Sept. 8, 2024 – Christian Education Texts: Ge. 22:1-14, Hebrews 1:1-3a, John 1:1-5
Dear Friends in Christ,
Are things ‘ok’ in your life? In our speech we tend to ask people, “How are you doing?” We get answers from “living the dream” to “better than I deserve.” Many times, we get the “not bad,” “pretty good,” and then the proverbial “I’m doing ok.” You have to listen to the tone of their voice, but it has been my experience that many of the people who answer this way are not ‘ok.’ They tend to have something that is troubling them.
How long do you think ‘ok’ has been around? On March 24, 1839, the Boston Morning Post first published the initials “O.K.” – the abbreviation for “oll korrect,” a popular slang misspelling for “all correct.” Eventually, OK would become part of everyday speech in the United States. At the time, misspelling words intentionally was a favorite pastime for the younger, educated crowd. They would often take words, misspell them as slang when conversing with one another.
Today is Christian Education Sunday. The three readings serve as the texts. We look at our world and wonder, “what’s next?” We question if we are ok. Thank God for His Holy, Life-Giving Word! We can walk confidently when asked . . .
“ARE THINGS ‘OK’ IN YOUR LIFE?”
How might Abraham and Isaac answer that question? In our Old Testament lesson, Isaac asks his father, “Behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” You’re the parent how are you going to answer? In some form, we are going to let our child know things are ok. Abraham answers, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” Simple, concise, even while his heart must be aching.
We have always admired the faith of Abraham in this scenario. But what about Isaac? He could have overpowered his father, but he didn’t. When things didn’t look ok, both father and son trusted. God will provide. And He did. A Son who became our sin offering. Wood that was cut into a Roman Cross where God offered His Son. God literally took the fire and knife, so to speak, when He had His Son beaten, whipped, mocked, and crucified at Calvary. For you. For me. It is what God did: provided.
God spoke to Father Abraham. In our day He speaks to us through His Son. That is in our Hebrew reading. God speaks through Law and Gospel. The Law shows us a need for a Savior. We are not always ok. We have problems, challenges, sins we can’t shake. The Gospel shows us a Savior. Christ is the Word (we’ll get to that in a minute from John). God promises that His Word will accomplish His will in your life. God sends this Word to you in the person of Jesus. His does it in various ways – sermons, worship, bible studies, prayer, sacraments, the support of a friend. Where one path is blocked, He opens another. God’s Word can forgive and heal. God spoke to our ancestors in days past, He still speaks that same Word to us today.
John writes, “The Word was God.” Did you catch this part? “In the beginning was the Word.” Christ has always been. Christ is eternal. God was thinking about us long before the creation of the world. He was already making plans for our salvation. He knew life wasn’t always going to be ok. We never tire of sin, or if we do, we can’t stop it. Confession and absolution are not just a Sunday “to do”, they need to be a part of our daily lives. The Lord hears our pleas. He sends the light into the darkness. It’s not, “I’m OK, You’re OK.” It is forgiven for the sake of Jesus Christ.
I am going to share with you one of my favorite sermon illustrations. Maybe you have heard it in another church. In over 25 years I have never shared it with you. Maybe you’ll see why.
John Griffith was a man who lost all in the stock market of 1929. He took a job in Mississippi tending a drawbridge over a railroad trestle. This happened in 1937. He took his 8-year-old son Greg with him to work. They joked around in the office, but then John got back to work. He heard a train approaching with around 400 passengers. He couldn’t find Greg. When he saw him, he was climbing on the gears of the drawbridge. He yelled, but the train noise made it impossible. John Griffith faced a horrible dilemma. He could try to rescue his son, but 400 people would probably die in the crash. If he closes the bridge, his son gets crushed. He pulled the lever and closed the bridge. The train went by, and nobody realized he had sacrificed his son their behalf.
God knows we are not always ok. We struggle in mind and body. The devil plays on our impatience. Sometimes, we can’t see an end. But you see things are OK. They are “all correct,” because God pulled the lever. He gave His Son for the life of the world. Our journey has a happy ending. So, how ya doin? God’s Word tells us, “OK, I am doing OK.”
Amen.