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Submit Your Own! Sermon on Psalm 131 and Matthew 6:24-34 By David von Schlichten Sermon on Psalm 131 and Matthw 6:24-34 at St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church, Youngstown, PA on Sunday, February 27, 2011, Eighth Sunday after Epiphany, Year A, The Reverend Dr. David von Schlichten
God’s Bosom (word count: 925)
Some people or animals can make you feel so safe. Safety. Trust. Security. Precious. Psalm 131, which we just read, is about trust. In this tiny psalm, the writer basically says that, despite having lots of unanswered questions, she or he is able to trust God. Like a baby resting in his mother’s arms the psalmist is able to rest in the arms of Mama Yahweh. Trust. Last Wednesday at Bible study, in response to this psalm, Della talked about how her dog Augie loves to cuddle with her and Mary. I shared with Della that, in my house, our cat Panda, who is large, loves to snuggle in Kim’s or my arms. Della and I agreed that it’s wonderful feeling this breathing creature lying up against you, trusting you. No fear. No anxiety. Total trust. Nice. The psalm encourages us to have that kind of trust in God. Imagine. Imagine resting your head against God’s bosom and just lying there in God’s arms, no fear, full of trust, at peace. Jesus also encourages us to trust in God when he says in our gospel, Matthew 6:24-34, not to worry. He speaks about how we humans fret endlessly about what to eat, drink, or wear and says, in substance, “Stop fixating on all that and focus on the kingdom of God.” Like Psalm 131, Jesus’ teachings exhort us not to worry and to be God-centered. That’s far easier said than done, isn’t it? Don’t worry? How do you not worry at all? Don’t worry about food, drink, and clothing? God takes care of the lilies of the field and the birds of the air, so he will certainly take care of you. Therefore, put away your anxiety. Relax. Really? Frankly, that teaching seems unrealistic. After all, if I don’t worry at least a little about getting food, drink, and clothing for my family, I will likely end up not having any. Kim and I need to worry at least a bit about such things. We have to pay our mortgage, go grocery shopping, pay Michael’s tuition, and, frankly, it is sometimes not clear how we are going to pay for all that. Money is tight. Not worry at all? That’s unrealistic. So maybe here—in the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus often exaggerates to make a point—maybe here what Jesus really means is don’t put fretting over stuff ahead of loving God and neighbor. We are Christians, the baptized, justified by grace through faith, saved, not by our works, but by the death and resurrection of Christ. That is who we are, and as Christians we are to have a canine devotion to God. Of course, we might still worry about how to pay the bills. It is understandable that we get concerned when times are difficult. But our focus—our focus—is to be a canine focus on God. Do not let worrying about bills, food, drink, clothes, houses, and cars interfere with devotion to God. We cannot serve both God and stuff. Stuff second. God first. God first includes loving God and others over chasing after stuff. It’s fine to pursue a career and so forth, but loving God and others is to be first. In the movie The Social Network, Mark Zuckerberg is relentless in his pursuit of expanding his new company, Facebook. Through his obsessive efforts, Facebook balloons. Meanwhile, Mark ends up betraying one of his friends, who then sues him. Mark also loses a girlfriend because he is obnoxious toward her. At the end of the movie, this wealthy co-founder of Facebook stares at a photo of his ex-girlfriend on Facebook. He has an extraordinary career, but he is alone. Love first. Career and stuff second. “But Pastor, sometimes I have to chase after stuff as part of loving God and family.” True, we need a certain amount of money, food, clothing, drinks—stuff—in order to love others such as by caring for our families. In the process, though, it is easy to lose sight of loving God and family. I knew a man who believed that being a provider for his children meant going to work so that there would be money to meet their needs. He spent so much time at work, being a provider, that he often was not with his kids. Then he got injured and had to stay home. He felt guilty because he was no longer being a provider, but now he had time to play with his children. Actually, when that father was at home playing with his children, he was still being a provider. He was just providing quality time instead of money, and which one do you think kids prefer? Don’t let taking care of your family interfere with loving your family. Love of God and others first. Pursuit of career and stuff second. Life is full of stressors that ratchet up our anxiety. It is understandable that we might do some worrying, but the worrying is not to eclipse our canine devotion to God and others. Our chasing after food, clothing, and drink is not to interfere with our love of God and others. Surrender to the tender arms of God. Lay your head on God’s bosom. “Come to me,” Jesus says, “and I will give you rest. Take and eat. I am with you, listening to you in prayer, feeding you my body and blood, forgiving you your sins, strengthening you through scripture, assisting you through one another.” “Be still, and know that I am God.”
Sermon on Matthew 5:38-48 By David von Schlichten Sermon on Matthew 5:48 at St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church, Youngstown, PA on Sunday, February 20, 2011, Seventh Sunday after Epiphany, Year A, The Reverend Dr. David von Schlichten
Perfectionist (word count: 804)
Are you a perfectionist? What is a perfectionist? Many of us, in at least one area of our lives, tend to have high standards, even if we don’t literally expect perfection. What is perfection anyway? How do you know when you are perfect? In some cases, you can know that you have attained perfection, such as when you get a perfect score on a test. In many cases, however, it is difficult to know when you have attained perfection. Take living as a Christian, for example. In Matthew 5:48, Jesus says, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” How do you know when you’ve obtained perfection as a Christian? Can you ever really know for sure that, in a given time, you have not done, said, or thought anything sinful? For that matter, is it even possible for us humans to be morally perfect? Some Christians believe that, yes, a person can, by God’s guidance, become morally perfect, but we Lutherans believe that humans cannot achieve perfection in this life. According to the Book of Concord, it is an impossibility. We are too sinful, too broken, to become morally perfect in this life. My experience suggests to me that, even if a person, by the Holy Spirit’s power, could achieve moral perfection, such perfection would be fleeting. None of us could remain morally perfect for long. We are just too flawed, too susceptible to sin. As it says in 1 John, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” At least in this life, sustained moral perfection is impossible for us humans. So if sustained moral perfection is impossible for us humans, then why does Jesus say in Matthew 5:48, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect”? Why does he command us to be perfect if being perfect is impossible? One possibility is that Jesus is putting an impossible goal before us as a way of reminding us that we humans need God. In other words, Jesus may be commanding us to be perfect as a way of keeping us humble. “Be perfect,” Jesus says, and we reply, “But Jesus, I can’t be perfect,” and Jesus says, “I know, and I want you to remember that so that you don’t get too confident and start thinking that you don’t need God.” The Book of Concord calls this idea the Second Use of the Law. In other words, demanding teachings from God hold up a mirror to us that reminds us of our sinfulness so that we always remember our need for the cross. So one possible reason for why, in Matthew 5:48, Jesus commands us to be perfect is to remind us how much we need God, but there are other possible reasons for this tough teaching. “Be perfect . . . as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Maybe “perfect” here does not mean “without sin,” “morally perfect.” Maybe the word “perfect” here means something else. Actually, several scholars have suggested that the word in the Greek, “telios,” which is often translated as “perfect,” is better translated as “mature.” In fact, Eugene Peterson, in his version of the Bible called The Message, translates “Be perfect” as “Grow up.” So then, when Jesus says, “Be perfect,” what he means is, “Grow up. Be spiritually mature.” Think about it. Like Ethan, we are the baptized. God has saved us through the cross, has joined us to the cross through baptism. God has made us into saints, has made us into the temple of the Holy Spirit. As the Book of Concord teaches, we have salvation, not because of our works, but because of Christ. You and I are holy, saints, the temple of the Holy Spirit, with Christ as our foundation. Now, in response to our special, saved, sanctified status, we are to become mature in our devotion to God. “Be perfect” does not mean, “Be without sin” but, “Be mature in your devotion to God. Grow up spiritually.” How do we grow up spiritually? We keep on attending worship, even when we don’t feel like it. We keep studying Scripture, even when we don’t get it. We receive the body and blood, even when we’re not hungry. We help people in need, even when we think our efforts do no good. We trust in God’s love and forgiveness, even when we feel unlovable and unforgiveable. And when we are immature; when we fail to be mature as our heavenly Father is mature; when we fail to live up to our calling as the temple of the Holy Spirit, we fall onto the ground before the cross, let flow a sigh of relief and say, “Thank you for loving me no matter what. Thank you, Jesus, for being perfect.” Matthew 5 By David von Schlichten Sermon on Matthew 5 at St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church, Youngstown, PA on Sunday, February 13, 2011, Sixth Sunday after Epiphany, Year A, The Reverend Dr. David von Schlichten
Love over Law (word count: 847)
Today’s gospel is overwhelming. Matthew 5:21-37—what a tough passage! Verse 22 says that, if we call our sibling a fool, we are in danger of the fires of hell. Verse 28 says that, if you look upon another person with lust, then you have committed adultery with that person in your heart; yikes! Verse 32 basically condemns divorce. If you read on, you’ll see that Matthew 5 teaches us to turn the other cheek, love our enemies, and pray for those who persecute us. Matthew 5 ends with Jesus saying, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Sheesh. Don’t call someone a fool? Love your enemies? Be perfect? Overwhelming. What are we to make of Matthew 5’s strict teachings? Are we to take Jesus literally, or is he exaggerating to emphasize his point? Are we really supposed to be perfect? In at least some of the cases, we are not to take Jesus literally. For instance, in verses 29 and 30, when Jesus says that we should cut off our hand or tear out our eye if our hand or eye causes us to sin, we are not to take him literally. Obviously, Jesus does not mean for us to mutilate ourselves. Such an act would be pointless at best. What about some of the other passages? For instance, are we really liable to judgment if we get angry? I suppose we might be, but other Bible verses suggest that anger can be acceptable. Jesus himself shows anger when he cleanses the temple. James 1 says that we are to be slow to anger but does not say that we can never get angry. Thus, the biblical bottom line is that we are to be careful with our anger. Anger is a wild animal that we need to tame. What about the passage against divorce? Jesus says in Matthew 5:32 that the only legitimate grounds for divorce is infidelity, but surely there are other legitimate grounds. For example, if someone is being abused, then divorce is appropriate. So, then, some of these passages in Matthew we are not to take literally, and other teachings have exceptions to them, such as the teaching about divorce. We could make our way through Matthew 5 verse-by-verse and have an engaging and fruitful discussion about each teaching: whether we are to take a given teaching literally, and whether there are exceptions to a particular teaching. You could even do that privately if you’re not able to do that with others. Spend some time with Matthew 5. How am I to interpret Matthew 5 and apply it to my life? Hm. As we think, pray, and talk about how to apply Matthew 5 to our lives, it is wise to keep the following two points in mind. One is that love is at the heart of these teachings. In Matthew 22, Jesus declares that the two greatest commandments are to love God and neighbor. “On these two . . . hang all the Law and the prophets,” Jesus says in verse 40. Therefore, we are to interpret the teachings in Matthew 5 in light of love. Indeed, in general, as we strive to live according to the Bible’s Law, we are to ask ourselves, “What is the most loving thing to do?” Love is central. And the supreme illustration of this love is Jesus’ death on the cross. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son . . . ” The death on the cross teaches us what God means by love. Self-sacrifice. Giving of yourself for the sake of God and others. Now, self-sacrifice does not mean that we do not love ourselves, for Jesus teaches us that we are to love our neighbors AS ourselves. But self-sacrifice is to be at the center of our love of God and others. That point is obvious in the Beatitudes, which are at the beginning of Matthew 5. Love. For instance, let’s say you get angry in response to something someone does against you. What would be the most loving response? Would it be more loving to cling to a grudge, or would it be more loving to do the hard work of forgiving that person and moving on? Whenever you are trying to decide what to do, ask yourself, “What is the most loving thing to do?” A second important point to remember as we try to live according to the demanding teachings of Matthew 5 is that, sooner or later, we are all going to fail. Matthew 5 is tough. We just cannot adhere to all of these teachings all the time. “Jesus, these teachings are hard. I just can’t do it all. By the Holy Spirit’s power, I’m trying, I’m still a sinner. Following your Law is strenuous. I just cannot do it. Please, Jesus, please forgive me for falling short.” And Jesus gives us the Gospel. He says, “I know following my Law is strenuous. I know you can’t do it all. That’s why I died for you.” Sermon on Isaiah 58:1-12 By David von Schlichten Sermon on Isaiah 58:1-12 At St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church, Youngstown, PA On Sunday, February 6, 2011, Fifth Sunday after Epiphany, Year A, The Reverend Dr. David von Schlichten
First Things, Wealths, and Salt (word count: 934)
There are first things and second things. We are to keep first things first and second things second. When we treat second things as if they were first things or first things as if they were second things, we run into trouble. As the Bible teaches, the greatest of the first things is loving God and one another. Those are the two greatest commandments, and the call to love God and others sings throughout the Bible. Loving God and others is always to be first. Often, however, we treat love as if it were a second thing. When we are repeatedly grouchy and mean-spirited with each other instead of charitable and patient with each other; when we take each other for granted; when we neglect each other; when we hit each other or belittle each other, we are treating love as if it were a second thing. When we live as if God doesn’t matter, when we rarely pray, do not take Sunday worship to heart, we are treating love of God as if it were a second thing. The Bible makes it clear, though, that love of God and others is a first thing, not a second thing. God’s gorgeous, dark-brown-eyed love. Keep first things first. Frequently we treat second things as if they were first things. When we obsess over accumulating stuff, feeding addictions, hoarding, drinking, gambling; when we fixate on sex while ignoring love; when we think being thin, wealthy, powerful, sexy, muscular, fast, or smart is more important than loving God and others; when we abuse God’s creation, we are treating second things as if they were first things. As Luther says in the Book of Concord, whatever you put your complete trust in, that is your god. Treating second things as first things. Yikes. For example, the Super Bowl is exciting. I’ll be watching, and I almost never watch football. You know a football game is a big deal when Pastor Dave bothers to tune in. In fact, let me show you [unsnap alb to reveal collar]: that’s right, I have my black clergy shirt on with a gold collar. Nevertheless, the Super Bowl is a second thing, not a first thing. I know it may feel like a first thing, but it is not. The Steelers did not create us. Big Ben did not die for our sins. So we can love the game, but we are to remember to keep first things first. In our first reading, Isaiah 58:1-12, the Israelites are guilty of treating a second thing as a first thing. They are fasting, and they are wondering why God does not seem impressed. In verse three, the people ask, “’Why do we fast, but you do not see?’” In the second half of verse three, God replies, “’Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day, / and oppress all your workers.” God goes on to preach in verses six and following that the fast God wants is for the Israelites to “ . . . loose the bonds of injustice / . . . share . . . bread with the hungry . . . ”, bring the homeless poor into their homes, clothe the naked. In other words, the Israelites are treating fasting, a second thing, as if it were a first thing, and treating helping people in need, a first thing, as if it were a second thing. There is nothing wrong with fasting. Many of us, myself included, will take on some sort of fast during Lent. Fasting can help us to grow closer to God, but if we are fasting while neglecting to love God and others, then we have a problem. Fasting is a second thing. Helping people in need is a first thing. Keep first things first and second things second. One of the many good reasons for attending worship regularly is that worship reminds us of what are first things and what are second things. The Bible, prayer, hymns, the sermon, the Creeds, Holy Communion, Baptism—the Holy Spirit uses these gifts to keep our priorities straight. The Bible, the sermon, Holy Communion, and Baptism—Word and Sacrament—are especially powerful gifts from God to empower us to keep first things first and second things second. These gifts from God keep us salty. Imagine a society based on placing love first. What would that be like? Among other things, we would measure wealth differently. Instead of measuring wealth in terms of how much you accumulate, we’d measure it in terms of how much you give away. Salty, flavorful, preserving. Instead of competing to be the strongest, thinnest, smartest, most powerful, sexiest, the person with the biggest house or coolest car, we would work together to help as many people in need as possible. That’s flavorful. Instead of delighting in revenge and winning at all costs, we would show love for God and others by taking better care of the planet. We Americans would do with less so others could have more; we’d make real sacrifices. We would take care of ourselves in ways that empowered us to be more loving toward others. Now that’s flavorful. Imagine. Keeping first things first, second things second. That’s tough! Thanks be to God that God helps us. For instance, in a few minutes, you will receive the bread and wine, the body and blood, the real presence, and we will hear Jesus say, “I love you. Because of me, you will live forever, and now I feed you to strengthen you.” We will hear Jesus say, “I put you first.”
Sermon on Micah 6:1-8 By David von Schlichten Sermon on Micah 6:6-8 At St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church, Youngstown, PA On Sunday, January 30, 2011, Fourth Sunday after Epiphany, Year A, The Reverend Dr. David von Schlichten
What God and All of Us Really Want (word count: 729)
In Micah 6:6-8, which is part of our first reading, the writer asks, “With what should I come before the LORD?” In other words, what offering should I present to God to show that I’m sorry for my sins? The writer considers different offerings. “Should I give calves a year old?” No is the implied answer. “Should I give thousands of rams, ten thousands of rivers of oil?” No! Should I give my firstborn as payment for my sins? No! Finally, in verse eight, comes the true answer: God has told you, O mortal, what is good; / and what does the LORD require of you / but to do justice, and to love kindness, / and to walk humbly with your God?” Boom. Is the passage saying that God doesn’t want material offerings at all? Given that, all throughout, the Bible urges us to give materially to God, it is unlikely that this passage from Micah is saying that we should stop giving material offerings. It is more likely that the passage from Micah is saying that those material offerings are of secondary importance. Material offerings are valuable in that they can glorify God and provide help for the Church and assistance for people and other living creatures. However, far more valuable than material offerings is doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbling with God. God will take justice, kindness, and humility over material offerings any day. What matters more to God, you and I putting tons of money in the plate, or you and I doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God? God is not opposed to material offerings. God is not opposed to material things. Sometimes in the Church we talk as if material things are inherently bad. Material things aren’t inherently bad. God made the world, after all. God made all those material things. What makes material things bad is when we make them more important than serving God. So material things are not bad, and material offerings are useful and glorify God. However, if you’re throwing money into the plate but not doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God, then you are missing the point of the religion. Over and over in the Bible, God commands us to love one another. That’s what matters most. Jesus Christ died and rose for us so that we, the baptized, have eternal life as a gift. In response, we are to love God and one another. Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with God. God chooses justice, kindness, and humility over lots of stuff every time. Jesus lived according to that principle. Did Jesus go around throwing lots of money and stuff at people? No, he went around helping people, healing them, preaching the Good News to them. Then he died on the cross for all of us. Jesus was materially poor, but his focus was on doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God. Where is your focus, my focus? Are you focused on stuff or on doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God? Stuff or love? Sure, most of us would say that we know better. We’d say, “Yeah, yeah, I know that justice, kindness, and humility matter way more than stuff,” but we don’t always live that way, do we? I don’t. Remember Ted Williams? He’s the homeless man who has that handsome speaking voice. A few weeks ago he was discovered and catapulted to fame. But it turns out he has a drug problem and has had a painful history with his children. On “Dr. Phil,” Ted met with his adult children. There was tension, because he has a history of not being there for his children. To one of his daughters he said, “I’ll buy you a Louis Vuitton purse,” and she said, “I don’t want that.” That’s right. She doesn’t want stuff from him. What does she really want from him? Sometimes we do that, don’t we? We should be doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God, but instead we try to make up for our shortcomings by buying people and God things. The problem is, that’s not what people and God really want. People and God want justice, kindness, and humility. People and God want love. That’s what we all want. No wonder Jesus lived and died the way he did.
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