Pentecost 13, 2009
Ephesians 5:8-20
“Wisdom”
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Emperor Constantine in the Edict of Milan (A.D. 313) had granted toleration of the Christian religion and begun bestowing court favors on the Christians. This new attitude produced a great change in the relationship between the church and the state. Multitudes now came into the membership of the church after professing repentance and faith in Christ and accepting baptism. But only the Searcher of hearts knows how many of these remained pagans at heart. Their harmful influence in the church soon became apparent. They demanded and obtained one concession after another. The forms of worship and Christian discipline and practice were brought into closer conformity with paganism. It was now popular to be a Christian. The offense of the cross had ceased. The reproach of the name of Christ was gone. As the church grew in favor with the people, it lost power with God. The seed of the divine Word that was still sown by some faithful preachers was choked more and more by the tares of worldliness.
Since that time and even before faithfulness to God’s Word has often been accused as being unloving. It was written of Athanasius (of the Athanasian creed fame) that “It was his vocation with unfaltering boldness to stand up for the church’s exact and orthodox belief, to resist the course of error, a duty as difficult as it was important. He was accused of pride, harshness, stubbornness. Certain it is that in that breast of iron, which he ever offered to the enemies of truth, he hid a royal measure of love to the flock that he led and to the whole church of Christ.” Luther too was named a “sever, sharp physician, a bold rebellious, contentious spirit, a wild, drunken swine.” If the church joins the world, there is no need for the world to join the church!
But what does this have to do with our text? “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5:8-20)
In our text we as Christians are called to be wise…wise in how we live our life. As Christians…the way we live our lives proclaims our faith and we are to make the most of our opportunities to share our faith for we live in a wicked age. Our wisdom is in Christ. The world wisdom is in self. We believe in a God that created the world in six days. The world believes that the world evolved by chance and chaos. We believe in a God that gives us His inerrant Word that creates and maintains faith. The world believes its just another book written by sinful men. We believe in a God that became man and died for our sins. The world believes that Jesus is the biggest fraud the world has ever known. We believe in life. The world believes in death; abortion and euthanasia. We have hope in Christ and everlasting life. The world lives this life to the full for there is no hope in the future. Far too often we look just like the world…and our Churches resemble the world as well.
If any of you have paid attention the news on television or in the newspapers you may be aware that this past week was a turning point in Lutheranism. The headlines across America stated “Lutherans pass measure on gay clergy.” “Lutherans to vote on ordaining gays.” “Lutherans to vote on sexually active gay clergy.” (and so on) It is with a saddened heart that the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America has voted this past week to have full fellowship with the Methodist Church, “commit itself to finding ways to allow congregations that choose to do so to recognize, support and hold publicly accountable lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships”, and “commit itself to finding a way for people in such publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous, same-gender relationships to serve as rostered leaders of this church.” These are sad events…but not surprising from a Church body that has for years denied the inerrancy of Scripture.
Charles Porterfield Krauth (a Pastor in a church body that would go on to form the ELCA) pressed home our responsibility when he wrote, “A church which contends for nothing either has lost the truth or has ceased to love it. Warfare is painful, but they whose errors created the necessity for it are responsible for all its miseries.” Luther had sharp words to speak to George Major on the subject: “A teacher who keeps silent on errors and wishes still to be known [as a faithful] orthodox teacher is worse than a manifest fanatic, and does more damage with his dissembling than a heretic and is not to be trusted. He is a wolf and a fox, a hireling and a belly server.”
It is in this present wicked age that we are called to live in the Wisdom of God’s Word, to proclaim sin as being a sin that the sinner may come to repentance and hear the wonderful news of Jesus’ forgiveness won on the cross. Our opportunity to witness is now. For the world is indeed wicked and many churches have joined the world. And so we pray the words from the second stanza of our Sermon hymn: “In these last days of sore distress grant us dear Lord true steadfastness. That pure we keep till life is spent they Holy Word and Sacrament.” (TLH 292)
My brothers and Sisters in Christ. You have been given faith. Christ has sent His Holy Spirit to live in you. Through Him you will overcome this wicked age. For your sins have been forgiven and you are already victorious over sin, death, and the devil. May God continue to guide you in your faith that your light may shine faithfully before men. Go in peace; serve the Lord. Amen.
Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. Amen.
Recent Comments