Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be
blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a
crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the
world. It is by your holding fast to the word of life that I can boast
on the day of Christ that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. But
even if I am being poured out as a libation over the sacrifice and the
offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you -- and in
the same way you also must be glad and rejoice with me. ...
Finally, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord.
To write the same things to you is not troublesome to me, and for you it is a safeguard.
Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of those
who mutilate the flesh! For it is we who are the circumcision, who
worship in the Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and have no
confidence in the flesh -- even though I, too, have reason for
confidence in the flesh.
If you have questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, “Come to Jesus” @ http://bit.ly/JVhaLta
Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths. These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. Do not let anyone disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, dwelling on visions, puffed up without cause by a human way of thinking, and not holding fast to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God.
If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the universe, why do you live as if you still belonged to the world? Why do you submit to regulations, "Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch"? All these regulations refer to things that perish with use; they are simply human commands and teachings. These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self imposed piety, humility, and severe treatment of the body, but they are of no value in checking self indulgence.
If you have questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, “Come to Jesus” @ http://bit.ly/JVhaLta
And just then some people were carrying a paralyzed man lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven." Then some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming." But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Stand up and walk'? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins" -- he then said to the paralytic -- "Stand up, take your bed and go to your home." And he stood up and went to his home. When the crowds saw it, they were filled with awe, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to human beings.
If you have questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, “Come to Jesus” @ http://bit.ly/JVhaLta
Once Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute and went in to her. The Gazites were told, "Samson has come here." So they circled around and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate. They kept quiet all night, thinking, "Let us wait until the light of the morning; then we will kill him." But Samson lay only until midnight. Then at midnight he rose up, took hold of the doors of the city gate and the two posts, pulled them up, bar and all, put them on his shoulders, and carried them to the top of the hill that is in front of Hebron.
After this he fell in love with a woman in the valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. The lords of the Philistines came to her and said to her, "Coax him, and find out what makes his strength so great, and how we may overpower him, so that we may bind him in order to subdue him; and we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver." So Delilah said to Samson, "Please tell me what makes your strength so great, and how you could be bound, so that one could subdue you." Samson said to her, "If they bind me with seven fresh bowstrings that are not dried out, then I shall become weak, and be like anyone else." Then the lords of the Philistines brought her seven fresh bowstrings that had not dried out, and she bound him with them. While men were lying in wait in an inner chamber, she said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" But he snapped the bowstrings, as a strand of fiber snaps when it touches the fire. So the secret of his strength was not known.
Then Delilah said to Samson, "You have mocked me and told me lies; please tell me how you could be bound." He said to her, "If they bind me with new ropes that have not been used, then I shall become weak, and be like anyone else." So Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them, and said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" (The men lying in wait were in an inner chamber.) But he snapped the ropes off his arms like a thread.
Then Delilah said to Samson, "Until now you have mocked me and told me lies; tell me how you could be bound." He said to her, "If you weave the seven locks of my head with the web and make it tight with the pin, then I shall become weak, and be like anyone else." So while he slept, Delilah took the seven locks of his head and wove them into the web, and made them tight with the pin. Then she said to him, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" But he awoke from his sleep, and pulled away the pin, the loom, and the web.
Then she said to him, "How can you say, 'I love you,' when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me three times now and have not told me what makes your strength so great." Finally, after she had nagged him with her words day after day, and pestered him, he was tired to death. So he told her his whole secret, and said to her, "A razor has never come upon my head; for I have been a nazirite to God from my mother's womb. If my head were shaved, then my strength would leave me; I would become weak, and be like anyone else."
When Delilah realized that he had told her his whole secret, she sent and called the lords of the Philistines, saying, "This time come up, for he has told his whole secret to me." Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her, and brought the money in their hands. She let him fall asleep on her lap; and she called a man, and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. He began to weaken, and his strength left him. Then she said, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" When he awoke from his sleep, he thought, "I will go out as at other times, and shake myself free." But he did not know that the Lord had left him. So the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes. They brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles; and he ground at the mill in the prison. But the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved.
Once Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw a Philistine woman. Then he came up, and told his father and mother, "I saw a Philistine woman at Timnah; now get her for me as my wife." But his father and mother said to him, "Is there not a woman among your kin, or among all our people, that you must go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?" But Samson said to his father, "Get her for me, because she pleases me." His father and mother did not know that this was from the Lord; for he was seeking a pretext to act against the Philistines. At that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.
Then Samson went down with his father and mother to Timnah. When he came to the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion roared at him. The spirit of the Lord rushed on him, and he tore the lion apart barehanded as one might tear apart a kid. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done. Then he went down and talked with the woman, and she pleased Samson. After a while he returned to marry her, and he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion, and there was a swarm of bees in the body of the lion, and honey. He scraped it out into his hands, and went on, eating as he went. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them, and they ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the carcass of the lion.
His father went down to the woman, and Samson made a feast there as the young men were accustomed to do. When the people saw him, they brought thirty companions to be with him. Samson said to them, "Let me now put a riddle to you. If you can explain it to me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty festal garments. But if you cannot explain it to me, then you shall give me thirty linen garments and thirty festal garments." So they said to him, "Ask your riddle; let us hear it." He said to them, "Out of the eater came something to eat. Out of the strong came something sweet." But for three days they could not explain the riddle.
On the fourth day they said to Samson's wife, "Coax your husband to explain the riddle to us, or we will burn you and your father's house with fire. Have you invited us here to impoverish us?" So Samson's wife wept before him, saying, "You hate me; you do not really love me. You have asked a riddle of my people, but you have not explained it to me." He said to her, "Look, I have not told my father or my mother. Why should I tell you?" She wept before him the seven days that their feast lasted; and because she nagged him, on the seventh day he told her. Then she explained the riddle to her people. The men of the town said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, "What is sweeter than honey? What is stronger than a lion?"
And he said to them, "If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have found out my riddle."
Then the spirit of the Lord rushed on him, and he went down to Ashkelon. He killed thirty men of the town, took their spoil, and gave the festal garments to those who had explained the riddle. In hot anger he went back to his father's house. And Samson's wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man.
If you have questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, “Come to Jesus” @ http://bit.ly/JVhaLta
15th Sunday After Pentecost Matthew 21:23-32 (NRSV)
A parable of doing God's will
When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?" Jesus said to them, "I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?" And they argued with one another, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' But if we say, 'Of human origin,' we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet." So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And he said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
"What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' He answered, 'I will not'; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, 'I go, sir'; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.
SERMON
In today’s gospel lesson, we encounter Jesus conversing with
some very angry priests and elders who are distressed because he has just
driven the moneychangers out of the temple. In their rage they question Jesus
asking, “By what authority do you do these things?” After some verbal sparring
Jesus declines to answer their question, but poses a parable instead.
As always, we know that a parable is an earthly story with a
heavenly meaning. In this earthly story a father tells his two sons to go out
into the fields to work. One brother says, “Yes, sir.”, but does not actually go.
The other brother says, “No Way!”, but ultimately repents and goes anyhow.
After telling the story, Jesus asks the provocative question, “Which
of the brothers did the will of his father?”
On the surface, it appears that the second son did the will
of the father. Although he said he would not go, he actually did go, making him
the better son, right?
Well, this is the answer that the priests and elders gave to
Jesus, and in response our Lord said, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and
prostitutes are going into the kingdom
of God ahead of you.”
Now, I don’t have to tell you that those were
fighting words! What could Jesus have meant? Why would he say that greedy tax collectors
and immoral prostitutes would get into the kingdom of God
ahead of the religious leaders?
The answer seems to lie in their willingness to hear and heed the good news. John the Baptist
came declaring, “Repent for the Kingdom
of God is at hand!” The
tax collectors and prostitutes repented and were baptized, but the chief
priests and the elders of the people did not.
So, which son did the will of the father? Was it the son who
said, “Yes, sir.”, but refused to go? Of course not, for he lied and was disobedient.
Was it the son who said, “No Way!” but ultimately went? Of
course not, for he initially acted in a way that was disobedient and
disrespectful toward his father.
So, which brother did do the will of the father? NEITHER.
NEITHER.
Neither son did the will of the father. And this parable
reminds us that as children of our Heavenly Father, we often say, “Yes, sir.”,
when we mean no. Or “No Way!” when we ought to be joyfully skipping off to do
the will of the one who created us.
Ah! Jesus’ story makes it plain to see that we are all
equally in need of God’s Amazing Grace.
But, it is so easy to judge others, isn’t it? To point our
fingers and declare that it is our brothers and sisters who are in
non-compliance. It’s those people over
there who won’t obey God. You know—those people. Those terrorists. Those child
abusers. Those murderers…
But, today’s lesson seems to suggest that we are alsothose people. Those gossipers. Those gluttons. Those lazy prideful ones…
Thank God that today is a day of confession and forgiveness.
Thank God that we daily confess our need for God, our distance from God, our
failures before God. Thank God that in response to our heartfelt confession, we
discover again and again that God’s grace is always enough and it is continually
outpoured upon us—and upon all of God’s people.
Those people—Those sinful people.Those beloved people. Those forgiven people.
Those set free people.
Today, I hear the words of Paul to the Church at Phillippi.
He says, “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he
was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be
exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human
likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient
to the point of death — even death on a cross.
My friends, this deserves a “Hallelujah Praise!” In his book
The Mystery of Easter, Hans Balthasar writes of the kenosis, or
self-emptying of Jesus. He says, “What is at stake, at least in a perspective
of depth, is an altogether decisive turnabout in the way of seeing God. God is
not, in the first place, ‘absolute power,’ but ‘absolute love.’”
Aren’t you glad that Jesus did not insist on holding on to the
power that was rightfully his own, but willingly—and lovingly--gave everything
away that we might inherit eternal life?
I wonder if this is our call, as much as it was Jesus’?
Could it be that we are called to believe, by faith, that as we give ourselves
away—we do not become poorer—but richer instead?
We become rich in love. Rich in hope. Rich in joy. Rich in
peace. We find ourselves joyfully responding to God’s call and acting with
expediency as we attend to the needs of our brothers and sisters. In fact, we
find that as we serve others, we recognize the common humanity in all people. For there is none righteous, no not one…
St. Augustine
once said, “It may be that you say to yourself, God has promised me
forgiveness, whenever I reform; so I am safe. Tomorrow, when I amend my life,
God will pardon my sins. You are right; what you say is true. That God has
promised you pardon when you amend your life, I cannot deny. But tell me, I
pray…Who has promised you tomorrow?...”
Today, we are invited to make confession to our gracious God
who is faithful and just to forgive our sin and to gift us with eternal life.
It is my prayer that on this day the Lord would guide our
ways to keep his statues still that God would grant us grace to know and to do
his will…
I pray all of this in the Name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
INVITATION
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To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me. Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.
Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness' sake, O Lord!
Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.
If you have questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, “Come to Jesus” @ http://bit.ly/JVhaLta
And we bring you the good news that what God promised to our ancestors he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising Jesus; as also it is written in the second psalm, 'You are my Son; today I have begotten you.' As to his raising him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, 'I will give you the holy promises made to David.' Therefore he has also said in another psalm, 'You will not let your Holy One experience corruption.'
For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, died, was laid beside his ancestors, and experienced corruption; but he whom God raised up experienced no corruption. Let it be known to you therefore, my brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you; by this Jesus everyone who believes is set free from all those sins from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. Beware, therefore, that what the prophets said does not happen to you: 'Look, you scoffers!
Be amazed and perish, for in your days I am doing a work, a work that you will never believe, even if someone tells you.'"
If you have questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, “Come to Jesus” @ http://bit.ly/JVhaLta
Do not speak evil against one another, brothers and sisters. Whoever speaks evil against another or judges another, speaks evil against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save and to destroy. So who, then, are you to judge your neighbor?
Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a town and spend a year there, doing business and making money." Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.
If you have questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, “Come to Jesus” @ http://bit.ly/JVhaLta
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.
If you have questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, “Come to Jesus” @ http://bit.ly/JVhaLta
Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran. He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And the Lord stood beside him and said, "I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, "Surely the Lord is in this place -- and I did not know it!" And he was afraid, and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."
If you have questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, “Come to Jesus” @ http://bit.ly/JVhaLta
When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he called his elder son Esau and said to him, "My son"; and he answered, "Here I am." He said, "See, I am old; I do not know the day of my death. Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field, and hunt game for me. Then prepare for me savory food, such as I like, and bring it to me to eat, so that I may bless you before I die."
Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game and bring it, Rebekah said to her son Jacob, "I heard your father say to your brother Esau, 'Bring me game, and prepare for me savory food to eat, that I may bless you before the Lord before I die.' Now therefore, my son, obey my word as I command you. Go to the flock, and get me two choice kids, so that I may prepare from them savory food for your father, such as he likes; and you shall take it to your father to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies." But Jacob said to his mother Rebekah, "Look, my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I am a man of smooth skin. Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be mocking him, and bring a curse on myself and not a blessing." His mother said to him, "Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my word, and go, get them for me." So he went and got them and brought them to his mother; and his mother prepared savory food, such as his father loved. Then Rebekah took the best garments of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob; and she put the skins of the kids on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. Then she handed the savory food, and the bread that she had prepared, to her son Jacob.
So he went in to his father, and said, "My father"; and he said, "Here I am; who are you, my son?" Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me; now sit up and eat of my game, so that you may bless me." But Isaac said to his son, "How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?" He answered, "Because the Lord your God granted me success." Then Isaac said to Jacob, "Come near, that I may feel you, my son, to know whether you are really my son Esau or not." So Jacob went up to his father Isaac, who felt him and said, "The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau." He did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau's hands; so he blessed him. He said, "Are you really my son Esau?" He answered, "I am." Then he said, "Bring it to me, that I may eat of my son's game and bless you." So he brought it to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank. Then his father Isaac said to him, "Come near and kiss me, my son." So he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his garments, and blessed him, and said, "Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed. May God give you of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine. Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you!"
If you have questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, “Come to Jesus” @ http://bit.ly/JVhaLta
14th Sunday After Pentecost Matthew 20:1-16 (NRSV)
The parable of the vineyard workers
"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o'clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; and he said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' So they went. When he went out again about noon and about three o'clock, he did the same. And about five o'clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, 'Why are you standing here idle all day?' They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard.' When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, 'Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.' When those hired about five o'clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' But he replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?' So the last will be first, and the first will be last."
If you have questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, “Come to Jesus” @ http://bit.ly/JVhaLta
If you have questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, “Come to Jesus” @ http://bit.ly/JVhaLta
I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you, and praise your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall laud your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed, and I will declare your greatness. They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness, and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
If you have questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, “Come to Jesus” @ http://bit.ly/JVhaLta
Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you? -- unless, indeed, you fail to meet the test! I hope you will find out that we have not failed. But we pray to God that you may not do anything wrong -- not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. For we rejoice when we are weak and you are strong. This is what we pray for, that you may become perfect. So I write these things while I am away from you, so that when I come, I may not have to be severe in using the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.
If you have questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, “Come to Jesus” @ http://bit.ly/JVhaLta
This is the third time I am coming to you. "Any charge must be sustained by the evidence of two or three witnesses." I warned those who sinned previously and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again, I will not be lenient since you desire proof that Christ is speaking in me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful in you. For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by the power of God.
If you have questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, “Come to Jesus” @ http://bit.ly/JVhaLta
In the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. Then Peter remembered and said to him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered." Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
"Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses."
If you have questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, “Come to Jesus” @ http://bit.ly/JVhaLta
Then he charged them, saying to them, "I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my ancestors -- in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, in the cave in the field at Machpelah, near Mamre, in the land of Canaan, in the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site. There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried; there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried; and there I buried Leah the field and the cave that is in it were purchased from the Hittites." When Jacob ended his charge to his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.
Then Joseph threw himself on his father's face and wept over him and kissed him. Joseph commanded the physicians in his service to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel; they spent forty days in doing this, for that is the time required for embalming. And the Egyptians wept for him seventy days.
When the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph addressed the household of Pharaoh, "If now I have found favor with you, please speak to Pharaoh as follows: My father made me swear an oath; he said, 'I am about to die. In the tomb that I hewed out for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me.' Now therefore let me go up, so that I may bury my father; then I will return." Pharaoh answered, "Go up, and bury your father, as he made you swear to do."
So Joseph went up to bury his father. With him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, as well as all the household of Joseph, his brothers, and his father's household. Only their children, their flocks, and their herds were left in the land of Goshen. Both chariots and charioteers went up with him. It was a very great company. When they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they held there a very great and sorrowful lamentation; and he observed a time of mourning for his father seven days. When the Canaanite inhabitants of the land saw the mourning on the threshing floor of Atad, they said, "This is a grievous mourning on the part of the Egyptians." Therefore the place was named Abel mizraim; it is beyond the Jordan. Thus his sons did for him as he had instructed them. They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field at Machpelah, the field near Mamre, which Abraham bought as a burial site from Ephron the Hittite. After he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had gone up with him to bury his father.
If you have questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, “Come to Jesus” @ http://bit.ly/JVhaLta
When Israel saw Joseph's sons, he said, "Who are these?" Joseph said to his father, "They are my sons, whom God has given me here." And he said, "Bring them to me, please, that I may bless them." Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, and he could not see well. So Joseph brought them near him; and he kissed them and embraced them. Israel said to Joseph, "I did not expect to see your face; and here God has let me see your children also." Then Joseph removed them from his father's knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right, and brought them near him. But Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands, for Manasseh was the firstborn. He blessed Joseph, and said, "The God before whom my ancestors Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, the angel who has redeemed me from all harm, bless the boys; and in them let my name be perpetuated, and the name of my ancestors Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude on the earth."
When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. Joseph said to his father, "Not so, my father! Since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head." But his father refused, and said, "I know, my son, I know; he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations." So he blessed them that day, saying, "By you Israel will invoke blessings, saying, 'God make you like Ephraim and like Manasseh.'" So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh. Then Israel said to Joseph, "I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your ancestors. I now give to you one portion more than to your brothers, the portion that I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow."
If you have questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, “Come to Jesus” @ http://bit.ly/JVhaLta
13th Sunday After Pentecost Matthew 18:21-35 (NRSV)
A parable of forgiveness
Then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.
"For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, 'Pay what you owe.' Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?' And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart."
SERMON
Whenever I try to envision Peter speaking to Jesus about forgiveness, I begin to giggle.
I can just imagine Peter feeling very good about himself as he asked our Jesus, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?”
Wow! Seven times…that sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? A person hurts you one time, and you screw up your faith and turn the other cheek. That same person hurts you another time, and you gird up your prayer life, and turn the other cheek. That same person comes at you again, and you wearily turn the other check. But, what about a fourth time, then a fifth time, then a sixth time, then finally the seventh time.
My Lord…seven times sounds like an awful lot of abuse from the same person—over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over again.
But, in response, Jesus says, “Not seven times, but I tell you seventy-seven times!”
Oh my goodness, Lord!
Seventy seven times…Seven is the number of perfection. And then seven duplicated…seventy-seven times. In other words, we are to love and then forgive our brothers and sisters in Christ as many times as it takes, to make—and keep—things right.
Jesus then went on to share a parable with Peter. In Sunday School we are taught that parables are earthly stories with heavenly meanings. Well, the heavenly meaning to this particular parable is “Forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Or as stated elsewhere in scripture, “The one who has been forgiven much, ought to love much as well (Luke 7:47).”
As you undoubtedly know, tomorrow/today is the tenth anniversary of the events of 9-11. Many of us we are suffering as we remember that gruesome day and the loss of life that accompanied it and has accompanied it over ten years of war.
As we hold the memory of those who perished in our deepest prayers on today, I also want to remind us of something that blessed my life as I was living on the east coast approximately three hours away from ground zero on 9-11.
What I remember about that day is the horrible fear, anxiety, and rage that Americans felt, but I also remember our determination to rise above the ashes of our grief and despair and to love one another well in the aftermath of great crisis.
Like me, you’ve heard the stories of those who rushed into the Twin Towers, rather than away from them, in order to save strangers from the blazes. You’ve heard the stories of the courageous travelers who forfeited their lives in a Pennsylvania field, rather than allowing more of their countrymen to be harmed. You’ve heard the stories of the interfaith prayer services that sprung up on the eve of 9-11, where Christian, Jewish and Muslim brothers and sisters gathered together to petition our God for grace and mercy in all the days ahead.
These stories sustain us as we remember September 11, 2001 which is now a day that lives in infamy.
These stories—and others like them--give us hope for the future. These stories cause us to wrap our arms around each other and to remember that it is the unconditional love and amazing grace of our God that forgives all of our sin and gifts us with eternal life.
These stories remind us that Love never fails. And that it is our Jesus who serves as our role model for how to endure great suffering and still extend a redeeming love that has the power to transform everything.
So today, at Atonement Lutheran Church, we are beginning a new program year. At the start of a new year we often take stock, set new goals, reconcile with loved ones, and start all over again.
On days like this, we take the time to say to one another, “I love you. I am sorry for hurting you. I ask you to forgive me. Let us start all over again,” for today’s gospel lesson teaches us that “we must choose to forgive our brothers and sisters from our hearts.” For Love is always our decision.
Let us forgive our husbands and our wives. Let us forgive our sons and our daughters. Let us forgive our mothers and our fathers. Let us forgive our brothers and our sisters. Let us forgive our neighbors, friends, and colleagues. And most of all--let us forgive one another.
“Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but I tell you seventy-seven times.”
Seventy-seven times I love you. Seventy-seven times I forgive you. Seventy-seven times I ask you to forgive me.
God of abundant mercy, we confess that we are more ready to be forgiven than to forgive others…Have mercy, O God; turn us again to you and toward others; and grant that we may live for you and die in you, for the sake of Jesus Christ our redeemer and Lord, Amen.
On this day it is my prayer that God who is generous and faithful, forgiving sins without number, welcoming all to the feast, would give us a place amongst the saints. It is my prayer that we would know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are forgiven and made whole through the humble obedience of Jesus Christ who went to the cross for our sake. And it is my prayer that the spirit of God who is at work in us, would enable us to live for one another, sharing the good news message that Jesus saves and he saves to the utmost!
I pray this in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen.
INVITATION
If you have questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, “Come to Jesus” @ http://bit.ly/JVhaLta
( Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits -- who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
The Lord works vindication and justice for all who are oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. )
The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always accuse, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.
If you have questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, “Come to Jesus” @ http://bit.ly/JVhaLta
"The patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him into Egypt; but God was with him, and rescued him from all his afflictions, and enabled him to win favor and to show wisdom when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. Now there came a famine throughout Egypt and Canaan, and great suffering, and our ancestors could find no food. But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our ancestors there on their first visit. On the second visit Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and Joseph's family became known to Pharaoh. Then Joseph sent and invited his father Jacob and all his relatives to come to him, seventy five in all; so Jacob went down to Egypt. He himself died there as well as our ancestors, and their bodies were brought back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
INVITATION
If you have questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, “Come to Jesus” @ http://bit.ly/JVhaLta
In the morning, when he returned to the city, he was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the side of the road, he went to it and found nothing at all on it but leaves. Then he said to it, "May no fruit ever come from you again!" And the fig tree withered at once. When the disciples saw it, they were amazed, saying, "How did the fig tree wither at once?" Jesus answered them, "Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' it will be done. Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive."
INVITATION
If you have questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, “Come to Jesus” @ http://bit.ly/JVhaLta
If anyone of the ordinary people among you sins unintentionally in doing any one of the things that by the Lord's commandments ought not to be done and incurs guilt, when the sin that you have committed is made known to you, you shall bring a female goat without blemish as your offering, for the sin that you have committed. You shall lay your hand on the head of the sin offering; and the sin offering shall be slaughtered at the place of the burnt offering. The priest shall take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering, and he shall pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar. He shall remove all its fat, as the fat is removed from the offering of well-being, and the priest shall turn it into smoke on the altar for a pleasing odor to the Lord. Thus the priest shall make atonement on your behalf, and you shall be forgiven. ...
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: When any of you commit a trespass and sin unintentionally in any of the holy things of the Lord, you shall bring, as your guilt offering to the Lord, a ram without blemish from the flock, convertible into silver by the sanctuary shekel; it is a guilt offering. And you shall make restitution for the holy thing in which you were remiss, and shall add one-fifth to it and give it to the priest. The priest shall make atonement on your behalf with the ram of the guilt offering, and you shall be forgiven.
INVITATION
If you have questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, “Come to Jesus” @ http://bit.ly/JVhaLta
12th Sunday After Pentecost
Matthew 18:15-20 (NRSV)
Reconciliation in the community of faith
"If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."
SERMON
For the last few weeks I have been stunned by how challenging the gospel lessons are for us in the 21st Century.
This week we are instructed by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ regarding what we should do when there is conflict in The Church.
Isn’t it a bitter pill to be reminded that even as brothers and sisters in Christ, we fall into disagreement? Wouldn’t we love to imagine that since we are all blood-bought believers we would have a supernatural ability given by the Holy Spirit to live in perfect peace with one another at all times?
Yet, right here in scripture, quoted directly from our Savior’s mouth is a blue print for what to do when we fail to agree.
I guess it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that even Christians feud from time to time. Just the very fact that we are sitting in this Lutheran Church bares witness to a strong disagreement between the Roman Catholic Church and Martin Luther and his followers.
But, we don’t have to look back in history almost five hundred years to see conflict in the church, do we? We can look back 5 minutes or two weeks or 10 years or 50 years to see how the works of the flesh as recorded in Galatians 5 impact us: enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, and things like these tear us apart driving wedges between those whom we love.
I was blessed to grow up in a church where we called every man Brother So-in-so and every woman Sister so-in-so. By literally calling each other brother and sister we strove to remind one another with our words and deeds that we belong to one another and that we are a family in Christ Jesus.
As a family, Jesus prescribes the means by which we can love each other well when offended. He says first go to the person in private. Then take one or two witnesses to act as intermediaries. Then involve the entire church.
But, then here comes the interesting part. Jesus says that if the person does not listen even to the church, let such a one be to us as a Gentile or a tax collector.
I’m sure you know that Gentiles and tax collectors were hated in Jesus’ day. We might understand this verse to mean that we should hate the one who has sinned against us if s/he will not apologize.
But, this would not be consistent with the Jesus that I know--and that you know--would it?
So, how did Jesus treat Gentiles and tax collectors? Well, we know that Jesus loved everybody. We particularly remember the story about Zacchaeus who was a wee little man and a tax collector. Jesus chose to publicly eat at his house, forgive his sin, and bless him to boot.
Apparently, even if one of our Christian brothers or sisters chooses to be unrepentant toward us, we are called to love them anyway—with the same unconditional love that Christ has shown us.
In response to such unconditional love Jesus says, “Whatever you bind on earth, will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything that you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”
My friends, this deserves a “Hallelujah Praise!”
As Christians, we have the ability to bind enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, and envy. We also have the ability—through the power of the Holy Spirit—to loose love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.
I love that we can literally lock away strife and throw away the key, if we so choose.
As we participate in the ministries of binding and losing, otherwise known as RECONCILATION, we will find that God our Father will be with us, enabling us to get on one accord, gathered in the strong name of Jesus.
The Apostle Paul once said, “Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law…Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law (Romans 13).”
Our Jesus put it even more simply when he stated, “The sum of the law is this—that we should love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and love our neighbors as ourselves.”
As human beings it is a fact that we love imperfectly. We sin against one another. We cause strife and division in God’s house.
But, thanks be to God for Jesus Christ whose unconditional love and amazing grace sent him to the cross to die for all of us, making atonement for our sin, and gifting us with eternal life!
Because Jesus lives, we shall live also; and NO-thing in all of creation can ever separate us from the love of God that has been revealed to us in Christ Jesus!
Be encouraged my brothers and sisters! The Holy Spirit is always at work—in, through, and amongst us—to gather and regather us again. For it is within the Christian community that we meet and become Christ’s body in ways that are simply impossible for us as individuals.
I close with the lyrics of a song that I love from Hezekiah Walker. He says, “I need you, you need me. We're all a part of God's body. Stand with me, agree with me. We're all a part of God's body. It is his will, that every need be supplied. You are important to me, I need you to survive.”
On this day it is my prayer that God’s love would rest upon every church bringing an end to all conflict and division. It is my prayer that we would love and forgive each other, as much as we have been loved and forgiven by Jesus Christ. And it is my prayer that as we get into agreement about the things of God, that the Holy Spirit would be with us in special ways empowering our proclamation of the Good News Message that “Christ has died! Christ has risen! Christ shall come again!”
I pray all of this in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen.
INVITATION
If you have questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, “Come to Jesus” @ http://bit.ly/JVhaLta
Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes,
and I will observe it to the end.
Give me understanding, that I may keep your law
and observe it with my whole heart.
Lead me in the path of your commandments,
for I delight in it.
Turn my heart to your decrees,
and not to selfish gain.
Turn my eyes from looking at vanities;
give me life in your ways.
Confirm to your servant your promise,
which is for those who fear you.
Turn away the disgrace that I dread,
for your ordinances are good.
See, I have longed for your precepts;
in your righteousness give me life.
INVITATION
If you have questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, “Come to Jesus” @ http://bit.ly/JVhaLta
As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" But not all have obeyed the good news; for Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed our message?" So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.
But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have; for
"Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world."
Again I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says, "I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry."
Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, "I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me."
But of Israel he says, "All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people."
INVITATION
If you have questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, “Come to Jesus” @ http://bit.ly/JVhaLta
I have been a fool! You forced me to it. Indeed you should have been the ones commending me, for I am not at all inferior to these super apostles, even though I am nothing. The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, signs and wonders and mighty works. How have you been worse off than the other churches, except that I myself did not burden you? Forgive me this wrong!
Here I am, ready to come to you this third time. And I will not be a burden, because I do not want what is yours but you; for children ought not to lay up for their parents, but parents for their children. I will most gladly spend and be spent for you. If I love you more, am I to be loved less? Let it be assumed that I did not burden you. Nevertheless (you say) since I was crafty, I took you in by deceit. Did I take advantage of you through any of those whom I sent to you? I urged Titus to go, and sent the brother with him. Titus did not take advantage of you, did he? Did we not conduct ourselves with the same spirit? Did we not take the same steps?
Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves before you? We are speaking in Christ before God. Everything we do, beloved, is for the sake of building you up. For I fear that when I come, I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish; I fear that there may perhaps be quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder. I fear that when I come again, my God may humble me before you, and that I may have to mourn over many who previously sinned and have not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and licentiousness that they have practiced.
INVITATION
If you have questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, “Come to Jesus” @ http://bit.ly/JVhaLta
135 people have put all of their hope in Jesus on the good news blogs since February 1, 2009. We celebrate this good news and promise to hold each of you in love and prayer! Peace be with you!
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About Me
Pastor Yolanda Lehman
I am writing this blog from St. Cloud, Minnesota, USA where I am blessed to serve as a pastor. I earned my B.A. at Wesleyan University with a double major in African American studies and Religious Studies. I went on to earn my M.Div. at Harvard Divinity School where I wrote my thesis on holy hip hop. I am blessed in my life to be called wife, mother, daughter, sister, pastor, evangelist, teacher, and friend. My greatest passion in life is to make GOOD NEWS easy to read and fun to share! This blog is an extension of that passion. I want the whole world to know and believe that God loves us and to share that GOOD NEWS with others...Thanks for reading!
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