Sermon Sunday November 25, 2007
Christ the King Sunday
Brothers and sisters,
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
It has become somewhat common among pastors and other leaders in the contemporary church to approach ministry and discipleship from a vantage point that begins by asking the question "What is God up to?" And some even like to suggest that ministry from this vantage point is actually a new idea.
In that light, allow me to read you a quote.
"I do not wish to force anyone to believe as I do; neither will I permit anyone to deny me the right to believe that the last day is near at hand. These words and signs of Christ compel me to believe that such is the case. For the history of the centuries that have passed since the birth of Christ nowhere reveals conditions like those of the present. There has never been such building and planting in the world. There has never been such gluttonous and varied eating and drinking as now. Wearing apparel has reached its limit in costliness. Who has ever heard of such commerce as now encircles the earth?"
That was written by Martin Luther in approximately 1522. And granted, in his defense, he did not try to pass his interpretation of the conditions of his day as signs of Christ’s return, as some sort of prophecy nor base his theology on those interpretations, as we see some do today with their own interpretation. But what this shows is that even Martin Luther, champion of grace and Christian freedom and respected theologian that he was, was susceptible to pondering the mystery of what God is up to. It’s far from a new idea.
And so maybe you, in light of recent events in your lives such as the upcoming Consecration Sunday and everything surrounding it, have found yourself wondering just what God is up to. Maybe you have wondered if Consecration Sunday makes sense or if it’s a good idea. Or maybe you support it in principle but you can’t help but wonder about how it has been handled and you have some questions like ‘Why are we going to be asked to fill out estimate of giving cards?’ or ‘Why are we making such a big deal out of this?’ or ‘Why are we having a catered meal?’
And for the most part there is nothing wrong with those questions. They are just more specific ways of addressing the question of what God is up to. However, in whatever form we ask it, I believe that feeling a need to ask that question; ‘What is God up to?’ is really more a reflection of a weakness in our faith than it is a reflection of strength in our faith. It’s a reflection of our desire for visible signs, as opposed to faithfully trusting in God’s promise in Christ Jesus.
In today’s lesson from Philippians, Paul tells us that Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God. In Christ Jesus you have all the visible signs that you will ever need. As Christ Jesus comes to you in His Word as He is doing right now and He will do in a few minutes when He comes to you in the Lord’s Supper as you come forward for communion, He continues to assure you that you can take Him at His Word, that He is faithful to you, that you can trust what God is doing.
But far too often, that’s not enough for us. Far too often we fail to take our Lord at His Word and so we demand proof, we demand visible signs. We become bound by our own sense of reason and logic and we call our Lord into question when something that He calls us to might not fit within our limited vision of what makes sense, of what might seem reasonable and logical.
And in doing so we reveal ourselves to be not only our own worst enemies, but actually enemies of God. We reveal ourselves to be just like the unrepentant thief in today’s Gospel lesson who says to Jesus "Are you not the Messiah?? Save yourself and us!" We reveal ourselves to be under the same sentence of condemnation that both of the thieves and for that matter those who were crucifying Jesus were under also.
With our suspicion about what God is up to and our demanding of visible signs we show our utter inability to trust that God is our Father and our refusal and even lack of desire to take God at His Word. We don't want to believe God's promise of faithfulness in Christ Jesus because to do so would mean our death. Christ Jesus is the beginning; the firstborn from the dead. And so to receive our share of the inheritance of the saints, to be rescued from the power of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of the beloved Son, to receive new life in Christ means first to face death.
But today on Christ the King Sunday, as we remember Christ’s eternal victory we are reminded that in Christ Jesus, God brings about a new reality that is not bound by the limits of reason and logic. Today our Lord tells us exactly what He is up to when we read the final verse from the second lesson for today which tells us that God was pleased to reconcile all things to Himself by making peace through the blood of His cross.
As the world looked on and saw Christ Jesus laying down His life on calvary what they thought they saw was defeat, but it was anything but defeat. As the soldiers ridiculed Jesus and mockingly placed the sign over His head that read King of the Jews, it was actually in those moments as He faced death that Christ Jesus carried out His kingly rule for "the Jews" or all of the faithful.
And so He continues His kingly rule through the faithful as they live out the great commission, going forth and making disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey what Jesus has commanded. In spite of your refusal to take God at His Word. In spite of your insistence on clinging to your life and clinging to what seems reasonable and logical, Christ Jesus refuses to leave you in bondage to your own reason and logic, and your own refusal to take Him at His Word.
In the waters of baptism He drags you down, kicking and screaming, sinner that you are into death, and raises you up in new life as a new creation in Christ. He has marked you and sealed you as His and has promised to remember you, and He daily continues to remind you of the claim that He has made on you as He comes to you In His Word and the sacraments and as you fellowship with each other.
Through the Gospel, the Holy Spirit calls you to make the same plea that the repentant thief on the Cross made when he said "Lord remember me in your kingdom." He calls you to this plea but it’s a plea that is answered before you can get the words out of your mouth. He has promised to remember you and that you will be with Him in paradise.
You were an enemy of God under condemnation for your continued attacks on God through your pride and unbelief and sin, but in Christ Jesus, the very One whom you fight against has done something that defies any sense of reason and logic by placing Himself under your sentence, and thus rescuing you from the power of darkness and transferring you into the kingdom of His beloved Son.
You are no longer at war with God. Peace has been achieved through the blood of the cross. Praise be God, your war with God is over and you lost, and now you belong to Christ Jesus. You are no longer His enemy so you may as well stop acting like it. Stop worrying about what God is up to now, and rest comfortably and securely in knowledge of what He has already done for you, promising to remember you in His kingdom and securing a place for you an eternal place in paradise.
Through the grace of God, the forgiveness of sin, and the blood of Christ, you have been made strong with all the strength that comes from God’s glorious power. You have been strengthened in Christ and now you are called to continue the kingly rule of Christ, which as we see in today’s Gospel lesson, refuses to be bound by that which the world sees, which we see, which you see, which I see, as reasonable, logical and sensible.
Amen
Brothers and sisters,
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
It has become somewhat common among pastors and other leaders in the contemporary church to approach ministry and discipleship from a vantage point that begins by asking the question "What is God up to?" And some even like to suggest that ministry from this vantage point is actually a new idea.
In that light, allow me to read you a quote.
"I do not wish to force anyone to believe as I do; neither will I permit anyone to deny me the right to believe that the last day is near at hand. These words and signs of Christ compel me to believe that such is the case. For the history of the centuries that have passed since the birth of Christ nowhere reveals conditions like those of the present. There has never been such building and planting in the world. There has never been such gluttonous and varied eating and drinking as now. Wearing apparel has reached its limit in costliness. Who has ever heard of such commerce as now encircles the earth?"
That was written by Martin Luther in approximately 1522. And granted, in his defense, he did not try to pass his interpretation of the conditions of his day as signs of Christ’s return, as some sort of prophecy nor base his theology on those interpretations, as we see some do today with their own interpretation. But what this shows is that even Martin Luther, champion of grace and Christian freedom and respected theologian that he was, was susceptible to pondering the mystery of what God is up to. It’s far from a new idea.
And so maybe you, in light of recent events in your lives such as the upcoming Consecration Sunday and everything surrounding it, have found yourself wondering just what God is up to. Maybe you have wondered if Consecration Sunday makes sense or if it’s a good idea. Or maybe you support it in principle but you can’t help but wonder about how it has been handled and you have some questions like ‘Why are we going to be asked to fill out estimate of giving cards?’ or ‘Why are we making such a big deal out of this?’ or ‘Why are we having a catered meal?’
And for the most part there is nothing wrong with those questions. They are just more specific ways of addressing the question of what God is up to. However, in whatever form we ask it, I believe that feeling a need to ask that question; ‘What is God up to?’ is really more a reflection of a weakness in our faith than it is a reflection of strength in our faith. It’s a reflection of our desire for visible signs, as opposed to faithfully trusting in God’s promise in Christ Jesus.
In today’s lesson from Philippians, Paul tells us that Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God. In Christ Jesus you have all the visible signs that you will ever need. As Christ Jesus comes to you in His Word as He is doing right now and He will do in a few minutes when He comes to you in the Lord’s Supper as you come forward for communion, He continues to assure you that you can take Him at His Word, that He is faithful to you, that you can trust what God is doing.
But far too often, that’s not enough for us. Far too often we fail to take our Lord at His Word and so we demand proof, we demand visible signs. We become bound by our own sense of reason and logic and we call our Lord into question when something that He calls us to might not fit within our limited vision of what makes sense, of what might seem reasonable and logical.
And in doing so we reveal ourselves to be not only our own worst enemies, but actually enemies of God. We reveal ourselves to be just like the unrepentant thief in today’s Gospel lesson who says to Jesus "Are you not the Messiah?? Save yourself and us!" We reveal ourselves to be under the same sentence of condemnation that both of the thieves and for that matter those who were crucifying Jesus were under also.
With our suspicion about what God is up to and our demanding of visible signs we show our utter inability to trust that God is our Father and our refusal and even lack of desire to take God at His Word. We don't want to believe God's promise of faithfulness in Christ Jesus because to do so would mean our death. Christ Jesus is the beginning; the firstborn from the dead. And so to receive our share of the inheritance of the saints, to be rescued from the power of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of the beloved Son, to receive new life in Christ means first to face death.
But today on Christ the King Sunday, as we remember Christ’s eternal victory we are reminded that in Christ Jesus, God brings about a new reality that is not bound by the limits of reason and logic. Today our Lord tells us exactly what He is up to when we read the final verse from the second lesson for today which tells us that God was pleased to reconcile all things to Himself by making peace through the blood of His cross.
As the world looked on and saw Christ Jesus laying down His life on calvary what they thought they saw was defeat, but it was anything but defeat. As the soldiers ridiculed Jesus and mockingly placed the sign over His head that read King of the Jews, it was actually in those moments as He faced death that Christ Jesus carried out His kingly rule for "the Jews" or all of the faithful.
And so He continues His kingly rule through the faithful as they live out the great commission, going forth and making disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey what Jesus has commanded. In spite of your refusal to take God at His Word. In spite of your insistence on clinging to your life and clinging to what seems reasonable and logical, Christ Jesus refuses to leave you in bondage to your own reason and logic, and your own refusal to take Him at His Word.
In the waters of baptism He drags you down, kicking and screaming, sinner that you are into death, and raises you up in new life as a new creation in Christ. He has marked you and sealed you as His and has promised to remember you, and He daily continues to remind you of the claim that He has made on you as He comes to you In His Word and the sacraments and as you fellowship with each other.
Through the Gospel, the Holy Spirit calls you to make the same plea that the repentant thief on the Cross made when he said "Lord remember me in your kingdom." He calls you to this plea but it’s a plea that is answered before you can get the words out of your mouth. He has promised to remember you and that you will be with Him in paradise.
You were an enemy of God under condemnation for your continued attacks on God through your pride and unbelief and sin, but in Christ Jesus, the very One whom you fight against has done something that defies any sense of reason and logic by placing Himself under your sentence, and thus rescuing you from the power of darkness and transferring you into the kingdom of His beloved Son.
You are no longer at war with God. Peace has been achieved through the blood of the cross. Praise be God, your war with God is over and you lost, and now you belong to Christ Jesus. You are no longer His enemy so you may as well stop acting like it. Stop worrying about what God is up to now, and rest comfortably and securely in knowledge of what He has already done for you, promising to remember you in His kingdom and securing a place for you an eternal place in paradise.
Through the grace of God, the forgiveness of sin, and the blood of Christ, you have been made strong with all the strength that comes from God’s glorious power. You have been strengthened in Christ and now you are called to continue the kingly rule of Christ, which as we see in today’s Gospel lesson, refuses to be bound by that which the world sees, which we see, which you see, which I see, as reasonable, logical and sensible.
Amen
posted by Steve at 1:08 PM
1 Comments:
What has gotten into you? I mean, a couple of weeks off and you are firing on every cylinder! What a sermon-if I could have written half as decent sermon as this, I would be happy.
This was brillant!:
"You were an enemy of God under condemnation for your continued attacks on God through your pride and unbelief and sin, but in Christ Jesus, the very One whom you fight against has done something that defies any sense of reason and logic by placing Himself under your sentence, and thus rescuing you from the power of darkness and transferring you into the kingdom of His beloved Son.
You are no longer at war with God. Peace has been achieved through the blood of the cross. Praise be God, your war with God is over and you lost, and now you belong to Christ Jesus. You are no longer His enemy so you may as well stop acting like it. Stop worrying about what God is up to now, and rest comfortably and securely in knowledge of what He has already done for you, promising to remember you in His kingdom and securing a place for you an eternal place in paradise."
WOW!
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