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Blessed to share Jesus’ blessings Mark 10: 17-22 First St Johns Oct 11, 2015

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[For the audio of this sermon click on the above link]

We make our beginning in the Name of God the Father and in the Name of God the Son and in the Name of God the Holy Spirit and all those who share God’s blessings with others said … AMEN!

Today’s reading should seem obvious to us, this is of course Mark’s take on the rich young ruler. To most of us today, we see charity as pretty much of a given, especially in the church. We do things here at First St Johns like the Food Bank, Panera Bread that we give to people on Monday mornings, helping people in job search, distributing clothing. A very few people give towards an “alms fund”, those funds are given to me and I use them to help people who are in genuine need. We do other things on a pretty regular basis. For the first century Jewish person, that kind of charity really wasn’t a given. There were those who were blessed because for some reason God obviously chose to give them great wealth and so they must have some virtue that they deserved to be especially blessed by God. Jesus makes His well known observation of the rich young ruler: “’Truly I say to you, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matt 19: 23-24) What was Jesus saying here? Today we kind of nod our head, in agreement, yea you go get him Jesus, those rich people who hoard all that money; George Soros, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Rockefellers, Bushes. Ya, the problem is that when we sit there and say that, we’re kind of being disingenuous. Jesus is identifying a very obvious issue here, this man is obviously wealthy and obviously devoted to His wealth. The Concordia Self-Study Bible notes: “In his listing of the commandments, Jesus omitted ‘Do not covet’. This was the rich man’s main problem and was preventing him from entering life.”[1]

Now do you think Jesus just forgot about that one? Or just wanted to give the rich young ruler a cursory overview of the commandments? … We are like little children to Jesus, the oldest and wisest of us, don’t even scratch the surface of the depth and breadth of what God- Father, Son and Holy Spirit know. Have you ever taught a little child to count … One, two, …. Three? Don’t you think Jesus was trying to get the rich young ruler to come up with his own answer. In Matthew’s version Jesus says: “If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.” The rich young ruler replied “Which ones?” I have to interject my opinion as to Jesus’ reaction … What???? Are you somehow of the opinion that the commandments are some kind of smorgasbord? Pick from this one, don’t like that one. Have to tell you, that’s pretty much the consensus today. Ya, the commandments, some of them are good, some of them … nah, n/a, not applicable, at least not to me. Jesus leaves which commandment out that would apply? … Do not covet, number ten. Rather lengthy one too, seems that God wanted to make sure that we understood, we don’t covet anything. Yet here’s this guy who seems to come off as very devout, maybe expert on the commandments and he seems to have a very distorted view of them. Look around today’s world, it is clear the world has a very distorted view of the commandments, much like the young man. The world also seems to add some of their own commandments. One of course being “judge not lest ye be judged”. That seems to be a big favorite today. And other commandments, ya not so important; Have no idols, taking the Lord’s name in vain, Sabbath day, honoring mother and father, false witness, coveting? You can really see why the young ruler wanted to be clear on which ones, I would be willing to bet that first century Israel was much like 21st century America. Pick and choose, which one’s important, which one isn’t. They’re the Ten Commandments, not suggestions!

Let’s look at the Amos reading, we need to be a little fair here. It has almost become accepted today that if someone is wealthy, they had to have done it by either receiving it, or through dishonesty. I got mine honestly, but that guy with the bigger house, bigger car, bigger big screen TV, he must have taken advantage of someone to get all that. No, that is not true, I prefer to believe that most have done it through hard work, sacrifice, being smart. Are there people who achieve wealth in a way that lacks integrity? Yes! In the Prophet Amos’ reading, Amos is certainly saying on God’s behalf that many, seems even most, are acquiring wealth dishonestly: “For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins, you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate.” (Amos 5:12) At this time in history, Israel/Judah, the kingdom has been divided by then, has become very corrupt. That is what prophets like Amos, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zechariah are warning the people about. God is not going to continue to tolerate this. And yet there is the recognition of the fact by Amos: “They hate him who reproves at the gate, and they abhor him who speaks the truth.” (Amos 5:10). The men of a town would gather at the gate to the city where people would bring law suits or accuse someone of breaking the law. It was where people expected justice. For those who did act justly, according to God’s will, they were not appreciated, especially by those who held some level of wealth and power. They expected those who were judges to just roll over for them. They would cheat someone, be accused and the judge was supposed to turn a blind eye, that is why Amos refers to those who “afflict the righteous, who take a bribe.” I have to play by the rules, but apparently the guy who has money and power, he doesn’t, he gets his way regardless. I have to believe that while the rich young ruler talked a good game, which we see many today do, he really didn’t play by the rules. Remember Zaccheus, with Jesus? He offered, without prompting to repay any he might have not dealt fairly with. The rich young ruler didn’t. Much like people today and then, he seemed to have bought into this belief that because of his wealth that was his golden ticket in. That was not what Jesus was about. “Jesus looking at him, loved him…” I think Jesus felt compassion and pity. Jesus knew that the rich young ruler was too tied to his riches and while he said the right things, they were not where his heart was. He had bought into the world’s view that wealth meant he was blessed and had a stairway to heaven. Referring to the Led Zepplin song, clearly even in the 1960s and I think as much if not more so now, “there’s a lady who’s sure all that glitters is gold and she’s buying a stairway to heaven.” Peter doubts Jesus’ words too, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”(Matt19: 27) Jesus replied: I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, [the resurrection] when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” (Matt 20: 28-29) Oh Peter, because of your faithfulness and the faithfulness of all who will follow, what that man has will look like petty cash compared to what you will receive, paraphrasing Jesus.

Jesus gave up the glory of heaven to live life as a man on earth. He sacrificed to be one of us and more than that, He sacrificed all He had in the torture of the cross, His very life, God the Son, perfect and holy, sacrificed to pay for our sins. God gives us what we need, we pray for our daily bread and He faithfully provides for what we need to live the life that He wants for us. That does not mean that we ignore His will and go out and grab for all that we can, to dishonestly enrich ourselves. For that matter He wants us to use some of the gifts He has given us for those who are in need, to provide for His church so that collectively we can reach and provide for those who are in physical need, and so they can also hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To not just live in the world today, but hear the promise of life and life more abundant in the eternal, perfect world of the resurrection. So, yes, take out that journal, take time in prayer. Are we too much about the world’s message? Or are we about the message of the Gospel. Do we believe that because we have much in the world, that God has blessed us to wealth, and yes, pretty much all of us here are pretty wealthy compared to the standards of Jesus’ time and of the rest of the world’s standards today. Do we live the life that Jesus wants for us by sharing our abundance? Or do we live the deluded life of the world that says our life should be plentiful here and also buys us a stairway to heaven?

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amin and Shalom

[1] Concordia Self Study Bible p 1477

Una Carne Marcos 10: 2-16 Primera Saint Johns 04 de octubre 2015

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[for the audio version click on the above link]

Hacemos nuestro comienzo en el Nombre de Dios el Padre y en el nombre de Dios el Hijo y en el nombre de Dios el Espíritu Santo, y todos aquellos que saben que son de una sola carne con su cónyuge y de un solo cuerpo con Cristo dijo … AMEN !

El mundo seguirá empujar en el Cuerpo de Cristo. Esa es la forma en que ha sido y seguirá siendo. Lo he dicho antes, pero había más mártires cristianos en el siglo XX que en los 1.900 años anteriores de la iglesia cristiana, combinada. El siglo XXI, está empezando a parecer que superará la anterior.

Recordamos hermanos y hermanas de Jesús, que fueron seleccionadas en los tiroteos en Umpqua Community College. Otro incidente que golpea cerca de casa para nosotros.

Desde que vi las lecturas de este domingo y en especial desde el jueves, cuando los informes de los trágicos acontecimientos de Umpqua salieron, me he sentido llevado a recordar que sí, Jesús fue sin duda citando Dios en Génesis que un hombre y una mujer se convierten en una sola carne cuando están casados ​​dentro de la iglesia. Nosotros, que somos en Jesús somos parte del Cuerpo de Cristo, Esto no es “una sola carne”, pero ciertamente nos dice que cuando los que están en Cristo, son parte del Cuerpo de Cristo como los que murieron en Umpqua somos, que nos sentimos algo de lo que estaban sometidos. Deseo que realmente podía transmitir lo que esto significa, y esto es más de la empatía. Todos somos humanos, todos tenemos un poco de comprensión empática de lo que significa estar muerto o morir. Pero para nosotros, que son parte del Cuerpo de Cristo este tratamiento que estamos viendo de los cristianos tiene que trascender simplemente este sentimiento de empatía simplemente humano. Cuando nos damos cuenta de los que son parte del Cuerpo de Cristo que mueren a causa de su testimonio de Cristo, tiene que haber una emoción que corre a través de todo el cuerpo, superando la empatía que entiende la comunión que tenemos con los que han muerto testimoniando Jesús. Cuando tomamos la comunión, el verdadero Cuerpo y Sangre de Cristo, estamos haciendo una declaración de que somos una parte muy importante del cuerpo de Jesús. El cuerpo de Jesús es su iglesia. No se puede estar en comunión con Jesús a menos que esté en comunión con su Cuerpo y su cuerpo es su Iglesia, nosotros, todos los hermanos y hermanas de Jesús. No estoy haciendo algunos llaman a la acción tampoco. No estoy tratando de sensacionalismo esto como algunos otros son. Ciertamente no estoy respaldando la llamada de Ron Ramsey para los cristianos para obtener permisos de armas. La iglesia ha pasado por períodos como éste antes. La iglesia Hechos fue duramente perseguido, a partir de Stephen que fue llevado a cabo y apedreado cuando se presentó ante el Sanedrín y proclamó que Jesús es el Mesías, el Hijo de Dios. La iglesia está pasando por persecución. Nuestra sociedad actual se ha vuelto contra Cristo, Jesús nos dijo que habría aquellos en el mundo que asesinar a los cristianos a pensar que están sirviendo a Dios. Claramente estamos viendo una realización de esa profecía. Nuestra sociedad está directamente enseñando que la iglesia es de alguna manera el mal, el enemigo. No estoy diciendo que cualquier persona, que es creíble, está diciendo que los cristianos deben ser asesinados, pero está claro que en los Estados Unidos la iglesia de Jesús, el Cuerpo de Cristo está siendo retratado como algo malo y enemigo. Realmente he reflexionado sobre lo que estoy tratando de transmitir en este sermón. Realmente luchado con tratando de no agitar a la gente en un frenesí, crear el miedo y la sensación de caos. No es así como se supone que debemos sentir como cristianos. Se nos dice no tener miedo, se nos dice que Dios está en control. Dios está en control y que debería tener ninguna duda de que todo lo que vemos a nuestro alrededor está bajo su control. Los cristianos han sufrido el martirio a lo largo de la historia. Tenemos que luchar a brazo partido con esa realización, que sólo porque estamos aquí en esta parte del mundo, son tan increíblemente privilegiado, que no somos inmunes a lo que está pasando a nuestro alrededor. Que nosotros necesitamos tener una comprensión revitalizado que somos parte del Cuerpo de Cristo, y que las personas en este país, en Umpqua, Charleston SC, Columbine de Colorado, aunque justo al lado de Bart Township, y ciertamente los cristianos en Irak, China, África, India, Siria, están sufriendo por la causa de Cristo. Probablemente suena francamente bizarro que confiamos en que todo esto es para la gloria de Jesús. Yo realmente no quiero pensar de esa manera. Pero es difícil para mí descarto. Con demasiada frecuencia hemos visto un increíble crecimiento de la Iglesia a causa de los que sufrieron el martirio. Muchos de los que podría no llegar a conocer la salvación eterna en Cristo, han sido salvados por el sacrificio de los demás.

La iglesia en el este de Europa sufrió una severa persecución hasta la caída del comunismo. Ahora vemos una notable revitalización de la iglesia en Rusia y Europa del Este. Cientos de musulmanes se están convirtiendo en los cristianos en lo que fue la parte comunista de Alemania hace veinte años. La iglesia en China todavía está siendo perseguido activamente y sin embargo, hay estimaciones de que habrá más cristianos en China que cualquier otro país en el mundo en los próximos veinte años. Tertuliano, padre de la iglesia, dijo que “Cuanto más nos segar abajo, cuanto más numerosos que crecemos”, “la sangre de los mártires es la semilla de la iglesia”. Tertuliano era un romano que murió en 225 dC, vio algunas de las persecuciones más crueles de los cristianos en la historia. Estas persecuciones comenzaron bajo el emperador romano Nerón en el año 64 dC y duró hasta el 313 dC, cuando Constantino hizo del cristianismo la religión oficial del imperio. En todas estas persecuciones de Roma hasta nuestros días en China y el este de Europa, los cristianos nunca han respondido con violencia. Jesús era completamente inocente y santo sufrió una muerte violenta, incluso rezando para que Dios Padre le perdonaría a los que le persiguieron porque no saben lo que están haciendo. Hoy, hay los que están siendo adoctrinados en nuestra sociedad a odiar a los cristianos. No podemos responder de odio. Jesús mostró el amor y el perdón, incluso mientras Él estaba sufriendo la agonía de la cruz. Para que podamos responder en el odio y la violencia sería pecado, y sería un testigo infiel a la iglesia, el Cuerpo de Cristo. Estamos sobre el perdón, estamos sobre la vida. Debemos responder con verdadero amor y el perdón para testimoniar fielmente a Jesús. Él murió para que nuestros pecados serían perdonados y que sería salvo que se pierden en nuestro pecado. Ciertamente, hemos visto que los mártires de todo a través de la historia hasta ahora han muerto de manera que, como decía Tertuliano, su sangre sería la semilla que otros podrían ser parte de la iglesia de Cristo, para ser parte del Cuerpo de Cristo, para ser salvo porque otros han muerto. Jesús modeló el verdadero valor para todos los que están en él. Debemos demostrar que el valor ahora. Tenemos que estar en oración por los que nos odian por nuestra fidelidad a Jesús y su iglesia. Muchos continúan siendo llevado lejos de la verdadera vida en Jesús, e incluso si sufrimos debe ser para que otros lleguen a conocer a Cristo y ser salvos a la vida, la vida más abundante en Jesús, la vida eterna en la resurrección. Una de las cosas que nuestros diferentes grupos de oración que aquí se han comprometido a, es mantener una lista de aquellos que saben que no han sido salvados en Jesús. Les pido a todos ustedes aquí hoy para armar una lista de los que sabes que no son salvos en Cristo. Algunos de los que puede haber gente que considera que son hostiles a usted personalmente. Razón de más por las que deben ser incluidos. Jesús nos dijo en el Sermón de la Montaña: “ESV Mateo 5:43” Ustedes han oído que se dijo: Amarás a tu prójimo y odiarás a tu enemigo. 44 Pero yo os digo: Amad a vuestros enemigos y orad por los que os persiguen. “No va a ser fácil, pero seguro que Jesús no tomó el camino más fácil para nosotros.La paz de Dios que sobrepasa todo entendimiento, guardará vuestros corazones y vuestros pensamientos en Cristo Jesús. Amin y Shalom

One Flesh, One Body in Jesus Mark 10: 2-16 First St Johns October 4, 2015

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[for the audio version of this sermon click on the above link]

We make our beginning in the Name of God the Father and in the Name of God the Son and in the Name of God the Holy Spirit and all those who know they are of one flesh with their spouse and of One Body with Christ said … AMEN!

The world does continue to push on the Body of Christ. That is the way it has been and will continue to be. I’ve said this before, but there were more Christian martyrs in the twentieth century than in the previous 1900 years of the Christian church, combined. The twenty-first century, is beginning to seem like it will exceed the previous one.

We remember brothers and sisters in Jesus who were singled out in the shootings at Umpqua Community College. Another incident that hits close to home for us.

Since I saw the readings for this Sunday and especially since Thursday when reports of the tragic events in Umpqua came out, I have really felt led to remember that yes, Jesus was certainly quoting God in Genesis that a man and woman become one flesh when they are married within the church. We who are in Jesus are part of the Body of Christ, This is not “one-flesh”, but it certainly does say to us that when those who are in Christ, are part of the Body of Christ as those who died in Umpqua are, that we feel something of what they were subjected to. I wish I could really convey what this means, and this is more than empathy. We’re all human, we all have some empathetic understanding of what it means to be killed or to die. But for us who are part of the Body of Christ this treatment that we are seeing of Christians has to transcend just this feeling of just human empathy. When we become aware of those who are part of the Body of Christ who die because of their witness to Christ, there must be an emotion that runs through the entire Body, exceeding empathy that understands the communion we have with those who have died witnessing to Jesus. When we take communion, the true Body and Blood of Christ, we are making a statement that we are very much a part of the Body of Jesus. The Body of Jesus is His church. You can’t be in communion with Jesus unless you are in communion with His Body and His Body is His Church, us, all brothers and sisters in Jesus. I am not making some call to action either. I’m not trying to sensationalize this like some others are. I’m certainly not endorsing Ron Ramsey’s call for Christians to get gun permits. The church has gone through periods like this before. The Acts church was sorely persecuted, starting with Stephen who was taken out and stoned when he stood before the Sanhedrin and proclaimed that Jesus is Messiah, God the Son. The church is going through persecution. Our society today has turned against Christ, Jesus told us that there would be those in the world who would murder Christians thinking they are serving God. Clearly we are seeing a realization of that prophesy. Our society is straight out teaching that the church is somehow evil, the enemy. I’m not saying that anyone, who is credible, is saying that Christians should be killed, but it is clear that in the United States the church of Jesus, the Body of Christ is being portrayed as somehow evil and the enemy. I really have pondered over what I am trying to convey in this sermon. Really wrestled with trying not stir people into a frenzy, create fear and feelings of chaos. That is not how we are supposed to feel as Christians. We are told not to be fearful, we are told that God is in control. God is in control and we should have no doubt that all we see around us is under His control. Christians have suffered martyrdom all through history. We have to come to grips with that realization, that just because we here in this part of the world, are so incredibly privileged, that we are not immune to what is going on around us. That we do need to have a revitalized realization that we are part of the Body of Christ, and that those in this country, in Umpqua, Charleston SC, Columbine Colorado, even right next door in Bart Township, and certainly those Christians in Iraq, China, Africa, India, Syria, are suffering for the cause of Christ. It will probably sound outright bizarre that we trust that this is all to the glory of Jesus. I really don’t want to think that way. But it is hard for me to dismiss. Too often we have seen an amazing growth of the Church because of those who suffered martyrdom. Many who might not come to know eternal salvation in Christ, have been saved because of the sacrifice of others.

The church in eastern Europe suffered severe persecution up until the fall of communism. Now we see a remarkable revitalization of the church in Russia and eastern Europe. Hundreds of Muslims are becoming Christians in what was the communist part of Germany twenty years ago. The church in China is still being actively persecuted and yet there are estimates that there will be more Christians in China than any other country in the world in the next twenty years. Tertullian, a father of the church, said that “The more you mow us down, the more numerous we grow”, “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church”. Tertullian was a Roman who died in 225 AD, he saw some of the most vicious persecutions of Christians in history. These persecutions started under the Roman Emperor Nero in 64 AD and lasted until 313 AD when Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the empire. In all these persecutions from Rome up to the present day in China and eastern Europe, Christians have never responded with violence. Jesus was completely innocent and holy and He suffered a violent death, even praying that God the Father would forgive those who persecuted Him because they did not know what they’re doing. Today, there are those being indoctrinated in our society to hate Christians. We cannot respond in hate. Jesus showed love and forgiveness even while He was undergoing the agony of the cross. For us to respond in hate and violence would be sin, and would be an unfaithful witness to the church, the Body of Christ. We are about forgiveness, we are about life. We must respond in true love and forgiveness in order to faithfully witness to Jesus. He died in order that our sins would be forgiven and that we would be saved who are lost in our sin. Certainly we have seen that martyrs all through history up until right now have died so that, as Tertullian said, their blood would be the seed that others might be a part of the church of Christ, to be a part of the Body of Christ, to be saved because others have died. Jesus modeled true courage for all who are in Him. We must show that courage now. We must be in prayer for those who hate us because of our faithfulness to Jesus and His church. Many continue to be led away from true life in Jesus and even if we suffer it must be so that others will come to know Christ and be saved to life, life more abundant in Jesus, eternal life in the resurrection. One of the things that our different prayer groups here have committed to, is to keep a list of those they know who have not been saved in Jesus. I ask all of you here today to put together a list of those who you know who are not saved in Christ. Some of those might be people who you consider to be hostile to you personally. All the more reason why they should be included. Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount: “ESV Matthew 5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” It will not be easy, but certainly Jesus did not take the easy way out for us.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amin and Shalom

Confess and pray to one another that we will be healed James 5 First St Johns September 27, 2015

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[For the audio version of this sermon click on the above link]

We make our beginning in the Name of God the Father and in the Name of God the Son and in the Name of God the Holy Spirit and all those who trust in the Lord for healing body and soul said … AMEN!

If you have been to a healing service here, our epistle lesson this morning will sound familiar. The first verse is instructional to all of us “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. We should not just pray, but also praise.

Certainly I appreciate the faith of those who come to the healing service and are looking to God for healing. This service isn’t my invention, it is in the Lutheran Service Book and we who are brothers and sisters in Jesus know the pericopes in the Gospels that are about the many healings that Jesus did. He healed people who were suffering from demonic possession, the man with the withered hand, the woman with the flow of blood, the man who couldn’t walk etc. We know that if it is God’s will and we lift up in prayer, by ourselves and/or part of a Christian group that God will heal. I think that the line “And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick” is interesting. It says the prayer of faith will “save” the one who is sick. We know that it is not always God’s will to heal. The healing service includes “we also pray that those who are suffering do not lose faith.” As much as the healing service is about physical healing, it is also about spiritual healing.

I do not give them a 30-day money back guarantee when I do the healing service. I can’t promote this service as if it’s some Benny Hinn football stadium rally in front of 30,000 people. What about the people who don’t make it on the stage in time? Too bad for them? How come Benny Hinn can’t heal everyone in the stadium, if he has this miraculous power? Seems they have to come up on stage in front of the crowd and cameras so that he can make a spectacle out of his “healing”. I very much believe in the healing power of God. I very much believe that when faithful brothers and sisters gather together to pray for healing that it is effective. I don’t believe that I should turn it into a spectacle. Because I’m special? That I just send healing requests to the Throne of God and He heals on command? “Oh was that Driskell, he needs someone healed of cancer? OK, Jim’s my boy, there ya go healed.” This is the sin of presumption. I don’t set up the stadium, have a whole lot of people show up and bibady, bobady boo, everyone’s healed on my word. That would be great, but that’s not how God works. It’s about His will and who He wants healed and, in some cases, who He wants to take home. As one wag on the internet said, if these Benny Hinn types are so great, why don’t they stop at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, which specializes in the treatment of pediatric cancer in Boston and heal all the children there? Seems the people who do this are more interested in self-promotion and the spot-light.

This is one of the ways the world sees Christians as gullible, superstitious, and presumptuous. Because of this many dismiss Christianity as silly and fatuous. They dismiss the Lord Jesus, He who died to save us, to be our redemption for our sins, to put us in right relationship with the Father. Yes our earthly life is important, but our eternal life in the resurrection is so much more important. That is all dismissed by the world because they don’t want to be one of those silly, easily influenced Christians. It does make me wonder: “OK, you don’t believe that Jesus can heal, what do you have that’s better?” I never get a straight answer, but the attitude seems to be, that they are too dignified, just plain too full of themselves to believe in silly Christian superstition. It really is kind of a metaphor of the world. I’m not going to believe what Jesus did for me for the sake of my dignity. There is no other solution, so I’m going to make my pride, the important factor, reject Jesus and be eternally condemned. OK, whatever? I can relate to the feeling that there are too many out there who try to make a side show attraction out of healing, which never seems to help the sick person and just makes Christians look silly.

The old country preacher was holding a healing service and he invited anyone to come up for healing. Billy comes up and says “Pastor I need help for the hearing.” Preacher raises his hands up in prayer, puts his hands over Billy’s ears, sticks his finger in Billy’s ears, loudly pronouncing and appealing for healing. Finally he stops and looks at Billy and asks can you hear? And Billy says I can hear fine, I need prayer for the court hearing next week. Yes that was a Chuck Swindoll.

Even the secular world has come around to the fact that there is power in faithful, prayer. Dr Harold Koenig, MD, was a professor at the Harvard Medical School for many years, and one of the things that he taught on was how prayer, faithful Christians have helped many people. Much research has shown that people who are prayed for actually do have better recoveries, fewer complications. Even more compelling those who know they’re being prayed for have even better results than. We have our prayer list that we pray over at every worship, at the prayer group that meets Sunday after worship, and at our prayer breakfast. You are encouraged to take the list in your bulletin home with you and include it in your daily prayers at home. When people ask me to put someone on that list, I ask them to give me the persons mailing address so that I can send them a postcard telling them they’re being prayed for. Sure I do that partly because I’ve seen the research that shows they will have a better result when they know they’re being prayed for and also I do it in faith for what St James tells us, to pray over the person, and our healing service is an effective way to pray over a sick or ailing person. But it’s always in trust that regardless of the outcome it is according to God’s will.

Dr Koenig is now the director at Duke University’s Center for spirituality, theology and health. We’re not talking about Bob Jones University, we are talking about very secular institutions of higher learning, Harvard and Duke have both come to recognize man isn’t just a physical machine, we are also spiritual beings that can be healed through the power of prayer that St James tells us about.

An article in Web MD states: “Research focusing on the power of prayer in healing has nearly doubled in the past 10 years,…” Dr Mitchell Krucoff states: “All of these studies, all the reports, are remarkably consistent in suggesting the potential measurable health benefit associated with prayer or spiritual interventions.” The article quotes other research: “These studies show that religious people tend to live healthier lives.  In fact, people who pray tend to get sick less often, as separate studies conducted at Duke, Dartmouth, and Yale universities show. Some statistics from these studies:

  • Hospitalized people who never attended church have an average stay of three times longer than people who attended regularly.
  • Heart patients were 14 times more likely to die following surgery if they did not participate in a religion.
  • Elderly people who never or rarely attended church had astrokerate double that of people who attended regularly.

Also, says Koenig, “people who are more religious tend to become depressed less often. And when they do become depressed, they recover more quickly from depression. “[1]  We are told to raise up prayers to God and to ask Him for prayer. I would never, ever tell you not to pray for healing. But our prayer has to be in terms of trusting God, relying on His will. His will is not always to heal, but He often does and when it happens it is staggering. But we don’t do it in a prideful, presumptuous way as if God performs services on demand. It is about the faith God gives us and His will, His plan. His will is always, better than ours. Even at the times when we don’t see it that way, we realize later, that whether God chose to heal or not, it was the best result and God uses that healing or lack thereof to His glory, not making it a spectacle. Clearly, as St James tells us: “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”

We lift up prayer here at First St Johns for a reason. We are not here to make gratuitous gestures, go through the motions, we are a people of faith and we trust when God tells us to pray for those who are sick. Yes, the secular findings are interesting, but regardless, we trust God’s word to heal or to take a loved one home. We trust His will and we will continue to be people who take prayer seriously. Not just for physical healing, but as Dr Luther tells us, as a pastor I am a seel sorger, a “soul healer”. I want to be involved in physical healing, but also in the healing of the spirit. Healing of the spirit is certainly for life in this world, but our Lord Jesus has given us the ultimate healing, the forgiveness of our sins, our reconciliation with God the Father who heals our soul that we will live in the eternal perfection of the resurrection.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amin and Shalom

[1]http://www.webmd.com/balance/features/can-prayer-heal

The World’s thinking is wrong, not the Church’s Mark 9: 30-37 First St Johns September 20, 2015

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[For the audio version of this sermon please click on the above link]

We make our beginning in the Name of God the Father and in the Name of God the Son and in the Name of God the Holy Spirit and all who are more concerned with the thinking of Jesus and His Church then the world’s said … AMEN!

It has been a challenging week for me, frankly the last few months have been very challenging. In the last week I’ve had to minister to the survivors of five different deaths. This is never an easy part of being a minister/chaplain, you have to look people in the eye; spouses, children, siblings, and tell them yes, this is a tragedy, but God is with them to comfort them. As a minister I have to be that skin and bones, physical representative of Christ in front of them, as I have to when we gather to worship. Of course the most difficult was the passing of our brother John Klahod, who in the short time that he returned to First Saint Johns has made his mark. He and Barb have regularly attended Bible study, Barb helps so much as a greeter and with the parish visitor and on the Altar Guild. John served as the church vice president. They have been very supportive and encouraging through all the changes that God has guided us through as a congregation in the last few years.

Jesus wasn’t political in His thinking, despite popular beliefs, Jesus wasn’t too concerned about who He offended or upset. Just a few weeks ago we read where Jesus told people straight up, you have to eat My Body and Blood. Lots of people picked up and left right there. I’d bet you, Judas or maybe one of the more pragmatic disciples took Jesus aside, “What are you doing? We can’t afford to have people walk out like that! You have to be more political, more tactful.” When he preached in his hometown of Nazareth, people took offense at his preaching. Who is this guy, they asked? We knew Him when He was a little boy, we know His mother and father, his brothers and sisters still live here. And hey we know how He was born … Come on, Mary and Joseph weren’t even married when He was born. Oh yeah, who is this guy to tell us that He has fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy of the coming Messiah? He’s not anything special.

Jesus wasn’t political or tactful, it’s not that He didn’t care, He cared desperately. But He wasn’t, and isn’t running a public relations firm. He was and is trying to get us to trust in Him, to conform to His image, not ours, not the worlds. God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit are vastly different than the rest of the world, polar opposites. The reason the church has gotten to where it’s at is because it has tried over the last hundred years to conform to the world’s view. That’s not what we’re here for. Certainly that’s the way the disciples are acting. Jesus is pushing ahead, back to Capernaum. He has a sense of urgency! Why? We’re told earlier in this pericope: “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” His ministry in Galilee is ending, Jesus is now on His way to Jerusalem and to the Cross. There is no time to play, important things are happening. World changing events are about to happen, events profoundly effecting everything man knew and trusted up to that point. The lives of these men and a lot of others in the world and through history are about to be profoundly changed. We as Christian disciples should have that sense of urgency about us. We talk a lot about Supreme Court decisions and Congress, how things seem to be spinning out of control. But we do very little and live in fear that if we boldly proclaim Jesus and His church that we will offend. Then we the disciples are yapping about who will be the greatest! They have no idea what will happen to them. They are so sure that they will be covered in worldly glory. Oh, you better believe that they all “know” how this is going to play out. Peter has flat out pronounced who Jesus is. “You are the promised One, you are the Son of God.” Peter knew that, the Father had put that in Peter’s heart and given Peter the privilege of declaring that Jesus was the One who would deliver the world. But He had first hand experiences to bolster his pronouncements. He had just seen Jesus transfigured and the Father declaring who Jesus is. He had been with Jesus when He had healed at least hundreds of people, raised people from the dead, fed thousands, teach the most profound understandings that anyone had ever heard, that no one in the history of the world had ever taught. But you can bet Peter was involved in who would be the greatest.

Our Savior, God the Son Jesus has done and continues to do so much for His people. He doesn’t do it to be popular, He doesn’t do it for glory and power. He is glorified in Heaven. We profess every week that He sits at the right hand of God the Father, from the most powerful perspective in the universe, all creation. But He doesn’t do it in order to be popular, the guy who is there to be everyone’s buddy. He tells us hard truths and He doesn’t back down from them. Have to tell you, if someone like the rich young ruler showed up for worship, telling me what a great and pious guy he is, I might suffer a little of the world’s thinking, about how he could help this church do great things. Jesus wasn’t impressed. Really? You’re just all that and a bag of chips? Well this is what you need to do. All that great wealth and influence you have, you just go out there and give that to all those people who are truly in need, come back here and then we’ll talk. Well you know what happened, the rich young ruler, packed up his stuff and rode out of town, probably thinking; “there’s no way I’m giving up all my wealth, who does that guy think He is?”. Oh you can bet he was offended. I can imagine what kind of feedback I’d get as a pastor if I confronted someone like that who showed up for worship. Paul puts it best in our epistle reading: “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?” Enmity seems like a benign word, but it means, hatred, hostility, animosity. We worry so much about being popular and not upsetting, at the cost of standing up for Christ and His Church.

It is not offensive to witness to Jesus and His Church. What is truly offensive is what you say and do that ignores Jesus. The disciples were just so obsessed about worldly glory and right after Jesus had told them, “I’m going to be betrayed and killed!” It offends Jesus when the things you say and do ignores Him and are for your glory in the world, to people who don’t even know Jesus.

The disciples are still all caught up in the traditional view of the Messiah and what they think He will do to restore the worldly kingdom. If you look at the chart included in your bulletin, we’re caught up in what the world thinks Jesus should be, not what He truly is. Jesus has been showing them and telling them what the truth is, that the Kingdom of Heaven is what matters to our eternal life. He’s just told them He will be delivered up and killed. The disciples seem to be thinking: “Oh we don’t want to hear that! That’s too upsetting, that ignores my world view and I’m just not going to think about Jesus being killed. I’m going to live in the world where this whole Jesus thing will make me powerful and popular. They will discover that what happens to Jesus’ disciples doesn’t result in earthly popularity and power. His disciples find that they are shunned, rejected and killed by the world. The world, like the disciples in this pericope, chose to be offended by the reality of Christ’s Word and chose to live in their own world, that will never come true and can actually result in them being cut off from Jesus and true, eternal life in the resurrection.

Take a hard look at your witness, are you more concerned with the opinion of those around you, or your witness to the hard reality of life as a disciple of Jesus?

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amin and Shalom.

¡Si puedes! ¿En serio? ¡Traelo! Marcos 9 First St Johns September 13, 2015

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[para escuchar la versión de audio de este sermón, haga clic en el enlace de arriba]

Hacemos nuestro comienzo en el Nombre de Dios el Padre y en el nombre de Dios el Hijo y en el nombre de Dios el Espíritu Santo, y todos aquellos que saben que Jesús puede dijimos … AMEN!

A menudo leemos las Escrituras en clase de términos soso / vainilla. En la lectura del Evangelio de hoy tenemos un padre cuyo hijo ha sido atormentado, torturado, usado, abusado, totalmente abatido. No hay duda de que el padre es absolutamente fuera de sí de miedo y, desesperanza completa. Mi madre ha tenido problemas con la epilepsia. Los síntomas han estado bajo control durante muchos años, pero recuerdo como un niño que tenía convulsiones severas. Se puede imaginar como un niño estos episodios fueron muy doloroso para mí y sin duda experiencia muy molesto para mi madre. Sólo había mucho que pudiera hacer como un niño. Pero en esta perícopa Estoy seguro que el padre se sintió abatimiento severo. Los papás se supone que deben tomar el control, arreglar las cosas y usted puede imaginar lo impotente y sin esperanza sintió el padre. Síntomas de mi madre eran graves, pero la descripción que vemos de los síntomas del hijo eran aún más grave. Algunos eran síntomas clásicos de convulsiones, pero había problemas mucho más graves con el hijo. Él estaba siendo literalmente recogido y arrojado, jugué fútbol en mi juventud, el ala cerrada, el baloncesto, el entrenamiento militar básico y un poco de artes marciales, lo sé muy bien lo que se siente que alguien me puso en el suelo. Pero eran generalmente bastante iguales y yo a menudo tenía relleno y fue acondicionado para ello, me dolía, pero no fue continuo, o alguien tratando de herir gravemente o matarme. No creo que eran. La palabra griega que se usa para describir el hijo es paidi, sobre lo que significa no sólo un niño, pero un niño pequeño. Probablemente se nos ocurrió que no más de diez / once años de edad. Así que esto probablemente físicamente pequeño niño está, literalmente, conseguir rebotó en las paredes y el demonio incluso intenta echarlo al fuego a él o al agua quemar ahogarlo. Además de ser mudo. Este niño estaba siendo tratado hellaciously y papá estaba constantemente testigo de esto, sin duda tratando de luchar a su hijo alejado de este poder sobrenatural, no fallar duda la mayor parte del tiempo y probablemente se lastimó en el proceso. Podemos imaginar el dolor que el niño está atravesando, muy posiblemente en la medida de huesos rotos, puntadas, tal vez incluso más grave y los padres tratando de proteger y restaurar la salud.

Ciertamente debemos empatizar con el padre, que estaba en una situación muy difícil, que él dice que había estado sucediendo desde que el niño era un niño, el griego no es específico aquí, pero tal vez desde que era un niño pequeño. De cualquier manera, tendríamos que suponer que había estado sucediendo durante años, probablemente. Así que sin duda podemos entender que el padre está en su extremo de los ingenios. Jesús acaba de bajar de la Transfiguración, este acontecimiento trascendental que celebramos cada año. Está llegando hasta el final del ministerio de encarnación de Jesús, Él se centra en la cruz, así que tal vez de una manera Él es un poco distraído, pero también afirmó y glorificado por Dios Padre. El padre del niño parece saber quién es Jesús, Él le dice a Jesús directamente que él ha traído a su hijo a él en busca de curación. Así que sin duda el padre es consciente de lo que Jesús ha hecho. Según Marcos, Jesús ha enseñado nuevas enseñanzas, que sólo Dios podría introducir. Jesús y Dios Padre han dejado en claro quién es Jesús. Mark ha relatado cómo Jesús ha liberado a otros de Satanás y sus demonios. Jesús se ha calmado la tormenta, Él ha resucitado muertos, sanó a muchos, alimentado durante 5000, caminó sobre el agua, sanó a los leprosos, la fe dada a muchos, perdonados los pecados de muchos, sanado ciegos y sordos, Peter ha confesado que Jesús es y ahora este padre lleva a su hijo y le dice: “Pero si usted puede hacer cualquier cosa y tener compasión de nosotros y ayúdanos.” Jesús debe haber sido un poco desilusionados a cabo y su respuesta parece indicar un poco de irritación: “Si es posible “Jesús no está pidiendo una pregunta, Él está haciendo lo que parece ser una declaración de incredulidad. En la traducción Driskell que estoy viendo a Jesús diciendo: “¿En serio? ¡Si puedo! Sé que usted es cansado y desesperado y ha pasado por una situación terrible, pero es obvio que he escuchado todas las otras cosas. Usted no podría venir a mí y decir; ‘Sé que usted puede sanar a mi hijo que ha pasado por tanta aflicción, Usted me ha dado la fe tengo que llevar a mi hijo a Usted y yo estoy confiando en que de acuerdo a Tu hará lo que sea necesario en relación con mi hijo. “Y sin duda el padre responde, que no tienen fe, que trajo a su hijo, “pero por favor me ayude a tener y mantener la fe en ti y en tu voluntad.” Pero seamos sinceros, demasiado a menudo nosotros ponemos límites en lo que Dios puede hacer en nuestras vidas. Tenemos que recordar que siempre es de acuerdo a su voluntad.

¿Significa la fe de que Dios siempre va a actuar de acuerdo a nuestra voluntad, que Él siempre va a sanar, o que Él va a proporcionar para nosotros de acuerdo a nuestra agenda? La fe es confiar en Su voluntad, la fe está buscando lo que su plan es de acuerdo a lo que está sucediendo. Un guía de pesca Wisconsin señala: “La única cosa que hace dudar de los milagros de Jesús es que todos fueron presenciados por los pescadores.” Eso no es cierto. Tenemos la Palabra inspirada de Dios en el Evangelio, Él inspiró a los hombres a escribir sobre los milagros que hizo Jesús y sabemos a través de nuestra fe en que Jesús continúa para sanar, no siempre el cuerpo, pero para aquellos que dirige Él sana el alma y nos la da la fe tenemos que confiar y ser guiado por Él, para tener la esperanza y la promesa de que sólo Él nos da. Claro nuestra debilidad humana se interpone en el camino. Cuando eso suceda vamos a mirar hacia atrás en el ejemplo del padre atribulado y rezar: “Creo; ayuda mi incredulidad “San Agustín observa:”. Si uno puede rezar de modo que uno puede echar fuera a otro demonio, ¿cuánto más debe uno orar propios demonios de que uno será echado fuera “Jesús dijo a sus discípulos que tenían que rezar a emitir. fuera el demonio que aflige a este muchacho, sin duda Él nosotros, sus discípulos, le está diciendo a orar, en la fe, que Él echar fuera los demonios que afligen a nosotros mismos y siempre a orar por la sanación para los demás. Jesús puede! Él murió para salvarnos para la salvación eterna, Él murió para nosotros que somos pecadores y el pecado en nuestra propia voluntad y que se llevó a pecar por seres malvados guardar. Él puede y salvarnos y sanarnos, a través de su gracia, su pueblo que Él da fe para creer y confiar en Su voluntad.

La paz de Dios que sobrepasa todo entendimiento, guardará vuestros corazones y vuestros pensamientos en Cristo Jesús. Amin y Shalom.

If you can! Really? Bring it! Mark 9 First Saint Johns September 13, 2015

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[To hear the audio version of this sermon click on the above link]

We make our beginning in the Name of God the Father and in the Name of God the Son and in the Name of God the Holy Spirit and all those who know that Jesus can said … AMEN!

We often read Scripture in sort of bland/vanilla terms. In today’s Gospel reading we have a father whose son has been tormented, tortured, used, abused, just completely beaten down. No doubt the father is absolutely beside himself with fear and, complete hopelessness. My mother has had issues with epilepsy. The symptoms have been under control for many years, but I remember as a child that she had severe seizures. You can imagine as a child these episodes were very distressing for me and certainly very upsetting experience for my mother. There was only so much I could do as a child. But in this pericope I’m sure the father felt severe dejection. Dads are supposed to take control, fix things and you can imagine how helpless and hopeless the father felt. My mother’s symptoms were serious, but the description that we see of the son’s symptoms were even more serious. Some were classical symptoms of seizures, but there were far more serious issues with the son. He was being literally picked up and thrown down, I played football in my youth, tight end, basketball, basic military training and a little martial arts, I know full well how it feels for someone to put me to the ground. But we were usually fairly equal and I often had padding and was conditioned for it, it hurt, but it wasn’t continuous, or someone trying to seriously injure or kill me. I don’t think they were. The Greek word used to describe the son is paidi,on which means not just a child, but a young child. We’d probably guess no more than ten/eleven years old. So this probably physically small child is literally getting bounced off the walls and the demon even tries to throw him into the fire to burn him or into the water to drown him. In addition to being mute. This little boy was being treated hellaciously and dad was constantly a witness to this, no doubt trying to wrestle his son away from this supernatural power, do doubt failing most of the time and probably being hurt himself in the process. We can imagine the pain the child is going through, quite possibly to the extent of broken bones, stitches, maybe even more serious and the parents trying to protect and restore to health.

We should certainly empathize with the father, he was in a very difficult situation, which he says had been going on since the boy was a child, the Greek isn’t specific here, but perhaps since he was a toddler. Either way we would have to suppose that it had been going on for probably years. So we can certainly understand that the father is at his wits end. Jesus has just come down from the Transfiguration, this momentous event that we celebrate every year. It is coming down to the end of Jesus’ incarnational ministry, He is focused on the Cross, so perhaps in a way He is a little distracted, but also affirmed and glorified by God the Father. The boy’s father seems to know who Jesus is, He tells Jesus straight out that he has brought his son to Him for healing. So certainly the father is aware of what Jesus has done. According to Mark, Jesus has taught new teachings, that only God could introduce. Jesus and God the Father have made it clear who Jesus is. Mark has recounted how Jesus has freed others from Satan and his demons. Jesus has calmed the storm, He has raised the dead, healed many, fed over 5,000, walked on the water, healed the lepers, given faith to many, forgiven the sins of many, healed blind and deaf men, Peter has confessed who Jesus is and now this father brings his son and says: “But if you can do anything and have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus must have been a little put out and his response seems to indicate a little irritation: “If you can!” Jesus’ isn’t asking a question, He’s making what seems to be an incredulous declaration. In the Driskell translation I’m seeing Jesus saying: “Really? If I can! I know that you are weary and desperate and have gone through a terrible situation, but obviously you’ve heard all the other things. You couldn’t come to me and say; ‘I know you can heal my son who has gone through so much affliction, You have given me the faith I need to bring my son to You and I am trusting that according to Your will do what is necessary relating to my son.” And certainly the father does respond, that he does have faith, he did bring his son, “but please help me to have and keep faith in You and in Your will.” But let’s face it, too often we do put limits on what God can do in our lives. We need to remember that it is always according to His will.

Does faith mean that God is always going to act according to our will, that He is always going to heal, or that He is going to provide for us according to our agenda? Faith is trusting in His will, faith is looking for what His plan is according to what is happening. A Wisconsin fishing guide points out: “The only thing that casts doubt on the miracles of Jesus is that they were all witnessed by fishermen.”[1] That’s not true. We have God’s inspired Word in the Gospel, He inspired men to write about the miracles that Jesus did and we know through our faith that Jesus continues to heal, not always the body, but for those He leads He heals the soul and gives us the faith we need to trust and be led by Him, to have the hope and promise that only He gives us. Sure our human weakness gets in the way. When that happens let’s look back at the beleaguered father’s example and pray: “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief.” St Augustine observes: “If one can pray so that one may cast out another demon, how much more should one pray that one’s own demons be cast out.”[2] Jesus told His disciples they needed to pray to cast out the demon afflicting this boy, certainly He is telling us, His disciples, to pray, in faith, that He will cast out the demons that afflict ourselves and always to pray for healing for others. Jesus can! He died to save us to everlasting salvation, He died to save us who are sinners and sin in our own will and who are led to sin by evil beings. He can and does save us and heal us, through His grace, His people who He does give faith to believe and to trust in His will.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amin and Shalom.

[1] Rowell and Steffen   “Humor for Preaching and Teaching” p 57

[2] Simonetti, Manlio  quoting St Augustine “Ancient Christian Commentary NT 1b” p 59

Being aware of your environment Ephesians 6: 10-20 First St Johns August 30, 2015

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[Click on the above link for the audio of this sermon]

We make our beginning in the Name of God the Father, and in the Name of God the Son and in the Name of God the Holy Spirit and all those who are aware of the world around them in Jesus said … AMEN!

We should be familiar with; “those who are in Christ are in the world, but are not of the world.” Jesus’ priestly prayer for His disciples John 16 and 17, Jesus stresses “ESV John 17:16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.”

We are Jesus’ disciples, we are in the world, but we are not of the world. We are His, Jesus is our Lord, our Savior. We also know the things that are constantly around us. St Paul’s quote reminds us that we are of a different mind then those who are in the world: “ESV 2 Corinthians 4:4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” Despite the words of Jesus, of St Paul, we still have many in the church who believe we can somehow reconcile this and be at peace with the world. That’s certainly not Jesus’ idea, “ESV John 17:14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” The world will do whatever it can to separate those who are in Jesus from Him and influence us into anything, so long as it’s not Jesus.

We should all be very aware of the influences that surround us and defend ourselves against them, not give into them. Many of those influences are very tempting, often they’re made to look like “ehh, not such a big deal”. But it’s the little bad influences that can keep affecting us, impacting us, slowly separating us from the truth that is in Christ Jesus. Do these bad influences “defile” us? Jesus says no in today’s passage. The Greek word koino,w means: “1) to make common 1a) to make (Levitically) unclean, render unhallowed, defile, profane 1b) to declare or count unclean.”[1]  Jesus is telling us loud and clear in our Gospel reading No! The things that are around us, don’t make us unclean. You find something on the Internet or on television, or happen on something in your travels that makes you feel unclean. I’ve seen things that made me want to run and take a shower. Let’s face it a lot of those things make you feel “defiled”, kind of violated. But in Christ those things don’t make us unclean, if they do, turn them over to Him, ask the Holy Spirit to give you a spiritual hose down… AMEN ?? But don’t feel as if you’ve become unworthy or so unclean that you can’t take it to Him, to be a part of His church.

But that doesn’t relieve us of the responsibility of being aware, of just avoiding the things that do make us feel that way, that do make us feel violated and separated from Jesus. Today more than ever, one of the most common things you will hear in the military, police work and other areas that require interaction in the world is the warning to “be aware of your surroundings, of your environment”. For most of history war or crime was pretty straight forward. There’s the enemy, there’s the bad guy, go and get him and restore control. On Sept 11, 2001, an unremarkable Tuesday morning, the biggest issue for most people was summer was over and dealing with the reality of the coming fall and winter. No one in their wildest imagination would have thought that at the start of their day at the World Trade Center that the building would come crashing down around them and many would not be home that evening. There was no apparent threat, no reason to be aware, another day like so many others they had lived through. And yet, out of no where, came a very real, very deadly threat.

We have spiritual threats like that all around us, day in and day out. Television, the internet, so much in print, there are spiritual threats at the flip of a switch.

So we agree, we live in a dangerous world. There’s no question that our physical safety can be of concern too. But frankly, more importantly our spiritual lives can be even more readily destroyed, temptation to degrade our spiritual lives is all around us, right in our homes, much nearer than what could kill us physically and this is the case even more so now than ever in the history of mankind. We agree we have to be readily aware of the fact that spiritual danger is all around us and we have to be very aware of our surroundings. That doesn’t just mean walking down a city street, being in a crowd, but the surroundings in our own home. What do we keep right around us that can negatively impact us, can spiritually kill us? We agree on these things, but what do we do about them? Paul tells us that we continue to trust in God and what He has given us, has already done for us.

We are told that our strength is in God, in His might. That we put on the whole armor of God. I don’t pull my helmet out of my helmet bag, my Kevlar vest out of my closet, our greatest enemy is “cosmic powers … spiritual forces of evil”. What do we have to defend us? Paul tells us: the belt of truth. When the world tells us what we should do we know the truth, it is right there around our waist. The breastplate of righteousness, protects our heart, soul, the things that do corrupt us. He gives us the shoes of readiness, not just to protect what supports us, our feet, our stability in the Word, but also to move us into the world to proclaim Christ, against the evil that is around us. We have a shield, the shield of faith what God gives us to protect us against the attacks of the world, the many attacks of the world. The helmet of salvation, reminds us of what is really important. We can get all involved in the evil and temptation of the world, or we can remember that our true life is in the resurrection, the world that God saves us for, the way God intended for us to live. The sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, the Bible. This is what we bring to thrust God’s Word into the world. It’s not enough to just stand there and take the hits from the world, we have God’s Word and He calls us to bring His Word into the world. Being aware of your surroundings isn’t just to be defensive, but it is to pro-actively go into the world and proclaim God’s Word, to push back against the darkness with His Word, the Bible, the Gospel. AMEN??

Of course Paul ends with “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplications. The church’s most powerful weapon is prayer, us lifting up our prayers to the Father and the Father guiding us in our prayers so that we will be in His will. In five years of being ordained, I’ve seen God do some amazing things in answer to the prayer of His faithful people. So we put on the whole armor of God, all the things that protect us while we maintain “situational awareness”, and we lift up our situation to God in prayer and trust that He will answer and He will also lead us to where He wants us to be, for His best interests and ours. Our safety, our family’s, those we love, our awareness, is in Him and the armor that God has given us to stay in Him. Physically we may be hurt and suffer, but that is only for a time, our real danger is in the eternal life, letting the world drag us down because we were not aware of our surroundings and we let them influence us and not God’s protection. Spend some time this week in your journal to really work out where you need to improve in the use of the equipment God gives you.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amin and Shalom.

[1] Strong’s in BibleWorks

El respeto a Jesús, uno a Efesios 5, Marcos 7 First St Johns 23 de agosto 2015

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[For the audio of this please click on the above link]

Hacemos nuestro comienzo en el Nombre de Dios el Padre y en el nombre de Dios el Hijo y en el nombre de Dios el Espíritu Santo y los que escuchan y respetan la Palabra de Dios y no del hombre dijo … AMEN!

El plan de Dios es tan perfecto, que es una especie circular de la situación, que no quiere decir, como siempre, que obtenemos lo que queremos todo el tiempo, parece que no entienden esa relación no es “bueno saltar a través de aros para mí y luego tal vez te amaré “. Esto es lo que tenemos en la sociedad actual y por qué existe esta infelicidad generalizada y profunda, e incluso el resentimiento. A todos nos sometemos a Jesús. Presentar a su marido, porque él es el que está llamado a amar a su esposa y no sólo nuestra especie blanda de amor, pero el mismo amor que Jesús tenía para la iglesia! Jesús murió por el amor de su iglesia, los hombres son llamados a amar a sus esposas, el amor ágape, hasta el punto de sacrificar a sí mismos. Si su marido lo hará por usted, no hace que sugieren respeto y sumisión a él?

Oh baby, nadie predicando en Efesios 5: 21-33 solo se puede sentir el hielo grietas alrededor de sus pies. ¡La espada! OHHHHH, a nadie le gusta “S”, S es por supuesto “submit, sumisión”. Oh no! En el mundo de hoy, todo el mundo es un experto, todo el mundo lo sabe todo, somos la sociedad más igualitaria en la historia de la tierra. Al parecer, si has nacido un americano, usted es un experto inmediato en todo y cualquier cosa. Cada vez más estoy empezando a ver que actitud bastante cínica. A mi edad, uno pensaría que me hubiera convertido en casi irreparablemente cínica y sin embargo, cada vez más me encuentro darse cuenta de que cuando me someto a Dios como su ministro, a su pueblo, Él trabaja a cabo conforme a su voluntad . Romanos 8:28 parece conseguir un entrenamiento, “Y sabemos que para los que aman a Dios, todas las cosas les ayudan a bien, para aquellos que son llamados conforme a su propósito.” ¿No es esto parte de lo que la vida cristiana es ¿todo sobre?

Cuando decimos “para los que aman a Dios”, no amar a alguien significa someter a Él con el fin para el bien de todos los interesados? Sumisión no significa, simplemente tirar la toalla y sin pensar siguiente. Lo que significa, en algún momento sólo hay que confiar en que la persona.

Ciertamente, los ambientes militares y corporativos son una lección de esas áreas. Hay un montón de veces en las que no está seguro acerca de algo que se tiene que hacer, que desea quejarse sobre él un poco más, pero en algún momento es obvio que tienes que hacer lo que está confiado a hacer, hazlo a el mejor de su capacidad, por lo que no habrá éxito. Si esto es lo que está guiado a hacer, puede que no sea perfecto, pero se convierte en su responsabilidad para que sea tan perfecto como puede ser.

El profesor Jeffrey Oschwald observa el cambio de capítulo 6 al capítulo 7. Las personas se están ejecutando a Jesús, el pueblo: “corrió sobre toda la región y comenzaron a traer a los enfermos en sus camas a donde oían que estaba. ESV Marcos 6:56 Y dondequiera que llegó, en pueblos, ciudades o zonas rurales, ponían a los enfermos en las plazas y le imploró que les dejase tocar siquiera el borde de su manto. Y los que lo tocaban quedaban sanos. “Oh, sí, ellos querían que Jesús entonces. Sermón de la semana pasada después de que Jesús alimentó a miles y luego dijo: Bien, ahora que usted tiene el estómago lleno, vamos a hablar cosas de verdad, tienes que comer mi cuerpo y bebe mi sangre para llenar tu alma, para tener la vida real. Sí, no eran mucho en eso y decidieron recoger y dejar. En la lectura de hoy, las personas están acudiendo a él y Jesús ha sanado a varias personas, ¿qué sucede? Los fariseos y los escribas le enfrentan sobre un pequeño problema ticky pegajosa sobre los discípulos se lavan las manos. Obviamente estos chicos están tratando de provocar una confrontación. Está a unos 90 millas de Jerusalén, donde han venido desde, hacia la parte norte del Mar de Galilea, que no van a hacer ese viaje a la ligera, se sienten amenazados y han decidido encontrar cualquier pequeña cosa que pueda con el fin para recoger una pelea con Jesús, para desacreditarlo alguna manera. Por supuesto que puede ver la frustración de Jesús. “Aquí estoy, Dios Hijo, mira todas estas cosas que he hecho. Estoy tratando de llegar a ver la vida real y lo que estás haciendo? Levantarse en mi parrilla sobre un pequeño problema ticky pegajosa sobre el lavado de manos? ? De verdad “:” ESV Marcos 7: 6 Y él les dijo: “Bien profetizó Isaías de vosotros, hipócritas, como está escrito:” Este pueblo me honra con los labios, pero su corazón está lejos de mí; ESV Marcos 7: 7 en vano me honran, enseñando como doctrinas, mandamientos de hombres “. ESV Marcos 7: 8 Usted deja el mandamiento de Dios y mantienen fieles a la tradición de los hombres “. ESV Marcos 7: 9 Y él les dijo:” Tienes una buena manera de rechazar el mandamiento de Dios para establecer vuestra tradición! “Jesús se refiere a la cita en la lectura de hoy de Isaías:” ESV Isaías 29:13 Y el Señor dijo: “Porque este pueblo se acerca con su boca y me honra con los labios, pero su corazón está lejos de mí, y su mi temor es un mandamiento dictado por los hombres, ESV Isaías 29:14 por tanto, he aquí, volveré a hacer cosas maravillosas con este pueblo, con asombro a extrañar, y la sabiduría de sus sabios perecerá, y el discernimiento de su exigente los hombres se esconden “.

Obviamente Jesús se siente frustrado y les está diciendo a obtener un control. ¿Vas a pegarse a sus sutilezas pequeñas tradiciones o vas a ver lo que está pasando aquí. Dios Hijo ya está aquí! Es el momento de someterse a su voluntad, dejar de preocuparse por las cosas insignificantes y ver lo que realmente está pasando! ”

Dr Oschwald observa: “Si tuvieras la oportunidad de una audiencia privada con Jesús, ¿te discutir sobre la forma correcta de lavarse antes de una comida … los adversarios de Jesús parece tener completamente perdido de vista lo que realmente importa ante Dios. La forma en que piden a su pregunta sugiere que la raíz del problema es que han empezado a poner las preocupaciones humanas antes y por encima de lo que es importante a los ojos de Dios. Nuestra simpatía inicial con la preocupación de los fariseos sobre las manos limpias en la mesa va a la derecha por el desagüe cuando empezamos a ver el verdadero problema en toda su seriedad “Nosotros, ustedes y yo, a menudo tenemos que parar y preguntarnos a nosotros mismos.; vamos a comenzar una pelea sobre las cosas triviales o nos miramos a nuestro alrededor y ver lo que Jesús está haciendo, qué grandes cosas están sucediendo a nuestro alrededor. Cómo para señalar, a contribuir a ese enfoque en lo que el Espíritu Santo está haciendo y hacerlo a su gloria, la gloria de la iglesia de Jesús. ¿Cómo nos proclamamos al mundo lo que está pasando en su servicio, para su gloria?

La paz de Dios que sobrepasa todo entendimiento, guardará vuestros corazones y vuestros pensamientos en Cristo Jesús. Amin y Shalom.

The “S” Word Ephesians 5 Mark 7 First St Johns Church Aug 23, 2015

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[For the audio version, please click above link]

We make our beginning in the Name of God the Father and in the Name of God the Son and in the Name of God the Holy Spirit and those who hear and respect God’s Word and not man’s said … AMEN!

God’s plan is just so perfect, it’s a circular sort of situation, that doesn’t mean, as always, that we get what we want all the time, we seem to not understand that relationship is not “hey you jump through hoops for me and then maybe I will love you”. This is what we have in society today and why there is this widespread and deep unhappiness and even resentment. We all submit to Jesus. Submit to your husband, because he is the one that is called to love his wife and not just our squishy kind of love, but the same love Jesus had for the church! Jesus died for the love of His church, men are called to love their wives, agape love, to the point of sacrificing themselves. If your husband will do that for you, doesn’t that suggest respect and submission to him?

Oh baby, anyone preaching on Ephesians 5: 21-33 can just feel the ice cracking around his feet. The “S” word! OHHHHH, no one likes to “S”, S being of course “submit, submission”. Oh no! In today’s world, everyone is an expert, everyone knows it all, we are the most equalitarian society in the history of the earth. Apparently if you are born an American, you are an immediate expert on everything and anything. More and more I’m beginning to see that attitude rather cynically. At my age, you’d think that I would have become pretty much irreparably cynical and yet, more and more I find myself realizing that when I submit to God as His minister, to His people, He does work it out according to His will. Romans 8:28 does seem to get a workout, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Isn’t this part of what the Christian life is all about?

When we say “for those who love God”, doesn’t loving someone mean submitting to Him in order for the good of all concerned? Submission doesn’t mean, just throwing in the towel and mindlessly following. It does mean, at some point you just have to trust that the person.

Certainly the military and corporate environments are a lesson in those areas. There are plenty of times where you’re not sure about something that has to be done, you want to fuss over it a little more, but at some point it’s obvious you have to do what you’re entrusted to do, do it to the best of your ability, so that there will be success. If this is what you’re led to do, it may not be perfect, but it becomes your responsibility to make it as perfect as it can be.

Professor Jeffrey Oschwald observes the shift from chapter 6 to chapter 7. People are running to Jesus, the people: “ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was. ESV Mark 6:56 And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.” Oh yeah, they wanted Jesus then. Last week’s sermon after Jesus fed thousands and then said OK, now that you have a full stomach, let’s talk real stuff, you have to eat my body and drink my blood to fill your soul, to have real life. Yea, they weren’t so much into that and decided to pick up and leave. In today’s reading, the people are flocking to him and Jesus has healed a number of people, what happens? The Pharisees and the scribes confront Him over a ticky-tack little issue about the disciples washing their hands. Obviously these guys are trying to provoke a confrontation. It’s about 90 miles from Jerusalem, where they’ve come from, to the northern part of the Sea of Galilee, they’re not going to make that trip lightly, they feel threatened and have decided to find any little thing they can in order to pick a fight with Jesus, to somehow discredit Him. You can certainly see Jesus’ frustration. “Here I am, God the Son, look at all these things I’ve done. I’m trying to get you to see real life and what are you doing? Getting up in my grill about a ticky-tack little issue about washing hands? Really?”: “ESV Mark 7:6 And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “‘ This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; ESV Mark 7:7 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ESV Mark 7:8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” ESV Mark 7:9 And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!” Jesus is referring to the quote in today’s reading from Isaiah: “ESV Isaiah 29:13 And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men, ESV Isaiah 29:14 therefore, behold, I will again do wonderful things with this people, with wonder upon wonder; and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.”

Obviously Jesus is frustrated and is telling them to get a grip. Are you going to stick to your quibbling little traditions or are you going to see what’s going on here. God the Son is here! It’s time to submit to His will, quit worrying about the petty stuff and see what’s really happening!”

Dr Oschwald observes: “If you had the opportunity for a private audience with Jesus, would you argue about the proper way to wash up before a meal?… Jesus’ opponents seem to have completely lost sight of what really matters before God. The way they ask their question suggests that the root of the problem is that they’ve begun to put human concerns before and above what’s important in God’s eyes. Our initial sympathy with the Pharisees’ concern over clean hands at the table goes right down the drain when we begin to see the real problem in all its seriousness.”[1] We, you and I, often have to stop and ask ourselves; are we going to pick a fight over the trivial stuff or do we look around us and see what Jesus is doing, what great things are happening around us. How to point to, contribute to, focus on what the Holy Spirit is doing and do it to His glory, to the glory of Jesus’ church. How do we proclaim to the world what is going on in His service, to His glory?

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amin and Shalom.

[1] Rev Dr Jeffrey Oschwald   Concordia Pulpit Resources Vol 25, Part 3, Series B p 39