Grace, Mercy, and
Peace be unto you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
Amen
..be
content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
So we can confidently say, “The
Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what
can man do to me?” Remember your leaders, those
who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life,
and imitate
their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday
and today and forever.
In the Name of Jesus
Let’s face it, we live in a changing world. Everything changes. Look at how far technology has come and how
big of a deal it was when cell phones came out, then when they got smaller, and
then you could send text messages, and then they added internet, and now you
can control the lights and temperature of your home while away on vacation
through your phone.
How about the landscape?
Now I am not talking about global warming, excuse me, global climate
change. Think about how much a city can
change, expand, in just a short amount of time.
Fields and pastures become apartment complexes, homes, and
businesses. Pretty soon the small town
you once knew, isn’t so small any more.
Wouldn’t it be nice if everything just stayed the same? If nothing changed, nothing moved, if
everything was just as we remembered it to be.
It’s crazy isn’t it?
Some of the things which give us the most pleasure in life, the things
we can’t live without, are the things that change the most. How many of us are tied to cell phones or
computers? How many of us are tied up
with physical things, earthly items that change, that rust, that decay, worse
yet, are taken away from us.
Why is that though?
Why do we consume ourselves with earthly materials? We are warned of this. Out Lord tells us And yet we can’t find enough space for our
“stuff”. We can’t find enough space,
enough time, for our “things”, our “hobbies” which in time turn into passions
and even into idols consuming all of our time, our energy, leaving nothing for
family or for God.
We shouldn’t be surprised by this. It’s a cycle of life, or so it would
seem. Be brought to God, worship him,
praise him, fall away, repeat cycle over and over and over. The root of the problem is that we are sinful
human beings. We would rather follow our
bellies than our souls. Paul writes forgetting
what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.
Only let us hold true to what we have attained. Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who
walk according to the example you have in us.
For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of
Christ. Their
end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.
The
sinfulness of human nature, the sinful desires of the flesh, the belly, has led
many away from the very God who loves them.
How many times did the Israelites receive proof of God’s presence, witness
miracles attesting to his love for them and yet they constantly and
consistently went after their own gods who did nothing for them.
The
same happens to us today. Our sinful
human nature longs after things which make us feel good. We like the tangible things. Things we can see, things we own, things we
can improve by ourselves. But do you
know what the common they are temporal, is manmade, can be taken away in an
instant. Why strive after something that
will disappear? Why strive after
something that moves around like the wind?
In
a world that constantly is changing, two things remain the same. The first is that we are my nature sinful and
unclean. The second is that we have a
God who loves us. Whose words to us
never waver. Whose love for us never
fades or grows weary. It doesn’t matter
if you heard of him in Moses times, Isaiah’s time, were a witness of the death
and resurrection of his son, or are just learning now. God is the same. Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today,
and forever. History cannot change. Jesus died, he rose, he ascended back into
heaven.
And
you know what is even better? Our faith
is not an earthly thing that rust or moth can destroy. Our faith is not something man can take away
from us. Perhaps this phrase fits as
persecution around the world and even around the country slowly rises. You can take the man out of the church but
you can’t take the church, the faith, God out of the man. Name me one man, one thing that can strip you
of your faith? That’s what Paul was
looking for when he asked the question, who
shall separate us from the love of God? What
was his answer? NOTHING! Nothing shall separate us from the love of
God in Christ Jesus Our Lord. Be content with what you have, for he has
said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
So we can confidently say, “The
Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what
can man do to me?”
What
is the worst thing that man can do to us really? How bad can it be? They could kill you? So what.
They could take your physical life?
Tell me this, what is better living an earthly life of peril or a heavenly
life of perfection? I tell you the latter
is far better. Why fear death when death
is the beginning of life? Why fear death
when you know that, by faith, you will see each other, your loved ones again.
Martin
Luther hits the nail on the head in his hymn A Mighty Fortress is Our God. He says “and take they our live, goods, fame, child
and wife, those these all be gone, our victory has been won, the kingdom ours
remaineth.” Even if we lost everything
in this life, even if we lost our very life, our breath, we would still be in
possession of the greatest gift. What
God has given us, rebirth in the waters of Holy Baptism, the faith of our
forefathers, even Abraham, Moses, and Noah, the forgiveness of our sins, and
the promise that he sees us in light of his Son, our Savior Jesus Christ.
What,
therefore do we need to fear? What a way
to live, not in fear but in faith of our changeless God. What beautiful words fill our Epistle
reading. be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
So we can confidently say, “The
Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what
can man do to me?” Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God.
Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Some
things change. A lot of things
change. Churches change. Their music styles, their message, what they
are about change. This church, this
triple parish, will NOT. We will be a
house of consistency. A house of
repetition stemming from the cross of Christ.
What could we do to make it more appealing than it already is. Why hide any part of it. This church is about our changeless God. About our Savior who is the same yesterday,
today, and forever. About the Holy Spirit
who teaches us and sustains us until the last day.
May
God by his grace stay with us and shelter us so that we who are wearied by the
changes and chances of this passing world, may be kept steadfast, immovable,
grounded in his Word and in his changeless peace until the second coming of Christ.
Amen
Soli Deo Gloria
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