Lutheran Church of the Resurrection

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According to the “Official Record,” it was nighttime when God created the world. In Genesis 1:2 we read, “for the earth was formless and empty, and DARKNESS was over the surface of the deep.” And while the Spirit of God hovered over the deep darkness, God said, “Let there be light; and there was light.” The first night of the world was that night IN THE BEGINNING. And the first act of God was to send light into the darkness.

Again, according to the “Official Record,” it will be nighttime went this world comes to a close. In His parable about His second coming, Jesus says, “At MIDNIGHT there was a cry, 'Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' (Mat.25:6)

After that final night, NIGHTTIME will be a thing of the past. John writes what he sees in his Revelation, “And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light.” (Rev. 22:5). In end, the light that shall overcome the darkness once and for all.

Somewhere in between that first and last night of this world stands the holy day of Christmas, where God calls His light to shine in the darkness. “The true light that enlightens everyone was coming into the world.” (Jn.1:9).

If you find it a bit strange that on this Christmas morning we are not talking about shepherds and angels and Mary and Joseph and their newborn baby lying in a manger, but of such things as Creation and Judgment and Light into Darkness, its because of John. As we’ve said before, John sees things differently than the others do. It does seem as though the experience of John’s Revelation had a pretty dramatic effect on him. It must have affected his vision. We see the birth of a baby. John sees the Beginning and the End and the great conflict between the Light and the Darkness. Continue reading →

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Once things finally settled down in David’s life and there was a breather in the constant battles to be fought, David had a chance to reflect on his life and the fine house he lived in. And that led him to give thanks to God for the many blessings that He had bestowed upon him. And that led him to reflect on the house that God was living in. David lived in a fine house of imported cedar. God lived in the Tabernacle, a tent made out of animal skins. David lived in a palace. God lived in a tent. What’s wrong with this picture? David saw the inconsistency and it bothered him. Something inside David said, ‘this is not right.’ ‘This is awkward.’

And David’s immediate reaction was the same one that we would have. We shall make things right with God by reconciling the inconsistency. David vowed to RAISE GOD’S STANDARD OF LIVING TO HIS OWN. If David lived in a palace, then God should live in a palace too. And David went to Nathan to get a building permit to build a proper house for God to live in.

My question is, why didn’t David conclude that since there was this inconsistency between his standard of living and God’s, that he, David, should humble himself and live in a tent like God? Why does David want to raise God up to his standard of living instead of lowering himself to God’s standard of living?

Why have we never even thought of this text in that way before? Isn’t it because our mind doesn’t work like that?

Who strives to humble himself and become least of all that he may be reconciled with God? No one. BUT GOD HUMBLED HIMSELF AND BECAME LEAST OF ALL THAT HE MAY BE RECONCILED WITH MAN. God’s ways are not our ways.

David says, “let me do something great for you God. Let me make you comfortable like I am. It would make me feel better about myself if you let me do this for you.”

And God said, ‘no.’ ‘And if you think that this skin tent is beneath my dignity, wait until you see the skin tent that I will live in for nine months.’ Continue reading →

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We've come now to the halfway point in the season of Advent. Christmas is just 14 days away. There's not much time left to get ready for the big day. I hope you will be ready. So does John. John's whole purpose and goal in life was to help you get ready for the big day. And for John, it's not about shopping or decorating or presents. For John, it's about repentance. According to John, you don't get ready for the big day by getting into the 'Christmas spirit,' but by getting into the Holy Spirit.

This morning, John directs our attention to John. Lets be sure that we don't get confused about these two Johns. There's John the Baptist and John the Evangelist. John the Baptist is also an evangelist but John the Evangelist is not a baptizer. John the Baptist evangelizes by preaching and baptizing. John the Evangelist evangelizes by telling us what John the Baptizer was preaching and what his baptism meant. John the Evangelist was a disciple of John the Baptist but John the Baptist told John the Evangelist to go follow Jesus. John the Baptist pointed people to Jesus and so does John the Evangelist. I hope that clears things up. Continue reading →

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Take a deep breath. That's what 'nachum' means. 'Nachum, nachum,' 'Breath deeply, breath deeply. 'Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.' If only it were that simple.

How do you comfort someone who has lost a child or a grandchild? How do you comfort someone who has lost a husband or a wife? How do you comfort a child whose friend told them they don't want to be their friend anymore? How do you comfort a husband whose wife has told him she doesn't want to be his wife anymore? How do you comfort a wife whose husband has left her for another woman?

How do you comfort father Jacob believes that his son Joseph is dead? 'And all of Jacob's sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted.'

How do you comfort Rachael at the slaughter of her children? 'A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more." (Jeremiah 31:15)

How do you comfort Job at the loss of his possessions, his servants, his sons and daughters, his health? 'Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him.' (Job 2:11) But Job would not be comforted. Continue reading →

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Reminiscing about the good old days is sometimes fun to do. The good old days were always better than they are now. Or maybe not. Even I can remember filling by father's VW Beetle with gas for 25 cents a gallon. Those were the good old days. Things were better back then.

In the good old days, there were no such thing as 'bath salts,' or 'suicide bombers,'and we all said the Pledge of Allegiance' everyday in school. Things were better back then.

I hadn't lived in Maine for very long before I began to hear the stories of the way winters in Maine used to be. 'We used to get so much snow that we could step out the second floor window and slide down the snow bank.' Things were worse back then.

I think that our Old Testament reading for this morning catches the prophet Isaiah doing a little reminiscing. Back in the good old days, God used to rescue His people from their enemies in dramatic ways. In the good old days, God would divide the sea right so that His people would walk right through it on dry ground and then when their enemy pursued them, He'd close the sea up again and drown the all. Those were the good old days.

It used to be, that God would sponsor incredible contests with the other gods. They could never get their fire started but He sent fire down fire from the sky and set the whole pile of wet wood ablaze. Those were the good old days. Things were better back then when God demonstrated His power in dramatic ways.

Isaiah felt that the time was ripe for God to do His thing again. 'Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence, as when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil, to make your name known among your adversaries, and that the nations might tremble at your presence! When you did awesome things that we did not look for, you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.' Continue reading →

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'When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.'

We have just confessed what the Scriptures say. 'I believe that He [Jesus] will come again with GLORY.' There's a word that we use a lot around here. I wonder if we know what we're saying. The word in the Hebrew is 'kavod.' 'Kavod' literally means 'weight,' or 'weightiness.'

In the book of Exodus, the Lord tells Moses to lead the people of Israel through the Red Sea. He says, 'I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them, and I will GET GLORY over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord." (Ex.14:4). Pharaoh thinks he's the heavyweight and all the Egyptians and even the Israelites think that Pharaoh is the heavyweight. But the Lord will show them all that Pharaoh is the lightweight, in fact, he is nothing. Pharaoh and the Egyptians and especially the Israelites will know that it is the Lord, their God, who is the heavyweight.

He is the 'heavy' one against whom, all the rulers of this world put together are like a feather in the wind, and all of the so-called gods are nothing but a breath. But the Lord fills heaven and earth. He is all in all. That's heavy. That's substantial. That's glory.

'I believe that He will come again with weight.' It's certainly not that the Lord needed to put on some weight or that He had to become heavy. He is who He is and He is the weighty One. But when He appeared to us the first time, we didn't see His glory. We saw a little baby, a mere man, a weakling, 'he was despised, and we esteemed him not.' (Isaiah 53:3) When He comes again, we will see just how heavy He is. 'He will come again with glory.'

So what is unbelief? What is 'idolatry?' It is to ascribe to something more weight than it actually has and to ascribe to God less weight that He actually has. Adam and Eve were guilty of idolatry. They gave more weight to the word of the serpent than the word of God, and glorified Satan over God. What about you? Is the Word of the Lord the heaviest thing in your life or is there another word that bears more weight in the decisions you make, and the direction you're heading, and the actions you're taking?

But just as God got glory over Pharaoh, He will get glory over Satan. And the whole creation, every man, woman and child, will 'ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name.' Continue reading →

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'For IT will be like a man going on a journey.'
What will? What is 'it'?

On Wednesday of Holy Week, as Jesus left the Temple, His disciples marveled at the beauty of the Temple and it's impressive architecture. Jesus answered them, 'You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.' (Mat.24:1-2) After that, they went to the Mount of Olives, privately. And they asked Him, 'Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and the close of the age'? And Jesus answered them…' (Mat.24:3-4).

As to the question of 'WHEN these things will be,' Jesus says, 'concerning the day or the hour, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven or the Son, but the Father only.' As to the question of 'what SIGNS to look for,' Jesus says, politically, 'You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.' Religiously, 'many false christs and false prophets will appear and many will be led astray. And those who are not led astray, will be subject to great tribulation and hatred and even death.' And these 'signs' signal just the 'beginning of birth pangs.' (Mat.24:4-8)

When you see these signs, then you will know that the 'close of the age' is coming, and the 'new age' will begin when I come again to judge between those who will be a part of the new age and those who will not.

We cannot properly understand the meaning of the parable before us this morning, unless we understand in the proper context. Jesus speaks this parable to His disciples on the Mount of Olives in answer to their question. Having answered the 'when' and the 'what,' He now answers the even more important, 'how.' How should the disciple of Jesus live in these last days at the close of the age, when these signs are clearly taking place all around?

That's what 'it' is. 'It' is the life of the believer during these last days. 'It will be like a man going on a journey. He called His servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.' Continue reading →

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St. Matthew writes, 'And great crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan. SEEING THE CROWDS, he went up on the mountain, and He sat down.' When a Rabbi sits down, that means its time for class to begin. 'His disciples came to him. And he opened His mouth and taught them, saying"

Jesus 'SAW the crowds.' He didn't 'work the crowds' or 'play the crowds' or entertain the crowds.' He 'SAW the crowds.' And what did Jesus see when He 'saw the crowds'? He sees people who are 'poor in spirit,' 'those who mourn,' 'those who are meek,' 'those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,' 'those who are merciful,' 'those who are pure in heart,' 'those who are peacemakers,' 'those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake.' How many of us can't find ourselves somewhere in that crowd?

This is what Jesus sees when He 'saw the crowds.' The world doesn't see these things when it sees the crowds. When the world sees the crowds, it sees 'consumer,' 'tax payer,' 'constituent,' 'worker,' 'liability,' 'dependant,' 'statistic.'

Jesus wants to teach His disciples to see what He sees in the crowds. And He wants them to see that they are 'blessed.' Why are they blessed? Not because they follow Him. They could follow Jesus to the end of the earth and never be blessed. It's not the fact that they are 'poor in spirit,' or that they 'mourn,' or that they 'hunger and thirst for righteousness,' that they are blessed. They are blessed because HE SEES THEM. Continue reading →

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When I was young, our annual summer vacation was to the Jersey Shore, usually Wildwood. We went to Wildwood, because at the time it was a nice family place to go, and because it was close to Cape May, where my uncle managed the Cape May Airport. Uncle Caddy flew those banners up and down the beach that advertized things like 'Laura's Fudge ' Best on the Boardwalk,' and 'Pier One Salt Water Taffy,' and 'Tony Bennett ' Tonight at the Red Garter.' Every time one of those little Piper Cubs flew overhead, towing one of those banners, my sister and I would wave and shout at the top of our lungs, 'hi uncle Caddy.'

St. John describes what he sees. 'An angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people.' That's quite a banner that this angel is towing.

The banner proclaims 'The eternal Gospel.' 'The Gospel' is the good news that the holy, holy, holy God has restored His fallen creation through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. 'The Gospel' is that divine fact that mankind's sin, has been completely atoned for, not with our gold or silver, or our good works or our penance or indulgences, or other any such thing, but solely by the precious blood of Christ. 'The Gospel' is the victory that that Jesus Christ has won over the power of the devil that sets every man and woman ever born into slavery under sin, free. Not because we are worthy, but because Jesus loves you. Continue reading →

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'You shall be holy as the I the Lord your God am holy.' 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'

Wow! What incredible demands God makes on us. That's not just setting the bar high, that's setting the bar as high as heaven. God has high standards, in fact, the highest standards. We would gladly settle for something less than holiness and love. But not God.

In the beginning, when God was making the world, every once in awhile He stopped along the way and see what He had made and, 'it was good.' (Gen.1:10). When God says, 'it is good,' that means that it meets His standards. It was just they way He wanted it to be. It was exactly what He had in mind and nothing less.

And then God said, 'let us make man in our image, in our likeness.' 'So God created man in his own image, in the image of God He created him.' (Gen.1:26-27). So, what does that mean that man was created in 'image of God'? How does the Bible describe the 'image of God'? Well, God is holy. Continue reading →