Sinner and Saint

War and Peace

Saint Michael and All Angels

September 29, 2019

Revelation 12:7-12

 

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

 

            Angels and Demons. Saint Michael the Archangel and Satan the Dragon. War and Peace. Rejoicing and a warning. Evil defeated and Evil vengeance cornered and lashing out. And at the center of it all is Christ.

          War in heaven. A battle of eternal consequences. A fight over our eternal destiny. Humans were at the heart of this battle being waged by Satan and his angels. The Accuser stood before God our Heavenly Father bent on our eternal damnation. You could imagine the argument that Satan would use before God. “These people of yours…they don’t love you. They don’t listen to you. They don’t even believe in you. They care only for themselves. They kill each other for possessions that do not last. They sacrifice their babies in the womb for selfish reasons. They make gods for themselves and worship your creation above You the Creator. They aren’t worth your time and effort. They aren’t worth your love and forgiveness. They are worthy only of punishment and damnation in hell.

          The cold hard fact…is that in these terms…these accusations…Satan isn’t entirely wrong. We as sinful people do reject God. We as sinful people do worship other things instead of God. We as sinful people do only deserve damnation in hell. As God’s people gathered in this place to receive His forgiveness…we know that. That fact scares us as we look at the daunting challenge of sharing Christ with our children, our community, and a world that rejects and despises God and His Church.

          But in the midst of this war there enters Christ into the battle. There enters Jesus who returns to His Father victorious over sin, death, and Satan. There our crimson stained Savior enters as the Risen Savior. His hands, feet, and side are testament to the war which is over. Christ returns to heaven and God the Father pronounces that we poor, miserable, and condemned sinners are not guilty; forgiven, pardoned, and made His beloved children through the blood of the lamb.

          There would be no more discussion. No more arguments. Satan would be cast out of heaven with his angels. There was no room for his hatred and deceit. No room for his accusations and twisting of truth. The war was over. He was defeated.

          Though defeated…Satan clings to this world. He clings to the sinfulness of this world until the End of Days. He reaches out, lashes out, prowls, and deceives in order to damn as many people as he can. This is why we are warned in the text: “But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” (Revelation 12:12) Again we are reminded of the battle waged on earth and told to prepare for battle: “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:11-12)

          The war is over…but battles still linger. Satan knows he is defeated. Satan knows his time is short. So what does he do? “Hell can't be made attractive, so the devil makes attractive the road that leads there.” (attributed to Saint Basil the Great) Satan deceives. He makes our sin out to be a “virtue.” He makes abominations into acts of love. If it doesn’t hurt anyone else do it. Take care of yourself. Do what you like. Enjoy your life to the fullest.

          Then Satan attacks believers. He deceives believers into thinking there is no god. There is no salvation…and even if there were you are a wretched sinner that deserves damnation. Satan drives us to despair.

          But Christ doesn’t leave us. He remains with us. He sends the Holy Spirit; the Comforter to us. He sends Michael and the Holy Angels to fight for us and protect us. Other than Satan, Michael is the only named angel in the Book of Revelation. He may be the closest thing we have to a guardian angel as he is the guardian or patron angel of Israel according to Daniel (Daniel 10:13, 21; 12:1). The ancient Jewish text of 1 Enoch calls Michael the protector of God’s people. Jude 9 gives him the title of Archangel. 

          We are not alone. And so we give thanks to God for His holy angels sent to guard us and proclaim God’s love to us. We are reminded of Luther’s words: “When the devil throws your sins in your face and declares that you deserve death and hell, tell him this: "I admit that I deserve death and hell, what of it? For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God, and where He is there I shall be also!” 

          This is our comfort. This is the comfort we get to share with God’s people. “And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” (Revelation 12:11) Satan has been conquered in heaven and on earth by the blood of the lamb. We have been washed in that blood and made clean. We are sustained with that blood and forgiven.

          We give thanks for angels, their work, their protection, and their message of great joy of the Savior. We give thanks that God’s holy angels remain faithful to God and do His will. We give thanks for their witness and the message they send that we are saved by the blood of Christ.

           Thanks be to God that even now we worship the Lamb upon His throne “with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven [and] we laud and magnify [His] glorious name, evermore praising [Him] and saying: “holy, holy, holy Lord God of Sabaoth; heaven and earth are full of Thy glory. Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest…”

          You are not alone. What a joy and comfort it is that in the liturgy we sing with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven; all of our loved ones that have died in the faith around the same Lamb of God. By the blood of the lamb we are saved. By the blood of the lamb sin death and Satan are conquered. In the blood of the lamb the war is over and we have eternal peace. Amen.

 

Now may the peace of God which passes all human understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Obsessed

Pentecost 14, 2019

Ezekiel 34:11-24

“Obsessed”

 

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

            “Ahab orders the crew to gather, and in a rousing speech promises a Spanish ounce of gold to the crewman who first sights Moby Dick. His single, secret purpose for the voyage is hunting down and killing Moby Dick, an old, very large sperm whale, with a snow-white hump and mottled skin, that crippled Ahab on his last whaling voyage. The gold coin is nailed to a mast in plain view as a reminder.”

          Those words summarize the obsession that Captain Ahab has to catch and kill the whale named Moby Dick. Captain Ahab would risk everything…his career, his fame, his fortune, his life, and even the life of his deck hands to seek revenge. He was obsessed with one thing: Moby Dick.

          What does it actually mean to be obsessed or to obsess over something? The dictionary defines it this way: “to dominate or preoccupy the thoughts, feelings, or desires of (a person); beset, trouble, or haunt persistently or abnormally;” “to think about something unceasingly or persistently; dwell obsessively upon something.”

          That definition fits Captain Ahab to a t. But it describes more than just a fictional character in a book many of us were assigned to read. It describes our society; just look at the world around you. I did a google search this past week and just entered the words: “Society is obsessed…” Under that incomplete question Google had 63 million results. No. I didn’t look at all 63 million results. But the top 3 results that kept popping up were these: Society is obsessed with material goods, youth, and appearance; beauty and looks. And they are right!

          Watch T.V. and you are inundated with commercials. Watch a children’s program that isn’t on PBS and you are in for a thousand and one toys your children must have…and your kids will let you know it. Watch the news and see what the media is obsessed with: doom and gloom usually…and once and a while a nice story of love or redemption. And daytime/primetime network shows? Sex, drugs, and violence.

          Sit down at the Doctor’s office and look at the magazines. Those magazines are filled with articles about looking better, toning those abs, looking sexy, how to get that guy or gal to like you, and surrounded by ads that will help you look physically better, dress better or accessorize better…can anybody spare a few thousand so I can buy a Rolex? And those magazines…who do they target? Not just adults but teens and tweens! Our children!

          What about you? What are you obsessed with? Do you get obsessed with those things? Do you get obsessed with your school or work? Do you get obsessed with your sports teams and winning? Do you get obsessed with your wants and dreams? Or maybe with your mistakes and the guilt that haunts you; a decision you wish you made or could change?

          When we look at all these things…and lists…obsession can be a very bad thing in our lives when it is continually focused on self. And while we must be careful not to become obsessed with many things…obsession can be a good thing!

          “For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness…I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.” (Ezekiel 34:11-12, 16)

          God is obsessed with you. He is obsessed with loving you. He is obsessed with forgiving and saving you. Your Heavenly Father is so obsessed with you that He leaves the flock to seek you out. He is so obsessed with loving, forgiving, and saving you that He gave up His Son, Jesus Christ, to death on the cross.

          Jesus too is obsessed with loving, forgiving, and saving you. Jesus entire life was for and about you. Jesus was born to save you. Jesus lived to win life for you. Jesus died on the cross to take your wrath and win salvation for you. Jesus rose from the dead by the power of the Father so that you too would rise from the dead as God’s beloved children and have eternal life. Jesus is obsessed with loving, forgiving, and saving you!

          By the power of the Holy Spirit we should be obsessed too. As Christians we should be obsessed with sharing God’s love. As Christians we should be obsessed with hearing God’s Word in Church and Bible Study and sharing it…for that Word is Jesus and that Word has the power to create faith and save. As Christians we should be obsessed with seeking forgiveness of sins and receiving that forgiveness in Jesus’ body and blood. As Christians we should be obsessed with sharing these wonderful things with others…especially our children. And so, we should be obsessed with making sure our children hear God’s Word in Church and Sunday School. And prayerfully our children will then, like us hopefully, be obsessed with Christ and not self; not their looks, not their popularity; not their possessions but with Christ and the sharing of His love.

          Obsession…is a good thing when that obsession is focused on Christ and sharing His love. For Christ was obsessed with loving us…even to death on the cross…that we should be saved, made God’s beloved children, and have eternal life. Thanks be to God that we are the object of His obsession. 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.

God's Glory...Our Glory

Pentecost 12, 2019

Luke 14:7-11

“God’s Glory…Our Glory”

 

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

 

            The Cornhuskers football season has begun! The stadium was packed and briefly became Nebraska’s third largest city. I love watching sports. The Cubs are my favorite team to watch…for better or worse. As much as I love watching them on the television there is nothing like watching your favorite team live in their home park or stadium. There’s excitement in the air, the roar of the crowd, and the overly priced food and drinks. Maybe not that part…

          For me there is nothing like Wrigley Field for all of those reasons. But there is something that drives me nuts. People that don’t sit in their own seats. On purpose. Does that ever happen at the Cornhusker’s game?

          Every so often there is that one person. They don’t care that they aren’t in their own seat. They deserve to sit where they are. They are entitled. They won’t move without complaining…without commenting in some negative way. “These seats aren’t that good anyway.” “I wouldn’t pay that much for these seats.”  During the middle of a tight game people don’t like having their view of the game blocked because somebody purposely sat in the wrong seat. Fans booed them when they got up and then cheered when the attendants took them down the steps and away. And away they went angry…and embarrassed. Maybe you haven’t seen this at a Huskers game…but we see this type of attitude all around us in our society. The attitude that some are better than others; that some deserve the best things in life when they aren’t earned or deserved. The attitude that others are worthless…or at least worth less than you.

          In this type of a context our Gospel lessons tells us of a parable of Jesus where Jesus says, “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:8-11)

          The Pharisees were always trying to show off their faith and position. They were better than everyone else…all you had to do was ask them. They acted as if everyone owed them honor that wasn’t earned. They were self-entitled. They assumed that the best was reserved for them. They didn’t ask they just took. They took the best seats at the wedding banquet. They assumed the honor was theirs. More so they assumed that they were the most honored in the Church; in God’s kingdom. That honor and prestige was all that was important to them. Impressing others was their virtue as they disregarded the poor and hungry, the widows, orphans and worst of all those miserable sinners; those tax collectors, Samarians, prostitutes, fisherman, and common folk.

          Do we ever act like that? Do we at times look upon others as being beneath us or at least not as important as us? Are we self-righteous and think we know better or know more than others? Do we act as if everything we have and want are deserved? How about our children? They want something and they want it now! Do you catch yourself saying things like: “The world doesn’t revolve around you.” Or, “you get what you get and you don’t throw a fit.” Sometimes we do act entitled.

          Then came Jesus. Jesus wasn’t like the Pharisees. He dined with sinners. He healed the sick and deplorables. He let sinners touch him. He sought out those in desperate need. And the Pharisees? Jesus rebuked them. Jesus rebuked their unbelief. Jesus rebuked their attitude of being better than everyone else. Jesus rebuked their unfaithfulness to God and His Word and their treatment of God’s people that were in need of hearing God’s love and forgiveness.

          Yes, God was found in the midst of sinners. He ate with them. He healed them. He forgave them. He died for them. He died for us. Christ came to save sinners. As Jesus reminded the Pharisees he reminds us now: “And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:30-32)

          Jesus came to call sinners to repentance…to faith…to life everlasting. This is how Jesus raises up those from the lowest place to the highest. This is how poor miserable sinners honored. By God’s underserved love and grace sinners are raised up in holy Baptism as God’s beloved children; heirs of the kingdom of heaven. And that is how we have been lifted up as well. By God’s grace we are given faith and forgiven. By God’s grace we are made His beloved children. By God’s grace we are heirs of His kingdom.

          There was another baseball game that I went to at Wrigley Field years ago. One of my best friends, Pastor Tim Hahn, attended the game with me. We got a great price on the tickets…and when we arrived we found out why. We were on the lower level of the stadium…underneath the upper deck…with a large steel beam blocking our view. It was awful! We had arrived quite early and could have tried to take someone else’s seats and played the moving game we detested. We didn’t. We accepted our lot in life that day. And then…this man came up and asked if we’d like to have a better view. “What’s the catch?” None. We just need your name and for you to wave during the 2^nd inning as we announce that you received the “move of the game” tickets from Starwood hotels. And we moved… to the 3^rd row in back of the dugout.

          On his deathbed some of Luther’s last words were “wir sind alle bettler.” “We are all beggars.” We are beggars in need of salvation. We come before God with nothing; deserving only death and eternal damnation. God takes poor miserable sinners, beggars…like Luther…and me and you…and raises us up to being children of God and heirs of His kingdom. We are given something far greater than front row tickets to a Cubs game or Huskers game; something even better than 50 yard line tickets to a Cornhusker National Championship. We are given salvation and the riches of paradise. For Christ loves us and made us His own. He has raised us up from death and damnation to everlasting life with Him and all the saints. And that wonderful news…is news we get to share with others. And through God’s Word others are raised up to being God’s children with us to share in His kingdom forever. In Christ God’s great glory has become our great glory. 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