“While Philip and I were drinking beer, the Word reformed the church.” That’s a quote from Martin Luther referring to himself and another reformer Philip Melanchthon. It’s Reformation day and so today we will try to discern what it means to be a Christian over four-hundred years after Martin Luther famously nailed his 95 theses to the church door in Wittenburg and started making arguments that would eventually get him excommunicated from the Roman Catholic church.
Luther explained quite rightly what all the fuss concerning the Reformation was really all about: God’s Word. It was about the God’s Word and NOT Martin Luther. Not Philip Melanchthon. It wasn’t simply about popes or indulgences or nationalism or the Roman Catholic Church. God’s Word reformed the church as it has done for centuries and it will continue to do this until Jesus Christ returns and reforms us all from dead corpses into an eternally living people of God. We always need reforming. Today is not about being a Lutheran or a Protestant; it’s about being a sinner clinging to God’s Word and being reformed through the work of the Holy Spirit. So let’s get right to it.
First off, why would anyone cling to God’s Word as we hear it in Scripture when there is so much in it that we hate, so much that scares us, accuses us and makes us run away from it? To explain this, I’d like to tell you about some experiences that I have had recently. The first thing you need to know is that I run in the mornings. The second thing you need to know is that our neighbor attained a rooster sometime this summer. And, finally, you need to understand that I despise running. I hate it, perhaps a little less than I hate beets, but still, running is never very much fun in my opinion.
So why do I run? Because I know that it is important to be healthy. I want my heart to be healthy and I want to lose weight (or at least not get overweight). So, in other words, I run because I am afraid. I am afraid of death and want to put it off for as long as possible. Now, when I began running this summer, every animal in the forest would scurry away because they heard my heavy breathing from miles off. I was still quite out of shape, you see. And every morning, still irritated that I had to wake up and go run, and already hot and uncomfortable, I would meet my next door neighbor the rooster. And he would crow at me and give me a look that only a rooster can give. And I felt that he was making fun of me. Because he knew how dumb and out of shape I looked. And I hated that rooster and how his crows would mock me.
Months have passed and I have continued running. I still hate it most of the time, but I’ve seen it in a new light. Rather than feeling like I’m going to die every day, I know that running gives me more energy and makes me feel better. I may not like running, but I like the way it makes me feel. I used to run to keep away death. Now I run for the sake of my life. It may not seem like a big difference, but in some ways it really is. Along the way, the rooster and I had gotten on different schedules I guess. I had forgotten all about him, until a couple of days ago, when I was on the way home heading up the last hill and he looked at me, with a look only a rooster can give, and he crowed at me like old times. But something was different this time. For some reason, at that moment, he did not sound like he was mocking me at all. In fact, I heard it quite differently. It felt like he was congratulating me. Cheering me on! Encouraging me. Saying, well done! Good job!
A reading from the Romans, chapter 3, “Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For ‘no human being will be justified in his sight’ by deeds prescribed by the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.” Martin Luther saw these words in the Bible as full of judgment. These words drove him to not only hate himself for the sinner he was but to hate God for being such a harsh judge. “No human being will be justified in his sight”? Luther could not understand how he could love a God like that. Luther hated God and he hated himself even more for knowing that he felt that way.
Each day, as Luther would read scripture, he would hear God crowing his anger and judgment. The reading from Romans continues, “But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.” God was a righteous judge. All were sinful. There was no escaping that fact for Luther. He could not be found holy according to the law and he could knew he could not be found holy in the sight of Jesus Christ either. Luther spent his days in misery looking for a God who could love him, but finding only a righteous God—a God crowing out death and judgment as Luther ran out the days of his life.
There are many of you who can probably relate to a part of this story. Perhaps you are too pious to say that you out and out “hate” God, but you doubt him sometimes and you doubt how he could love someone like you. I don’t know all of your stories and, even if I’ve heard parts, you probably have left out the juiciest sections, you haven’t told me your favorite sins, the worst sins, the embarrassing situations you’ve tried to forget, the memories you keep running away from, the addictions you keep running to for comfort. And, try as you might to punish yourself for not being able to get past these behaviors, the question remains, “How can God, a God of justice, a God of righteousness, love a sinner like you?”
God must follow his own law and, according to that law, you are not worthy. There is no way around this. We are all condemned. Every time I ran by that idiot rooster, it was almost like he knew what I would not admit out loud: I wasn’t good enough run. I was out of shape. I should’ve just turned around and gone home before I embarrassed myself anymore with my heavy breathing and pitted out t-shirts. Luther read the pages of the Bible and knew there was no hope for him either. Not in this life or the next. Looking at your life, honestly, would you fare any better in God’s eyes?
But then, one day, everything changed for Martin Luther. He said, “I greatly longed to understand Paul’s Epistle to the Romans and nothing stood in the way but that one expression, ‘the righteousness of God or the justice of God,’ because I took it to mean the justice whereby God is just and deals justly in punishing the unjust. My situation was that, although an impeccable monk, I stood before God as a sinner . . . . Therefore I did not love a just and angry God, but rather hated and murmured against him. Then I grasped that the justice of God is that righteousness by which through grace and sheer mercy God justifies us through faith. Thereupon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise. The whole of Scripture took on a new meaning, and whereas before the ‘justice of God’ had filled me with hate, now it became to me inexpressibly sweet in greater love. This passage of Paul became to me a gate to heaven . . . .”
God’s law is true, and just, and holy, and righteous and you are expected to follow every word of it not only because God demands it but because your neighbor needs you to. However, even by following this most excellent rule of life, you cannot save yourself. It will do you no good! You cannot get closer to earning your salvation. Not even a little bit. Trusting in your own abilities only makes you look worse in God’s eyes. “But now,” as Romans puts it, “apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are not justified by his grace as a gift effective through faith.”
Reformation Day is not about Martin Luther, or Lutherans, or Protestants; it is about how God reforms sinners. God’s law accuses all of us, demanding that we live better lives for the sake of one another, but Jesus saves you through faith alone. Faith that God has worked APART from the law and gives you life, forgiveness and salvation as a gift.
So, today, we thank God for Martin Luther and the Lutheran Reformers because they had the audacity to cling to God’s Word when it wasn’t popular or pleasant to do so, so that we today you might hear the crowing of Scripture as your biggest fan rather than your harshest critic. Luther sums it up quite well, “If you have a true faith that Christ is your Savior, than at once you have a gracious God, for faith leads you in and opens up God’s heart and will, that you should see pure grace and overflowing love. This is it to behold God in faith that you should look upon his fatherly, friendly heart, in which there is no anger nor ungraciousness. He who sees God as angry does not see him rightly but looks only on a curtain, as if a dark cloud had been drawn across his face. But this must be our ground and anchor-hold, that Christ is our only perfect righteousness Therefore we must always believe and always hope; we must always take hold of Christ as the head and fountain of our righteousness. He that believes in Him shall not be ashamed.” How will God reform your life? On this Reformation Day and everyday, look to Christ alone for your salvation. Amen.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Sermon for October 18th
Imagine what it must have been like to have watched Jesus die on the cross. Imagine what it must have been like to have been one of his followers, or one of his disciples, who thought he had died for nothing. Imagine that you were someone who had hoped that he was the Messiah, the holy one of Israel who was supposed to lead his people to victory over their enemies only to see him dead and then buried just like anyone else. Imagine sitting in a room with others like you, scared that all of your work had been pointless.
But now, Jesus, the one you thought was your Messiah, the one you thought had died, was standing in front of you. And now, Jesus the one you had hoped would save you, was breaking bread with you. And now, he was forgiving you for your doubts and explaining how it had all come to pass. And now he was calling upon you to tell the story of what happened. And now he was sending you to forgive sins. How would you explain it all? How could you talk about what happened? To someone who had never believed? To someone who didn’t care?
These men and women were Jews. They followed the Torah. They knew the stories. They sang the psalms. The knew God’s promises. But they had always expected the Messiah to be a great warrior king. Someone who would lead them out of despair and inspire them to acts of greatness! To sit upon his right and his left, as the disciples James and John put it, like generals in the seats of honor beside the great king! How was anyone going to understand that this dead man, now living, was actually the Messiah? How were they to believe it?
I certainly don’t know how, or when, but these Jews began to see that the truth of Jesus’ words and the power of his life shouldn’t have been such a surprise to anyone. Jesus was written about everywhere—throughout the psalms and the prophets and engraved onto every Jewish person’s heart there was the promise of a Messiah who would suffer and die and, somehow, be called to victory. And knowing all this not only told them something new about this Jesus that they had followed, but they began to understand why he had to die and for what he had come to do.
A reading from the prophet Isaiah, written 600 years before Jesus ever stepped into this world in his humanity, “Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed, All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
When the Devil drives people into despair and they seek the solace of suicide to quench the sadness in their hearts—no one is with them, but Jesus alone. When our loved ones lie still, only barely breathing, so weak that we listen with trepidation for every heartbeat and are surprised when, almost suddenly, we don’t hear the breathing come again, Jesus is the only one weak enough, strong enough, to lie still with them and cover them completely with his peace. Jesus died because we are too weak to live sometimes. That’s what the Bible means by infirmities, our weakness . . . the fact that in the primes of lives we realize how fragile our bodies can be. Star basketball players die of heart arrhythmias just out of high school. Healthy babies still die of SIDS even with watchful parents in the very next room. Jesus came for them too. “Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases.” But is that all he came for? To comfort us with a little chicken soup for the soul in the troubles of the world? Not hardly.
Isaiah continues, “Yet, we accounted him stricken, struck down by God and afflicted.” Good things happen to bad people, and bad things happen to good people. We know that this is true. But when bad things happen to people we think are bad, we figure they deserved it. We applaud God for his justice! Jesus was killed for blasphemy. He called himself God and so everyone figured he got what was coming to him: death. “Come down from the cross and prove that we are wrong about you! Show us that you are God and come down!” the crowds screamed. And when he did not fly away free, “We accounted him stricken, struck down by God and afflicted.” And we agreed with God’s judgment. The disciples agreed with God’s judgment. They abandoned their master on that cross. Why did Jesus have to die? The disciples, the Jews and the Romans thought that they knew why.
But in the passage from Isaiah, the truth comes out. Imagine what it must have been like to see the living Jesus when you had believed he was forsaken by God forever. Imagine what it must have been like to realize why did Jesus really had to die? “He was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on HIM the iniquity of us all.” Why did Jesus have to die?
This morning little Caylyn was baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Why? So that she might know that no matter what happens in her life. No matter how far she goes astray. No matter how often she might go her own way against the wishes of her parents, or her family, or the world or the church, that the Lord has laid all of her sins on Jesus Christ. That’s why he had to die: for her. For those of you who have been baptized, you have also been washed in the blood of this lamb—in the cleansing waters of the crucified and risen Jesus Christ. Because that’s why he had to die: so that you might be saved. The Lord has laid on Jesus the sins of us all.
Do you find joy or sadness in these verses? Do you hear accusation or grace? I hope that you hear both. Why did Jesus have to die for you? Can you imagine why you might stand unworthy before God? If not, and if someone doesn’t tell you, then Jesus’ death will mean nothing for you. But if you stand unworthy and miserable before God, then Jesus’ death means everything. Your hope, your life and your salvation. Only sinners can be assured they have a Savior.
We have a little sign outside our doors that say, “All are welcome”. But let’s be honest about who, exactly, we are talking about. Only sinners are welcome here and no one else. Only hypocrites. Only people with problems. Only the helpless and the hopeless. Only the proud and self-righteous. Only the unwelcome. Only people without a chance. Only gossips and liars; murderers and adulterers. Only sinners are welcome here because they are the only ones who will ever find grace here. This place is NOT for perfect people. Not for the righteous. Not for the healthy. That’s why I know you are all welcome here. That’s why ALL are welcome, so that you and they can be forgiven. For if anyone could save themselves, then Jesus died for nothing. Until you hear that you have no hope you will not hear the joy of your salvation. Sinners are the only ones for whom Jesus Christ has died. So if you know the dread of death, know that eternal life is yours.
Why did Jesus have to die? Because you and I would have it no other way. Just like Jesus’ disciples, you and I will not take responsibility for our sins, and so, Jesus just up and died for them. He was killed because he tried to forgive. If you see blood on your hands, take heart, for it is the blood of Jesus Christ who died on the cross and has washed you clean in the eyes of God.
This is the most inspirational story that I can tell you. That your life and your joy is hidden with Christ in God. It’s more than chicken soup for the soul folks—it’s a feast of life and it is for you. And you don’t have to imagine it after all—your sin is really dead and you are now alive to God by faith in Jesus Christ alone. The faith that comes from believing that Jesus actually had something to die for—and he died for someone like you. Thanks be to God! Amen.
But now, Jesus, the one you thought was your Messiah, the one you thought had died, was standing in front of you. And now, Jesus the one you had hoped would save you, was breaking bread with you. And now, he was forgiving you for your doubts and explaining how it had all come to pass. And now he was calling upon you to tell the story of what happened. And now he was sending you to forgive sins. How would you explain it all? How could you talk about what happened? To someone who had never believed? To someone who didn’t care?
These men and women were Jews. They followed the Torah. They knew the stories. They sang the psalms. The knew God’s promises. But they had always expected the Messiah to be a great warrior king. Someone who would lead them out of despair and inspire them to acts of greatness! To sit upon his right and his left, as the disciples James and John put it, like generals in the seats of honor beside the great king! How was anyone going to understand that this dead man, now living, was actually the Messiah? How were they to believe it?
I certainly don’t know how, or when, but these Jews began to see that the truth of Jesus’ words and the power of his life shouldn’t have been such a surprise to anyone. Jesus was written about everywhere—throughout the psalms and the prophets and engraved onto every Jewish person’s heart there was the promise of a Messiah who would suffer and die and, somehow, be called to victory. And knowing all this not only told them something new about this Jesus that they had followed, but they began to understand why he had to die and for what he had come to do.
A reading from the prophet Isaiah, written 600 years before Jesus ever stepped into this world in his humanity, “Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed, All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
When the Devil drives people into despair and they seek the solace of suicide to quench the sadness in their hearts—no one is with them, but Jesus alone. When our loved ones lie still, only barely breathing, so weak that we listen with trepidation for every heartbeat and are surprised when, almost suddenly, we don’t hear the breathing come again, Jesus is the only one weak enough, strong enough, to lie still with them and cover them completely with his peace. Jesus died because we are too weak to live sometimes. That’s what the Bible means by infirmities, our weakness . . . the fact that in the primes of lives we realize how fragile our bodies can be. Star basketball players die of heart arrhythmias just out of high school. Healthy babies still die of SIDS even with watchful parents in the very next room. Jesus came for them too. “Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases.” But is that all he came for? To comfort us with a little chicken soup for the soul in the troubles of the world? Not hardly.
Isaiah continues, “Yet, we accounted him stricken, struck down by God and afflicted.” Good things happen to bad people, and bad things happen to good people. We know that this is true. But when bad things happen to people we think are bad, we figure they deserved it. We applaud God for his justice! Jesus was killed for blasphemy. He called himself God and so everyone figured he got what was coming to him: death. “Come down from the cross and prove that we are wrong about you! Show us that you are God and come down!” the crowds screamed. And when he did not fly away free, “We accounted him stricken, struck down by God and afflicted.” And we agreed with God’s judgment. The disciples agreed with God’s judgment. They abandoned their master on that cross. Why did Jesus have to die? The disciples, the Jews and the Romans thought that they knew why.
But in the passage from Isaiah, the truth comes out. Imagine what it must have been like to see the living Jesus when you had believed he was forsaken by God forever. Imagine what it must have been like to realize why did Jesus really had to die? “He was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on HIM the iniquity of us all.” Why did Jesus have to die?
This morning little Caylyn was baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Why? So that she might know that no matter what happens in her life. No matter how far she goes astray. No matter how often she might go her own way against the wishes of her parents, or her family, or the world or the church, that the Lord has laid all of her sins on Jesus Christ. That’s why he had to die: for her. For those of you who have been baptized, you have also been washed in the blood of this lamb—in the cleansing waters of the crucified and risen Jesus Christ. Because that’s why he had to die: so that you might be saved. The Lord has laid on Jesus the sins of us all.
Do you find joy or sadness in these verses? Do you hear accusation or grace? I hope that you hear both. Why did Jesus have to die for you? Can you imagine why you might stand unworthy before God? If not, and if someone doesn’t tell you, then Jesus’ death will mean nothing for you. But if you stand unworthy and miserable before God, then Jesus’ death means everything. Your hope, your life and your salvation. Only sinners can be assured they have a Savior.
We have a little sign outside our doors that say, “All are welcome”. But let’s be honest about who, exactly, we are talking about. Only sinners are welcome here and no one else. Only hypocrites. Only people with problems. Only the helpless and the hopeless. Only the proud and self-righteous. Only the unwelcome. Only people without a chance. Only gossips and liars; murderers and adulterers. Only sinners are welcome here because they are the only ones who will ever find grace here. This place is NOT for perfect people. Not for the righteous. Not for the healthy. That’s why I know you are all welcome here. That’s why ALL are welcome, so that you and they can be forgiven. For if anyone could save themselves, then Jesus died for nothing. Until you hear that you have no hope you will not hear the joy of your salvation. Sinners are the only ones for whom Jesus Christ has died. So if you know the dread of death, know that eternal life is yours.
Why did Jesus have to die? Because you and I would have it no other way. Just like Jesus’ disciples, you and I will not take responsibility for our sins, and so, Jesus just up and died for them. He was killed because he tried to forgive. If you see blood on your hands, take heart, for it is the blood of Jesus Christ who died on the cross and has washed you clean in the eyes of God.
This is the most inspirational story that I can tell you. That your life and your joy is hidden with Christ in God. It’s more than chicken soup for the soul folks—it’s a feast of life and it is for you. And you don’t have to imagine it after all—your sin is really dead and you are now alive to God by faith in Jesus Christ alone. The faith that comes from believing that Jesus actually had something to die for—and he died for someone like you. Thanks be to God! Amen.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Sermon for October 11th
Some of you here love Jesus, but aren’t ready to leave your old life behind. Your old opinions of others. Your old ideas about life and death. Your old worries. So just like the rich man in the lesson today, you try to be a good person, but have never really commited your life to Jesus. There are probably many good and not so good reasons for this, but it all comes down to this: you don’t like God’s agenda for your life. You’d like to keep your own.
Some of you, in one way or another, HAVE left something behind to follow Jesus. Maybe it was a boyfriend long ago who did things you weren’t comfortable with as a Christian. Maybe you changed jobs or careers to be able to serve others more faithfully or to be more involved with your church or your family. But while you have tried to commit your life to Jesus, you still don’t like God’s agenda. Why the persecutions, for example? Why must people dislike you for what you believe? You aren’t trying to upset anybody, but people still don’t like you. Why must THAT be part of God’s call? Maybe you thought that following Jesus would mean a life without conflict, without sadness and without fear and you have found that to be very untrue. Many of you just want to be a lukewarm Christian, nice and comfortable, but God keeps demanding that you stand up and be counted.
But what do you all have in common? God is calling you to a common purpose—to follow God’s agenda and to leave yours in the dust. Not because it will be easy or because it will make life easier, but because wherever else you run to, you cannot escape God’s call.
Jonah was called by God to preach to the Ninevites, to call them to repent for their sins, but Jonah did not want to. He ran away. God found him out at sea, sent a big fish to swallow him up and then spit him back where he wanted him—to preach to the Ninevites. The apostle Peter left everything to follow Jesus, but when the going got tough, he betrayed his Lord and denied him three times. But even death couldn’t stop Jesus from being raised from the dead and finding Peter again. To forgive him and send him to support the new Christian community. These two people both reacted to God in different ways at first, but in the end, they both wanted to run from God’s call on their lives, but God just wouldn’t have it. They wanted to follow their own agendas, not God’s
What is God’s agenda for this church? We all have our personal dreams for this place. Or perhaps we just figure that what you see is what you get. But all of our dreams, our ideas, and our fears about this church come second to what God desires for this church and for this community. Some of you love Jesus, but you aren’t ready to leave your old life behind. Some of you have already left a lot behind to come here and aren’t sure how much more you really want to give up. But God is still calling you and the question is, what is God’s agenda for you, for us and for this community? And will you follow God’s agenda or your own?
Here’s the write up for one of the keynote speakers at the LCMC convention this last week that I attended: Assigned to a tiny Lutheran congregation in Glendale, Arizona in 1978, Walt Kallestad quickly learned humility and value of strong communications: Within the first few months, the congregation had dropped by 50 percent, and the young idealist was faced with the challenge of rebuilding constituency or finding a new profession. The challenge has obviously been met. Today, under Walt's direction, Community Church of Joy supports 8,000 participants.” When pastor Kallestad came to that church in Arizona I’d like to bet that everyone had the same dream: that church was going to grow, more kids in church, more ministries, more excitement! And then, all their dreams were shattered when they lost members, they lost ministries. I bet that they lost excitement too. But God’s agenda was different than their agenda. I’d also bet that no one in that tiny Lutheran church could imagine that God was going to use them to reach 8,000 people in their community. Because they needed to leave their agendas behind and follow God’s agenda.
Marilee Pierce Dunker, the daughter of World Vision founder Bob Pierce, was also a keynote speaker this past week. World Vision is one of those groups where you sponsor a child in order to give them food, water, education and shelter. Anyway, she told a story about her father, when he traveled to one of the many impoverished countries in Africa. He had spent some time in one of the villages, sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ as an evangelist and was about to return home. One of his coworkers who lived in the village came up to him, right before he was about to leave, with a young girl who’s mother had just died from AIDS, leaving her an orphan. This coworker asked Mr. Pierce, what should we do with this girl? He was just about to leave, remember, so you must understand, he had to get back on the plane to America, to his regular life and family, so he said, “Well, you can take her in, right?” The woman told him straight out, “I already have too many mouths to feed and pressing the child into his arms she told him, “You take her.”
Jesus told the man who had come to him, “’You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ When the man heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.” What would you have done? How would you have felt if your dad had come home from a trip one day with another child that had just been orphaned? Or what if your spouse came home and said they just gave away all the money in your bank account to take care of some child in a country you had never visited, never seen, to a family you had never even known? How far are you willing to go to follow God’s agenda for your life?
There was a missionary who had worked in his mission field for twenty years, working side by side with the people and speaking the words of life, the words of Jesus Christ to anyone who would listen. When he was asked if he felt successful in his work he said, “Oh yes, definitely.” When he was asked how many people had become Christians since he arrived he thought for a moment and then answered, “One person.” No doubt, this had not been his plan upon arrival. No doubt, most of us would consider him and his ministry to be a failure. But if the story that Jesus told about the shepherd who left ninety-nine sheep to find one that was lost is any indication, it appears that this missionary was following God’s agenda.
You see, you don’t have to experience an amazing vision from God in order to find out God’s agenda for your life. 1st Corinthians puts it this way, “Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe.” And where can you find that proclamation? It was written down for us in scripture and is made hearable whenever you listen to God’s Word preached in its truth and purity. This is why it is so important to preach according to scripture and not according to our own dreams or our own agendas. You do not need supernatural visions to realize God’s will and you do not need to go to the library to read up on all the best business models or psychological treatises to find out what people need. Visions are fun and the library is full of much good and helpful material, but God’s agenda is quite clear in scripture: he is interested in saving sinners from condemnation by giving them faith in Jesus Christ. This is God’s agenda for others and God’s agenda for you.
Everything we do here at Saint Peters must be with that mission in mind, with God’s agenda in our hearts and on our lips. Bob Pierce, that World Vision guy, stared into the eyes of that little orphaned girl and realized that his faith couldn’t simply be an idea anyone. He couldn’t just sit back and go on with life as usual. He pulled out his billfold and took out all the money he had, five dollars, and gave it to his coworker saying, “This is a down payment. I’ll be sending more as soon as I get home”. And so World Vision was born giving the chance for millions of people around the world to be fed and nourished in their bellies and in their faith through child sponsorship.
The rich man left, grieving, because the promise of eternal life wasn’t worth giving up his past life. The disciples all abandoned Jesus on the cross when they realized that God’s agenda for their lives was going to get them killed. Each one of us would rather follow our own desires rather than God’s agenda for us, but Jesus says, “That’s because it’s impossible for us, but not for God.”
Following the commandments will not save you. Giving away all your money will not save you either. Sponsoring a child in a foreign country won’t make you look better in God’s eyes. But don’t act like these things aren’t important just because they won’t save you. God’s agenda involves you doing some things for the sake of others and not just for your own salvation. Being a disciple of Jesus Christ involves doing many things that won’t save you. But until you actually believe that Jesus did something you could never do on your own, none of you will follow him, none of you will share your faith because you’ll always find your agendas more promising.
However, you will not find joy, peace, love and inspiration by continuing to follow your agenda. God is calling you, and not just today, in each moment of your life, to follow Jesus Christ, but you would not. As the disciples put it, “Then who can be saved?” As your pastor the most truthful answer I can give you is this, “It is impossible for you. Not by following your own agenda. Not even by doing the best you can.” But hear this! Please! Stop! Now! Listen! Dear God please give you all ears to hear this! For you it is impossible, it always was and always will be. But not for God. He is in the business of doing the impossible, what you could not do, would not do and will not do. Jesus saved you before you even knew him. Jesus loves you. Jesus forgives you. God wants you on his agenda for the sake of the world—your choices do have consequences for you and for others—but your salvation is also on God’s agenda and he has not left that in your incapable hands. He has left that in the hands of Jesus, who has accomplished it already in God’s name for you. That’s the good news. Amen.
Some of you, in one way or another, HAVE left something behind to follow Jesus. Maybe it was a boyfriend long ago who did things you weren’t comfortable with as a Christian. Maybe you changed jobs or careers to be able to serve others more faithfully or to be more involved with your church or your family. But while you have tried to commit your life to Jesus, you still don’t like God’s agenda. Why the persecutions, for example? Why must people dislike you for what you believe? You aren’t trying to upset anybody, but people still don’t like you. Why must THAT be part of God’s call? Maybe you thought that following Jesus would mean a life without conflict, without sadness and without fear and you have found that to be very untrue. Many of you just want to be a lukewarm Christian, nice and comfortable, but God keeps demanding that you stand up and be counted.
But what do you all have in common? God is calling you to a common purpose—to follow God’s agenda and to leave yours in the dust. Not because it will be easy or because it will make life easier, but because wherever else you run to, you cannot escape God’s call.
Jonah was called by God to preach to the Ninevites, to call them to repent for their sins, but Jonah did not want to. He ran away. God found him out at sea, sent a big fish to swallow him up and then spit him back where he wanted him—to preach to the Ninevites. The apostle Peter left everything to follow Jesus, but when the going got tough, he betrayed his Lord and denied him three times. But even death couldn’t stop Jesus from being raised from the dead and finding Peter again. To forgive him and send him to support the new Christian community. These two people both reacted to God in different ways at first, but in the end, they both wanted to run from God’s call on their lives, but God just wouldn’t have it. They wanted to follow their own agendas, not God’s
What is God’s agenda for this church? We all have our personal dreams for this place. Or perhaps we just figure that what you see is what you get. But all of our dreams, our ideas, and our fears about this church come second to what God desires for this church and for this community. Some of you love Jesus, but you aren’t ready to leave your old life behind. Some of you have already left a lot behind to come here and aren’t sure how much more you really want to give up. But God is still calling you and the question is, what is God’s agenda for you, for us and for this community? And will you follow God’s agenda or your own?
Here’s the write up for one of the keynote speakers at the LCMC convention this last week that I attended: Assigned to a tiny Lutheran congregation in Glendale, Arizona in 1978, Walt Kallestad quickly learned humility and value of strong communications: Within the first few months, the congregation had dropped by 50 percent, and the young idealist was faced with the challenge of rebuilding constituency or finding a new profession. The challenge has obviously been met. Today, under Walt's direction, Community Church of Joy supports 8,000 participants.” When pastor Kallestad came to that church in Arizona I’d like to bet that everyone had the same dream: that church was going to grow, more kids in church, more ministries, more excitement! And then, all their dreams were shattered when they lost members, they lost ministries. I bet that they lost excitement too. But God’s agenda was different than their agenda. I’d also bet that no one in that tiny Lutheran church could imagine that God was going to use them to reach 8,000 people in their community. Because they needed to leave their agendas behind and follow God’s agenda.
Marilee Pierce Dunker, the daughter of World Vision founder Bob Pierce, was also a keynote speaker this past week. World Vision is one of those groups where you sponsor a child in order to give them food, water, education and shelter. Anyway, she told a story about her father, when he traveled to one of the many impoverished countries in Africa. He had spent some time in one of the villages, sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ as an evangelist and was about to return home. One of his coworkers who lived in the village came up to him, right before he was about to leave, with a young girl who’s mother had just died from AIDS, leaving her an orphan. This coworker asked Mr. Pierce, what should we do with this girl? He was just about to leave, remember, so you must understand, he had to get back on the plane to America, to his regular life and family, so he said, “Well, you can take her in, right?” The woman told him straight out, “I already have too many mouths to feed and pressing the child into his arms she told him, “You take her.”
Jesus told the man who had come to him, “’You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ When the man heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.” What would you have done? How would you have felt if your dad had come home from a trip one day with another child that had just been orphaned? Or what if your spouse came home and said they just gave away all the money in your bank account to take care of some child in a country you had never visited, never seen, to a family you had never even known? How far are you willing to go to follow God’s agenda for your life?
There was a missionary who had worked in his mission field for twenty years, working side by side with the people and speaking the words of life, the words of Jesus Christ to anyone who would listen. When he was asked if he felt successful in his work he said, “Oh yes, definitely.” When he was asked how many people had become Christians since he arrived he thought for a moment and then answered, “One person.” No doubt, this had not been his plan upon arrival. No doubt, most of us would consider him and his ministry to be a failure. But if the story that Jesus told about the shepherd who left ninety-nine sheep to find one that was lost is any indication, it appears that this missionary was following God’s agenda.
You see, you don’t have to experience an amazing vision from God in order to find out God’s agenda for your life. 1st Corinthians puts it this way, “Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe.” And where can you find that proclamation? It was written down for us in scripture and is made hearable whenever you listen to God’s Word preached in its truth and purity. This is why it is so important to preach according to scripture and not according to our own dreams or our own agendas. You do not need supernatural visions to realize God’s will and you do not need to go to the library to read up on all the best business models or psychological treatises to find out what people need. Visions are fun and the library is full of much good and helpful material, but God’s agenda is quite clear in scripture: he is interested in saving sinners from condemnation by giving them faith in Jesus Christ. This is God’s agenda for others and God’s agenda for you.
Everything we do here at Saint Peters must be with that mission in mind, with God’s agenda in our hearts and on our lips. Bob Pierce, that World Vision guy, stared into the eyes of that little orphaned girl and realized that his faith couldn’t simply be an idea anyone. He couldn’t just sit back and go on with life as usual. He pulled out his billfold and took out all the money he had, five dollars, and gave it to his coworker saying, “This is a down payment. I’ll be sending more as soon as I get home”. And so World Vision was born giving the chance for millions of people around the world to be fed and nourished in their bellies and in their faith through child sponsorship.
The rich man left, grieving, because the promise of eternal life wasn’t worth giving up his past life. The disciples all abandoned Jesus on the cross when they realized that God’s agenda for their lives was going to get them killed. Each one of us would rather follow our own desires rather than God’s agenda for us, but Jesus says, “That’s because it’s impossible for us, but not for God.”
Following the commandments will not save you. Giving away all your money will not save you either. Sponsoring a child in a foreign country won’t make you look better in God’s eyes. But don’t act like these things aren’t important just because they won’t save you. God’s agenda involves you doing some things for the sake of others and not just for your own salvation. Being a disciple of Jesus Christ involves doing many things that won’t save you. But until you actually believe that Jesus did something you could never do on your own, none of you will follow him, none of you will share your faith because you’ll always find your agendas more promising.
However, you will not find joy, peace, love and inspiration by continuing to follow your agenda. God is calling you, and not just today, in each moment of your life, to follow Jesus Christ, but you would not. As the disciples put it, “Then who can be saved?” As your pastor the most truthful answer I can give you is this, “It is impossible for you. Not by following your own agenda. Not even by doing the best you can.” But hear this! Please! Stop! Now! Listen! Dear God please give you all ears to hear this! For you it is impossible, it always was and always will be. But not for God. He is in the business of doing the impossible, what you could not do, would not do and will not do. Jesus saved you before you even knew him. Jesus loves you. Jesus forgives you. God wants you on his agenda for the sake of the world—your choices do have consequences for you and for others—but your salvation is also on God’s agenda and he has not left that in your incapable hands. He has left that in the hands of Jesus, who has accomplished it already in God’s name for you. That’s the good news. Amen.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Sermon for October 4th
"The great theologian Karl Barth said that a good preacher would preach with a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other (or, perhaps today, with CNN.com up on their computer). That means that while I’d love to talk about lots of other interesting issues in today's readings, I would be doing you all a disservice by pretending I don’t know what’s being said across the radio waves and on TV, in the newspapers and around town about marriage, about sex and about the Bible. Throughout the history of Judaism, as well as the Christian faith, any sex outside of marriage between a man and a woman has been considered to be against God’s will, but things are changing. As of a month and a half ago, the ELCA has decided that pastors in monogamous, lifelong, same-gender relationships can be ordained and that homosexual relationships may be blessed in God’s name. And so, with fear and trembling, even though we’d ALL rather not talk about this, after reading the scripture passages today, I see no way I cannot talk about this.
I am NOT going to use code words today. I do not want to be ambiguous. Today’s sermon will be about what scripture has to say about marriage and how that affects our understandings about same-gender sexual relationships as well as remarriage for heterosexuals. Why am I focusing on these issues? Why am I focusing on this instead of something else more important? Because that’s all anyone else inside or outside of the church seems interested in right now. To say nothing just encourages the FALSE claim that the Bible never says anything about these issues or that God doesn’t care. Now, I COULD just preach on the psalm today and dodge a bullet, and keep everyone happy, but God seems to have something to say, according to today’s texts, and so I must stand up and say it.
Many Christians, including some of our best pastors, bishops and theologians, have argued that the Bible doesn’t say anything about such things as loving, committed, monogamous same-gender relationships. I would like you to listen to Genesis 2 again, “The Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called Woman, for out of Man this one was taken.” Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.”
It was not good that the man was alone, he needed a partner. God found him one. When the woman was made, the man found his complement, his helper, the one that would make him complete. And while this isn’t just about “plumbing” as so many are so often saying, it is important to realize that “plumbing” is still a part of it—God commands them to be fruitful and multiply after all, they are blessed to become one flesh. Only in the male-female sexual relationship can this “one flesh” be realized—we call it a baby.
When Jesus was asked by the Pharisees about changing the standards of marriage and divorce, did he relax sexual standards to fit with the changing times? No. He said, “From the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female”. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” I’m not sure how much more clearly Jesus could have expressed God’s intentions for our sexual relationships as human beings.
About a month ago, my son got into trouble for throwing a ball in the house. His mother and I explained that balls were made to play with outside and not inside. "Don’t throw balls inside the house", we said. So, he bounced the ball, kicked the ball, batted the ball, rolled the ball, tossed the ball, dropped the ball, and caromed the ball off of his sister’s head . . . and he got in trouble every single time. I mean, we never actually said that he COULDN’T do any of those things, but by saying that balls were for outside we were very clear, weren’t we? For centuries, no one has ever doubted God’s intention for his creatures on this matter. It always seemed obvious. Now our big argument is that God never said that we couldn’t.
But in six passages spanning the Old and New Testaments, God did say no to homosexual behavior. Only six passages, you might ask? That’s not very many. Indeed, and there are only four passage against sexual relationships with animals. In fact, it appears that the more taboo the activity, the less it needed to be talked about. And how many times is homosexual behavior, loving or otherwise, lifted up in a positive way biblically? Never. God said, “I’ve created the man for the woman and the woman for the man. And whenever sexual activity outside of that relationship occurs, it is NOT blessed by God. Whether it is before marriage, or an extra-martial affair, whether it is with an animal or with a member of one’s own family.
Some of you believe that gay marriage should be legal in America, that it is a civil rights issue. Fine. According to the constitution of the United States, you have an argument. I do not have anything to say about your political views. But as Christians, the constitution is NOT the final authority for our behavior. The Bible is our authority. While we, as Americans, protect the right of people to believe and worship whatever God they choose, as Christians, we hear Jesus say, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.” We do not have freedom of religion in the church, only freedom in Christ. We do not get to change our interpretation of the Bible according to how society has changed, the Bible interprets our lives and our society in order to change US. As Christians, we often have the right to do many things, but we are called by God to follow his commands.
Pre-martial sex, divorce and remarriage, the adulterous thoughts that fill our heads, all of these things are acceptable in our society, but they deviate from what God commands. Jesus says, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.” Are we hypocrites for allowing remarried pastors to be ordained while refusing to ordain pastors in lifelong, committed, monogamous same-gender relationships? Are we hypocrites for blessing the second marriages of people while refusing to bless same-gender relationships?
What is the difference between remarriage and gay marriage? In Genesis 2, we hear how God made marriage in the beginning and it is a picture of perfection. But one chapter later, we find that all of our relationships have now been cursed, including our marriages. Wives seem to inherently realize that their marriages are cursed better than husbands do, but it is true for both. We need to correct the thinking that being in a marriage is somehow more “holy” than being single, it doesn’t make you look better in God’s eyes. Marriage is not salvific. It is part of God’s civil law meant to protect you and your neighbors, for the sake of children, the family and society.
Some divorces, as most of you know, seem more like a blessing than a curse, but God hates divorce, scripture says, and wishes that none of his children would ever have to go through the causes of divorce or the effects of it. God is not a fan of remarriage either, but not in the way you might think at first. Remarriage is not a sin because it is somehow less “pure” in God’s eyes than a first marriage, but because you are now sharing the effects of a divorce with your new spouse. We often call this “baggage” nowadays. Joint custody, trust issues, bitterness, step-fathers and step-mothers . . . if you truly loved a person, you might consider remaining unmarried to save them from all those effects of sin. Remarriage piles up sin upon sin.
But does God place his blessing on a remarriage even in the midst of all these curses and sins? Yes. Just like in a first marriage, while God has cursed our relationships he has also provided for our comfort. Just as the Lord provided a helper for the man at creation, a divorced person may find a protector for their family or a partner to raise children from a previous marriage. In addition, God can continue to bless a remarriage with children where the two can become one flesh. This is God’s “Yes” even in the midst of all his “No’s”. There will be times it is better to stay unmarried. There may be times it is better to be remarried. Neither choice is without sin.
What then is the difference between remarriage and gay marriage? The blessing of God. It may not be fashionable to talk about marriage being closely related to procreation, but the truth is that God has given a blessing to men and women to “become one flesh” that he has not given to people in same-gendered relationships. Are there men and women in marriages that cannot have children? Yes, but if the number of fertility doctors and adoptions and surrogate mothers are any indication, many married couples see this barrenness as a curse, and not a blessing. Despite sin’s effects on our world, on our bodies, and on our relationships, God continues fighting these effects with his blessing to become one flesh, to be fruitful and multiply. But to declare God’s blessing upon a couple in a homosexual relationship is like acting out a play in front of an empty theater . . . you're not fooling anybody. Procreation is not the only blessing of marriage, but it is still a very important part of it.
God created men and women as sexual partners in creation and Jesus, as we would expect, continues to highlight this fact. Once sin entered into the world, God had to start saying "no." a lot. Any relationship outside of marriage between a husband and a wife is a deviation from God’s plan for your life. We are all accused, whether in thought, word or deed. We are all called to repentance before God. But “No!” is not God’s last word. While you may be struggling and suffering with the effects of remarriage, pre-marital sex, adultery, divorce, pornography, or homosexual behavior in your life, I pray that you might finally see the joy of God’s “Yes”. Jesus Christ loves and forgives sinners like you. His church, this church, welcomes, loves and forgives all sinners, like you. So that you and I might turn away from our sins, knowing that they have been nailed to the cross of Jesus where they have died up there with him. Now God’s unconditional forgiveness is yours. Amen.
I am NOT going to use code words today. I do not want to be ambiguous. Today’s sermon will be about what scripture has to say about marriage and how that affects our understandings about same-gender sexual relationships as well as remarriage for heterosexuals. Why am I focusing on these issues? Why am I focusing on this instead of something else more important? Because that’s all anyone else inside or outside of the church seems interested in right now. To say nothing just encourages the FALSE claim that the Bible never says anything about these issues or that God doesn’t care. Now, I COULD just preach on the psalm today and dodge a bullet, and keep everyone happy, but God seems to have something to say, according to today’s texts, and so I must stand up and say it.
Many Christians, including some of our best pastors, bishops and theologians, have argued that the Bible doesn’t say anything about such things as loving, committed, monogamous same-gender relationships. I would like you to listen to Genesis 2 again, “The Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called Woman, for out of Man this one was taken.” Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.”
It was not good that the man was alone, he needed a partner. God found him one. When the woman was made, the man found his complement, his helper, the one that would make him complete. And while this isn’t just about “plumbing” as so many are so often saying, it is important to realize that “plumbing” is still a part of it—God commands them to be fruitful and multiply after all, they are blessed to become one flesh. Only in the male-female sexual relationship can this “one flesh” be realized—we call it a baby.
When Jesus was asked by the Pharisees about changing the standards of marriage and divorce, did he relax sexual standards to fit with the changing times? No. He said, “From the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female”. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” I’m not sure how much more clearly Jesus could have expressed God’s intentions for our sexual relationships as human beings.
About a month ago, my son got into trouble for throwing a ball in the house. His mother and I explained that balls were made to play with outside and not inside. "Don’t throw balls inside the house", we said. So, he bounced the ball, kicked the ball, batted the ball, rolled the ball, tossed the ball, dropped the ball, and caromed the ball off of his sister’s head . . . and he got in trouble every single time. I mean, we never actually said that he COULDN’T do any of those things, but by saying that balls were for outside we were very clear, weren’t we? For centuries, no one has ever doubted God’s intention for his creatures on this matter. It always seemed obvious. Now our big argument is that God never said that we couldn’t.
But in six passages spanning the Old and New Testaments, God did say no to homosexual behavior. Only six passages, you might ask? That’s not very many. Indeed, and there are only four passage against sexual relationships with animals. In fact, it appears that the more taboo the activity, the less it needed to be talked about. And how many times is homosexual behavior, loving or otherwise, lifted up in a positive way biblically? Never. God said, “I’ve created the man for the woman and the woman for the man. And whenever sexual activity outside of that relationship occurs, it is NOT blessed by God. Whether it is before marriage, or an extra-martial affair, whether it is with an animal or with a member of one’s own family.
Some of you believe that gay marriage should be legal in America, that it is a civil rights issue. Fine. According to the constitution of the United States, you have an argument. I do not have anything to say about your political views. But as Christians, the constitution is NOT the final authority for our behavior. The Bible is our authority. While we, as Americans, protect the right of people to believe and worship whatever God they choose, as Christians, we hear Jesus say, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.” We do not have freedom of religion in the church, only freedom in Christ. We do not get to change our interpretation of the Bible according to how society has changed, the Bible interprets our lives and our society in order to change US. As Christians, we often have the right to do many things, but we are called by God to follow his commands.
Pre-martial sex, divorce and remarriage, the adulterous thoughts that fill our heads, all of these things are acceptable in our society, but they deviate from what God commands. Jesus says, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.” Are we hypocrites for allowing remarried pastors to be ordained while refusing to ordain pastors in lifelong, committed, monogamous same-gender relationships? Are we hypocrites for blessing the second marriages of people while refusing to bless same-gender relationships?
What is the difference between remarriage and gay marriage? In Genesis 2, we hear how God made marriage in the beginning and it is a picture of perfection. But one chapter later, we find that all of our relationships have now been cursed, including our marriages. Wives seem to inherently realize that their marriages are cursed better than husbands do, but it is true for both. We need to correct the thinking that being in a marriage is somehow more “holy” than being single, it doesn’t make you look better in God’s eyes. Marriage is not salvific. It is part of God’s civil law meant to protect you and your neighbors, for the sake of children, the family and society.
Some divorces, as most of you know, seem more like a blessing than a curse, but God hates divorce, scripture says, and wishes that none of his children would ever have to go through the causes of divorce or the effects of it. God is not a fan of remarriage either, but not in the way you might think at first. Remarriage is not a sin because it is somehow less “pure” in God’s eyes than a first marriage, but because you are now sharing the effects of a divorce with your new spouse. We often call this “baggage” nowadays. Joint custody, trust issues, bitterness, step-fathers and step-mothers . . . if you truly loved a person, you might consider remaining unmarried to save them from all those effects of sin. Remarriage piles up sin upon sin.
But does God place his blessing on a remarriage even in the midst of all these curses and sins? Yes. Just like in a first marriage, while God has cursed our relationships he has also provided for our comfort. Just as the Lord provided a helper for the man at creation, a divorced person may find a protector for their family or a partner to raise children from a previous marriage. In addition, God can continue to bless a remarriage with children where the two can become one flesh. This is God’s “Yes” even in the midst of all his “No’s”. There will be times it is better to stay unmarried. There may be times it is better to be remarried. Neither choice is without sin.
What then is the difference between remarriage and gay marriage? The blessing of God. It may not be fashionable to talk about marriage being closely related to procreation, but the truth is that God has given a blessing to men and women to “become one flesh” that he has not given to people in same-gendered relationships. Are there men and women in marriages that cannot have children? Yes, but if the number of fertility doctors and adoptions and surrogate mothers are any indication, many married couples see this barrenness as a curse, and not a blessing. Despite sin’s effects on our world, on our bodies, and on our relationships, God continues fighting these effects with his blessing to become one flesh, to be fruitful and multiply. But to declare God’s blessing upon a couple in a homosexual relationship is like acting out a play in front of an empty theater . . . you're not fooling anybody. Procreation is not the only blessing of marriage, but it is still a very important part of it.
God created men and women as sexual partners in creation and Jesus, as we would expect, continues to highlight this fact. Once sin entered into the world, God had to start saying "no." a lot. Any relationship outside of marriage between a husband and a wife is a deviation from God’s plan for your life. We are all accused, whether in thought, word or deed. We are all called to repentance before God. But “No!” is not God’s last word. While you may be struggling and suffering with the effects of remarriage, pre-marital sex, adultery, divorce, pornography, or homosexual behavior in your life, I pray that you might finally see the joy of God’s “Yes”. Jesus Christ loves and forgives sinners like you. His church, this church, welcomes, loves and forgives all sinners, like you. So that you and I might turn away from our sins, knowing that they have been nailed to the cross of Jesus where they have died up there with him. Now God’s unconditional forgiveness is yours. Amen.
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