March 13, 2022                              Text:  Jeremiah 26:8-15

Dear Friends in Christ,

    A few years ago in Cape Jarvis, Australia there was a film clip of a tourist boat ferrying people to the site of a dead whale.  There they could stand on the whale and watch the sharks eat the carcass.  A local official was outraged and immediately sought legislation to, “protect people that were too stupid to protect themselves.”  

    We might agree with that official but we are foolish when God warns us of sin and we still go forward in spiritual danger.  In our text, God sends Jeremiah to warn the Lord’s people of their wickedness so they can repent and receive forgiveness.  They didn’t want to hear it and they want to kill Jeremiah.

    God always has a purpose and He does this morning as well.  What is it?  Let’s see together how God can find salvation in . . . 

“HOLY DESTRUCTION”

    God’s holy things are subject to destruction when his people ignore his Word.  Jeremiah speaks of this holy destruction to the Lord’s house.  It was going to be desolate and deserted like Shiloh one of the original places for Israel’s worship.  Shiloh was destroyed because they worshipped false gods.  So how does everyone react?  They want to kill the messenger.  They want Jeremiah to be destructed.

    Paul warns of holy destruction of people in our Epistle.  If you walk as an enemy of the cross your God is your stomach, your glory is in your shame and your thoughts are all on earthly things.  This is a path to destruction.

    In the Gospel Jesus speaks of the destruction of those who resist the Lord.  Jerusalem will be desolate by AD 70 after they kill Jesus who is just one in a long line of prophets who have been killed for teaching and preaching God’s Word.

    Today’s lessons are a warning for us, that even we are subject to destruction if we ignore His Word.  Whole church bodies are left desolate if they abandon the Lord’s Word.  Congregations can self-destruct if they fight among themselves.  As individual Christians we struggle constantly against sin.  We don’t always take God’s Word to heart if it challenges our beliefs.  If we don’t heed God’s warning, we can forfeit our holy status and be destroyed eternally.

    In 2017, Adidas, sent a promotional e-mail to the Boston Marathon participants.  It read, “Congrats, you survived the Boston Marathon!”  Adidas, could have a great crisis on their hands, thinking back to the Boston Marathon bombing of 2013.  Adidas got a spokeswoman out front – Maria Culp – yes, her real name – and this company was smart enough to accept responsibility and issue a mea culpa:  “We are incredibly sorry.  There was no thought given to the insensitive e-mail we sent Tuesday.  We deeply apologize for the mistake.”  The apology was well received.  Besides, chuckling at the ironic humor of her name, her audience took the apology as heartfelt, straightforward, and, most important, immediate.  Adidas avoided a crisis.

    For us, we avoid a crisis, a holy destruction, when the Lord sends us His Word that brings us to repentance.  Out of the wreckage of our sin, the Lord can rebuild us in His image.  This is what Jeremiah was doing for the people.  He was warning them only to bring about repentance and prevent suffering.  

    The Lord has done the same thing for the New Testament Church.  He brought the Jews and Gentiles together as a holy nation, the New Israel, the Church of Jesus Christ after His Ascension.  He raised up a new visible church during the time of the Reformation after the church’s teachings deviated from the Word of God.  Even our individual destruction takes place when the Lord admonishes us into turning from our wicked ways and listening to His Word.  Our soul is saved.

    All of these “holy destructions” are able to bring blessings and restoration because of the destruction of God’s Holy One.  Jesus’ destruction on the cross was a holy destruction.  He was destroyed, but God raised Him up again, bringing something good out of the destruction.

    His destruction was a painful experience.  He had done nothing wrong and helped people His whole life.  By the scheming of wicked men he was destroyed, and, amazingly, this was according to God’s holy plan.  Out of the destruction, God brought the highest good.  After three days in the tomb – resurrection!  His resurrection is our resurrection.  Out of Christ’s Holy Destruction comes our salvation.

    Jeremiah showed his faith when he said, “But as for me, behold, I am in your hands.  Do with me as seems good and right to you.” (v. 14)  Because of Jesus’ holy destruction and resurrection, we can cling to the same faith.  Our sins are forgiven.  The Words of absolution are certain.  Our Baptism remains.  We will not be destroyed eternally.  We are saved.  Holy Destruction!

                                Amen.      

March 9, 2022 – Lent                                      Text:  John 12:1-11

Dear Friends in Christ,

    Marie Kondo is known for organizing.  She has written four books and had a Netflix series on the subject.  She has been listed by TIME magazine as an influential person because she realized that people are surrounded by so much complexity and clutter.  Her method of organizing is known as the KonMari method.  It consists in gathering all your belongings and then only keeping things that bring sparks of joy.  

    Who doesn’t need to simplify?  Who doesn’t need to declutter?  Who doesn’t want sparks of joy?

    In Lent, we are meeting witnesses to Christ’s Passion in John’s Gospel.  Today, John introduces us to the Marie Kondo of the Bible.  Who is that?  Mary.  Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus.  Mary who simplifies and declutters.  Mary who helps us to see sparks of joy.

    How does Mary do it?  She does it by . . .

“REPLACING GET WITH GIVE”

    Pretty simple, right?  Replace get with give.  Get only clutters things.  Get only confuses things.  Get only makes us miserable.  Get ahead.  Get back.  Get even.  Get even more.  Get revenge.  Mary replaces get with give.  Mary gives freely.  Mary gives joyfully.

    Are you in an emotional rut and you would like sparks of joy?  Replace get with give.  Here’s the context.  In John 11, Lazarus dies.  After four days, he stinks to high heaven.  Jesus weeps.  Then He shouts, “Lazarus, come out.”  Lazarus comes out alive and a little groggy. 

    Well, the Jewish leaders are not happy.  Raising people from the dead.  Jesus is no longer a nuisance He is a threat.  From that day on they made their plans for His death.  As we get to John 12, Jesus has a price on His head.  So does Lazarus.  “The chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.” (vs. 10-11)  The evidence, Lazarus must be destroyed with Jesus.

    That’s the context.  Here is the cost.  “Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair.” (v. 3)  Do you know the cost?  A year’s income.  Wow!  Ever dropped that much in an instant?  Me either.  Mary is stepping out in faith.  Get is being replaced with give.

    Now the comparison.  It is between Mary and Judas.  Mary is extravagant and has gone over the top.  Judas?  He feigns concern for the poor but wanted the money for himself.  Judas is threatened.  All because Mary lives by one word – give.

    Mary is generous.  Judas is greedy.  Mary gives with joy.  Judas is a miser.  Mary sacrifices financially.  Judas won’t give a nickel.  Mary shows her faith with actions.  Judas talks a good game but doesn’t mean it.  Mary loves the word give.  All Judas can do is get.  Get more.  Get ahead.  And it will kill him.

    It all leads to the cross.  “’Leave her alone,’ Jesus replied, ‘so that she may keep it for the day of My burial.’” (v. 7)  Mary understands the cross.  She believes these words, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”  And these from John 2:13:  “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up..”  Mary gives Jesus everything she has.  Jesus is going to give Mary everything she needs.  This preparation fills the room with the smell of costly perfume.

    Smells are powerful, aren’t they?  The smell of a workplace.  The smell of a school.  The smell of a bakery.  How about scents?  The perfume of your wife, or your mom or your grandma?  Smells can bring out emotions.  It may take us back to the person it reminds us of.

    That is true of Jesus.  This strong perfume lingers with Jesus throughout Holy Week as He makes His way to the cross.  When Jesus gave Himself completely – all of His love and mercy and grace, holding nothing back for us – He might still have a faint smell of the sweet fragrance.  A reminder He mad been marked with one word – give.

    Jesus said this in Matthew 26:13:  “Wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”  Why is that?  Because the kingdom of God is not about hoarding.  The kingdom of God isn’t about being cheap.  The kingdom of God isn’t about get.  Get will kill us.  God’s kingdom is about give. Then what?  Sparks of joy.  “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)  Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, shows us that the kingdom of God is about giving generously, giving joyfully, and giving completely.

    We can boil it all down tonight.  As a child of God we have one simple, powerful and life-changing word.  Try it out.  It will bring so much joy.  The word?  Aw, c’mon, you know by now, don ‘t you?  G-I-V-E.  Give.

                                    Amen.