From the Pulpit

Lent 2
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
March 12, 2017
Psalm 121:1-8, Genesis 12:1-9, Romans 4:1-8, 13-17, John 3:1-17

Sermons online: 

Text:                pastorjud.org
Audio:             pastorjud.podbean.com
itunes:             bit.ly/pastorjud

There is something sort of addictive about the home improvement shows.  They show you the horribly outdated condition of a house before and how wonderful it looks after and you realize that your house looks an awful lot like the before pictures.  And then you start to wonder.  Where can I put ship lap in my house?  Can I too have an open concept living space?  What would my house look like if I were to tear out a kitchen wall and put in an island and new hard wood flooring?  Would that work?  Can I tear out a wall?

Apparently there are some walls in the house that hold up the roof and there are some walls in the house that just divide rooms.  Which is which?  Which walls are load bearing and which walls are curtain walls, just separating space?  One way to find out is to simply tear down the wall and see what happens.

Our scripture readings today are all about God’s grace through faith brought about because of Gods’ love.  What kind of love is this?

We have trouble understanding God’s love because God’s love is different from our love.  Martin Luther speaks of God’s love in the Heidelberg Disputation, “God’s love does not find its object but rather creates its object; human love finds its object.”

God’s love is different from our love.

We are drawn to and love what we find lovable, for example we order French fries because we like French fries; we hang out with friends because we like them.  Understanding this kind of love we think we can do something to make God like us.  We think we can do something that God will find lovable and he will accept us.

The problem is that by ourselves we have nothing to offer God and are nothing before the creator. But God, in His love, creates what He wants to love.  God makes new creatures out of the nothing we are and nothing we have to offer. God operates in a way so different from how we operate and so we can sing. “Nothing in my hands I bring; simply to the cross I cling.”

A Pharisee named Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night seeking answers.  The Pharisees are generally enemies of Jesus and throughout the Gospels we see them try to discredit Jesus, trick Jesus, destroy Jesus, and kill Jesus.  Nicodemus is different; Nicodemus is curious about Jesus.  How can Jesus do such great signs unless God is with Him?  Nicodemus approaches Jesus for answers, but Jesus’ answers defy logic.

John 3:3 (ESV)  ³ … “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”^[1]

Born again?  Nicodemus is confused.  How is a man born again?  Can he enter into his mother’s womb a second time?  That makes no sense.

Jesus continues, John 3:5-6 (ESV) ⁵ … “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.^[2]

Nicodemus is thinking about biological truth but Jesus is talking about spiritual truth.  Nicodemus is thinking of earthly things; Jesus is teaching heavenly things.

Nicodemus wants to build his spiritual house out of things that he can feel and see and do.  Like all of us, Nicodemus wants to understand everything and this spiritual talk of being born again in water and the spirit makes no sense.

Jesus gives Nicodemus another mind blowing thought.  John 3:14-15 (ESV) ¹⁴ And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵ that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” ^[3]

The Israelites in the desert were dying from snake bites and were told if they looked to the bronze serpent on the pole they would live.  How does that help?  How on earth does a bronze snake on a pole do anything for someone dying of snake bite?  God does not work according to earthly ways; God’s ways are not our ways.  God’s way to save the Israelites was a bronze snake on a pole.  God’s way to save you is Jesus lifted up on the cross.  There is a new way of salvation; the Son of Man will be lifted up.  God taught through Moses in Deuteronomy that anyone hung on a tree is cursed by God.  Jesus becomes the curse for you.  Eternal life now comes to all who believe in the Son of Man lifted up on the tree.

Jesus on the cross is the source of eternal life.  Salvation comes through the death and resurrection of Jesus. The only thing to trust in for Nicodemus is Jesus on the cross.  The only thing for you to trust in for salvation is Jesus on the cross for you.  How does that work?  How can this be?  That makes no sense.  “Nothing in my hands I bring; simply to the cross I cling.”  Only Jesus.  Jesus alone.  Faith alone.  Grace alone.  We have heard these things before.

Your spiritual house is not built from anything you have done, it is built entirely from what Jesus has done for you.

But the trouble is that there is a great temptation to want to build your spiritual house out of things you can feel and see; things that you can do for yourself.  You want to know that things are good between you and God because of the things that you do and the things you can see in your life.  I know things are good because I get good grades, because I am a good athlete, because I have a good job, because I have money in the bank, because I have a great family, because I have good kids, because I have my health, because I am a pretty good person and not like those other people.  You want to build your house of faith on all these things that you think are solid; things you can feel and see.  You can start to believe that these tangible things bear the load of your salvation; it only makes sense. For logical people it makes logical sense.  You lean on the things you can see for security.

But then bad things happen.  You lose your job, you retire, your health fails, you get a bad grade, you get injured, your family has troubles, you child rebels, your finances crumble, your secret sinfulness becomes public.  All the things that you leaned on are taken away and you are left, it seems, with nothing.  You think that everything is destroyed and yet, miraculously, your spiritual house is still standing.  “When every earthly prop gives way, He then is all my hope and stay.”  When all the earthly supports are taken away you still have Jesus on the cross for you.  When all your works have been exposed as faulty and fleeting, you realize that all these things you thought were holding up your faith were not the load bearing walls at all.  All of these can crumble and yet salvation remains.  Your spiritual house is not built from anything you have done, it is built entirely from what Jesus has done for you.  All your earthly props give way and you are left with Jesus holding up your spiritual house.  Jesus saves you independent of anything you have done.  Trust Jesus alone to bear the load.  Trust Jesus alone on the cross to be your spiritual support.

Jesus has done it all, for you, all out of love.  Not because you are attractive or lovable in yourself, but because Jesus has made you loveable by washing you clean in the waters of baptism.  Jesus has made you a perfect, holy saint.  How on earth does that work?  It isn’t an earthly thing; it is heavenly. God saves you because He loves you even when you were not lovable.

John 3:16-17 (ESV) ¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.^[4]

Now, at home, it is probably not a good idea to tear out walls to see if they are load bearing, but it is precisely what you need to do in spiritual matters.  Walk by faith and not by sight.  Tear down your trust for salvation in anything you have done, and trust only in Jesus.  Jesus bears the load for you.

Amen .

[1]  The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001

[2]  The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001

[3]  The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001

[4]  The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001

First Sunday in Lent 2017
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
March 5, 2017
Psalm 32:1-7, Genesis 3:1-21, Romans 5:12-19, Matthew 4:1-11

Sermons online:
Text:                pastorjud.org
Audio:             pastorjud.podbean.com
itunes:             bit.ly/pastorjud

There are a lot of jokes about the relationship of husbands and wives.

One night a man walks into a bar looking sad. The bartender asks the man what he wants. The man says “Oh just a beer”. The bartender asks the man “What’s wrong, why are you so down today?”.  The man says “My wife and I got into a fight, and she said she wouldn’t talk to me for a month”. The bartender says “Oh, that’s tough.”  The man says “Yeah, the month is up tonight”.

Ladies, if a man said he will fix it, he’ll fix it.  No need to remind him every 6 months.

Marriage can be difficult; it is challenging for two people to blend their lives into one.  Relationships are tough.  There are so many forces trying to drive a wedge between you and others and between you and God.

It wasn’t always like this.  There was a time when man and woman got along perfectly with each other and with God.  There was complete harmony between the two each caring for and serving the other; husband and wife in complete agreement trusting God for everything.

God created man and woman for each other and everything was perfect in the Garden of Eden until the serpent slithers in to ask Eve, “Did God actually say?” The Father of Lies asks, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?”  Satan is tricky.  Eve replies, Genesis 3:2-3 (ESV) ² … “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, ³ but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”^[1]

Then the serpent tempts Eve that she can be like God.  Genesis 3:4-5 (ESV)
⁴ … “You will not surely die. ⁵ For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”^[2]

Eve is tempted to give up trusting God and so Eve eats the fruit and gives it to Adam and he eats…and the rest, as they say, is history.  Sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.

The perfect relationship in the Garden between man and woman and between humans and God is broken.  Adam and Eve were put to the test and they failed.

Later, the children of Israel have been rescued from slavery in Egypt and are being led to the Promised Land.  They have passed through the waters of the Red Sea and are now in the wilderness being tested by difficult circumstances.  The Israelites do not trust God to provide what they need and deliver them to the Promised Land.  The children of Israel are put to the test and they fail.  And the rest, as they say, is history.

You are in the wilderness of life between your baptism into Christ and your entrance into the Heavenly City on the last day.  Life is hard.  There are a lot of temptations.  The devil is forever whispering to you, “Did God really say?” to try to get you to do things that drive a wedge in your relationships with each other and your relationship with God.

Did God really say you can never do anything you want to do?  See, you can disobey your parents.

Did God really say you can never look at another woman?  See, you can have an affair.

Did God really say you have to be poor?  See, you should lie, cheat and steal in order to get more money.

Did God really say you cannot enjoy things in life?  See, you can make those things your idol.

You have been put to the test.  And you have failed.  And the rest, as they say, is history.

After Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan God the Father declared, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”  In our Gospel reading today we find Jesus fasting in the wilderness for 40 days and there is a new voice speaking to Jesus; the voice of the Tempter.  Matthew 4:3 (ESV) ³ …“If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”^[3]

Does Jesus trust God the Father to provide for Him, or will He take a short cut?  Jesus answers Matthew 4:4 (ESV)  ⁴ … “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”^[4]

Jesus answers with a Biblical quote from Deuteronomy where Moses is instructing the children of Israel about their unfaithfulness during their 40 years in the wilderness.

The devil then sets Jesus on the pinnacle of the temple and tempts Jesus to test

God, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written…”.  Now here we see the devil quote scripture.  A good indication that just because someone quotes scripture does not mean they are teaching the truth.

Matthew 4:6 (ESV) ⁶ … “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “ ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ”^[5]

Jesus again quotes from Deuteronomy about the faithlessness of the children of Israel.  Matthew 4:7 (ESV) ⁷ … “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”^[6]

Finally the devil takes Jesus to a very high mountain and shows Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.  And the devil says to Jesus, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”

The devil wants Jesus to take a short cut.  Skip the cross.  Skip the beatings and the humiliation.  Skip the pain and suffering.  Skip all of the hard stuff and go right to the glory of being Lord over all the kingdoms of the world.  Sounds tempting.  Jesus knows what He is facing with torture and crucifixion.  But this is His mission.  The cross is Jesus’ destiny.  The cross is why Jesus came to earth to take on flesh and dwell with us.  Jesus is the sacrificial Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

    Jesus on the cross will defeat Satan and so the devil wants to stop Jesus from going to the cross anyway he can.

Jesus replies, “Be gone, Satan!  For it is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.’”

Jesus quotes Moses’ rebuke of the children of Israel in the wilderness as Jesus in the wilderness is the faithful Israel reduced to one…and the rest, as they say, is history.

Peter also tries to dissuade Jesus from going to the cross and Jesus rebukes Peter, Matthew 16:23 (ESV) ²³ … “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”  ^[7]

Even while Jesus is on the cross we hear echoes of Satan’s temptations.  Matthew 27:41-43 (ESV) ⁴¹ …the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, ⁴² “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. ⁴³ He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ”^[8]

Jesus on the cross will defeat Satan and so the devil wants to stop Jesus from going to the cross anyway he can.  Anyone who wants to stop Jesus from going to the cross is working for Satan.  Now, Jesus on the cross is horrifying.  Horrifying because of what happened to Jesus and horrifying in that He is there because of our sin.  We are tempted to think it was unnecessary; we are tempted to believe there is another way.  We are tempted to want to think that the cross is not why Jesus came.  That he has some other purpose.  But Jesus needs to go the cross.  On the cross we see Jesus’ faithfulness.  Jesus is faithful.

Where Adam and Eve are unfaithful, Jesus is faithful.

Where the children of Israel are unfaithful, Jesus is faithful.

Where you and I are unfaithful, Jesus is faithful.  And the rest is history.  Jesus not only wrote His own history.  He rewrote the history for Adam and Eve.  No longer are Adam and Eve convicted by their failure and sin.  Jesus rewrote their history and now Adam and Eve are restored.  Now they are righteous in Christ.

Jesus rewrote the history for the children of Israel who were unfaithful in the wilderness.  Jesus rewrote their history through his faithfulness of going to the cross.  He has made the children of Israel faithful.  Jesus’ faithfulness rewrote their history.

Jesus has rewritten your history as well.  While you have written a history of sin and guilt Jesus has rewritten your history to make you a saint.  In Jesus you are righteous.  In Jesus you are right with God; you are holy and pure.  Jesus is faithful even to the cross.  Jesus rewrote your history and made you a redeemed child of God.

You can now live in this fallen world as a beloved child of God.  As Jesus has restored you so you live in this restoration in your relationship with others.  Knowing that Jesus has declared you to be righteous you live out life in righteousness.  Knowing you are loved by God you live in love for those around you.

So, for now, relationships are hard and that is no joke.  But you live in relationship with each other and with God knowing that you have already been made holy in Jesus.  Jesus is faithful and has rewritten history for you.  You are holy and righteous.

Amen.

[1]  The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001

[2]  The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001

[3]  The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001

[4]  The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001

[5]  The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001

[6]  The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001

[7]  The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001

[8]  The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001

Transfiguration 2017
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
February 26, 2017
Psalm 2:6-12, Exodus 24:8-18, 2 Peter 1:16-21, Matthew 17:1-9

Sermons online:
Text:                pastorjud.org
Audio:             pastorjud.podbean.com
itunes:             bit.ly/pastorjud

There may be some danger talking about this at the beginning of a sermon, but often we have a problem with listening.  I’m sure that none of you have this issue, but I have heard that some folks have trouble sitting and paying attention for 15 minutes or so to listen to a sermon.  We are not always very good at listening.

I once had a training where one of things we were taught to do was to sit and listen to someone tell their story for ten uninterrupted minutes.  We were not allowed to say anything while the person was speaking; just listen and nod to let the person know you are hearing what they said.  It was incredibly difficult to stay quiet and just listen.  It was also incredibly powerful to have someone simply listen to what you have to say.

In this busy, busy society where we often live with a smart phone in our hand it is very hard to pay attention to someone.  I have watched children desperately try to get their parent’s attention but the parent is too involved on their phone to listen to their child.  There are likely times I could observe this by looking in the mirror.

We are in such a hurry in life that we have no patience for listening.  If someone is speaking too slowly we want to complete their sentences so we can get on with more important things.

I want you to try this when someone is talking to you.  Silence your phone, set it aside and listen to the other person without interrupting to make suggestions or to try to talk about something similar that happened to you.  I know this is very, very hard for me.  I need to try harder to listen.  I know that far too often when someone is talking to me I interrupt to add something or make a suggestion or try to offer a solution to their problem.  I need to try to do like mom used to say.  Just keep your big mouth shut.

Peter, James and John are up on the Mount of Transfiguration.  They are seeing the glory of God radiating from Jesus as his face shines like the sun and his clothes become white as light.  They are seeing the glory of God shining from Jesus.  This is overwhelming; what a sense of awe they must have standing there seeing this transfiguration.  Alleluia!  Praise the Lord.  And then to add to this magnificent Alleluia moment, Moses and Elijah appear with Jesus.  The law and the prophets and Jesus all together in glory talking with each other.  How awesome; how overpowering, to be so close to the presence of God.  What a great time to just watch and listen and take it all in.  But Peter cannot do this.  Peter cannot be still and know that God is God.  Peter thinks he has something to add.  Peter just has to talk.  “Lord, it is good that we are here.”  Really?  Jesus is there with Moses and Elijah, but Peter thinks it is good that he is there with James and John because he can be helpful.  “If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.”  Peter cannot just listen; he has to offer a suggestion.  It is hard for us to keep quiet and listen.

Peter cannot listen; he has to talk, but not for long.  Peter is interrupted.  God the Father speaks from a bright cloud, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.”  This gathering on the mountain is such a bizarre scene.  Jesus, who always looks like a normal man, is shining brightly and talking with Moses and Elijah but this is not enough to keep Peter quiet.  Jesus shining is not enough to quiet Peter, but at the voice of God the Father Peter, James and John are driven to their faces in terror; speechless and petrified.  God is a God of consuming fire and His voice brings great fear.  But then Jesus takes all the light and glory and tucks it back away into His flesh and He comes to the three and touches them and tells them, “Don’t tell anyone.”

I fear that too often we don’t listen to God.  We’d rather take the almighty God and tell Him who He is.  We try to make him more manageable; less challenging, more compatible with our way of thinking and living.  We want a safe god, a meek god, a god we can control, a god we can take or leave depending on our mood.  We are so tempted to turn the true, fearsome, powerful God into a helper god, a god who is there to make life easier.

When we don’t listen it is hard to remember that God is truly an awesome being who created the universe with just His word.  God has fearsome power.  God is terrifying and dangerous.  We rightly fear God.

We like to think about God’s love.  And God is love, but God is also just.  And this justice is seen in the dark valley between the Alleluia moment on the Mount of Transfiguration and the Alleluia moment of Jesus’ resurrection.  Jesus, Peter, James and John come down from the mountain and Jesus makes His way toward Jerusalem to the cross waiting there for Him; the cross where the punishment for the sins of the world will be paid.  Jesus is going to Jerusalem where that robe that glowed white with light on the mountain will be stained with blood and stripped off of Jesus and be torn up and divided amongst the soldiers that crucify him.  From the Mount of Transfiguration to Mount Calvary it seems that everything has gone terribly wrong.

            We are so tempted to listen to the world.  We need to listen to the Word; we need to listen to Jesus through the Word of God.

Jesus has tried to tell the disciples that He must go to the cross but they don’t want to listen.  The disciples do not want to hear about the cross.  They do not want to hear about suffering and death.  Before going up to the mountain Jesus told the disciples that He will be killed and rise again and Peter told Jesus, “Far be it from you, Lord!  This shall never happen to you.”  Peter wasn’t listening to Jesus.  Peter knew better.

The voice of God the Father speaks to Peter, James and John.  The voice of God speaks to you, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.”

In the great busyness of your life listening is a difficult spiritual practice.  In your hyperactive life it is challenging to be still and listen to God.  God speaks to you in His Word.  Listen to His Word.  Spend time with God’s word.  Hear, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest the Word of God.  Jesus tells you that you are to take up your cross and follow Him.  But we don’t want to listen.

We are so tempted to listen to the world.  We need to listen to the Word; we need to listen to Jesus through the Word of God.

The world says that god should be all about you and your comfort and your success.  This is a very popular idea.  Preaching about how to be successful can really get people in the doors to listen to the wisdom of the world.  Jesus’ message is a not the message of the world.  Jesus’ message is strange in this world.  Jesus’ message is a message of humble service.  A message of turning the other cheek.  A message of loving your enemy.  A message of forgiving others.  A message of selflessness.  It is a message of sacrifice.  And Jesus doesn’t just teach these things, Jesus lives these things.  We see Jesus live out love and forgiveness and service and sacrifice; even to the point of giving His life.  It is not a message about how God just wants you to be happy.  Jesus message is not a message of personal fulfillment.  It is not a message of success.  Jesus message is a message of love and forgiveness and sacrifice.

Lent is a journey through a dark valley from the Alleluia of Transfiguration to the Alleluia of Easter.  Your life is also a similar journey.  You were on the mountain of alleluia as you came to the baptismal font to be washed into Christ and were clothed with the robe of Christ’s righteousness which covers all your sins.  In Christ you are now able to approach the fearsome Father through the mediation of his Son.  You were on the mountain of Alleluia as you were brought into the Kingdom of Heaven and you will be on the mountain of Alleluia again on the day of the resurrection when you will be raised from the dead and clothed in the white robe of Christ’s righteousness and you, with all the saints, will march into the heavenly City of New Jerusalem.

The day is coming when the full Alleluia will be back, but in the meantime you live in the valley of the shadow of death.  You live in a world full of sin and suffering and sickness and violence and abuse and death and it seems at times that everything has gone so wrong.  You stand at the bedside of a sick or dying loved one and you wonder, why is God allowing this to happen.  Life is hard in this world.  Listen to Jesus.

Life is not all about the Alleluia’s but we know that the great Alleluia is coming again on the last day.  For now you live in the shadow of God’s glory, for now you do not see His glory fully.  For now you are in God’s presence where two or more are gathered in His name.  For now, at the altar of the Lord, you get a foretaste of the feast to come.  One day you will be seated at the heavenly feast with Jesus shining as the light of heaven.  And knowing the great day of Alleluia is coming, you listen to Jesus.

Amen.

Epiphany 7, 2017
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
February 19, 2017
Psalm 119:33-40, Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18, 1 Corinthians 3:10-23, Matthew 5:38-48

 Sermons online:
Text:                pastorjud.org
Audio:             pastorjud.podbean.com
itunes:             bit.ly/pastorjud

Did you hear the news last Thursday about the strange weather phenomena in Washington D.C.?  Every time a Republican stepped outside he would be drenched by a pouring rainstorm, but the Democrats could walk outside and remain dry; it only rained on the Republicans.  Or on Friday when, at noon, it was all gloom and darkness for the Democrats, but the Republicans all experience bright sunshine?  Did you hear about these happenings?  Of course not.  That would be ridiculous.  That is not how things happen.  When it rains it rains on everyone.  The rain does not distinguish between political parties or people’s backgrounds; it rains on everyone.  The sun shines on everyone; the evil and the good; the just and the unjust.  The sun rises on all people.  The rain falls on all people.  Jesus tells us in our Gospel reading today that your love for others should be like the sun and the rain.  You should love all people.  This is a hard teaching.

Jesus says, Matthew 5:38 (ESV) ³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’^[1]

If I am in a heated disagreement with someone and they raise their voice at me, what is my natural reaction?  I want to raise my voice even louder; make sure they know I am not backing down.

What if, after I raise my voice at the other person, they shove me to show they’re not backing down?  What is my natural reaction?  I want to shove them back; harder.

We naturally want to escalate anger and violence to show that we are right; to show that we are not going to back down; we are not going to give in.  We want to let folks know, you can’t push me around.  Our natural way to retaliate is to strike back quickly with increased intensity.  And this brings a constant escalation of trouble.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth from Exodus 21 was meant to put a cap on that escalation.  If someone hurts you, you cannot intensify the trouble.  The attacker should be punished in the same way they hurt you; no escalation.  This is meant to keep a lid on violence.

One kind of television commercial is the type that has a head to head competition that shows one product to be better than another.  Some of the clearest are those for paper towels that show how one brand can really absorb a lot more liquid.  After defeating the competition, the paper towel is then shown working all over the house absorbing mess after mess after mess.

Think of all the sin and evil in your life and all the messes that sin creates.  Jesus is the one who comes to clean up all the mess.  In the waters of Holy Baptism Jesus washes you clean from all your sin.  Jesus absorbs all the sin from your life into Himself and carries that sin to the cross.  Jesus gets your sin and gives to you the gift of perfection, forgiveness and eternal life.  Jesus forgives you all your sins and He calls you to follow Him.

To His followers Jesus gives a new command, Matthew 5:38-39 (ESV) ³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’³⁹ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.^[2]

This is a radical teaching.  If someone slaps me in the face I want to punch them back; that is my natural reaction.  Jesus calls me out of my nature.  Jesus says I should turn the other cheek to them.  I should not retaliate.  I should not resist evil.

To be clear, a slap on the right cheek is most likely done with the back of someone’s right hand.  This is an attack, but it is not a danger to your life or a threat to do you great bodily harm, it is a painful insult.  In the face of a painful insult, you, as a follower of Jesus, are to give in to evil and turn the other cheek.  This does not come naturally.

By nature we want to be mirrors for anger and violence, we want to reflect and amplify the hurt when someone hurts us.  Jesus calls on you to not be a mirror, but rather to be a sponge.  Absorb the evil that people do to you, don’t return it; just let it die with you.  Be a sponge for evil.  Be a sponge, so that wherever you are, by the time you leave there is less evil; less anger, less hatred.  Go through life absorbing evil.  Be a sponge, not a mirror.

This is a radical teaching.  If someone slaps me in the face I want to punch them back; that is my natural reaction.  Jesus calls me out of my nature.  Jesus says I should turn the other cheek to them.  I should not retaliate.  I should not resist evil.

This is a difficult teaching.  This is not the normal way to live.  But this is how Jesus teaches you to live.  Matthew 5:43-44 (ESV)  ⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…”^[3]

The sun and rain come to all people.  God’s love and forgiveness is for all people.  Your love and forgiveness should be for all people. “So that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.”

Jesus comes to earth to bring forgiveness and life to all.  Jesus life, death and resurrection paid the price for the sins of the world.  This gift is offered to everyone.  While many reject the gift it does not mean the gift is not offered.  God loves all people and you are called to love all people.  Even your enemies.  Even those who do harm to you.  This is a call to radical love.

If someone oppresses you, you are to return to them good rather than evil.  Be generous with those who beg and want to borrow.  Give in to those who want to oppress you.  Being a follower of Jesus means that, at times, you let people take advantage of you.

Jesus sets a high standard; an impossible standard.  You are called to a level of love that is beyond your ability to fully accomplish.  Love anyway.  When you fail, confess your failure and try again.  Knowing that you are a sinner saved by the grace of God in Jesus Christ, live out that love in your dealings with others.

You are wrapped in the love of Jesus.  You wear the robe of Christ’s righteousness.  You are in Christ.  You are righteous in Christ, but as a follower of Jesus there is no place for righteous indignation.  There is no place for hating others because they disagree with you.

Sometimes I fear social media can be a catalyst for negativity.  It is easy to get upset with things you see posted.  When you get all fired up about something someone has written on Facebook try this.  Before you write some kind of a response, take a moment and pray for the person who wrote the post.  Pray for those with whom you disagree.  Pray for those who hold a different point of view.

Pray for those who attack Christianity.  Pray for those who are opposed to God’s will in their lives and in the world.  Love those who hate you.  Pray for them.  It is an amazing thing that by praying for someone it takes away the hate.  There is still going to be disagreement, but the disagreement does not take away your love for the person.

Live your life letting the love of Christ spread from you to those around you.  Like the sun rises on all people and the rain falls on all people, let your love be for all people.  Don’t be a mirror; be a sponge absorbing the messes of life.  Love like God, because you are a child of God.

Amen.

[1]  The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001

[2]  The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001

[3]  The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001

Epiphany 6 2017
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
February 12, 2017
Psalm 119:1-8, Deuteronomy 30:15-20, 1 Corinthians 3:1-9, Matthew 5:21-37

There is a phrase that children hate to hear.  It is one that children promise that they will never say to their own children, but then they do.  It is that terrible answer to the question, “Why?”, when a parent asks a child to do something.

What is this terrible, awful phrase?  “Because I said so.”  “Why should I clean up?”  “Because I said so?”  “Why do I need to go to bed?”  “Because I said so.”  It seems so random and arbitrary.

Why do we follow God’s laws?  Because God said so?  That should be enough.  Why do we try to follow God’s law?  Or why should we try to follow God’s law?

Do you try to follow God’s law in order to be a Christian?

Is that the purpose of God’s law?  So you can achieve salvation?

Today’s Gospel reading is a lot of law.  Sometimes we try to simplify the Bible by saying that the Old Testament is law and the New Testament is Gospel.  Well, these passages from Matthew are pretty stern law coming to us from the New Testament right from the lips of Jesus who is speaking with authority.

And Jesus is not just reiterating the Old Testament law; he is cranking up the law to a point of being unachievable.  Most of us as we study the Ten Commandments get to the fifth commandment, “You shall not murder” and we think.  Okay, I may not be so good on a lot of these commandments, but at least I haven’t murdered anyone.  I have this commandment down.  I can check this one off the list.  Until Jesus speaks.

Matthew 5:21-22 (ESV)  ²¹ “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ ²² But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.^[1]

Anger is a sin like murder?  Insults are a sin like murder?  But anger is just human nature.  It is just human nature.  But human nature has been corrupted.  I am, by nature, sinful and unclean.  If anger is a sin, then I have no hope of being good enough.

And indeed, anger is an acid that eats away at your relationships.  Anger is a cancer that eats away at your soul.  Anger burns destructively from within.  Murder itself begins in the heart with anger.

And the Sixth Commandment.  “You shall not commit adultery.”  That’s another commandment that for many we think we can say we have done it.  I may not be perfect, but I have not had an affair.  Another commandment checked off the list.  Until Jesus speaks.

Matthew 5:27-28 (ESV)  ²⁷ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ²⁸ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.^[2]

Just looking lustfully is a sin?  In this oversexed world you can’t even drive down the highway looking at billboards or watch a little television without being prompted to lustful thoughts.  If lust is a sin, there is no hope to be able to be good enough.  And indeed, lust is a powerful tool of the darkness that takes what God has made good and twists it and perverts it into a force for abuse and exploitation and destruction.  Lust is powerful and, like anger, it comes to us quite naturally.

If anger and lust are sins then I truly am, by nature, a sinner.

Jesus addresses these sins and others, tightening up the commandments beyond just the letter of the law to the spirit of the law.  Tightening up the commandments to a point where every honest person has to admit they are indeed a sinner who needs a savior.  This leaves people in a bit of a quandary.  The law is so strict I cannot be successful in keeping the law, so what do I do?  What does Jesus want me to do?  He has set up an impossible situation.  What do I do?

One option is to simply view your failure to be able to keep the law as permission to abandon the law and become a law unto yourself.  This is what is known as antinomianism.  Nomos is the word for law.  An antinomian says the law does not apply.  Antinomianism is our natural state.  We do not like rules.  We do not like the law.  We don’t like anyone telling us what to do.  Because of the fall into sin we naturally want to rebel against God’s law and do our own thing.  That’s one option.

Another option is to find in your failure to keep the law your great need for a savior.  You cannot keep the law, but someone has kept it for you.  Your inability to keep the law shows the need for someone who can keep the law.  It shows your need for Jesus.  You cannot control your anger.  Jesus does.  Jesus does not lose his temper and He endures the anger of those who will kill him.  You repeatedly fall into the sin of lust; Jesus loves perfectly, untainted by lust, even to the point of offering himself as a sacrifice for your sins.  So in your failure to keep the law you see the great of love of Jesus who kept the law for you and has covered over your sin with his perfection.

And so what do you now do with the law of God?  Why should you try to keep God’s law?  It is not to achieve salvation; that would be impossible.  Rather you should follow the law of God because God loves you so much He sent His Son to die on the cross for you.  You follow the law of God because God loves you and wants the best for you.  You follow God’s law because He said so.  He is God.  He is your Lord and Master.  He is your Savior.  God is God and you are not.

You are a follower of Jesus; you are disciple; you are the salt of the earth, you are the light of the world.  You live out your Christian faith in your various vocations living your ordinary life in an extraordinary way.

And so if you find anger in your life toward another, go to that person to be reconciled before coming to the altar of the Lord in repentance to receive His Body and Blood.  We actually have this as a part of our worship service; a time set aside to show you are at peace with those around you.  The sharing of the peace is not so much a time to say, “good morning,” as it is a time to demonstrate unity and reconciliation.  If you are harboring anger toward another, this is the time to let the anger go and be reconciled.  If you cannot let the anger go then that is a sin to confess.  You don’t want to pretend that everything is good between you and God when you harbor anger or hatred toward another child of God.  This is a hard teaching from Jesus.  It is contrary to our human nature that wants to hold on to hurts and anger.

The Gospel reading today is a hard one with a lot of law.  You want loopholes to excuse your behavior but there are no loopholes.  You are left knowing you are sinner with your only hope being Jesus on the cross for you.

Jesus warns about the dangers of lust using exaggerated ideas of tearing out your eye and cutting off your hand if they cause you to sin.  Nowhere do we see anyone practicing this kind of mutilation in the Bible, but we can all agree that it would be better to give up an eye than to go to hell.  It would be better to give up a hand than to go to hell.  Is there something you need to give up before it pulls you away from God and into the depths of hell?  Like other sins, sexual sins pull you in little by little.  It begins in your mind and heart and then works its way to your eyes and your body.  The Lord Jesus warns about the danger of sexual sins and yet you live in a world that says if you don’t partake in sexual immorality then you are repressed; there is something wrong with you.  The devil tempts you with the same lie he used in the Garden, “did God really say that intimacy is only between a man and woman in lifelong marriage?”  “Did God really say?”  The world tells you to just follow your desires; go with your nature.  But you know that by nature you are a sinner.

You follow God’s law because you are Christian blessed now and for eternity.  You follow God’s law because God is God and you are not.  Jesus has some stern teaching about divorce.  There was a practice at Jesus’ time that a man could divorce his wife for any and every reason just by giving her a certificate of divorce.  Today, in our country, we have the practice of no fault divorce where you can get divorced for any and every reason and people do.

Jesus teaches that divorce is wrong.  Divorce breaks down a basic building block of society; marriage.  Divorce always brings great trouble as we try to separate what God has joined together.  Trying to pry apart two boards glued together will not make for a clean break.  Divorce is sin and divorce is caused by sin.  At times divorce may be the lesser of two evils due to the great trouble and sin in the marriage but divorce is never God’s plan.

As a married follower of Jesus you are called to live out married life in humble service to one another and to your children if you are so blessed.  Humble, loving service and day to day perseverance is not exciting or flashy but it is what marriage is.  Marriage is living out your vows day by day, choosing to love each other.

The Gospel reading today is a hard one with a lot of law.  You want loopholes to excuse your behavior but there are no loopholes.  You are left knowing you are sinner with your only hope being Jesus on the cross for you.

God’s law is good even though you chafe against it.  You follow God’s law not in order to be a Christian, but because you are already a Christian.  You already are blessed by God.  You already have eternal life in Christ.  You know Jesus is God in flesh and you know that He speaks the truth.  You know God is God and so you do what He says because He said so.

And when you fail, do not let the devil twist that failure around so you give up on the law, but rather when you fail, look to the one who has fulfilled the law for you.  Look to Jesus on the cross and know your sins are forgiven in Him.  Repent.  Turn from sin and walk once more following Jesus because you are in Christ.

Amen.

[1]  The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001

[2]  The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001

Epiphany 5 2017
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
February 5, 2017
Psalm 112:1-9, Isaiah 58:3-9, 1 Corinthians 2:1-12, Matthew 5:13-20

There’s a couple who love to watch the home improvement shows on HGTV.  They watch these old, run down houses be transformed into beautiful, modern showcase homes and are inspired to fix up their own home.

Much of their house has already been fixed up but they are looking for the perfect light fixture to complete the transformation.  They search high and low at lighting stores, estate sales, and online trying to find the perfect fixture.

They finally find it.  It is a beautiful, antique, art deco chandelier with points sticking up holding the glass shade in place.  It brings to mind New York City with the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty.  It’s perfect.  They purchase it online and wait impatiently to have it shipped hoping it arrives without damage.

It arrives shortly in flawless condition and after they hang the light and turn it on it is better than they imagined.  It really lights up the basement storage room next to the furnace.  They leave the beautiful light on and shut the door and go back upstairs.

Their wonderful, beautiful new light is hidden away in basement.  How foolish?  Who would do that?

You are the light of the world.  More specifically, ya’ll are the light of the world.  You all are the Lord’s wonderful, beautiful light.  You have received the blessings of God right now and for eternity.  You are blessed right now to be in the Kingdom of Heaven.  You are in Christ.  You have put on Christ.  You have forgiveness, life and salvation.  You have the light of Christ’s forgiveness and love shining into your life from the cross of Calvary.  You all have the light of Christ shining into your lives and, Jesus says, you are the light of the world.  Now the question is are you shining out where everyone can see?  Or are in the basement storage room with the door closed?

Can you trust what Jesus says?  He says you are the salt of the earth, you are the light of the world.  Salt flavors and preserves, light drives away the darkness.  This is who you are in Christ.  Be salt.  Let you light shine.  Matthew 5:16 (ESV) ¹⁶ …let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. ^[1]

Let your light shine.  Do good to others.  Do good works.  Not so you can be rewarded, but so people can see your good works and give glory to God the Father.

Now it can feel quite safe hiding in the basement shining your light where no one can see, but I know that if you use your imaginations you can come up with simple and wonderful ways to let your light shine in the world.

Now, I could give you a list of things you could be doing; should be doing, but that isn’t the way that it works.  It is not up to me to tell you how you should be salt and light.  You need to discover your own ways to be salt and light to the world.

In each of your lives you have so many roles and vocations.  Are you a child living with your parents?  What are some ways to let your light shine at home?  Are you a student at school?  How can you let your light shine at school in love and care for others; perhaps others that are on the margins?  Are you a parent?  How can you let your light shine as you spend quality and quantity with your children?  Are you single?  How do you let your light shine in relationships with your family and friends?

     Now it can feel quite safe hiding in the basement shining your light where no one can see, but I know that if you use your imaginations you can come up with simple and wonderful ways to let your light shine in the world.

Are you a worker?  How do you let your light shine with your boss and your fellow employees?  Are you the boss?  How do you let your light shine in the company?  Grandparents, aunts, uncles, citizens, teachers, neighbors, husbands, wives, church members; so many roles that you have in life; so many opportunities to let your light shine in the world.  So many opportunities to let the love and forgiveness and light of Christ shine forth from you.  Not in big, flashy ways, but in quiet, simple ways living your ordinary life in an extraordinary way.  Let your light shine by loving and caring and protecting one another.  Love others as Christ loves you.

And this is tough.  Love is tough.  You can never love enough.  You always have a lot to confess when it comes to loving others.  When we learn about the Ten Commandments we learn that the summary of the first table of the commandments is just two words.  Love God.  The summary of the second table of the commandments is three words.  Love your neighbor.  And who is your neighbor?  Everyone else.  Now it is sort of easy to love everyone because you don’t actually see them.  It is harder to love the people right around you because sometimes those people can be jerks.  Love them anyway.  Let your light shine.  Love is hard.  Love is messy and inefficient.  Love is often not returned.  Love anyway.  People will take your love and care and they won’t appreciate it; they won’t thank you for it.  Love anyway.  Let your light shine.  Be the salt of the earth.

Live out life as a Christian being a little Christ to the world.  Live knowing you have nothing in yourself that makes you worthy of forgiveness.  Live knowing that even though you are poor in spirit you are right now and forever in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Live life mourning all the evil and trouble and hurt in the world; the day is coming when you will be comforted.

Live life in humility and meekness; not lording over others; not abusing others with your power or authority.  Live in lowly service; the day is coming when all the earth will be yours.

Live life with a hunger and thirst for the world to be right with God; your hunger and thirst will be satisfied on the day of Christ’s return.

Live life showing mercy to others.  Live life not giving people what they deserve but giving them undeserved love.

Live life in devotion to the one true God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Live in the knowledge of forgiveness flowing from Jesus on the cross to you through God’s Word, through baptism and through Holy Communion.  Live following the true God and you will see God.

Live life bringing peace to the world.  The peace announced by the angels on the night of Jesus birth; the peace brought by the Prince of Peace; the peace that is beyond understanding; the undeserved peace brought to sinners through the blood of Jesus.  Live life bringing this peace to a world at enmity with God and you will be called sons of God.

Live life knowing that you live in a world that hates Jesus.  You live in a world that hates Christianity; hates you because you are a follower of Jesus.  Do not be surprised when the world attacks you, persecutes you, reviles you, and says all kinds of evil against you on account of Jesus.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.

Jesus says you are the salt of the earth.  Jesus says you are the light of the world.  It is who you are; Jesus is not lying.  Live your life as a forgiven child of God being salt and light.

Matthew 5:16 (ESV) ¹⁶ …let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. ^[2]

Don’t hide your light.  Shine your light where others can see.  You are the salt of the earth.  You are the light of the world.

Amen.

[1]  The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001

[2]  The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001

Epiphany 4 2017
Immanuel Lutheran, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
January 29, 2017
Psalm 15:1-5, Micah 6:1-8, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, Matthew 5:1-2

It is that time of year when we are through the NFL playoffs and looking forward to the Super Bowl next weekend.  At the beginning of the season there was great hope for all the teams; even the Bengals and Browns, but now it has come down to just two.  Who will be victorious?  Who will be the winner?  As you watch the game you will see players scoring touchdowns and then proudly pointing skyward in thanks to God for their success.

You will also quarterbacks get sacked and running backs get tackled for a loss.  They will humbly have to pick themselves up off the ground, brush off and straighten their gear.  But, almost certainly, you won’t see them point skyward in thanks to God in their humiliation.

We love success.  We celebrate victory.  We rejoice with winners.  We love to be inspired to do more; to achieve more; to be more.  It is the American dream.

We love victory and success and then we come to church and we normally start out by getting down our knees and admitting that we are, by nature, sinful and unclean.  We admit that we have sinned in thought, word and deed and deserve God’s present punishment and God’s eternal punishment.

This is one of the hard things about trying to advertise to get people to come to church.  Telling people that they are sinners is hard to market.  The church tells people things about themselves that they do not want to hear and that doesn’t sell.

You want to hear, “You are good enough just as you are.”  The Church tells you that you are in bondage to sin.

You want to hear, “You just need to try a little harder.”  The Church tells you that you cannot free yourself no matter how hard you try.

You want to hear that everything is ok.  You want to hear about success and victory, and the church talks about sin and forgiveness.

There is a simple message at Church, the same message that prepared the way for Jesus.  “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  Jesus continues to preach John the Baptist’s message, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  We have the same message today, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  The rule of heaven; the reign of heaven; the Kingdom of Heaven is here in the person of Jesus.

Jesus is the Lord and King.  Jesus is God in flesh come to be with the people.  The people are called to repent because Jesus is here; God in flesh is here; Immanuel is here.  You are called to repent because Jesus is here with us where two or three are gathered.  You are called to repent because you are baptized into Christ.  You have put on Christ.  You are called to repent because Jesus is present in His Word.  You are called to repent because Jesus is present in Holy Communion.

God is present here for you.  You are a sinner who comes into the presence of God and that is a humbling, frightening thing to do.  God is holy; you are a sinner.  You confess that you deserve God’s immediate and eternal punishment.

Repentance is a difficult thing to do because in repentance you admit that you cannot change the fact that you are a sinner.  In repentance you know that no matter how hard you try you are going to sin again.  You fear; you worry, you know you are going to return again to that same, stupid, selfish sin.  In repentance you realize that despite your best efforts you are not able to stop sinning.  You are a sinner in the presence of the Holy God.

   Repentance is a difficult thing to do because in repentance you admit that you cannot change the fact that you are a sinner.

You want to try to say its okay.  There is great temptation to try to redefine sin or to rationalize sin or to make excuses for sin or to explain away sin but all of these are simply word games to avoid the truth.  You are a sinner.  You bring nothing to the table with which to negotiate with God.

You are not a spiritual giant.  You are not spiritually rich.  You do not have things together.  When it comes to spiritual things you are poor.  You are poor in spirit.  You can struggle against sin, but you cannot overcome your sinful nature.  You are poor in spirit.  I am poor in spirit.  Other than Jesus, everyone descended from Adam is poor in spirit.

But some don’t want to believe it.  Some people claim that they are spiritually rich.  They claim they are doing it; they are good enough.  They claim that they are able to conquer sin and achieve holiness in this life.  They are fooling themselves.  “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

You are poor in spirit.

Jesus teaches, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Repenting of your sin and realizing that you are indeed a natural born sinner reveals the key to the Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus is the key to the Kingdom of Heaven.  Jesus is the door to the kingdom of heaven.  Jesus is the door to life everlasting.  Repenting of your sin and knowing you are sinner shows your need for a savior.  It shows your need for Jesus.  The door is open for everyone but those that are fooling themselves into believing they are rich in spirit won’t use the door.

Everyone is given the key to Kingdom of heaven.  Everyone is given forgiveness of sins in Jesus, but so many think they don’t need it.  They think they don’t need Jesus and they throw away the key.  They believe they are good enough.  They believe they try hard enough.  They believe they have done enough and are saved by their own good works.  They believe that they may not be perfect but they are not as bad as those really bad sinners, so it is okay.

How tragic that someone has the key to the kingdom of heaven given to them and they simply throw it away because they want to trust their own good works.

You have the key to the kingdom.  You have Jesus.  You know that you cannot do it on your own.  You know and have confessed that you are by nature sinful and unclean.  You know you are poor in spirit.

And you are blessed.  You are blessed with God’s blessing for now and on the judgment day.  Blessed are the poor in spirit.

You are blessed because you are right now in the kingdom of heaven.  You are right now in the reign of Jesus.  You are right now made holy and perfect through the blood of Jesus shed on the cross.  Not from anything you have done, but from what Jesus has done for you in his life, death and resurrection.  Truly, it is not about you; it’s about Jesus for you.  This is great Good News; you are a sinner saved by the Grace of God.  Such amazing Good News and yet this Good News drives people away from the doorway to the Kingdom of Heaven because they do not want to admit they are sinners.  They do not want to admit they need Jesus.  They do not want to admit that they are not a part of their own salvation.  They do not want to admit that salvation comes from Christ on the cross alone.  They think the cross is foolishness.

And, indeed, Christ on the cross is a strange way of salvation.  How is a beaten and bloody man dying in excruciating pain on the cross the source of forgiveness?  How can this be?  What kind of God would have this incredible humiliation be the source of the world’s salvation?  So many people look at Jesus on the cross and think; what kind of God is this?  What good is this?  Where is the success?  Where is the victory?  How strange is the cross, but on that cross is where Jesus paid the price for your salvation.  On that cross is where Jesus declared, “it is finished.”  Your salvation is complete, but so many cannot accept the free gift.  They want to do something themselves. That is why in every humanly devised religion salvation is found in doing good works.  What do I need to do to be saved?  Give me a list of things to do.

But there is no list.  There is nothing for you to do.  It has been done for you.  You are saved because of what Jesus has done for you.

You have been given the key to the Kingdom of Heaven and invited in.  Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

You are in the Kingdom of Heaven.  You are under the rule and reign of Jesus and so you live as a citizen of the Kingdom.  You live in daily repentance. You live in love for one another.  You live in service to one another.  You live out who you are in Christ, struggling against sin and resisting the devil.  However difficult life is here on earth, however many defeats and humiliations you suffer, success and victory are yours in Christ.  Even in humiliation and defeat when you’ve been tackled by life you can point heavenward in thanks to God who has blessed you for eternity.  Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Amen.

Epiphany 3 2017
Life Sunday
January 22, 2017
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
Psalm 27:1-9, Isaiah 9:1-4, 1 Corinthians 1:10-18, Matthew 4:12-25

In high school I really wanted to go to the Coast Guard Academy after graduation.  I had gone up to visit; I had done all their applications and medical testing.  I told people that is where I am going to go.  Then a letter arrives from the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut.  It began…I regret to inform you…blah, blah, blah…you didn’t make the cut.

When I was looking for a new job once I applied to work at a large sales company selling computers to people who called in from advertisements.  I had done a couple of interviews and was confident I would get the job as I thought I was pretty overqualified.  Then I got the email.  I didn’t get the job.  I didn’t make the cut.

Have you ever had the experience of being told that you didn’t make the cut?  You applied for a position but didn’t get the job.  Maybe you were trying out for a play and you thought you had done a really good job on the audition, but when they posted the cast list your name wasn’t on it.  What a terrible feeling to know you didn’t make the cut.

Or perhaps you tried out for a sports team and you gave it your best effort, but you got cut from the team because you were not big enough or fast enough.  You hadn’t developed enough.  You didn’t make the cut.

Not big enough, not fast enough, cannot sing or act well enough.  Or maybe you didn’t make the cut because the director or coach just doesn’t like your kind of people.  Maybe you came from the wrong side of the tracks.  Maybe you weren’t part of the right group.  Sometimes you don’t even know why you weren’t accepted, but you know that you just didn’t make the cut.

In life there are a lot of people who are weak and vulnerable; people who need extra care and protection.  There are people who are susceptible due to poverty, to illness, to mental or physical disabilities, to addictions, to age, to size; so many people who are fragile and defenseless.

It is far too easy to look at weak and vulnerable people and declare that they do not make the cut.  They are not good enough; strong enough; productive enough; valuable enough.  There is a growing movement in the world and in this nation to promote assisted suicide for people who are weak and vulnerable.  There are now six states in the U.S. and many countries around the world that allow doctor assisted suicide.  In Belgium this can be applied to children as young as 12.  And in the Netherlands a man was killed by assisted suicide due to his alcohol addiction.

And it begins by being called “death with dignity.”  But death is not our choice.  It is not given to us to take a life; even our own.  Only the government has the right to take a life and then only in restraint of evil.  And while it may start out being called “death with dignity” it soon will become a duty to die; an implied obligation to die because you no longer make the cut.  You have become a burden on others.  You are costing too much money.  Your life has become a “life unworthy of life.”  In German this is Lebensunwertes Leben.  And in Nazi Germany it meant it was a good thing to kill you because you did not make the cut.  You were handicapped.  You were not good enough; strong enough; fast enough.  You didn’t believe the right things, you were out of the norm, your racial heritage was not approved of.  Your life was deemed Lebensunwertes Leben , “Life unworthy of life.”  And you could be put to death because you didn’t make the cut.

Now Nazi Germany it would seem is an extreme example as they deemed more than 10 million people to be “life unworthy of life”.  It may seem extreme, but not when you look at what is happening in our own nation.  We must be on guard against the danger of operating under the same principle that there is some life unworthy of life.  State after state is voting to legalize assisted suicide.  Forty four years ago today, the Supreme Court of the United States declared that it was a constitutionally protected right to decide that some life is “Life unworthy of life.”  The Supreme Court declared that people have a constitutional right to end the life of their unborn child if that life is decided to be “life unworthy of life.”  Since that fateful decision in 1973 not 10 Million, not 20 million, but over 55 million babies have been declared to be “life unworthy of life.”  That number is mind boggling.

Too often pregnancies are terminated because the child doesn’t make the cut.  It might be that the child has medical issues, or it has the wrong number of chromosomes, or it has come at a bad time, or even that the child is not the sex the parents’ desire.  Because of any number of reasons the child is determined to be “life unworthy of life” and is terminated.  People will make excuses as to why it is okay. It is small, it is undeveloped, it is inside another person, it is dependent on others.  So they declare the child to be “life unworthy of life.”  This is the same principle that made Nazi Germany the despicable place that it became; the principle that some people don’t make the cut for life.

This is the same principle that made Nazi Germany the despicable place that it became; the principle that some people don’t make the cut for life.

This is a great darkness in our land and in our world.  What a tremendous darkness that instead of protecting the weakest and most vulnerable we deem them unworthy and kill them.  We can get so focused on the rich and powerful and beautiful and thin and productive people that we start to believe that others just don’t make the cut.  We can start to believe that we are worthy, but these others are unworthy.

What do we learn from Jesus about who makes the cut?  In our Gospel reading today we find Jesus beginning His ministry after being baptized and then tempted in the wilderness.  How does Jesus’ ministry begin?  Is it with a big parade of victory into the great city of Jerusalem?  No.  It begins with the prophet announcing Jesus’ arrival being arrested and thrown into the dungeon at Herod’s castle.  Jesus does not go to the great Jewish city of Jerusalem, but rather to the sketchy, border region of Galilee in the land of the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali.  Jesus goes to the outlying regions where the people intermarried and Jewish bloodlines are tainted.  Jesus, the King of the Jews, takes up residence in the rough and tumble city of Capernaum.  Jesus goes to the land of darkness and in the land of darkness the light has dawned.

And Jesus continues to preach the message first brought by John the Baptist.  “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  Repent, for the reign of heaven is at hand.  Indeed it is.  Jesus is the king who has come to rule over his people.  The reign of heaven is right here in the person of Jesus; the Lord; the Messiah.

Jesus is king and yet Jesus does not act like a king.  Jesus begins to assemble a group of followers and who does he go to?  What kind of people does Jesus choose?  Does Jesus choose the rich, the powerful, the beautiful, the best and the brightest?  No.  Jesus chooses fishermen.  He calls them and they follow him.

And Jesus teaches and proclaims the gospel of the kingdom and he heals people.  Jesus goes the weak and vulnerable and brings them healing.  What kind of people does Jesus hang out with?  The sick; those afflicted with various diseases and pains; those oppressed by demons, epileptics and paralytics.  Jesus welcomes the people that don’t make the cut in the world.

Jesus welcomes tax collectors and sinners and eats with them.  Jesus welcomes those who don’t make the cut.

Jesus welcomes sinners and what great Good News this is for you and me.  You are a sinner who does not make the cut in the quest for holiness and perfection.  You are indeed a poor, miserable sinner.  You are indeed, by nature, sinful and unclean.  You are weak and vulnerable because of your sin.  Jesus welcomes you.  Jesus heals you from sin and guilt.

The Church; the Body of Christ on earth, is in the business of bringing the healing touch of Jesus to a world made weak and vulnerable by sin.  Now sometimes we can think that there are some sins Jesus will forgive and some sins that are so bad that those folks don’t make the cut.  But Jesus forgives all sins.  The gift of forgiveness is for all people.  All people are called on to be followers of Jesus.  Jesus forgives all your sins even those you are so ashamed of; even the sin of declaring another “life unworthy of life” and ending a pregnancy or participating with another in terminating a pregnancy.

With Jesus there is no one who doesn’t make the cut.  With Jesus there is no letter that starts with, “I regret to inform you…”  With Jesus there is no rejection email.  No team roster without your name on it.  With Jesus all people are called to repent and follow Him and be His disciple.  With Jesus everyone makes the cut.  With Jesus there is no one whose life is unworthy of life.  Not even those whom we may want to marginalize.  Jesus comes for unexpectedly lowly people.  He comes for the hurting; for the weak and vulnerable; for you and me.  He calls you to love and serve each other; especially the weak and vulnerable.

With Jesus you make the cut because He gave His life for you.  In your baptism Jesus made you worthy of eternal life in the reign of heaven right now and for eternity.

Amen.

Epiphany 2, 2017
January 15, 2017
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
Psalm 40:1-11, Isaiah 49:1-7, 1 Corinthians 1:1-9, John 1:29-42

            “Behold!  The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

When the children of Israel were in slavery in Egypt the Lord sent plagues against hard-hearted Pharaoh and all the Egyptians.  The final plague was the Lord coming against the Egyptians to kill the firstborn both of man and animal.

The children of Israel were protected from this plague by the blood of lambs.  Each family selected an unblemished year old male lamb and killed it at twilight.  They painted the lintel and doorposts of their homes with the blood and roasted the lambs to eat with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.  The Lord that night passed over the houses of the children of Israel protected by the blood of the lamb.

Each year the Jews remembered God’s deliverance from Egypt by killing a lamb and roasting it and eating it to remember the first Passover when God protected them by the blood of lambs from the Plague of the death of the first born.

In accordance with the Lord’s instruction in Exodus 29 early each morning the Jewish priest would make his way to the sheep pen. Each and every morning the temple priest selected a year old lamb, carried it out of the pen, bond its legs, took a knife and sacrificed it on the temple altar.  He did this every morning.  He did the same thing every evening.  He selected a lamb and sacrificed it on the temple altar.  Every morning and every evening the priest sacrificed a lamb.  Two lambs a day, 14 lambs a week, 60 lambs a month, 730 lambs a year.  This was a regular burnt offering on the temple altar to remember that the Lord YHWH is God.  He is the one who brought the children of Israel up out of the land of Egypt so that He might dwell with them.

730 lambs a year as a daily remembrance of God’s deliverance; thousands of lambs sacrificed each year for the Passover meal.  So many lambs…shedding so much blood.

John the Baptist sees Jesus coming towards him.  “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

John the Baptist here says a mouthful as he sees Jesus coming towards him, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

Behold is one of those words that we don’t really use much in our daily language.  Behold!  Anyone who is listening, take notice!  This is important.  Behold!

The Lamb of God.  The Lamb of God.  All the blood of thousands upon thousands of lambs sacrificed daily and at Passover all culminate in this one Lamb, who is not a lamb, but a man; who is not only a man, but God in flesh.  The Lamb of God.  How can this be?  What does this mean?  How can Jesus of Nazareth, be The Lamb of God.  The Lambs are killed.  What is going to happen to Jesus?

And what does it mean that He is the Lamb of God?  Is this a Lamb owned by God or a Lamb provided by God?  As we learn more about this Jesus of Nazareth we learn that indeed He is the Lamb provided by God.  Jesus is the Lamb offered by God.

The Passover Lambs shed their blood to protect the children of Israel from the Lord’s wrath against Egypt.  What is this Lamb going to do?

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”  Takes away the sin of the world.”

What an amazing thing to say about Jesus.  He is going to take away the sin of the world.

All the original Passover lambs gave their lives to protect the children of Israel in Egypt.  Jesus is going to take away the sin of the world.  Not just Israel, but all the world.  The world is not only a huge idea, but it is also a sin-filled place.  We talk about the causes of sin being the devil, the world and our own sinful nature.  The world is not an agent of good as much as an agent of temptation and sin.

Jesus of Nazareth is going to take away the sin of the world.  This is a overwhelming concept.  The quantity of my own sin and rebellion is devastating.  If one person’s sin is crushing what about the sin of the whole world?  What does one person’s sin look like?  A wheelbarrow load of muck?  A truckload?  A pile?  A mountain?  What does the sin of the world look like?  What does this sin of 100 billion people look like.

“Behold!  The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”  How does a lamb take away sin?  By shedding its blood.  The title of Lamb of God is not a title of distinction.  It is a title of service; a title of sacrifice.  Jesus is the one anointed by the Holy Spirit to be the sacrifice for the sin of the world.  Jesus of Nazareth is the one chosen to shed His blood to cover the sins of the world.  This man walking toward John the Baptist is anointed to be sacrificed on the altar of the cross to be the perfect, final offering.  He is God in flesh.  He is the Christ.  Christ the victim, Christ the priest.

This one sentence of John the Baptist has so much in it.  “Behold!  The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”  Think of this verse when you see a crucifix; a depiction of Jesus Christ dying on the cross.  “Behold!  The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Think of this verse when you see the letter IHS on a cross which are the first three letters in Greek for Jesus.  “Behold!  The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”  Think of this verse as you look at the front stained glass and see God the Son represented as a lamb.  “Behold!  The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

Think of this verse when you see a crucifix; a depiction of Jesus Christ dying on the cross.  “Behold!  The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

What an amazing verse.  Enough here to chew on for a lifetime of meditation.  This is a lot to ponder for a very long time.

Because just saying it doesn’t mean we understand it.  Understanding it doesn’t mean we have full comprehension.  How can we comprehend that kind of love?

Now, reading our Gospel lesson today, it seems like we have the story of Jesus pretty much wrapped up by the end of the first chapter in John.  We can wonder how it is that the book of John needs to continue.  The people already seem to have Jesus figured out.  He is the Lamb of God, he is Son of God, he is Rabbi, He is Messiah, He is Christ.  It seems that John the Baptist and the disciples already know all they need to know about Jesus.  But even though they know these titles, they, like us, still have a lot to learn.  We know that they don’t fully understand.  We know the rest of the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection and ascension, and we don’t fully understand.  But we do know that it is true.  “Behold!  The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”  We all need to continue to bask in the love of God shown in sending Jesus to be the sacrificial Lamb.

We all need to continue to receive the gifts of God given through Jesus; His washing in Holy Baptism, His Word of forgiveness, His body and blood in Holy Communion.  We live in love and forgiveness protected by the blood of the Lamb.

Behold! The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

Amen.

Epiphany 1, Baptism of our Lord, 2017
January 8, 2017
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Hamilton, Ohio
Pastor Kevin Jud
Psalm 29:1-11, Isaiah 42:1-9, Romans 6:1-11, Matthew 3:13-17

There is a long line of sheep all heading for the river.  The sheep are filthy dirty.  Their wool is matted and caked with dirt with big hunks of muck hanging off of them; their legs are brown from walking through mud.  The smell of the sheep is enough to make you gag and cause your eyes to water.  These grubby sheep are all lined up headed towards the river.

The dirty sheep are guided down into the river by a shepherd dressed in camel hair with a leather belt.  The sheep go into the water of the river and all of the dirt and filth is washed away and they emerge from the river beautiful and clean and brilliant.

Strangely, there is another group of filthy dirty sheep on the bank of the river.  These sheep are just as dirty as the others but they just watch the other sheep being cleansed in the waters and they shake their heads and look on disapprovingly.  These sheep don’t seem to realize that they too are dirty.

In the midst of all these filthy, dirty sheep one stands out.  This Lamb gets in line with the other sheep, but this one is different.  This Lamb is spotless.  This Lamb is perfect.  This Lamb’s wool is beautiful and clean.  This Lamb does not have a mark or blemish or stain.  Standing in the line with all the filthy, dirty sheep this spotless Lamb stands out.  When the Lamb comes to the edge of the river the shepherd, at first, refuses to let the sparkling clean lamb enter the water made dirty by all the other sheep.  But then this beautiful, spotless, clean lamb does enter into the water; the same water the filthy dirty sheep entered to have all their muck washed away.  The clean lamb enters the water and the filth and dirt from countless sheep is drawn to the Lamb’s clean wool.  The beautiful, spotless lamb is surrounded by the filth and dirt of all the sheep and it clings to him.  The spotless Lamb is a magnet for the filth and emerges from the water a dirty, filthy, stinking ball of wretchedness.  The one lamb takes all the dirt from all the other sheep and carries it away.

            The one lamb takes all the dirt from all the other sheep and carries it away.

The group of dirty sheep on the banks of the river watching all this happen are disgusted by the lamb and set in their minds that they must kill this lamb when they get the chance.  That one lamb is carrying the filth for the many that are now clean.

What a wonderful thing to be one of the formerly filthy, dirty sheep that has been washed clean in the water.  You are one of those sheep.  You have been washed clean in the waters of holy baptism.  All of your sins have been washed away and transferred to the spotless Lamb of God who has taken all your sin.  And this is God’s will. As Jesus emerges from the waters of His baptism having taken ownership of the sins of the world, Matthew 3:16-17 (ESV) ¹⁶ … the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; ¹⁷ and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” ^[1]

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV) ²¹ For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.^[2]

You have been baptized into Christ.  You have put on Christ.  You have been washed clean.  You wear the sparkling white robe of Christ’s righteousness.

So what do you do when you find yourself tempted by the devil, the world and your own sinful nature to take up a big handful of dirt and filth and smear it on yourself?  You stand there with a big handful of mud as you are about to hit that enter key on the computer that will take you to places on the internet that will pour gasoline on the flame of your lusts.  You stand there ready to fall into a field of filth as you prepare to engage in that sexual relationship outside the bonds of the lifelong marriage union of a man and a woman.  You are there ready to swim in a pool of filth as you let your anger bubble over unchecked and you insist on your own way by threats and intimidation.  You stand, spotless and clean, washed in the waters of baptism and yet so tempted to embrace the filth of sin in so many situations of life.  You want to give filthy sin a big hug because it seems to be the easy way out, it bring momentary pleasure, it is the short cut, it is what comes naturally.

When you find yourself ready to rub the dirt and filth of sin onto your spotless white robe of Christ’s righteousness remember these three words.  “I am baptized.”

As you find yourself about to head to the dark side of the internet, confess the truth about yourself.  “I am baptized.”  As you are about to engage in sexual immorality, confess who you are, “I am baptized.”  As you are about to lose your self-control speak your identity, “I am baptized.”  As you are about to embrace sin yet again remember you have been washed clean in the blood of Jesus, “I am baptized.”

You are one of the sheep washed clean; why would you smear filth on yourself?  You are a baptized child of God.  You are called to live out your life struggling against sin because you have been washed clean.  You are already in the Kingdom of Heaven.  You have died to sin.

You are one of God’s spotless sheep, and yet there lurks the ever-present desire to sin.  Ever since Adam and Eve’s fall into sin it comes so naturally to all of their offspring.  Sin comes so naturally to me.  I can sin without even trying.  Sin comes so naturally to you.  You sin in ways that you cannot even believe yourself.  There is always the desire to want to say that it is okay to sin.  We are sorely tempted to say that this sin is okay because times have changed.  We are profoundly tempted to say, “I know the Bible says it is wrong…but.”  We desperately want to believe that sin is okay.  St. Paul knows this when he writes to the church in Rome.

Romans 6:1-4 (ESV) ¹ What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? ² By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? ³ Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.^[3]

Are we to continue in sin?  By no means!  You have been washed clean in Jesus.  The sinless Lamb of God has taken all of your sin on Himself and taken it to the cross.  As you sin you are not just smearing mud and filth on yourself, you are smearing the filth of your sin onto the sinless Son of God; the same sinless Son of God who comes to John the Baptist to be baptized.

John the Baptist is right.  Jesus does not need to repent of His sins.  He has done nothing wrong.  Jesus undergoes a baptism He doesn’t need.  Jesus suffers a death He doesn’t deserve.  Jesus stands in the place of sinners.  Jesus stands in your place and takes your sin.  Jesus lowers Himself to your level as filthy, dirty sinner.

So each day lower yourself.  Humble yourself and repent of your sins and remember your baptism.  Remember those three powerful words, “I am baptized.”

And what does such baptizing with water indicate?

It indicates that the Old Adam in us should by daily contrition and repentance be drowned and die with all sins and evil desires, and that a new man should daily emerge and arise to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.

“I am baptized.”  Say it together, “I am baptized.”

You have been washed clean by the Lamb.  Humble yourself daily and admit, “I am a sinner who needs a savior.”  Say those three terrible words.  “I was wrong.”  And, the two difficult words, “I’m sorry.”  Repent and remember the truth about yourself, “I am baptized.”

You are clean in Christ because He became filthy dirty for you.

Amen.

[1]  The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001
[2]  The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001
[3]  The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton : Standard Bible Society, 2001