The Second Sunday of Lent - Reminiscere (25 Feb. 2018)

Help me!

The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.  He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had.  And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day.  When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him.  Then he said, "Let me go, for the day has broken." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me."  And he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob."  Then he said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed."  Then Jacob asked him, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And there he blessed him.  So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, "For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered."  The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.  Therefore to this day the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh that is on the hip socket, because he touched the socket of Jacob's hip on the sinew of the thigh.  Genesis 32:22-32

A Song of Ascents. I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?  My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.  He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.  Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.  The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand.  The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.  The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.  The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.  Psalm 121

Finally, then, brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more.  For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.  For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you.  For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.  1 Thessalonians 4:1-7

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.  Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.  Romans 5:1-5

And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon.  And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon."  But He did not answer her a word.  And His disciples came and begged Him, saying, "Send her away, for she is crying out after us."  He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."  But she came and knelt before Him, saying, "Lord, help me." And He answered, "It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."  She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."  Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly.  Matthew 15:21-28

Who do you turn to when you need help?

A lot of people have been raised on the "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" mentality.  We think that if it was our own actions that lead us to our situation, then we have to be the one to get ourselves out of it.

Only we find ourselves in circumstances that far exceed our ability to "work out on our own."  Who can help us then?

Jacob thought he could outsmart his way past his problems, only to have God Himself show up and beat some sense into the young man.

David knew that he was powerless in the fight, and looked to his Lord, who is always on watch.

The Canaanite woman was certain that the only person she could put her faith in was Jesus.

It is this faith that justifies us.  A faith which was given to us by God's grace.  A faith that is anchored at the foot of the cross.  When we are in dire need of help, the best thing we can do is cling to that cross, knowing for certain in faith that our Lord Jesus Christ died for us.

The First Sunday of Lent - Invocabit (18 Feb. 2018)

Oh really?

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 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.'"  But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die.  For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."  So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.  Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.  And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.  But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?"  And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself."  He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?"  The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate."  Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."  The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.  I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel."  To the woman he said, "I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you."  And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.  By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return."  The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.  And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.  Genesis 3:1-21

Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd's pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.  And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him.  And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance.  And the Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.  The Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field."  Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.  This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hand."  When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine.  And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.  So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David.  Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.  1 Samuel 17:40-51

A Maskil of David. Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.  Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.  For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.  For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah  I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah  Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him.  You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah  I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.  Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.  Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD.  Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!  Psalm 32

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!  Let Israel say, "His steadfast love endures forever."  Let the house of Aaron say, "His steadfast love endures forever."  Let those who fear the LORD say, "His steadfast love endures forever."  Out of my distress I called on the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me free.  The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?  The LORD is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.  It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.  It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.  All nations surrounded me; in the name of the LORD I cut them off!  They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side; in the name of the LORD I cut them off!  They surrounded me like bees; they went out like a fire among thorns; in the name of the LORD I cut them off!  I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the LORD helped me. Psalm 118:1-13

Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.  For he says, "In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.  We put no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.  2 Corinthians 6:1-10

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.  Hebrews 4:14-16

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.  And after fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry.  And the tempter came and said to Him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread."  But He answered, "It is written, "'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"  Then the devil took Him to the holy city and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to Him, "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.'"  Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'"  Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.  And he said to Him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me."  Then Jesus said to him, "Be gone, Satan! For it is written, "'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'"  Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to Him.  Matthew 4:1-11

There's that old saying: "curiosity killed the cat."

Curiosity, and questioning in general, can be a beneficial thing.  It is the inquisitive nature of humans that brought about the Age of Discovery and the Space Race.  School is about learning something new and the most direct way is to ask "why."  Even as Christians we ask "what does this mean."

However, there are some things that are not to be questioned.  God is at the top of that list.

God made a rule.  It was a simple rule, too.  "Don't touch."  And He even told us the consequence of breaking the rule.  Death.

But Satan knew how easy it was to misdirect our curiosity and innocence and use them to bring about the destruction of the pinnacle of God's creation.

"Did God really say..."

What follows is thousands of years of people thinking they can be smarter than God.  That they can be more reasonable than God.  That they can be more fair than God.  Because, clearly, God didn't say something that spiteful/mean/cruel/bigoted/etc, and what He said obviously doesn't mean whatever you think it means.  We can even find a verse or even just a part of a verse that "proves" whatever idea we have about God/right and wrong/life/etc is true.  Especially if its the opposite of what the Bible says.

"Follow your heart."  "Trust your feelings."  "Do what makes you happy."

Satan knew that he just had to target the naive Eve with a simple, even honest, question.  "Did God really say 'you shall not...'"  Such a question led to the truth, from a certain point of view.  It is true that eyes were opened, and people finally experienced not only the good, but also the evil.  Death came, becoming a constant companion of every human from the moment of their conception.

Tricking humans was easy.  Derailing the Son of God?  Satan didn't try to tempt Jesus with anything He didn't already desire or need.

Jesus was hungry, so being offered food wasn't wrong.  But to acquire food by wantonly using His powers as God?  That would be irresponsible, which God cannot be.

Jesus trusted God.  But testing God's protection by placing Himself in danger?  That would be inappropriate and contrary to God's desires.

Jesus was born to take back dominion of all creation.  But to worship the Devil to gain something Christ already possessed?  That would be the exact same mistake that Adam and Eve made in the first place.

God speaks, we are to listen without question.  While we are compelled, even at times required, to ask the "why" and "what does this mean," we are not allowed to ask "what gives You, God, the right to do this thing?"

Who are we to question God like that?  We are nothing but slaves under possession by a most cruel master.

Which is why when God is delivering the punishment for disobeying His Law that provisions are made for a Redeemer.  It was always the plan.  The consequence of breaking the Law is Death.  And who died?

Jesus Christ.

"I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel."

God's condemnation of Satan is also the first proclamation of the Gospel.  That Man, the Son of God, would come and defeat Sin, Death, and the Devil himself through a most terrible death on a cross.  But He would return from Death, so that we too may one day live even though we are dead.

Ash Wednesday (14 Feb., 2018)

Mercy

"Yet even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments." Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.  Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the LORD your God?  Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber.  Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep and say, "Spare your people, O LORD, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'"  Then the LORD became jealous for his land and had pity on his people.  The LORD answered and said to his people, "Behold, I am sending to you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations.  Joel 2:12-19

Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying, "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you."  So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days' journey in breadth.  Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he called out, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!"  And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.  The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.  And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, "By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, 8 but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.  Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish."  When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.  Jonah 3:1-10

(To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba).  Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.  Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!  For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.  Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.  Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.  Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.  Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.  Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice.  Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.  Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.  Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.  Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.  Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.  O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.  For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.  Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem; then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.  Psalm 51:1-19

May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.  His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.  For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.  For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.  Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.  For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  2 Peter 1:2-11

"Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.  "Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.  But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.  "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.  But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.  "And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.  Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.  Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.  "And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.  But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.  "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  Matthew 6:1-21

Kyrie eleison.

We don't deserve anything but suffering, pain, death.  That is the honest and fair truth.  Why?  Because we have rebelled against God.  Not accidentally, but openly and egregiously.

Today, according to the worldly and secular calendar used by Americans, says that we're celebrating "Valentine's Day."  A day when card companies take the place of used-car salesmen as the most heinous liars in the nation.  A day when candy companies use all tools at their disposal to make an innocent question impossible to answer.  A day when every movie and television show gives it their best effort to make "average joe's" best efforts look like he doesn't care.

Its all a lie.

Today is a day about love, to be certain.  But not like people think.  We don't deserve love.  We deserve nothing, yet God, in His infinite mercy loves us. So much that he sent His Son to die in our place.  And no sin is too horrible for God's mercy.  Not lying to your significant other.  Not sneaking an extra Oreo before lunch.  Not cheating on your taxes.  Not sleeping with your soldier's wife, then killing him so no one would notice. Not disobeying the one rule God gave you.

God gave up everything to save you.

Quinquagesima (11 Jan. 2018)

Look at the son

The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons."  And Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me." And the LORD said, "Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.'  And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you."  Samuel did what the LORD commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, "Do you come peaceably?"  And he said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice." And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.  When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD's anointed is before him."  But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart."  Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one."  Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one."  And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen these."  Then Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here."  And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the LORD said, "Arise, anoint him, for this is he."  Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.  1 Samuel 16:1-13

Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.  Say to those who have an anxious heart, "Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you."  Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes.  Isaiah 35:3-7

For our shield belongs to the LORD, our king to the Holy One of Israel.  Of old you spoke in a vision to your godly one, and said: "I have granted help to one who is mighty; I have exalted one chosen from the people.  I have found David, my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him, so that my hand shall be established with him; my arm also shall strengthen him.  The enemy shall not outwit him; the wicked shall not humble him.  I will crush his foes before him and strike down those who hate him.  My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him, and in my name shall his horn be exalted.  I will set his hand on the sea and his right hand on the rivers.  He shall cry to me, 'You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.'  And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.  My steadfast love I will keep for him forever, and my covenant will stand firm for him.  I will establish his offspring forever and his throne as the days of the heavens.  Psalm 89:18-29

Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!  I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.  Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.  When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.  Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free; the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous.  The LORD watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.  The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD!  Psalm 146

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.  And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.  Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.  For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.  When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.  For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.  So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.  1 Corinthians 13:1-13

And taking the twelve, He said to them, "See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished.  For He will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon.  And after flogging Him, they will kill Him, and on the third day He will rise."  But they understood none of these things. This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.  As He drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging.  And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant.  They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by."  And he cried out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"  And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"  And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to Him. And when he came near, He asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, let me recover my sight."  And Jesus said to him, "Recover your sight; your faith has made you well."  And immediately he recovered his sight and followed Him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.  Luke 18:31-43

"Son of David, have mercy on me!"

But who is the son of David, and who is David?

David was no one.  The youngest son of a shepherd, chosen above his brothers to shepherd a people.  God's strength, faithfulness, and steadfast love were with him.  A covenant was made between God and David.

But David is still a "no one."

It is the Son of David who people were looking for.  It was He that the throne was promised to.  His ascension to the throne would be a day of vengeance and of great majesty.  Isaiah was shown that day.  The deaf shall hear, The lame shall leap.  The mute shall sing for joy.  The deserts will become an oasis.

And blind men shall see.

On the road to Jerusalem, on His way to the Cross, Jesus stops one last time to fulfill the words of Isaiah.  One last blind man to heal.  But not too blind.

Unlike the Pharisees, and even the Disciples at times, this blind man could see.  He could see who Jesus is.  He could see that Jesus isn't just a descendant of David, the king of Israel, but that Jesus is the Son of David.  This is the man whom the prophets foretold, who the lawgiver spoke with on Sinai, who David declared his allegiance to, who would be the only and true Passover lamb.

With faith like that, did Jesus need to heal him?  This man could already see, and was seeing clearly who to put his faith in.  But our Lord is merciful, and granted this beggar his sight.

And praise be to God that He grants us, mere beggars, sight as well.

Sexagesima (4 February, 2018)

Not to brag

"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.  "For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.  Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the LORD, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."  Isaiah 55:10-13

(To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.)  How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!  My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.  Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God.  Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise! Selah  Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.  As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools.  They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.  O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah  Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed!  For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.  For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.  O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!  Psalm 84

For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves!  For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face.  To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that! But whatever anyone else dares to boast of--I am speaking as a fool--I also dare to boast of that.  Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I.  Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one--I am talking like a madman--with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death.  Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one.  Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.  And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.  Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?  If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.  The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying.  At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.  

I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord.  I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven--whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows.  And I know that this man was caught up into paradise--whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows-- and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter.  On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses-- though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me.  So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.  Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.  But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  2 Corinthians 11:19-12:9

So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.  Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.  For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.  Hebrews 4:9-13

And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to Him, He said in a parable, "A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it.  And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it.  And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold." As He said these things, He called out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."  And when His disciples asked Him what this parable meant, He said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that 'seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'  Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.  The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.  And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away.  And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.  As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience."  Luke 8:4-15

One of the most well known of all Jesus's parables is the Parable of the Sower.  In a day and age when a single farmer on a green-colored tractor can plant multiple acres of crop in perfectly straight GPS guided rows, the idea of a sower is laughably quaint.

Who is the Sower?

Jesus doesn't specifically say.  But He does say that the seed is the Word of God.  Which could mean that since the Word is Jesus, as John said in his gospel, the Sower is the Father.  Or, since the Word is what brings faith, the Seed is either Christ, who was the Light of the World, or the Holy Spirit, who brings people to faith through hearing the Word.  Or, since the Word is the Scriptures, the sower are those whom Christ has sent to proclaim His Gospel to the whole world.  People like St. Paul.

Whatever the case, the Word is received by all who hear, but just hearing doesn't automatically mean the metaphoric harvest.  That doesn't mean the Word is neither effective nor efficacious in bringing people to faith.  But believers can't just go out and "toss seed" randomly and hope to get a bumper crop.

It reminds me of a video of a "drive by baptism," where someone tossed a bucket's worth of water on a jogger while saying the words of baptism.  That's not how it works.

In the parable, the sower scattered seed.  Where?  Primarily, he was aiming for the field, but some seed fell in other spots.  But the intention was to sow where the field had be prepared.  St. Paul describes this in 1 Corinthians 3:6 "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth."  Granted, that's after the seed is sown, but the metaphor is still in play.

That's why Christ used agricultural themes in many of his parables.  His audience would be familiar with them.  A farmer will not go out and sow if his field is not prepared.  For many years, and even today, that means plowing the field before seed is applied.  Today farmers will use pesticides and fertilizers before planting to give their crop the best chance.  Likewise, prep work is needed for the proclamation of the Gospel.

Now, who does the prep work, and what all entails prep work?  That depends.  Without a doubt the Holy Spirit is the one who makes hearts ready.  But if I walked up to a random atheist and said "Jesus died for you" I shouldn't expect to see him next week at church.

Which is the whole point of St. Paul saying he does not boast, at least not in himself, his efforts, or his record of successes.  Rather, he boasts, as should we, in the Cross.  Yes, there is work to do, and our efforts are well spent in preparation so that we be ready both in season and out.  But at the end of the day the power and efficacy of God's Word is upon Christ's shoulders.  Thank God.