Christ’s Promising Word

Christ the King
November 22, 2009
Jesus A to Z
Revelation 1:4b-8

Jesus sums up Life from A to Z

Jesus Christ is king! He sums it up. All of life. All of God-given life from A to Z.

Take any letter of the alphabet and it is not hard at all to think of dozens and dozens of his names and attributes: Almighty, Blessed, Christ, Divine, Eternal. The Faithful Witness. The Firstborn of the Dead. The Ruler of the Kings on earth.

When our daughter was a little girl, there was a game we played with her in the car. She loved it. She absolutely loved it.

We would take all the different letters of the alphabet one-by-one. And we would think of all the words beginning with that letter that one way or another related to Jesus. She learned some very interesting words that way. Try it as you travel this thanksgiving weekend. It will make the trip go faster.

A Blessing Comes Down…

A clever pastor [the sainted Arden Mead of Creative Communication, Saint Louis, MO] once did that with a poem. He told the entire story of Jesus with twenty-six words, each one starting with the next letter of the alphabet. An acrostic, we call it. It goes like this:

“A blessing comes down, eternal from God. Here is Jesus, kingly love mangered now. Of peace, quiet rest, sing—the ultimate victorious Word, eXciting your zeal.” Isn’t that great?

And maybe it would be fun sometime to preach 26 sermons in a row, each one taking a different letter of the alphabet and thinking of all the different words that go with Jesus for each letter.

Grace & Peace

But on this Christ the King Sunday let us focus on just two, like the prophet John does—the letter “G” and the letter “P.”

“Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings on earth.”

Grace and peace—these are the two gifts, the two ultimate gifts, that we receive from Jesus Christ. And let’s not take these two gifts for granted, even in the church. Especially in the church.

It is not just a few wild “tribes” who have something to fear when Jesus comes again as king. Say, the angry Jews leaders who brought up charges. Or the Romans soldiers who actually, physically nailed him to a cross.

Ugh! Christ’s Report Card on the Churches

For if you read on in the book of Revelation you will see that Jesus has a bone to pick with the churches, too. To each of the seven churches Jesus write a report card. And there are two “B’s,” a couple of “D’s,” and the rest are “F’s.”

“I have this against you,” Jesus writes, “that you have abandoned the love you had at first…that you follow accommodating teachings…that you have a name of being alive, but that your works are dead…that you are neither cold nor hot, but lukewarm. I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”

And couldn’t much of the same be said of any church including ours? Don’t we all fall short of what Jesus would have us be? If Jesus were to do a mid-term report card on us, wouldn’t we get the same bad letters?

But Jesus Loves us and Freed us

But then, there comes my favorite “B.” The “but.” But Jesus “loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father.”

And suddenly something “nifty” happens in these open words from the book of Revelation. Especially if you like and marvel at triune things, like I do.

The three titles for Jesus (the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings on earth) correspond to the three most critical events of his life: his death upon the cross, his resurrection from the dead, and his ascension into heaven.

On the cross Jesus became “the faithful witness,” the faithful martyr (as it says in Greek) and Jesus testified to the faithful love of God. That God will never go, even when we get an “F” and fail him. For what ultimately counts is not our fidelity to God, but God’s fidelity to us. And we can take that to the bank on the day of Christ’s return.

And through his resurrection Jesus became “the firstborn of the dead.” The first, mind you. The first of many, many more. Including you and me and all the faithful ones we love.

And by his ascension, Jesus became “the ruler of the kings on earth,” who does not “lord it over us,” like Pilate would. That’s what Jesus means when he says to Pilate that his kingdom is not of this world. His kingship is not only of another place, it is of another kind. Jesus does not “lord it over us,” but rather he “lifts us up,” he raises us, so that we might be a kingdom of priests serving his God and Father. It’s “God’s work. Our hands.”

Exciting Your Zeal

And what is there left for us to do, but to thank and praise him. “To him…to him who loves us and freed us and made us a kingdom of priests serving his God and Father…to him (to Jesus Christ) be the glory and dominion, forever and ever. Amen.” Amen.

This is the song of praise, this is the worship, that we bring him each and every day, especially every Sunday. Every Lord’s day. Because he is worthy. He is worth it. Boy, is Jesus worth it.

And we spell it out with every word we say—from A to Z. “A blessing comes down, eternal from God. Here is Jesus, kingly love mangered now. Of peace, quiet rest, sing—the ultimate, victorious Word, eXciting your zeal!”

A God Who Comes in Christ the King

There you have it. In twenty-six letters and twenty-six words the entire story of God’s love for you in Christ from A to Z. For the God of Jesus Christ is not simply a God who “is.” A God who was and is. A God of Being.

The God and Father we know in Jesus is a God who “acts.” A God who “does” things—like save us. A God who “comes.” And the way he comes to us is in Christ. Christ the king!

“To him…to him be the glory and dominion, forever and ever. Amen.”

© 2009 Pastor Paul Jaster

Time after Pentecost (Lectionary 33)
November 15, 2009
Once and for All
Heb 10:11-14, 19-25

No Time to Sit

Why are you sitting? I know that I motioned you to sit down and you did. Thank you for being so cooperative. But, why? Why are you sitting?

Back in the days of Jesus you would have never thought of sitting in the temple. There were no chairs, no seats, no pews anywhere.

Not only was it a matter of respect (God was the king. And no one dared to sit in the presence of the king, or OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!). But there was work to be done. Especially by the priests. The priests were workers. They had no time to sit.

There was wood to carry every day. And fires to light. And animals to bleed, butcher, and burn. And incense to ignite to cover up the smells. And all of this had to be done EVERY day because never was that work done, final and complete.

“Every priest stands day after day at his service,” we just heard the book of Hebrews say. He stands. He stands in his service. “Offering again and again the same sacrifice that can never take any sins away.”

Chickens with their Heads Cut Off

And doesn’t that sound just like us? Doing frenetic tasks that are never finished. Running like chickens with our heads cut off. Maybe we don’t offer up animal sacrifices anymore. But we do make sacrifices of our time and our money, especially for the kids.

I once sat across from a local cop at a church dinner. And I was pumping him for information to use against my daughter. I asked him about driving habits and who it was that he pulled over the most often. I wanted him to say young giggly teenage girls driving green Honda Accords. That’s what I wanted him to say.

But, no. Instead he said “soccer moms in minivans.” They are the worst and fastest speeders. They are always rushing from one place to another. Their work is never done.

The Trademark of our Culture

And isn’t that the trademark of us culture? People on the go…with things to do…because they want to be the perfect mom or dad and make the “right sacrifices” for their sons and daughters.

And if people are not here on Sunday morning sitting in these pews (especially some of our younger families) it isn’t because they are at home being lazy. But rather they are off to another event trying to do what they think is best for their kids. And wouldn’t it feel great to just sit down sometime and rest. Wouldn’t that be heaven?

Jesus Sat

Jesus sat down and rested. When Jesus our great high priest sacrificed himself upon the altar of the cross, he made a single sacrifice—just one!—for all time. A perfect “one.”

And then he sat down at the right hand of God. Jesus sat. Not just to show his power and authority, although it shows that, too. But also to show that his work is done. It is complete. And perfect. And finished. “It is finished.” Didn’t Jesus say that from the cross.

Although Jesus died on earth, he lives. He lives above. His blood has dealt with the sins of all humanity—including yours. His blood has become a bath that purifies people. All people. Including you.

The “Work” of Our Salvation is Finished

And so, there is the full and final and complete forgiveness of all our sins. A total and complete write-off of all our debt. The demolition of all the walls and barriers that stand between us and our God.

“Where there is forgiveness of sin,” the book of Hebrews tells us, “there is no longer [any need for] any offering of sin.” For in Jesus Christ God says, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”

We Can Relax

And therefore, we can relax. We can walk into this holy sanctuary on a Sunday morning and take a load off of our minds and backs. We can walk in here with the assurance that we don’t need to run around like chickens with our heads cut off to be right with God. The “work” of our salvation is already done. It is complete. It is finished.

In Jesus, God loves us with a perfect love. And there is nothing we can ever do to make God love us more. And there is nothing we can ever do to make God love us less. For in Jesus we have this bold and brazen confidence that our hearts have been made pure and our consciences washed clean.

Instead, We Provoke One Another to Love

Instead of running around like chickens with our heads cut off, we do something that is very, very different, the book of Hebrews says. We “provoke one another to love and to good deeds.” That’s how the book of Hebrews puts it. We “provoke one another to love and to good deeds.” We encourage one another “not to neglect the habit of meeting together”—of gathering every Sunday—“as is the habit of some.”

And do you notice that? Do you notice that there are not some people here today, who are habitually gone? And if you called them up on the phone, I am sure they would give you some “good” excuse.

And still we persist in prodding one another to love and do good deeds. We don’t give up. We keep on bugging people to say that gathering together for weekly worship is important. It is absolutely essential for the good health—the good spiritual health–of you and your kids.

Poke the Person Next to You

I want you to take your finger out for just a moment and point it up to God. God is #1. Do you believe that? Of course you do. That’s why you are here today.

And now I want you to take that same finger and poke the person next to you. Don’t be shy. Give them a good Christian poke.

And as you do say: “Come to worship every Sunday.” “Get to Sunday School every week.” “Do not neglect to meet together as some do.” “Do deeds of love and good works.” “Be generous in your giving.” “Get involved.” “Be a part of some mission and some ministry.” “It’s God’s work. Our hands.”

This is what Christians do. And it’s a lot more fun than running like a chicken with its head cut off?

© 2009 Pastor Paul Jaster

Reformation Sunday
October 25, 2009
A Perfect Priest
Hebrews 7:23-28

The Former Priesthood

On my shelf I have a book (a large, coffee-table picture book) that recreates daily life in the temple back in the days of Jesus—daily worship life. What a sight that must have been!

Hundreds and hundreds of different priests throughout the year. In groups of 24 at a time. Dressed in full-length, snow-white linen robes—the cleanest, purest cloth that people ever saw. Led by the high priest with his dazzling jewel-studded breastplate and golden crown. Offering up sacrifices and thanksgivings for the sake of all the people. In a sacred temple space that would knock your socks off. In fact, barefoot was the only way to enter it.

Imagine this! A temple courtyard so large that it could hold 15 football fields with ease (which means that all of the teams of the NFL—all of them!—could play their Sunday games in this venue simultaneously). It was that big! And in the center. The sanctuary itself. A perfect cube. With a gold and silver façade on top of its white marble that would absolutely blind you when the morning sun crested over the Mount of Olives.

And before that sanctuary the great high altar, on which the sacrifices were lifted, given, poured. And from which the fragrant smoke wafted up in steady streams drawing God near. If I had a time machine, this would be the first place and the first time that I would like to visit.

Grand, but Limited

And yet, for all of its magnificence and despite its splendor, this priestly way of doing things had it limitations. “The former priests were many in number,” the book of Hebrews tells us. They had to be. They kept on dying.

And it was a priesthood based on the commandments (“Do this or else!”). And it locked them in an endless cycle of divine command, human sin and trespass (sins of commission or omission) and priestly sacrifices to make restitution for the sins of the priests and all the people.

It sounds like many of the endless cycles that we are in, now doesn’t it? Bubble-bust-recovery. Bubble-bust-recovery. Command-sin-restitution. What’s the difference? Those are just two different ways of saying, “Opps, I’ve made a mess that someone else must clean up.”

Until… that endless cycle is broken for us by a death. Our death. And it is “curtains.” There are “term limits” for us all. As those ancient priests themselves found out. “They were prevented by death from continuing in office.” And that’s an epitaph that could be written of us all.

Enter Jesus – A Perfect Priest

But enter now Jesus Christ. Who is a different kind of priest. And who brings a different kind of priesthood. Not many priests, but one. Just one. A perfect “one.” And not a priest from the normal tribes of Levi or of Aaron. But a priest that is above all else the Son of God. And not a priest who must offer sacrifices for his own sins first and then, and only then, for all the people. But a high priest who is holy, blameless, undefiled.

Jesus is the holy Son of God who became a human being. Jesus is God in human flesh and blood. Vulnerable to suffering, yes. Open to temptation. Just like we are. And yet, he did not sin. His fidelity and trust took him all the way to the cross.

And on the high altar of the cross, his death is a better sacrifice… far better sacrifice…with far better results. It does not have to be repeated. It lasts forever. And it is meant for everyone. Not just for one small group of people.

Based on God’s Promise

And best of all it is no longer based on a command (“Do this…or else”). But rather it is based on God’s oath, God’s word of promise. Which means it does not depend on what I do for God, but on what God has done for me.

In Jesus we have a bridge, a pons (as the Roman Catholics say in Latin), a pontiff, a priest, a very high priest that draws us near to God no matter how big or deep or wide the gulf, the breach, the chasm.

For any God who can willingly come from the throne of heaven down to earth to die a death for sinners and then rise from the dead for them and ascend to the heavens can certainly bridge any gap of sin that I can carve out…out of my own stupidity.

Jesus breaks the endless cycle of bubble-bust-recovery, he breaks through the terms limits death imposes, he cleans up the messes that we make, and bends the curve of our recovery in line with his eternity.

In Jesus Christ, God says to us…God shouts at us…, “I have done this for you. Believe me. Trust me. Take me at my word of promise.”

This is the new and better covenant than the one we had before. For it is based on God’s oath and promises in Christ, rather than the commands that God gave to the former priesthood.

Tithes & Gifts for Ministry

And that changes everything. Including what we do with our money. No longer do we give the tithe (10% of what we have, the first fruits) to support a priesthood. A command, by the way. A mitzvah. Do this or else!

But rather we give the tithe to engage in a ministry. The ministry of Christ himself. A ministry that we are involved and engaged in, too, ourselves. For now we are his body now. We are part of a royal priesthood that involved in a “bridge-building.” Letting others know that God is “near” through the work and ministry of Jesus Christ.

Ministry is not just what a pastor does…say, me. But rather ministry is what we all do together as the church of Jesus Christ. And so Jesus needs your time. He needs your talents. Jesus needs your involvement. He needs your heart and will as well as your pocketbook.

Please Respond

This week we are sending out a mailing to the entire congregation inviting your involvement for the coming year. And I hope you will respond. For Jesus certainly is worth it.

He is our priest. Our great high priest. Holy, blameless and undefiled. And his work and his ministry goes on forever.

He is the one. The perfect one.

© 2009 Pastor Paul Jaster

Time after Pentecost (Lectionary 28)
October 11, 2009
A Two-Edged Sword
Hebrews 4:12-16

God’s Two Words – Law & Gospel

The word of God is a two-edged sword. There are two sides to it that cut in two very different ways. There is the Law, and there is the Gospel. And those are two different…very different…words.

Both are God’s word with the full power and authority of God behind them. Both are “living and active” in our world today. Thank God, they are…because we need them both. Both cut deep below the surface into the thoughts and the intentions of the heart.

But they are not two equal words. One is Life. The other Death. One is “good news” for us. The other “bad news” for us. One offers us God’s grace and mercy and help in time of need. The other strips us of all our pretenses and excuses until our sins are laid naked and bare before the piercing “eyes of the one to whom we must render an account.” God himself, the endtime Judge.

You don’t want to be on the bad end of the law, but you do want to be on the good end of the gospel. For one word of God is like the battle sword that cuts you down in battle. A battle against God, which is one battle you will never win. And the other word of God is like the surgeon’s scalpel that cuts the cancer out so that a living loving heart can truly heal.

And these two words contest against each other. In the Christ. And on the cross. Until one word trumps and triumphs over the other and wins out. And it becomes the “last word.” God’s final word.

God’s Accusing Word – The Law

Say the word “law,” God’s law, and most people think you are talking rules. The rules that keep us safe in our society. And certainly, we need rules to keep us safe. That is one function of the law. A good and godly function.

But, by God’s law we mean much more than just the rules that get laid down either through the Scriptures or through civil authorities. We mean that searching diagnosis of a doctor, which looks far beneath the appearances on the surface to see what is going on within.

The Law, in Christian circles, is that word of God that is “able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” That’s how the book of Hebrews puts it. “Able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

God’s word of Law is like a sharp, highly-granular, highly-detailed diagnostic tool that is able to penetrate the soul and look deep into the spirit and judge the hidden intentions of our hearts, which, as fallen human creatures, is always wanting and always lacking.

“The wages of sin is death,” the law says. “Break one, you break them all.” “Laws are made to be broken,” one saying goes. Oh, no! Not God’s law. “Laws are made because we are broken.”

And so, the law of God always accuses us. “The law always accuses,” the original Lutherans said in our founding documents. “The law always accuses.”

God’s Healing & Forgiving Word – The Gospel

And if this were the only word from God we had, well then, either we would be proud and boastful falsely thinking that we are keeping God’s law. Or else, we would be desperate and despairing because we knew darn well that we had not. But, either way, we would be in one heck of a mess.

But thank God, there is another word of God. A second one. The good news of the Gospel. Which is really God’s first and last word. The Alpha and Omega. The beginning and the end.

In Jesus on the cross it happens. The two very different words of God clash and collide. God’s judging and condemning word—the Law. And God’s healing and forgiving word—the Gospel.

Jesus dies the death of sinners as rightly required by God’s law. Guilt by association, we would call it today. Aiding and abetting. Jesus befriended sinners and opened up a path to God in violation of God’s law. That was his crime. Befriending sinners.

And yet, in the same process, Jesus was also the obedient Son of God, living out the Gospel. Demonstrating in the flesh and in his love and fellowship with others, God’s mercy, grace and love.

And for three tense days, it seemed as God’s law and judgment won out. But God raised Jesus from the dead to show that God’s grace and mercy is God’s last word. God’s final word. God’s ultimate word. God’s mercy is greater than God’s judgment.

Only One can Change the Human Heart

And Jesus has now risen through the heavens to become our great high priest before the throne of God. And he is able to empathize with our weaknesses, because he himself became a human being and was tested in every way that we are, yet without sin.

And yet, he is also able to layer a picture of his own heart on top of ours. So, that when God’s judging eye looks at us, it is not our heart it sees with all its faults and weaknesses. But rather, God sees only the faithful obedience of Jesus upon the cross.

And that is where the word of God in the Gospel is so different from the word of God in the law. The law can only “judge” the human heart. Test it and evaluate it. The law cannot “change” the human heart.

But Jesus can. Jesus has the power and ability to transplant his heart into our own and fill us with his own spirit. It is the difference between a doctor saying “I have some dreadful news your heart is failing” and the surgeon saying, “Do not worry, I can implant a new device to keep your heart beating firm and strong. Simply relax and trust me, and I will do the job.”

The Gospel is God’s Last & Final Word

The word of God is a two-edged sword. There are two sides to it that cut in very different ways. There is the law and there is the Gospel.

But thanks to God, the Gospel of Jesus Christ has become God’s last word. God’s final word. A word that enables us to approach throne of God with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find a grace-filled help in time of need.

© 2009 Pastor Paul jaster

Time after Pentecost (Lectionary 27)
October 4, 2009
God’s Son Speaking
Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:5-12

Can You Hear Me?

When I was in high school, my pastor dared me to shadow him one day. He dared me. And much to his surprise I did. I followed him around one afternoon as he made communion visits to those who were shut-in. It was a hoot. We had a ball.

And I remember distinctly that we went into the home of one elderly woman who was extremely hard of hearing. And so, the pastor sat next to her as close as he could. And he got his mouth right up to her ear. And then, he shouted loudly this amazing bit of opening liturgy: “In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit….CAN YOU HEAR ME?”

And I began to giggle. Uncontrollably giggle. I mean no disrespect to this dear woman. But in my head, this moment suddenly turned into a “snapshot” of us and God. In my pastor shouting at this woman, I saw a picture of us and God.

A Picture of Us & God

I could see God sitting down next to us every single day of our life. Snuggling up to us as close as he can. Putting his lips right next to our ear. And shouting out his love for us in the clear, loud words of the Christian Gospel. God’s love for us in the name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Every day … every day … God is sitting right next to us … talking … talking … talking … until God is blue in the face. “I love you. I love you. I love you.” That’s what God is saying.

And yet, God looks at the blank stares on our face…or sees in our eyes that our attention is else where…or God hears us mumble and grumble that God is nowhere to be found. And God must just want to scream at us, “CAN YOU HEAR ME?”

And so, it hit me as a kid in high school. Maybe in our liturgy on Sunday morning … maybe a number of times throughout the service, we should have the pastor shout out in the name of God, “CAN YOU HEAR ME?” Maybe this should be part of the standard liturgy, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. CAN YOU HEAR ME? Amen.” Maybe we should all propose that for our next Lutheran book of worship.

God Speaks in Many & Various Ways

If we cannot “hear” God,… if we don’t feel that God is close at hand, it certainly is NOT because God isn’t speaking. “In many and various ways God spoke to people of old by the prophets,” the book of Hebrews tells us.

Go back into your bible starting from the book of Genesis and you will see that God snuggled up and spoke to his people in many and various ways. God had some very intimate conversations with Adam and Abraham.

And God spoke through dreams and signs and visions and spoken messages. God spoke to Moses through a burning bush and cloud of fire and through a thunderstorm on Sinai. And God spoke to Elijah through a small still voice. And God spoke to all his people through prophet after prophet.

Jesus is God’s Loudest, Clearest Way of Speaking

“But now in these last days, God has spoken to us by a Son.” Which is to say that with Jesus we sense a change in God’s M.O. God’s modus operandi. God’s way of operating.

Jesus isn’t just another prophet or another angelic messenger boy. And he isn’t just another preacher or teacher. And he certainly isn’t just another healer. Jesus is The Message. Jesus is the One. He is the Son. He is God in human flesh to get so close to us that he crawls into our skin himself.

And his megaphone becomes the cross. Through Jesus on the cross God does his loudest, clearest form of speaking.

God takes the loudspeaker of the cross. And he aims it right at us. And God turns up the amp. And God says to each one of us, “This is my beloved Son. He is the one who is the closest to my heart. Listen to him. Listen to what he is telling you about me. I love you. I love you. I love you. I want you to be one of mine.”

The Christian faith is so simple: There is a God. And we’re not it. What we are not, Jesus is. What Jesus is, we become…when we take Jesus at his word and trust his word of promise.

Jesus is the Scapegoat

Last Monday was the Jewish festival of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. It is the holiest day of the year for Jewish people.

Back in the days of Jesus, people would travel from all over the land to go to the temple in Jerusalem. And there the high priest through a holy, solemn prayer would take the sins of all the people and lay them on a goat. The scapegoat, they called it.

And then they drove that goat out in the wilderness to let it die there along with all the sins that had been laid on it.

Well, the book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus was the scapegoat to end all scapegoats. Jesus was that one perfect sacrifice for sin that never has to be repeated. And isn’t that so fitting? Isn’t that so much in keeping with the loving character of God? That God should take pain and agony upon himself and suffer it away?

Jesus is our High Priest

And now this same Jesus has been raised to become our great High Priest who intercedes for us with God. He speaks to God for us. And he speaks back to us for God. And in the process he is not ashamed to call us his brothers and sisters.

And that’s much better isn’t it? That God should speak to us through his Son. The one who is closest to his heart. It’s much better than a dream or a vision, which might be true or might be not. It’s better than a sign of nature, which shows God’s power but does not tell us whether God is for us or against us.

It’s better than a command from Moses that tells us “what” to do, but does not give us the power to do it. Or an angel that stands above us, but is not us, one of us, the way that Jesus is. Or, the promises of a prophet, which are only hoped for but not yet fulfilled. Jesus is the deed done. The love of God accomplished. Sealed with God’s own Spirit.

We Can Hear You Loud & Clear

“In many and various ways God spoke to people of old by the prophets, but in these last days God has spoken to us by his Son.” The cross of Jesus Christ is God’s megaphone. Through Jesus crucified and raised God does his loudest, clearest form of speaking.

And what a joy it is when we open up our ears and look Jesus speaking from the cross and from the empty tomb and say back to God: “Yes God, we can hear you. Boy, can we hear you. Yes, we can hear you. Loud and clear.”

© 2009 Pastor Paul Jaster

Time after Pentecost (Lectionary 26)
September 27, 2009
Anoint the Sick
James 3:13-20

Step by Step, Prayer by Prayer

Back in 1996 my wife, Laurie, was diagnosed with cancer.

“I have good news and bad news,” the doctor said. “It is a slow-growing cancer. Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. We can knock it back. We can slow it down. But we cannot cure it. You will probably have a relapse within the next couple of years. And then, we will knock it back again.”

But, here it is 13 years later. And (“Alleluia! Thank you, Jesus!”) there is no sign of it. No sign of it at all. As far as the doctors are concerned, the cancer is gone. Completely gone. And they have no explanation for it.

Ask me and I will tell you that Laurie was in such excellent physical shape that the doctors could be extra aggressive with her. They doubled up on some treatments they would not have done to someone who was older or weaker.

But ask Laurie … and she will tell you it was the prayers. All the prayers offered on her behalf by so many of the faithful. In fact, there is a little card that someone sent her. And it’s message became her motto and her mantra that she said to herself everyday. She put it above the kitchen sink. And that card is still there.

And that card said, “Step by step, prayer by prayer, the Lord will always get you there.”

Service of Healing

Lutherans have always valued the power of prayer. In fact, I would dare to say that a very tender and important moment happens in worship every week when we lift up by name those who are near and dear to us who are in need of healing during the “Prayers of the Faithful.”

We bang the doors of heaven on behalf of those who are near and dear to us. And many of those very people report back to me that they can tell for sure that those prayers are heard.

But one nice addition to our new red book of worship, the ELW—Evangelical Lutheran Worship—is that it now includes a “Service of Healing” which is intended to be used within a moment of corporate worship. Say, a service of Holy Communion.

This Service of Healing picks up on what James says in our first reading for today:

“Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.”

What this is NOT

Let me say some things about what this service is NOT. This service is not an act of magic. Just because you come forward and have someone lay your hands on you and anoint you with oil doesn’t mean that all your health issues will immediately go away. Sometimes prayer does result in physical healing and sometimes it doesn’t.

And just because it doesn’t, doesn’t mean that God does not love you. Or that you are bad. Or, that your faith is not good or strong enough. Saint Paul himself had a painful “thorn in the flesh” that he prayed again and again for God to remove, but God never did. Instead he got the answer, “My grace is sufficient for you.” Sometimes God has another cure than the one we have in mind.

And this service is not what the Roman Catholics used to call “Extreme Unction” or “Last Rites,” the anointing of people who are so sick that they are about to die.

When I started out in ministry, the only hospital in town was a Roman Catholic one and so most people from the church that I served went there.

And the staff and the Roman Catholic patients would shutter as I walked into the door. Here was the priest, they thought, coming to administer “Last Rites.” Back in those days, the only time a priest would come into a hospital was to administer “Last Rites.” To see a priest in hospital meant someone was going to die.

That no longer is Roman practice. Nor has it ever been ours. The expectation of this anointing is that a person will be healed.

Jesus Heals

In his ministry Jesus performed many acts of healing. He forgave sins. Those sins that can make our heads ache and our stomach churn. A lot of physical ailments can be traced to that guilty conscience that is still bugging us.

And Jesus cast out demons—those bad and evil spirits that can deflate us and oppress us. And Jesus cured physical illnesses of every kind. And Jesus raised the dead. A kind of healing, wasn’t it, of the greatest illness of them all.

And in his healing, Jesus used many different methods, such as lifting his hands and eyes and praying to the God who was his Father. And laying his hands on people—even the lepers—and touching the affected part. Or, speaking a healing word from a great distance even though he could not be there in person.

An Extension of that Same Ministry

This Service of Healing is an extension of that ministry of Jesus. That very same ministry. The laying on of hands, the prayers of the faithful, the anointing with oil are all signs that Jesus is the source of power for any healing that is affected. And that the prayers of the faithful are effective and powerful.

And that those who have committed sins are forgiven—personally, fully and completely. They were all forgiven the day that Jesus died. And that Jesus will heal all who are sick one way or another. Either by a healing now or (as Jesus did for my father) in a life to come.

And so, after the Hymn of the Day, we will switch over to the Service of Healing on page 276 in the ELW and we invite those of you who wish to come forward.

Those who are cheerful – They shall sing.

For a final word, I remind you of Laurie’s little mantra: “Step by step, prayer by prayer, the Lord will always get you there.”

© Pastor Paul Jaster

Time after Pentecost (Lectionary 25)
September 20, 2009
Show a Good Life
James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a

Why do we Fight?

Last Sunday I asked the Adult Bible Class, “What do you want to talk about this year?”

And immediately a hand shot up. And a person said, “Maybe this is showing my ignorance, but I would like to know more about Muslims, Christians and Jews. We all come from Abraham, don’t we? Then why are we fighting one another in the name of God?”

And I empathize with that remark. It doesn’t make much sense, does it, that people with the same God and people who come from the same human family should end up fighting with each other to the point of murder.

Maybe that happens in the world of politics. Or among the mobs and mafias. But it certainly should not happen in the church of Jesus Christ.

Violent Zeal in the Church

We are in the book of James this day. The James who most likely was not a disciple of Jesus, one of the twelve (as in “James and John the son of Zebedee”), but who rather was a brother of Jesus (a biological brother) who later became THE leader in the church of Jerusalem, the number one leader.

And if this is the case, then that puts James smack dab in the very middle of those tumultuous years in Jerusalem right before the Jewish revolt in 70 A.D. In other words, there were different Jewish factions who were fighting with each other over how to rid themselves of their Roman overlords.

And among them were a bunch of Zealots. Pious people who were so “zealous” for the Law of Moses that they were willing to use force if necessary to drive the Romans out and use the sword and daggers to kill other Jews if they aided and abetted Romans—like a zealous priest named Phinehas did back in the days of Moses.

Or like Judas Maccabeus did 160 years before Jesus. Judas Maccabeus. Now there’s a name for you. Judas “the hammer.” That’s what Maccabeus means. “The hammer.” What a title for a priest! It sounds more like a name for a World Wide Wrestler. Those were their role models: Phinehas and Judas Maccabeus.

And quite possibly this “zealous” attitude spilled over into the church. That there were conflicts and disputes among Christians (including disputes over how to get rid of Roman overlords) that led to violence and bloodshed.

A Sign of a Sick Heart

And so, James had to lay down the law. “These conflicts and disputes among you,” he says, “where do they come from? They come from the bitter envy and the selfish ambition in your hearts. You want something. And you do not have it. So you commit murder to get it.”

And that pretty well sums it up, now doesn’t it? All the violence we see around the world today. You want something. And you do not have it. And so you hurt someone else to get it.

Maybe that’s the way Serena thinks she can win in Wimbledon when her own foot gets in the way. Or maybe that’s the way the radical right think that they can win the pro-life debate. Let’s see. Let’s stop abortion by killing the abortion doctors. That makes a lot of sense, now doesn’t it? For a pro-lifer to stop abortions by killing a doctor.

That happened in a Lutheran congregation back in May, you might remember. Dr. George Tiller was shot and killed on a Sunday while he was ushering at Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita, Kansas, one of our congregations.

Maybe that is an earthly wisdom, unspiritual and devilish. But it is certainly not God’s wisdom. That is not God’s way. “God’s judgment is merciless to those who show no mercy.” That’s what we heard James say two weeks ago in chapter one.

God’s Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment

And yet, in the very next breath we heard Saint James say, “God’s mercy triumphs over judgment.” God sent his son to die upon the cross to endure God’s own merciless judgment on those who show no mercy.

And in the very process God holds before our eyes another model. Not the “Zealot model” of a Phinehas or a Judas Maccabeus or a Serena or a Joe Wilson, but rather the “cruciformed model” of the Christ, who is everything that we are not. Saint James’s sevenfold list. Saint James “perfect” sevenfold list: “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.”

Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace. It’s like the seeds are harvested from his death and resurrection. And by the Holy Spirit those same seeds—the things that Jesus are—are planted in us. And God is “jealous.” God is “zealous” for us to have the Spirit of Christ to dwell in us.

God Effects a Change of Heart

And so God calls us to repentance and to a total change of heart. “Submit yourself to the Lord. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God. Humble yourself before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”

Peace in this world of ours does not come as the result of fighting and killing. Killing did not free anyone from Roman rule. The Jewish people quickly discovered that in 70 A.D. Their killing only led to their own misery and defeat.

Rather peace comes from above…from God…and it is given as a special promise to those who surrender to God’s wisdom from above.

To welcome such a God is to be both humbled and exalted. It humbles us because it gives us no coercive power over others. And yet, it exalts us. Because it gives us no need to put down anybody else, but rather causes us to glory in Christ’s rule.

Peace for the Polarized

We live in a polarized world where people are getting pushed farther and farther apart. Just think of the difference it would make, if rather than the shouting, the fighting and arguing, the bitter and frustrating competition, there was a community of people who dared to take the risk of making peace.

And practiced kindness. And was open-minded to opinions different than their own, showing mercy. And did not claw over others for their own advantage. Or discriminate. Or hide in hypocrisy. Wouldn’t that be “good news” for the world?

This is the “good life.” This is the “good life,” Saint James says. Done with gentleness. Born of wisdom. A wisdom that can only come from God.

© 2009 Pastor Paul jastter

Time after Pentecost (Lectionary 24)
September 13, 2009
Watch Your Language
James 3:1-12

Old Joe Sittler

In Lutheran circles there is a man by the name of Joe Sittler.

He is a legend. A sainted legend. Every Lutheran pastor knows of him. He was the wisest of the wise. A teacher. A theologian. Seminary prof. Prophet.  And poet. All rolled up into one.

He said in a few punchy words what it took others entire books to say. And he always said it first. He was always ahead of his time.

Or, as he himself once put it, he “popped a few corks of the stuff on which others got high.”

And once Joe Sittler was asked what advice would he give to change and reform the church. And he shot back with just three words—just three words: “Watch your language.” [Context, December 2005, Part A]

Joe knew the power of words to heal, especially that gospel word of Jesus Christ.

And Joe also knew the power of words to hurt—the painful stabs of gripes and gossip, criticism, vulgar abusive language, or even the unvarnished, untempered truth.

And so, his wisdom to Christian folk like you and me is “Watch your language.”

The Tongue is a Restless Evil

And now we hear the very same from James 3 today. “Watch your language!”

The human tongue can be an instrument of tremendous good. Just watch a mom or a dad soothing an upset child.

And yet, the human tongue can also be “a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” And like a bridle on a horse or a rudder on a ship, it has an influence far, far greater than its size.

The children of our parish. The ones who now this fall return to school. I bet you this. I bet their knees will get scraped and their fingers pinched, but their feelings will get hurt more often by “words” than by anything else. Children often say some very cruel things to one another.

And I bet you this as well. Look back across your own emotional scars and wounds. And I bet more of them were also inflicted by a cruel word than by anything else. I’m sure you’ve felt that snake bite, too. The tongue is “a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”

The Tongue Reflects a Divided Heart

And worse yet, an evil tongue not only “inflicts” damage on the outside but it also “reflects” damage on the inside. It reflects a divided heart. A heart that does not belong solely to God.

“It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person,” Jesus said. “It is what comes out of a mouth that defiles a person. For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come.”

And how can we do it? How can we with our tongue bless God as the source of every good, as we do each week in worship. And yet, with the same tongue also curse another human being, the one who’s done us wrong, even though that person is also made in the likeness of God, just like we are. It makes no sense at all.

And worst of all, we are held accountable by God for the evil words we speak. Especially teachers. “Not many of you should be teachers,” Saint James says, “for you know that we who teach will be judged with a greater strictness.” What a thing to say on the very day that we bless and commission teachers!!!

And Saint James has us nailed, now doesn’t he? “No one can tame the tongue,” he says. No one! No one at all. And yet, God holds us all into account for the way we speak to others. And that’s the awful bind we are in.

We are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves. An evil tongue lights a blaze of judgment that like a California wildfire goes beyond our power to control. And ultimately it leads us to the fire of hell. That’s how sharply Saint James puts it.

But God Has the Final Say

But praise God, there is a way out. Our tongue…our language may get us into trouble just like Saint James says. But, we don’t have the final say. We don’t have the last word. God and Jesus do. They have the last word. Our Lord and Father.

And through the mouth and ministry of Jesus. Through his “body” language. His cross, his death and resurrection. God has spoken a “new word” that declares that all our errant ways are forgiven, including sins of tongue, as disproportionate as they may be.

And that the sinful stain of our salty language is washed away by our baptism into the sweet water of God’s grace. And that our fiery, poisonous words have their antidote in the death and resurrection of Christ.

Our Future is Made New

Our future is made new, because God says so. God says so loudly on the cross. And Jesus gives us something important to say—the Gospel Word. A message that says that through the loving act of Jesus our hearts are changed.

And so, we “watch our language.” We very closely “watch our language.”

We use our words, our precious words, not to curse, swear, lie or deceive. But rather to call upon God in every trouble and to pray, praise and give thanks.

And we pay close attention to what we say about or to others so that we do not hurt or harm our neighbor in any way. Or damage their reputations. But rather defend them, speak well of them and to put the best construction on everything.

And most of all, we tell the story of Jesus. The Gospel Word. That word from God that drives all evil out and enable us to use our tongues for the very purpose of praise for which they were intended. To be a blessing and not a curse.

Words have the Power to Help, Heal & Cure

Words have the power to hurt, to wound, to kill. We all know that. The human tongue has a power to inflict damage well, well beyond its size.

But, that also means that the words have the power to help, to heal, and to cure. Especially when they give tongue to the saving and forgiving word of Jesus Christ.

So listen to old Joe. The wisest of the wise. Teacher. Prophet. Poet. “Watch your language!” And you will discover that he has popped yet another cork of the stuff on which others get high.

© 2009 Pastor Paul Jaster

Time after Pentecost (Lectionary 23)
September 6, 2009
Remember the Poor
James 2:1-17

An All Too Familiar Scene

Last Sunday we entered the bible book of James. James, that brother of Jesus who tells us to be “doers” of the word and not “hearers” only.

And what is the first thing that Saint James, the brother of Jesus, tells us to “do”? Why it is to “remember the poor,” of course. Throughout the entire book, “how we treat the poor” is a central theme.

Right after the opening words we heard last week, Saint James starts painting an all-too-familiar-scene in stark and vibrant colors. A rich person (with fine clothes and golden rings and a nice family) enters this assembly.

And suddenly we are fawning all over him. Ushering him to the best seat. Agreeing with everything he says. Inviting him to be a church member. The richer the better.

And if Bill Gates walks into this room, I want you to walk him right down front and be very nice to him. Boy, would I like to get a tithe of his income.

But let a poor person come in (with dirty clothes and a bit of B.O). And immediately our eyes turn away in our disgust. And we hope that that one does not come to sit down next to me. And we hope he goes away as soon as possible.

Neglect of the Poor Contradicts the Gospel

“My dear brothers and sisters,” Saint James says, “with your acts of favoritism do you BELIEVE…do you really BELIEVE…in our GLORIOUS Lord Jesus Christ?

And do you see what James just did with that little question? He upped the ante for us Christians. Social snobbery, cold prejudice and disrespect for the poor not only runs up against the very character of God (“Who shows no partiality”) and is a sin against God’s greatest commandment (the “royal law,” Saint James calls it) “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

That would be bad enough. That we have broken the greatest of God’s commandments. And you break that one and you break them all!

But even more than that, social snobbery and neglect of the poor is a contradiction of the gospel and reveals a total lack of faith in Jesus Christ.

Oh maybe we “think” we’ve heard and believe in the gospel. Maybe we “think” we are so religious and have Jesus in our hearts. But if we fail to see the face of Jesus in the poor and act on it, then we fail to see the glorious Lord himself who threw off his golden rings and robes of majesty to identify with the least, last, the little and the lost.

Faith Without Deeds is Dead

Preferential treatment of the rich, the growing gap between the rich and poor, is not just a “social” issue. It is a “faith” issue.

It reveals a divided heart. A heart that tries to serve two masters—God and money. God and mammon. It means we are “poor believers.”

A faith without deeds is a “dead” faith, Saint James says. Dead. Dead. Dead. It is not a “saving faith,” that one particular faith in Christ that saves. A faith without deeds is no more a living faith than is a dead body without breath is a living body.

And that puts us all in jeopardy when God comes again on a day of judgment to settle scores. God’s judgment is “merciless” to those who show no mercy.

How can anyone state the law’s threat and accusation any plainer? God’s judgment is “merciless” to those who show no mercy. That is the “bad news.”

God’s Mercy Triumphs over Judgment

But then we hear the “good news.” God’s mercy triumphs over judgment.

There is hope and mercy even for persistently “poor believers” like you and me. And sometimes, the better off we are, the worse we are at believing. Because we think that our financial stability is the result of our accomplishments and achievements.

Sometimes those of us who are well-to-do and middle class are “poorer” than those who are poor monetarily because we have a “poverty of Spirit,” which is the deadliest poverty of them all.

But there is a Jesus Christ, a “GLORIOUS Lord,” Saint James calls him. [The only time this adjective is used of Jesus in the entire bible]. Who climbs down from his royal throne of splendor in order to be nailed upon a shameful cross to take God’s judgment on our lack of mercy upon himself to show that God’s mercy triumphs over judgment. Even for us “poor believers.”

And if we will not see Jesus in the poor, then maybe we will see the poor in Jesus. In other words, we will look at Jesus and his love for the poor, including all religious types who have that “poverty of Spirit.” And our hearts will be changed by the gift of faith and the sending of his Holy life-giving, love-giving Spirit.

Jesus does for us what no “royal law” could do by itself alone. For by themselves, commands condemns us.

But Jesus changes that situation. He gifts us with a living faith that takes away our fear of being “left out” in the end. And sets us free from our social snobbery and prejudices, which oppress us just as much as they oppress others. And gives us the power to be instruments of God’s compassion to the world.

God’s Work. Our Hands.

Last week, I told you that the new tag line for the ELCA is “God’s work. Our hands.” And that many congregations like this one have put together one-minute videos that show this theme at work. I’ve put links to several on our web site. Or, if you want to see them all go to godsworkourhands.org (all one word—isn’t that theologically appropriate—all one word).

Look at them and you will be amazed and inspired. And you will see God’s work through many different hands, in many different places.

Hospitality for all, including the poor. The church of Christ speaking out for the voiceless and those who have no standing in the court of public opinion. Care for orphans and widows. Fair wages. Tangible hands-on help for the “needy neighbor,” which in the vocabulary of faith means any person in distress.

And oddly enough, Bill Gates is coming to us. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the UN have approached Methodists and Lutherans to be their agents on the ground in their attempt to eradiate malaria from Africa, because we have a track record of delivering the goods where they are needed rather than getting them into the hands of the war lords.

Do This One You Keep Them All

Helping and serving one’s neighbor is tantamount to doing all that the law demands. You do this one and you keep them all. For to anyone who lives in Christ, serving one’s neighbor is the richest form of freedom & it is the fulfillment of what God ultimately desires.

Listen to Saint James and be a doer of the word and not a hearer only. For those who hear AND act are blessed. Yes, they are so blessed. They are blessed in their doing.

© 2009 Pastor Paul Jaster