to cultivate a godly sense of humor.  

You’ll remember that Sarah laughed at God’s promise that they will have a child in their old age. This may have been the laughter of unbelief. Or it may have have been laughter at what she believed was too good to be true. When their son is born, their home was filled with laughter and joy over their son whom God names Isaac—which means “laughter.” This is to remind them and us that it is God’s joy to fulfill his promises. And that God gets the last laugh.

You’ll remember when Jesus tells those who are mourning the death of a girl that she is only asleep. They laugh in unbelief and Jesus’ apparent cluelessness to the reality of death. Jesus silences their laughter by raising her from the dead and brings a godly laughter in it’s place—in celebration of life restored.

It is an harmful laughter when we make fun of others—when we ridicule—when we enjoy seeing others fail or harmed. This kind laughter is a poison inside of us. It spills out for others to see and hear our callousness and cruelty of heart. This is the laughter that Jesus wants to transform into a godly sorrow—sadness over living in a sinful world—and compassion for those who suffer—even those who the consequences of their own bad choices.

The preacher in Ecclesiastes says there is a time to weep and there is a time to laugh (3:4). There is a time to mourn our losses; there is a time to be grateful for what we have been blessed with. There is a time to feel godly sorrow for our sins; there is a time to celebrate a change of heart just as the angels do. There is a time to stop destructive laughter; there is a time to appreciate God’s sense of humor. In Psalm 2, God laughs when we boast of our strength. “He who sits in the heavens laughs” (v. 4a). God thinks it’s funny when we make plans and don’t add the words “God willing” or consider the brevity and frailty of our earthly lives.

The most striking example of evil laughter being transformed into godly laughter is when Jesus is crucified. Those who crucified Jesus mocked him and even put a sign over his head to make a joke of him which says, “King of the Jews.”  But three days later, God adds his own punchline when Jesus rises victoriously from the dead. He is not merely the King of the Jews. He is Lord of lords and King of kings—he reigns over heaven and earth. He is King of the universe.

The average person laughs 17 times a day. When we laugh 100 times a day it is the equivalent of 15 minutes of cardiovascular exercise. Laughter is good for the body, heart, and soul.  Research suggests that laughter strengthens our immune systems, boosts our mood, diminishes pain and the damaging effects of stress. Proverbs 17:22 says, “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Here we have the promise of laughter from the lips of Jesus. “You will laugh.” In Christ we have joy that transcends sorrow, we receive love that is deeper than heartbreak, and we celebrate lives transformed by the powerful reign of God.

Today is All Saints Sunday. We remember our friends and loved ones who are no longer with us. I think about my parents every day. I remember what each of them found funny. I remember how each of them made me laugh. Laughter was particularly important to my mom. When my sisters, brother, or I would talk about time with friends and family, my mom would always ask the same, strange question: “Did you laugh a lot?” We actually thought the question itself was hilarious. But it was genius. My mom wanted to make sure that our lives were full of joy and laughter. Even while she was in hospice in the final days of her life, she made us laugh. She asked me to speak at her funeral and—as you might already have guessed—she asked me to make sure there was laughter. And thanks be to God, there was.

We cherish the memory of loved ones who are no longer with us. They were not perfect. We even laugh at their quirks and imperfections. Our laughter is in gratitude for having known them and the funny stories we still share. Our loss on earth is God’s gain in heaven. We will laugh with them again. In the meantime, God meets us in our sorrows. Even now there is much to laugh about. We act foolishly, selfishly, and sinfully but in Christ we have forgiveness. We do not know what we are doing. We learn to laugh at ourselves. We also celebrate God’s mercy and the One who laid down his life for us on the Cross. The tomb where they lay Jesus is now empty. In the resurrection, we laugh, dance, and give shouts of praise. We can even laugh in the face of death and say, “O death where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” In Christ all our tears will be wiped away. It will only be the beginning of eternal laughter.