"Mercy" (Luke 6:27-38)

Luke 6:27-38

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Pastor Tom Johnson, February 24, 2019

Jesus’ words today are a portion of a longer sermon. He wants us to not only receive the mercies of God but also to extend mercy and love toward those who come across our paths—no matter who they are—even our enemies. His whole ethic seems to be hinge on this one command: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” Another translation could be, “Be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.” Mercy is withholding punishment or harm to someone. The good news is that God withholds punishment or harm toward us. In our case, we deserve punishment for the things we have done and the things we have left undone. Mercy is God not doing to us what he justifiably can do—judge and condemn us for our sins. Mercy is not giving us what we have earned and deserved for our failures. Mercy is our not being rejected and cast away. Mercy is the absence of God’s anger and judgment. Mercy is having the authority to condemn but deciding to relent. Mercy is the one who has the power to do harm but chooses not to carry it out. Mercy flows from compassion and empathy. Mercy is Joseph in our Old Testament reading. Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery. It is the highest betrayal family could do. Years later, it could have been sweet payback and poetic justice for Joseph. His brothers deserved to suffer for their sin. And yet, Joseph relents. He sees the bigger story of what God is doing.

Jesus says, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” He gives many examples of what that mercy looks like. Mercy is not hating your enemies back—it is not paying evil with evil. Mercy is not hitting those who hit you. Mercy is not doing harm to those who do harm to you. Mercy is not judging, not condemning, not demanding, and not keeping a record of wrongs. When Jesus says, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful,” he is showing us the inseparable connection between God’s mercy on us and our capacity to have mercy on others. We are reminded of this connection every time we pray the Lord’s Prayer and say, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Forgiveness is a form of mercy—withholding judgment and condemnation for offenses toward us. Forgiveness is mercy toward those who owe us a debt. This is a life-transforming truth. This is an attitude adjustment. This is the source of strength we need to be merciful toward those around us—to understand and appreciate the mercy God has first extended to each of us. This is the same connection between the great commandment to love God with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

So, when we are not merciful—when we are judgmental and self-righteous—when we revel in our power to see to it that our enemies get their just deserts, we have forgotten (or have never fully realized) God’s great mercy toward us. If there is a lack of mercy in our hearts, minds, and lives toward those around us. It is not because of the way we were raised or the tough breaks we have had in life. It is because we have not yet been amazed by the mercy of God. Only the mercy of God can transform us. We are studying Romans on Wednesdays. Paul says in chapter 12, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Mercy flows from the hearts, minds, and lives of those who live in awe of God’s mercy toward us. Mercy flows from the person who can see themselves in others and say, “Am I really any better? Don’t I deserve to suffer for my sins?” Each of our stories is different. But we now can imagine how each person around us can experience God’s mercy for themselves. That is how God kills our judgmental attitudes. That is how God deals a death blow to our mercilessness. “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Exod. 34:6). Mercy flows from God who so loves the world that he sends his only begotten Son so that whoever believes in him will not perish (mercy) but will have eternal life. It is Jesus’ suffering and death for what he did not deserve that makes God’s mercy possible. That is how much God has had mercy on us—he would not even spare his own Son for us. And his mercy is for the whole world. When Christ died, mercilessness died with him. When he rose again from the dead, he gave new life to mercy. God’s mercy flows to us. God’s mercy now flows through us.

How can your pardon reach and bless
the unforgiving heart,
that broods on wrongs and will not let
old bitterness depart?

In blazing light your cross reveals
the truth we dimly knew:
what trivial debts are owed to us,
how great our debt to you!       
                     (“Forgive our sins as we forgive” LSB 843 v. 2,3)

“Blessed are you” (Luke 6:17-26)

Luke 6:17-26

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Pastor Tom Johnson, February 17, 2019

“A great crowd...a great multitude” comes to hear Jesus speak and to be healed. Jesus heals diseases of the body. He cures those with unclean spirits. He heals the huge gathering of people of disease—of body and of spirit. However, he gives them more healing than they bargained for...his words also bring a cure to the disease of mind and soul. These words of blessing and woe are difficult to understand and to process. They are perplexing. I believe Jesus intentionally speaks this way so that we would not just gloss over what he says. He wants us to meditate on and ponder his words—not just what they mean but what impact his words should have on each of our lives. His words are meant to comfort the oppressed and to oppress the comfortable. These words are not meant to say one group of them is blessed and the other is not blessed but to show us the path to greater healing.

A few weeks ago I had a biometric screening. I went to the hospital and they drew blood. I had to fast the night before. They tested the blood to assess my health and suggest ways of being healthier. They measured the glucose level to see how healthy my pancreas is. They measured 5 different kinds of cholesterol to see how healthy my heart is. They determined how much body fat I have. They measured my blood pressure. The next day I got the results. Some of the areas were green—within a healthy range. Other areas were red—needing improvement. Each result had a paragraph of what I could do to be healthier.

In a way, this is how we should hear Jesus’ metrics—this soul screening. His words are not meant to shame us. He is not putting us permanently into the category of either the blessed or the non-blessed. When Jesus says “blessed are you” (green) he wants us to understand that our blessings are not always easy to recognize. We may suffer poverty, hunger, sadness, hatred, and persecution. We may wonder if God has abandoned us. He has not. Even though it may be difficult to see. God still loves us. He is with us. His blessings still flow. When Jesus says “woe to you” (red) he wants us to know he is grieved and saddened by our all-consuming pursuit of material things—riches, food, pleasure, good times, human approval and applause. In the end, those things are not where our blessings come from. We have been looking for happiness in all the wrong places.

In addition to asking the question, “What do Jesus’ words mean?” We should also ask, “What impact does Jesus want to have with his words?” To what end does Jesus say these profound things? He wants us to see the futility of pursuing worldly gain. He wants us to see the blessing of a relationship with him despite this world’s pain. He wants us to see our lives transformed by our new identity as followers of Jesus—those who have been healed in body, spirit, and soul. These words call us to a greater purpose—not to live merely for ourselves but to live for what transcends this world—God himself and his Kingdom. With each “Blessed are you” God draws us near to him. With each “Woe to you” God calls us to let go and surrender those things that will never fulfill. Do we see that God has blessed us even though we may have come up short in the things of this world? Do we see that it saddens God when we put our energy into those things that will pass away? True repentance is a change of mind—a transformation of the way we think—a turning away from a path of meaninglessness and emptiness. It is a turning toward a path of true fulfillment and a relationship with God that makes the things of this world pale in comparison.

We are citizens of the Kingdom of God. God has purchased us not with gold or silver but with his Son’s precious blood on the Cross. We are rich in forgiveness and eternal life. Our inheritance will not pass away. We will never be richer than we are in the love of God so powerfully revealed to us in his son, Jesus Christ. We will be filled with the marriage supper of the Lamb in his kingdom that will have no end. Even today we fill our mouths with the precious Body and Blood of Jesus and feast on his forgiveness and assurance that we are his blessed children. We can laugh and smile in the midst of difficulty. We know that greater is he who is within us than he who is in the world. It may seem like our troubles have the upper hand now but soon God will give us the victory. We rejoice now. We celebrate what God has done for us in his Son, Jesus Christ. Because we are so richly blessed to be his children, to know him, and be known.

O God, O Lord of heav’n and earth,
Thy living finger never wrote
That life should be an aimless mote,
A death-ward drift from futile birth.
Thy Word meant life triumph hurled
In splendor through Thy broken world.
Since light awoke and life began,
Thou hast desired Thy life for man.         (“O God, O Lord of Heaven and Earth” LSB 834 v. 1)

“I am what I am” (1 Corinthians 15:1-11)

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

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Pastor Tom Johnson, February 10, 2019

In our reading from 1 Corinthians, Paul reminds us of the importance of the Gospel—the good news of Jesus Christ. It is simple. “Christ died for our sins;” “he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day...according to the Scriptures.” This is not Paul’s invention. He received this message of God’s grace and love. He is now passing it along. In order to highlight his urgency and authenticity, he reminds us of his own story and how the Gospel impacted his life. You will remember, too, that Paul was a persecutor of the church. He was an accessory to the murder of Stephen and was responsible for arresting many followers of Jesus. So Paul calls himself the least worthy of all the apostles. That is the power and beauty of Paul’s conversion. He was not worthy of being called to be a servant of Christ’s Kingdom. But by the grace of God—by God’s unconditional love and gift, God calls Paul to be a servant. God has a plan for Paul. His plan is to use Paul to build up and propagate the same church he persecuted.

When God chooses the prophet Isaiah, Isaiah also says, “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips.” And yet, by that same grace, God calls Isaiah to be his servant. When Jesus calls Peter, Peter shrinks back in fear and says, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” And yet, by that same grace, God calls Peter to be his servant too. Paul says, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain.” This is deeply personal for Paul. He shares his story so that we too can join him, Isaiah, Peter, and all those whom God calls.

What is your story? How many of us have done things in the past that we later regret? Do you ever feel unworthy? Do you ever wonder if God can look past our failures and flaws? Do you wonder if God has a plan for your life? We all have demons in our past. None of us is worthy based on our past. We could all tell Jesus to just go away. He does not come to condemn but to save. Our own guilt, shame, and unworthiness is what threatens to paralyze us. I wonder if anyone told Paul, “You just need to forgive yourself, Paul, and move on in your life.” We might be tempted to think that we also just need to put our past behind us and find strength within to reform ourselves. But the good news is Paul is not a self-made man. The good news is not our mustering the strength to redeem ourselves.

Paul says, “But by the grace of God I am what I am.” Paul is looking at his story through the lens of grace. He knows that he does not deserve nor could he earn God’s forgiveness. It is a gift. By the grace of God he is now a child of God. God knows all the bad things Paul had done. But God believes in Paul. God has a plan to forgive Paul and call him to be one of his servants—to bring the same message of good news through Paul to the world. Paul’s testimony is in the Scripture to help us better understand the Gospel upon which we stand. But by the grace of God we are who we are. We are sinners saved by grace. We are called together to be a voice of acceptance, forgiveness, and hope.

God believes in you. He sent his son Jesus to die to break the power of sin and death. He sent his son Jesus to rise again from the dead to bring us the assurance of forgiveness and eternal life. That is the good news. By the grace of God we are who we are, unworthy people but called to bring that same good news to those who come across our paths. A big step in that journey is for each of us to come to a place where we can also say, “I am what I am.” By the grace of God, I am a sinner who has discovered the unconditional love and forgiveness of my creator. By the grace of God, I am a child of God—adopted by the Word of Christ’s promise and the water that washes away all my sin. By the grace of God, I am what I am. I am a servant of the Most High. I can look at my life through the lens of God’s grace. God has a plan to use me for his Kingdom. I am a servant not out of a sense of fear or duty but out of thanksgiving and joy. By the grace of God, I am a believer. I not only believe in God’s forgiveness and plan for me. I believe in others. I believe that same Gospel can transform the lives around us. God believes in us. By the grace of God we are who we are. By the grace of God, we come to terms with our own stories. And in the confidence of God’s love we can boldly say, “By the grace of God, I am what I am”—forgiven, called, and equipped.

Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy Promise I believe,

Just as I am; Thy love unknown
Has broken ev’ry barrier down;
Now to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.                (“Just as I am, without One Plea” LSB 570 vv. 5,6)

“Homecoming” (Luke 4:21-30)

Luke 4:21-30

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Pastor Tom Johnson, February 3, 2019

Surrounding us on every street and throughout the city and state there are millions of little signs that have the same message. This sign is required on every vehicle on the back as well as the front. It is a license plate that says, “Land of Lincoln.” Lincoln was born in Kentucky, moved to Indiana when he was 7 where he most likely developed his great character, then moved to Illinois at age 21. It should come as no surprise that different states identify themselves as his home state.

Jesus was born in a different region in Bethlehem, spent his early years as a refugee in Egypt, and then moved to Nazareth. Those in Nazareth are thrilled to hear him read Scripture, preach the good news, and do miracles until they recognize him as the one who grew up with Mary and Joseph the carpenter. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” “Isn’t this the same guy that helped install new door posts in our home a few years ago?” You’ll remember that when Nathanael was told that Jesus the promised Messiah was from Nazareth, he asked, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (Jn 1:46). Nazareth was considered unimportant—back country—a hilly area far away from trade routes. They had a distinctive accent. Now is their chance to be known for something wonderful and great—the Messiah’s hometown.

Jesus knows the thoughts and intentions of their hearts. Jesus spoils their desire to make a name for themselves and lay claim to him. They will not have “Land of Jesus” on their license plates. Jesus brings up two of the greatest of prophets—Elijah and Elisha. Both were homegrown Israelites. But both were called to take God’s message, power, and healing to foreigners. In both cases, God reveals himself as the true and living God to people who are born outside of Israel and worship other gods. They experience miraculous healing and even the raising of the dead to new life. Jesus’ point is that he is not Jesus, son of Joseph. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked. No, he is not. He is conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. You cannot dismiss him as just another hometown boy. They think Joseph is his biological father. But what is truly significant is that they despise his humanity. They cannot believe that the Messiah they had longed hoped for could have such humble beginnings and have grown up right under their noses. And no, Jesus will not be used as a pawn to advance the fame and regional pride of Nazareth.

What was true for them is true for us. Many people accept Jesus as a great teacher and prophet. We still are perplexed by the eternal Son of God who became human. Even Mary asked, “How can this be?” when she was told she would give birth to the Son of the Most High. It is still difficult for us to grasp the truth that Jesus is both God and Human. He is one Person with both divine and human natures. He is God the Son together with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. As C.S. Lewis famously said, “He is either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord.” And we still have turf wars over Jesus. It seems unfair, strange, and perplexing when God reveals his power to people who are very different from us. We want a tame Jesus—a predictable Jesus who does things in familiar and manageable ways.

Throughout the Islamic world, people are having “the Jesus dream” as our friend Pastor Hicham has shared with us in years past. I’d like for God to do that in this neighborhood. But nobody owns Jesus—not even Christians—not even Lutherans. And why can’t we experience the explosive growth of Lutherans in Chicago as we have seen in the Lutheran church in Africa? Just as Jesus did not just come for Nazarenes and Israelites so he did not just come for Lutherans or Chicagoans but for every tribe, tongue, ethnicity, and people.

One of the great ironies of this account is that God uses the rejection and violence of Jesus’ hometown to propel him forward to bring salvation to the world. The mob takes Jesus to the brow of a hill to throw him off to his death. Jesus miraculously passes through their sin and death to bring light and life to the nations. So Jesus will once again face the mobs. They will take him to the brow of another hill—this time outside of Jerusalem—Golgotha, the place of the skull. They will again attempt to discard him and throw him away as garbage. They will despise and mock him with a placard that says, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” Just as Jesus predicts, they will say, “Doctor, heal yourself.” “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One.” “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself,” they will say. Jesus will pass through their hatred, violence, and sin again—our hatred, violence, sin, and death itself on the Cross. He will miraculously pass through death and the empty grave. He brings light and life to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people.

To all the world Your summons You are sending,
Through all the earth, to ev’ry land and race,
That myriad tongues, in one great anthem blending,
May praise and celebrate Your gift of grace.                (“O God of Light” LSB 836 v. 4)