A, Post-Pentecost 12 Proper 15 - Romans 11:29-32, Matthew 15:10-28 "Mercy for Sinners"

Text     Romans 11:29–32 (ESV)

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.  For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience,  so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy.  For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

Sermon

Can a person measure their faith?  How do I know whether I’ve got great faith, or fragile or unstable faith?  Really, should one seek to measure faith?

In Romans 10:17 we hear that faith comes from hearing the gospel preached. 

Today we have heard in the Gospel (Matthew 15:10-28) Jesus finds himself in two places and receives two very different faith responses as he, the Word made flesh, moves, teaches, and preaches amongst the people of his day.

In fact, when confronted by Christ and his Word, the reality of God in my presence quickly reveals just who I am as well as what I think, do, and feel. 

Usually one of two things happen, sometimes both things happen at the same time.  Either I become proud, arrogant, and conceited, or I become crushed and confused, and sometimes even both, somehow at the same time.

Indeed, even in the bible readings we have heard this morning, my mind races and makes me feel certain things and makes me want to do certain things too. 

The first thing that jumps to mind in the readings is from the second half of the Gospel reading.  I see the way Jesus approaches a Gentile, a Canaanite woman who has heard the word and approaches Jesus with faith.  I struggle with the fact that Jesus does three things before the woman that for me, seems a bit harsh.  He ignores her, then refuses to speak to her, saying, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”  And finally, when he does speak to her, he calls her “a dog”.

Two things happen in me as I hear God’s word, I question and then doubt.  Surely Jesus is a God of love; why does he do this?  I am tempted into doubting God’s word and seek to alter it to suit me, making it a little less offensive.  And once this happens then the threat of either conceited arrogance or crushing confusion hangs over my head.

It seemingly appears that his Word is not completely true as far as my thoughts and feelings are concerned.  It seems if I were to evaluate my faith at this moment, I might be in danger of not finding any!  Or would I?  Or perhaps, instead of faith, I realise disobedience is working within me!

Then I think about the first half of the Gospel reading.  Those wretched Pharisees: what right have they got to be offended at my God?  If I was there, I wouldn’t doubt Jesus for a minute; I am so much better than them! 

But just when I become proud of my pharisaic ways over the Pharisees, Jesus’ Word rings in my ear, ‘Are you so dull?’  He tells me the things that come out of my mouth and heart are the things that make me unclean; evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander. 

Then depending on the day, I respond with pride, “I don’t do any of those things”, or I justify myself with a big “yeah-but” and change God’s word to suit me, so I mightn’t have to address the things I’m doing in my life, and the things I’m not doing as well. 

Or, on the other hand, at other times I see Jesus lift the bar of the law, that much higher, so there is no way I can jump over it, and utter shame fills my heart, “how can I go near God when I am such a bad sinner?!”

Either way, I have become my own authority on good and evil.  My own goodness renders God unnecessary.  And my inability to be perfectly good makes me unable to work my way out of the death my deeds deserve. 

The point is: you and I are inherently sinful.  Sin is not just what I do, it is who I am!  When presented with a model of Jesus’ life I see that there is no way possible for me to make it to heaven by my own efforts.  In fact, my efforts push me further and further away from God, every time. 

For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.  (Romans 11:32 ESV)

In fact, God hands us over to see our sinfulness so that the gift of Christ is recognized for what it is: the greatest gift anyone has ever received.  God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. 

Even in the midst of so much sin and selfish behaviour God continues to have mercy on us.  My sinful nature, with all its doubt, worry, and pride, is continually being exposed by the light of God. 

The closer we are drawn to the light of God the brighter the stain of our disobedience stands out next to the brilliance of Jesus Christ.  I am not able to wash the disobedience from my clothes.  I need the blood of the lamb to cleanse me once and for all! 

But I also need the Holy Spirit to remind me of it, so I am reassured of my cleansing, as more and more disobedience within comes to light.

It is Jesus who has kept the Sabbath holy, so much so by the will of God the Father, he truly rested in death in the grave on that Holy Sabbath Saturday, between Good Friday, when he died, and Easter Sunday, the day of his glorious resurrection. 

It is Jesus’ perfect modelled-life in me, winning me, leading me, and forgiving me for my disobedience.  It is Jesus’ blood which covers my sinful nature yesterday, today, and tomorrow.   God does not go back on his Word!

In the gifts of baptism, the bread and the wine, and in his Word, these gifts are irrevocable, irreversible, and universal.  You are 100% sinner so God the Son can be 100% your Saviour.   

This is not an invitation to go and sin.   No!  This is a reality impressed upon all of us that before we commit a sin, we are already condemned sinners in being and nature.  Human beings, being human, whose doings fall with the human spirit of Adam within each of us.

Even in the midst of our disobedient natures God’s gift of faith will never be withdrawn.  Faith comes from God and leads us to God.  Faith comes from the Word and leads back to his Word.  Faith comes from the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit comes from God the Father and God the Son, and faith leads us to Jesus Christ, God the Son, and through him to our loving Heavenly Father. 

Is there a need to measure faith?  No! God gives us the measure of faith we need, and he never breaks his promise to us.  He gives us his gifts and continually calls us!

When the Word offends you, and you become conceited like the Pharisees in Jesus’ day.  When the Word of God increases the depth of your sin, shedding light on the disobedience of your heart.  When the Word of God shows that you are a foreigner in God’s eyes with no way of being persuaded to follow God’s Law by your own efforts.  Marvel that Jesus himself graces your heart with his blood that makes you righteous.

Be overwhelmed that as a sinner you can be confident in his glorious presence, when you really deserve nothing but death.  Allow the Holy Spirit to kill knowledge of good and evil within and replace it with the knowledge of victory in Jesus’ resurrection from death. 

Pray for the Holy Spirit to raise this great faith within you, knowing that God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable, continually crying out to Jesus, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me!”  Amen.

A, Mid Week Lent 2- Sermon Series "The Litany of Jesus' Treasures - Gift"

By the gifts of Jesus,     Lord teach us how to give.

The gifts of Jesus, so we might allow the Holy Spirit to inspire us to give.

Lord God Heavenly Father, send your Holy Spirit so we might rightly use your Word, to hear and learn how to give as Jesus gave to us.  Amen.

Come Lord Jesus be our guest and let these gifts to us be blessed.  Amen.

We all know this table grace.  Some of us say, “let this food to us be blessed”. 

Did you know praying before a meal is a continuation of the rabbinic practice of ritual cleansing oneself before a meal! 

A two handled cup is used to wash the hands and is followed by this prayer, “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with Your commandments, and commanded us concerning the washing of the hands.”

This rabbinic practice extended to all Jews, and therefore, we hear Jesus giving thanks many times throughout his ministry.  In fact, Jesus most closely adhered to the traditions of the Pharisees, which is why he came into conflict with them so often.

Ritual purity was central for a faithful Pharisee, so they could be sanctified before God.  However, Jesus’ purity before God was done for no other reason than to give glory to God, whereas the Pharisees practiced the rituals to be glorified in themselves, and by those around them who honoured them for being “so holy”.

We give thanks before a meal, so what we put into our bodies does not defile us and make us unholy. So we receive it as a blessing from God.

In Matthew fifteen, we hear the Pharisees complain to Jesus that the disciples do not wash when they eat.  This is not a complaint about hygiene, but rather about one’s ritual practise and holiness before God.

However, Jesus teaches, “Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled?  But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.  For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.  These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.” (Matthew 15:17–20 ESV)

Jesus’ thanksgiving is not so much about what goes into the mouth but on what the heart is set, when one eats.  It’s at this point I now understand mum scolding me, concerning gluttony, on eating too many sweets when I was a child.  She would say, “One eats to live, not lives to eat!”

So, to give thanks as Jesus gives thanks, we give thanks to God for giving us earthly gifts to sustain us as we wait to receive the fullness of the heavenly gift of eternal salvation.  We eat to live in preparation for eternity, to feast in Paradise with thee.

Jesus’ thanksgiving opens to us his motives for giving.  It’s from what Jesus gives that is remarkable.  It’s not just a lesson on giving, but it’s also one of trust.  Jesus’ gift to you and me is a giving through faith.

As last week, in understanding Jesus’ prayers, to learn how we pray, and how to pray, we return to Philippians 2, to learn the motives of Jesus’ giving, what Jesus gives to us, the cost to him, and the value of what it is he gives to us.

Saint Paul says, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.  Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,  but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”  (Philippians 2:3–8 ESV)

Jesus gives thanks, but not as we give thanks.  The position from which he gives thanks is quite profound in light of the situation from which he gives.  We thank God for our food, with it usually sitting in front of us, but Jesus gives thanks in faith, with as little as five loaves of bread and two small fish to feed five thousand.

On Maundy Thursday, Jesus took the cup and the bread, and when he had given thanks, he gave the broken bread and wine to his disciples.  (Luke 22:17-20)   To give thanks to God the Father, knowing the body and blood to be given and shed, the very next day was to be his own, takes a humility more significant than all others. 

Jesus emptied himself!  What was left to give?  Nothing?  No!  His life! 

From a seemingly impossible position he gives.  In the same way, as something was made out of next to nothing to feed five thousand, Jesus allowed himself to be made nothing, and even then, gave everything for you and me.

Before Jesus gave himself on the cross, he makes an observation while at the temple in Jerusalem…

“Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box,  and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins.  And he said, ‘Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them.  For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.’”  (Luke 21:1–4 ESV)

Like the widow, Jesus gave out of his poverty of human spirit, trusting in God by the work of the Holy Spirit.  How does your giving match up next to Jesus’ giving?  Our giving cannot match up to Jesus’ giving, this is the reason Jesus came and gave himself for us.  When you give to God, what do you think Jesus thinks of your giving?”  Do you give out of poverty like the widow or out of our abundance like the rich?

It’s here the Holy Spirit needs to step in before we condemn ourselves before God in our self-justification.  You and I need to be constantly brought back to the cross and receive the forgiveness of our many sins of gluttony, greed, withholding from God, and lack of trust in God’s providence.

We also need the Holy Spirit to inspire us, to give like Jesus gave.  We need the Spirit to motivate us in our giving so we, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than ourselves.  Let each of us look not only to our own interests, but also to the interests of others.  Have this mind in yourself, which is yours in Christ Jesus.”

We need the Spirit to give as Jesus gave, we need the Holy Spirit to trust Jesus’ gifts, so we receive them in faith, without hedging our bets, keeping back what we know God wants us to give to others.

Without the Holy Spirit, we are greatly stricken.  With the Holy Spirit, we know we are greatly stricken.  So, in our affliction the Holy Spirit gives us Jesus and we receive the gifts that came from his suffering and death on the cross.

Therefore, “What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me?”  (Psalm 116:12 ESV) You are God’s saints!  You are precious in God’s sight.  The Holy Spirit comes from the Father and the Son to encourage you to die to self and give to God your trust, by giving to others what he has first given to you – yourself, your time, and your possessions.

May we not only pray, “Come Lord Jesus be our guest and let these gifts to us be blessed”.  But also pray and live our lives so, “Blessed be God who is our bread, may the world be clothed and fed.” Amen.

Next week - By the toils of Jesus, Lord teach us how to work.

A, The Birth of our Lord, Christmas Day - Luke 2:13-14 "Gift Wrapped in Glory"

Luke 2:13-14 (ESV) And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,  “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” 

The shepherds sit around hoping for a quiet night.  They watch their sheep, they don’t want any trouble from predators or thieves, a quiet night is a good night.

But then in an instant the night is like day.  The shepherds are startled; their full attention has been gathered.  This brightness brings with it a weight they’ve never experienced.  It is heavy; but it’s heavenly!  They tremble in fear under the mass of light bearing down on them from heaven.  This is no predator; this is no thief!  Something is going down; but how to explain what is transpiring before their very eyes!

Then this heavy heavenly thing speaks out of the brightness and light, saying to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”  (Luke 2:10–12 ESV)

And if that is not enough for these simple shepherds to hear, then, “suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,  ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!’” 

When the angels went back into heaven, what did the shepherds do with this great burden of information left with them?  They left their sheep in the field saying, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”  (Luke 2:15b ESV)

The weight of the event left its mark on them.  This glory, the angel, and its heavenly entourage was so intense they could do nothing but go and see this Saviour lying in a manger.

As we have heard today, and have heard every Christmas, they found Mary and Joseph, they found Jesus in swaddling cloths lying in the manger, the sign revealed to them by the angel of God.

We are told of the shepherds, “And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child.  And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.” (Luke 2:17–18 ESV)

What does God’s glory do to you? 

“And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”  (Luke 2:20 ESV)

How would you explain this event to those who had not seen it? 

We hear this gospel message every year, every Christmas?  But how do you explain all that the shepherds saw, and how can we repeat the proclamation today with the same enthusiasm and excitement as that of the shepherds.

For us to share in the excitement of the shepherds with a willingness to repeat their sounding joy, we need to allow God the Holy Spirit to open up the text of this Christmas gospel for us.  Then we can intimately share in the event of the first Christmas.  And therefore, repeat it to those who do not know what this—everyday earthly, but heavy heavenly—birth does for all of creation.

Three times in the reading today we hear of glory.  What is the glory of God?  How do we explain the glory of God shining around the shepherds, the heavenly choir singing “Glory to God in the highest”, and the shepherds glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen?

The glory of God has a huge impact on the shepherds.  They saw it shining around them, they heard it heralded by the heavenly hosts, then they continued in this glory after seeing Jesus.  What is this glory?

In the Old Testament Hebrew, glory, simply means “to be heavy”.  In a bad sense it can mean to be a burden or severe, but in a good sense can mean numerous, rich, or honourable.  It means to be weighty in either a good or bad way.

When God reveals his glory over Pharaoh through Moses it is both a burden to Pharaoh but also a joy to the Israelites.  When the glory of the Lord covered Mount Sinai and when it filled the tabernacle and later the temple, people did not take it lightly.  In fact, the people of God feared the intense weight of God in his glory when it appeared.  Even using God’s name was a hefty thing for fear of saying it in vain and discrediting the weight of its glory.

In the New Testament the Greek word for glory is doxa, from where we get doxology, or words about glory.  In fact, the angels or host of heaven praise God with what we would call a doxology. 

This glory is: to please, to think well of, to be of good reputation.  With the Old Testament meaning to be weighty, to glorify God is to give the greatest weight of pleasure to him, he is worthy of the best thoughts and reputation among us.

Doxologies appear quite often when we acknowledge God’s presence with us.  On the end of psalms, the end of the Lord’s Prayer, which comes from King David (Psalm 145:11-13, 1 Chronicles 29:10-13), and the Great Gloria and the Holy, Holy, Holy in the liturgy are combinations of doxological praises sung in the presence of God.

The shepherds heard, saw, and felt the full weight of God’s presence when the angel appeared.  In fact, when the angels left and went into heaven, the shepherds didn’t say, let’s go and see what the angel told us”, but rather said let’s see that “which the Lord has made known to us.”

Much is made of angels today.  Many angelic experiences are over personified and in doing so glory is taken away from God.  However, angels are messengers of God.  Even if they are named in Scripture, it is not they who we look to, but to God in whose name they speak.  This is why the shepherds say, the Lord, rather than an angel, had made Jesus’ birth known to them.

The doxology of the heavenly host or angelic choir also functions in the same way.  They announce God in all his glory.  In fact, this is the first time the Heavenly Choir is heard on earth.  We are accustomed to it these days as we sing in God’s presence the Great Gloria and the Holy, Holy, Holy in the liturgy.  We sing it because God is present, but when Jesus was born the heavenly choir was heard for the first time on earth. 

We do well to be in awe of God being with us today in all his weighty glory, just as much as he was then before the shepherds, as we join the heavenly choir each time we sing or say, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” Or any other doxology!

“Glory to God in the highest” is the great glorification of God.  It is the heaviest pleasure that can be bestowed upon God.  And now this glory shines around the shepherds and they pass it onto all whom they see.  All who heard the shepherds marvelled and wondered at the news.  These shepherds had continued the messenger work, God had shone on them through his angelic messengers.

This glory of God is the wrapping of God’s greatest gift to us — Jesus Christ in human flesh!

The angels sing, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

Not only is this glory given to God as the ultimate praise, but it is also given to the shepherds and us, those with whom God is pleased.  It is God’s pleasure in the highest to give you peace through Jesus Christ.

Such is the weight of this event that we receive the gift of love from God the Father, wrapped in glory and swaddling cloths.  With the Psalmist, we look not to our works or idols but look to the gift of God in the manger and say, “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!”  (Psalm 115:1 ESV)

We see the steadfast love and faithfulness of Jesus in human flesh and trust his work and word that his flesh now speaks for our flesh fulfilling the will of God.  This is the will of God done in heaven and on earth bringing peace to us and pleasure to God.

This gift of God covers us in his glory with his victory over sin and death on the cross, covering you with the forgiveness of sins.  Let the Holy Spirit unwrap God’s glory in you, so having seen and heard the gift of God, like the shepherds you continue to glorify and praise God to all whom you meet in these days.  Amen.