An Apple Called to Live - Christ the King - Matthew 25:31-46

 

An Apple Called to Live

 Can you believe it? Did you see what they did?

 I’ve been in this tree all of my life and I still can’t believe what they did!

 Well, let me tell you about my life. First off, before I was even formed, there was a seed in the ground. With that seed grew new life. It took years for a trunk to come along and then there were the branches. All of this fed with water and nourished with soil. And oh, how warm that wonderful sun provided warmth and vitamins.  All the soil and the water were gifts from God. Gifts given even in the very seed of formation.

 Anyway, after the trunk increased in diameter and branches formed, there came along some blossoms. All of this cared for by someone other than me, that’s for sure.

 There was fertilization, pruning and weeding that took place. All of this happened without any effort at all by myself. It just happened by my loving and caring creator and owner.

 My source of life became familiar with its environment. My source of life knew when to rest, when to produce me and when to grow a little more. Year after year this took place. All through no effort of my own.

 As my predecessor, the flower formed, these honey bees from what seemed like another planet came by and did something called pollination. These honey bees just loved the sweetness and the smell of the nectar inside of my flowers.

 And this is when some magic took place. Almost like it was sent from above. And it was, in some ways, as the honeybees swirled and buzzed around, the flower’s pollen would stick to the hair of the honeybee and the honeybee would spread that pollen from flower to flower all around the other trees in the field around me. And it’s in this that I can spring to new life.

 I grow.

 I grow and become fruit. I produce without any effort of my own. It just takes place. Somehow. And God is happy with me. God loves me and calls me his own. It’s not anything that I have done, that makes me so sweet and wonderful to all the world. It’s all the work of God.

 You see, my only action was to depend on what God gives me and let it happen. As I grow, I become wonderful in the eyes of God.

 The others were wonderful in the eyes of God as well. But they decided to do something different. They grew and were nourished and loved just as I was, but they decided to do something different.

 They decided to try and go it on their own. They decided to separate from the love and nourishment of God and pull away from the branch. And they dropped! Can you believe it? Why? God gave them everything needed to live! Why?

 As they lived their lives separated from God, they sat on the ground and rot. Some were eaten by animals and many made the animals sick in themselves.

 The rest of us? The ones that depended on God to live? We were gathered together and taken to a great feast with God. How wonderful is that!

 All we had to do was live with God in his Kingdom. God took care of it all!

 It’s a funny way to live, but believe it! God will take care of you from start to finish.

 Matthew 25:31-46 ESV

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Lord, you are my life. Christ, you are my King. As I innocently do the works you call me to do, may I always look to you and depend upon you for life. As I kneel before you, my Maker and Savior, make me live in and for you… today… tomorrow… and forever. --- Amen

 

Use It! Give It! --- Matthew 25:14-30 --- Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost

 

Use It! Give It!

Matthew 25:14-30 ESV

“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who 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. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

What will you do with your God given talent?

Our word talent has some origins in this parable by Jesus. Originally it was used as a measure of weight. In this context a talent was worth around fifteen years of wages. In the modern-day use of talent, we think of talented people in music, business, mechanics and all kinds of various skills used within a community.

Everyone has talents. There is a wide variety of talents in this world. Amazing talents, God given and honed and practiced by humans all over. A true talent produces no envy and no pride. We each have a talent or more than one with differing expertise in each. And that’s okay.

 This parable, however, makes me think of baptism. Rather the results of baptism. In baptism we are given the Holy Spirit to lead and guides us throughout life.

 The results are reflected in the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed dealing with sanctification. In baptism we are claimed by God. We are given salvation, without doing anything, on our part. Through the Holy Spirit we are led into a new life out of the waters of our baptism, to live in joy with God. Through the Holy Spirit we are called, gathered, and enlightened, and gifted with talents. God gives us all that we need to live today and forever… “Our daily bread.” In the giving we are called to share the Gospel and our freely given talents with all those God gives to us each and every day.

During the time of this parable, money was originally hidden to keep it safe. We see this with the One-Talent man but the others use the given talents to produce more. Instead of just keeping the talents safe, they are multiplied.

Ancient interest rates were very high. Investors looked for a minimum a 100% profit.

The talents given by the Master in this parable were given to be used.

We are not to guard what we are given. We are gifted to use the gifts God gives to us.

Which poses a question. Was the One-Talent man resentful towards the others? Was he afraid of what the Master would say? Maybe yes is the answer to each of these questions.

Those who share their talents enter into communion with God and one another. And those servants who produced more, also entered into the joy of the master.

I know, I’ve been bouncing back and forth from the Parable to the meaning for us today. So, here is my take at this passage and what I hear.

Even if you are a one talent man, your God and your neighbor depends on you and needs you. You just may have that one talent that’s the missing key on the piano, or the one bell in the bell choir, or that one transistor in the radio, that without you and your talent, the whole is ruined.

You have to give up your talent to all those God gives to you, each and every day, day after day.

In the giving up of yourself IS the joy of the feast and the welcome arms of Christ. Jesus gave himself for you. The Holy Spirit gives you all you need and the Father preserves your life into eternity.

As God’s Children, we are baptized and called to live a life with, and in, God. We are called to joyfully give up our talents and watch and see what God does. We are called to give up everything to God…

Or… Be cast out as useless.

What will you do with your God given talent?

Lord, you prepared a sacrifice and gave it up in Jesus. You are my God! Keep me and all those you give to me awake that we may live in the light of Christ… today… tomorrow… and forever. --- Amen

 

 

Midnight Coming --- Matthew 25:1-13 --- The Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost

 

Midnight Coming

Matthew 25:1-13 ESV

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

Be ready. Be prepared. Be alert. Be ready to welcome Jesus. When? Where? How?

Be ready now. Jesus may come to you at any moment. Jesus may come to this world also at any instant. Jesus may come to you personally where ever and whenever you least expect. Jesus comes in Word and Sacrament to all people. Jesus has come and will come. Jesus comes in the past, in the present and in the future. How?

When I ponder on the Lord’s Prayer we pray “Thy Kingdom Come…”

How does God’s Kingdom come? To paraphrase Luther’s explanation to this second petition of the Lord’s Prayer. God comes to us when he gives us his Holy Spirit. How? When? It’s free. We don’t have to do anything to receive God’s Holy Spirit. God gives us his Spirit in the waters of baptism, and we can’t do a single thing to receive the Holy Spirit. Nope! Nothing! God’s Spirit is free and leads us to faith through Word and Sacrament. And then we believe. We can’t help ourselves if we pay a little attention. Sure, we can turn away from this free gift. God will let us turn away. But… God wants us to turn to him and accept his Spirit and live our lives for, and in, him. We won’t be perfect. We will sin while on this earth, but God still claims us, teaches us and leads and guides us to be with him in eternal life.

So, be ready to welcome Jesus and the Father and the Holy Spirit. Keep your mind on Jesus and be ready when he comes.

So, many Christians today, make the coming of Jesus seem like it will be a horrible event. No! Jesus coming is not horrible. God came down to this earth to come into communion with his children. Throughout time, humanity has had an issue with God. We don’t want God. We want ourselves. We want control over our lives and have believed that we can control our lives through our own efforts. So, how has that worked out? We fail. We turn from God and come up with phony idols and screwy beliefs that we think we can control. And then we come to fear the coming of Jesus. We fear his coming to us personally… we will lose our own power and control. And we fear Jesus coming at the end of the ages, because we will be caught wrapped up in ourselves. So, why do Christians today seem to think Jesus coming will be a horrible event? They fear that they won’t be the “In” ones with Jesus. They know they have sinned and are due death and hell.

Well, that’s true! But Jesus doesn’t come for all that death and hell part. We DO deserve death and hell… at least because of our sinfulness. But Jesus comes not because we are sinners. Jesus knows we sin. He comes to save us from our pitiful plight of sin, death and hell. Jesus comes to become our sin and give us his righteousness.

So, be prepared… not for the worst… but for the best! Our Father only wants the best for us.

All this is just the introduction to this Gospel Word. This is Jesus Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids.

Notice that there are Five Wise and Five Foolish Bridesmaids. This applies to all of us as well. Think of the Five Wise as those who are believers in Jesus and the Five Foolish as those who have chosen to not believe in Jesus but ride the fence, so to speak.

The oil could be thought of as the Holy Spirit, or perhaps the gift of faith from God that produces belief in Jesus. Five received the Holy Spirit and five turned away from this gift from God and left it behind in life.

Now let’s consider the Wedding party. Not the folks in the wedding, rather the party itself, the celebration. In Jesus day, the Wedding Celebration was one of the greatest festivities of the day. Everything came to a stop for this feast. The high point of the feast was when the bridegroom took the bride from her father’s house and brought the bride to her new home. And then… the party was on! Whoopee!!!

Notice, in this parable, the bridegroom comes at midnight. That’s kind of like how Jesus comes to us. Jesus comes at the darkest hour many times. At the hour when we deserve nothing but death and hell. Jesus comes to us when all human effort is gone.

But, in the case of this parable and in the case of Baptism, Communion, or in the Word; there is joy at midnight. I can’t help but think of the coming of Jesus into this world when he was born in the flesh to Mary and Joseph, and to me and you and all creation.

May I be more than just ready to die this day. For daily I need to die in the waters of my baptism to my sinful self. I must die that I may rise again, out of the life-giving water to new life. Gifted with the Holy Spirit each and every day. Die to sin and rise in the joy of life, once again in Christ forever. Oh, the Joy of my baptism. Oh, the Joy of Jesus coming to me in the Bread and the Wine. Jesus in flesh and blood with me. The Joy of hearing Jesus in the Word spoken and lived. The Joy of that Oil of the Holy Spirit bringing all that I need for Life with God. The Joy of the call to action in God in love for God and in love to all those God gives to me, day after day, and moment by moment.

This Joy, this Grace, produces a response. A response that when we accept the gift of God in the Holy Spirit, the oil of my own lamp and your own lamp to produce the Light of God that welcomes us into the festival at the great coming of Jesus in the end of all time, that we can all believe in, trust in and know about.

You can’t share or borrow belief in God’s grace. It’s a gift to you personally. But what we can do? Filled with the Holy Spirit and marked on our forehead with the oil of the cross of Christ forever… I can… You can… tell of God’s grace and love to all and believe in the Joy of that Midnight Festival that will come… today… tomorrow… and forever…. Into eternity with God!

Let justice and righteousness flow! God is great! And we will be with Jesus forever! Come, Lord, Jesus come. --- Amen

 

 

A Vison --- Matthew 5:1-12 - All Saints Sunday

 

A Vison

 

Matthew 5:1-12 ESV

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.

And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

All Saints Sunday is one of my favorite Sundays in the Church Year. It’s a Sunday to look back over the past year and remember friends and family who have passed on into Paradise to be with Jesus, and friends and family. It’s a Sunday to remember all those saints in my life, past, present, and yet to be. I mean even those saints that I read about in the Bible. I love to think about the great realm of all God’s Children together here and there.

Anyway, this passage is also one of my favorites. Like All Saints Sunday, this passage of scripture as well, causes me to gaze outside of myself and see visions. I remember in my life at GE, I would lead teams of people on certain tasks or problem solving. We would begin with formulating a vision. Something we could see in our minds eye that led us towards whatever the task was to be at hand. The best visions were those that may not have any words involved, perhaps they were a picture. From the vision would come our mission statement and then more detailed steps that would lead us all together towards our vision.

The Beatitudes or Blessings create a vision for me as well. But maybe that’s a little ahead of my message. First, let me reveal my notes from my background study this past week on this week’s Gospel message on the Beatitudes.

Blessings focus on the present and future ethics. So, what’s that about? Well, like a vision, the blessings look at the here and now, yet point us towards where we are heading towards our vision. How does Jesus teach us to act in the here and now as we proceed towards everlasting life with God. We live everlasting life with Jesus now already, but we also proceed into eternity with God forever. So, Jesus teaches us his way and we need to listen and learn and walk in Jesus’ way.

Blessings increase our longings for heaven. We see in our vision that we gaze towards heaven. And we notice how heaven is far superior to earth. Yet we still live on this earth in the here and now.

As I gaze towards heaven in a vision, I see the righteousness of Jesus. I also see how I cannot attain righteousness. I fail and fail often. Just witness my Connections Puzzle attempts. Too many failures! Kidding aside, I am human, I am not God, and I fail. I live in sin and cannot free myself. Only Jesus is righteous and only Jesus can make me righteous. So, knowing this, I see Jesus in his righteousness and turn away from myself and towards God. My vision must be on Jesus, so I turn to him.

Happiness or blessedness is a shared way of being alive. Happiness and blessedness are fulfilled and gifted to believers through Jesus.

Through Jesus teaching in the Beatitudes, we see the exact opposite of this world’s standards. And in each of these teachings to Jesus’ disciples, we see jets of light in comparison to the darkness of today. Jesus points us towards a great contrast and Jesus points us towards the vision and Light of Heaven.

This is teaching. This is not moral laws imposed on the world at large. This is teaching for the disciples of Jesus, pointing us sinners towards the character and vision of those who will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. Inherit, not by their own works or righteousness… no we all fail at this… rather inherit because God chooses to save us from our bondage to sin, death and the devil, because he wants us to be with him, belong to him and live with him forever into eternity. That’s a Luther Small Catechism paraphrase, by the way.

Finally, on the order of my study introduction, I find that the first half of the Beatitudes is the present and the second half deals with the community’s future in the world to come. How will it be in our vision of heaven.

Okay, now into the text a little bit. Jesus is teaching his disciples. These were to be learners willing to sacrifice all to follow Jesus. That’s a huge and very scary commitment! One that few people endeavor with any kind of seriousness. So many Christians today are willing to do just enough to “get by” by their own standards, just to look good to one another. That’s not what this is about. You don’t go to church to look good! It’s time to know you will fail and sin, yet be committed to the teachings of Jesus and believe his, “It is finished!” It’s time to believe that salvation is not in how good I can look to someone else, how I can do this or that, to impress. No, it’s time to be a disciple willing to sacrifice all to follow Jesus. It’s a too often used phrase, in my opinion, but I must give my life to Jesus. I can do nothing else but turn to God in my sin and give myself to him.

Notice how in Jesus’ teaching, we learn that the rule of heaven rights what is wrong and brings justice to the oppressed. Jesus’ teachings turn the world around and upside down as he draws us to himself and into his Kingdom. Jesus calls us to respond from our heart, our region of thought, intention and moral disposition. Jesus calls us to respond from our gut so to speak.

And yes, Jesus teaches about rewards. But, notice, the rewards are for those who help alleviate the oppression of another person that God places in your life. Jesus shows us how to look outward and away from ourself and our selfish ways.

Also, if you are a disciple of Jesus, the reward, in the present, is the joy to love and serve God and those who God gives to you each and every day. The reward of a disciple of Jesus is not earned by what we do. The reward is a gracious gift freely given to us by God.

Finally, my concluding thoughts. When I consider and contrast the Commandments with the Beatitudes; I realize that the Commandments are a mirror of my sinfulness. I fail at each in every commandment in some form. So, I need a Savior!

The Commandments (notice, I’m not writing Ten… We can’t even agree to number them the same… so forget it… that’s not the point). The Commandments condemn me. The Beatitudes, however, teach us how to act. Both the Commandments and the Beatitudes are unattainable in this fallen world in which we live. Yet, both the Commandments and the Beatitudes are fulfilled in Jesus.

Back to the beginning… The Beatitudes are a vision of Heaven, leading me to respond in the topsy-turvy love of Jesus in this world today and forever. The Beatitudes are not a mirror of my sinfulness, rather they are a vision of action to follow the love of God for today in the freedom of my bondage to sin through Jesus’ life, suffering, death and resurrection.

God, in Jesus creates a vision of heaven in which the grace of our freedom from sin, death and the devil; moves all creation to action in love towards God and action in love towards all those God gives to us each day.

One day we will see God in Jesus in all glory. The Vision will be fulfilled. And on that day as well as today, we can look around at all the disciples who have been sealed with the Cross of Christ forever. I am a Child of God because God calls me and Jesus was victorious over sin, death and evil. When Jesus said, “It is finished!” He meant it. So, live in the vision of Jesus teachings and respond in love towards God and one another… today… tomorrow… and forever. --- Amen