“The Good News of John the Baptist” (Luke 3:7-18)

Luke 3:7-18

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Pastor Tom Johnson, December 16, 2018

The Preaching of John the Baptist
Pieter Brueghel the Elder (1526-1569)

Our Scripture about John the Baptist ends with the words, “So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.” And we even affirmed that after the reading when I said, “This is the Gospel of the Lord.” And we responded with the words, “Praise to you, O Christ.” But I hope you smiled when you heard John the Baptist’s words described as good news—or at the very least wondered how that can be.

John begins his message to the crowds by calling them “a brood of vipers.” He called them a family of venomous snakes! They think they are daughters and sons of Abraham but John says they are the offspring of poisonous and fanged reptiles. Don’t think for a moment, John says, that you can rely on your pedigree. Just because you can trace your lineage to Abraham does not impress this prophet or God. He can make a child of Abraham out of inanimate objects like the stones that litter the ground. What does God want? He wants our lives to bear good fruit—fruit that comes out of true faith and repentance. He wants our lives to be a blessing to others. When people ask John what they should do. He is very descriptive and concrete. If you have more clothing than you need or more food than you need, share. When we see people in need and we have the resources, we should simply do the right thing and help out our neighbor. Tax collectors are told not to collect more money than they are supposed to. Soldiers are told not to intimidate, threaten, or falsely accuse and to be content with their wages. John simply tells people to see their jobs not as personal gain but as a way of glorifying God and blessing others. This is really John connecting their lives with the spirit and letter of the Law to love your neighbor as yourself.

How different it would be if we saw our various jobs and callings in life not as personal gain but as a way of blessing our neighbor! Sadly, there is something that prevents us from fulfilling the prophet’s vision of a more loving world. The bad news. John must preach the bad news because we cannot understand the good news unless we come to grips with our darker side. The common thread throughout John’s message is sinful self-centeredness. When we are so busy getting more stuff, money, and power that we lose our way. Our energy is all directed at ourselves. We are so preoccupied with personal gain that we do not see the need, suffering, and injustice around us. John makes a connection between our daily lives and the Word of God. He wants us to see relevance of the Royal Law—to love your neighbor as you would want to be treated. In other words, John wanted common folk, tax collectors, and soldiers to see that what we do in life has a real impact on people. That we are either filling this world with more venom and toxicity or we are helping to create a better world.

How relevant that is today! Who of us would not like to see less needy people around us—less abuse of power—less preoccupation for personal gain—less greed—less threats—less accusations? Who of us could not use more generosity, more kindness, more empowerment, more contentment for what we have, MORE LOVE? The good news is that is what John came to prepare us for! He called us to imagine a better world—more loving communities—more selfless people—a society that is not in competition with one another but a team working for the common good. And so people came to John for a Baptism of repentance. They came to have the ugliness, filth, and poison of sin washed away. They walked away with forgiveness and a clearer vision of how each individual life can make a real difference in the Kingdom of God.

But the good news gets even better. There is one coming who is even more powerful than John. He is so mighty that John is overcome by his own unworthiness. John baptizes with water. The one coming will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. The one coming will produce even more fruit worthy of repentance. The impact of his ministry will be even more far reaching. The life transformation he brings will not just be for those who are descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He will wash away the sin from those of every tribe, nation, tongue, and people. So, John points to Jesus and says, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” He is the one who comes to make all things new—a better world today and a brand new world soon and quickly.

Startled at the solemn warning,
Let earthbound soul arise;
Christ, its sun all sloth dispelling,
Shines upon the morning skies.           
            (“Hark! A Thrilling Voice Is Sounding,” LSB 345 v. 2)

And so we pray, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”

“Face to Face” (1 Thessalonians 3:9-13)

1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

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Pastor Tom Johnson, December 2, 2018

In his letter to the church in Thessalonica, Paul tells them his prayer: “Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith.” Paul is a world traveler. He is a masterful church planter. He wants to see his sisters and brothers in the faith built up and their faith strengthened. He understands the importance of being face to face. That is his prayer, he says, night and day—he fervently prays that he can be personally present. He understood the importance of physical proximity long before Woody Allen said, “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” Of course, Paul’s letter is much more than words on a page. It is holy Scripture. It is the Word of God. He underscores the importance of close-knit social interaction.

When God first created humanity he saw all that he created and said, “It is very good.” But when he saw Adam in the garden alone. He emphatically said, “It is not good for the human to be alone.” We are social creatures. We interact, grow, learn, and communicate by the words we speak, the gestures we sign, the tones of our voices, the expressions on our face, the multifaceted body language we display, the energy and urgency of our whole being. Intimate communication is integral to our humanity. Close-knit social interaction is essential to who we are. We should not deny the eye, the nose, the ear, the tongue, nor our sense of touch. Matter matters. Presence matters. During the Advent season we long for the presence of Messiah. We pray, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” God promises to be born into humanity—the eternal Son of God in the flesh. And Jesus promises to come again to us in glory.

Ten years ago, a Pixar movie came out called “Wall-E.” It was about a 700 year old robot cleaning up garbage on our abandoned planet. He was alone working in the fields of trash for centuries. And then he met Eva. Yes, the Adam and Eve connection. They go on a journey to a spaceship where the human race had escaped. And what they found is alarming. Humanity had devolved. They are all living self-centered, sedentary, virtual lives. Even though they are all on the same ship, they are constantly looking at their screens. They do not notice the person sitting right next to them. Their excitement comes from the next new drink or toy they could buy right from their tablets. Everything is delivered right to them. They don’t need to travel or interact with anyone. Sound familiar? Next time you take a walk downtown or go to a restaurant, look at how many people are looking at their phones and not the people right next to them. I myself am guilty as charged.

God calls us to increase and abound in love for one another. He calls us to be in community together—face to face—as we build each other up in the the faith. This is Paul’s prayer in our Scripture that together we grow in our love together and toward God. And God is there to enhance our relationships. That is the problem with living virtual lives through technology. The danger is when our phones, tablets, and televisions get in the way of what it means to be human, prevent us from being a sister and brother in Christ, and children of God. It is why a phone call, meeting for coffee, lunch, or going for a walk can be so powerful and bring peace to our relationships. It is no wonder why so many of us feel lonely and alone. We have forgotten or have grown apathetic about having intimate interaction with people. We end up neglecting our call to love God and love one another as Christ loved us.

And just how did Christ love us? Christ did not just love us from afar. He did not just have nice thoughts toward us from his heavenly throne. He did not just send positive energy to us over the prayer waves. He is the eternal Son of God who came from heaven to earth. He is the advent of God in the flesh. He comes to us face to face. He is born of the virgin Mary. He reveals his face to his mother, step-father Joseph, the shepherds, and the wise men. His face radiates the promise of God’s love and salvation for all humanity. Jesus comes face to face with people all over ancient Israel and preaches good news to them. He comes face to face with sinners, eats with them, and calls himself their Friend. He comes face to face to heal the sick. He comes face to face with the outcasts, the foreigners, and even those who arrest, mock, and try him. Jesus comes face to face with the scribes and Pharisees and challenges their hypocrisy. He comes face to face with King Herod and Pontius Pilate and reminds them of a higher authority and call to serve in righteousness. He comes face to face with the centurion and those who crucify him. From that world stage on the Cross of Calvary he offers forgiveness and eternal life. And just a few days later his face rises again in glory to give us victory over our sin, the devil, and even death itself. He comes to us in his Body and Blood from this Table.

At the end of the service, the blessing reminds us that God comes to us face to face—not just on Sundays but every day and hour of our lives.  “The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up his countenance—his face—upon you and give you peace.”

Amen. And let it be so. Come, Lord Jesus.

“Our Rich Inheritance” (Psalm 16)

Psalm 16

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Pastor Tom Johnson, November 18, 2018

Our Scripture from Psalm 16 emerged as an excellent theme for this year’s stewardship focus: “O Lord, you are my portion and my cup; it is you who uphold my lot. My boundaries enclose a pleasant land; indeed, I have a rich inheritance.” An inheritance is whatever we receive from those who come before us. An inheritance is passed from parents to children one generation to another generation. Often it is death that releases a possession to be given to next person in line. For the Psalm writer and the people of God in the Old Testament, it primarily referred to land.

God promised them an inheritance when God called Abraham. That inheritance was the land of Canaan. God shows Moses how they are to divide up the land between the different tribes of Israel. When Joshua enters the land, they divide up the land by casting lots—kind of like rolling dice or flipping a coin for who got what particular plot of land. Our Psalm says “My boundaries enclose a pleasant land.” Or as it says in other translations, “The lines have fallen for me in excellent places.” They saw the land as a gift. Even though it was by lottery or seemingly random. A Jewish scholar says, “One must have the humility and clarity of vision to recognize that their portion in life is allotted to them by God. Those abilities and powerful forces which seem to be the determining factors of life are merely the tools of the Creator who guides them.” Or as the proverb states it, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord” (Prov 16:33). In other words, God wants us to be content, appreciative, and grateful to him for all our gifts.

Our portion in life is no accident. “It is God who is at work in you to will and to do his good purpose” (Phillip 2:13). In Ephesians (1:18), Paul says he prays that the church would have their eyes enlightened, “that [we] will know what is the hope to which he has called [us], what are the riches of [our] glorious inheritance.” If we have a sense of entitlement we do not understand our inheritance. If we assume our privilege we do not understand God’s purpose. If we lack gratitude for what we have been given and entrusted with, our eyes and hearts are darkened.

We have a rich inheritance in Christ. God created the universe—this terrestrial ball that we call home rich with life and resources. He has placed us in this continent, nation, state, and city. Generations have come before us to secure our lots. God has blessed us with family, friends, education, and employment. We have worked for what we have. But we are also standing on the shoulders of those who have come before us.

This past week, Marvel Comic creator Stan Lee died. One of his famous lines from the Spider-Man comics and movie is, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Or, as Jesus said 2000 years before, “To whom much has been given, much is required” (Luke 12:48). We have been gifted with much.

Later on during our meal, we will dedicate a plaque in memory of Margit Borgel who generously gave to our community meals ministry. From her apartment window, she could guests lining up for a meal every Saturday. She saw the rich inheritance of our ministry. And that prompted her to invest in that inheritance.

It is not just about the inheritance we receive. It is also about the inheritance that we pass on. That is what stewardship is all about. It is being thankful for all the gifts God has given us. It is putting those gifts to use. It is investing our time, talent, and treasure so that those who come after us will also be blessed through us.

Our inheritance is right here on the corner of LaSalle and Goethe—this small portion of land—some of which was taken away! Our inheritance is the building. When we repair the roof we are simply being good stewards and taking care of what those who have come before us have built. Our rich inheritance is each other and all the gifts that we bring to one another to build each other up. Our rich inheritance is the communities we serve. Our rich inheritance is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our rich inheritance is the good news of Jesus. He brings the treasure of his kingdom from heaven to earth. He said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ...Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.” Our rich inheritance is the relationship we have with each other and with God. We as God’s people are God’s inheritance. God is our inheritance. Our Scripture says, “O Lord, you are my portion and my cup; it is you who uphold my lot.” God promises to uphold, preserve, and strengthen our inheritance.Our rich inheritance is the forgiveness of sins and eternal life we have received as a free gift from God through Jesus who invested his life in us. He gave his life to us on the cross and rose again to purchase a place for us in his eternal Kingdom.

Great thy goodness e’er enduring;
deep thy wisdom, passing thought;
splendor, light and life attend thee,
beauty springing out of nought.
Evermore from God’s store
newborn worlds rise and adore.
          ("All My Hope on God Is Founded," WOV 782, v. 3)

“Ravenous Greed” (Mark 12:38-44)

Mark 12:38-44

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Pastor Tom Johnson, November 11, 2018

James Tissot: The Widow's Mite

Mark’s account of the widow who gives two small copper coins is part of a pair of stories that includes Jesus’ warning of the Pharisees’ greed and misuse of power. He begins with the word “Beware.” This is a warning. It is Jesus standing at the crossroads telling us not to go down the a destructive path. And the destructive path is the path of greed. Jesus goes behind what we see with our eyes and hear with our ears to reveal to us what God sees—the condition of the heart. Beware—watch out—look out for the seductive power of greed of the Pharisees. Through their status and sense of entitlement, they have found ways to prominence in public and ways to exploit the poor in private.

This is Jesus’ way of pulling the mask off to show us the real person inside. What you may think you see is a wealthy, well-known, and happy public person. But what Jesus reveals is someone who is being consumed from the inside out by greed. “They devour widow’s houses,” Jesus says. This is a very real case of a social injustice that Jesus identifies here. And the words he uses identifies the sinful appetite the Pharisees have for money and power. They are consuming the possessions of the poor. Their hunger for more is so intoxicating that they will even exploit those who have very little. They have been bewitched by money. And under the spell of greed they have lost all sense of loving their poor neighbor as they would want themselves to be loved.

It should be a wake up call to us all. Things are not what the seem when we see millionaires and billionaires and people in power. They are just as susceptible as anyone else to the seduction of money and power. Jesus says, “Beware.” Don’t believe the lie of riches. Don’t get consumed by an appetite for things. In the end, you and I will do things—terrible things that we never would have imagined ourselves doing—like taking from the poor to line the pockets of the rich. In other words, don’t fool yourself. Any one of us could be seduced and deceived by the race to have more and better stuff and money. The ways people stole from the poor and devoured widow’s houses is all over the Old Testament in the book of Job (22:8f; 24:2f), Isaiah (10), Proverbs (15:25), Deuteronomy (10:18), and Exodus (22:22). Those in power would move property lines which had the effect of taking land away from the poor. The state and the temple would demand taxes from people who clearly had no money. When a person could not pay cash, they would take valuable livestock and land away. Or they would seize crops and even sell them or loved ones away as slaves. In the Reformer Martin Luther’s explanation of the 7th commandment, “You shall not steal,” he asks, “What does this mean?” “We should fear and love God so that we do not take our neighbor’s money or possessions, or get them in any dishonest way, but help him improve and protect his possessions and income.”

Widows were the most vulnerable in society. They were often women with young children who had been abandoned and forgotten. Instead of finding the compassion and help they need, they are further exploited. It is an easy thing to do if we do not take the time to hear the stories of people around us. That is why Jesus takes off the second mask. This time, it is a mask of poverty and unworthiness. On the face of things, it is just two small copper coins. But Jesus says, if you look behind the mask you have a person who is generous in spirit and love. She gave more, Jesus says. Because she gave all she had—all she had to live on. What looks worthless is priceless to Jesus.

Beware of the ravenous greed that will consume you and others. Instead, follow the humble and godly spirit of this poor widow. The Temple is priceless to her. Her value is not in copper, silver, or gold. Her value is in the forgiveness of sins the Temple represents. Her sense of worth is in the promise of the Temple of God who says I will dwell among my people. The good news is not the two copper coins that the Temple gained that day. It was the gift of love and faithfulness that God produced in the heart of a worshiper. She is responding to the gift of salvation and the love that God has for her first.

Theologians call this an imputed righteousness. It is value God gives to someone who could never purchase it or produce it themselves. Instead he reckons us rich by his grace and love. He purchases us—not with copper, sliver or gold—but with his precious blood on the Cross of Calvary. We don’t need to play dress up in our long robes and fancy dress. We are clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. We do not need to make a name for ourselves. We bear the name of Jesus—the name above all names. We do not need to barter and jockey for a position at the table. Jesus spreads a table before us and says, “Take, eat. Drink of it, all of you.” Receive my true Body and Blood. It is free. You are welcome no matter your station in life, your background, or tragic story of loss. “You are precious to me,” Jesus says. “So much so I give all that I have and all that I am to you. So you can receive the gift of my love and pass it on.”

“No more crying” (Revelation 21:1-6)

Revelation 21:1-6

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Pastor Tom Johnson, November 4, 2018

Have you ever thought about why we humans cry? If you are cutting onions or have something in your eye, your tear ducts will open up and will try flush the eyes of whatever is irritating that very sensitive area of the body. Why do we cry when we are sad, grieving or, for some of us, when we are laughing? The scientific community is not exactly sure. They have found stress hormones and painkillers in tears. Some think if we are too happy or too sad tears have a way of stabilizing a person’s mood which also impacts the heart rate and breathing. Some also think that tears elicit sympathy from those around us. We, in a sense, invite others to share our extreme sadness or happiness.

Anatomy of lacrimation

In our Gospel reading, Jesus begins to weep. The eternal Son of God who has become human share this very human experience. His friend Lazarus is dead. Jesus shares the grief that his sisters Mary and Martha feel. Even though he knows he is about to raise their brother from the dead, he validates their sense of loss by his tears. In our readings from Isaiah and Revelation, we are given a vision of the Kingdom of Heaven where God “will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” God validates our tears for a lifetime of loss and grief. We have invited him in to our world of pain and sadness. God sees us. We are not invisible. Our crying has become prayer. He has heard our pleas for sympathy. Even the Apostle Paul remembers the tears of Timothy in his letter to him in Scripture. Those tears remind Paul to pray for his friend and fellow shepherd in the faith. Tears are prayer. Tears are a call to prayer. And they are also a call to action. Just as he told the Israelites who spent 400 years in slavery in Egypt, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and bring them...to a good and broad land” (Ex 3:7,8).

But why did it take 400 years for God to act on those tears? Why did Jesus come after Lazarus had died and not before? And why this promise of his wiping away our tears at the end of all time and the beginning of eternity? We want relief and comfort now. And perhaps that is why we do not mourn, grieve, or shed tears as much as we ought to. In a way, we are naming our pain and loss by our crying. We may think it is easier to simply live in denial and plug up those tear ducts and emotions. We take it upon ourselves to stop the crying and wipe away our own tears and pretend that everything is all right. It can be harder to make ourselves vulnerable in front of others and even before the true and living God. God sees our grief even without our tears. He hears our groaning that is too deep for words. He has heard all four hundred years of collective grief. He knows every loss and sad-ness in each individual’s lifetime. Psalm 56 (v. 8) even says that God keeps our tears in a bottle—he puts our tears into the archives until the end of time. It is for a lack of faith that we do not cry before God as Jesus cried before a grieving family. Or it is because of pride that we do not want to be seen as weak or handle it ourselves without the help of others and even without the help of God.

Today we name our loss as a Christian community—as a family of faith. We utter the names of individuals that have passed from this vale of tears into mountain of God’s paradise. We chime the bell to validate our loss and to celebrate God’s gain. It is good for the soul to shed our tears together. We are in a safe place. It is okay to be angry, lonely, sad, questioning, accepting. It is okay to not feel those emotions in that order. It is okay to unload it all upon God just as Scripture says, “Cast all your anxie-ties upon God, because he cares for you” (1 Pet 5:7). Today we have a vision of all those we have lost. God has wiped every tear from their eyes. Death is no more. There is no mourning or crying in that great heavenly host that no one can number. And here is the amazing truth. You and I are among their number. All these saints stand outside time and space. We are the ones gathered from all over the world from every tribe, nation, tongue and people.” We are the those gathered from the beginning of time, now, until the end of time. This is not just a future hope. It is a present reality. Just as Jesus weeps fully confident in his own power to raise Lazarus from the dead. So we weep as those fully confident in Jesus who died and rose again. Our tears acknowledge our very real pain today but in the sure and certain hope of the resurrection of the dead.

The visions from Isaiah and Revelation and the words of Jesus assure us that there is a great reunion to come. And that great reunion has already begun. Our loss has already led to gain. Our sadness has turned to joy. Our tears have begun to be wiped away by the nail scarred hands of our Savior. Every week we have a foretaste of this feast to come when we gather together in the name of Jesus who wept for us, died for us, and rose again from the dead for us. Each week we hear that profound reminder, “Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name, evermore praising You and saying, ‘Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of pow’r and might: Heaven and earth are full of Your glory. Hosan-na. Hosanna. Hosanna in the highest.’”

“Liberating Truth” John 8:34

John 8:31-36

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Pastor Tom Johnson, October 28, 2018

Jesus gives us that powerful promise: “You will know the truth and the truth will make you free.” But those who hear the promise cannot receive it. They cannot trust in it. Because they don’t believe they are in captivity or ever have been held in captivity. That is part of the irony of how these descendants of Abraham respond. “We have never been slaves to anyone.” Did they somehow forget that Abraham had a great-grandson named Joseph who was sold into slavery by his brothers? Soon after Joseph, the whole nation of Israel were slaves and captives in Egypt. They were in bondage in Egypt for 400 years. They could not see slavery in their heritage and history. And they could not see their present bondage to sin. They fail to understand just how destructive and deceptive sin can be in our lives. Sin is not just the bad things we do and the failure to do good things. Sin is a slave driver that keeps us in bondage. Sin is like a warden who wants to keep us in prison forever.

Jesus tells us that it is the truth of God’s Word that will set us free. Sometimes the Word of God is difficult to hear—especially when it tells us that we have fallen short of the glory of God—that we do harm to others and our selves—and that we have failed to be the blessing to God and others that we are created to be. But even worse than that, it is difficult to hear that we are not even in control. We need a veil lifted from our eyes. We need to have our ears and hearts opened to receive the truth—even when it hurts—even when it is difficult to understand and accept. That is what the Law does. The Holy Spirit through the Word of God shows us our captivity. We realize what we confessed earlier together: We are sinful and unclean. We have sinned in thought, word, and deed by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved God and our neighbor as we are called to do.

What Jesus wants us to understand that this conviction of sin—this revelation that we are sinners and cannot free ourselves from our bondage to sin is a liberating truth. How can we want or find deliverance if we don’t even know that we are in bondage? Like those born into slavery and have never known anything different, so we are born into sin and do not know anything different. It is a kind and loving thing for God to show us that we are in bondage. That is part of the truth that will set us free—to simply know that we are not yet as free as God created us to be.

Martin Luther, the German reformer called the state of the church in his day “The Babylonian Captivity.” He saw people around him weighed down by their sins. They could never do enough penance or give enough to the church to find freedom from guilt, shame, and the power of sin. The Babylonian captivity was also the captivity of church leadership and false doctrine. It was the lie that God requires people to all sorts of things to get into a right relationship with him. It is the bondage of never being able to do enough to be free. Luther re-discovered the simplicity and beauty of Jesus’ words, “You will know the truth and the truth will make you free.” The hard truth is that we are sinful and broken people—that we need a savior and a deliverer from our bondage to sin.

This is a liberating truth. And it is an even more liberating truth to know that our Savior and Deliver has come. God the Father sent his eternal Son into the world to be born of the virgin Mary.  And his name is Jesus Christ.  Where we have failed, Jesus has succeeded. He lived a perfect life under the Law and Word of God. He loved his neighbors and his enemies. He healed and preached the Good News. He died on the cross to purchase a place for us in heaven. He rose again so that we too will rise to eternal life. “You will know the truth and the truth will make you free,” Jesus says. It is through the truth of God’s Word that we find our freedom. We are emancipated and set free from slavery to sin through the truth of the Gospel. We are set free from meaninglessness and the chaos and confusion of being held cap-tive by sin and it’s power. And we do not need to be weighed down and in bondage to all sorts of religious rituals and demands upon us. We are delivered from bondage by God’s grace through faith. All we need to do is trust in the words and in the person of Jesus. That is what the Reformation is all about. We re-form our thinking to be according to the truth of the Word of God. We are now set free from an unexamined life not worth living. We have been liberated into a God pleasing life where we can love God and others the way he has created us to live.  This is why Martin Luther was willing to risk his own life. Because God has not called us to live under the tyranny and rule of sin. He has called us to freedom.

So, shake the shackles off your wrists and ankles. The cell doors locking you in have been opened. Get out of the dark and dank dungeon. The prison of sin, guilt, and shame has no more claim on you. You are free. Feel the fresh air blow on your faces. Breathe in the sweet aroma of forgiveness. Walk out into the light of God’s love that shines so brightly from the Son who died and rose again for you.

“Ransom” (Mark 10:45)

Mark 10:35-45

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“Ransom” Mark 10:45
Pastor Tom Johnson, October 21, 2018

It seems that we spent a number of Sundays hearing the disciples argue about who is the greatest in the Kingdom, jealousy toward other workers, not valuing the little ones, and this morning James and John’s desire to be in a position of power. Jesus tells them that they do not know what they are asking for. He reminds them how the world works. Earthly leaders like to lord it over their subjects. We see that today in the upcoming fight for more seats in congress so that the party who wins the majority can possess more power. Jesus turns the whole discussion around. Greatness in the Kingdom is not about ruling over others or making all the important decisions that impact others. Jesus says that is the way of the world—“their great ones are tyrants over them,” he says. Jesus says human leaders often misuse and abuse their power.

In contrast, Jesus says of himself, that “even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and give his life a ransom to many.” And in that beautiful description of himself he includes a word that has its roots in one of the greatest abuses of power—human trafficking. When we hear the word ransom today, we may think of kidnapping and the money it takes to buy the freedom of those being held in captivity. But in Jesus’ day it was the money used to purchase, sell, and traffic in human beings. And so it is in our day. This would include child and adult prostitution, child soldier recruitment, forced labor, forced child labor, debt labor or bondage, domestic servitude, and selling of human organs. One statistic says there are over 20,000 people trafficked in the Chicagoland area each day.

Many of you will remember that our very own Sara Dornacker made it her passion to bring an end to human trafficking in Chicago—particularly prostitution by reaching out to them and working toward their freedom. Sadly, Sara’s life was cut short but her impact on me an many others still goes on. But what Jesus really wants us to see, in addition to all the abuse of world leaders is how we can also be little tyrants in our own circles. James and John want to sit in power with Jesus in glory. We may not be as ambitious as they are but Jesus wants us to learn what it is not to be served but to serve. Human trafficking is an extreme example of using another human being as a piece of property, exploiting them, and not seeing their value and dignity as human beings—that they also bear the image of God. Any time we see another person as a means to our ends, we are wanting to be served rather than to serve. Our own sense of worth, greatness, and pride may be the driving force behind this just as it was behind James and John’s request.

Jesus charges us to become slaves and to serve others. So any manipulation of others, micromanagement, overexertion of authority, not respecting boundaries, or selfish gain goes against what Jesus tells us we should be like. We should remember what Jesus says: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Church leaders are charged with “equipping the saints for the work of the ministry for building up the body of Christ” (Eph 4:12). As the Church leader, Jesus encourages us to not seek to be served but to serve. To put it simply, Jesus says to James, John, and to all of us. It is not about you. It is not about me. It is about loving God and neighbor. It is about serving God and serving neighbor. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and give his life a ransom to many.”

It is an amazing vision of the way things should be. The eternal Son of God became human. He did not come to throw his weight around. He did not come to subject creation to himself in a well-executed maneuver of power. As Creator of heaven and earth, he came to bring to completion the good work he has begun in us. He came to serve creation. He is the One who created and now sustains the universe by the Word of his power. He served us by listening to us, seeing us, healing us, doing good, preaching good news, challenging our unhealthy thinking and attitudes. He served us by suffering in-justice, death upon a Roman Cross, and rising again from the dead. His life upon the Cross of Calvary is our ransom. Just as a person could have their freedom purchased in Jesus day, in the days of slavery in the United States, and even in our day, so Jesus bought our freedom. And the means of our redemption and release from bondage is not gold and silver but his precious Blood. It is the greatest service ever given to the world—to free us from all that holds us captive—our sin, evil in the world, and even death itself.

But now the bonds of death are burst,
The ransom has been paid;
You now ascend the Father’s throne
In robes of light arrayed

O let Your mighty love prevail
To purge us of our pride
That we may stand before Your throne
By mercy purified.
         “O Christ, Our Hope, Our Hearts’ Desire” (LSB 553, vv. 3,4)

“Anointed” (James 5:13-20)

James 5:13-20

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Pastor Tom Johnson, September 30, 2018

In our Scripture this morning, James wants us to throw ourselves wholeheartedly into prayer. He wants us to believe that our prayers work—that our prayers are not in vain. He wants to assure us that God works in our lives through prayer. “Are any among you, suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church to pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.” Are any of you down in life? Prayer will lift you up. Anyone feeling great? Give God the thanks and praise—sing, hum, make melody in your heart to God. Did you just get some bad medical news? Now is the time to lean on your church. We want to lift you up in our prayers. I want to pray for you as your pastor. The elders of our church are eager to surround you and uphold you in prayer. The oil of prayer is ready to cover you with a peace that transcends all understanding. “Confess your sins to one another,” James says, “and pray for one another, so that you may be healed.” We should be safe here. Nobody is going to be fooled. We are all flawed human beings. “We have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” It should be secure enough in our love for one another to be vulnerable.

"Anointing of the Sick" Rogier van der Weyden (1399-1464)

This is not a hymn singing club or a lecture hall. This is a church. This is not a political venue. This is more a hospital for sinners. How sweet it is to throw the weight of guilt off our backs for one another—to assure one another of the forgiveness and new life we have in Jesus Christ! And here is the encouragement James wants us to have—“The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.” I like the King James Version, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man (and woman) availeth much.” In other words, prayer according to God’s command is a force to be reckoned with. Prayer in genuine faith in the strength of the name of Jesus works. Prayer makes a difference. Prayer works. And even more accurately, God works through prayer. It is our neglect of prayer that sets us back. We are told in Scripture that Jesus intercedes for us—he engages in intercessory prayer for us at the strong hand of the Father (Ro 8:34). And the Holy Spirit intecedes for us in our weakness when we do not know what to pray (Rom 8:26)

We pray because God first prays for us. We pray back to God. It how we talk to God and he to us. Communication is an essential part of any healthy relationship. If things are going well for us, we should not take it for granted. Good health, relationships, work, and life are a gift. Every day we get out of bed is another gift from God. We should sing and be grateful. If things are not going well, we should not think we are a burden to God. He is already praying for us. He loves to hear from his children just as our parents and grandparents love to hear from their children and grandchildren.

We should not think we are a burden to one another. James puts the initiative on the sick to call on the elders. We should swallow our pride and call on one another. It may be your turn to be prayed for now. It will be someone else’s turn tomorrow. The image of elders gathering around the sick and anointing them as they pray is powerful. No, anointing with oil is not another sacrament tucked away in James’ sermonic letter. Is it necessary? No. Jesus does not command it or institute it. But it was the practice of the early church. And I believe it is a powerful reminder of the presence of the Holy Spirit and the Anointed One, Jesus Christ. It is a picture of God covering us with prayer—that we are saturated with the grace of God.

I have heard people say many times, “I sensed God’s people pray for me.” Or, “I felt the strength of your prayers.” We should not deny ourselves the blessing. We are not alone. God is with us. The prayers of his people are with us.  As Psalm 133 says, “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers and sisters dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head.” Jesus is the anointed one. That is what the Hebrew word Messiah means. It is what the Greek word Christ means. He is the one who is anointed by God to bring forgiveness, life, healing, and salvation to the world. And that is the powerful promise we have in the name of Jesus. That God covers us—our cup runneth over—through prayer. In our prayers this morning, we have already been anointed by the Word, and the confession and forgiveness of our sin. We are God’s anointed. He has placed that indelible mark on our foreheads through Holy Baptism. The Anointed One himself—Jesus Christ—gave his life on the Cross and gives us his Body and Blood to assure us of forgiveness and eternal life.

On November 10, I am excited that we will host a Jazz band from New York City for a special Jazz Vespers service right here at First Saint Paul’s at 5 PM. Part of this service will be the opportunity to come forward for individual prayer and anointing with oil. Pastor David Griebel from St. James is excited to help me.

During Communion we will sing, “There Is a Balm in Gilead.” It is an answer to a question in Scripture from Jeremiah (8:22): “Is there no balm in Gilead?” The answer is, “Yes, there is.”

Sometimes I feel discouraged
And think my work’s in vain,
But then the Holy Spirit
Revives my soul again.
There is a balm in Gilead
To make the wounded whole;
There is a balm in Gilead
To heal the sin-sick soul.
          "There Is a Balm in Gilead" (LSB 749 v. 1)

“Servant of all” (Mark 9:33-37)

Mark 9:33-37

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Pastor Tom Johnson, September 23, 2018

When Jesus asks his disciples what they were arguing about he already knows. That his way of bring about their conviction. They are silent—speechless. It is embarrassing. With a penetrating question, they realize their foolishness. The disciples were arguing about who was the greatest among them. Even their silence is self-serving. No one wants to be called out for their pride. None of us want to be outed as a self-promoting narcissist. So they don’t say anything at all. Jesus’ question, “What were you arguing about on the way?” teaches us something important. Pride is competition. It’s when we want to be first. It’s when we want to be greatest. If we go down this path of self-promotion, our lives become a turf war. It will become all about proving to others how indispensable we are. We will be a servant either way. We either are a servant to our pride or we are a servant to God and others. Jesus shows us that serving ourselves is actually not good for us. We are not serving or loving ourselves in a healthy way. James says in our Scripture reading, “For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind.” In other words, our pride and self-service will only lead to greater chaos, confusion, evil, and harm to others. Jesus has a gentle way of confronting our pride. He does not call us to stop the nonsense. He gives us a higher call.

“Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” The first step toward greatness—in the Kingdom of God—is to get our eyes off of ourselves. Up until that point each of the disciples were focused on themselves. With a word, Jesus tells them to stop serving self and serve all. Jesus opens the prison doors—the prison of our self-centeredness—he opens the door to the vast world of people out there just waiting to be accepted, loved, and served. All this to say that the wrong kind of self-esteem can blind and paralyze us. It keeps us from answering God’s call to put ourselves last and others first—to become a servant of all. Jesus turns their world upside down when he takes a small child up into his arms. This is what greatness looks like—Jesus welcoming a child into his arms. The child is accepted just as he or she is. The greatness is not in the child. The greatness is in the radical acceptance and radical welcoming heart of Jesus. Jesus says that we are to become servants of all—all. That means God calls us to serve everyone—every human being that he brings across our paths.

Jesus is telling us that one of the greatest ways we can serve one another is to welcome others—to be hospitable to our neighbor all in the name of Jesus. This is what it means to welcome others in Jesus’ name. We do something in Jesus’ name when we do it out of Christ’s love, command, and authority. Our acceptance of others and service to others is not for us—or even for them. It is for the Kingdom of God. It is for the King—Jesus. And we love him and we love others because he first loved us. We know we are not worthy of such love. But he forgives us, accepts us, picks us up, and brings us into strength and protection of his arms. What greater calling can there be but to serve others as Christ has served us? We get to participate in Kingdom ministry. In the name of Jesus, we reach out to others. In the name of Jesus we lift them up. In the name of Jesus we find value in them. In the name of Jesus we embrace others.

Jesus’ profound words remind us that this is how we love God back...by our welcome to others. “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.” The writer of Hebrews reminds us that when we welcome and show hospitality to strangers, we can entertain angels unawares (Hebrews 13:2). In this case, the angel is the Angel of the Lord—Jesus Christ himself. Ultimately we serve God our Creator and heavenly Father.

This world needs to be a kinder place. Jesus looks at the bickering, competition, and his self-serving disciples. And he gives them a new vision—of a world where we serve and treat one another with dignity, selflessness, and love. This is not just an empty call to be nicer. It is a transformation of our worldview and our mission as God’s people. It is a change of heart and of mind. That is what the Scriptures call true repentance. What freedom and joy there is to know how God looks at us and those around us. We are his precious children. He wants us to serve one another whether we are family or strangers...whether we are old or young...whether we are big or small. We are so bound up in him that to love one another is to love God himself.

Welcome to our world—a world that God created, where we are deeply loved and cherished, forgiven, and assured of eternal life in his Kingdom which has no end. Welcome to the world where Jesus puts himself last by surrendering his life on the cross. Welcome to the world where he rises from the dead in service and for the life of the world.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

“Taming the tongue” (James 3:1-12)

James 3:1-12

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Pastor Tom Johnson, September 16, 2018

“For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no one can tame the tongue—it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” James does not mince words. He sees the destruction—the hurtful things people say, the broken relationships, bullying, slander, and gossip. He gives us a perfect illustration of the reality of the human tongue—no one can tame the tongue. It’s a jungle out there. Tongues are running wild. Tongues are tearing things up and tearing things down. Tongues are spitting poison and spreading poison. Tongues are running around
without boundaries or accountability. And apparently, things have not changed in the course of these last two thousand years. That is a long time to domesticate the tongue, that wild beast. We have trained dolphins to serve the United States Navy. We have trained homing pigeons to deliver our mail. We have trained dogs to guide the blind and sniff out bombs.

But we have utterly failed to train that little, red, squishy, wet muscle that resides in our very own mouths. We bless and curse with the same tongue. And James says, “It is so” but “It ought not to be so”! We cannot help ourselves. We know in our brain that it is wrong to judge, gossip, slander, and tear people down with our words. And even though our brain is within inches of our tongues, we are helpless to put a muzzle on that feral creature.

The book of proverbs is rich with how God wants us to tame our speech: “The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin” (10:8). “The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off” (10:31). “Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense, but a person of understanding remains silent” (11:12). “Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets, but the one who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered” (11:13). “When there are many words, sin is not lacking, but whoever restrains their lips is prudent” (10:19). And my favorite, “Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when they close their lips, they are deemed intelligent” (17:28). Or, as one person put it, “Better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.” It is our tongues that betray us. Because at the root of our tongues is the sin in our hearts and the palpable evil in the world. Our tongues are not just difficult to control, reign in, or restrain. James says it is impossible. “No one can tame the tongue,” he says. But of course, what is impossible for humans is possible for God.

A few weeks ago, I took my kids to see the movie Alpha. It is a movie based on archeological evidence that scientists estimate is 24,000 years old in Chavet Cave in modern day France. It is two footprints in clay, side by side, for over 150 feet. One track is of an 8-10 year old child and the other of a full grown wolf. The movie is about the relationship between a wild wolf and a boy. I promise not to spoil the movie for you if you choose to see it. But one beautiful thing about the story is how the boy tames the wolf and the wolf tames the boy. The key to their leaving their wild instincts behind is survival. They are better off working together for their mutual good than they are fighting to stay alive alone. We have been able to tame wild animals when we show them there is a benefit they will also receive in this relationship.

James is saying that our tongues have nothing to gain by learning to obey and be helpful. And the reason is that the tongue is set afire by hell. Or as Jesus says to Peter in our Gospel, his words are not from himself but Satan, the Adversary! James wants us to see that we are better off working together for our mutual good—to bless and build one another up with our words. It is truly a jungle out there. Life is difficult enough. There are plenty of adversaries. Why add our wild tongues to the mix? The reality is that the tongue has tamed us! And that we truly cannot help ourselves. Our own hearts are held captive by sin and that venom comes spewing out of our mouths. It ought not to be so. Every week before I preach I pray, “O Lord, open my lips and my mouth will declare your praise. Make haste, O God, to deliver me. Make haste to help me, O Lord.” “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Amen.”

You’ll remember that Pentecost was the day God showed that he can tame the tongue. The Holy Spirit came in as fiery tongues. God’s people were able to speak in various tongues, languages, and dialects proclaiming the mighty acts of God. They blessed and did not curse their neighbor. The drew people into the Kingdom not driving them away. If someone visits our community of faith and hears us gossiping and not speaking well of each other, they will run away and never come back because we are like a wild hornets nest. That is why God sends the Holy Spirit enters into our lives through Baptism and the Word of God. He helps us use our tongues for blessing not cursing, to build up not tear down, to glorify God not profane humanity. Even when Jesus was dying on the Cross, he used his tongue for blessing and not for cursing. Even though he could have called an army of angels to destroy his enemies he says, “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” When Jesus died, he did not just set us free from the consequences of sin, evil and death. He frees us from their power. In him we are made new body, soul, and tongue.

“Be opened” (Mark 7:31-37)

Mark 7:31-37

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Pastor Tom Johnson, September 9, 2018

In first grade I was diagnosed with dyslexia. I was a slow reader. Even today, when I write, I will flip letters. Mrs. Goffmann came to my classroom several days a week and pulled me and a few others out of class. Mrs. Goffmann had us read exercises to one another. I did this for all six years of elementary school. My grades were not terrible. But they were nothing to brag about either. What I remember most is how exhausting and frustrating it was to read and write. It felt like a disability.

In our Gospel today, several friends bring a man with two disabilities. He is deaf and he has an impediment of speech...although his speech is no doubt related to his deafness. How can somebody produce sounds they have never heard? The fact that Mark calls it an impediment means that he tried to speak with some success. What warms my heart is the anonymous “they”—whoever they are who bring this man to Jesus. What a gift and a blessing to have friends like that who love their friend enough to introduce him to Jesus. Mark is the only Gospel writer that includes the details of how Jesus heals this man. Jesus pulls him aside, sticks his fingers in his ears, spits, touches his tongue, tilts his head back, breathes out, and says, Ephphatha which means “Be opened.” What is truly amazing about this is the genius of Jesus’ approach. Before he even heals this man, he already overcomes his disability. Jesus does not treat him with any disrespect. Jesus knows he is capable and an intelligent person.

Jesus uses the senses of touch and sight to communicate clearly with this man. Jesus knows he has developed the skill of lip reading. When Jesus looks up toward the sky he is showing him the tablet upon which Jesus writes his message. Jesus raises his bottom lip to the top front teeth and held there, then he extends his tongue forward to stick out between his exposed teeth spelling out this Aramaic word in all three of its letters. Jesus makes his Word and his ministry accessible to all. In Jesus, there are no disabilities—only opportunities to creatively bring the Gospel to people according to their strengths. It is well documented that people who do not have (or are weaker in) one sense will develop much stronger and keener other senses. In the case of the deaf man, Jesus knew that he was strong in his sense of touch and sight.

God calls us to view those around us with the same kind of empathy and wisdom. How can you and I learn how to better communicate the love of God to those around us? Do we as a church make God’s Word accessible in the fullest sense? Do we see inability in others or potential to share the Gospel in creative ways? Are we like those anonymous friends of the deaf man? Are we looking out for our friends and family and introducing them to Jesus? Are we okay not making a name for ourselves but simply serving and loving our neighbor? The authenticity of these friends and the help Jesus brings are astounding.

My freshman year in high school I took Spanish. To my own surprise, it was not difficult for me. I excelled in Spanish. I loved how consistent and phonetic Spanish is. What you hear matches perfectly with what you see—unlike our friend English. I discovered that I am an auditory learner. I learn best by what I hear rather than what I see. Most people are visual learners. Others are more kinesthetic learners—they learn best by physically doing something. A combination of all three is ideal. It explains why I had no problem learning how to read and write music. And why I did much better in school when I stopped taking notes and just listened. To this day I can devour audio books very quickly. Maybe these differences in the way we learn and grow are not so much disabilities but discovering our strengths.

As we enter a new school year, that would be a great challenge for us students—to love ourselves by finding the best way we learn. And then to learn to love each other in ways that it can be best received and understood. Be opened! Open up your hearts and minds to the rich variety of God’s creation and his creatures. Open yourself up to the multi-sensory Good News of Jesus Christ!

I believe in Word and Sacrament ministry. I believe God blesses us and strengthens us spiritually through the Word of God that is read with the eyes but also received into the ears through the spoken word as well as through the fingertips of Braille. I believe God works through the splash of water, Word, and Holy Spirit. I believe that God assures us of—and gives us forgiveness and grace through the eating, chewing, tasting, swallowing, drinking, and warm flow of wine down our throats in the giving of his Body and Blood. I believe in Word and Sacrament ministry because that is what Christ commands and institutes in the Scriptures. But I also believe in it because it shows that God is relentless in bringing us the Good News of him who died and rose again for our forgiveness and eternal life through sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell.

Open your eyes, ears, mouths, nostrils, and hands. Experience the love of God in all your humanity. Open your arms, minds, and hearts to those around you. Be opened to what the Lord promises to do—what no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.”

“Human Tradition” (Mark 7:1-13)

Mark 7:1-13

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Pastor Tom Johnson, September 2, 2018

Part of me is with the Pharisees. I’m all for washing our hands before we eat, washing cups and pots and copper vessels and vacuuming dining couches. The Pharisees were minimizing rodents, bugs, and germs. But when Jesus’ disciples come for dinner, they wrap their grubby fingers around their cups. They grab their polished copper vessels with their grimy hands. They put their dirty feet all over their spotless dining couches. The Pharisees and Scribes are not just offended by these disciples bad manners. They are offended by Jesus because he has not taught them to follow the tradition of the elders. Jesus does not make them wash their hands before supper.The Pharisees and Scribes might have pointed to the Scriptures. In both Exodus and Leviticus the priests are instructed to wash their hands and feet ritually. They are even threatened with death if they don’t. These are commandments for priests. But they want to apply it to everyone. “If God wants the Levites to ritually clean their hands in the Temple,” the elders thought, “wouldn’t it be good for us to clean our hands in our homes? Seems pretty harmless, doesn’t it, to follow the tradition of the elders? The problem is that rather than it being a voluntary act of piety, they make it into a rule and a tradition—and even worse—they measure peoples’ devotion to God according to this human commandment.

And so the Pharisees and Scribes ask Jesus, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” “What sort of Rabbi are you anyway, Jesus? Why do your followers act like uneducated and irreverent men?” Jesus says to them, “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.’ You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.” “God had you in mind, religious leaders, when Isaiah wrote those words generations ago. Your washing and polishing may brighten your cups and vessels, but there is still a stain on your soul. Your hands may look clean but you ignore your unclean hearts and spirits.”

What I believe bothers Jesus so much is not the washing, polishing, and sweeping before they eat—it is their judgmental attitude toward others—it is measuring people’s religiosity and placing people into categories. By their focus on tradition, they have twisted the Word of God. By their attention to rituals and rubrics, they no longer know what true worship is. If Jesus thought Isaiah’s words were God’s Word for the Pharisees and Scribes generations later, we should hear the same warning for ourselves: Do not put human tradition above God’s commands. Sadly, in Canada and the United States, some Christians tried to “civilize” Native Americans by cutting their hair, requiring certain clothing, and prohibiting their native languages. A few generations ago, many of our churches prohibited dancing and skirts above the knee. A few years ago, I was asked by a visitor what kind of Lutheran church this is. I said, “It is the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.” She responded, “You mean the Misery Synod? We called it that because they wouldn’t let us dance!”

Today, we have churches and pastors publicly endorsing political candidates. Or we might question the authenticity of someone’s faith if they are not as passionate as we are about one cause or another. Or we put unnecessary obstacles in the way of people freely coming to worship with us whether they are written, spoken, or unspoken. People are smart. They know when they are not welcome. We do not even need to say what is in our hearts.

Years ago I was talking with one of our church leaders about a controversial issue. “Tom,” he said, “this is what you do.” And he grabbed a Bible and slapped it on his desk. He pushed the Bible toward me slowly and said, “Show me. Show me where it is forbidden or where it is commanded.” Jesus was harsh with the Pharisees because they were making a mountain out of a mole hill—majoring on minors. And even more importantly, they were holding people back from understanding God’s grace. What really matters is true worship—not what we do for God but what he has done for us.

True worship is not washing our hands before supper. True worship is receiving God’s tremendous gifts in our grubby little hands. True devotion is not polishing copper vessels. True devotion is filling these clay vessels with his true Body and Blood. True faithfulness is not vacuuming off the couches so that we can sit rightly before God. True faithfulness is God washing us with the Word and the waters of Holy Baptism. So leave other people’s dirty hands alone. Allow your Christian friends to vote for the other guy. Don’t judge your sister or brother for their body art or their golf shirts. Don’t leave the commandment of God and the Good News of Jesus for the tradition of human beings. Things that we think are important—and they may be—should still not be an obstacle to people hearing the good news. There is a wide variety of human beings out there—with different perspectives, traditions, and cultures. Not all these differences are bad. But Christ did die and rise for all. It’s not our job to change them. It’s our privilege to tell them the Good News.

“Powers and Principalities” (Ephesians 6:10-20)

Ephesians 6:10-20

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Pastor Tom Johnson, August 26, 2018

The daily news should be enough to convince us of the evidence of evil. I’m not talking about a demon behind every bush—or a red devil with horns and a pitchfork type of evil. I’m talking about an evil that is so deep, so insidious, so pervasive that we are often left speechless—and with more questions than answers. Perhaps this is the same chill that came up the Apostle Paul’s spine when he wrote, “For our struggle is not against enemies of flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Paul is speaking about evil—evil so pervasive that it is at work in the hearts of more than one person at a time—evil that causes both personal and corporate sin. This Scripture reminds us that evil is beyond our human control and power.

One of the greatest examples of this is from the life of Jesus himself. When Jesus stood before Herod and Pontius Pilate, Herod and Pontius Pilate are not the ultimate source of evil—they are only flesh and blood. Even they are held captive to the cosmic powers of darkness and spiritual forces in the heavenly places. Pilate says “I find no guilt in this man,” but because of the crowds, his wife’s dreams, and the Roman Empire he is powerless to do the right thing and let an innocent man go free. And so Paul reminds us that even those who we think have power and control are often subject and even victims of a more sinister power. Knowing this, it even makes loving our enemies and praying for our enemies possible—that even those who do the most wicked things are also victims of the same evil they are responsible for—not that they or we should not face the consequences of our actions but that all should be freed from the power evil—as our Lord taught us to pray—deliver us from evil. This is what Jesus came to do.

It’s why God’s Word today for us is not only good news but life-saving news: “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles—the schemes of the devil.” Do not fight life’s battles in your own strength. Do not try to fight evil as if evil is only of human origin—mere flesh and blood. Do not take refuge in human and worldly resources—but take refuge in someone greater—the Lord Jesus himself. For God is not only greater and stronger than flesh and blood—he is greater than all things material and immaterial. Good and evil are not two equal forces contending in the universe. As Scripture says of Jesus, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” As Peter says in our Gospel, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. You are the Holy One of God.” As John says in his letter, “Little children, you are from God, and have conquered [the evil one]; for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4).

I cannot tell you why God still allows it to be so—but we live in a world where God has not yet fully conquered evil—he has not yet brought final justice to every land and every people—he has not yet brought perfect peace. But he has begun. Even though it appeared that even Jesus the promised Messiah was himself a victim of evil—crucified in his flesh and blood by the powers and principalities of the world—death could not hold Him. The grave did not conquer him. But he rose victorious. This is a foreshadowing and a pledge of our victory over the powers and principalities of evil.

And so Paul tells us to put on the whole armor of God—to know we have every resource we need for the spiritual battle we find ourselves in—a belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes of the Gospel, a shield of faith, a helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit—the Word of God, and prayer. God wants to clothe us with his power—to put on his armor so that we can stand firm. He dresses us up in the protective righteousness of Jesus Christ. It is his goodness that shields us from the powers of darkness. He give us all this defensive armor so that we may not be spiritually harmed. As Jesus tells us, “Do not fear those who kill the body, but after that have nothing more that they can do” (Luke 12:4). But God also gives us offensive weapons—the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God and prayer. And as Christ’s Church we should not forget to take up these weapons—to be in the Word of God and to pray without ceasing.

“For our struggle is not against enemies of flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

But our victory is through the flesh and blood of Jesus, through his perfect life, healing touch, his death on the Cross, his rising again from the dead, and ultimately his coming again when he finally rights every wrong and makes all things new.

Now have I found consolation,
Comfort in my tribulation,
   Balm to heal the troubled soul.
God my shield from ev’ry terror,
Cleanses me from sin and error,
   Makes my wounded spirit whole.
                                            (“Jesus Comes Today with Healing” LSB 620 vv. 1 & 6)

"I am the Living Bread" (John 6:51-58)

John 6:51-58

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Pastor Tom Johnson, August 19, 2018

Jesus says, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” In a way, it is a comfort to know these words of Jesus were difficult to understand from the very beginning. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” they ask. Rather than simplifying their understanding, Jesus seems to complicate matters even more. “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”

2,000 years later, these words still cause a dispute between seminary students. The question is put this way: “Is John chapter 6 sacramental?” Is Jesus referring to a spiritual eating and drinking as a metaphor for receiving Jesus by faith? Or is he referring to Holy Communion? This approach to Jesus’ words can lead to endless arguments about cannibalism, distinctions between body and flesh, spiritual eating, the necessity of Communion for salvation, transubstantiation, consubstantiation...you probably get the point.

I love what the Apostle Paul says in 2 Timothy 2:14: “Remind everyone...and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers.” In other words, when our conversations are about winning theological arguments, all it does is tear people down. It ruins those who listen. Because the goal is to win so that one side or the other can say, “I am right. You are wrong.” I’m certainly not advocating an anti-intellectual Christianity. We should never check our brains at the door when we come into church. We are to be discerning, wise, and teachable. There are things each of us feels strongly about. And that is not a bad thing. But demanding everyone else to agree with our finer points of doctrine is not okay. Creating discord and confusion is not healthy or helpful. Pride is a sneaky and pernicious thing. We do harm to ourselves and others when we lose sight of what being a believer and follower of Jesus is all about. When we talk about other Christians and Christian traditions with contempt we are not only judging a child of God. We are ruining those who are listening. We are not building up the body of Christ. We are tearing it down.

What Jesus wants his hearers to discover is the greater truth and mystery of who he is. Sometimes the bigger picture is the clearer one. As the cliche goes, “We don’t see the forest through the trees.” Sometimes we do not even know the ground we are standing upon. Archeologists dig in the mud, sift through sand and dirt, and explore caves. The look for signs of civilization. They may be small artifacts. And it can take years to stumble upon them. But Sarah Parcak from the University of Alabama has a different approach. She looks from space—400 miles away using satellite cameras. She has been able to discover lost rivers, roads, and cities. Just this summer, it has been so dry in Wales in the United Kingdom that farms are revealing their secrets from these satellite photos. You can see the footprint of castles, their moats, homes, barns, and old roads dating back a thousand years.

This is the effect Jesus wants his words to have. “Take a step back. This is what I am doing for you and the world—I’m giving myself. All you need to do is receive.” “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life,” Jesus says. “And I will raise them up on the last day...I am the living Bread...the one who eats this bread will live forever. Jesus invites us to receive himself as a gift. He wants us to be his “consumers.” He wants us to enter into a relationship with him—to abide with him and he with us. He wants to enrich our lives. He wants to give us the assurance of eternal life. It really is that simple. Let us get this satellite image of the whole world and Jesus through whom everything was made.

This is the big picture: Jesus gives us himself—flesh and blood in being born of the virgin Mary. He gives himself in his teaching, healing, and spreading the good news. He gives his flesh and blood on the Cross for the forgiveness of sins. He gives his flesh and blood in his rising from the dead to assure us of our victory over death and eternal life. We receive Christ through the hearing of God’s Word which heard read and preached today. We receive it by faith. It is not earned. It is not deserved. We receive Christ through the Bread and Wine—his Body and Blood in Holy Communion. We enter this mystery every time we abide in Christ—every time we hear, eat, drink, and pray to Jesus. This should not cause a dispute between us. It should put wonder in our minds, thanksgiving in our hearts, and praise on our lips.

“Journeyman’s Bread” (1 Kings 19:4-8)

1 Kings 19:4-8

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Pastor Tom Johnson, August 12, 2018

In our reading from 1 Kings, Elijah had just come down from a mountain top experience at Mount Carmel. It was a battle between Elijah and the prophets of the false god Baal. It is a powerful and humorous story. When the false god Baal does not show up, Elijah asks if he stepped out to use the washroom. Elijah unmasks the lies and deception of false religion. The true and living God—Yahweh himself shows up in a consuming fire. People fall on their faces and confess, “Yahweh, he is God!” The false prophets are put to death. Elijah outruns by foot King Ahab who is riding a chariot over a distance of about 20 miles to Jezreel. And when King Ahab tells Queen Jezebel of it, they decide to kill Elijah. So, Elijah runs nearly 100 miles from the northern part of the Kingdom to the southern to Beersheba. Not only do I admire Elijah’s courage to boldly preach the truth to power, I am also impressed that he was an ultra-marathoner. Elijah continues a day’s journey alone into the wilderness—the same wilderness where the Israelites wandered 40 years.

Elijah’s mountaintop experience is now an all time low. He ran well over 100 miles and hiked for another day into the wilderness. He tells God he wants to die: “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.” This is called the post-adrenaline blues. Athletes and performers talk about it all the time. You can get it after a huge school or work project. It is what Winston Churchill was referring to in war when he said, “Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result.” We derive strength from the adrenaline rush and perhaps some carbs, sugar, or a little caffeine. But at some point those natural resources are not enough. Elijah’s battle is not with mere flesh and blood but against the powers and principalities of evil through false religion and the abuse of power.

Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble.” Trouble found Elijah. He is so physically, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted that death sounds like a good way out of his misery. Even the Lord’s prophet Elijah got discouraged and felt despair. This great man of God was overwhelmed by the exhausting brokenness and evil of this world. I admire Elijah’s courage, authenticity, and humility. He casts this burden upon the Lord in prayer: “Take my life. I’m no better than my ancestors.” Elijah surrenders himself to God in the spiritual cradle of prayer and then surrenders himself to the physical cradle of sleep—a temporary escape and renewing of body and soul.

Elijah is quite literally a wonderful forerunner of how we ought to meet these dark nights of the soul when all seems lost and pointless. “It is enough,” we might also be bold to cry out the emptiness of our own strength and resources. “Take my life.” For those who have been baptized have died to sin. The old self has been drowned so that the new creation, Christ in us, will be raised. In Christ, we surrender ourselves to him and commend ourselves into God’s cradling arms “body and soul and all things.” This is not self-annihilation. It’s putting our lives into the loving hands to whom our lives already belong. “For the earth is the Lord’s and all that dwell therein.” “We are not better than those who have come before us.” We have no bragging rights or self-righteousness to pull ourselves up by our own proverbial bootstraps. We are at the mercy of God who good and gracious. Each night we ought to lay our heads down on our pillows in the sure and certain confidence that those in Christ who close their eyes to this life will one day open them to God’s promise of new and eternal life.

Elijah closes his eyes in this dark place. Weeping may have tarried for the night but joy comes in the morning. The angel of the Lord touches Elijah, stirs him awake, and tells him to get up and eat the miraculous bread and water prepared for him. He does so and falls back asleep. The angel of the Lord wakes him up again and says, “Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you.” “God knows our frame.” He knows our weakness, sinfulness and limitations. He knows what our journey ahead will be just as he knew Elijah’s. God has numbered our days. He will take us home when it is our time. Today is not Elijah’s time. He gives Elijah this miraculous bread and water to strengthen him body and soul for another journey—this time 40 days and nights in the wilderness. This is the same wilderness that the Israelites wandered for 40 years. God is pointing back to the Manna and the water from the Rock that sustained his people through their dark, sinful, and difficult journey.

And for us it points ahead to him who says, “I am the Bread of Life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. ...I am the Bread of Life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. ...Whoever eats of this bread will live forever.” Do you feel that tap on your shoulder? Is God not stirring you to wake up to the new Kingdom reality? He knows our struggles. He knows our despair. He too suffered. He died and rose again so that he can offer you himself as living Bread. He knows our journey ahead. And he promises to strengthen us body and soul unto life everlasting. Get up. Take, eat. Drink of it all of you.

Do we really need bread lines? (John 6:24-35)

John 6:24-35

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Sermon by Rev. Dr. Douglas Groll

Introduction:  In Jesus’ Name, Dear Friends

For several years now WTTW,  Channel 11, has hosted a program called Check Please produced here in Chicago….and, I understand has achieved quite wide distribution.  Each week the moderator interviews three or four men and women who have all visited the same three restaurants.  One week it might be Asian Fusion or Caribbean coladas……Sometimes the restaurants are moderately priced….sometimes exorbitantly expensive…and a little bit repulsive when they show the chef with his bare fingers gingerly dropping an olive on a cube of raw salmon or of a delicate square of flounder that has been cooked by pouring liquid nitrogen or some esoteric condensed gas over it.  It is usually served on a white plate….three bites…$47.00 not including drinks.   The program should be about food…but often it says more about guests…especially when they strain to tell you that the duck is almost as good as what they had eaten in Peking….being interpreted…”I’m international…I visited Peking”  Perhaps they consider themselves cynosures….a very small elite group….a select few.

I don’t buy that…because after living for 30 years in Chicago, I am convinced that Chicago is a metropolitan area composed of millions of select tasters…cynosures if you will.especially because of one delicacy…bread.   CHICAGO HAS GREAT BREAD….THE BEST ANYWHERE.  Think about it for just a minute…  What makes your favorite restaurant?  It might be the beef..or the fish or the shrimp….but what do you reach for first?  The Bread….It could be Olive Garden’s bread sticks…the heavy thick crusted loaf you have to break with your hands at the Gale Street Inn …or the Chicago hot dog bun,….or the bun they use at Jonny’s Italian Beef on North Avenue…and they dip it in juice….(I can’t stand that) Italian loaves, Mexican tortillas (flour or corn)? Pretzel buns, Columbian or Venezuelan arepas, sourdough….bojillas, Pita,  hamburger buns, Flat Bread, Pizza bread….…..it could come from Rosens on North Avenue or Reuters on Grand.   It could be baked in the kitchens of Jewel or Whole Foods….The variety is endless….the tastes are boundless.  Bread is the one metaphor for the universality of human existence…  Our attitudes toward it bring out our best as well as the very worse of our humanity.  At our worse we get the picture of the Children of Israel …out there in the wilderness…..remembering the fleshpots of Egypt….tired of the quail by night and the mana by day…..griping…..but eating….   Or the drive that had the new Israel of Jesus’ day hounding him around the Sea of Galilee….hungry….trying to be the new and free Israel behind a new national Messiah who could give them bread.   Give us bread….give them bread…..feed us and we will be satisfied….as though what really counts in life is the size of the loaf….the sound of the crust…the softness of the dough….Give us bread and we will be content…give them bread and their needs will be met.

NOW A CHANGE OF SCENERY

How often over the past five or six weeks have we not seen the filming of the mothers and chidren in line…..in Ciudad Juarez, Tijuana, Nuevo Laredo…waiting for food  a Church immigration center giving out what they have …..a tortilla, a spoon full of beans, a fruit cup….a slice of bread…?.  And then on our side…somehow the at the ICE detention center…the bread looks better…the children separated from their parents have bigger trays….the orange juice is a deeper orange….the tray is shinier….the fruit cup is better refrigerated…..  it is food ….it is bread…?  What more could they want?  .It’s what they need….  It is the American answer to the Children of Israel in the Sinai…or the 5000 who had just been fed by Jesus up there around the Sea…..  Just give them the calories and they will be content.

Or….take a look at the food trucks on the South Side…or the schools that stay open in the summer…not necessarily because the teachers want to teach…but to somehow keep the breakfast and lunch programs going so that the thousands of children that would not otherwise get a meal……at least eat once a day…..   Here we are in the New Israel…  Keep the calories coming…. Keep the juice cold….. Make sure the milk is pasteurized….. that is all they need….that is what we want….  Bread is enough…  If we truck in enough surplus milk, and government issured orange juice…. We can forget about poor schools, endemic unemployment, a broader separation between economic classes.    We are the new Israel.

So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.

And it is not just the government….or the public in general….. We have to ask where we as a people of God fit into this.   Our District and Our Synod has remained virtually silent these months about the plight of separated children.  Synodically issued prayers are studies in pablum…showing neither anger or despair at injustice or systemic repression of human rights.  .   If you look at the Reporter or the NID newspaper you would never get the idea that there are children in Separation sites in the Chicago area…or even in Texas….that there is a crisis of violence in our city……..legitimate questions about deadly use of force…Our publications show legitimate acts of good will of well intentioned Christian Lutherans…and that is certainly important…..  But we have to ask ourselves again..”Isn’t this just making sure there are enough calories to sustain life?  Isn’t this just the bread that those people by the Sea were looking for from Jesus?   Is this what real living is about?   Where do I see myself in this picture? How am I  a part of the drama?   Am I still thinking only about my self, my privileges….still content to make sure all of us and maybe the rest of them have enough calories just to sustain life or am I interested in real living?

HERE COMES A DIFFERENT ANSWER

Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

And then…Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

John’s Gospel…and all of the Gospels for that matter are there to show God’s action in and with men. And everything that happens in them and in all of history is “bookend” with the great “I AM” of scripture.   When Moses asks  “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”     When John speaks to us and announces that the “Word Became Flesh”  he is telling us that the creator God who said “Let There Be” actually takes on humanity to be our brother.  That moves us beyond only a spiritualizing of our human God-Man relationship.  And that means that we look beyond the signs to the reality.  The big error that the children of Israel in the desert…or the Jewish nation of Jesus’ day was that they saw the signs of God’s presence the Mana or the loaves and fishes of the feeding of the 5000 as ends in themselves….instead of loving action of a God who is able to do much more than provide calories.

And that is also a big challenge for us…..We celebrate every act of Christian kindness.  Thank goodness for people who organize food drives and bread lines…..but those are calories….they in and of themselves only point to signs where the real I AM THE Bread of Life points us to a totality of life way beyond the calorie count.

Instead.  He basically says that in the incarnation he entered the totality of human life and that the one who is believing in him allows Him to pull us along into a relationship of trust…..and that relationship of trust in Christ is the true Bread….which empowers us to live confidently.

How does this play out in human life?  If the Incarnate one has entered our world it is a total entering….into the sinful state of human existence.  It listens to cries of the baptized and unbaptized separated children (and if they have come from Central and South America there is a pretty good chance they are are little brothers and sisters in Christ)…..and that means that we have to care…..  We have to rethink what are the implications of political theologies….  We have to ask,  “How will the incarnate Christ lead to new action…..systemic action that takes us beyond bread lines….and basic calorie counts and stuffed toys for tots.   We have to understand that many of our actions will be wrong….poorly thought out…full of our own self centeredness…downright sinful…but He will pick us up and bring us along.

We have to let him drag us through the messy dirty world of local, state and national concerns to care enough to pull us out of the church and into the street to act individually and corporately….Christ died for the world…not just the Church…and the great I AM would remind us that the Church in him…must now die for the world.   That is scary.  That is threatening…. That challenges our comfortable way of life.  But he does not just give us calories.

Take and Eat…Take and Drink…Here is food for the journey…Here is bread for the road…Here is the hand that will lead us through the valleys we fear and the roads unchartered…in our different ways of life…that will continue to remind us….. I AM….Alpha and Omega…Beginning and end….  The final bookend of your life….  Don’t be content with just the bread line….  Let Him lead us into real living.  Amen.