Lutheran Church of the Resurrection

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I. Background and Setting—17:17-21 A. The Marketplace Good morning. My name is Dionysius. I am from the great city of Athens in Greece. Athens is the city of the wisdom and philosophy. Its an exaggeration I know, but it seems like everyone is Athens is a philosopher or thinks they are one. We love to listen and talk, discuss and debate ideas about the world and life and the meaning of our life in the world. Everyday I, and many others go to the marketplace in the city. The marketplace is not only where we buy and sell food and clothing and all kinds of things. It’s also the place where people come to promote new ideas and men like me come to listen for any new ideas that are being promoted. (more…)

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If you knew what was going to happen to you tomorrow, what would you do today? If you knew that tomorrow, you were going to be given a promotion and a nice raise at your job, what would you do today? If you knew that tomorrow, you were going to get laid off from your job, what would you do today? If you knew that tomorrow, you were going to receive a substantial check in the mail as your share of the inheritance of a long, lost relative, what would you do today? If you knew that tomorrow, you were going to have a heart attack and die, what would you do today? (more…)

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It seems as if there is an awful lot of finger-pointing going on lately. Fingers are being pointed at those who carry the Olympic Torch as a way of expressing disdain for one nation’s human rights policies. Fingers are being pointed at those who are responsible for the sub-prime mortgage lending crisis that has wounded the economy and badly hurt many families. Fingers are being pointed at those believed to be responsible for disappointing progress in Iraq. Political candidates are pointing fingers at one another. Liberals are pointing their fingers at conservatives and Republicans are pointing their fingers at Democrats and everybody is pointing their finger at the President. It seems as if there is an awful lot of finger-pointing going on lately.

Maybe you came here this morning hoping to escape all of the finger-pointing. Surely, church should be the one place where finger-pointing is strictly taboo and unacceptable. Yet, on this “Good Shepherd Sunday,” when we expect our attention to be directed to green pastures, still waters where our stressed out soul might be restored, what do we find? Finger-pointing, and from Jesus, no less. Jesus is pointing his finger at thieves and robbers. (more…)

We begin this morning with a story by way of illustration. It’s a true story about a man named Wilfred Klaus. He was a deeply religious man. He wrote about the time when he attended a religious conference in Switzerland in a setting he described as “like Eden itself.” It promised to be one of those uplifting and faith strengthening conferences. In his own words, “The hymns resounded all day on the reality of heaven, and the speakers expounded on it. I was basking in the greatness of this hope and enjoying the promise of such a destiny.”

The euphoria of the convention was interrupted for him however as he heard his name called out over the P.A. speaker summoning him to come to the main desk. There, he was given an urgent message to call his wife. In a sobbing voice, she informed him that their 9 month old son had, without warning died in his crib during the night.

As he recounted his feelings, he spoke about how that news brought him to the lowest point in his life. The emotions in him were such a violent clash of anguish, anger, grief, bewilderment. He immediately packed his bags, bought a ticket on the next train home to Germany and sat there all alone on the train, staring out the window in utter confusion and shock. As he said, he didn’t know whether to pray to God or file charges against Him. (more…)