Luke 12:13-21 -- Earthly Wealth and Riches from God

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God the Father and our lord Jesus Christ,

        This morning’s gospel text brings up questions about money and possessions that are important to most of us. Material things play a big part in our way of life. Some days we might think that money runs everything. This isn’t true, of course: God is the ruler. But the rush for material abundance is very powerful, and it’s easy for people to put secondary things in first place.

       The Bible doesn’t teach us that money and material goods are wrong in themselves. Abraham was rich, and after he became King, David had a lot of material resources at his disposal. People with riches have often benefited the church. The key question is this – what do riches mean to the person who has them or wants them?

       The passage from Luke gives us two examples that Jesus encourages us not to follow. We have a glimpse into the soul of a man who wanted more of an inheritance than he was entitled to. This was all he could find to talk about even with Jesus, who claimed no authority when it comes to questions like that. By the grace of God, it was not too late for this man. He had a chance to think again about what was most important to him. Jesus wanted him to be rich in God, not obsessed with earthly things. It would be much better for him to take hold of the pardon, peace, and salvation that Jesus offered him. He would be happy, content, and at ease, if he lived in union with God, day by day.

       I have a pretty good idea that no one here is like this man nor do Risen Christ’s people resemble the rich fool in the parable that Jesus then told. Christians are content with what God sends us. We make sure to thank him for the blessings with which he fills our lives. We thank him every day. He delights in our thanksgiving and is disposed to continue his generosity toward us.

       The man in the parable is highly respectable, an outstanding citizen – maybe in today’s world he would own a car dealership or a chain of stores. There’s no suggestion that he gained his riches in an unjust way. Many folks must have admired him. Were it not for the teachings of God’s Word, his values would seem right and worthy of being copied. But God has higher things in mind for his beloved children, so Jesus teaches us by revealing this man’s soul.

       For one thing, we see what he thinks about life. Life equals possessions for him. He believes that the more stuff he has the bigger his life will be. Church and Bible teach us, though, that the things we need and use sustain our lives and not extras that may look nice but gather dust.  The man had enough to secure a very fine earthly life – good food, expensive clothes, interesting friends, a chance to explore the world. But he wanted even more luxuries, because he thought that life requires excess. For him, you weren’t really alive if you didn’t have more than you needed or could use.

       Besides this, he was a speculator. When he looked ahead, he saw an even greater supply of riches, so he made big plans. He lived by wishful thinking. He said that good times would multiply, even though there might be famine, war, depression, or political upheaval. It’s wise to prepare for the future, but this man made a mistake when he supposed he already had what might never be his. He counted his chickens before they were hatched. He based his plans on thin air.

       People like that often get a lot of attention. They sometimes arouse envy. Satan uses them to start us thinking: why do the ungodly have all the good fortune, while Jesus’ brothers and sisters struggle along from day to day, unrewarded and unnoticed?  Jesus will answer all our questions when we get to the next life. In the meantime, we don’t let our questions lead to envy or covetousness. We cling to the Lord. We turn our wishes over to him. He uses us as witnesses to good sense and balanced living in a world that’s often awash with greed and foolishness.

       In the case of the rich man in the parable, folly is not just silliness or childish behavior. It’s contempt for discipline and God’s truth. The man had no thought for God at all, only for his own comforts and his pile of stuff. It’s not that he denied God, but that he loved the world and its glitter so much that he had no room in his heart for God. He seemed to have no living, saving tie with his maker. He thought that life would automatically go on as it always had. It didn’t occur to him that he would die that very night. He wouldn’t surrender his soul gladly and joyfully as a believer does. No, he was so much in love with earthly life that terrible angels would have to wrestle his soul away from him.

       By the grace of God, this rich man’s story is a powerful warning, but it is not the last word. Jesus died to save sinners. Even the most worldly, courteous, wealth-obsessed person, of which there are none at Risen Christ, can be saved. We thank God for protecting us from the evils of worldliness and keeping us in the kingdom of faith. We praise him for turning our hearts away from the ravages of greed and covetousness to rest confidently in him.

       The Bible and the church, and we ourselves, too, of course, have a lot of wisdom about money and possessions. We’ll review some of it now to encourage us to stick with the Lord.

       First off, as we’ve already said, life doesn’t consist of material things, though some people think it does. I once heard someone say that he wanted many millions of dollars, because life is money and money is how you measure a person’s value. Not so. Life comes from God. It’s a mystery that consists of breathing and eating and also intangible qualities like faith, hope, and love. The body dies, but the existence of the soul continues and one day God will reunite our bodies and souls and believers will pass into everlasting glory with God, who gives us a chance now, with his help, to nourish our spirits in harmony with him. Material things help, but they can get in the way if we take them too seriously. Folks who have what they need and maybe a little bit more are often the happiest. It’s good for God’s people to share in the abundance of the present time, and we receive his blessings without an everlasting craving for more, because we know that life comes from him and he’ll continue to provide for us.  

       In the second place, material well-being is uncertain. Economies flourish and shrivel up. We hear reports in the news about a high unemployment rate in the U. S. and cutbacks in many areas of life. Lots of folks are feeling a pinch right now. Who can say for sure what the next year will bring? Better to stick with God and trust in him than a pile of stuff we may have now or think we’ll have in five years.  How fortunate are those who live with Jesus. We’re not isolated from the world. It’s ups and downs touch us. We live by trust that while he won’t set us up in a mansion with a limousine in the driveway, neither will he abandon us. He’ll give us just what we need, and maybe a bit more, and he’ll continue to make daily joy a reality for us.

       Thirdly, what’s the point of spending our best efforts piling up things, when death can strike at any time, as the man in the parable discovered? God often grants long life, and we may pray that this be the case with us. The parable reminds us, however, that human life is fragile and that earthly structures are impermanent. We’re wise to attach ourselves to God, who is permanent and who promises that even though the joys of earthly life are fleeting and its glories pass away, he will shower the blessings of abundant eternal life on those who stick with him

       Lastly, satisfying work can be one of the best parts of life, but working to pile up stuff for its own sake is meaningless. We don’t know what will become of the fruits of our toil after we are gone. King Solomon put it well. “A man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who hasn’t worked for it.” What does a person get for all his or her toil and anxious striving? What will the folks after us do with the heritage we leave them? Best to stick with Jesus, who gives meaning and purpose to the smallest of our actions. Labor for him is never in vain.

       The world and the devil encourage us to seek riches and to give up our souls for gain. God and the church bring us a different message: Hold on there. Are you sure that’s wise? Think before you surrender yourself to anything you can see or touch or add up. If you insist on living as a fool, live as a fool for Christ, as Paul put it. “The foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom...God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise...we are fools for Christ.”

       How often we see greed and covetousness, maybe even in ourselves, and wish that things were different. The materialistic values that surround us awaken lust for gain in fragile hearts. Many do not resist. We praise God for the Holy Spirit, who brings us to repentance. Where human flesh falls many times, Jesus remains steady. He didn’t give way to covetousness, but always obeyed the will of his Father. He passes on the results of his obedience to us. He pardons; he washes away our sins. He strengthen us; he shares with us the fruits of his perfect, God-filled life.

       He tells us, as he told his disciples, to be rich toward God – or as one translator put it – to be rich in God. This doesn’t mean that we gather no earthly treasures at all but that earthly blessings don’t keep us from gathering riches of the spirit. To be rich in God, according to one student of the Scriptures, means to have the wealth that is found in God – pardon and peace, as we said, and salvation in union with him. To be rich in God means to be in faith. To quote again: “The person who is rich in God has the saving gifts that God gives; she or he takes hold of them with gratitude and by faith as his or her own. This person is truly rich, however little he or she may have of earthly goods.” Believers who receive earthly blessings from God won’t let these blessings interfere with their true spiritual wealth, since they will treat them the way Abraham and David treated their riches – as tools from God to be used for heaven’s purposes.

       We praise God for showing us his values and giving us the confidence to trust that even we may live by his guidelines. We thank our Savior for carrying us through valleys of materialism to safety at the foot of the Cross. We rejoice that he gives us a chance to gather heavenly riches as he brings us day by day to the wonderful life that is coming. In Jesus’ Name. AMEN.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge of Christ Jesus. AMEN.        

Colossians 2:6-15 The Worthiness of Christ

Grace and peace to you from Him who is and who was and who is to come,

       Pauls’ letter to the Colossians encourages us to think about the worthiness of Christ and the value of our Christian faith. That’s our topic this morning – the necessity of Christ and the benefits we receive from the faith he gives us through the Holy Spirit.

       Christ is very dear to us; our faith is precious. The congregation at Colossae had the same high regard for God’s spiritual blessings to them. Paul began his letter by thanking God for the Christian faith and the Christian love they had for each other. He was pleased that the gospel bore fruit in their lives – and also all over the world.

       Paul wanted the Colossian congregation to keep on bearing fruit, so he admonished them to continue living in Christ. You may have noticed four key phrases that Paul used at the beginning of our text this morning to describe mature Christian living. The first is “being rooted in Christ.” We think of a tree with deep roots. The roots anchor and support the tree. They also store food and serve as the means by which the tree receives oxygen and water. If you’ve ever studied biology or tended a garden, you’ll have had first-hand experience of how important roots are. Jesus is our root. He supports us and our spirits receive nourishment from him. He is our source. Just as it’s hard to take a tree with strong roots out of the ground, so it is hard to remove a mature Christian from Christ, since God is everyday rooting us more deeply in him.

       The second key phrase Paul uses is “being built up in him.” Think for a moment of a new house going up in a subdivision. The construction workers build it up carefully piece by piece, according to a plan. So God’s Word builds us up. First by showing us our faults and our need for him, then by convincing us that God exists for us and that we are forgiven in Christ, and then by showing us that God’s forgiveness means our salvation, and then by sending us out to do good works that are pleasing to him. We are built up in Christ.

       A third term Paul uses is “strengthened in the faith”. Everyone experiences buffets and blows. But since we are strong in the Lord, who suffered every calamity we suffer and yet came out triumphant, hardship doesn’t break us. In fact, it strengthens us, because it brings us closer to our Lord’s strength. The faith of the apostles belongs to us. James, the brother of our Lord, said, “As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have head of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” God uses our faith to strengthen us. It’s not an abstract or theoretical faith, but a living faith that will keep us close to the Lord until we reach our heavenly goal, so we ask God to give us strong hearts, not faint ones.

       You may have noticed, by the way, that Paul wrote about teaching. We grow stronger as we stick with what we’ve learned from God’s Word. Excursions outside the Word may interest us for a time, but they weaken us in the long run. Strength comes from the God of scripture. We’ll go back to this point in s minute or two.

       A fourth key phrase is “overflowing with thankfulness”. We Christians are grateful people. I once heard someone say that gratitude releases the power of God. We’re thankful to God for our salvation, for the blessings in our daily lives, and the hope that the Lord will go on treating us as his beloved children. Moreover, we don’t express our thankfulness drop by drop. Instead, it flows out of our hearts. As Paul said in another letter, “In everything, give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” Thankfulness delights God and pleases our neighbors.

       So Paul wants the gospel to flourish in the hearts of the Colossian Christians. They should be mature followers of the Lord, rooted in him like an old pine tree, built up in him like the sturdiest house, strong as Paul and the apostles in the true Christian faith, and overflowing with thankfulness. God will keep on establishing our lives in him, so long as we stick with him, for we are his children, who need daily building up and strengthening in Christ.

       Now, I want to keep our focus on the Colossian congregation for a moment, because they had some difficulties that could happen to anyone. A few of the people paid attention to false teaching that somehow had got into the life of the community. These heresies took many forms. Some said that Christians ought to follow strict rules about food and religious customs. Some encouraged the worship of angels. Others emphasized human traditions and human wisdom, arguing that believers needed secret knowledge to live full lives with God. All of them tried to convince people that salvation required more than the life and work of Christ. Paul was concerned that a few people in the Colossian church had begun to think that something was lacking in the Christian faith, so he wrote to argue against false teachers who were ready to supply what they thought was missing.

       As I say, this sort of thing can happen anywhere. Many features of the modern world tempt us to think that there’s something missing in the Christian faith. Advertising, marketplace values, emphasis on living by the letter of the law – all these features of present day life bring us benefits, but if we live for material things, we’ll come to think that new need more than Christ. Nobody openly persecutes Christians in North America, but trends of the time subtly work on us, so that we may think that Jesus is only for Sundays, and the rest of the week belongs to urgent practical matters.

       With the power of Jesus on our side, we resist the spiritual temptations of the day and live rooted in him, established and built up in the sturdy Christian faith. In order for this centeredness in Christ to happen, the Lord convinces us that the Christian faith doesn’t lack anything, that Christ is all we need. This is the reason Paul wrote his letter to the Colossians.

       He uses eight phrases in the first chapter to prove the sufficiency of Christ. We’ll look at each one briefly.

       To begin with, Paul says that the fullness of the deity dwells in Christ in bodily form. This means that everything to do with God takes place in Christ. God’s power over nature, his wisdom, his forgiveness and compassion, his indestructibility all occur in Christ. Not a portion of God’s qualities, but all of them, dwell in Christ.

       Paul affirms that Jesus is the image of the invisible God. this means that if we want to know who God is or what he thinks or what his nature is or his intentions for the human race we have only to look at what the Bible tells us about Jesus.

       Thirdly, Paul claims that Jesus is the firstborn of all creation. He came before the stars and the light and all creatures. Everything else came after him.                

       Fourth, Paul tells us that Jesus created everything and that he is before all things. Jesus created all the angels and the rules and the basic principles of the world that the Colossian people were tempted to worship. Paul hints that there is no point worshipping something inferior when the real thing is available to us.

Then Paul states that everything holds together in Christ. The universe isn’t random disorder. It follows a rational plan with a set pattern and certain laws. Actions have consequences; causes have effects; decisions have outcomes. Everything that exists, everything that happens finds its purpose and meaning and place in the universe in Christ. He is like a thread that joins everything together.

       Paul then tells us that Christ is the first-born from the dead. He is referring to Jesus’ resurrection. Paul means that God has power over death and that he uses his power first of all in the case of Christ and then on behalf of everyone who believes in Christ. When we look to God in faith, we look to the source of life and learn that he has conquered death for us. Besides that, Paul wrote that God reconciles everything to himself in Christ. He isn’t angry at the world; he see his creation as good; he takes delight in the people he has made. No barriers exist between God and the human race except the ones we human beings put up without knowing what we’re doing.

       Finally, Paul declares that God has made peace through the blood that Christ shed on the cross. This is the central fact of the Christian faith. Christ’s death reminds us of our own sins. Because of the cross, we have a definite, unvarying approach to God. We lay our sins before him with the assurance that he will cast them away because of Jesus’ sacrifice.

       So these are eight points Paul brings up to instill Christ’s worth in the minds and hesrts of the Colossian Christians and to assure them that nothing is missing from the faith God has given them. The fullness of divinity dwells in Christ. Nobody has done or can do more. To look beyond him is to trifle with the inferior.

Paul doesn’t end his argument here. He tells us that God passes the fullness of Jesus’ deity on to us. He releases us from the sting of eternal death; he puts off our old sinful natures and gives us new lives in Christ.

       The various distractions that tempted the Colossians – ceremonies, strict rules, secret knowledge, and invitation to angel worship – didn’t make people alive. Christ made them alive.

       It’s the same with us. We shouldn’t look for more from the marketplace or technology or advertising than they can provide. These features of our lives help us but they don’t bring us salvation or eternity. We are made alive in Christ. We don’t let the secular ways of thinking that surround us take over our minds. We learn from Paul that Christ is sufficient and that he will get us safely from here to life in eternity with him. In his name we give thanks. AMEN.

       The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge of Christ Jesus. AMEN.

Matthew 7:15 - 29 Foundation in Christ

Grace and peace to you from Him who is and who was and who is to come,

       The morning’s gospel text, which comes from the very end of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, takes up the question of how Christians should live.

       Jesus expects us to produce fruit for the kingdom – good trees bear good fruit – and he makes fruitfulness  possible for us. Somebody once told me that an experienced person can tell by looking at a sapling whether or not it will produce good fruit later on. Jesus knows us and trusts that we will produce good fruit because of the faith in him that we receive as a gift from the Holy Spirit. He prunes us, of course, for he doesn’t want us to rest on our laurels. He makes sure that our lives are filled with fellowship, purpose, worthwhile activities, and faith. We’re well familiar with the fruits of the Spirit that Jesus mentioned at the start of the Sermon on the Mount: meekness, righteousness, mercy, purity of heart, peace. He plants a desire for good Christian fruits in our hearts and he builds them up in us. “Receive good lives,” he says to us. “I’ll see to it that you have the best there is.” He commands us to disregard false prophets who tempt us and bring his promises into our hearts and live by them.

       Our spiritual foundation – what we believe is true – has a lot to do with the kind of life we lead, so Jesus says that his teaching is the foundation for wise, fruitful Christian living. We know how important a good foundation is to a building. A bungalow that someone puts up on a sandy beach might collapse in a big storm, while a house built on a rock will stand up to any blast. An old hymn is based on this passage: “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.” Christ is our rock. If we don’t want to be blow about in the storms of life, we’ll listen to his teachings and abide by them.

       A man who did some writing about 150 years ago described three ways of living, based on three different foundations. Only one of them has to do with Christ. The first is to consider life as something we observe and study but never get directly involved in. An extreme case might be someone who bases his life on playing video games or watching sports on TV. He doesn’t play sports; he’s not on any team. He just watches. The Stanley Cup and the Memorial Cup and the Grey Cup are like Christmas and Ester to him. Folks who adopt an observing approach to life like to collect experiences. They want life to be attractive and base their choices on what is beautiful or pleasing. They stand on the sidelines; they don’t commit themselves to much. The prodigal son who squandered the money his father gave him on what he thought was a good time is another extreme case. Folks who decide that riches or knowledge or pleasure or pleasure or style are worthwhile ends in themselves belong in this category. I’m sure there’s nobody like this at Our Saviour. I bet you don’t base your foundations on the shifting sands of external objects that can be observed or counted. Christ the rock is your base.

       Another way to live is to build one’s foundations on ethical principles, the difference between earthly right and earthly wrong. Another of Jesus’ parable provides an example – the Pharisee who went to the temple and praised God for making him a wonderful person. You remember what he said to the Lord: “I thank you that I am not like other men: extortioners, unjust, adulterers. I fast twice in the week and I give generously from all I possess.” Lots of people, I suspect, who have a bit of worldly good fortune and don’t think about God or come near his church think along such lines. I once met a highly educated man with a very good job who told me that although he didn’t believe in God, he thought that if God exists, he ought to let him into heaven because of the outstanding life he led, full of hard work and good deeds and the respect of everyone who knew him.

       People like that can have many advantages: they understand that we need to live within limits and that decisions have consequences. They are often willing to take on responsibility and make sacrifices for the good of others. They set high standards. What happens, though, when a crisis comes along and they realize they haven’t lived up to their ethical principles? What happens when they understand that like everyone else they’ve fallen short and missed the mark and that they have lived in rebellion against God? And how do they answer questions about death and eternity?

       So we come to a third way of living – the spiritual or religious – when a person takes to heart the Bible’s message that God, who created the universe, rules and governs everything and declares that we are sinners who need his guidance, his strengthening, and his pardon. A person for whom life with God is in first place surrenders to the Lord, willingly lives under him in ways that please him, in repentance for sin, and in joy that Jesus has accepted him or her. Whatevcr the rest of the world may be doing, there are always plenty of people who stick with the Lord, and we praise God for that.

       But we are not perfect. As life moves along from day to day and we see how other folks are doing, we may be tempted to say, “Why shouldn’t I live as an observer, looking out for what pleases me? After all, most of the time, if you make a commitment to something, you will take on problems.” Or: “If I base my life on sound ethical principles and don’t look for anything else, people will approve of me and I will move ahead. The good works I do will bring me a host of rewards.”

       This way of thinking has its appeal and is tempting for some folks. “I go to church on Sunday. I do good every day. I’m okay. I don’t have anything to worry about:”

       But not so. Complacency of spirit is a trap? “Lord, Lord, did we not prophecy in your name?” How easy it is to be satisfied with oneself! “Did we not perform many miracles?” But what did Jesus say? “I never knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers.” The point is that God’s grace saves us, not our own works. It’s faith in him that makes us righteous before God, and faith is his gift to us, for the sake of Jesus, who died on our behalf. We should never think so well of ourselves that we hold up our good deeds and put them in the place of what God has done for us.

       We keep a rein on our egos; we subdue our pride. We humble ourselves before the Lord who is our foundation and who promises to protect us from the storm he referred to. When we build our lives on him with his guidance, we will never be caught on sinking sand.

       There are many kinds of storms, of course, and we need to know what tempests Jesus had in mind. Some troubles we hear about aren’t storms in the strict sense of the word, but they have the same effect as storms –epidemics, failures of technology, plane crashes wars, and so on. Also daily troubles like illness or relationship tangles. Jesus gives us and all his people the wisdom to cope with stresses, the strength to endure, and the hope to keep on going. But the storm that Jesus spoke about in this morning’s gospel was something else. He promises to protect us from the stormy consequences of being human – the sinfulness that leads to death – the outcome of our mortality, which no one can avoid.

       Great achievements in medicine add years to our lives and science has brought us wonders. We’re grateful for these advances, not least because they extend our ability to give testimony to our faith. But they are very little compared with what Jesus offers  – everlasting happiness with him in the kingdom of heaven, without pain or misery, sickness or death—eternal blessedness in his presence when he returns.

       As we said, our neighbors find various patterns of belief to build their lives on. Christ calls everyone to receive him as his or her foundation. Those who answer his call are blessed. We appreciate the beauty of God’s creation and take advantage of it, but we don’t stop there. The difference between right and wrong is important to us and we cheerfully follow the commandments that God has set down. But we don’t claim that ethical principles or efforts to behave well make us right before God, for we can never measure up to his standards. Only Jesus can do that. We ask for his pardon and receive it. He takes away our burdens. He puts joy in our hearts and makes us so strong of faith that no storm – not even the winds of death – can tear us away from our foundations in him. We cling to him day after day in the assurance that he is our rock. In his name we give thanks. AMEN.     

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20: Jesus Sends Out 70 Messengers

Grace, Mercy, and Peace to you from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ,

       Have you ever gone on a trip or taken on a temporary assignment and learned much more from the experience than you thought you would? This is what happened to the 70 messengers whom Jesus sent ahead of him to towns and villages he hadn’t visited before. It was the third year of his ministry. He was making his last trip to Jerusalem, where he would be arrested, tried, and crucified. Then he would rise back to life from the grave. He had preached to many people during his ministry and he had a lot of followers, some of whom he trained to help him spread word of his visit to people who’d never heard him speak. The seventy needed to do their work quickly.

       In the next few minutes, we’ll examine Jesus’ instructions to the messengers by examining a few words and phrases. “The harvest is plentiful,” he said. When he used the word “harvest”, Jesus wasn’t referring to the multitudes of curious people who would come to see him. He meant the people who would welcome him and who by God’s grace would receive him. The Holy Spirit creates countless believers. Many would be saved then and many have been saved since that time. And if Jesus doesn’t return immediately, many more will be saved. Jesus and his gospel have always had a lot of appeal. There will be plenty of people in heaven. God doesn’t force himself on anyone, but he blesses abundantly those who receive his promises.

       “But the workers are few,” Jesus said. “Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers.” Jesus instructed his helpers to pray for workers, our prayers join God’s concern for the harvest; they make our will the same as his; our minds and hearts are united with him. We are partners with Jesus. We notice, however, that Jesus didn’t tell his messengers to go out and get workers. The harvest is God’s, and he provides the workers. He doesn’t force anyone into his service or call someone who is reluctant, as we would likely do if the task were left to us. Jesus finds the right people to help him and in his infinite grace, he hears our prayers and unites our wills with his. This is a miracle. The Lord blesses our walk with him.

       “I’m sending you out as lambs among wolves,” Jesus said. Now, nobody would ever do such a thing – send a single lamb into a wolf pack. Jesus told his messengers not to worry – to be brave, to get rid of their fears, and to keep him constantly in mind. He will protect them. Somebody described Jesus’ lambs as people who have lost the viciousness that comes with sin. They can’t defend themselves against the evil of the world. Jesus who rules the world will keep them safe. He will never abandon them. Never.

He gave his messengers instructions about the details of their mission – what to take with them – they will travel light – and how to behave and what to say. They shouldn’t give way to distractions or spend their time in idle conversation. They are to devote their time and energy to the work Jesus gives them and gratefully to receive the good things that are given to them, for the worker deserves his wages.

       “When you enter a house,” Jesus told them, “first say, ‘Peace to this house.” Peace between God and man. The Lord said in Isaiah that he that he would extend peace like a river. Jesus brings peace so that life may flourish and all people may receive consolation and happiness from God. The gospel creates peace. God is our friend and we are his children. The peace he gives us is our permanent possession and is the source of our feelings of peace. Our emotions zigzag and go up and down, while God’s offer of peace is steady and will never change. He creates a desire for peace in us and renews our feelings again and again. The 70 were to offer Christ’s peace as if it came from him, and in this way they would help to extend the kingdom.

       They would also heal the sick, for these miracles would prove the power of Jesus. We pray for the sick ourselves, of course, and very often – in church on Sunday and in our private devotions. We spend time with ailing friends and relatives and help take care of their needs as best we can, making a quiet, faithful witness to our Lord.

       Jesus also instructed his disciples to preach that the kingdom of God is near them. He intends that everyone who hears this message will accept his rule of grace and let it bless their souls in time and in eternity. They shouldn’t spend a lot of time with people who refuse them. The destruction that took place in Sodom is a sample of what will happen when Jesus returns to folks who reject him.

      The 70 messengers went out, then, equipped with Jesus’ instructions. Their journey went much better than they thought it would. Nothing happened to disappoint them and nothing came up to cause them to fail. Even demons submitted to them. The messengers were highly pleased with themselves, even giddy, and a bit off-base. Jesus needed to correct them.

       He said that he saw Satan fall from heaven, which is a much greater deed than casting out demons in his name. Jesus himself, in fact, had caused the downfall of the head of the kingdom of demons. Jesus wasn’t referring to a specific event that he saw with his physical eyes, for Satan is a spirit, and his fall took place in the supernatural world, where time and space don’t exist. Satan fell from supernatural blessedness. His power, which was once as high as heaven, was corrupted and became ungodly. Jesus defeated him, I’m sure you remember, when he resisted the devil’s temptations in the wilderness. He crushed Satan’s power, so he could give his disciples the ability to cast out demons in his Name.

       “I have given you the power to trample on snakes and scorpions,” he said. These are samples of the spiritual strength Jesus gives his people. He doesn’t mean that his people may disregard forces that might harm or destroy them or that we may act toward danger in a foolhardy way. He doesn’t take us out of the natural world, with all its perils and potential for destruction, but he does protect us and give us wisdom. “He will give his angels charge concerning you, “Psalm 91 says, “to guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands.” Jesus and his angels protect us so that the devil can’t inflict misery and death whenever he pleases. One of our Lutheran authorities put it this way: “Only when Jesus himself wants us to suffer and die in the interest of his kingdom do such things come upon us. Then we accept them as being sent by him as did all the martyrs who died in triumph and by dying that way defeated Satan. The symbolism of snakes and scorpions extends to all the deadly delusions, deceptions, and poisonous falsehoods of Satan…The defeated enemy constantly shows his defeat before the divine Word in the hands of Christ’s messengers.”

       The returning messengers rejoiced at the wrong things. A person may have the ability to cast out demons and yet not escape the devil himself. Joy may lead to pride and to false notions of talent and merit, so we rejoice in everything that has been done for us and not something that we ourselves do. We rejoice that our names are written in heaven, which means that we are justified before God, accepted as one of his children, permanently enrolled among the elect, awaiting Christ’s return in glory when he will claim us.

Someone said that our joy that our names are written in heaven is to increase until in heaven itself we see our names written there, which is the greatest of all victories over Satan.

       In the meantime, right now, we are like Jesus’ 70 messengers. Our journeys teach us more than we expect them to. We learn not to take our faith lightly and to cling to the Lord every day. We seek his mighty power so that we may stand against the devil’s schemes. Paul wrote in Ephesians that the life of Christians isn’t a struggle against flesh and blood but against the rulers of spiritual evil. Jesus protects us and equips us with spiritual armor so that we may be strong and stand our ground in faith, if a particularly evil day arrives. Jesus equips us with the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith and other spiritual equipment. We have the same blessings he gave his 70 messengers, that is, every quality we need – truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and God’s invitation to pray to him. We call on his help and welcome the support of the One who strengthens us. He encourages us as we spread the good news in his Name. We rejoice that he has claimed us and that our names are written in heaven. In his Name we give thanks. AMEN

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge of Christ Jesus. AMEN.  

Galatians 5:13-25 Freedom in Christ

Grace and Peace to you from Him who is and who was and who is to come,

       Paul wrote his letter to the Galatians in the hopes of resolving a problem that had come up in the churches in the old Roman province of Galatia, which is part of Asia Minor, in what is now Turkey. A group of new believers took hold of the gospel of salvation in Christ when they heard it from Paul, but then some visitors from Jerusalem questioned his authority. They introduced an idea that doesn’t belong in the gospel – that in order to be true Christians, the Galatians first needed to submit to the laws and customs set down in the Old Testament.

       Paul argued back that God’s promises to his people were more important than the law. Salvation and life with God comes through faith in Christ. The Heavenly Father declares that all believers are his sons and daughters. The Christian people are children of promise, not slaves to the law. Paul knew that the Christians in Galatia were passing through a spell of deep conflict, but he foresaw a happy outcome. “I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view than mine.” This is an important reassurance. God’s Word has the power to build faith and instill the truth. The words of the Bible plant God’s promises in our hearts – trust that heaven has adopted us, that God has a plan for us and that he will make good out of every evil, that the death of Christ opens the way to a new and better life, both now and in days to come.

       Paul affirms in our reading from the 5^th chapter that Christians are free. He discusses the consequences of our liberty; he draws a picture of Christian freedom in action.

       To lighten things up, let’s imagine that two members of one of the Galatian churches are talking with each of other. The conversation is strained at first, because they have been on opposite sides of the great debate about law and promise, faith and works. But a copy of Paul’s letter arrived a few days before. They have had a chance to read it, and the persuasiveness of Paul’s arguments has inspired them to mend the breach that came between them.

       “I wouldn’t have imagined that arguments so fierce could take place in the church,” said the first of the two Christians, who had supported the ideas Paul opposed. “I thought for sure the congregation would explode and then drift away to nothing. Good-bye church.”

       “A lot of us felt that way,” the other said, “but the church is still here and stronger than ever. If you come back to worship, you’ll see a new spirit among us. We’re actually quite vibrant. New people are coming in. Everything starts with forgiveness. Jesus forgave his enemies; his death for our sake heals. The Heavenly Father smiles on us. He turns evil into good. Did you have a chance to read the copy of Paul’s letter I sent you? I’ll try to answer any questions you might have. My goal is to see you and your family back worshiping with us. I know that remarks were made during the debates that hurt your feelings. Whenever people feel pressured, especially if we’re debating what to believe about God – it’s easy to get carried away. We’re sorry about that part now. We hope you’ll forgive us. We believe the argument’s settled.”

       “I’m not so sure it’s settled,” the first person says. “I read Paul’s letter a few times; I still have some questions. I know something about life and how people behave. I’ve raised four children. We need the law to restrain us. God won’t have anything to do with us unless we’re good. We need the threat of punishment.”

“I’ve felt that way myself at times,” the second Christian says. “The law is good. It comes from God. A lot depends, though, on how we approach it. No one keeps the law perfectly, and the Lord demands perfection. The longer we live, the more sins we pile up. Only one Person kept the law perfectly. What are you and I to do then? If we search our lives, we see that we don’t deserve anything from God. We’re doomed. But Jesus kept the law where we failed. His perfect obedience when he died guarantees God’s favor toward us. That’s what Paul means when he says that we’re free. Jesus frees us from having to please God on our own. If we think we can win God’s favor by our attempts to live righteously, we end up with uncertainty. We haven’t helped anyone, only deceived ourselves.. Jesus frees us from a fruitless struggle. Our Heavenly Father declares us righteous for his Son’s sake. We wait by faith now for the great declaration of righteousness that will come on Judgment Day. 

       “Jesus lifts a great burden from our shoulders,” the second person goes on. “Especially true in my case. I lived wildly in my younger days. I roamed around quite a bit and missed hundreds of chances to do the right thing. My memory sometimes rages like a bonfire. I used to think my future would be exactly like my past, that I was trapped in a cycle of frustration. Jesus rescued me from a bad destiny. I know I’ll have many good days ahead, thanks be to God.”

       The first person thought for a moment. “I’ll never believe that God sets us free from sin. It’s not his plan for us to take the easy road.”

       “You’re right about that,” the second person says. “Our Lord frees us from the reproach of the law, the chains of legalism that tie us down. He empowers us to carry out the law willingly and cheerfully. We’re not slaves to a rule-book. Instead, we live by the Spirit.”

      “Are you suggesting that God trusts us?”

       “Exactly,” the second Christian says. “He doesn’t lead us the way a rider leads a horse. He knows that the faith in Christ he gives us will lead us to do the things that please him. If we fall, he will lift us up. He will free us again from slavery to sin and our flesh.”

       “Again, you say,” the first person says. “I’ve tried to lead a moral life; I’ve kept myself from debauchery and great sins. But after reading Paul’s letter I thought about one thing he said – that love of our neighbors is the summary of the law. I admit to being angry at times and selfish, jealous even, though I try to keep these feelings to myself. I ask God to forgive me, but I’m afraid that the same old feelings will return. I can’t help myself.”

       “That happens to me, too,” the second person says. “It’s because part of me still walks by the law. I’m learning not to expect perfection – either for myself or other people. I’m getting better at not being full of blame and reproach. I’m sorry for some of the things I said at our meetings. I, too, see that the sinful part of my nature is at war with God’s Spirit. Paul’s letter teaches me that all of us are in conflict. We have a good side and a bad side, and the bad side keeps us from doing the good we want. We’d be crushed if we had only the law to lead us. But there is hope. Paul urges us to walk by the Spirit. As the Spirit leads us, we take hold of God’s pardon and the friendship of Christ. We forgive ourselves. God’s peace becomes our peace. He shares us victory with us. Our sinful natures, with all their passions and desires, have been crucified along with Christ. The Spirit renews us, not the law. The Spirit gives us new life. So Paul encourages us to keep in step with the Spirit.”

       “If I thought the church was going that way,” the first person says, “I’d return to worship.”

       “Nothing is ever perfect,” the second Christian replies, “but we’re moving in a good direction. We receive pardon and offer it. We’re learning to let go of the past and to welcome the Spirit. We use our freedom to seek a better way of living.

       “You probably noticed that Paul listed several qualities in his letter. He doesn’t call them works but fruits of the Spirit, the virtues we show as we walk with God – love, joy, peace, patience, and so on. Love is the most important. Someone called it the most essential product of faith, the mother of all the other Christian qualities. The way Paul uses it, the word “love” doesn’t mean just liking or affection. It means the kind of love that understands what people need and then sets out to provide it. You and I don’t simply give our children candy so we can see their smiles and hear their laughter. We give them the food that’s right for them and shoes and clothes that suit the season. We send them to school and make sure they learn the difference between right and wrong. We discipline them if their sinful nature seems to be getting the best of them. This is love – the love that is intelligent and has a purpose, the kind of love that God has. He understood how terrible the world is and took steps to make it better. He could not show affection toward the evil world, so he sent his Son to rescue it and clean it up. Jesus gave his life to save the world. He asks us to love our enemies, you see, not with affection, but with intelligence and purpose, understanding what is hateful about them and helping God to remove it. This is why Paul wrote to our churches – to encourage us not to slip back under the law, to embrace the gospel, and to walk in the Spirit. I’m glad the enemies of the gospel have left town. I hope you’re glad, too. When we first gathered ourselves into a congregation, we were all on fire for Jesus and his message. God has made it possible for us to walk in the Spirit again.”

       “Yes, it would be wonderful if those vibrant early days could be recovered,” says the person who left the congregation, “but you know what people are. We always remember the past. We hate to let go. It takes years for wounds to heal.”

       “Did you notice that Paul mentioned joy right after love?” says the second Christian. “It’s one of the great qualities of our faith. Pessimism and cynicism are pretty bad faults. Paul doesn’t mean empty-headed, superficial joy. Christian joy is steady and enduring. It bubbles up from the gift of God’s grace to us. His blessings bring us joy. Arguments and trials and tough days can’t wipe it away. The joy of Christians abounds. That’s what’s going on in our parish these days – an earthly joy that blends with the joy of heaven – the sunshine that always beams for everyone who believes in Christ. The joy will be there for you when you come back. Your return will increase our joy. Joy will be added to joy.”

       “That’s something I’d like to see,” says the first Christian. “I believe what you’re saying to me, so I’ll look forward to seeing you next Sunday. A church full of joy. My, oh, my.”

       The two Christians go on talking, but we’ll leave them, grateful to the Lord who renews and upholds his church. In Jesus’ Name we rejoice. AMEN

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge of Christ Jesus, AMEN.

  

Galatians 3:23-4:7 Maturity in Christ

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ,

       The epistle readings for the past two Sundays have come from Paul’s letter to the Galatians, which is very short but full of meaning because it touches on questions that are important for every Christian. What does it mean to be grown up in Christ? What does it mean for a community of Christians to be mature in the Lord? When a Christian or a congregation are mature in faith, they become the blessings to others God wants them to be.

       First, some background. Galatia was one of the many provinces of the old Roman Empire. Paul founded several congregations there during his travels. The gospel he preached brought many new Christians to the Lord and at first the people focused on Jesus whole-heartedly. But it wasn’t long before outsiders tried to convince them that in order to be Christians they first needed to adopt Old Testament laws and customs about food and holidays and such like. Paul went into a fury. He urged the people not to go backwards and make themselves slaves to the ceremonial law, which is really like a tutor to children. Paul had something specific in mind when he used the word “tutor”. A wealthy father in the Roman empire assigned his son a guardian who would walk back and forth to school with him, teach him manners, and make sure he behaved himself and didn’t fall in with bad company. The son might have been the future heir of lands and property but as a boy he lived under the supervision of his tutor, who was training him to be a gentleman. The boy’s situation – with a guardian at his side all the time – was a condition to grow out of. It’s a good thing to grow to the scope and freedom of adult living.

       Paul compares the ceremonial law – and in fact all laws – with a tutor or guardian. The law comes from God, it is good and necessary, but it hems us in because we aren’t perfect. The law, moreover, terrifies us and accuses. It restrains sinners, and we all need restraint. But the law doesn’t rescue us from sin; it doesn’t save souls; it doesn’t give life or free us from bondage; it is not the final stage of our development to maturity. The law drives us to seek the mercy of God. We don’t look for rigid perfection but for faith in Christ, who is, in fact, looking for us. He claims us in our baptisms as his brothers and sisters. We’re adopted children of the Heavenly Father. He gives us the confidence to act in freedom and take hold of the satisfactions of mature faith – that life will work out, that our actions please the Lord, and that we’re blessings to others.

       Paul is an example. He began his public life as a persecutor of Christians, eager to uphold the letter of the law. But the Risen Lord came to him in a dramatic way while he was traveling to Damascus and turned his life around. After years of study of God’s Word, he worked as vigorously as a missionary for the Lord as he had once worked against him.  The point is that he acted in faith and freedom. No one forced him to give up the comforts of a settled life and take on hardships and frustrations. Paul was a free man in Christ; he even had the freedom to drop out and follow a more easy-going life. He chose to live as a child of God, however, and spread the message of faith and freedom and the forgiveness of sins in Christ, so he became a blessing to others. Our families, friends and neighbors benefit when they see our confidence in Christ, our trust that we’re God’s children, our joy, our happiness, our freedom in the Lord. To be grown up in the faith means that we rejoice in God’s grace.

       Now, the world is always legalistic. It loves to spread guilt and shame – the news, the comments of our neighbors, sometimes, and the spirit of competition – all work to take us away from the gospel. The world tries to push us back under the dominance of the spirit of the law. Souls can shrivel, consciences ache. This is not where God wants us to be. It is slavery, not maturity in Christ. Jesus offers us his friendship; he washes our sins away in his blood. If our memories rise up to taunt us, we have only to say, “Oh, yes, another sin that Christ has forgiven.” The Savior empowers us in his name to defeat Satan’s tricks and cut off the spiral of excessive self-reproach that some brains are susceptible to. The most important part of repentance is to take hold by faith of Jesus’ pardon and his boundless love for us. Jesus is in us. He shares his joy with us.

Paul, as we said, is an example. He zealously followed the old legal tradition in his early days. He must have said and done things that were cruel and mean-spirited. Memories of his early life didn’t incapacitate him, however, when he took up his new life in Christ. He trusted with heart, soul, and mind that God pardoned him and that the Savior knew him and loved him. He was mature in the faith – a blessing to others.

God’s love for his people makes us mature, loving, joyful, patient, kind. We don’t reproach ourselves to excess nor do we find fault with others. Instead, we are blessings to our neighbors. We encourage. We build them up. Correction is sometimes appropriate, of course, as we offer it in a spirit of love, as the Lord did, hopeful that our admonitions bear fruit. We bring good to everyone we come to.

       So we are grown-up, then, when we live by faith in Christ, who makes us strong and free and blessings to others. The same principle applies to Christian communities. The congregation that clings to Christ in faith receives God’s rich blessings. It is strong and grown up and full of vitality.

       Paul, as we said, urged the Galatian Christians not to go backwards and make themselves slaves to laws, because they do not save or bring life. The people should remember that Christ redeemed them from captivity to the ceremonial law and cling to him. The Heavenly Father had adopted him as their children; the Holy Spirit lived in their hearts. Once they had come to know God and be known by him, how could they ever turn back to weak and beggarly spirits, whose slaves they wanted to be? Paul said that Christ set them for free for freedom. He urged them not to submit again to the yoke of slavery. They were not to cling to the law the way children cling to a tutor. They were to be free and responsible and grown up. They should live by faith working through love.

       Although he was confident that they would adopt his point of view, Paul foresaw what would happen if they followed the old legalistic ways – they would begin to quarrel. “If you bite and devour one another,” Paul wrote, “take heed that you are not consumed by one another.” The whole law is fulfilled in one phrase, he reminded them: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ They serve God best by using their freedom for love, acting as servants one to the other.”

       We don’t know what happened in Galatia, but we do know that many Christian communities, including the Lutheran Church-Canada, have taken Paul’s guidelines as their own. They live by the faith that creates love. Instead of trying to win God’s favor with good works, we open our hearts to receive his pardon and strengthening. By God’s grace, we make a stand against legalism, we don’t create an atmosphere of blame and reproach, but of forgiveness and encouragement to live according to God’s will. We don’t find stony faces in the church, but God’s love and the friendship of other Christians. Christian maturity of faith honors God, strengthens us, and spreads a good influence in the world around us.

       We stand up for Jesus in a legalistic environment, where there are always many spiritual casualties. The church offers a refuge. The Savior reaches out through his Christian people. Paul wrote in another letter that the Lord Jesus Christ comforts us in all our afflictions so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

       It’s easy to scold and reproach and carry in our hearts a scrapbook of wrongs done to us, but we Christians offer a better message to our neighbors – words of mercy and consolation from God that raise crushed spirits and heal bruised souls. We live in the radiance of God’s free grace. We may be tempted to fall back into legalistic customs and ways, but we confess our sins, which God washes away. He brings us back to our standing as grown-up Christians. We are forgiven, we forgive others. We have received comfort; we offer comfort to our neighbors. Anyone can cling to customs and traditions and man-made laws. We cling to Jesus, who brings us maturity and freedom. In His Name we give thanks. AMEN

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge of..

John 7:36 - 8:3 Jesus Brings a Woman to Faith

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ,

       Jesus met a lot of people during his three-year ministry, and you and I would think of many of them as exceptional cases. He healed a man born blind, for example, and raised Lazarus from the dead. He cast out demons – a much different affliction, by the way, than mental illness – and then there was the woman in this morning’s gospel, who expressed her gratitude and her love for Jesus in a dramatic and emotional way. She’d lived a hard life, full of sin. Her neighbors held her at a distance; a guilty conscience tormented her. She expected her life to be an everlasting round of sin, guilt, and shame – though she might not have used those words to describe her plight – until she met Jesus. Maybe she heard him speak that very day. He taught her about the joys that would come to her if she repented of her sins and accepted God’s pardon. She followed his command and welcomed him into her heart. He freed her from the low opinion she had of herself; her mind and soul were no longer tortured. Jesus brought her into his kingdom and she knew that he was her friend. He encouraged her to keep on trusting him and to hope for a better life – of forgiveness, love, and faith.

       Martin Luther once pointed out that the Pharisee was wrong to have called her a sinner. It would have been more accurate to say that she once lived an openly sinful life, but now she is a believer, a Christian, someone who loves God and other people and who know looks ahead to blessedness and well-being in her present life and in eternity. Jesus has given her a new understanding. She has moved from the realm of sin and death into Christ’s kingdom of life.  

       Her case is extreme, as we said, but it is an illustration of the way God works to build up faith and love. The Holy Spirit uses God’s laws to make us aware of our failings and some of the ways we have displeased him. We are sorry for our misdeeds. The Spirit uses our understanding of our weakness and error to awake in us a desire for rescue, a craving for a savior. God then leads us to trust in the Savior that he sent. He invites us to cling to Jesus for the salvation we need. Then by a movement of our souls that God creates and that he alone understands, we receive Christ and his offer of deliverance. We welcome Jesus as our friend and Savior. We rejoice that forgiveness, faith, and love have come to us. We are new people, born again. We don’t hunger for the world but want what God wants for us. We become faithful and loving, eager to perform works of love.

       This process can take place in a very short space of time, as was the case with the woman in this morning’s gospel. She saw Jesus; she was filled with sorrow for her sins; she understood that she needed a Savior and that Jesus offered her salvation. She accepted him joyfully, with tears of gratitude. She looked ahead to a life of loving relationships, beginning with the Lord, that would last forever.

       Luke’s account of this brief episode in her life holds our attention. There aren’t many people in her situation, with her past. We’re all sinners, though, and the point is that Jesus offers everyone the kind of relationship he offered her, one of forgiveness, faith, and love. St. Peter’s people accept the Lord’s offer. We believe in him and welcome his love and return it and spread it. We’re not perfect, of course, but we do bring Christian love to other people – in our families, in the community, and in the church. We forgive our neighbors; we encourage them; we help them carry their burdens. Jesus has built up among us the kind of love that John described in his first letter: “We love and believe the love God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him...this commandment we have from God – that he who loves God should love his brother also.”  So God has given us the kind of community that others want to be part of.

       The church is different from the set-up the Pharisees in this morning’s gospel had in mind. The Pharisees were among the spiritual leaders of Jesus’ time – admirable people in many ways, pious and devout, who worked as hard as they could to live within the framework of their many laws. As far as conduct and behavior went, the Pharisees were far above other people of their day. What’s more, they made their guidelines available to others so that they, too, could escape, supposedly, the corruption of the world. In the Pharisee’s opinion, the woman who came to Jesus should be avoided, because she hadn’t done her best to lift herself out of the corruption of the world. She was – according to him – a sinner. He judged her because he believed in a religion of works, which teaches that we win God’s favor by trying to live by laws, and the better we do, the more favor we receive. One outcome of this kind of religion is not repentance and faith and joy in the Lord and loving relationships with others but self-righteousness: “I’m better than you are.” This sort of attitude turns people off and turns God off, too. Even Jesus, who had a right to, never spoke like that. He came as a servant, who wanted to heal, to deliver lost people from the clutches of sin, death, and the devil, and to make the kingdom of God’s love available to everyone. “Come unto me all you who labor and are heavy-laden,” he said, “and I will give you rest.” So he forgave the woman’s sins and praised her behavior toward him because it proved she’d received him in her heart. She’s full of enthusiasm for her Savior and rightly so. It was a high point in her life.

       But what about her situation a few a few years later? Was she still on fire for the Lord? The Bible doesn’t tell us but we can use our imaginations.

       Let’s say she faced many challenges and temptations, like everyone else, and that she endured moments of anguish, but because Jesus offered her the healing of pardon, and because she welcomed him as her friend, she never sank back into the hopelessness that was once the hall- mark of her life. Jesus claimed her; he rescued her; he set his seal on her. He made it possible for her to move ahead boldly and confidently and take up the works of love that he had planned for her.

       The same is true for us. Jesus strengthens us to cope with life. We have our challenges and temptations, and some of them may have the potential to discourage us – illness, unemployment, losses of various kinds. Jesus doesn’t expect us to repeat again a process that we have already passed through. He asks us instead to call on his help and build on the gifts of pardon and friendship he has already given us. And as we call on him, he helps us overcome the obstacles that get in our. We don’t slip back. We move forward. We run with confidence, as Paul says, the race that is put before us. Whatever happens, we have the assurance that God has called us, that we are his chosen people, his elect.

       We turn to Jesus again and again for guidance, for building up, and for absolution. There are moments when we struggle with temptation; we sometimes wrestle with God in prayer. All the while we trust that he’s building us up, that he uses our trials and tribulations for our good and his glory and that he will answer our prayers and meet our needs. We don’t let discouragement get the best of us for long.

       The woman in this morning’s gospel sets an example. Forgiven and uplifted, she ignores everything that works to discourage her and lead her to sin and focuses entirely on Jesus. The eagerness that springs from single-hearted faithfulness shows us that she is born again to new life. As we keep hold of forgiveness and eternal life in Jesus, we ourselves will have our share of eagerness. We pray, then, that the Lord keep on lifting us up with his never failing gospel so that the our zest for Jesus won’t stay still but flourish and grow. AMEN.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge of Christ Jesus. AMEN.