Tempted in the Wilderness
McConnellsburg Lutheran Parish
Invocabit- 1st Sunday in Lent
2/14/2016
Gospel Text: Luke 4: 1-13
Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Beware O Christian! This devil, Job’s ancient accuser, who so sublimely led our first parents into death has been honing his craft for a very long time. Repent. You are no match for him. Return to the Lord your God. Too often this devil’s lies have found upon us willing ears, his seduction an easy mark in our wayward hearts. Repent. For now is the Day of Salvation. No man knows what the future holds. Tomorrow may be too late.
Repent, but do not be sad. Do not be afraid. For there is an escape. There is grace. God, born of Mary, wearing your flesh, your Brother, is like you, but not like you. He obeyed. He did not fall. He did not succumb to temptation. He overcame the Tempter. And that, not merely in the desert, but in the city as well, and in the back-water Galilean villages, at the sinners’ tables, in the synagogue, and in the Temple. Then, at last, He faced that old serpent in the fiercest showdown of all time on a hill just outside of Jerusalem, home of the prophet martyrs, the city of peace when Melchizadek prayed and offered sacrifices, from when King David ruled.
And there, take heed O Christian, there, it “seemed” as though the whole thing had been for naught! For surely He led a blameless life and never sinned, but there on the cross with brutal force and undisguised glee, in malicious violence, Satan through his evil agents drove the nails into the hands and feet of Immanuel, and put Him to death! It “seemed” as though Satan had won. It “seemed” as though the victory in the desert did not last. It still “seems” that way today. The devil and his demons work hard, after all, at making “seems” seem like reality. But the Truth is that in that seeming defeat, that dark hour of God’s death, the ransom was paid, atonement made, the lost found, and heaven opened! The Son of man was glorified and coronated as our King.
He rose the Victor. Death released the Lord of Life. And after parading through Hell—so that whatever lies Satan might peddle, he himself would have no excuse of not knowing or understanding that he had most certainly lost that showdown—the Lord appeared to the faithful, and to the unfaithful. He ate with them. He taught them. He blessed them. He forgave them. And He gave them His Victory. For He had won it for them—and for us.
And so it is, that even as our Lord battled the devil in the desert, battled him across the promised land, battled him through death and into Hell that those prison bars which held us were broken down, so still, He wages this holy war for us in us. He fights for His children against that same foe inside His children. And still the battle is fought, as it always has been, with, and for, the Word of God.
Temptation is always temptation to break God’s Word, to go against it. God says: “Do this,” or “Don’t do that.” And the devil says: “Oh, come on now! That is not practical. You’re being a prude, old-fashioned, no fun. Surely God didn’t really mean it. And even if He did then it is only because He is holding out on you. What kind of a God is He, anyway? I thought He was supposed to love you.” This is the way he attacked Adam and Eve in the garden. It is the way he attacked our Lord in the desert. It is the way he attacks each of us here and now. Eve could not bear the assault. Adam failed to protect her. He, and she, gave in, and became children of Satan and you are the seed of their loins. But the Second Adam, the perfect Adam, suffered these temptations also. And He did not fail. He overcame. He lived the perfect life of faith and with nothing more than the Word, He drove the devil back.
This Word is stronger than the strong man. It is more nourishing, more essential to life, than bread itself. It can command the mountains into the sea, or call down fire from heaven. After all, it called the sun, the stars, the moon, indeed all things, into being. This Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. It leads us through the valley of the shadow of death. It reveals the God of Abraham to us poor sinners and makes us a people- a people belonging to God.
Christ, our Lord, our Captain, our Hero, our King, has succeeded when Adam failed. He does not stand idly by as Satan and his legions taunt you with their siren songs of destruction and death. For Christ intervenes. He shields you, His beloved, but weak, Eve. He protects and defends you. He attacks those who would harm you. He goes in your place, overcomes what you and Eve could not.
He did not need to do this for Himself. He did it for you. He removes death’s sting, the grave’s morbid victory. The roaring lion who once terrified you is now but a barking dog with no bite. His teeth, his claws have been removed. He is chained to his own torture which will never end. And he cannot have you. He can harm you none. For you have a Master, a King, a Benefactor, and a Protector. You bear the Name He placed upon you in Baptism. You belong to Him. Not just because He made you, but also because He bought you.
So be forewarned. Be prepared. Make yourself ready for warfare, ready for sneak attacks, and dirty underhanded tricks. Make yourself ready by eating and drinking the provisions provided by God’s grace, that which He has given and shed for you. Open your ears. Hear the Word of God. Pray that He would strengthen and sustain you in the days to come. Pray, lest you fall into temptation. And learn to pray once again, O Christians, the pray He taught, the prayer He gave. And learn to pray as the early Church so fervently prayed, “Come, Lord Jesus. Come quickly!”
As the author of Hebrews writes: “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14-1). Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Conversation of Heaven
McConnellsburg Lutheran Parish
The Transfiguration of our Lord
2/6/2016
Gospel Text: Luke 9: 28-36
Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
What is the conversation of heaven? What did Peter, James, and John overhear Moses, Elijah, and the Messiah discuss on the Mount of Transfiguration? Jesus' departure, His exodus from this world, the laying down of His life in perfect obedience to the Law to appease His Father's wrath and in perfect love for His neighbor to welcome them into His Grace. Heaven is obsessed with this. Heaven loves it, devotes itself to it, talks of nothing else. There is, therefore, a somewhat unfortunate line in the Palm Sunday hymn "Ride on, Ride on" where speaking of Our Lord's looming crucifixion the holy angels are said to "look on with sad and wondering eyes." They are not sad. They rejoice over one sinner who repents. The thought of God's sacrifice does not fill them with sadness. It fills them with joy for they love the holy works of God, they love God being God, God keeping His Word. And nothing is more holy, nothing is more essential to who God is, than God in the Flesh lifted up from the earth on Hellish sticks in order to draw all men unto Himself. That is what they sang about in Bethlehem. It is what they, along with all of creation, had been waiting for. Neither were Moses or Elijah shy about this during their time on earth. They certainly weren't shy about it in heaven. For there in heaven, having come to faith's reward, they love the works of God as much as the angels do. They love the Messiah they foretold. They love the keeping of the Promise, the pouring forth of innocent blood to make men clean. It is what they waited for while on earth, what they hoped, what they prayed, why they praised God and now in heaven they love it more than anything, more than they thought possible. So why is it that the thought of Our Lord's demise so often fills us with sadness? Why is it that we have even felt guilty about it? Maybe even preferring Easter to Good Friday? Have we been somewhat ashamed, maybe a little afraid of it? Do we like the symbols of our faith sanitized and rated "G", without blood, without agony, without a body pierced through on the cross? Why? I suppose it is for the same reason St. Peter had for wanting to stay on the Mount of Transfiguration. We see but dimly, as in a mirror, not yet fully comprehending who our God is for us and barely scratching the surface of His great love. We're caught up in our own tragedies, enduring secret battles, suffering under temptation and the evil that is all around us. The devil, the world, and our sinful nature do not want us to hallow God's Name or let His kingdom come. They would deceive and mislead us. And from the perspective of all that, from inside the skin of sinful men, from the pain, frustration, and sorrow that beset us on every side, Our Lord's crucifixion seems like just another injustice, just another unnecessary bit of sorrow, just another life cut short that failed to live up to its potential, one more lonely widow, one more failed friendship, one more shattered dream. But we are sorely mistaken when we think that way. Such ideas only add to our troubles. That is the talk of the devil. For the injustice Our Lord suffered He suffered of His own will. He does not regret it. He is not ashamed of it. He was a victim, a Sacrifice, but He was also the Priest. No one took His life from Him. He laid it down of His own accord. What this cost Him we can scarcely imagine, for Life Himself to endure death, for the truly Righteous Man to become sin, to suffer the agony in His soul for the guilt of betraying Himself, of misusing His own Name, of caving in to peer pressure or being seduced by depraved pleasures of the flesh, to be guilty, truly guilty for our sins, and to be forsaken by His Father because of them, this is pain far beyond our imaginations or abilities to comprehend. The stress was so great His sweat fell as blood in the garden. No other man, not even the saddest victim of torture in the worst place on earth, has ever suffered so. But He did not flinch. He did not turn away. He did not complain. He took it upon Himself to be the Messiah, the One who remembers His people and calls them by Name, the One in whom the Father is well-pleased, the One who saves. He is the Redeemer. He is full of love. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. And He desires nothing so much as the salvation of your soul, and nothing pleases Him so much as the thought of spending eternity with you in perfect bliss. That is what held Him to the cross. He hung there in agony and sorrow, with bloody sweat in His eyes. He was glad to do it for you. Now we stand on the edge of Lent. For 40 days the Church will catechize us in the way of the cross. We will contemplate Our Lord's bitter suffering and death. We will fast from our Hallelujahs and who knows what else. We will prepare ourselves, body and soul, to celebrate the victory on Good Friday and the opening of the earth's womb on Easter Sunday. Let us not then be gloomy and despondent. But like Peter, James, and John, let us be encouraged and strengthened by the conversation of heaven. Heaven is not sad. The cross of Jesus Christ is nothing to cry about. This is how He loved us, and your crosses will soon be lifted as well.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
McConnellsburg Lutheran Parish
Invocabit- 1st Sunday in Lent
2/14/2016
Gospel Text: Luke 4: 1-13
Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Beware O Christian! This devil, Job’s ancient accuser, who so sublimely led our first parents into death has been honing his craft for a very long time. Repent. You are no match for him. Return to the Lord your God. Too often this devil’s lies have found upon us willing ears, his seduction an easy mark in our wayward hearts. Repent. For now is the Day of Salvation. No man knows what the future holds. Tomorrow may be too late.
Repent, but do not be sad. Do not be afraid. For there is an escape. There is grace. God, born of Mary, wearing your flesh, your Brother, is like you, but not like you. He obeyed. He did not fall. He did not succumb to temptation. He overcame the Tempter. And that, not merely in the desert, but in the city as well, and in the back-water Galilean villages, at the sinners’ tables, in the synagogue, and in the Temple. Then, at last, He faced that old serpent in the fiercest showdown of all time on a hill just outside of Jerusalem, home of the prophet martyrs, the city of peace when Melchizadek prayed and offered sacrifices, from when King David ruled.
And there, take heed O Christian, there, it “seemed” as though the whole thing had been for naught! For surely He led a blameless life and never sinned, but there on the cross with brutal force and undisguised glee, in malicious violence, Satan through his evil agents drove the nails into the hands and feet of Immanuel, and put Him to death! It “seemed” as though Satan had won. It “seemed” as though the victory in the desert did not last. It still “seems” that way today. The devil and his demons work hard, after all, at making “seems” seem like reality. But the Truth is that in that seeming defeat, that dark hour of God’s death, the ransom was paid, atonement made, the lost found, and heaven opened! The Son of man was glorified and coronated as our King.
He rose the Victor. Death released the Lord of Life. And after parading through Hell—so that whatever lies Satan might peddle, he himself would have no excuse of not knowing or understanding that he had most certainly lost that showdown—the Lord appeared to the faithful, and to the unfaithful. He ate with them. He taught them. He blessed them. He forgave them. And He gave them His Victory. For He had won it for them—and for us.
And so it is, that even as our Lord battled the devil in the desert, battled him across the promised land, battled him through death and into Hell that those prison bars which held us were broken down, so still, He wages this holy war for us in us. He fights for His children against that same foe inside His children. And still the battle is fought, as it always has been, with, and for, the Word of God.
Temptation is always temptation to break God’s Word, to go against it. God says: “Do this,” or “Don’t do that.” And the devil says: “Oh, come on now! That is not practical. You’re being a prude, old-fashioned, no fun. Surely God didn’t really mean it. And even if He did then it is only because He is holding out on you. What kind of a God is He, anyway? I thought He was supposed to love you.” This is the way he attacked Adam and Eve in the garden. It is the way he attacked our Lord in the desert. It is the way he attacks each of us here and now. Eve could not bear the assault. Adam failed to protect her. He, and she, gave in, and became children of Satan and you are the seed of their loins. But the Second Adam, the perfect Adam, suffered these temptations also. And He did not fail. He overcame. He lived the perfect life of faith and with nothing more than the Word, He drove the devil back.
This Word is stronger than the strong man. It is more nourishing, more essential to life, than bread itself. It can command the mountains into the sea, or call down fire from heaven. After all, it called the sun, the stars, the moon, indeed all things, into being. This Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. It leads us through the valley of the shadow of death. It reveals the God of Abraham to us poor sinners and makes us a people- a people belonging to God.
Christ, our Lord, our Captain, our Hero, our King, has succeeded when Adam failed. He does not stand idly by as Satan and his legions taunt you with their siren songs of destruction and death. For Christ intervenes. He shields you, His beloved, but weak, Eve. He protects and defends you. He attacks those who would harm you. He goes in your place, overcomes what you and Eve could not.
He did not need to do this for Himself. He did it for you. He removes death’s sting, the grave’s morbid victory. The roaring lion who once terrified you is now but a barking dog with no bite. His teeth, his claws have been removed. He is chained to his own torture which will never end. And he cannot have you. He can harm you none. For you have a Master, a King, a Benefactor, and a Protector. You bear the Name He placed upon you in Baptism. You belong to Him. Not just because He made you, but also because He bought you.
So be forewarned. Be prepared. Make yourself ready for warfare, ready for sneak attacks, and dirty underhanded tricks. Make yourself ready by eating and drinking the provisions provided by God’s grace, that which He has given and shed for you. Open your ears. Hear the Word of God. Pray that He would strengthen and sustain you in the days to come. Pray, lest you fall into temptation. And learn to pray once again, O Christians, the pray He taught, the prayer He gave. And learn to pray as the early Church so fervently prayed, “Come, Lord Jesus. Come quickly!”
As the author of Hebrews writes: “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14-1). Amen.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Conversation of Heaven
McConnellsburg Lutheran Parish
The Transfiguration of our Lord
2/6/2016
Gospel Text: Luke 9: 28-36
Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
What is the conversation of heaven? What did Peter, James, and John overhear Moses, Elijah, and the Messiah discuss on the Mount of Transfiguration? Jesus' departure, His exodus from this world, the laying down of His life in perfect obedience to the Law to appease His Father's wrath and in perfect love for His neighbor to welcome them into His Grace. Heaven is obsessed with this. Heaven loves it, devotes itself to it, talks of nothing else. There is, therefore, a somewhat unfortunate line in the Palm Sunday hymn "Ride on, Ride on" where speaking of Our Lord's looming crucifixion the holy angels are said to "look on with sad and wondering eyes." They are not sad. They rejoice over one sinner who repents. The thought of God's sacrifice does not fill them with sadness. It fills them with joy for they love the holy works of God, they love God being God, God keeping His Word. And nothing is more holy, nothing is more essential to who God is, than God in the Flesh lifted up from the earth on Hellish sticks in order to draw all men unto Himself. That is what they sang about in Bethlehem. It is what they, along with all of creation, had been waiting for. Neither were Moses or Elijah shy about this during their time on earth. They certainly weren't shy about it in heaven. For there in heaven, having come to faith's reward, they love the works of God as much as the angels do. They love the Messiah they foretold. They love the keeping of the Promise, the pouring forth of innocent blood to make men clean. It is what they waited for while on earth, what they hoped, what they prayed, why they praised God and now in heaven they love it more than anything, more than they thought possible. So why is it that the thought of Our Lord's demise so often fills us with sadness? Why is it that we have even felt guilty about it? Maybe even preferring Easter to Good Friday? Have we been somewhat ashamed, maybe a little afraid of it? Do we like the symbols of our faith sanitized and rated "G", without blood, without agony, without a body pierced through on the cross? Why? I suppose it is for the same reason St. Peter had for wanting to stay on the Mount of Transfiguration. We see but dimly, as in a mirror, not yet fully comprehending who our God is for us and barely scratching the surface of His great love. We're caught up in our own tragedies, enduring secret battles, suffering under temptation and the evil that is all around us. The devil, the world, and our sinful nature do not want us to hallow God's Name or let His kingdom come. They would deceive and mislead us. And from the perspective of all that, from inside the skin of sinful men, from the pain, frustration, and sorrow that beset us on every side, Our Lord's crucifixion seems like just another injustice, just another unnecessary bit of sorrow, just another life cut short that failed to live up to its potential, one more lonely widow, one more failed friendship, one more shattered dream. But we are sorely mistaken when we think that way. Such ideas only add to our troubles. That is the talk of the devil. For the injustice Our Lord suffered He suffered of His own will. He does not regret it. He is not ashamed of it. He was a victim, a Sacrifice, but He was also the Priest. No one took His life from Him. He laid it down of His own accord. What this cost Him we can scarcely imagine, for Life Himself to endure death, for the truly Righteous Man to become sin, to suffer the agony in His soul for the guilt of betraying Himself, of misusing His own Name, of caving in to peer pressure or being seduced by depraved pleasures of the flesh, to be guilty, truly guilty for our sins, and to be forsaken by His Father because of them, this is pain far beyond our imaginations or abilities to comprehend. The stress was so great His sweat fell as blood in the garden. No other man, not even the saddest victim of torture in the worst place on earth, has ever suffered so. But He did not flinch. He did not turn away. He did not complain. He took it upon Himself to be the Messiah, the One who remembers His people and calls them by Name, the One in whom the Father is well-pleased, the One who saves. He is the Redeemer. He is full of love. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. And He desires nothing so much as the salvation of your soul, and nothing pleases Him so much as the thought of spending eternity with you in perfect bliss. That is what held Him to the cross. He hung there in agony and sorrow, with bloody sweat in His eyes. He was glad to do it for you. Now we stand on the edge of Lent. For 40 days the Church will catechize us in the way of the cross. We will contemplate Our Lord's bitter suffering and death. We will fast from our Hallelujahs and who knows what else. We will prepare ourselves, body and soul, to celebrate the victory on Good Friday and the opening of the earth's womb on Easter Sunday. Let us not then be gloomy and despondent. But like Peter, James, and John, let us be encouraged and strengthened by the conversation of heaven. Heaven is not sad. The cross of Jesus Christ is nothing to cry about. This is how He loved us, and your crosses will soon be lifted as well.
In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.