March 12, 2023             Text:  Exodus 17:1-7

Dear Friends in Christ,

Marriage changes things.  “Wow, Pastor you really went out on a limb with that statement.”  Remember the euphoria of dating?  Being on your best boyfriend/girlfriend behavior.  Looking your best.  When I was at the seminary and dating Toni, in the summer I would hire a classmate to cool my car.  He would drive the air-conditioned vehicle to the dorm, and I would get in.  I didn’t want to show up for a date sweaty.  I wanted to smell the way Calvin Klein intended on a date with my girl!  But then we say “I do” and promise for “better or worse” and our carefree lifestyle diminishes.  When my car sits out in the summer, I am not hiring anyone to cool it down before I go home to Toni.  Marriage is never the smooth sailing, continuous high we all imagined.

This is what happened to the Israelites.  When they left on their exodus they came to a place called Elim.  Elim had twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees.  Elim was a bit of paradise.  But they couldn’t stay there.  They had to move on.  In our text they are camped at Rephidim.  But there is a problem – no water.  This doesn’t sit well with the people.  Grumbling and quarrelling are the elixir of the day.  

“I’M THIRSTY – CAN I GET A DRINK?”

The people are accusing God of abandoning them, even though He promised them sustenance in their journey.  They are testing the Lord.  The people wanted to strike the messenger by going after Moses.  The people were concerned about their families and just as concerned with their livestock.  Look at the words Moses’ used when he cried to the Lord.  “What shall I do with this people?  They are almost ready to stone me.” (v. 4). Moses did not call them “my people” or “your people.”  I hope no one does this but sometimes parents can say “that son of yours” or “your daughter” when they do something wrong.  It creeps into estrangement.  It really should always be “our son, our daughter, our children.”  We don’t leave them just because they grumbled about something.

The Lord understands this.  He didn’t leave “His people” just because they got a little “salty.”  He sends Moses and the elders of Israel to the rock at Horeb.  Moses strikes it with a staff and the water gushes out.  There is plenty to drink.  Their thirst is quenched.  Liquid gold flows down the throat.  “I’m thirsty – can I get a drink?”  They got one and many more.  God upheld His promise.

“I’m thirsty- can I get a drink?”  When we are stricken, do we ever thirst for His deliverance?  We can be stricken by things we didn’t bring on ourselves.  Violent weather.  Trouble at work.  Our own sickness.  Suffering as we watch loved ones battle health problems.  We also are stricken with our own sinful nature.  We go against God’s Word.  We create more problems for ourselves by our behavior.  We quarrel and grumble and complain and test the Lord.  We thirst for deliverance from our afflictions.

God’s Son is stricken to be our deliverance.  Christ the Rock was with God’s people at Horeb.  Christ is stricken and water is supplied.  Isaiah and Zechariah both prophesy that Jesus will be stricken.  Jesus Himself announces that He will stricken.  “The Son of Man will be…mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon.  And after flogging him, they will kill him.” (Luke 18:31-33). When all of this happens, He does not complain.

He is doing all of this for your benefit.  His pierced side yields water and blood.  This water and blood still flow.  The waters flow in Baptism.  His blood flows in the Lord’s Supper.  The blood and water from the side of the stricken Christ quench your thirst for deliverance from your afflictions.  

The last verse of our text asks a question that has been around as long as man and woman, “Is the Lord among us or not?”  Well, how do you answer?  Like the Israelites, we are in the desert, and we still have some wandering to do.  We should not be surprised to have some hot, thirsty days.  And maybe…just maybe…we might grumble a bit.  Bring your grumbling and complaints to the Lord because He hears your pleas and answers your prayers.  Not always the way we like or as quickly as we expect, but the Lord is among us.  The answer is a definitive “yes, yes, yes” when we wonder if He is here with us.  He will never leave us even when we ask, “I’m thirsty- Can I get a drink?”  Step right up to the water fountain of Christ’s grace, drink and be satisfied.

Amen.       

March 8, 2023 – Lent Text:  John 18:4-11

Dear Friends in Christ,

Have you ever watched some of your favorite actors in roles you didn’t expect?  My all-time favorite comedy as many of you know is the Andy Griffith Show.  Well, one day years ago I am watching my favorite all-time crime drama, Hawaii-Five-O, and Andy Griffith is on the wrong side of the law.  He makes mistakes with his family that he would never do as Andy Taylor.  Another episode of Hawaii-Five-O had Buddy Ebsen of Beverly Hillbillies and Barnaby Jones fame, play a professor involved in murder.  It was hard to see these men out of their element.

The same thing occurs in our text.  Peter, the disciple who made the great confession, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God,” (Mt. 16:16), the one who jumped out of the boat to meet Jesus in the water, and the one who pledged loyalty to the Savior, is the same guy committing a crime tonight – assault with a deadly weapon.  Now maybe you are not surprised.  Peter is a little tempestuous.  

Jesus enemies came to the garden because they hated him.  They came with weapons to kill Jesus.  Peter wielded his weapon for a different reason – he loved Jesus.  Peter was full of righteous zeal – but it was misguided. 

You and I love Jesus too.  We get angry when His name is dragged through the mud, or His Word is ignored or ridiculed in our world.  We want to do something about it.  We want to defend Jesus.  Good and godly impulses to be sure, but we don’t want to go too far.  We don’t want to do something against God’s Word, we don’t want to become guilty of having . . .

“HANDS OF MISGUIDED ZEAL”

As we step into the garden, notice who is in charge.  Not the men with clubs.  It’s Jesus.  He meets his would-be captors.  “Whom do you seek?”  This capture is only successful because Jesus’ time had come.  Jesus declares, “Jesus of Nazareth…I am he.”  Looks what happens before they take him away.  They drew back and fell down like bowling pins.  Jesus demonstrates His divine power.  Jesus wasn’t finished.  Though vastly outnumbered, He was giving the orders.  “If you seek me, let these men go.” 

Peter watched all this.  Except he didn’t read the situation correctly.  He reacts in haste and anger.  “Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his ear.”  

How do you see Peter?  Can’t believe he did it?  Or do you understand emotions getting the best of a person?  He convinced himself that this night he would give up his life for Jesus.  When the Savior needed help, he would come to the rescue.

Nothing wrong with wanting to help a friend, right?  Well, not so fast my misguided compadre.  Jesus doesn’t need our help.  Jesus is true God.  He is omniscient (knows all), He is omnipotent (controls all).  Peter should have known that.  He hopped out of the boat and watched Jesus for three years.  Jesus gave him many convincing proofs of who He was.  Peter demonstrated a lack of trust in God.

Christians can have their moments.  The Crusades.  A Christian extremist bombing an abortion clinic.  For the most part, modern Christianity is a peaceful religion.  Don’t we all agree that any kind of violence directed at another is against the Lord’s fifth commandment?

Doubting God’s power, that is something I can relate to.  Not trusting God is a sin my mind knows well.  Thinking I can help God is a trap that Christians fall into far too often.  “If we would only elect the right people or pass the right legislation, we could get back to the days of being a Christian nation.”  “If our church would have more for families and talk less about sin, we would grow quicker like this or that church.”  If we only did X, Y, Z then we could make things better.

If you want to identify the problem, look at the pronouns.  If you are not good in
English grammar, then try this, look in the mirror.  You don’t have to hold a sword in your hands to identify with Peter.  Think of when your thinking has been misguided.  Yes, we want God-fearing leaders and healthy churches.  Yes, God wants Christians filled with godly zeal, but before we put our faith into practice, He wants us to put our trust in Him.  He wants us to make God’s Word and God’s will our guide.  And He wants us to understand how quickly things can go sideways when we don’t.

Jesus reprimanded Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me.”  Why was Jesus upset?  Because He knew what was at stake.  Because He knew there was only one way for sins to be forgiven and only one path that leads to heaven.  God the Father’s plan demanded that His Son be arrested this night and executed the next day.  The perfect substitute died in our place.  He took the cup of suffering to show His misguided disciple – and our misguided actions – how much He loves you and me.

John doesn’t tell us what happened to the soldier who had his ear cut off.  But Luke does.  Jesus reached out His hand, touched the servant’s ear and healed him. This was the Savior’s final miracle before His crucifixion.  Why did He do it?  Why heal?  Why help the enemy?  Because that is who Jesus is.  Because that is what Jesus does.  Jesus came into the world to seek and save.  Jesus has the greatest love for lost souls.  Jesus is full of compassion and mercy, and why a few hours after he healed Malchus, He reached out his hands one last time.  He stretched out His hands on the cross to redeem us from misguided zeal.

Amen.         

March 5, 2023 Text:  Genesis 12:1-9

Dear Friends in Christ,

A man became a Christian at an older age and loved to tell others about the Lord.  One day at a meeting, he gave a beautiful witness to his Savior.  One person who had heard his words was disturbed by something.  “The man has told us God’s part,” he said, “but he forgot to tell us his part, the part before he was converted.  Tell us more.”

The aged man stood up again.  With confidence he responded, “Friends, I forgot to tell you about my part.  I sure did my part all right.  I was running away from the Lord as fast as I could for 30 years, and the Lord just took me until he ran me down.  I did the sinning.  The Lord did the saving.  And that was all the part I had.”

In our text we have the calling of Abraham.  Another old man – 75 years old – who had worshipped other idols in his past.  God called him and made a change.  You still hear his name today.  It all started here in chapters 11 and 12 of Genesis.  Abraham was . . .

“SEEING THROUGH FAITH”

Again, Abraham’s heritage and lineage was not as a follower of the one, true God.  Martin Luther writes, “If you should ask what Abraham was before he was called by a merciful God, Joshua answers that he was an idolater, that is, that he deserved eternal death and eternal damnation.”

Abraham was commanded by God to leave his country.  This meant a loss of security and protection of law.  We have people in our church this morning who have experienced the same thing.  They left their country of origin.  That takes great trust.

Abraham was commanded to leave his relatives.  The ones he left were the ones worshipping the idols.  This enabled him to be consecrated for service to the Lord.  He got away from the bad influencers in his life.  Verse 5 said he went to the land with “people that they had acquired in Haran.”  Who were these people?  Servants, laborers, and children and relatives of the same.  Luther writes, “Not simply his household but the true and holy church, in which Abraham was the high priest.”

Abraham was to go to the land God would show him.  He went “seeing through faith.”  He did not know his destination.

Have you ever left home and didn’t know where you were going?  Many of us in our marriages have probably done this with our spouses.  Toni and I have done it for each other.  Pack a bag.  It can be fun.  We go because we trust the other person.  Maybe your mom and dad did something similar.  Get in the car.  You do, because you trust.

Abraham knew a few details.  He didn’t know the place, but God gave him seven promises.  “A great nation.”  Israel has become the “holy nation” of God that spans the globe.  “I will bless you.”  God blessed Abraham in so many ways.  His grace and favor were upon him.  “I will make your name great.”  His name is still revered among God’s people.  Abram means “great father” – Abraham means “father of a great nation.”  “You will be a blessing.”  By blessing Abraham, Abraham could in turn bless others.  “I will bless those who bless you.”  Here Rahab the prostitute comes to mind.  She is in the lineage of Abraham/Jesus and the Lord used her for good.  “Who dishonors you I will curse.”  Assyrians, Babylonians, Romans all experienced the fulfillment of this promise.  “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”  The Messiah came through Abraham to bless the world. 

Abraham knew these seven promises.  He had no idea how they would come about.  He needed to be “seeing through faith.”  In our Epistle lesson for this morning Paul writes, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”  From this calling forward, faith in God would be a part of Abraham.  He builds altars when he reaches destinations.  What was important?  Worship.  Worship keeps us in the faith.

This “blessing of Abraham” continues to be a part of us through God’s grace.  The Messiah, Jesus Christ is, was, and will be a blessing to us.  When we are “seeing through faith” we know how the Lord works in our lives.  We like Abraham have God’s promises.  He forgives when we don’t put Him first.  He calls us to faith – in baptism, the journey began.  He will hold on to us when we stumble and fall.  He will guide the path.  He provides us possessions as we make our way in this world.  He even tells us the destination.  He sent his Son on ahead to be ready for our arrival.  When we get there?  We too will be around the altar of the Lord.  We get a glimpse of that in coming to the communion rail.

The Holy Spirit allows this “seeing through faith.”  Like the spouse or the child, we trust.  We will not be led to the desert when Sybaris is in sight.  We leave behind what holds us back.  We see in Christ our righteousness and the fulfillment of all our hopes.  In receiving God’s blessing, we can in turn bless others.

“And Abram journeyed on.” (v. 9a)  So do we . . . SEEING THROUGH FAITH.

Amen.