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Submit Your Own! Psalm 27; God and Our Enemies By David von Schlichten Sermon on Psalm 27 At St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church, Youngstown, PA On Sunday, January 23, 2011, Third Sunday after Epiphany, Year A, The Reverend Dr. David von Schlichten
God and Our Enemies (word count: 887)
Our psalm this morning, Psalm 27, begins with sparkling words of confidence: “The LORD is my light and my salvation; / whom shall I fear? / The LORD is the stronghold of my life; / of whom shall I be afraid?” Those verses have been set to music at least once. [Sing rendition.] They are verses that express confidence in God’s illuminating power. Are you confident that God your light and salvation and so therefore you do not need to be afraid? Sometimes I am. Because of reason and experience rooted in the truths of Scripture, overall I am confident that there is a God, that God loves me, and that God is doing good things in my life. However, my confidence in God is not always strong. In verse one of psalm 27, the writer asks rhetorically, “Whom shall I fear?” The implied answer is “No one, because I have God on my side.” The psalmist sounds pretty confident that, because of God, there is no reason to be afraid. What trust. Wow. So if we trust in God, it follows that we should never be afraid. Really? I must confess: I don’t have that much trust. I do get afraid. After all, just because you believe in God, does not mean that you now have a shield around you that protects you from all misfortune and evil. Don’t you agree? Trusting in God does not mean that you are now forever protected from deranged shooters, or cancer, or blood clots to the brain, or terrorists. So when I hear the psalmist say, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; / whom shall I fear?” I want to reply, “Just because the LORD is your light and salvation, does not mean that you have nothing to fear.” “But Pastor, when the psalmist says that there is no reason to fear, isn’t the psalmist referring to eternal life?” In other words, saying that we need not fear because God is our light and salvation really means that we need not fear eternal damnation. Because Jesus Christ died for us, we need not fear death, because we, the baptized, have the assurance of eternal life. [mention John Martin] Christ is our light and our salvation; therefore we need not fear eternal damnation. As the Book of Concord teaches, we have eternal life, not because of our good works, but solely because Jesus died and rose for us. So fear not. Perfect love casts out fear. We shall live forever. When it comes to eternal life, we have nothing to fear. This is most certainly true. However, Psalm 27 is not talking about eternal life. Not once does the psalmist say anything about death and going on to the afterlife. There is no mention of heaven, hell, Sheol, or anything that suggests that the psalmist is talking about eternal life. No, instead the psalmist talks about needing protection from enemies. In verse twelve, for instance, the psalmist writes, “Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries, / for false witnesses have risen against me, / and they are breathing out violence.” So when the psalmist says, “I don’t have to be afraid because God is my light and salvation,” the psalmist is saying that God protects us from our enemies. When our enemies are after us, God will protect us. God is our light and salvation. Except that that’s not always the case. God does not always protect us from our enemies. God did not protect Christina-Taylor Green from the bullets of Jared Loughner. Why not? But other times God does protect people; for instance, Gabrielle Giffords is recovering wonderfully. So sometimes God protects us from enemies but sometimes not. How can the psalmist declare that God protects us from our enemies when that is clearly not always the case? I don’t know. I DO know that the psalmist does not always sounds this confident. In quite a few passages the psalmist expresses doubt and anxiety about God’s absence or delay to act. Psalm 22, for instance, begins with, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” So while the psalmist may sound confident here, such is not always the case. The psalmist, also, has moments of faltering confidence. I don’t know why at times God protects us from enemies but at other times does not, but you and I do know that God is always with us, the baptized, helping us. God helps us through prayer, Scripture, sermons. God helps us by feeding us the body and blood, the real presence. And God helps us through the nurses, doctors, teachers, police officers, siblings, parents, children, friends, and co-workers of our lives. In fact, God can even help us through our enemies. The LORD is indeed our light and salvation. Sometimes we will be afraid, because there are dangers out there that can hurt or kill us. But we need never fear that God does not love us. We need never fear that God is not with us. We need never fear that God is not, somehow, someway, caring for us. God does not make mistakes, go on vacation, fall asleep, or give up on us. God always says, “Fear not. I am with you now, and you have a place in heaven.” Sermon on John 1:29-42, Tucson Shooting, and Martin Luther King, Jr. By David von Schlichten Sermon on John 1:29-42 At St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church, Youngstown, PA On Sunday, January 16, 2011, Second Sunday after Epiphany, Year A, The Reverend Dr. David von Schlichten
Lamb of God-Focused (word count: 818 )
Violence has always been prominent in human society. History is thick with stories of humans being cruel to each other. In antiquity, the Roman Empire was notorious for its use of crucifixion and other brutal methods of execution. In the Middle Ages we witnessed the Inquisition and the Crusades. Here in the United States we endured the Civil War, during which 620,000 people were killed. In the twentieth century were two world wars and the Holocaust. From 1882 to 1968 in the United States there were nearly five-thousand lynchings, with the majority of the victims being African American. Violence is nothing new. Violence has been with us humans since Cain and Abel, and it may be that, until the Second Coming, there will always be violence, but that fact does not mean that we are helpless against violence. By the power of the Spirit, you and I can make a difference, however small, to reduce the violence in our homes, neighborhoods, nation, and on our planet. As Gandhi preached, “Become the change you wish to see in the world.” We can reduce violence. For us Christians, the baptized, as we consider how to reduce violence, it is crucial for us to begin with and focus on Christ. Follow the star, the light. In our gospel, John 1, John the Baptist points Jesus out by announcing that he is the Lamb of God. In fact, twice in that passage John calls Jesus the Lamb of God. Then Jesus himself invites the disciples to follow him. He says, “Come and see.” Come and see. Further in the passage, one of the new disciples, Andrew, goes and urges his brother Simon to see Jesus. In short, throughout the passage we have people drawing attention to Jesus, following him, and urging others to follow him. Come and see the Lamb of God. Follow the light, the star. These verses exhort, invite, and remind us to be Lamb of God-focused. Follow the light, the star. Here is the Lamb of God. Follow him. Come and see. Indeed, central to our work in the Church is to help one another stay so focused. Our hymns, lessons, sermon, prayers, creeds—all we have designed, with the Spirit’s guidance, to be Lamb of God-focused. We baptize in the name of the Trinity because Christ commanded us to, and we know that baptism joins us to Christ’s death and resurrection. We receive the body and blood, the real presence, because of Christ’s command, and we know that receiving the body and blood joins us to Christ. All of our work, our liturgy, here on Sundays is, among other things, to help each other follow the light, the star, to be Lamb of God-focused. That focus we are then to sustain throughout the remaining 167 hours in the week, including as we respond to violence. As we think of Jesus, the Lamb of God, who responded to the world’s violence, not with violence, but with loving self-sacrifice on the cross, how are we to respond to violence? With blaming, insults, and scapegoating? “It’s the Democrats’ fault!” “The Republicans are to blame!” “Sarah Palin is to blame!” “Barack Obama is to blame!” Is that kind of mean-spirited blaming and scapegoating in accord with the Lamb of God, or is it more in accord with the Lamb of God to work on waging acts of love and service for one another that may help to reduce the anxiety, tension, and mental illness that lead to acts of violence? What would Pastor King say? I don’t have any great answers to the problem of violence, but I do know that Christ calls us to words and acts of love. When we Democrats and Republicans get caught up in our bickering and name-calling, we are contributing to a climate of violence. We may need to criticize each other, but does Christ really want us to indulge in our ongoing dysfunctional sibling rivalry? Follow the light. Be Lamb of God-focused. I don’t have any great answers to the problem of violence, but I have noticed, as I am sure that you have, that the shooters are almost always young men. Folks, when it comes to the proper raising of boys and young men, we are getting something wrong. What can we do to help our boys and men grow up so that they do not solve problems through violence? Something to pray and talk about. I don’t have any great answers to the problem of violence, but the Holy Spirit has revealed to us the light of Christ, the Lamb of God, who responds to the world’s violence, not with violent retaliation, but by giving up his life. The light, the star. Lamb of God-focused. Have a dream. Have a dream of one day the world being less violent because of our God-driven acts of love. Dare to dream that, Lamb of God-focused. Sermon on Matthew 2:1-12 and Matthew 3:13-17; Epiphany and Baptism of our Lord By David von Schlichten Sermon on Matthew 2:1-12 and Matthew 3:13-17 At St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church, Youngstown, PA On Sunday, January 9, 2011, Baptism of Our Lord, Year A, The Reverend Dr. David von Schlichten
Wisdom-Journey (word count: 833)
[Sermon will include walking around the worship space and holding up to the congregation the pulpit Bible, baptismal shell, and the like. Feel free to improvise.]
The magi, the wise men, followed the star so that they could see the Messiah. The star led them to Jesus’ house in Bethlehem. When the magi were in the presence of the infant Jesus they worshiped him, presenting to him their finest gifts. Follow the light that leads to Christ, and then present your finest gifts to Christ. That’s what the magi did; given the value of that act of devotion, it makes sense of us to imitate the magi. We, too, are to follow the light that leads to Christ and then present our finest gifts to Christ. Our wisdom-journey begins at baptism, and, as the Book of Concord teaches us, we are to keep remembering our baptism every day. Every day, remind yourself, “I am still wet from baptism. I am still wet from baptism.” On and on. Hold onto that baptismal identity. Remember that, when you were baptized, the Holy Spirit descended upon you like a dove, and God announced from heaven to you, “Because of Christ, you are one of my beloved children. With you I am well pleased.” God declares that about you, that you, through baptism into Christ, are one of God’s beloved children, and with you God is well-pleased. Can you hear God saying that about you? Every day, as you travel on your wisdom-journey, hear God announcing that Good News about you and me, even though we are undeserving. Our wisdom-journey, the pilgrim’s progress, commences at baptism, and then we continue to follow God’s light all throughout our lives. Every day, every hour, the star that is God’s light shines overhead, and we are to follow it. We see that star in the Bible. We feel that star’s heat emanating from the Church, from each other who together constitute to the Church. We see the light of God, the holy North Star, guiding us toward Christ himself. Do you see the light, the star? It shines in this worship service, through Scripture, and through the love of your siblings, for the Bible teaches us that we encounter God through all three of those sacred entities. [sing: “Whooa, heaven let your light shine down!” (repeat)] That can be a hard journey, the wisdom-journey, following the star. We can fall through the ice into a numbing bog of depression. “What’s the point of following the star? Life’s not going to get any better. Same stuff, different day. It’s all a waste of time. I give up.” It’s tempting to think that way, especially during these dark, cold, and icy winter weeks. Or we can stumble into a fair, a carnival, where the lights are harsh, the music is grating, and the people are loud. One person shouts, “Money! Make more money! That’ll make you happy!” Another grabs your arm and says, “Spend your money to buy lots of stuff. You need more stuff. Just buy this or that, and you’ll be happy.” We are carrying gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Should we trade those in for a new car, a bigger house, a faster computer, a new dress? A third person says, “Come over here and eat. Smell the popcorn, the chocolate. Drown your sorrows in food. That’s what I do.” A person puts her arm around you and says, “If you just lose ten more pounds and get a flat stomach, then you’ll be happy!” Following the star is challenging in part because there are so many distractions. Lucifer loves to lure us away from the light. Sometimes we just get tired. “I’m following the star and following the star, day in, day out. Every day trudging along. Nothing horrible is happening, but nothing great, either. Lord, where is this leading? What’s the point? Where are we going?” Tiring. And Jesus replies, “I know. I know the journey, following the star, can be tiring, tedious, full of discouragement and distraction. But keep following. I am with you, walking with you. Take and eat, take and drink. I will help you, comfort you, teach you, root for you.” The star does lead us to Christ. To the manger. To Christ’s baptism in the River Jordan. To Christ’s ministry, his healing and teaching. To the body and blood. Most importantly, the star leads us to Christ’ death and resurrection. And we hear faith, hope, and love. Yes. Today the star pauses over the baptism of Christ. Do you see what I see? Do you hear what I hear? He stands naked in the River Jordan. Hair wet. Blinking. John standing next to him. The heavens open. A dove swoops down and lands on Jesus. The voice of God booms, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” This Jesus, the Son of God, stands before us, full of holiness, offering us hope, ready to begin his ministry. From the water he beckons to you and says, “I am with you. I will guide you throughout the lifelong wisdom-journey. Keep your eyes on the light.” Sermon on Christmas and John 1:1-18 By David von Schlichten Sermon on Christmas and John 1:1-18 At St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church, Youngstown, PA On Sunday, January 2, 2011, Second Sunday of Christmas, Year A, The Reverend Dr. David von Schlichten
Little Word-Made-Fleshes (word count: 796)
The death of a loved one often compels the bereaved to embrace life with renewed zeal. The person’s death reminds us that we, too, will die someday and that life is brief. We cling to the ideal of telling and showing our loved ones how much we value them, as well as to the ideal of realizing our potential as much as possible. Death galvanizes us toward life. After a while, however, that intensity usually fades. We become less careful with our loved ones and our lives. We slide into self-destructive habits, drinking too much and loving too little. We revert to whining and grumbling about the slightest inconvenience, unappreciative of the blessings with which God has filled our lives. Then another crisis assaults us, and we wake up all over again. All over again, we vow to live better, sharper, more intensely, with greater love. Then that fades. We regress to grumbling. Then death shakes us awake again. On and on. We keep having to relearn the same old lesson: that life is short and precious, so get as much out of it as possible. Do not wait. Love God today; love one another today; take care of yourself today; follow your dreams today; take care of the planet today. Death can come at any time. Why is that lesson so hard for us to hold onto? For some of us it isn’t, thanks be to God, but for many of us, we are quick to slide into our lack of appreciation for life’s blessings, eager to revert to ingratitude for life’s wonders, quick to slip and fall in the stinking slime of our complacency. What can we do to keep ourselves awake, keep ourselves out of the slime, keep ourselves appreciating what we have, realizing our Spirit-given potential, and loving one another with our souls’ every cell? At least one practice that can keep us awake is taking time to reflect. Many of us leap through life from rock to rock, neglecting to sit and reflect. “But Pastor, I don’t have time to reflect.” Reflection-time is indeed difficult to come by, but we tend to find time for that which matters most to us. If I care about reflecting, then I will manage to find time to reflect. When we find those opportunities, what are we to reflect on? We are to reflect on those basic truths that the Bible teaches from Genesis through Revelation. We reflect on these truths because they put is in touch with what matters ultimately. We reflect on the truth that God the Father has created us. Reflect on that. God has given you life. You have the honor and thrill of experiencing life in this extraordinary universe. You get to experience the animals, plants, oceans, mountains, and forests. You get to experience the five senses. You get to taste chocolate, coffee, and pizza. You get to smell baking bread. You get to listen to music. You get to experience relationships. Of course, with all this comes pain, but it also brings joy and pleasure. Reflect on that. We also reflect on the truth that God the Son has died for us so that we can live forever. That is the supreme gift, the ultimate reason for the season. Reflect on that. God became flesh, became human, so that we, through baptism into Christ, could live forever. As John 1 teaches, the Word, which is John’s way of talking about the Son of God, became flesh and dwelt among us. God, the supreme being, bothered to become human, to become flesh, so that you and I can look forward to an eternity of no blood clots in the brain, no funerals, no grief. Reflect on that. In addition, when we take time to reflect, we reflect on the blessing that God the Spirit continuously empowers and instructs us on how we ourselves can, in a sense, be the Word-made-flesh for a stammering, sputtering world. The Word became flesh long ago through Jesus Christ, but, in various lesser but still powerful ways, the Word becomes flesh in, for, and through us. The Word, the Son of God, becomes flesh every time we receive holy communion. The Word, the Son of God, becomes flesh every time we hear someone preach. The Word, the Son of God, becomes flesh every time we interact with each other with compassion. After all, Jesus says that, when we minister to someone in need, we minister to him. Reflect on those profound truths, which come from God to us through Scripture. We are alive. Christ is born. Christ is here! How can we not live to the fullest? Don’t wait until the death of a loved one. The Word has been made flesh. Embrace life today. Sermon on Matthew 1:18-25 and Christmas By David von Schlichten Sermon on Christmas and Matthew 1:18-25 At St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church, Youngstown, PA On Sunday, December 19, 2010, Fourth Sunday in Advent, Year A, The Reverend Dr. David von Schlichten
Christmas as Optional (word count: 840) Do you say, “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays”? That’s a controversial issue, isn’t it, which greeting to use? Some Christians become indignant and passionate, even obnoxious, in their insistence on greeting people with “Merry Christmas.” I prefer “Happy Holidays,” because the term is broader, more inclusive. Happy Holidays includes Christmas, as well as New Year, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. This is a season of several holidays, one of which is Christmas, so the term “Happy Holidays” makes sense to me. Nevertheless, I also use “Merry Christmas,” especially when I am talking to someone who celebrates Christmas. Then again, roughly 9 to 15 million Americans are some religion other than Christian, and there are Christians who do not celebrate Christmas because of the pagan roots of the holiday. So I use both greetings. I’m probably a bit inconsistent in my usage at times, but oh, well. I understand why people have strong preferences when it comes to greetings. Some Christians believe that there is a war against Christmas and that everyone has become way too pc. These folks, therefore, tend to say “Merry Christmas.” That’s fine. What troubles me is when Christians become obnoxious in their use of “Merry Christmas.” Surely Christ does not want us being obnoxious in our use of a greeting that celebrates his humble and gentle birth. Frankly, we humans often expend a great deal of energy on issues of secondary importance, and fixating on whether to use “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays” is an example of such an issue. After all, Christians did not even start celebrating Christmas until Christianity was about three-hundred years old, and some Christians still don’t celebrate Christmas. So Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays. Use whichever greeting you prefer, and let’s move on. We have bigger issues to focus on. Like why Christmas is important in the first place. Christmas is important because, without it, you can’t have Good Friday and Easter. Jesus needed to be born so that he could die and rise. That is the reason for the season. Christians did not even start celebrating Christmas until Christianity was about three-hundred years old, but Christians started celebrating Easter from the very beginning. Some of us Christians get all outraged about the alleged war against Christmas, but the Church spent its first two or three-hundred years not even celebrating the holyday. Those early Christians got along without Christmas. We probably would, too. Don’t get me wrong. Christmas is wonderful. I cherish this glistening and sumptuous holyday, but we Christians do not need to celebrate Christmas in order to be Christians. The Church managed for hundreds of years without Christmas. Good Friday and Easter, however, we need to celebrate, because it is on those days that Christ died and rose to save us from our sins. The death and resurrection is the central story for us Christians. Think about it. We have a nativity scene on display here in the church during this time of year, but we have a cross up behind the altar all year round. And out of the twenty-seven books in the New Testament, only two of them mention Jesus’ birth. Central to Good Friday and Easter – and therefore Christmas – is love. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only son . . .” Christ being born so that he could die and rise was an act of divine love. If we lose sight of love, we lose sight of Christmas. Christmas is not primarily about whether we say “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays.” (How many people insist on “Merry Christmas” but do not insist on love?) Christmas is not primarily about buying stuff, decorations, or kids opening presents. All of those traditions are significant and touching, but they are of secondary importance to love. As we prepare for and celebrate Christmas, are we being loving? Are we being loving? Joseph is being loving in our gospel, Matthew 1:18-25. When he learns that his fiancée Mary is pregnant and he is not the father, he does not have her stoned to death. He could have. The Bible says that the punishment for adultery is stoning, but Joseph chooses not to follow that passage in the Bible. He decides instead to do the more loving act, which is to divorce Mary quietly. Of course, Joseph soon learns that this is no ordinary pregnancy, and he decides to marry Mary. The point is that, before the angel tells him that Mary is to be the mother of Christ, Joseph is still planning on treating Mary in a loving manner. More loving. This Christmas season, how can you and I be more loving? At any given moment, whether you are at the mall, at someone’s house, in front of the TV, in the kitchen, or in the car, ask yourself, “How am I being loving right now?” Let’s ask ourselves that as a way of giving thanks for the one who was born so that he could die so that he could rise so that we could love forever. [First Page] [Prev] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 [Next] [Last Page] Return |
