María, Madre del Señor, y un Pastor Luterano

El Día de María, Madre de Nuestro Señor

     (English Version at the bottom)

El quince de agosto es un día muy especial para mí, una de mis favoritas festivales del año litúrgico, el día de María, Madre de Nuestro Señor.  Posiblemente es un poco sorprendente, debido al hecho que soy un pastor de la Iglesia Luterana.  Pero es verdad.

Hace once años, el ocho de agosto, 2004, me ordenaron como pastor, y al mismo tiempo me instalaron como pastor de las congregaciones de la Santísima Trinidad y de San Juan, en Sidney y Fairview, Montana, EEUU.  El próximo domingo, 15 de agosto, yo iba a predicar mi primer sermón como pastor ordenado.  Y fue muy normal que esta tarea debería ponerme nervioso.  Nada mas de ser estudiante, trabajando en la iglesia bajo la autoridad de un pastor veterano.  Ahora la responsabilidad sería mío.  Quería hacer una buena impresión.  Quería servir a mis congregaciones bien.  Yo iba a estudiar mucho y preparar cuidadosamente.  Las lecturas del día fueron, por supuesto, las de María, Madre de Nuestro Señor.  Muy bien, tenía muchas ganas de estudiar y escribir, para que pudiera proclamar el evangelio con dulzura y potencia. 

Pero, el próximo día, 9 de agosto, mi suegro se murió.  En vez de una semana de estudios, 1,300 kilómetros de carretera, un funeral triste, especialmente para mi esposa y nuestros hijos, y entonces otro 1,300 kilómetros para volver a Sidney.  Mucho tiempo en el coche para pensar, pero no puedo conducir y leer al mismo tiempo, ni escribir.  Llegamos al hogar el viernes, completamente agotados.  Tuve el sábado para preparar el sermón. 

Gracias a Dios, el tema fue María, Madre de Nuestro Señor.  Porque es un tema que casi predica en

sí.  De verdad, tenía mucha ayuda de Martín Lutero, quien predicó y escribió muy bien sobre María.  Se puede leer un ejemplo de esto aquí.  

Si se me hubiera preguntado del tema de María al principio de mis preparaciones para ser un pastor, solamente habría pensado en la Navidad, y posiblemente del Magníficat, que a mí solamente era una canción en la liturgia que, por falta de practicar, me parecía difícil a cantar.  Pero si leemos la Biblia cuidadosamente, encontramos mucho más de la Virgen María.  Descubrimos que ella es más que solamente un instrumento por quien Dios ha avanzado un parte de su plan de salvación.  Sin dudo, solo debemos acreditar a María las cosas que la Biblia le acredita, pero no debemos perder la riqueza de su ejemplo de cómo vivir como cristiano. 

Hoy solo quiero hablar de tres facetas de María, su ejemplo de fe, su perseverancia en el sufrimiento, y el enfoque de su visión. 

Respondiendo el ángel Gabriel, le dijo a María: El Espíritu Santo vendrá sobre ti, y el poder del Altísimo te cubrirá con su sombra; por lo cual también el Santo Ser que nacerá, será llamado Hijo de Dios.  ³⁶ Y he aquí tu parienta Elisabet, ella también ha concebido hijo en su vejez; y este es el sexto mes para ella, la que llamaban estéril; ³⁷ porque nada hay imposible para Dios.

³⁸ Entonces María dijo: He aquí la sierva del Señor; hágase conmigo conforme a tu palabra. San Lucas 1:35-38 

¿Qué tipo de fe es esto?  ¿Qué podemos aprender de esta confesión de María, su aceptación de esta palabra increíble?  Bueno, cuando estudiamos las palabras de su canción, cuando pensamos en las palabras, María guardaba todas estas cosas, meditándolas en su corazón, cuando consideramos como María continuó siguiendo y amando a su Hijo Jesús, aun al punto de mirar a Él, colgando y muriendo en la cruz, entonces entenderemos esta verdad, que María fue un estudiante de la Palabra de Dios.  ¿Por qué no desmaya ella cuando vio al ángel?  Porque ella sabía de la Palabra que Dios envió los ángeles a su pueblo muchas veces.  ¿De dónde vino la canción tan preciosa qué cantó a Elisabet?  Lea 1 Samuel 2, a la canción de Ana, y escuchará los mismos temas de que María cantó.  ¿Cómo perseveró ella, cuando todo el mundo atacó a su Hijo, y aún le abandonó su Padre celestial?  Porque ella confió en la promesa del Padre, proclamado por Gabriel, que su Hijo será el Santo de Dios, el Rey Eterno de Israel, el Salvador del Mundo.  De la Palabra de Dios, por el poder del Espíritu, María recibió y también ejerció su fe, nos dando quizás el mejor ejemplo en todo la Biblia. 

Y también María nos da un ejemplo tremendo, como también nos da San Pablo, de la perseverancia

en sufrimiento.  Los sufrimientos de San Pablo fueron más activos: ataques desde los judíos, de cristianos falsos y del mundo, ataques provocados por su proclamación del evangelio puro.  Los sufrimientos de María, por otro lado, fueron más pasivos y internos, sufrimientos causados por su amor a Jesús: el sufrimiento de buscar a Él sufriendo, sin poder de ayudar, sin poder de detenerlo.  Y, por la gracia de Dios, ella continuó, por su fe en las promesas dado a ella, y al todo el mundo, promesas dado en su Hijo, el verdadero Hijo de Dios, hecho hombre.  También nosotros cristianos de hoy muchas veces vemos maldades en el mundo, sufrimientos de inocentes, sufrimientos de nuestros queridos, y muchas veces no tenemos el poder de detenerlos.  Pero, como María, podemos perseverar, por el poder del amor de Dios. 

Podemos perseverar, cuando tenemos el mismo enfoque que tenía María.  Ella es un personaje tan amable y precioso, hay una tentación muy grande a enfocar demasiado en ella.  Pero, debemos ver la verdad que ni la Biblia ni María en su ejemplo nos enseñan a enfocar en ella.  Porque el enfoque de la Biblia, y de María, es Jesucristo, el Cordero de Dios, quien solamente quite el pecado del mundo.  Él es la esperanza de todos, la esperanza ofrecido por las escrituras, la esperanza de María, y también Él es tu esperanza.  Porque Él ha quitado los sufrimientos, los débiles, y los pecados de todos, llevándolo a la Cruz, donde destruyó su poder de dañarnos.  Esto es el enfoque de la Biblia, de María, y, en un misterio grande, esto es el enfoque de Dios sí mismo: a declarar a todos el perdón de todos los pecados y el regalo gratuito de salvación eterna, la salvación de Cristo para todo el mundo, para María, y para ti. 

María, llevando Jesús en su seno, declaró:  desde ahora me dirán bienaventurada todas las generaciones.  (San Lucas 1:48)

Treinta años más tarde, una mujer en la muchedumbre, escuchando las enseñanzas de Cristo, proclamó:  Bienaventurado el vientre que te trajo, y los senos que mamaste. (San Lucas 11:27)

Muy bien dicho, y verdad.  Pero Jesús, queriendo enseñar algo aún mejor, respondió:  Antes bienaventurados los que oyen la palabra de Dios, y la guardan.  (San Lucas 11:28)

Mi primer sermón como pastor era muy fácil a escribir, porque en María, Dios nos ha enseñado mucho.  Mi oración para ti en este día, como prediqué hace 11 años, es que Dios te bendiga con oídos que oyen, un corazón lleno de fe, y ojos enfocados en Cristo Jesús, las mismas bendiciones que dio a María, para que, con ella, podamos recibir a Jesucristo, y vivir con Él en gozo y paz siempre, Amén.  

The Day of Mary, Mother of Our Lord

August fifteenth is very special day for me, one of my favorite festivals of the liturgical year, the day of Mary, Mother of Our Lord. Perhaps this is a bit surprising, due to the fact that I am a pastor of the Lutheran Church. But it's true.

Eleven years ago, on August 8, 2004, I was ordained as a pastor, and at the same time I was installed as pastor of Trinity and St. John Churches in Sydney and Fairview, Montana, USA. The next Sunday, August 15, I would preach my first sermon as an ordained pastor. It was very normal that this task should make me nervous. No more a student, working in the church under the authority of a veteran pastor, now the responsibility would be mine. I wanted to make a good impression. I wanted to serve my congregations well. I was going to study hard and prepare carefully. The readings of the day were, of course, those for Mary, Mother of Our Lord. Okay, I really wanted to study and write, so I could proclaim the gospel with gentleness and power.

But the next day, August 9^th, my father-in-law died.  Instead of a week of studies, 1,300 kilometers of road, a sad funeral, especially for my wife and our children, and then another 1,300 kilometers to return to Sydney.  Plenty of time to think in the car, but I cannot drive and read at the same time, nor write. We arrived home on Friday, completely exhausted.  I had Saturday to prepare the sermon.

Thank God, the theme was Mary, Mother of Our Lord.  Because it is a theme that almost preaches

itself.  Indeed, I had much help from Martin Luther, who preached and wrote very well about Mary. You can read an example of this here .

If I had been asked about the subject of Mary at the beginning of my preparations to be a pastor, I would have thought of Christmas, and possibly the Magnificat, which to me was only a song in the liturgy that, for lack of practice, I found it difficult to sing.  But if we carefully read the Bible, we find much more of the Virgin Mary.  We discover that she is more than simply an instrument through whom God has worked part of ​​his plan of salvation. Without doubt, we should only give credit to Mary for the things that the Bible credited her, but we must not lose her rich example of how to live as a Christian. 

I want to talk today of only three facets of Mary, her example of faith,  her perseverance in suffering, and the focus of her vision.

But the angel Gabriel told Mary: The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow; Therefore also the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God ³⁶ And behold thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age.; and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; ³⁷for nothing is impossible with God.

³⁸ And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; let it be unto me according to your word.  Luke 1:35-38

What kind of faith is this? What can we learn from this confession of Mary, his acceptance of this incredible word? Well, when we study the words of her song, when we think of the words, Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart, when we consider Mary as she continued to follow and love her Son Jesus, even to the point of watching Him, hanging and dying on the cross, then we will understand this truth: Mary was a student of the Word of God.

Why did she not faint when she saw the angel?  Because she knew from the Word that God sent angels to His people many times.  Where did the song come from that she sang so beautifully to Elizabeth?  Read 1 Samuel 2, the Song of Ana, and hear the same themes that Mary sang.  How did she persevere, as the whole world attacked her Son, when even His heavenly Father left Him?  Because she trusted the promise of the Father, proclaimed by Gabriel, that her Son is the Holy One of God, the eternal King of Israel, the Savior of the World. From the Word of God, by the power of the Spirit, Mary received and exercised her faith, giving us perhaps the best example in all the Bible.

And Mary gives us a tremendous example, as also Saint Paul gives us, of perseverance in suffering.

 St. Paul's sufferings were more active: attacks from the Jews, false Christians and the world, attacks caused by his proclamation of the pure gospel.  The sufferings of Mary, on the other hand, were more passive and internal, suffering caused by her love for Jesus, the suffering of watching Him suffer, unable to help, unable to stop it. And, by the grace of God, she continued, by faith in the promises given to her, and to everyone, promises given in her Son, the true Son of God made man.

We Christians today also see evil in the world, the suffering of the innocent, the suffering of our beloved ones, and we often have no power to stop them. But, like Mary, we can persevere, by the power of God's love. 

We can persevere when we have the same focus as Mary. She is such a friendly and precious person, there is a great temptation to focus too much on her. But we must see the truth that neither the Bible nor Mary in her example teach us to focus on her. Because the focus of the Bible, and of Mary, is Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, the only One who takes away the sin of the world. He is the hope of all, the hope offered by the Scriptures, the hope of Mary, and He is your hope.  Because He has taken away all the suffering, all the weaknesses, and all the sins of everyone, carrying them to the Cross, where He destroyed their power to harm us.  This is the focus of the Bible, the focus of Mary, and, in a great mystery, this is also the focus of God Himself: to declare to all the forgiveness of all sins, and the free gift of eternal salvation, which is for all the world, and for Mary, and for you.

Mary, carrying Jesus in her womb, sang:  From now on, all generations will call me blessed. (Luke 1:48)now shall call me blessed all generations. (Luke 1:48)

Thirty years later, listening to Jesus teach, a woman in the crowd proclaimed, Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you. (Luke 11:27)

Well said, and true. But Jesus, wanting to teach something even better, responded:  Blessed rather are those who hear the Word of God and keep it. (Luke 11:28)(Luke 11:28)

My first sermon as pastor was very easy to write, because in Mary, God has taught us much.  My prayer for you today is, as I preached 11 years ago, that God will bless you with ears to hear, a heart full of faith, and eyes focused on Jesus Christ, the same blessings which He gave to Mary.  I pray this so that with her we may receive Jesus Christ, and live with Him in joy and peace forever, Amen.

¿Por Qué Andaba Jesús Sobre el Mar?

Sermon para el Noveno Domingo después de Pentecostés

Texto:  San Marcos 6:45-52

₄₅ En seguida hizo a sus discípulos entrar en la barca e ir delante de él a Betsaida, en la otra ribera, entre tanto que él despedía a la multitud.  ₄₆ Y después que los hubo despedido, se fue al monte a orar; ₄₇ y al venir la noche, la barca estaba en medio del mar, y él solo en tierra.

₄₈ Y viéndoles remar con gran fatiga, porque el viento les era contrario, cerca de la cuarta vigilia de la noche vino a ellos andando sobre el mar, y quería adelantárseles.

₄₉ Viéndole ellos andar sobre el mar, pensaron que era un fantasma, y gritaron; ₅₀ porque todos le veían, y se turbaron. 

  Pero en seguida habló con ellos, y les dijo: ¡Tened ánimo; yo soy, no temáis!  ₅₁ Y subió a ellos en la barca, y se calmó el viento; y ellos se asombraron en gran manera, y se maravillaban.  ₅₂ Porque aún no habían entendido lo de los panes, por cuanto estaban endurecidos sus corazones.

     San Marcos, a diferencia de San Mateo, no incluyó en su versión de esta historia muy famosa el tema de San Pedro y su deseo de andar sobre el agua como Jesús.  Esta elección de San Marcos me parece bien, por nuestra tendencia de enfocar tanto en San Pedro y su deseo de hacer como su Señor.  De verdad, es un momento muy humano e interesante.  Creo que cada uno de nosotros hemos pensado en qué haríamos en la misma situación. 

     Pero esto no vale la pena, ni sirve a nuestra fe.  Debemos recordar que el punto de esta parte de la historia recordado por San Mateo es que Pedro no tuvo la fe ni el poder de hacer las cosas de Jesús.  Trató de andar sobre el agua como Jesús, pero no pudo.  Por su miedo y falta de fe, comenzó a hundirse en el mar, hasta que Jesús lo tomó por la mano. 

     Pedro no tuvo la fe ni el poder a hacerlo como Jesús.  Ni los tenemos nosotros.  El fin de nuestros propios esfuerzos es hundirnos en el agua.  Aparte de la presencia y ayuda del Espíritu Santo, también están endurecidos nuestros corazones. 

     Gracias a Dios, el punto de la  historia de Jesús andando sobre el mar no es demostrarnos las cosas que debemos hacer para ser discípulos de Cristo.  Al revés, el punto, quizás más fácil a ver en la versión de San Marcos, es enseñarnos que hace Jesús para tenernos y guardarnos en su Santa Iglesia. 

     No podemos dejar la tendencia de enfocar nuestros pensamientos espirituales en los requisitos de Dios.  Esta tendencia puede venir de nuestra criatura nueva, creado por el Espíritu Santo, que siempre quiere seguir la voluntad de Dios.  También la puede venir de nuestro hombre viejo, nuestra naturaleza pecaminosa, que, tentado por las mentiras de Satanás, cree que podemos ganar a salvación por nuestros propios esfuerzos.  Lo peor es la realidad que es muy difícil, a veces imposible para nosotros distinguir entre los deseos buenos de la criatura nueva y los deseos orgullosos y feos de la naturaleza pecaminosa, que coexisten en cada cristiano en este mundo. 

     Por esto, necesitamos siempre recordar que la vida de obras buenas es importante, pero para durar en la fe cristiana, debemos enfocar en las obras de Cristo.  Porque nuestra salvación no viene de nada que hemos hecho o vamos a hacer, sino que viene exclusivamente de las cosas Cristo ha hecho, y está haciendo, para nosotros.  Podemos ver esta verdad en la historia de Jesús, andando sobre el mar, algo que no podemos hacer excepto si el mar sea congelado.  Si fuera necesario andar sobre el agua para ser cristianos, tuviéramos un problema grande. 

     Aún más, vemos esta misma verdad en la cruz, dónde Cristo murió por los pecados de todo el mundo, llevándolos en su propio cuerpo, aceptando toda nuestra culpa y todo nuestro castigo, para darnos toda su justicia, santidad y vida.  Este hecho, lo más importante de todos los hechos desde la fundación del mundo, y el centro del evangelio, fue posible solo para una persona: el verdadero Hijo de Dios, hecho hombre para salvarnos. 

     Vamos a tener cruces en nuestras vidas cristianas, sacrificios necesitados por nuestros vecinos, o persecuciones del mundo por llevar el nombre de Cristo.  Pero nadie puede, ni debe, ni necesita llevar la cruz de Calvario.  Gracias a Dios, esta obra pertenece exclusivamente a Jesucristo.  Aún mejor, esta obra es completamente terminada, y es la obra por cual Dios nos ha dado el perdón de pecados, y la vida eterna. 

     Con esta verdad en mente, volvamos al texto, para entenderlo mejor.  Como siempre en la Biblia, la barca representa la Iglesia, llena de discípulos, puestos a dentro por la Palabra de Cristo.  Y aunque, como los discípulos en el medio del mar, no podemos ver a Jesús, sí podemos confiar en esto: Él siempre tiene sus ojos fijados en nosotros.  Él siempre está mirando a su Iglesia, para saber cómo remamos en el mar peligroso de este mundo pecaminoso.  Él está, mirándonos, o andando adelante, preparando nuestro camino.  De verdad, si pudiéramos ver la realidad del mundo espiritual, las cosas pasando alrededor de nosotros cada momento, también nos asustaría, como los apóstoles cuando vieron a Jesús, andando sobre el agua.  Somos todavía pecadores, sin derecho propio a estar en la presencia de la santidad del verdadero Dios.  La vista de la realidad espiritual sería demasiado para nosotros.       

     Por eso, para calmarnos, Jesús esconde su poder y majestad y viene a nosotros en formas simpáticas y graciosas.  ¡Tened ánimo; yo soy, no temáis!  Como habló a los apóstoles en la barca, también nos habla Cristo hoy, verdaderamente presente con  nosotros cada vez que un grupo de creyentes congregan alrededor de su Palabra, cada vez que acudimos a su santa altar para recibir el cuerpo y la sangre para el perdón de todos nuestros pecados, cada vez que, escuchando y confiando en su absolución gratuita, acercamos a Él en oración.

     Vamos juntos, entonces, en la barca de Dios, en la iglesia, no por nuestra santidad y amor, pero mucho mejor, por la santidad y amor de Él que dio su vida en la cruz, para que pueda darnos su paz.  Cristo Jesús, tu salvador, te dice hoy: ¡Ten ánimo; yo soy, no temas!  Tú puedes durar en esta paz de Cristo, que es la paz de Dios, que sobrepasa todo entendimiento, y que guardará vuestros corazones y vuestros pensamientos en Cristo Jesús, Amén.   

When Jesus Comes to Your Wedding - Wedding Sermon for Jeremy and Teresa Warner

When Jesus Comes to Your Wedding.

Genesis 2:4-8, 18-24  Colossians 3:12-17 John 2:1-11

     Jesus was also invited to the wedding, …     and He brought strength, compassion, and great joy to the newlyweds, and to everyone gathered there. 

     Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the sight of God and before His Church to witness the union of this man and this woman in holy matrimony.  That is good.  Even more, Jesus has also been invited to this wedding.  That is especially good. 

 

     This gathering, this wedding, is a good thing, a very good thing, not just for Jeremy and Tig, but for all of us.  The institution of marriage seems to be struggling today.  Some even claim that marriage is soon to be a thing of the past.  But today I have good news, for you, and for all people.  Marriage is a good thing, and a Christian marriage is very near to the very best thing.  And so today, we rightly gather with great joy. 

     Now, certainly, all marriages struggle, and many fail, with heartbreaking results.  This is nothing new.  Read your history.  Read your Bible.  Talk to someone who has been married for a while.  Marriage has always been difficult.  And there have been better times and worse times for marriage throughout history.  But how we fare in the task of marriage is not what makes marriage a bad or a good thing. 

     As strange as it may sound, the value of marriage doesn’t depend on us.  Because it is God who has made marriage a good thing, in the beginning, in the Garden.  God fulfills His desire to have a people of His own by working through the mystery of the one-flesh relationship between husband and wife.   

    It is God who made marriage and family holy, as well as the foundation of society, and the engine of education and economic prosperity.  We can hurt ourselves, and each other, by neglecting or rejecting marriage and family.  But we cannot destroy marriage, because marriage comes from God, belongs to Him, and is precious to Him.  So it is good to be gathered here for the wedding of Teresa and Jeremy.   

     And today is an even better day, because Teresa and Jeremy have invited Jesus to their wedding.        

     Do you know what happens when Jesus comes to your wedding?    

     When Jesus come to your wedding, compassion and forgiveness are at the center of everything.  At Cana, Jesus was still three years away from the Cross, His plan of salvation not yet fully revealed.  But today, as Jesus joins us at this wedding, He comes bearing scars that remind us of the rest of the story. 

     Jesus was happy to attend the wedding at Cana, and willing to show compassion for the fairly minor problem facing the newlyweds.  But His greater desire was to win forgiveness for all people.  Jesus’ glory was not to be acclaimed as a miracle worker, turning water into wine, but rather His glory was to be lifted up, on the Cross, for all of us. 

     To prove His priorities, after He rose from the dead, Jesus kept His scars.  As we see in the painting above the altar, Jesus kept the marks of the nails and the spear in His glorified body, as an eternal testimony to the compassion, to the forgiveness and grace, that He has for all people. 

     It would be great to have Jesus provide miraculous wine at the reception this evening.  I wish that I had this power.  But in truth, it is not so important whether the reception has good wine or bad, craft beer or domestic.  It is good to have a nice reception after the wedding.  But nothing is better for a marriage than when husband and wife know and trust the forgiving love of God, revealed in the compassionate scars of Jesus.

     It is very good to have Jesus come to your wedding, because problems will come to this marriage.  Problems will come because you are both sinners, and on top of that, Satan hates a Christian marriage.  But do not worry.  Instead, remember Jesus, God’s eternal Son, who become a man, and then started coming to weddings, in order to bless them. 

     Jesus doesn’t come to your wedding to prevent you from ever having problems.  Rather, He comes with compassion for today, and with His eternal compassion, for marital problems, and all the problems of life.  Ultimately, you can deal with the problems of life, because you already have His eternal solution, the compassion of His blood bought forgiveness. 

     So remember, you face the problems that come to your marriage as baptized believers in Christ.  You have developed the most excellent habit of gathering around God’s Word and Sacrament to be forgiven and restored again, and again.  Jesus rejoices to come to you with His compassion, poured out for you on the Cross, delivering it to you day by day through His Word and Supper.  Sunday after Sunday, and even in between, you draw on God’s well of forgiveness, through which God gives you strength and forgiveness to resolve the problems that will come.    

     As husband and wife bound together with Christ, you can share His compassion with each other.  You can, as Paul says, put on compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you.  This will bind you closer and closer to each other, and to God, throughout the years to come. 

     Jesus by the power of His Word, has come to your wedding, which is good for you, and which also makes you a blessing of strength to the rest of us.  A good marriage is strong, sometimes obviously, sometimes quietly.  A good marriage brings all kinds of material blessings, greater health and wealth, happy, productive children, good neighbors, couples committed to improving their communities.   

     Even more, a Christian marriage helps people learn about God’s grace and love.  For, as good as it is to find fulfillment in the partner God has made for you, as wonderful as having children can be, as valuable as strengthening our society is, God has an even higher purpose for marriage. 

     It was our human sin that brought problems to the first marriage, and to every marriage after.  But God, in His loving determination, still chose marriage to serve as a picture of the Gospel.  In the Old Testament, the Lord describes Himself as a loving Husband to His people Israel.  In the New Testament, Jesus is presented as the Bridegroom, the Head of His Bride, the Church.  Jesus, the one perfect husband, gave everything, to serve and protect His Bride. 

     Now, today, as husbands and wives love and serve each other, and as each of you puts the good of the other before your own good, the world sees an image of Christ’s love for His Bride, the Church.  Your example need not be prefect, nor will it ever be perfect.  But by teaching you to overcome imperfections with the forgiving love of Jesus, God works through you, powerfully.  For all the opposition and scorn that our society likes to heap on marriage, there still is no better witness to the Gospel than a Christian couple living out their faith together.

     Your friends and neighbors will see you sacrifice and serve and forgive and love each other, and the Spirit will prompt many to ask why, and how, and whether they might learn what you know of God and His love.  If God grants you children, you will have the Spirit of Christ with you, reminding you to do as your parents did for you, to bring them to Holy Baptism and Sunday service and catechism class, and to join you at the Altar.  The Spirit will use you to speak His Word to your children, in order to pass on the faith to them. 

     In many and various ways, God uses earthly grooms and brides to teach the world about Christ and His Church, bringing everlasting joy to all who trust in His forgiving love. 

     When Jesus came to the wedding at Cana, He blessed the newlyweds with great joy, the very best wine.  Everyone expected the fun was about to end, but Jesus saves the best for last, giving joy to the couple and their family and friends, and creating faith in His disciples.  This is also His desire for you, the joy that comes from faith in His promises.  With Jesus, your “now” is good, even when there are problems, and your eternal future is glorious, and guaranteed. 

     Today we rejoice, because Jesus, the risen Savior, has come to this wedding.  We rightly rejoice, because He is our promise of joy at the end, and strength for each day.  We rejoice, and face the difficulties that are sure to come, sharing the same forgiveness that Christ has won for all people. 

     Jeremy and Teresa, rest and rejoice in this peace, throughout your life together, Amen.    

The Bound Will, and Trains

Note:  I've been gone awhile, actually not gone, just posting via other venues.  I'm back.  Hopefully will continue to be back.  Vamos a ver.  

Below is a message I sent out to some pastor friends, but which I think is appropriate for all.  

La Paz de Cristo sea con vosotros, pw  (Google translate should help you if you can't figure this out.)

Dear Brothers in Christ,

     Hurtling backwards at 253 KM per hour, four hours on the train leaves me with no excuse for not sending a “Friday” e-mail.  Actually sending it will have to wait until I get back to Sevilla, finishing up a weekend of travels, to Madrid for a service including a baptism on Saturday, then on to Valencia, where the congregation of actual members has dwindled to almost nothing.  Beneficial conversations with the deacon there, a good egg who is in a seminary by extension program with the goal of ordination.  Getting from here to there studying by extension, on the side, while working full time, and heading a household, is a daunting task.  

     The CTSFW website posts the OT and NT readings from the Treasury of Daily Prayer, which can be really handy for devotions on the go.  But they struggle to keep it on the right day.  The variable date of Easter is seemingly too deep a mystery for the webmaster.  But this limitation proved a benefit today, as the readings for this day, if it were not Pentecost Monday, would rightly come from Ecclesiastes and John 6.  Actually probably from yesterday, May 24^th, since I’m 8 hours or so ahead of Indiana.  Anyway, the readings are the point, to which I will Lord willing get soon.

     Do you ever notice how the Bondage of the Will pops up everywhere, once you get your head wrapped around it, (insofar as this is possible)?  The Preacher’s mournful lament in Eccl 1 seems to me representative of the honest and wise human who has come as close as we of our own powers can come to the reality of our bondage, without yet being enlightened by the mystery of the Cross.  Vanity.  Everything new is old, and pointless to boot.  Eat, drink and be merry, for this is as good as it gets, and tomorrow we die, (which just so happens to be a world view altogether common in Spain.)

     The John 6 reading is the aftermath of Jesus telling His disciples that they must chew on His flesh and drink His blood or they will have no part in His Kingdom.  As the crowd grumbles at this hard teaching, Jesus and John throw down a series of free-will and human reason destroying maxims, (as if eating His flesh and drinking His blood weren’t enough already).  “This is why I told you no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.”  “He knew who would betray Him” and yet allowed it to happen!  “One of you Twelve is a devil.” 

Lord have mercy.  Any one of these, pursued to the tying up of all its logical implications, is enough to destroy for us the Gospel, and with it our feeble faith.  The music of the liturgy that accompanies Peter’s words from John 6 is altogether too cheerful.  The bouncy tune and the added alleluias contradict the desperation of Peter’s reply to Jesus’ question, about whether the Twelve also want to leave.  Of course they want to leave.  Their reason and will are screaming at them to leave. All the sensible people have already left.  “But Lord, to whom shall we go, you have the words of eternal life?” 

 

     Peter can only, and just barely, hold on to the Gospel of Life.  But that is enough, and actually an overstatement, because it is the Gospel that is holding on to Peter.  God’s gracious will continues to unfold, the Cross looms near, and with it comes the Resurrection, where all our impossibilities and the vanities of our bound lives dissolve in peace and joy. 

     The song we have drawn from John 6 to introduce the Gospel ought to be in a minor key.  But no matter, the words are good and right to memorize, and sing, for they do end in joy.  

      God grant you to remain with Jesus, hearing His Word of eternal life, for it is for you, and your people. 

La Paz de Cristo sean con todos vosotros.  D

 

p.s. While you were reading, we hit 300 km/hour.  Say what you like about socialism, the Spaniards have sweet trains.  

Church, Mission and Christmas

1^st Sunday after Christmas, Year B, 

Dec 28, 2014, Trinity Lutheran Church, Miles City, MT

Isaiah 61:10- 62:3, Galatians 4:4-7, Luke 2:22-40

The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations,

     and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things! 

     His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.

The Lord has made known his salvation;

     he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.

He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. 

     All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!

     The right hand of Almighty God, His all-powerful arm, ready to achieve in time the salvation of our God, is wrapped in swaddling clothes, a 40 day old infant, held in the arms of a faithful old man named Simeon.  This tiny but mighty arm of the Lord is also the Silent Word, the

Unspeaking Subject of the irrepressible telling that comes from the mouth of an ancient widow named Anna.  Righteousness has come down from above, and so praise breaks forth from God’s people, and before the nations, as the love of God beams forth from the face of a little child. 

     Merry Christmas.  It is an extra Christmas blessing to be with you here today, to gather around Christ’s gifts, and to tell you about the adventure my wife Shelee and I are entering, as I have accepted a call from the Mission Board to be a Missionary, a Church Planter, in Seville, Spain.  

     I pray that your week has been filled with the Good Tidings of great joy that Christ is born for you today.  I also pray that your week has been filled with joyful gatherings of family and friends, times of remembrance of joyful days gone by, and the making of memories for the future.  This is how we best love Christmas, when it is filled with homecomings, reunions with our loved ones.  Shelee and I were particularly blessed in just this way, as our son Jeremy came to Billings from Fargo, bringing both his sister Madeline, and his fiancée Teresa.  It was a bit crowded in our temporary apartment home in Billings, but we had a grand time, a Merry Christmas indeed. 

     It is, of course, always a little risky for a preacher to talk about what a great Christmas he has enjoyed, because some of you may not have experienced the same.  Perhaps your Christmas has not been quite so fine, because this is the first one spent without someone very special to you.  Or perhaps the hoped for joy of a family reunion did not materialize.  Perhaps travel plans did not work out, or they did, but tension and anxiety and simmering conflicts stole away the joy you hoped for.  Christmas can be the most wonderful time of the year, and it can also be the most difficult.  The devil works overtime to make fully visible the sin that infects our world and each one of us, as he seeks to spoil our celebration Jesus’ birth.  I dare say all of us over the age of 25 and most of us under the age of 25 have experienced our share of strife and sadness during the season of joy.  I hope this has not been the case for you, but I know that it is for some.  

     If your Christmas has not been all you hoped for, do not despair.  And, if your Christmas has been wonderful, be sure to still remember the True Center of the Holy Day.  For your best homecoming, best this side of eternity at least, is happening right now, right here, as the Holy Spirit has gathered us once again to receive God’s love.  The Lord knows how difficult life in this world can be, and so He is always working to gather us and bless us again, to have His herald announce to all, “Fear not, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which are for all people, for born to you in the city of David is a Savior, Christ, the Lord.  God’s desire today is to give you the confident faith and praise-filled peace that Simeon and Anna received, when they were gathered into the presence of the infant Jesus.  

     Christmas has always been a time of homecomings, of family reunions, from the house of David in Bethlehem at the command of a Roman emperor, to our houses today, filled with favorite foods and football games.  Security and love within the bonds of family are precious gifts from God, and vital for our lives, vital for us, and also for Joseph, Mary and the Baby Jesus, huddled in a stable, borrowing furniture from the animals. 

     And yet God’s Arm has been revealed in that Manger, and so we move quickly from home to the mission field, from gathering as the people of God in this place, to sprouting up before the nations, bearing the righteousness of Christ and singing His praises, by which the nations also come to hear of the Salvation that extends to all.  This movement of God’s people, gathering together to receive His Word and Gifts, leads to the movement of God’s salvation, the sprouting up of righteousness before all the nations.  Gathering and going, to and from the Christ Child. 

     It is quite simple, but the Church is filled with foolish sinners.  We are so prone to infection by worldly ideas.  We should learn almost all we need to know about Church and Mission from the Christmas stories, from the Shepherds and the Wise Men and from Simeon and Anna.  From them we learn of gathering around the Christ Child, in order to be sent out singing His praise and telling His story, gathering and going, each in the vocations and stations of life that God has given.  Gathering and sending, sending both near and far, sending as royal priests and as called ministers, each with a unique role to play in God’s plan - this is God’s unending pattern of mission.  

     Gathering and sending are mutually supportive, but too often we Christians resort to pitting these two movements against each other.  Simply “being in Church,” being the family of God, secure, receiving, protecting, enjoying, is too often pitted against “being in mission,” out before the world, risking, telling, seeking.  Our sin-limited minds think one is more important than the other, or that we can’t do both.  There are layers of error in this thinking, errors which satan uses to discourage and confuse and wear us down.  One mistake is thinking we are the ones really doing things.  Another is thinking that gathering and reaching out are opposed, rather than understanding they are the breathing in and the breathing out of the Body of Christ.  Another error is assuming a plan that does not fit earthly models can’t work.  Remember, God’s mission is exactly that, God’s mission.  The Mission of the Church belongs to God.  He is the one who planned it, who energizes it and who moves it.  We are useful and involved in God’s Mission only as He moves and leads us.  As we heard from Isaiah, “the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations.”

     God does mission precisely this way:  First He gathers, in order to then reach out, that yet more may gather.  The Herald of God’s people cries out in service to God’s gathered people.  Again from Isaiah, “For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet.”  The herald preaches for the sake of God’s people, to increase their faith and steadfastness, to see them grow in Christ.  And through this pastoral care for His people, God causes the nations to see and hear, both by leading her to send missionaries near and far, and also by acting through the daily lives of each Christian.  And so Isaiah concludes His discussion of Church and Mission.  The herald keeps proclaiming, “until [Zion’s] righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a burning torch.  The nations shall see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory. 

     Christ is the burning torch of salvation, the light which enlightens the Gentiles, and the glory of God’s people.  Today, the light of Christ shows forth when His people gather to hear the glorious story of God’s grace and mercy.  Christ first, in the fullness of time, and Christ still today, working through the words and actions of His people to reach yet more people. 

     Christ first.  You see, long before any Christian sprang up to praise Him before the Nations, Christ Himself sprang up.  The Son of God became infinitesimally tiny in the womb of Mary, a helpless baby in the arms of Simeon, a young boy growing strong in the Lord, at just the right time.  The willingness of Jesus to set aside His heavenly glory and pass through all the stages of human growth is a marvel of humble love, love for His Father, and love for you. 

     But the incarnation and growth of God’s Son born of Mary is only the first light of His Love.  Starting on His eighth day, continuing in our Gospel this morning, and each day of His thirty some years walking on this earth, Jesus perfectly fulfilled every demand of God’s Law, not for Himself, (it is His own Law, after all), but for you, and me, and everyone.  And then even more, much, much more, Jesus, who loved most of all doing His Father’s will, suffered in our place. 

     Dreading the pain to come, the One who was held by Simeon in the Temple knelt in the Garden,

and prayed.  Jesus, on the night when He was betrayed, prayed Abba, Father, if it is possible, let this cup of suffering pass from me.  But not my will, but Thy will be done, Abba Father.  The Father’s will was done, and so, out of Jesus’ love for His Father, and out of His love for you, your sins have been taken away.  You and I and every other sinner on this globe were under the Law, under its condemnation, for we are sinners.  But now, the Law is fulfilled for you, by the life of Jesus, and your sins against God’s Law are forgiven, washed away in the blood of Jesus.  Your eternal peace and glory are guaranteed, in the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus. 

     The will of God, His great desire, is to rescue you from sin and death, and God’s will has been done.  So now we, who in our baptisms have been clothed in His garments of righteousness, are thus privileged to add our joyful Abbas to the Gethsemane prayer of Jesus.  Because Jesus fulfilled His Abba Father’s will, you can call His Father your Father, your Abba, your God.  Your Savior has taught you to pray with Him to His Father, ‘Our Father, who art in heaven,’ so that daily you might be reminded who your true Abba Father is, through the grace of Christ. 

     If that is not enough of a Christmas present, just wait, there’s more.  Even when you fail, even when you turn your back on God by falling, yet again, into sin, still God pursues His will to have you with Himself in glory forever.  You have been clothed in garments of righteousness, the pure white robes of Christ’s righteousness given to you in your Baptism, where God covered all your sins, and called you by a new name, calling you His beloved and forgiven child.  When you sin, when I sin, we soil the garments Christ won for us.  When we Christians defile the perfect gift we’ve received from our Father, any reasonable person would be done with us,   

     But not your Father in Heaven.  Even when you fall into sin, God is not done with you.  The Baptized ought never sin, but we do.  To our great shame, we who know Christ as Savior still fail to live as God’s children should.  And yet, despite what you deserve for your sins, the Lord is pleased to wash your garments clean again, to remove the stain of sin with His Word of Forgiveness, to purify you inside and out through His Holy Supper.  Great are the mercies that our Lord God has drawn us to, once again here, today, blessings for you, the people of God, and also a blessing for the nations.  This is why, as we leave Christ’s table, we sing with Simeon, Lord, now you let your servant go in peace, for your Word has been fulfilled.  

     And still God is not finished.  Christ first, and Christ still today.  This inward movement, the gathering by the Holy Spirit of God’s people around the Word and Signs of Christ, is exactly the beginning point of God’s plan to reach out to the nations.  God drew Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, bearing Christ, in order that the angels could herald his birth, drawing the Shepherds in to worship, and then sending them out to tell their neighbors all they had heard and seen.  God drew the Wise Men by the star to the home of Jesus, so that He could send them back out to the nations, carrying this good news that a new king has been born for all people.   God drew Simeon and Anna to the Christ, to reveal the Savior to them, and immediately their voices broke forth in praise, announcing to the nations that this Child is for them, too.    

     My wife Shelee and I are being sent to Spain, to an historically Roman Catholic place, where Mary is firmly in the center of their faith.  And yet, most Spaniards are Roman Catholic in name only, almost never gathering for services.  Worse still, in Spain more and more young people are denying Christianity altogether.  Spain is a wonderful place, but the missionary task will not be easy.  So, we are thankful to be gathered here with you this morning, to be strengthened for the work ahead.  Because of our shared confession of Christ, we are bold to ask you to support us.  Please support us with your prayers.  Know what to pray for by signing up to receive our newsletter.  And also, please go to your Abba Father in prayer, and ask Him how He might have you support our mission financially, both as individuals, and as a congregation.  

     Remember us, and also remember, God sends you, too.  Whether you are a banker or a rancher or a grade school student, whether you are a parent, grandparent, brother, sister or child, whether you are eloquent or shy, God sends you into your daily callings, and He goes with you.  He is not calling you to preach on the street corner, but rather to love your neighbor, and to be ready to give the reason for the hope that you have.  If you’re not sure how to best live out your role in God’s Mission, if you’re nervous about giving the reason for the hope you have, there is a simple solution.  To be better prepared for your tasks in God’s Mission, you can simply gather more, study more, hear more, and receive more.  Be filled up with Gods’ pure Gospel, and the Holy Spirit, working through the Word and the Supper, working through the instruction and wisdom of your pastor, will prepare you to fill just the role God has in mind for you.  

     Merry Christmas.  God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is thrilled to reunite again with you today, thrilled to take your sins and give you His garments of righteousness, thrilled to love you and give you peace.  Here your eyes see the salvation, which the Lord has prepared before the face of all people, a light, to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of God’s people, the New Israel, the Church of Christ.  Go forth in His peace, singing His praise, Amen.  

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