Midweek Message from the Mount – June 20, 2012

 “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked. ³⁴ Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! ³⁵ Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:33-35)

Have you ever thought about how amazing it is that Jesus calls us his brothers and sisters?  Have you considered how remarkable it is that we have been made the sons and daughters of the Heavenly Father? 

Through Jesus, God has taken us, bitter enemies of himself because of our choice of straying instead of obeying, and he has reconciled us to himself.  We were sons and daughters of the Father of Lies, but he has declared us to be the sons and daughters of himself, the Father of Life.  This is nothing we have earned or deserved.  There’s nothing we have done that God should look at us and think we were worth adopting.  But he did it because of his love.  How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! (1 John 3:1)  And because we are his children we find peace and security in his faithful promises, we find comfort in his loving and protecting arms, and we are happy to obey his commands and to do his will.

And have you ever considered how this relationship with our heavenly Father makes us brothers and sisters of each other?  Not by our blood, but by Jesus’ blood, are we family.  And that’s something that is stronger than any other relationship we have on this earth, because it lasts for eternity.  The brothers and sisters in faith that you have here will be your family forever.  So we care for one another.  We look out for one another.  We help each other when we are hurting.  We rejoice with one another when we have reason to rejoice.  And we love one another.  Not just in words, but in actions and in truth.  We love one another as Christ our brother first loved us.

Thank God that he has made us his family, and he has made us into a family!

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, We thank and praise you for making us your dear children through the merits of Jesus.  Lead us to place our trust in you as you supply us with all our needs. Strengthen us as we live together as a family of believers that we might exhibit our love for you in our relationships.  May we glorify you in all that we say and do together as a family in faith.  We pray in the name of Jesus, our brother.  Amen.

Midweek Message from the Mount – June 13, 2012

Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day. (Deuteronomy 5:15)

God blessed his people with the gift of the Sabbath Day so that they could find rest for their bodies and their souls.  Here, through Moses, God tells his people that he brought them out of slavery in Egypt and brought them into the Promised Land, which was accomplished only by his almighty power.  Because of that, they were to observe the Sabbath to remember just how much God loved and cared for them, both physically and spiritually.

You and I have been freed from the slavery of our sin.  We were locked away in the prison of our sinful flesh with Satan as our master. But God has broken that yoke of slavery through the life and death of our Savior and our Substitute who took the punishment for us.  We have been forgiven of our debt, we have been freed, and it’s all by God’s mighty hand and outstretched arm, and not by anything we have done or ever could do.  And so we too eagerly desire to remember just how much God loves and cares for us. 

 

But there is no longer that command to observe a certain day of rest.  Christ has cancelled the written code and all the observances and festivals (Col. 2:13-17). We have been set free and we are able worship and find rest whenever we want.  We worship not because we have to, but because we cannot help not to, knowing the grace and mercy God has showered on us through Christ.  That yoke of slavery to sin has been crushed by Christ, and he now gives us a blessed invitation:  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28-30).

 

It’s in Christ that God’s commandment to keep the Sabbath Day was fulfilled.  It’s in Christ that we find rest from our sin and this sinful world.  It’s in Christ that we have the hope of eternal rest. 

 

Prayer:  Dear Jesus, Thank you for keeping the Law perfectly in my place and dying for my disobedience to the Law, so that I might be set free to serve you in faith.  Continue to lead me to eagerly seek you in Word and Sacrament where I find true rest for my soul.  Amen.

Midweek Message from the Mount – June 6, 2012

  In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. ² Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. ³ And they were calling to one another:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;

the whole earth is full of his glory.”

⁴ At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

⁵ “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”

⁶ Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. ⁷ With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

⁸ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:1-8)

The first lesson for Trinity Sunday that we read this past Sunday is filled with beautiful truths and imagery.  Look at what brings Isaiah to his eager desire to be sent by the Lord.  It’s what the Triune God does for him that compels him.

He knows who he is before a holy God.  A man of unclean lips.  Ruined.  Woe is upon him.  He knows he does not deserve to be in the presence of the almighty God and he honestly admits he should be destroyed for it.

But notice how God responds.  He does not destroy Isaiah the sinner.  He declares Isaiah to be a saint, he takes his sins away, it’s atoned for, his guilt is vanquished.  And for no other reason than God’s great grace and mercy. 

Then comes the call.  “Whom shall I send?  And who will go for us?”  And Isaiah, knowing what his loving, Triune God has done for him, bringing him from ruin to life, from guilt to a pure heart, can’t help but raise his hand high and shout, “Here am I.  Send me!”

God has forgiven your sins and taken your guilt away by the blood of Christ.  Now he calls out to his sinners declared to be saints, “Who will go for us?”  How will you respond to the call?  How can you not see God’s love for you and raise your hand high and shout, “Here am I.  Send me!  Use me for your purposes!  Let me share this love with others!  Let me be the servant of the Triune God!”  The holy God has declared you, a sinner, to be holy.  And now he even calls you into his service.  How awesome is that!  What a privilege you have!

Prayer:  Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I thank you for so perfectly providing for all of my needs, especially for making me your child now and forever.  Lead me to hear your call into a life of service to you and to answer cheerfully, “Here am I.  Send me!”  May I be a light to the world that reflects your great love for all people.  May I give glory to you in everything I say and do.  Forgive me when I fail, restore me with your forgiveness, and give me your strength to live for you.  Amen.

Midweek Message from the Mount – May 30, 2012

“All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:25-27)

Jesus kept his promise to his disciples.  For three years he had been teaching and preaching, preparing and equipping his disciples for their own ministry.   Their heads were full of things Jesus had taught them.  Soon he would be leaving and they would need to be reminded of everything he had said and everything he had done.  So he promised them the Counselor and he kept that promise on Pentecost, ten days after he had ascended.  This gift would bring them peace and joy as they preached boldly in the face of persecution and the early church grew rapidly.

And Jesus makes this same promise to us as well.  He sends the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, to us.  We have a Pentecost experience every time we come into contact with his Word, every time we receive his Supper, every time we remember the blessings of our baptism.  We don’t speak in different languages, but we are certainly filled with the Holy Spirit, strengthened in faith, and through it, Jesus gives us his peace.  We receive his peace knowing that we are one with God through what Christ has accomplished in our place, and that there is nothing in this world that can take that from us. 

Do not let your hearts be troubled!  Do not be afraid!  You have the peace of Jesus through his promised Holy Spirit!  Cling to Word and Sacrament where you only can find that peace. 

Prayer:  Holy Spirit, we praise you for working through Word and Sacrament to strengthen us in faith and to bring peace to our hearts in such an un-peaceful world.  Lead us to cling to the merits of Christ for forgiveness and for our salvation.  May we be filled with faith and confidence to live the life that you call us to live in this world, so that more may come to know your saving power.  We pray this in the name of Jesus, our ascended Lord, Amen.

Midweek Message from the Mount – May 23, 2012

I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. ¹⁵ My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. ¹⁷ Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.  (John 17:14-17)

 

“A scuba diver may live in the water but he breathes the air--he has to take his environment with him.”  This is the way it’s supposed to be for the Christian living in this world.  You live in it, but you are not of it.   You don’t breathe what everyone else in the world does.  Instead, you live and breathe God’s Word.

And for that reason, the world hates you.  It opposes what you believe.  It tries to get you to give in and be tolerant and accepting of what God calls sin and the world calls “choices” and “fun.”  Thankfully we do not have to experience violent persecution for our faith in our country, but the persecution is there, as subtle as it may be.  The world hates you and what you stand for. 

And that’s why Jesus prays for you in the words above.  This is part of his prayer to the Father on Maundy Thursday evening before he was arrested.  Consider what he’s facing in the next hours, and it’s you he prays for.  Even though the world may hate you he doesn’t pray that you are taken out of this world.  But he prays that you are protected from the evil one who would use this sinful world to get us to doubt our God and give up on his promises.  And Jesus points us to his Word.  That he has given us his Word and that we be sanctified (made and kept holy) by the truth of his Holy Word.  It’s there we find forgiveness for the times we have looked just like the sinful world around us.  It’s there we find comfort of the perfect life and innocent of Jesus for us.   It’s there we find the peace of knowing that in his time he will bring us out of this sinful world to his heavenly kingdom.  It’s there where we find guidance for our life of faith in a sinful world.

Be sanctified by the truth of God’s Word!  It’s there you find the ammo you need to fight evil one as you continue to be in this world, but not of it.  That’s what God has called you to be!

Prayer:  Gracious Father, there is much evil in the world around us that Satan will try to use to get us to doubt you and give up on you.  Forgive us, for Jesus’ sake, for the times we have become part of the world we live in.  Lead us to your Word where we see how much you love us and to receive the strength we need to remain your children.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Midweek Message from the Mount – May 16, 2012

⁷ But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. ⁸ This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.”  (Ephesians 4:7,8)

 

Tomorrow we celebrate the festival of the Ascension of our Lord.  His work was completed, what he came to do was accomplished, it was time for the Son to return to the Father.  He left this earth, but he did not leave us alone!  “Surely I am with you always to the very end of the age,” he assures us (Matt. 28:20).  Jesus promises that the Father would “give you another Counselor to be with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth . . . you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you” (Jn 14:16,17). This Counselor comes to us freely and in full measure through Word and Sacrament. He has certainly not left us alone! 

And he has left us with something to do too.  “When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.”  Our spiritual enemies have been defeated by Christ, and now he has given us gifts to serve him.  “To each one us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

In addition to the saving grace we have received through Christ’s life, death and resurrection, we each have received gifts of grace that we are not only encouraged to use, but out of response to his love, expected to use.  He has given them to you to use for the benefit of others.  Jesus is gone, but he has chosen to continue his work through you and through the gifts he has given you, so that through your life others may see him.

What are the gifts Christ has apportioned to you?  What are the gifts that he has given you so that he might work through you?  Do you have the gift of teaching?  Of encouragement?  Of working with your hands?  Of prayer?  Of music?  Of leadership?  Of serving?  You have been given gifts, there’s no doubt in that.  The question is, are you using them as he intends for you to, to give him glory?

Jesus is gone, but his Holy Spirit dwells within you through faith and Jesus is with you through Word and Sacrament.  And Jesus now extends his work through you and the gifts he has apportioned to you.  Take time to prayerfully consider: how will you carry out the work that he has given you to do with the gifts he has given you?

 

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, we praise and thank you for completely saving us through your life and death, so that we are yours only by grace and not by our works.  But you have given us work to do and you have given each one of us different gifts to serve you and each other.  Help us to recognize these gifts and to use them to the glory of your name, so that others might see you through us.  Amen.

Midweek Message from the Mount – May 9, 2012

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”  (John 15:1,2)

 

Do you feel like you are constantly being pruned by the Gardener?  Do you feel like you’d just like a break from the pain and the problems of this life? 

A man once visited an orange grove where an irrigation pump had broken down. The season was unusually dry and some of the trees were beginning to die for lack of water. The farmer giving the tour then took the man to his own orchard where irrigation was used sparingly. "These trees could go without rain for another 2 weeks," he said. "You see, when they were young, I frequently kept water from them. This hardship caused them to send their roots deeper into the soil in search of moisture. Now mine are the deepest-rooted trees in the area. While others are being scorched by the sun, these are finding moisture at a greater depth."

Friends, that’s exactly what God intends for the pains and the problems of this life to do for you.  He prunes you so that you might know where to look for real strength, for real peace, for real solutions.  To look to him.  Not to yourself.  Not to “experts” around you.  But to look to him alone. To seek him in Word and Sacrament that he gives us.  To know that he is in control. To remember that he has proven his love to you through Christ.  To remember that he has showered his love on you our entire life, and that he certainly won’t stop now.

And the result of allowing us to go through pain and problems in this life is so that we might bear even more fruit for him.  That you might know and recognize the limitless power and strength of the God who loves you personally.  That your faith might be strengthened in his promises and his plans for you.  And so that others may see God’s power working through you.

It sounds rather strange, but I encourage you to thank God for the pain of this life.  Praise God for the problems that he allows in your life.   Appreciate the pruning the Gardener does on you.  Remember his faithful promise:  he will not give you more than you can bear.  He is simply leading you to a deeper trust in him.  He is using you to lead others to himself.  And in his love, he’s preparing you for eternity.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, sometimes I do not understand why you allow certain things to happen in my life.  But let me never doubt your great love for me that you have proven to me in my Savior, Jesus.  Help me to accept your pruning as proof of how much you care about me, that you want my faith in you to increase, that you want me to bear more fruit for you in my life, and that you are preparing me for eternity.  I ask this in the name of my risen Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.