Appearing Sunday, April 15
Zion Lutheran Church, 3:00p.m.
Ironwood, MI

A Sermon by Pastor Fran for the 4th Sunday in Lent

Out in the town of Liberal, Kansas, some time back a well dressed, older woman was up town one day in her brand new, large Cadillac. She found a spot into which she was carefully preparing to parallel park her car. But just as she was going to start backing up, a young man in a small car zipped into the spot. She lowered the window and angrily asked, “Young man, why did you do that, when you could see perfectly well that I was going to park there?” With a smirk on his face he answered, “Because I’m young and quick!” He went into the store to do whatever he had to do, came back out, and found the woman using her new, large car as a battering ram, just finishing up destroying his little car. Horrified, he asked why she had done that. And she answered, “Because I’m old and rich!”

Today’s gospel is about forgiveness, a quality singularly lacking in that little story. The parable of the prodigal son is one of the most familiar and most loved stories of the New Testament. You all know it. The younger son asks for his share of the inheritance, takes off to a distant land, blows all his money on dissolute living, and hires out as a swineherd. He eventually comes to his senses, goes back home, expecting only to be treated as one of his father’s hired hands, but is received in great love and celebration as one who was lost but now is found.

Throwing a shadow over this otherwise happy reunion, however is the older brother. He doesn’t approve. And he has a pretty good case, doesn’t he? His younger brother has prematurely broken up the family property, wasted it on the worst kind of behavior, made himself ritually unclean by his association with gentiles and, even worse, his job looking after pigs. And now when he comes crawling home broke, he is received like a returning astronaut. The father kills the fatted calf and throws a big party. The father had never done that for him, the older brother. And he had always been the faithful one, the one who stayed home and stayed out of trouble. It isn’t fair, he complains. And we can agree with him. But that is just the point.

This parable that Jesus tells isn’t really about family matters; it’s about the love and mercy of God. God is represented here, of course, by the father. And the father acts not out of justice or fairness, but rather out of mercy and forgiveness, out of what the church has called grace. This story of the prodigal son is one of three recorded here in the 15^th chapter of Luke. The other two are about the lost coin and the lost sheep. A woman finds that she has lost one of her ten silver coins. She turns the house upside down until she finds that lost one. A shepherd losing one of his hundred sheep will leave the other 99 behind and go and seek out that single one that is lost. All three stories emphasize the value in God’s eyes of the one sinner who repents and comes back to God, the one person that is lost and is then found. God, Jesus tells us, is much more concerned with inviting us back, with redeeming, us than with judging or punishing us. The elder brother in us says, “but that’s not fair.” And of course, it isn’t. It’s loving.

It is much like another parable that Jesus told, the story of the laborers in the vineyard. In that story God is represented as the owner of a vineyard who goes to hire workers to bring in the harvest. He hires a crew at six in the morning and sets them to work. Then at noon, mid-afternoon, and again almost at the close of the day, he hires others and sends them out also to work in the vineyard. When they are all done, the owner angers most of the workers by paying them all the same, regardless of when they started. The six in the morning people say it’s not fair. We worked all day and you are paying the latecomers just as much as you are paying us. And it, of course, isn’t fair. But Jesus tells that story, again, to emphasize the mercy of God, a mercy that wins out over judgment and condemnation.

Lent is a good time to remember, however, that God’s mercy was not achieved by God winking at our sins or by God simply saying that our sins don’t matter. God cannot deny his own nature, a nature which includes pure truth and virtue. Our sin alienates us from such holiness and that sin must be atoned for, paid for, if you will. So God sent Jesus to die for us, to take upon himself our sins, to pay the price we cannot, to redeem us back from the debt of our sins. All we need do is accept in faith what God has already done for us.

We call this mercy and love of God grace, the free gift of salvation, given to us not because of our worthiness but given to us instead because of the love and generosity of God. It’s so simple! We don’t have to be good enough. We never would be anyway. We need only accept in faith what God so wants to give us.

You know, it’s odd that we all have trouble with this central message of the gospel precisely because it is so simple. Now Ironwood used to be a mining town. Let me share a little story that has to do with mining that can maybe help put this in perspective.

A pastor named G. Campbell Morgan was once approached by a man who said he would give anything to believe that God would forgive his sins, “but [the man said] I cannot believe He will forgive me if I just turn to Him. It is too cheap.”

Dr. Morgan said to him, “You were working in the mine today, how did you get out of the pit? He answered, “The way I usually do; I got into the cage and was pulled to the top.”

“How much did you pay to come out of the pit?”

“I didn’t pay anything.”

“Weren’t you afraid to trust yourself to that cage? Was it not too cheap?”

The man replied, “Oh, no! It was cheap for me, but it cost the company a lot of money to sink that shaft.”

At that point the man understood that the grace of God is just like that too. It is cheap, indeed, free to all. But it cost God dearly to bring us salvation and to haul us up out of the pit of our sins.

Off in that distant country the younger son came to his senses and went back home. He didn’t expect much. Just the chance to earn a living as his father’s servants did. Instead he was welcomed with the greatest joy. So it is ever when a sinner turns in repentance to God. So it is when we confess our sins and accept God’s promise of mercy and grace. We who were dead are now alive; we who were lost are now found. AMEN.

The "Precious Angels" children's choir of Christ Parish share music with the residents of Westgate Living Center (Top) and with the members of St. John's (Bottom). Many thanks to all of the parents and volunteers who make this important ministry possible.

Pastor Strong's Sermon from Sunday

TRANSFIGURATION C/2007

Don’t raise your hand, but is there anyone here this morning who worries about their appearance? Most of us, right?

There is an old story about a woman working out in her yard when a moving van pulled up at the house next door, followed right behind by a car with the new neighbors. The new people walked over and greeted the woman. And she was quite self-conscious because she had work clothes on and had dirt on her hands and face.

A few days later the new neighbors invited the woman and her husband to an open house. So here was the opportunity for the woman to make a better impression. She colored her hair, put on a girdle, glossed her lips, applied eye shadow and false eyelashes, polished her fingernails and popped in her colored contact lenses. She looked in the mirror with approval and remarked to her husband, “Now the new neighbors will get to see the real me!”

We can laugh, but we’re laughing at ourselves too, aren’t we? We’ve all done or said something like that. So today I want you to think a bit about appearances, specifically about faces, maybe even your own.

I do that because all three of our readings have to do with the faces of Moses and Jesus. And as you heard, their faces shone! No need for mascara or lip gloss here. Their faces shone with the glory of heaven. Moses had been on the top of Mount Sinai, receiving from God the law, the tablets of the Ten Commandments. He had been in the presence of God, and as a result, he just shone. His face was so bright, in fact, that it scared away his friends. He had to put on a veil.

A similar change came over Jesus. On the top of what we call the Mountain of Transfiguration, “while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white.” Moses and Elijah come to speak with him, and the voice of God the Father booms out this blessing: “This is my Son, my Chosen, listen to him!”

In both incidents, their faces shine, revealing not just happiness, but a deeper, more profound joy, a certainty of things being as they should be. Attribute it to the presence of God. Call it the appearance in which we will see Jesus in heaven. The face of Moses and the face of Jesus give us a glimpse into the soul and spirit of each of them.

Abraham Lincoln once remarked that everyone over 40 is responsible for his or her own face. Now that’s a daunting thought! But it has a truth to it, doesn’t it? Whatever is in our heart or our character eventually shapes who we are, even to our very appearance.

I read about a couple named John and Amy, two beautiful young people. John was captain of the high school swim team and president of the church youth group. Amy was a member of the National Honor Society. She could have been a model. They were both from well-off families, families active in church. Their faces shone with promise and possibilities.

One day on a youth outing Amy was sitting beside one of the church’s pastors while the other kids were playing volleyball. For some reason, maybe defiance or perhaps an impulse to share a burden, Amy startled her pastor by saying, “I just wanted you to know, pastor, John and I are sleeping together. It’s all right. We love each other and when we get out of school, we are going to marry. I just thought you might like to have this information.”

The pastor was wise enough to know not to lay down a challenging condemnation that would sever the relationship with this young woman, but instead did his best to listen and respond to what she was telling him.

A few weeks later, on a weekend retreat, he noticed that Amy was more distant toward John. And on Saturday evening, quite late, the pastor saw Amy sneaking around with Paul, another boy on the retreat. Later it was apparent that John and Amy had broken up.

Over the next year Amy had several true loves. And then she went off to college. The pastor lost touch for a while, but one day while visiting the town where Amy’s college was located, he ran into her. They talked for a few moments and then she was off, with a new fellow on her arm. “You know it was really quite noticeable to me,” said the pastor. “Amy was still quite an attractive young woman, but there was a difference. There was a time when Amy’s face literally shone with youth and wholesomeness. Now the shine is gone.”

You know what he’s talking about. “The shine is gone.” Now someone is going to protest and ask ‘What about John? How many true loves did he have? Did his face still shine?’ Probably not. But this isn’t really about gender. It isn’t even really about sex. It’s about something far deeper. It is about all those things that catch up with us as we grow older: the disappointments and betrayals, the compromises, fears, and the rest of it. The shine goes. And although these lines on my face, and maybe on yours, are traced there in part, I hope, by love and sacrifice and satisfaction, they are also the marks of pain, loss, and the slow but irresistible approach of death. These lines remind me of a verse in one of Dave Mathews’ songs when he sings, “our flesh, it tires.”

And we come to church on Transfiguration Sunday, hear of the shine on the faces of Moses and Jesus, and are perhaps struck with the distance between us and them. To know that we aren’t very much like either one of them we need only look in the mirror. And that doesn’t strike me as such good news. Thinking about how much of the glow of heaven is on Jesus’ face and how little is on my own is just another reminder of my own sin and unworthiness.

But then I remember another appearance that Jesus’ face took on. The prophet Isaiah foresaw this expression when he wrote, “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him striken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

What Isaiah foresaw was the face of Jesus on the cross: twisted in pain, covered with blood, sweat and tears, gouged by the crown of thorns on his forehead. And as I visualize that face of Jesus, as painful as it, I see a love even better than the radiance of heaven. This is sometimes called the Great Exchange. Jesus came to take on our lot that we might take on his. He takes on our pain so that we can take on his glory. Good Friday and Easter. Death and life. Condemnation and redemption. Death and rebirth. Good news indeed.

Young faces and old faces. Fresh and glowing, lined and wise. Bursting with energy, tired with the passage of decades. Jesus’ face on the cross. Jesus’ face at Transfiguration. A beauty, isn’t there?, in all of them, but a direction, a trajectory also. In the fulness of time, in God’s good and gracious ways, we too will come to shine with the glory that only His final presence will give us. And give it He will. Peter, James and John got to see that it was coming. Aaron and all the Israelites got a taste and a promise of it too. And because of their witness, we know also that in Jesus Christ, God will indeed bring us to that perfect light which will never falter and never fade. AMEN.

Here are some pictures of the Sledding Party. It was a lot of fun. We even managed to sled on water. There was a spring fed creek at the bottom of the hill that created a little water hazard. It was a beautiful day and fun was had by all. Thanks to Kaarlo and Laura Niemi for their hospitality and to all the adults who showed up to supervise the fun!

Christ Parish Youth Sledding Event

Sunday, February 11, 2007 from 1:00-300pm

Meet at Zion Lutheran Church at 1:00 and then we’ll caravan to “Logan’s Hill” (on Pump Station Road). We’ll warm up with snacks and cocoa following the sledding at the home of Laura and Kaarlo Niemi (N11869 Pump Station Rd). Please bring a sled, a change of clothes, and a snack to share. For more info call Pr. Christian at the Parish House: 932-2538

Pictures of Sandwich Making Fun.

The Super Sub-er-bowl Sunday Sub Sandwich Sale and Noisy Offering were a superb success! The youth made many delicious subs which were by no means sub standard and despite the sub-zero temperatures there was a sub-stantial turnout. There was lots of fun to be had. A special thanks must be made to the Lawsons, the Waitonics, Sandy Beals, Kateri Kormann, Sheri Holmes, and Thadius Fliss for all their help in making this event such a success. Another thank you to the good people of St. Paul who hosted the event at their church and to Copps for giving us a $20 off our groceries. Last but not least, thanks to all the Parish Youth who turned out. We are proud of all your efforts in the building up of a Parish Youth Group.

It is time to get some new posts on this blog! It’s time to get the word out! There has been much to mourn and much to rejoice about in the past month(s). Today as I went into the Parish House I saw the St. Paul Bazaar winding down. The people seemed happy in their coming and going. I am sure there were lots of good deals to be had. I didn’t make it there as my energies are limited and I must reserve them for Sunday morning (I’ll be preaching at Salem tomorrow for the first time since the September 24^th). It was good to see life going on as normal at St. Paul and hopefully tomorrow will be the beginning of returning to work and life in the Church.

It must be a weekend for good deals. The book sale at the Memorial Building was in full effect as we left the parsonage for the Parish House. There were cars parked in the parking lot of the All Saints School and there was even a truck with a trailer that pulled up as we were leaving. Our fear is that the driver was going to load up on books to feed the furnace for the winter instead of feeding the intellect. Perhaps he was just a voracious reader.

My brother is here this weekend and we have successfully cooked a pot of chili, and made a very manly meatloaf with American cheese and pickle slices on top. It is fun having him around. Kateri is down in Minneapolis this weekend. She is attending her brother’s wife’s baby shower, working, and is going to come home on Tuesday.

The picture I am attaching to this post is from the night of the Ordination Service. It is hard to share this picture. We were all so proud and empowered by the Spirit. How quickly things came crashing down (no pun intended). But we have been lifted up in prayer and by “we” I mean all those who were affected by the accident on the 26^th of September. The healing continues and hopefully a sense of normalcy will one day return….

Blessed are all those who have held us in your thoughts and prayers. We feel the warmth strength and light that is in them. Blessed are Kathy and Pastor Fran who have been pulling so much more weight in my absence. These are difficult times, but may they work to cement the ongoing cooperation between the congregations of Christ Lutheran Parish. God bless you all.

In Christ,

Pastor Christian

Some Scattered Thoughts Before Ordination

Everything, therefore, in the Christian Church is ordered to the end that we shall daily obtain there nothing but the forgiveness of sin through the Word and signs, to comfort and encourage our consciences as long as we live here. Thus, although we have sins, the [grace of the] Holy Ghost does not allow them to injure us, because we are in the Christian Church, where there is nothing but [continuous, uninterrupted] forgiveness of sin, both in that God forgives us, and in that we forgive, bear with, and help each other.
- Martin Luther (From the Large Catechism explanation of the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed)

In the Rite of Ordination the Church celebrates the work of the Holy Spirit to call ministers of Word and Sacrament who proclaim the forgiveness of sins available in the atoning death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The service acknowledges the preparation and commitment of the candidate, but it is not a celebration of the candidate. The clergy wear red stoles and the paraments in the church are all red in recognition that the same Spirit of Pentecost is present in Ordination.

Personally, I have a lot of the same feelings I felt before my marriage to Kateri. This is a huge commitment! It is a commitment I hope lasts the rest of my life. I am certain I want this to happen and that it is the right thing to do, but it is still a bit frightening. I will hold in trust the Office of the Keys and this is a tremendous responsibility. With Pastor Fran I will be responsible for teaching correct doctrine and preaching Christ crucified and resurrected for the sake of His people. We will shepherd people living and dying; in joy and tears, through life and with the grace of God we will be used as mouthpieces of God’s saving Word.

Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Mt. 11:29-30). I rest secure in this Word-at least I try to.

Hey Everybody,
The monthy Youth Praise Services are kicking off once again. They will be the first Sunday of the month. The first one is on October 1st at 6pm. Pastor Otto from Cornerstone Church in Ramsay was kind enough to offer hosting the first one so that this new guy could see how things are done.

Christ Parish Youth are in charge of putting together a skit and we need some musicians to show up an hour before festivities begin. Come one, Come all!

PS- For those in confirmation: 2 of your 20 church attendances must be Youth Praise Services. See you there!

Thanks to all you who helped with the Roofing Bee at the Parish House this Saturday. The roof looks great! Come by and see the new roof on the Parish House garage. There is a new paint job coming soon. It really takes all kinds of time and talents to make this Parish work and there is no limit to the talents we can employ in the service of spreading the gospel. Thanks to joint efforts like these it is clear that we can work together with Christ in the building up of His kingdom.

Also, it was wonderful to see so many different faces at the St. John's Pie Social on Sunday. We are just beginning to learn all the names, but I know for a fact that I saw Zion, Salem, and St. Paul members supporting their brothers and sisiters at St. John's. Keep it up!

Would you go to the movies with me? On Saturday, September 23 at 6:30 pm, Christ Lutheran Parish Youth are hosting a Movie Night in the fellowship hall of St. Paul Lutheran Church. There will be free pop and popcorn. The movie will be (you guessed it) Napoleon Dynamite. Bring a friend and remember to Vote Pedro!

WE NEED A LOGO!

Something a tad less detailed than this wood cut by Albrecht Drurer depicting John's Apocalypse/Revelation, but with the same sort of message. The lamp stands symbolize the seven churches to which John was writing. Jesus sits enthroned at the center (notice His "lambiness"). Even with the double edged sword (law/gospel perhaps) coming out of his mouth he looks a bit like he's part lamb part man (a sort of Mr. Tumnus). I digress...

We need a new logo for the parish and we certainly can't use this one, but is there a way of symbolizing who we are--four churches with Christ at our center?

If you have ideas get them down on paper and submit them to the Parish House (113 S. Curry St. Ironwood, MI 49938) or send them to us electronically by September 28, 2006. The Parish Council will pick the one they like and the person whose logo is picked will receive treasures in heaven and a firm handshake.
Peace,
Pr. Christian

Drop by the Parish House and visit us sometime!
It is right next door to St. Paul on Curry Street.
"Knock and the door shall be opened"

The Light of the World shining through St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Ironwood, MI.

Zion Lutheran Church
Ironwood, MI
(Notice how my long name takes up two lines. I think that there arent any E's or L's left in the whole town.)

St. John's Lutheran Church
North of Ironwood
Be sure to make it to the Pie Social and Bake Sale on September 17, 2006 from 12:00-3:00pm.

Salem Lutheran Church
Ironwood, MI

Sermon from the 13th Sunday after Pentecost. Preached at Zion and St. Paul by Pastor Christian.

Grace to you and peace from God the Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
I’ve got some good news, some bad news, and some really good news.
First, the good news…

You are a giving people. Upon my arrival here in Ironwood I have been impressed with all of the expressions of generosity. Gifts of time and talents are freely given in this community and I have personally received many of these gifts including meals, cookies, quick breads, books, furniture, tours, and help of all sorts from lifting to sharing stories of the local history. We will enjoy the marvelous work that has been done to renovate the parsonage on Marquette Street and the Parish House on Curry Street. In my first week here it would take a day to write all of the thank you notes needed to thank each person, so from the pulpit I wish to extend thanks to all you who have been so generous in giving your time and talents. Thank you to all of you for the gifts you have given that support your new Parish and your new pastor(s).

As I look around this community I can see that there is a great emphasis on giving. There are examples of civic giving such as the memorial building and the big Indian that each testify to the willingness of people to give to the community. But more important is the level of concern people express for each other in times of crisis, grief, and loss. This is a community of many doers. If you want something done you aren’t afraid to go out and do it.

Today’s first and second readings reflect this same spirit of doing something for your neighbor. From the fourth chapter of Deuteronomy we learn about keeping the commandments, statutes, and ordinances that God has given His people. Laws and ordinances are a way of taking care of each other. Purity codes were for hygienic purposes so the health of the community would be maintained. Today’s equivalent might be the sign in the fast food restaurant bathroom that reminds employees to wash their hands before returning to work. But there were laws concerned with the economic and social well being of the people as well. There were household codes that demanded taking care of the impoverished, the debt laden, the foreigner, the widow, and the orphan. The purpose of the law was for the sake of the neighbor and community so that the people will never forget the good things that God has done. All in all the purpose of the law was to remind the people of God’s saving deeds. In the same way God rescued Israel from bondage and destruction in Egypt the law demands that we rescue each other from injustice, from poverty, from destruction of health and property. The purpose of the law is so that we can pass on from generation to generation the stories of God’s power to save, to free us from bondage, and to take care of us in times of trouble.

The reading from the first chapter of James is in the same vein. Think of these as guidelines for living in Christian community:

“Let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; welcome meekness, rid yourselves of sordidness and weakness.” This is good advice for everyone, but we do this not because we want to look good or build up a fine reputation. We don’t do this for ourselves, but for our neighbor.

This is where we get to the bad news…

Somewhere between hearing and doing something breaks down. Either we ignore the commandments entirely or worse yet we turn the statutes and ordinances into an end in and of themselves, all while ignoring their purpose. When the latter happens by elevating the rules above the purpose and intention of the law, when we see the commands as an end in themselves while ignoring their purpose of loving the neighbor so we can remember what God has done, then the law becomes an idol and we become gods working out our own salvation. If we think we can save ourselves by obedience to the law we have another thing coming. Law abiders cannot save themselves. They can help their neighbors, but they do not earn righteousness by their obedience.

Commandments, laws, statutes are for the protection of ourselves and our neighbors, but they do not have the power to save. They can restrain, convict, condemn, and correct, but they do not save. When we elevate the law to savior then there is the temptation to justify ourselves. If we believe that by following the commandments, and statutes put forth in the legal system, or in the Bible, we can merit our salvation then Christ would not be necessary. If we could do it ourselves then Christ’s life, death, and resurrection were pointless. If I could rid myself of all sin then Christ is superfluous, he is at best a great teacher, a prophet, an all around good guy, and at worst he is a phony, an imposter, and a quack. But we know Jesus is more than that.

The recurring problem among religious people is the temptation to think we can save ourselves. When this happens we are fooling ourselves and working against God’s mission in the world. When the law is ultimate, and we think we have the internal capacity to live up to it ourselves, then we are in opposition to God’s word. Let me relay how a law can impede mission with a purely hypothetical example from daily life.

Let’s say hypothetically, there was a certain public library in a certain small town. There was a certain newcomer to town who wanted to check his email at the library. So this newcomer went to the library with ID in hand and a piece of mail to prove residency in a certain town. The policy of this particular library was that one needed a driver’s license from that particular state in order to get a library card and access to the library. Now, I understand that a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing, but this certain newcomer to town only had an out-of state driver’s license and so was turned away without a library card or access to the internet. I am confident that the mission of this certain public library is not to deny newcomers to town access to library resources, but to serve the whole community, but on that particular day the policy took precedent over the mission of the library. The law stood as an impediment to the mission.

Another example of the law impeding mission is the health information patient privacy act or HIPPA. The HIPPA laws make it impossible for health care providers to discuss the health of their patients with out the patient’s explicit permission. In the process, pastors, family, and friends have great difficulties finding out what is wrong with their loved ones and finding out about hospitalizations. Here is a good opportunity to mention, if you have a friend or loved one in the Parish, even outside the Parish, in a nursing home, hospital, or other care facility who you know would like a visit from a Pastor, please call the Parish House and let us know. The hospitals and health care workers can no longer give us this information. In the case of HIPPA the law impedes the healing mission of the institution that implement it by standing in the way of the process of providing spiritual care to the sick and dying.

Law that impedes mission is something we have to be careful about in our churches. Are there laws in the form of traditions, policies, ideologies, and doctrines that stand in the way of the mission of God’s church?

The Gospel for today offers insight into this question. Here we learn that it is not the external observance of any tradition, commandment, or statute that matters, but the internal observance that matters. This came as a shock to the Pharisees who devoted their lives to cultivating external observance of the law. I really feel for the Pharisees who dedicated so much of their lives to learning and living the Torah and who were confronted and confounded by the one who fulfills the law right there in their presence. They were so invested in their system of how to get to heaven and how to save themselves when Jesus came along and taught that it is not what goes in that matters, but what comes out. They were so ingrained in their daily routine of ritual ablutions, purifications, determining who and what was in and out, what was sacred and what was profane, that they lost sight of the simple thought that it is what comes from within that matters not what comes from the outside. What matters is what comes from the heart. What comes from the inside out is the important stuff, not the other way around.

Like the Pharisees the bad news for us is that the temptation to save ourselves by external observance is so ingrained in much of our religious teaching. The message “get right with God” is being preached this morning in many Christian churches. It is so easy to slip into the notion that we can earn or merit our own salvation by what we do externally: that there is something we can do to get right with God. We want to do it ourselves. We want to pull ourselves out of the pit of our sins by doing right and in the process denying the one who is righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Worse yet, in our preoccupation with saving ourselves we leave our neighbors behind. In the struggle for moral superiority we leave behind the poor, suffering, stranger, widow, and orphan. When we are out to get ours we leave others in the dust to get theirs. In this quest for self-justification and self righteousness, in the name of being right we have so often been so wrong.

Let’s conclude with the really good news that I promised:

The good news is that Christ comes to break us out of this pattern of self seeking self justification and self righteousness. The Word of God who is Jesus Christ came into the world to fulfill the law because we couldn’t. Christ comes breathing on us the Holy word of forgiveness that sets us free from sin. Christ comes pouring out himself so that we can be washed in his Holy and precious blood. Christ comes in our baptism washing us again and again cleaner and deeper than any ritual cleansing we could ever perform ourselves. Christ comes in this meal that we are about to celebrate to give us a pure heart that we can live lives that serve God and neighbor. That is the scandal of the cross. That is what was so shocking to the Pharisees. Jesus comes to fulfill the law because we can’t. No amount of effort on our part will save us from death. No one here by their own effort gets out alive. The wages of sin are death and we have all fallen short; there is no external effort on our part that can change that. But the good news is that by the work of Christ you have been saved. Your sins are forgiven. You are set free. You are given new life. Clothed in Christ’s righteousness you are saved. You are given a new life and a chance to live in gratitude for that new life that you are given. Go forth today fed and nourished by God’s word and sacrament to live in the freedom of the Gospel. Go forth confident in Christ’s power to save being doers of the Word and not mere hearers.