Epiphany 7 - O - 2014 - Be Holy in Jesus

The Seventh Sunday after Epiphany

February 23, 2014 - Pastor Adam Moline

Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18             1 Corinthians 3:10-23             Matthew 5:38-48

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Our text today is from the Old Testament Lesson just read, especially these words, “Be holy, as I the Lord your God am holy.”  Thus far our text. 

Dear friends in Christ.  Be holy, God says.  How holy?  As Holy as the Lord your God is holy.  In other words, you are to be perfectly holy, without any spot, or stain, or shortcoming of failure at all.  You are to be Holy in the way you interact with God, and as God explains in detail, you are to be holy in regards to all your neighbors as well. 

God explains how in our lesson.  Be kind to the sojourner and traveler.  Provide food for the needy.  Don’t lie, don’t steal, don’t deal falsely.  Don’t pay people what you owe them late, don’t slander, and protect the life of your neighbor.  Finally, God says, don’t hate your brother, but love him as yourself. 

If you do these things, and if you do them perfectly, then you will fulfill God’s command and be holy as God himself commands in our text.  But as you well know, there’s a problem with this.  You aren’t perfect, and you aren’t holy.  You fall short time and again.  You don’t, and I don’t, care about our neighbors perfectly the way we ought to.  We do lie.  We do steal and more.  We aren’t holy, and no matter how hard we try, we cannot make ourselves holy enough to please God.  Even if we were to be perfect each and every day for the rest of our lives, we still couldn’t make up for the places that we have already fallen short.  You are not Holy, unlike the Lord your God who is holy. 

But that’s part of the message of our text today as well.  That the Lord God is Holy, that he is the very definition of Holy.  He has always been holy, and will always be holy.  He even was holy when he took on our human flesh in the person of Jesus Christ.  Jesus fulfilled that entire list of things that God wanted humans to do.  Jesus was the only person who truly was holy as the Lord God is holy, because he was the Lord God hidden in human flesh. 

He was so holy, that he cared about his neighbors – you and me – enough that he went to the cross, to suffer, to die, and to rise again, so that sin might be forgiven. 

And he shares that holiness with you dear friends.  You who could not be holy, Jesus makes holy.  How?  In baptismal waters, he washes you with the washing of rebirth and renewal poured out on us generously through the Holy Spirit.  In baptism, the sin of you have committed is washed away with the blood of Christ.  To put it clearly, in Baptism, your unholiness is covered up by Christ’s holiness – his righteousness becomes your righteousness. 

Now when God looks at you, he doesn’t see your failures, or your weaknesses, or your shortcomings, instead, he sees Jesus, crucified and risen for the sins of the world, covering your sin specifically. 

Be Holy as I the Lord your God am holy.  How holy?  Jesus covering your sin holy.  Jesus died for your sins holy.  Holy, just as Jesus, the Lord your God in human flesh, is holy.  And dear friends, you are, holy washed in the water and word of baptism.  In the name of Jesus.  Amen.  

Epiphany 6 - G - 2014 - Ten Commands

The Sixth Sunday after Epiphany

February 16, 2014 - Pastor Adam Moline

Deuteronomy 30:15-20           1 Corinthians 3:1-9     Matthew 5:21-37

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, amen.  Our text today is from the Gospel lesson today, especially these words from Jesus, “You have heard it said.”  Thus far our text. 

Dear friends in Christ.   We all know the ten commandments.  We all had to learn them in confirmation.  You shall have no other Gods.  You shall not steal.  You shall not murder.  You shall not commit adultery etc.  And we all know that these are the basics of Christian behavior, the basics of what is right and wrong – so much so that they are even displayed in many courthouses across our country. 

And we like the ten commandments don’t we, because they make us feel good about ourselves?  What I mean is this, if someone asked us if we’ve murdered, we’ll answer cheerfully – “No!  I’ve never murdered, aren’t I good?”  or if asked if we’ve stolen, we’ll say, “No!  I’ve never robbed or stolen or anything like that.  I’m a good person.”  And we like it when people say, “Oh, yes, you’re such an honest person, you’re so truthful.” 

We like the Ten commandments because we feel like we can and have kept all of them.  And we feel like we can look down on those around us who we know have not kept them.  “Oh, yes, I remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy, but Jane down the street doesn’t!  Too bad for her.”

But Jesus cuts through all the false piety in our text today.  He says if you’ve been angry at your brother, you’ve murdered him – something all of us are guilty of – yes even you.  If you’ve looked at someone lustfully, whether they be walking down the street, or on your T.V. screen or anywhere else, you’re and adulterer.  We can apply this same principle to all of the ten commandments.  If you break them – even in the slightest bit, or the smallest point, you’re guilty of them all.  If you fail in one point, you’ve failed in them all. 

And so the truth is, if we take Jesus’ word as the truth, which it is, we aren’t holy.  We aren’t righteous.  We aren’t good.  We aren’t better than anyone else.  We are as the hymn says, chief of all sinners.  We are the worst of the worst.  We deserve punishment because we’ve broken God’s law time and again.  We deserve the judgment Jesus himself speaks of in our lesson, the judgment that he himself will one day dole out upon the sin of the world. 

And yet, we don’t receive that punishment.  Instead we receive grace.  Instead we receive blessings.  Why?  Because that punishment for sin has already been poured out upon a substitute.  There was one who was perfect in the places that you have failed.  There was one who succeeded where you fell short.  There was one who never looked at anyone with adulterous thoughts.  There was one who never stole, but always gave freely.  There was one who wanted to make all things new and right with those around him.  And this one is Jesus. 

To put it simply he traded you.  He was perfect, and you were not.  So he gave you his perfection and took your sin.  He gave you his life, and died your death.  He gave you his inheritance, and took all of the emptiness of hell that your sin deserved.  And so, since you and Jesus traded places, God the Father looks at you as his holy precious child, whom he loves.  He looks at you as one who cares for the weak and sick, and one who loves those who are lonely.  God sees in you all the good works that Jesus has done for others.  God gives you heaven, because that is what Jesus deserved. 

And what you deserved, Jesus suffered.  Stripped, beaten, bloodied, mocked and tortured on the cross.  He suffered hell for you.  He died for you.  He laid in your tomb.  All so that you would not have to.  The cross your guilt earned, Jesus suffered.

Dear friends.  It is truly the great exchange.  You are free, because of Christ.  Christ in you keeps the ten commandments, even as your sinful nature does not.  Christ in you is God’s child, even as your sinful nature fights against Him.  You are God’s child, and will be forever more.  In the name of Jesus.  Amen.  

Epiphany 5 - G - 2014 - The Salt of the Earth and the Light of the World

The Fifth Sunday after Epiphany

February 9, 2014 - Pastor Adam Moline

Isaiah 58:3-9a              1 Corinthians 2:1-16               Matthew 5:13-20

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God the Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Our text today comes from the Gospel lesson just read, especially these words, “You are the salt of the earth.”  Thus far our text. 

Dear friends in Christ.  The words of today’s Gospel lesson are spoken by Jesus as a part of his famous sermon on the mount.  And in them today he tells us that we are the “Salt of the earth” and the “Light of the world.”  In other words, we as Christians fundamentally change the world at is core.  As salt, we season the earth, adding a flavor of love that was never present in this sinful world apart from Christ, a flavor of compassion and care for all people everywhere.  As light, we lessen the darkness of the world by caring for those who have no one else to care for them.  We shine light into all the dark recesses of this world that the true light of Jesus can shine on the people walking in darkness.    

We see this in our mission work, as we build orphan rescue centers in Africa, as we care for those who are suffering from Malaria and other diseases, as we preach the gospel and baptize those in all walks of life who have never heard about his death for them.    We, through our mission offerings, support schools and universities, hospitals, nursing homes, missions in China, Madagascar, and around the world.  In all of these things we are the Salt of the Earth, and we are the Light of the World, as Christ himself says in our text today. 

But yet, so often we lose our saltiness, don’t we?  We hide our Christian faith in our conversations with friends and family here in town.  So often we hide our light under a bushel, afraid what others might think of our Christian Confession, afraid that they might disagree, that they might criticize us for the hope that is within us.  And so, it is here, in our local community that it is most difficult for us to be salty, light-filled Christians. 

Instead, our most visible and egregious sins are shown forth as we deal with the people we care the most for in our local families and with friends.  We curse, swear, steal, gossip, and fight with the people we know best here.  We share information that was shared with us in private.  We judge others as “Not worthy of my concern.”  We ignore people who are truly hurting, saying, “They can take care of themselves for goodness sake.”  And as we do these sinful things, we trust in our own works to save us.  “I go to church every week, so I’m better than that person.  I know I don’t sin as much as John Doe down the street, so I know I’ll get into heaven before them!  Good for me!”

Dear friends in Christ.  We cannot view ourselves through these un-salty, un-light of the world eyes!  We cannot save ourselves.  We cannot do enough good, even in all the positive missions and work we do, to save ourselves!  All of these good works, all of these things done overseas cannot overcome the sin that we commit right here, in Hankinson, ND.  Jesus says we must have a righteousness that surpasses even the most “holy of people” – something we are unable to do.  We need something more salty.  We need a light to enlighten our lives as well. 

And dear friends, that’s exactly what Jesus Christ does for us.  He entered our world and showed compassion on all, being the light for all, even you and me.  He flavored to whole world with a forgiveness bought by his blood and suffering.  He made all things well in our life, by taking our sin on his own shoulder, and giving us his holiness in its place.  We are the salt of the world, not because of ourselves, but because he gives us his saltiness.  We are the light of the world because he shares his light with us.  We love others because he loves us first.  And dear friends we ought to care for our local community, because he first cared for us. 

He delivered this gift and love to us here in this building in water and the word, in body and blood consumed under bread and wine.  He delivered this gift to you in his Holy Precious Word, which we strive not to despise, but to read, learn and inwardly digest. 

And so, you are the light of the world, from Kenya to Fargo to Hankinson, not to earn from God, or to please him in any way at all, but instead because Jesus is your light and your salvation.  You are the salt of the earth, because Christ has flavored you with himself, and his own gifts and blessings.  You share with the world what Christ has first shared with you. You give what Christ first gave to you.  You are not righteous in yourself, but only in the death and resurrection of Jesus. 

You are the Salt of the Earth in Jesus, so be that salt to your neighbor.  You are the light of the world, because Christ shines forth in you, so you too shine on those around you – showing compassion, showing love, showing Jesus forth in your life, both here, and throughout all the world.  Amen.