I don't want you to get the feeling like I am picking on Mr Giglio. I know I posted about his "How Great is Our God" presentation before, but I feel like I gotta take another stab at it.
As I said before, Mr Giglio has more rhetorical skill and writing style in his little finger than I have in my whole body and his presentation is incredible inspirational. And I love all that he says about this great big wonderful world that our God has made for us to enjoy. But when it gets right down to brass tacks, Mr Giglio misses the point.
A few Decembers ago my parents decided that they wanted to treat the family to a holiday outing. My parents, my siblings, our spouses, their respective families and I all went to Chicago for a special weekend. The entire event was crafted around fostering family togetherness and creating a lasting memory for their children and grandchildren. For my father, the pinnacle of the event was a meal at Lowry's, a world-famous restaurant that specializes in prime rib. The meal was fantastic, the service was like no other the experience was incredible. The point of that meal was that it was a time for the family to be gathered around the same table and enjoy some of the best food available together so that we could have an opportunity for family togetherness and an event that we all would remember. It was just that.
Now imagine if years from now one of my children were to retell that event. And in the retelling she left out the food, the family, the environment, the event and instead talked about water. At the beginning of the meal, when we sat down to eat there were glasses of water on the table. The water had ice in it. Now don't get me wrong, ice water is great. It's cold, it's refreshing, it cleans the pallet. But it is just water, earth's most abundant resource. Ice water is available at every restaurant in the city of Chicago. Even the fast food places, even the gas stations, even the state prison serves water. To rave about water when there were so many other good things to be mentioned would be to miss the point.
That is exactly what Louie does. Sure God created the world. sure it's a big world. Sure it's a good world. But you can get a big god with a good, big world in many of the world's religions. Islam gives you a big god. Mormonism gives you a big god and (like Louie) they even put his son on a cross. But only Christianity puts that god, the God on the cross for us for our sin. To talk about God only as big, to give his saving work on the cross only honorable mention is like coming away from a lasting family memory and only talking about ice water.
Sure God is big. Sure God created a good and a big world, but for sinners dead in their sin, who are enemies of God is there anything better, anything greater than that God dead on a cross to forgive your sin and take you to heaven. Is there anything more exciting than that formerly-dead God risen from the dead and ascended into heaven where He has been given all authority in heaven and on earth? (Matthew 28:18) Is there anything greater than knowing the because He died, rose, and ascended there is nothing on earth that can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:39)
"How great is our God?" Absolutely! How great it our God! Crucified! Risen! Ascended into heaven for you!
Friday, April 24, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
A Sermon Worth a Listen
Pastor Matthew Harrison is a pastor to pastors. He preaches here Christ's love and forgiveness to the sins of those the Good Shepherd has called to be His under-shepherds.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Sermon on John 20:19-31
I have noticed that when I go out jogging lately the turkey vultures circle overhead. Makes me wonder how they know. Perhaps they smell the sin on me.
Carrion foul sense death, they smell it. They gather when it is near so that they can feast on its fruit. Not too different from Satan. He loves to feast on the death of God's people. He loves to torture and torment and intimidate those who are dying. He loves to be the ominous threat hovering over the head of those drowning in sin pretending that he is waiting for his first opportunity to strike.
I had a longstanding member of the congregation die recently. His name was Ralph Burns. He was 86 years old. He fought in World War 2 and was one illness away from being sent to Iwo Jima to fight and probably to die. He got sick and was transferred after his unit shipped out.
All these years later that event still tormented him. He felt guilty, like he failed his brothers in arms, like he took the easy way out. He felt like a sinner. As he lay on his death bed he felt the hungry gaze of Satan staring down at him from the perch above his hospital bed. It cast a dark cloud over Ralph's conscience as he lay there waiting to die.
That is what Satan does – that Old Evil Foe, that dreadful accuser, that liar and that thief. He tells us that we are no Christians, that we are too wicked to be saved, that God doesn't want us and that he wouldn't have us. But, then again, Satan is a liar.
You see, we know better. We know that God does want us. In spite of our sin, God loves us. In spite of our wretchedness God thinks the world of us. And so he has moved heaven and earth to come to us with the intention that he bring us to where he is.
We have nothing to do with it. We are sinners. Ralph was right, he had failed. Even though he didn't intend to, even though he couldn't help that he got sick, he failed. He didn't do his duty as a soldier, as a husband, as a father, as a churchman. That's not to say he wasn't faithful. That's not to say he didn't do his best. He did by far better than most, if not all of us. But what do we know? We are sinners too. Even the least of sinners is still a sinner. Even the least of sinners still deserves to die in hell with the devil.
But we don't. Some do and that's tragic. But because of Jesus we don't. Ralph didn't. Ralph doesn't. Ralph won't. He is alive. Even though we had his funeral and buried his body and mourned his loss, Ralph is alive. Jesus said so.
In our text the risen Christ stood in the middle of his frightened disciples, gathered together and locked up because they were afraid to die and He spoke to them words of peace. “Peace be with you.” Jesus said. Jesus doesn't give peace like the world gives. Jesus gives true peace. Peace that comforts sinners. Peace that comforts a man on his death bed feeling the foul breath of Satan on his neck.
Jesus breathed. Just like God breathed on clay and gave life to Adam. Jesus breathed on the 10 frightened and fearful disciples with words of life and he gave them life, he gave us life, he gave life even in the face of death. “If you forgive anyone his sins they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them they are not forgiven.”
Jesus had pronounced forgiveness before. To a man let down through the roof in a crowded house. Jesus took pity on the man and announced to him that his sins were forgiven. The pharisees scoffed. Who can forgiven sins but God? Who can forgive sins but the one who has authority over sin? Only God. Jesus bought the rights to our sin, when he suffered for them on the cross. He paid the price. He bailed us out. And he did it with his own blood.
And since the debt is paid and the price has been laid down, Jesus has come back. He is restored to life to prove to you and to me that he has done it and so now he has the authority. All authority. All authority in heaven and on earth.
And what does he do with that authority? Does he keep it for himself? Does he guard it and defend it and keep us away from it? No. He passes it out. He gives it to his church. In his Church He gives it to pastors so that the authority to forgive sins, the authority that only God deserves has been given to man. You can forgiven the sins of the sinners and Jesus hears your voice and He says in Heaven, “Amen. Your forgiveness is my forgiveness.” The sins of the sinner are gone.
Ralph knew that.
While the Devil was doing his best to shake Ralph's confidence, to drive him to doubt and despair, God sent His man with His authority to pay him a visit. God sent to Ralph his pastor to go into the hospital room, beside the death bed to hear the confession and speak the absolution.
We speak those words all the time. Weekly. “I forgive you all your sin in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” We forget their power. Ralph did not. Not at that moment. With relief on his face and tears in his eyes Ralph said to me, “Pastor, It's so nice you can say that.” It took the faith of a dying man to get this sinful pastor to appreciate God's good gift.
So often we want God's gifts to be flashy, to be powerful, to fill up the pews and overflow the coffers. God occasionally gives those gifts and when He gives them they are good gifts. But the best gifts, God gives weekly, daily if you want it, abundantly and without limits. God gives his forgiveness, his absolution.
When we say we don't have sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is nowhere within us. But when we confess our sin, God who is faithful and just forgives us and cleanses us from all unrighteousness.
Would that we had the faith to believe it.
Amen.
Carrion foul sense death, they smell it. They gather when it is near so that they can feast on its fruit. Not too different from Satan. He loves to feast on the death of God's people. He loves to torture and torment and intimidate those who are dying. He loves to be the ominous threat hovering over the head of those drowning in sin pretending that he is waiting for his first opportunity to strike.
I had a longstanding member of the congregation die recently. His name was Ralph Burns. He was 86 years old. He fought in World War 2 and was one illness away from being sent to Iwo Jima to fight and probably to die. He got sick and was transferred after his unit shipped out.
All these years later that event still tormented him. He felt guilty, like he failed his brothers in arms, like he took the easy way out. He felt like a sinner. As he lay on his death bed he felt the hungry gaze of Satan staring down at him from the perch above his hospital bed. It cast a dark cloud over Ralph's conscience as he lay there waiting to die.
That is what Satan does – that Old Evil Foe, that dreadful accuser, that liar and that thief. He tells us that we are no Christians, that we are too wicked to be saved, that God doesn't want us and that he wouldn't have us. But, then again, Satan is a liar.
You see, we know better. We know that God does want us. In spite of our sin, God loves us. In spite of our wretchedness God thinks the world of us. And so he has moved heaven and earth to come to us with the intention that he bring us to where he is.
We have nothing to do with it. We are sinners. Ralph was right, he had failed. Even though he didn't intend to, even though he couldn't help that he got sick, he failed. He didn't do his duty as a soldier, as a husband, as a father, as a churchman. That's not to say he wasn't faithful. That's not to say he didn't do his best. He did by far better than most, if not all of us. But what do we know? We are sinners too. Even the least of sinners is still a sinner. Even the least of sinners still deserves to die in hell with the devil.
But we don't. Some do and that's tragic. But because of Jesus we don't. Ralph didn't. Ralph doesn't. Ralph won't. He is alive. Even though we had his funeral and buried his body and mourned his loss, Ralph is alive. Jesus said so.
In our text the risen Christ stood in the middle of his frightened disciples, gathered together and locked up because they were afraid to die and He spoke to them words of peace. “Peace be with you.” Jesus said. Jesus doesn't give peace like the world gives. Jesus gives true peace. Peace that comforts sinners. Peace that comforts a man on his death bed feeling the foul breath of Satan on his neck.
Jesus breathed. Just like God breathed on clay and gave life to Adam. Jesus breathed on the 10 frightened and fearful disciples with words of life and he gave them life, he gave us life, he gave life even in the face of death. “If you forgive anyone his sins they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them they are not forgiven.”
Jesus had pronounced forgiveness before. To a man let down through the roof in a crowded house. Jesus took pity on the man and announced to him that his sins were forgiven. The pharisees scoffed. Who can forgiven sins but God? Who can forgive sins but the one who has authority over sin? Only God. Jesus bought the rights to our sin, when he suffered for them on the cross. He paid the price. He bailed us out. And he did it with his own blood.
And since the debt is paid and the price has been laid down, Jesus has come back. He is restored to life to prove to you and to me that he has done it and so now he has the authority. All authority. All authority in heaven and on earth.
And what does he do with that authority? Does he keep it for himself? Does he guard it and defend it and keep us away from it? No. He passes it out. He gives it to his church. In his Church He gives it to pastors so that the authority to forgive sins, the authority that only God deserves has been given to man. You can forgiven the sins of the sinners and Jesus hears your voice and He says in Heaven, “Amen. Your forgiveness is my forgiveness.” The sins of the sinner are gone.
Ralph knew that.
While the Devil was doing his best to shake Ralph's confidence, to drive him to doubt and despair, God sent His man with His authority to pay him a visit. God sent to Ralph his pastor to go into the hospital room, beside the death bed to hear the confession and speak the absolution.
We speak those words all the time. Weekly. “I forgive you all your sin in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” We forget their power. Ralph did not. Not at that moment. With relief on his face and tears in his eyes Ralph said to me, “Pastor, It's so nice you can say that.” It took the faith of a dying man to get this sinful pastor to appreciate God's good gift.
So often we want God's gifts to be flashy, to be powerful, to fill up the pews and overflow the coffers. God occasionally gives those gifts and when He gives them they are good gifts. But the best gifts, God gives weekly, daily if you want it, abundantly and without limits. God gives his forgiveness, his absolution.
When we say we don't have sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is nowhere within us. But when we confess our sin, God who is faithful and just forgives us and cleanses us from all unrighteousness.
Would that we had the faith to believe it.
Amen.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
What Louie Doesn't Say
I recently spent some time watching a video that has been floating around cyber space entitled "How Great is our God" with a preacher named Louie Giglio. If you have taken the time to watch the video you will know, Louie is a great preacher. If you haven’t watched it, a portion of it is posted here for you to see for yourself. Louie is emotional. He is passionate. He is knowledgeable and informative. He is engaging and interesting to listen to. As a fellow preacher, I wish I had a tenth of his skill.
But there is more to be seen here than simply rhetorical style. Where Louie is successful at putting together a moving presentation, he fails at delivering to us the Gospel in all its fullness (Romans 15:19). He fails at delivering to us Jesus dead on a cross for the forgiveness for our sin. (1 Corinthians 1:23)
The theme of Mr Giglio’s presentation fits in with the Chris Tomlin song, How Great is our God. He is participating in a Chris Tomlin tour. Chris sings and then introduces Louie who comes out to do his presentation.
The video posted here is an excerpt from a larger presentation that lasts about 50 minutes. You can find them all on YouTube if you want to watch them back to back. Louie does a great job of convincing us that God is great, that God is big, that God is all powerful and sufficient and that is all really good. But for me, a sinner doomed to hell because of my sin, that is not good enough. I need more.
Louie does talk about sin. He says that because of sin we make God to be so small. Over the course of his 50 minute presentation Louie demonstrates that God is not small. Earth is small. On a small earth we are small people. In the vastness of the universe we are minuscule. Louie makes this point very effectively. God is not small. God is big, bigger than the universe. God is powerful, breathing out the stars and the galaxies, creating them with a word. But still this is not enough. I need more.
Louie’s big left hook (as he describes it) is a little protein molecule called laminin. Laminin is a molecule in every human cell that keeps the entire human body together. Louie effectively defines the central significance of this molecule. Louie rejoices in the fact that this molecule is in the shape of the cross. He uses that as his hook to bring in the “sufficiency of Christ”, “the supremacy of Christ”. He quotes the Apostle Paul who tells us all things hang together in Jesus from Colossians 1. Louie says, “So you’re at the toughest place in your life, how can you know that God is going to hold you together. You know because there is a cross standing over history.” Amen! That’s it. If only he would have ended here.
As soon as Louie tells us that Jesus made peace with God through his blood he blows right past it and gets on to what he seems to think is our biggest problem – to what he believes I think is my biggest problem – all of my baggage, my struggles, my hardships, the problems of this life. He says, “Yes I will accept that God died on a cross, but what I really need to know right now is does God see what I am going through?”
Yes my life has problems. Everyone’s life has problems. This side of heaven, we always will. According to Louie, my biggest problem is that I make God too small, too small to handle all my life’s issues. His solution is to make God big, big enough to handle my life’s issues. If my biggest problem was life issues then a big God would be great. But it’s not. Therefore, I need more.
My biggest problem is sin. Sin that makes God small. Sin that makes sin small. Sin that has doomed me to hell. I need Jesus – that big, universe creating, star breathing God, on a cross for me in my place and for my sin. I need that Jesus to suffer in my place as my perfect sacrifice to fix that biggest of problems that I am too small and too weak to overcome. Mr. Giglio gives me a bigger God. Being a sinner, all he has done is give me a bigger problem. Mr. Giglio, Louie, I need Jesus. I need Christ. I need Christ crucified!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Not Bad Enough
"That's not very loving," said the guest who requested to attend the Lord's Supper at our altar one Sunday. He and his wife were visiting from another church not in fellowship with ours. "It's like you think that you are better than us."
Oh, contraire my friend.
A Lutheran Altar is no place for the good, it is no place for the strong. It is no place for the healthy. As Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick." A Lutheran altar is reserved for those who are sick, who are sinful, evil, and weak. When my visiting friend was put off by our refusal to allow him to attend he was put off by the wrong thing. It is not that he was not good enough to attend. It is precisely the opposite. He was not bad enough.
The Catechism says that the Supper is "the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and the wine instituted by Christ himself for us Christians to eat and to drink." and that "These words, 'Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins,' show us that in the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us through these words." The body and blood of Jesus are the body and blood of Jesus for sinners.
For those of us who have a terminal case of sin, there is no better medicine than the body and blood of Jesus. For those of us who are dying in our own trespasses and sin, there is no greater hope than receiving the body and blood of Jesus into my mouth. That body and blood is life; and not just a little extra life tacked on to an existence that is going to end soon anyway. It is life that never ends. It is eternal life.
If you're not sick you don't take medicine. Likewise, if you're good you don't need forgiveness. If your only problem is that you need to have your memory jogged from time to time you don't need "the body and blood of Jesus given for us Christians to eat and to drink." This body and blood is God's gift for sinners. My friend was not welcome to come because he needed more than just some quality time with the other people sitting in the pews. He needed Jesus.
Oh, contraire my friend.
A Lutheran Altar is no place for the good, it is no place for the strong. It is no place for the healthy. As Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick." A Lutheran altar is reserved for those who are sick, who are sinful, evil, and weak. When my visiting friend was put off by our refusal to allow him to attend he was put off by the wrong thing. It is not that he was not good enough to attend. It is precisely the opposite. He was not bad enough.
The Catechism says that the Supper is "the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and the wine instituted by Christ himself for us Christians to eat and to drink." and that "These words, 'Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins,' show us that in the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us through these words." The body and blood of Jesus are the body and blood of Jesus for sinners.
For those of us who have a terminal case of sin, there is no better medicine than the body and blood of Jesus. For those of us who are dying in our own trespasses and sin, there is no greater hope than receiving the body and blood of Jesus into my mouth. That body and blood is life; and not just a little extra life tacked on to an existence that is going to end soon anyway. It is life that never ends. It is eternal life.
If you're not sick you don't take medicine. Likewise, if you're good you don't need forgiveness. If your only problem is that you need to have your memory jogged from time to time you don't need "the body and blood of Jesus given for us Christians to eat and to drink." This body and blood is God's gift for sinners. My friend was not welcome to come because he needed more than just some quality time with the other people sitting in the pews. He needed Jesus.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Christ Have Mercy — The Bridge
"Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy." What more can sinners say before The Almighty God? What more can a pastor pray as he is called upon to bring words of hope in the midst of tragedy? This short video is definitely worth the 6 1/2 minutes of your time.
I have lived the tragedy from both sides - felt it personally and ministered to it pastorally. All one can do is pray for God's mercy and hold tightly to His promise to provide it. Here Pastor Harrison does what God has called him to do - through the tragedy he points us to Jesus.
Thank You God for Your mercy that you have provided for us in Jesus!
To view this video in its original context click here.
I have lived the tragedy from both sides - felt it personally and ministered to it pastorally. All one can do is pray for God's mercy and hold tightly to His promise to provide it. Here Pastor Harrison does what God has called him to do - through the tragedy he points us to Jesus.
Thank You God for Your mercy that you have provided for us in Jesus!
To view this video in its original context click here.
Monday, March 2, 2009
The Sacred is Still Sacred
There was a time when the things declared by God to be sacred were lethal. There was a time when those things were deadly for sinners like you and me. Don’t believe me? Just ask Uzzah (2 Samuel 6) who reached out to steady the Ark of the Covenant, or Isaiah (Isaiah 6) who beheld the Almighty while serving in the temple and exclaimed “Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips”. It used to be when sinners encountered the sacred they knew their limits and were terrified, as the Israelites were when they were camped around Sinai (Exodus 19:6).
But then came Jesus. The Sacred One came to suffer for the sin that used to make those encounters with God so deadly. He assumed into himself the punishment and death that we ought to endure when we enter into the Presence of the Holy. But do we die? Hardly! Instead the Holy One places his own body and blood into our mouths to eat and to drink! Imagine the carnage that would have erupted in a pre-incarnation communion service! Imagine the blessing that is ours because God makes us into a holy nation through the Communion of Saints!
These days people will say that because the curtain was torn in the temple the dividing line between the sacred and the common has been erased. These days people will assume that this means that nothing is sacred, that nothing should be sacred. How sad! Far from erasing the sacred, God in his loving kindness has invited us in - to take part in the sacred. God has opened heaven so that we could join him in the Eternal Feast.
Why is it that we feel so inclined to cheapen this magnificent gift? Instead of entering heaven with fear and trembling we load up the Holy of Holies with all the equipment for a rock concert. Instead of seeing it as first and foremost that we will be met by the “Light of Light descending from the Realms of Endless Day” we capitulate to a culture that has thrown away any notion of the sacred, that distorts God’s gifts into a patriarchal hierarchy that needs to be torn down and deconstructed
What God has made to be sacred remains sacred! Let’s remember what has changed. The sacred hasn’t stopped being sacred – God has simply done away with the need for a fence that keeps us out!
But then came Jesus. The Sacred One came to suffer for the sin that used to make those encounters with God so deadly. He assumed into himself the punishment and death that we ought to endure when we enter into the Presence of the Holy. But do we die? Hardly! Instead the Holy One places his own body and blood into our mouths to eat and to drink! Imagine the carnage that would have erupted in a pre-incarnation communion service! Imagine the blessing that is ours because God makes us into a holy nation through the Communion of Saints!
These days people will say that because the curtain was torn in the temple the dividing line between the sacred and the common has been erased. These days people will assume that this means that nothing is sacred, that nothing should be sacred. How sad! Far from erasing the sacred, God in his loving kindness has invited us in - to take part in the sacred. God has opened heaven so that we could join him in the Eternal Feast.
Why is it that we feel so inclined to cheapen this magnificent gift? Instead of entering heaven with fear and trembling we load up the Holy of Holies with all the equipment for a rock concert. Instead of seeing it as first and foremost that we will be met by the “Light of Light descending from the Realms of Endless Day” we capitulate to a culture that has thrown away any notion of the sacred, that distorts God’s gifts into a patriarchal hierarchy that needs to be torn down and deconstructed
What God has made to be sacred remains sacred! Let’s remember what has changed. The sacred hasn’t stopped being sacred – God has simply done away with the need for a fence that keeps us out!
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