Sermon 23rd December 2018 - Year C - 4th Sunday in Advent - Text: Luke 1:39-45 - Joy in Jesus' presence

Text: Luke 1: In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord."

As Christmas draws near children begin to get very excited.

They started the countdown a while ago perhaps using an Advent Calendar to help them count down the days.

As the “how many sleeps to go” gets into single digits each day gets more and more exciting as Christmas day and Jesus’ birth draws near.

This is what we see happening in our Gospel reading today as Jesus draws near to John the Baptist.

Even though neither Jesus or John have yet been born the excitement cannot be contained.

Elizabeth asks: Why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy.

There is a joy that only the presence of Jesus can bring.

And this is not just speaking about Christmas but in all life.

As St Paul said last week – rejoice in the Lord always – the Lord is near.

When going through times of difficulties and uncertainty there is an amazing peace that comes to us when  we spend time with Jesus;

When we take time to pray.

When we pick up our bibles and read a passage that seems to have been written just for us.

When we hold out our hand and receive Jesus body and blood.

And there is a comfort also that only Jesus’ nearness can bring when facing a chronic situation such as an impending death or incurable sickness knowing that the time draws near when we, or a loved one, will be free from the suffering and be with Jesus in heaven.

Nothing else can bring that peace as, again St Paul said last week, the peace of God that surpasses ALL understanding will guard and watch over your hearts and minds.

Amidst all that, however, we’re living in a world that has a seemingly growing distance from God.

The growing tensions in the world through political turmoil – and you only need to look at some of our close neighbours like Britain and America to see those political tensions.

The tensions in the world through terrorism, and again in recent times in Paris.

Or the tensions of warfare and other forms of fighting such as in Yemen and the Middle East.

And then there is the growing immorality of the world and we don’t need to look beyond our own borders to see the violence, crime, drugs and sex to see that our world seems to be drifting further and further away from God rather than drawing nearer.

And there is the growing decline of respect for the church and anything to do with God with the attack on religious freedoms.

Like Jesus at his crucifixion I’m sure you’ve cried out very similar – my God, my God, why have you forsaken me.

Jesus was quoting Psalm 22 which continues: Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,     by night, but I find no rest.

As we read again today’s gospel reading we are reminded that as the world removes itself further and further away from God, God does not remove himself from us.

It was Mary and Jesus who went to see Elizabeth and John whereby Elizabeth is amazed that she should be so honoured.

And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?

Just as John the Baptist would later ask too when Jesus comes to him to be baptised:

You come to me? It is I who should be baptised by you.

And so we understand that it is always God who is moving towards us, even as we move away from him.

Maybe we’d be surprised to know that despite how the world has treated Jesus God continues to love us and be with us.

After all, that is what he promised, both at his birth when the angel said: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

And also Jesus as he ascends to heaven and promises the disciples “I am with you always till the end of the age.

This is why we rejoice at Christmas because it is God coming to us and expressing just how much he loves us as he loved the world so much that he sent his one and only Son to us.

And even though there was nothing to love about us it was while we were yet sinners that Christ came and died for us.

So we can be assured that there is nothing that we can do that will remove God and his love from us.

And this is now what God sends us to do.

To go into the world and love the unlovable.

To be the love of God to others even in those times when others would walk away.

Love bears qualities that the world doesn’t understand.

Christian love begins where worldly love ends.

It is characterised as St Paul says in 1 Corinthians:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

It is disheartening at times as we see the growing secularisation of our world.

But we are thankful that God never gives up.

He weeps with us as Jesus did when he saw his own people distancing themselves from God:

"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.

Christmas reminds us that God is not “up there” but here with us.

Christmas reminds us that in the midst of the darkness of our world God sent his Son to be the light of the world.

We live in a sinful world but let us remember that he would be called Jesus because he would save God’s people from their sin.

And that God did not send his son to condemn the world but to save the world through him.

And that is our mission – that is God’s mission.

To bring Jesus into the hearts of people and to be Jesus in the hearts of people by loving our neighbour as ourselves.

To many Christmas can be a difficult time as it highlights their hurts, their grief, their poverty, their loneliness.

And we can be Jesus to them as he says as much as you do to one of the least of these you do it unto me.

A blessed Christmas to you all as you take baby Jesus again into the world.

Sermon 16th December 2018 - Year C - 3rd Sunday in Advent - Text: Luke 3:7-18 – Preparing by repenting

Sermon 16^th December 2018 – Advent 3

Text: Luke 3:7-18 – Preparing by repenting

Nine days to Christmas.

No doubt like everyone else you are madly getting ready for your Christmas celebrations.

It’s such a magic time of the year.

The choir of angels, Christmas trees, tinsel, carols, and all the things associated with Christmas as we wait for Jesus to arrive.

But the scene set by John as the people are waiting for Jesus to arrive is much different to the shine and glitter we see in our churches and shopping centres.

Today we welcome John the Baptist, dirty from the dusty desert, with his camel hair coat, eating locusts and wild honey.

He doesn’t come with a message of joy and celebration but greets the people with - "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

We don’t have the joy and goodwill as the people wait for their long awaited saviour.

We have John the Baptist’s preaching condemnation of sin, calling for repentance in preparing for the coming of the Messiah that God had promised.

He tells the people to bear fruits worthy of repentance.

Is that really what we see as the Christmas Spirit?

John was called by God to prepare the way for Jesus and that is exactly what he is doing as he fulfils what Jesus came for.

Both John the Baptist and Jesus were born for a purpose.

John, to prepare the way for Jesus.

In regards to Jesus, the angel said to Joseph that Mary will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.

So many believe talking about sin at Christmas time in inappropriate.

Sometimes we can forget that Christmas has a purpose and that purpose was to reconcile our broken relationship with God.

I love the Christmas celebrations and all the trimmings as much as anyone but I never want to forget that Jesus’ birth means that my life has been set right with God.

In order to understand that we need to remember what it is that caused that breakdown in our relationship with God which was our sin.

This is not the message that we tend to hear at Christmas.

How many Christmas cards have you received that have John the Baptist as the central figure?

He is the total opposite of the imagery of Father Christmas.- jolly, joyful, nicely dressed in his red suit calling out “Ho Ho Ho” – all the while the true message of Christmas being “Hope Hope Hope”

We see decorations around the shopping centres that have messages like Paul spoke today – Rejoice.

The difference is that Paul told us what to rejoice in – Rejoice in the Lord.

And how many decorations share John’s call to ‘repent’?

Even our Advent Candles miss that with Hope Peace Joy and Love’

When was the last time you greeted someone with the Christmas greeting of “you brood of vipers”.

I'm sure you would be quite shocked with a greeting like that.

We can’t even say – Merry Christmas for fear of offending someone.

John the Baptist seems so out of place as we get caught up singing carols about the baby in the manger, the joy of the shepherds, the visit of the Wisemen, the excitement of giving and receiving gifts, having relatives and friends over for Christmas,

And yet John the Baptist appears in all 4 gospels to introduce Jesus and that suggests that there is no Christmas joy without John’s harsh message of repentance coming first.

And that’s because John the Baptist tells us that we so desperately need God.

"Repent!" says John the Baptist.

It’s not a cheery message that we might expect at this time of celebration.

No one likes to be reminded that they are sinners and yet that is the message of Christmas as John calls us to repent.

It might sound like doom and gloom that makes John seem more like the Grinch that stole Christmas than a person preparing us for Jesus’ birth.

But there is so much joy that Christmas brings that John wants us to truly understand and prepare for what that joy is all about.

Otherwise Christmas will be something that lasts for a few days and then we pack everything away and get back to the daily grind and Christmas if forgotten.

Advent is a time of preparation to welcome Jesus Christ.

And having John the Baptist as the central figure of Advent reminds us that our own Baptism is how we are to prepare to welcome Jesus Christ into our lives.

What we wait for during Advent is the forgiving grace of God in Jesus Christ.

But how can we receive forgiving grace without sin – and how can sin prepare for grace without repentance.

That’s the good news – despite the harsh message that John preaches.

That the baby born in Bethlehem is our Lord and Saviour who died for our forgiveness.

There is no greater Christmas gift.

And the good news for us is that even though our sin caused our separation from God, our baptism by God has made us right in the sight of God.

There is nothing we have to do – there is nothing we can do – God has done it all by preparing our lives through our Baptism..

That’s why John says to the people - Do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'

Because that’s not going to do anything.

But that’s how the people tried to fix their relationship with God –

I’m not a bad person;

There are worse people than me.

Nobody’s perfect;

I haven’t murdered anyone.

But John is saying that’s not how it goes.

God has prepared the way through our baptism to welcome Jesus Christ into our lives.

God wants us to celebrate the birth of Jesus – just as he sent the choir of angels to sing to the shepherds at his birth.

But what are we celebrating if we are not celebrating Jesus Christ saving us from our sins.

Just as John confronted the people of Israel with their sinfulness on the banks of the Jordan, God confronts us today.

As we take a close look at our lives we can see that we have failed to bear the good fruit that God demands – the fruits of love, joy, peace, patience kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

We have failed to keep the Great Commandment – Love God with all your heart – love your neighbour as yourself.

We need to hear again the call to repentance each day as Luther said when explaining Baptism – each day we are to drown the Old Adam in the waters of our baptism through repentance so a new self arises.

There is no greater time of joy, peace and love than celebrating the birth of baby Jesus in the manger.

This infant son of God throws up romantic pictures when we see the images on Christmas cards but we must remember that his true purpose is that he saves us from the punishment we deserve - he died on a cross for our forgiveness.

Mary will call him Jesus because he will save us from our sins.

But to see who that child is and the value he has for us, we must hear what John the Baptist has to say.

Let us listen carefully to John the Baptist and his call to repent.

Let us look at our lives and confess to the way we have treated others unjustly and unfairly, the times we have gone away from God,

When we’ve found worship and prayer too hard to fit into our busy lives,

The pride that puts us above others,

Our insensitivity to the hurts around us,

It’s not easy to face up to our failings.

But repentance means exactly that.

It means confessing our sins and handing them over to God to heal, restore, forgive, and make a fresh start.

Repentance is an act of faith, an act of surrender to God who wants all people to be saved which is why he sent Jesus because he would save us from our sins.

At this time of the year when the world is working so hard to be happy and merry, let us find true joy as we rejoice in the Lord always.

Christmas is not rejoicing just one day – it’s rejoicing in the Lord always.

Repentance is letting go of our sin and letting God fill us with his peace.

Let us see Christmas as the gift God has given us in the manger in Bethlehem and on the cross of Calvary.

It is the gift that keeps on giving not just on December 25th.

Let us rejoice in the Lord always because the Lord is near.

Let us not worry about anything, and let the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Sermon 9th December 2018 - Year C - 2nd Sunday in Advent - Text Luke 3:1-6 - Repenting preparedness

Sermon 9^th December 2018

Text: Luke 3:1-6 – Repenting preparedness

When preparing for an interview a couple questions you know you’re going to get are – what are your strengths – what are your weaknesses.

If you’re like most people you have no problem with the first question.

We are pretty good at looking at our lives and the things we’re good at.

In fact many are probably now getting their Christmas letters ready to tell all their friends and relatives about all the great things that have happened this year and all the great things they and their children have been up to.

But it’s the 2nd part that we’re not that good at.

We’re not that good at admitting our weaknesses.

In fact sometimes we’re not even comfortable calling them our “weaknesses” and will refer to them as our “work areas”.

Maybe it’s our human nature that doesn’t like to think of where we are deficient.

Like a boxer looking for that opening in his opponent’s defence to strike that blow, maybe we are worried about losing that reputation or character that we have that everyone admires that we have been protecting.

Are we afraid that people will think less of us if they really knew that we are not that perfect?

Imperfections or weaknesses, whatever you want to call them, make us feel uncomfortable.

We don’t like to discuss them with each other.

Husbands and wives don’t like to hear that their relationship is not that perfect and often refuse counselling because it is an admission that things aren’t right.

John the Baptist’s message today was also a hard message for the people to hear.

He came preaching a message of repentance.

Repentance is an acknowledgement that things are not perfect in our lives before God.

And even though we know that God forgives sins, sometimes it’s hard to confess our sins.

We like to either ignore them – make excuses for them – justify them – compare them to worse things that other people are doing.

We are much more comfortable confessing our sins in a group situation, as we did this morning by confessing our sins along with everyone else.

We use the same words and feel some safety among numbers – we’re all in the same boat together.

But don’t ask me to do private confession – that’s not the Lutheran thing to do – or is it just too painful to hear our own failings.

Think of Adam and Eve.

Instead of repenting their own failure they pointed the finger:

Adam blamed Eve and God – the woman YOU gave me.

Eve blamed the snake – he tricked me!

Likewise Judas was unable to face up to his betrayal of Jesus and took his own life. (Matthew 27:1-5)

St Peter couldn’t bear the pain of having Jesus seeing his failures when Jesus called him to be one of his disciples - “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”  (Luke 5:8).

John comes today to remind us of our own failings before God – to confront us – to afflict us – to discomfort us.

But this is good!

This is the whole reason that we celebrate Christmas.

The bible reminds us that it was while we were yet sinners that God sent Jesus into the world for us (Romans 5:8).

Repentance is to help us to reflect on our lives and see we are going the wrong way – not to bring us down but to rebuild our lives by turning back to God.

The message of John is not to make us feel unworthy in any way but to give us hope.

The purpose of John’s message was not to highlight our deficiencies but to prepare our lives to receive the love of God in all its fullness.

John did that through Baptism.

When we are baptised it is there for 2 services.

First to remove the sin that we are born with because of our humanity.

It is an acknowledgment that our lives are not perfect from the beginning as Psalm 51 reminds us:

Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. (Psalm 51:5).

The 2nd service it provides is as something we can continually go back to.

When we are weighed down by guilt – when we have doubts about our relationship with God – when we feel as if we have little or no worth – we remind ourselves that “I am a baptised child of God”.

And even if the whole world is against me – I know that God – the one to whom all the world will bow down to – loves me.

When the whole world tells me I am not good enough – my baptism reminds me that I am so valued by God that he sacrificed his own son just for me.

Repentance is not the fear of God.

Repentance is not conviction of sin.

Every day is a day of repentance.

Every day is a day of turning to God.

We can’t live in moral perfection, but we can live a continual personal relationship with God; whereby we continually repent of our sins and turn toward him every day.

God has not given up on us because of our failures and never will.

When we repent wonderful things happen:

God restores us to life, he restores us to spiritual health, he restores us to a relationship with him and with others, and he clears the air.

The greatest joy in life is to be forgiven and to walk in grace and mercy knowing that God loves and cares for you.

The Bible says that there is more joy in heaven over one sinner's repentance than over 99 people who have no need to repent. (Luke 15:7)

Repentance is a gift from God that we can use in everyday life.

Not just in our relationship with God but also with one another.

Husbands and wives can use repentance to strengthen their relationship.

Communities where people resort to road rage and violence when they are hurt can learn to repent and forgive.

Even God repents.

When God was going to destroy Nineveh because of their evil he saw how sorry they were for their wrongdoing and it says that: God saw that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do to them. (Jonah 3:10 KJV).

We live in a world that has forgotten how to forgive and be forgiven.

Let us show the world how to repent and be forgiven and then extend that same forgiveness to one another.

Let us be the messenger to prepare the way for Jesus to come into the lives of others so all will see the love of God in us and in them.

Sermon 2nd December 2018 - Year C - First Sunday in Advent - Text Luke 21:25-36 – True Hope

Sermon 2^nd December 2018 – First Sunday in Advent – (HOPE)

Text: Luke 21:25-36 – True Hope

Hope is a funny word.

It’s one of those words that depending on the context it could mean the opposite of what was intended.

Like the VCE student who “hopes” to get a good result in their exams – there is a degree of uncertainty not knowing what the result is going to be.

Or the person who lives in hope of winning the lottery one day – a day that may, or most likely will never come.

On the other hand we speak of the Christian hope of which there is absolute certainty of what we are hoping for.

As St Paul says – hope does not disappoint us.

The first Sunday of Advent always has a sense of fear about terrible things that are predicted for the future.

It speaks of: People will faint from fear of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 

But the purpose of Advent is not to frighten you or make you worry but to bring you hope.

Jesus is alerting us that things will happen that will cause people to fear.

Even if you’re not a Christian you know that things in the world are not getting better.

Violence, crime, wars, global warming.

All these are signs that the world is in disarray.

Advent is about bringing hope in the midst of our fears;

And we need hope more than ever.

Because horrible things run non-stop through our news feeds creating fear.

Advent reminds us to keep focused on heavenly things that will last forever and not earthly things that will pass away.

The signs of disarray are a reminder that the world is not well.

But the disarray has a purpose to keep us putting our faith in God.

But if we focus on the terrible things without hope we can, as Jesus says, faint from fear.

Suffering has a hidden blessing.

Suffering is an indication that something is not right.

When you get a tooth ache it’s a message to you to go to the dentist and fix the problem.

If there was no pain you wouldn’t be aware that there was something wrong and more damage could occur.

So too the suffering in the world is a message from God to come to him for hope because there is something wrong with our world – we call it sin.

Jesus says: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near.

We cannot ignore the things happening around us.

And even if life for a period of time is going okay something can happen to change all that.

And it’s when those problems happen that we feel helpless.

We begin to see what’s wrong with life and the world, what’s not right with our family and what’s not happening in the church. 

All we see are the negatives and we respond with despair and hopelessness that things have become so bad. 

Instead of dropping our heads with sorrow and defeat Jesus says - stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

Without hope people look for ways to escape through things that don’t provide any lasting comfort at all.

Jesus says be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life.

I actually had no idea what the word “dissipation” meant but it means - overindulgence in sensual pleasures;

And as we look at our world today it explains a lot about how people, not just young people, escaping the worries of life through artificial means that don’t last and in fact sends them spiralling further downwards.

You see people partying, revelling, holidaying, seemingly without a worry in the world but inside are lonely and depressed.

If you’ve been watching the news you would have seen the revelling of young people away on schoolies.

And a new breed with them I saw – “moolies” mothers of schoolies who go along with them to, supposedly, look after them.

We feel the need to be in control of our life and to have our plans all worked out. 

But we all know that there are times when things get out of our control and we are overwhelmed.

It’s in those times when we don’t give up – we don’t drop our heads in disbelief or regret, but lift our heads high and we look to God to remember that Jesus has promised to return and take us to be with him in Paradise.

We call this the 2nd Advent when Jesus returns in glory.

This is our Christian hope! 

This is the confidence and certainty we have as Christians; that we have Jesus as our saviour. 

This is what enables us to deal with everything that causes us to panic and create fear in us. 

We have a saviour who loves us and will gather us together as his dear children. 

No eternal harm will come to us even though heaven and earth are passing away because we are part of the new heaven and new earth. 

We may face earthly harm at times, as did St Paul, and the other disciples – and also Jesus.

But Jesus shed his blood for us on the cross and paid the ultimate price for us. 

He has conquered all evil and death so that in our last hour on earth we can rest in peace and confidence – our hope is in Jesus who has done everything for us.

And yet in spite of the hope that we have in Jesus the text today also reminds us that until he comes he wants us to keep working for the Kingdom.

Jesus said in this time of waiting to be alert at all times, praying;

And Paul also in our 2nd reading instructs us how to live our lives until then:

May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another.

We fail often in our love. 

As individuals and as a congregation this is our constant challenge. 

To love others even more, even those with whom we have clashed;

Those who are unwilling to be loved;

How can we be the love of Christ to others?

This should be our constant prayer in these days before Christ returns – that we would continue to grow in love that knows no limits just as God has shown no limits in his love for us in Christ.

Only as we love others can we begin to understand that God loves us.

And in God’s love we are able to understand the hope we have in this life.

Our hope is not like worldly hope where many hope to win the lottery so they won’t have any money problems.

Because other problems will arise.

They will arise also for the Christian but as Christians we have hope that they are limited to this life only.

As children of God we have every reason to be filled with hope  because of Jesus our Saviour. 

When trouble and death come our way we will not be left feeling lost and alone  – Jesus is the resurrection and the life and he will lead us through all these things safely. 

And most importantly we will not be terrified when Christ returns and begins the Judgment because all our wrongs have been forgiven and forgotten by the grace of God in Jesus Christ. 

 “You will be free from all impurity and blame on the Day of Judgment”

And you will be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

 The return of Jesus is not something to fear unless you have rejected his offer of salvation. 

But as Christians, we can stand up and be confident because we know our redemption is drawing near.

We can and will live in hope;

We will not fear when Jesus will come in glory to judge the living and the dead because of his grace.

The Last Judgment will put things right.

And Jesus will say to you, as he said to the thief on the cross:

 “I forgive you. Welcome into paradise.”

So let us not be afraid.

Let us prepare to celebrate the birth of our Saviour who offers not fear but forgiveness.

Jesus, who offers not condemnation but life eternal.

Sermon 25th November 2018 - Year B Last Sunday of the Church Year - Text Revelation 1:4b-8 – A God who “is”

Sermon 25^th November 2018

Text: Revelation 1:4b-8 – A God who “is”

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

This is a very powerful statement by Jesus exercising his complete authority in the world.

And Jesus always speaks in such definitive words.

I am THE Alpha and THE Omega (the first and last letter of the Greek alphabet).

Just as he said in John’s Gospel:

I am THE way, I am THE truth, I am THE life.

Not A way, A truth, A life.

But as I’ve mentioned before, it’s getting real difficult for the church because we live in a generation where we have no right to claim any ultimate truth or authority – whereas Jesus speaks in exactly those terms.

Most are fairly comfortable with the first part of what Jesus claims:

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,”

People see the church as the place to begin their journey – the Alpha – having their child baptised – giving them a good start in life as I’ve often heard it referred to.

In fact my own Baptism was along those lines.

Having a Muslim father and a Lutheran/Christian mother, they discussed how their children should be brought up – to which my father commented that we would probably fit in better and have more opportunities as Christians.

And that’s the great thing about Baptism – it doesn’t matter what reason there is because it is God who is baptising.

People also see the church as the place to end –the Omega -seeking out a Christian funeral for their loved one to give them comfort and peace.

But it’s the 2nd part of what Jesus says that adds a third dimension with which people struggle:

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

So here we have the beginning and the end – the one who was and is to come – but what about “who is”?

That is a present dimension for Jesus presence in the world in much the same way God revealed his name to Moses and Israel as Yahweh – I AM.

Not I WAS or I WILL BE – I AM.

That is the part that our world struggles with and fails to recognise.

A God who is.

John’s Revelation describes what it means for us to be living under Jesus as our King here and now as we prepare for the future coming Kingdom of Heaven.

He says:

To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father,

There are 3 parts there:

First; To him who loves us.

We are loved by God.

How can we be an example to the world that we are loved by God?

Before his death Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment – love one another as I have loved you.

So to say that Jesus is our King means that we listen to him and what he commands.

The people are called to be loyal to their King.

And Jesus, our King, commands us to love – to love one another as he loves us.

To love doesn’t mean we have to like everyone – and I’m sure that there are people that you just find it so hard to like.

But to love means to see others as an extension of God – as they are created in God’s image.

So if we see a person in need we can’t ignore them just because we don’t like them.

The Good Samaritan may not have liked the Israelite that had been attacked but to ignore his needs as Jesus says – as much as you did not do it to the least of these you did not do it unto me.

We may think we have very good reason to not love someone but God had much more reason to not love us – We crucified God’s son.

But it was while we were yet sinners that Christ died for us – because God loved the world so much that he gave his ONE and ONLY son.

If there was more he could have given us he would have so how can we believe we have reason to not love someone?

The second part was: To him who has freed us from our sins by his blood.

As good Lutherans we know that we are Saved By Grace.

We have defended that – our forebears in Australia left home and livelihood to uphold that – Martin Luther put his life on the line to proclaim that.

But how often don’t we allow our sin to once again own us?

That’s not to say that sin is not a struggle – it’s a massively difficult struggle.

St Paul knew that struggle all too well:

For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.

But the answer to sin is not – “well I know God will forgive me so it’s going to be okay”.

That’s not what being saved by Grace means.

Not at all, as St Paul says in Romans 6:

Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?

And yet that’s often how we treat sin as something that’s easier to ask for forgiveness for than to confront and overcome.

But sin is serious – it’s not just a blip on the radar.

It took Jesus’ blood to free us!

Sin is what caused the fall at Creation;

In fact Jesus talks about knowing you’re doing something wrong – he says if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

To live with Christ as our king means to see sin for what it is – that it is what caused Jesus death and not just something to look sideways at.

Finally Jesus says:

To him who has made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father.

The focus word there is that we are priests – we are all priests.

In the Old Testament the priest stood between God and the world.

In the Old Testament the Levites, from whom the priests came, did not receive any land in Israel as an inheritance.

And the reason is because God said the Lord is their inheritance – a much more precious gift.

Do we realise, as Christians, what God has given us – an inheritance of eternal life.

He has given us access to himself through his Word;

He has given us access to himself through prayer.

He has given us access to himself through our Baptism and Holy Communion.

Do we really value them or have they just become an empty ritual?

Do we pray like it’s a privilege to speak with God and ask for his help for others or is it just another “thing” we have to do?

Do we read his word – a word where in some places around the world the bible is banned and smuggled in – sometimes just a couple pages at a time?

The priest had the huge responsibility to ensure the holy things of God were used to extend God’s grace into the world

In the Old Testament there is a story of a man named Uzzah – not a priest.

When the Ark of the Covenant – the Holy Seat of God - came to its resting place, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled and it was about to fall. The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God.

He was not allowed to touch it because he was not a priest.

But we are invited to extend our hands and receive the Holy Sacrament of Jesus’ body and blood.

Do we see the Holy Things of God with reverence or are they so common to us that we don’t realise what a gift God has given to us through Jesus.

To live with Christ as our King means to treat with reverence what God has given to us.

The world has lost its respect for God and anything to do with him – but we must never!

We are called to carry Christ’s Kingdom in the world even if we feel as if the world thinks we’re silly to believe in God in this day and age.

Jesus says he is returning and we will be vindicated and upheld by God himself on that day.

Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.

But not us – we won’t wail we will rejoice and be proud as Jesus says in Luke 21:

So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!"

Until then may the peace of God that surpasses our understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Sermon 18th November 2018 - Year B 26th Sunday after Pentecost - Text Text Hebrews 10:11-25 – The Day is approaching

Sermon 18^th November 2018 – 2^nd Last Sunday of the Church Year (26^th Sunday after Pentecost)

Text Hebrews 10:11-25 – The Day is approaching

The last census revealed what we all knew without the numbers being officially collected.

The numbers in church are declining.

We didn’t need to see what people responded in the census we just needed to look around us and see the numbers that used to be here just aren’t here anymore.

There are a variety of reasons.

Busyness – relevancy – disagreement with doctrines – failing to get anything out of coming to worship;

Or it could simply be people moving away or being called home by God.

Some that I’ve spoken to who have lapsed say things like:

I can find just as much inspiration by watching Songs of Praise or Mass for you at home on TV.

I can find God everywhere I go so why do I have to come to church?

What we need to be clear about is that this is not a new problem facing the church.

The book of Hebrews was written about 30 years after the death of Christ and therefore during the infancy of the church.

In that time we read in the book of Acts about thousands of conversions during the years after Jesus’ death and resurrection.

But here, just one generation on, we are already hearing of concerns about those drifting away from the church.

We often hear of warnings that the church is just one generation away from extinction because of people leaving but, as we see, God has different plans.

He has kept the church going for around 2000 years and promises that not even the gates of hell will overcome it.

That doesn’t mean the church hasn’t been without its challenges but its future existence is in God’s hands.

We don’t know who wrote this book but the author writes:

Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

So already, not long after huge conversions, we see there is a concern about the numbers dwindling away – people neglecting to meet together.

But what was the writer concerned about regarding people neglecting to meet together?

How to balance the budget?

How to pay off the loan for the extensions?

How to ensure we keep the congregation open so we don’t lose our pastor or have to join with another congregation?

No!

But that’s often what our motivation is in mission.

The writer is concerned with the Day approaching.

What Day?

It is the day that the Bible often refers to as the Day of Judgment;

A day that Jesus speaks about a separation of sheep and goats, wheat and weeds, good fish and bad fish – with the separation meaning some missing out on eternal salvation.

That is what our mission must be motivated by.

A mission that is at the heart of God who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

The day that Jesus warns about saying that people will be led astray and away from God.

Jesus, like the writer of Hebrews, is worried about the eternal future of the person rather than the earthly future of the institution.

In fact Jesus went outside of the institution of his day and drew people back to God – back to the Gospel when he ate with sinners and tax collectors – healed the Samaritan leper – forgave the adulterous woman – healed the Canaanite woman’s daughter – and a multitude of other examples.

Jesus wants his disciples to be aware that there will be influences to take them away from following him.

And he’s worried because the ones that are trying to lure them away don’t have their best interests at heart but try to mimic the comfort Jesus offers.

They might seem enticing but once trouble strikes they are nowhere to be found.

When Jesus speaks about himself being our Good Shepherd he also describes the character of the False Shepherd:

The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.

How many have put faith in their careers only to lose their job in times of downturn.

How many have put their faith in their superannuation or other investments to see them wiped out in a market crash.

In Jesus’ time it was the temptation to put their faith in the magnificent temple that had been built.

And as magnificent as those buildings looked, Jesus said that there was no security in them at all:

One of the disciples said to Jesus:

Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”

Jesus turned their faith in the human made temple to the true temple when he said: Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."

We hear people leave the church because it is no longer relevant to them;

If that’s the case then there is a problem with either the message or what they are hearing as it is always relevant.

The church’s message is the Gospel – that God welcomes us into his Kingdom.

If that’s not the message we are preaching or that is not being heard then there’s a problem because the world can offer much more than we can if that’s the case.

And that’s what the writer to the Hebrews says:

This is the covenant that I will make with them, says the Lord:  I will put my laws in their hearts,  and I will write them on their minds,”  “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” Therefore, my friends, we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus.

What Jesus is concerned about is that his disciples, including today’s church, are not led astray by a message that does not lead us to the comfort that Jesus brings by his forgiveness won on the cross.

And that’s what the writer to the Hebrews says too:

Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful.

What can we do to help others find this confession of hope?

The writer of Hebrews says: Encourage them.

Encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Our motivation for mission should always be so others can experience what we experience in a relationship with God.

An experience that can be mimicked by the world but cannot replace what God offers.

It might seem appealing to look at the large stones and large buildings but they will crumble in time whether it’s wars and rumors of wars, nation rising against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; or earthquakes in various places.

But God’s word is forever.

And it’s by God’s word that we have confidence to enter the Kingdom of Heaven;

A kingdom that was once shut by our sinfulness but now the curtain has been torn in two by the blood of Jesus Christ as God will remember our sins and our lawless deeds no more.

That’s what we and God wants everyone to experience which only a relationship with Jesus Christ can offer.

Yes God can be found in many places but only as we gather with our brothers and sisters in Christ can we encourage one another in our faith and have confidence that our sins are forgiven and entry into heaven assured.