The Third Sunday in Lent (Ps) March 3rd

Psalm 78:25-52

²⁵  Man ate of the bread of the angels; 

he sent them food in abundance. 

²⁶  He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens, 

and by his power he led out the south wind; 

²⁷  he rained meat on them like dust, 

winged birds like the sand of the seas; 

²⁸  he let them fall in the midst of their camp, 

all around their dwellings. 

²⁹  And they ate and were well filled, 

for he gave them what they craved. 

³⁰  But before they had satisfied their craving, 

while the food was still in their mouths, 

³¹  the anger of God rose against them, 

and he killed the strongest of them 

and laid low the young men of Israel. 

³²  In spite of all this, they still sinned; 

despite his wonders, they did not believe. 

³³  So he made their days vanish like a breath, 

and their years in terror. 

³⁴  When he killed them, they sought him; 

they repented and sought God earnestly. 

³⁵  They remembered that God was their rock, 

the Most High God their redeemer. 

³⁶  But they flattered him with their mouths; 

they lied to him with their tongues. 

³⁷  Their heart was not steadfast toward him; 

they were not faithful to his covenant. 

³⁸  Yet he, being compassionate, 

atoned for their iniquity 

and did not destroy them; 

he restrained his anger often 

and did not stir up all his wrath. 

³⁹  He remembered that they were but flesh, 

a wind that passes and comes not again. 

⁴⁰  How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness 

and grieved him in the desert! 

⁴¹  They tested God again and again 

and provoked the Holy One of Israel. 

⁴²  They did not remember his power 

or the day when he redeemed them from the foe, 

⁴³  when he performed his signs in Egypt 

and his marvels in the fields of Zoan. 

⁴⁴  He turned their rivers to blood, 

so that they could not drink of their streams. 

⁴⁵  He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them, 

and frogs, which destroyed them. 

⁴⁶  He gave their crops to the destroying locust 

and the fruit of their labor to the locust. 

⁴⁷  He destroyed their vines with hail 

and their sycamores with frost. 

⁴⁸  He gave over their cattle to the hail 

and their flocks to thunderbolts. 

⁴⁹  He let loose on them his burning anger, 

wrath, indignation, and distress, 

a company of destroying angels. 

⁵⁰  He made a path for his anger; 

he did not spare them from death, 

but gave their lives over to the plague. 

⁵¹  He struck down every firstborn in Egypt, 

the firstfruits of their strength in the tents of Ham. 

⁵²  Then he led out his people like sheep 

and guided them in the wilderness like a flock. 

I want you to remember always what happened in the Land of Egypt.  I want you to remember how God reached down into the land of Egypt to deliver his people.  I want you to remember that God used his arm to cast plagues of blood, flies, gnats, frogs, locusts, hail, boils, livestock, darkness, and even death.  You need to remember these things, and remember what God has done for you.

The children of Israel only a generation later forgot all about how God reached down and delivered them from the land of Slavery.  St Paul even deals with Christians who forgot how God reached down and delivered them from bondage to sin, as they continued to dive in for more.  There are a lot of things we forget.  But here is something to remember.  Forget about names, dates, places, numbers, etc. and Remember how God reached down and saved you.

God sent his only begotten son into this world, to die for the forgiveness of all your sins.  God reached across all of creation to deliver all of creation from decay and separation from God.  He delivered them by a plague of darkness, brutal beatings, crucifixion, and rejection.  God did this to Jesus Christ so that you may be his own and live under him in everlasting righteousness.  Remember this!

Don't forget God reached down to save you.  God desires all people to be saved.  God even desires for you to help others remember these plagues in placed upon Egypt and his own Son, to redeem you.

The Third Sunday in Lent (GA)

Mark 5:21-43

²¹ And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered about him, and he was beside the sea. ²² Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet ²³ and implored him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.” ²⁴ And he went with him. 

And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. ²⁵ And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, ²⁶ and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. ²⁷ She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. ²⁸ For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” ²⁹ And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. ³⁰ And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” ³¹ And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’ ” ³² And he looked around to see who had done it. ³³ But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. ³⁴ And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” 

³⁵ While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler’s house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” ³⁶ But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” ³⁷ And he allowed no one to follow him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. ³⁸ They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. ³⁹ And when he had entered, he said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.” ⁴⁰ And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was. ⁴¹ Taking her by the hand he said to her, “Talitha cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” ⁴² And immediately the girl got up and began walking (for she was twelve years of age), and they were immediately overcome with amazement. ⁴³ And he strictly charged them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat. 

The Woman with all the bleeding comes to Jesus trusting that she would be healed of her blood by touching Jesus' garments.  Jesus tells her that her faith has made her well.  The People stop Jesus after they perceive the daughter to be dead.  But Jesus tells them, "Do not fear, only believe."  This text taken as a whole can remind us to trust in God.  He is the one who rescues us from death and bleeding.

I have always really liked this text, and it is always a little different depending on which Gospel you read.  But it is a sandwich text.  The Bread on the sandwich is the account of Jesus raising the rulers daughter.  The Meat or inside of the sandwich is the healing of a woman seeking not Jesus or his help but his power to heal.  She takes it upon herself to seek out the Word of God and reach out and touch it.

But here is a question: Why doesn't Jesus just let her walk away?  Why doesn't Jesus allow the woman to go away with the knowledge that her action has healed her?  Or at least that by just touching his garment he has healed her?  Jesus tells her, "Daughter your faith has saved you: Go in Peace and be cured from your beatings with a whip (illness)."?  He assures her that she is saved not by the action but by her faith.  She is offered peace and to be made whole once more and not to have to suffer anymore beatings, trials, or testing.

By the words one can remember these words of Jesus and tell others about the Hope we have in the Resurrection.  She is saved from her sin.  She is made in peace with God.  She is even made whole once more and separated from the flogging, beating, and crucifixion which Christ pays for each of us.

The Third Sunday in Lent (NTA)

Acts 28:1-10

After we were brought safely through, we then learned that the island was called Malta. ² The native people showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold. ³ When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. ⁴ When the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.” ⁵ He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. ⁶ They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god. 

⁷ Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days. ⁸ It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with fever and dysentery. And Paul visited him and prayed, and putting his hands on him healed him. ⁹ And when this had taken place, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured. ¹⁰ They also honored us greatly, and when we were about to sail, they put on board whatever we needed. 

How many times have you escaped death? I was recently talking with someone who was recalling multiple times when he and his family escaped death. There are so many times in our life, when we can think of that close call.  There are other times when we escape death by beating cancer. Think of all the times when you have escaped death, and yet you still face death everyday. Remember Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame, there was an old man that was escaping prison in order to fall trapped in something worse saying, "I'm Free! I'm Free! Dang It!"

St Paul escaped death with his ship mates to come upon the shore of Malta.  The natives helped them build a fire and welcomed them.  St Paul hands in his support by throwing a few sticks upon the fire, and a viper clings to his hand trying to escape the flames.  But St Paul shakes it off into the flames, so the snake would be consumed by fire. (Any time you have a serpent in the bible there can be some strange things to pull out.)

St Paul escaped death even by the poison of a snake bite.  St Paul survives and he is thought of as a divine being, but St Paul is only a son of God as each of you are through Jesus Christ.  We often times lose track of how many times God has moved us an inch or two, stopped us from being some place we shouldn't, and even deliver us from death.

The father of Publius lay sick and probably at deaths door, but St Paul pulls him back from death by the grace of God.  He reveals to many people the healing power of God.  God our savior has provided life to many people through this shipwrecked servant.  God offers likewise life to each of you through his only Son Jesus Christ.

St Paul is dead.  St Peter is dead.  The father of Publius is dead. Christ even was dead.  But These people will not suffer eternal flame as the ancient serpent.  You are likewise offered life even if you die through Jesus Christ our Lord.  He will rescue you from the eternal death, great than he may have saved you already from many things that could have killed you.

The Third Sunday in Lent (NT)

2 Thessalonians 1:1-12

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, 

To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: 

² Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

³ We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. ⁴ Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. 

⁵ This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— ⁶ since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, ⁷ and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels ⁸ in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. ⁹ They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, ¹⁰ when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. ¹¹ To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, ¹² so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

The Lord Jesus Christ will rain fire upon the earth and inflict vengeance upon those who disobey.  They will all suffer eternal destruction, and burn in the fires of hell. This is why it is necessary for you to believe in the testimony of St Paul.  This is the command of Christ that you may avoid the fire and hail storm awaiting us.

The problem I have is that St Paul writes, "on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus."  What is meant by obedience to the Gospel? Is this a bad translation? "and to the ones not obeying the good news of our lord Jesus." Well the translation doesn't look wrong.  So I guess we need to obey the gospel! We need to listen to the words concerning Jesus Christ so that we can hear what Christ has done for us.

St Paul definitely draws us a picture of death and destruction for those who do not believe. There is the certainty of death and destruction for those who are not found in the Gospel of Christ. There are many people who will follow the rules of the Law and believe they will find salvation, but it is only through the power of God and the grace of God that we are saved.

Christ will come with his angels and reveal suffering and eternal destruction, for all people. He has come and he has suffered for all people.  Christ our Lord has died upon the cross so that you may be free.  He has suffered on your behalf so that you may come into his presence and receive his glory.  This is the Good News and you believe it.

The Third Sunday in Lent (OT)

Exodus 9:1-35

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. ² For if you refuse to let them go and still hold them, ³ behold, the hand of the Lord will fall with a very severe plague upon your livestock that are in the field, the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks. ⁴ But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing of all that belongs to the people of Israel shall die.” ’ ” ⁵ And the Lord set a time, saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.” ⁶ And the next day the Lord did this thing. All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one of the livestock of the people of Israel died. ⁷ And Pharaoh sent, and behold, not one of the livestock of Israel was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go. 

The Sixth Plague: Boils

⁸ And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from the kiln, and let Moses throw them in the air in the sight of Pharaoh. ⁹ It shall become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and become boils breaking out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.” ¹⁰ So they took soot from the kiln and stood before Pharaoh. And Moses threw it in the air, and it became boils breaking out in sores on man and beast. ¹¹ And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians. ¹² But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had spoken to Moses. 

The Seventh Plague: Hail

¹³ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. ¹⁴ For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth. ¹⁵ For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. ¹⁶ But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. ¹⁷ You are still exalting yourself against my people and will not let them go. ¹⁸ Behold, about this time tomorrow I will cause very heavy hail to fall, such as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. ¹⁹ Now therefore send, get your livestock and all that you have in the field into safe shelter, for every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them.” ’ ” ²⁰ Then whoever feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses, ²¹ but whoever did not pay attention to the word of the Lord left his slaves and his livestock in the field. 

²² Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, on man and beast and every plant of the field, in the land of Egypt.” ²³ Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt. ²⁴ There was hail and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. ²⁵ The hail struck down everything that was in the field in all the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And the hail struck down every plant of the field and broke every tree of the field. ²⁶ Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail. 

²⁷ Then Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them, “This time I have sinned; the Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. ²⁸ Plead with the Lord, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.” ²⁹ Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will stretch out my hands to the Lord. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is the Lord’s. ³⁰ But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the Lord God.” ³¹ (The flax and the barley were struck down, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. ³² But the wheat and the emmer were not struck down, for they are late in coming up.) ³³ So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and stretched out his hands to the Lord, and the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured upon the earth. ³⁴ But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet again and hardened his heart, he and his servants. ³⁵ So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people of Israel go, just as the Lord had spoken through Moses.

Only in the Land of Goshen was there no dead livestock, boils, or hail. God always protects his people. He protects them from the devastation he uses to deliver them out of the land of Egypt.  God sends these plagues against the Egyptians in order to bring them to repentance.  God condemns his own son to a cross, so that his people would not have to suffer the final plague, eternal death.

Most of us have been through a hail storm.  It is one of my favorite scenes in the movie: The Ten Commandments. The hail falls like rocks from the sky. When it hits the ground it flames up as fire.  The fire then spreads and burns.  The text tells us: "Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. ... There was hail and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation." 

With the thunder would naturally come Lightning, but it is described as fire. God rains hail, thunder, and lightning upon the Egyptians. Then finally, Pharaoh speaks words of Repentance.  "This time I have sinned; the Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong." Was this genuine? But when we repent of our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  God removes the plague price for Pharaoh's sins, and Pharaoh sins again.

Is this really all that different? We sin and call upon God for forgiveness. We repent and receive forgiveness. God continues to forgive us and deliver us from the eternal plague of the second death. He kills the Christ for the forgiveness of sins.

The Third Sunday in Lent (CL)

Mark 14:1-9

It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, ² for they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people.” 

³ And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. ⁴ There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? ⁵ For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. ⁶ But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. ⁷ For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. ⁸ She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. ⁹ And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.” 

The poor are always going to be with us.  Have you ever looked around your town or community and wondered where have all the poor boys gone?  They are there! They are often even staring us in the face. I was once told that there are millionaires walking among us.  But the truth is there are a lot of people who have nothing (or the balance of nothing) who are walking among us.

Have you ever went door to door selling some kind of fundraiser, and looked how other people live or what they have?  Have you ever sold something to someone wondering, if they could really afford to purchase that box of cookies, popcorn, or magazine? I know that I have bought things from people that I have not wanted nor needed.  I know that I have sold things to people who really shouldn't have been spending their limited supply of money in that way.

Do you think about the poor people that are all around you?  Jesus reclined at Simon's table and he knew there were poor people all around him. (ah there is the twist.)  Jesus walked through his entire life noticing poor miserable sinners all around him.  These people lived normal every day lives but they were in need of something more precious than perfume, gold, or silver. This is what Jesus really wants to teach us.

"She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her." She helped anoint the anointed one for his greatest gift to her, and the entire world.  She helped prepare Christ to lay down his life for poor miserable sinners.  It is in Christ's sacrifice, death, for the forgiveness of sin. She prepares Christ for what the chief priests and the scribes will finally carry out.

Second Sunday in Lent (Ps) February 24th

Psalm 105:23-45

²³  Then Israel came to Egypt; 

Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham. 

²⁴  And the Lord made his people very fruitful 

and made them stronger than their foes. 

²⁵  He turned their hearts to hate his people, 

to deal craftily with his servants. 

²⁶  He sent Moses, his servant, 

and Aaron, whom he had chosen. 

²⁷  They performed his signs among them 

and miracles in the land of Ham. 

²⁸  He sent darkness, and made the land dark; 

they did not rebel against his words. 

²⁹  He turned their waters into blood 

and caused their fish to die. 

³⁰  Their land swarmed with frogs, 

even in the chambers of their kings. 

³¹  He spoke, and there came swarms of flies, 

and gnats throughout their country. 

³²  He gave them hail for rain, 

and fiery lightning bolts through their land. 

³³  He struck down their vines and fig trees, 

and shattered the trees of their country. 

³⁴  He spoke, and the locusts came, 

young locusts without number, 

³⁵  which devoured all the vegetation in their land 

and ate up the fruit of their ground. 

³⁶  He struck down all the firstborn in their land, 

the firstfruits of all their strength. 

³⁷  Then he brought out Israel with silver and gold, 

and there was none among his tribes who stumbled. 

³⁸  Egypt was glad when they departed, 

for dread of them had fallen upon it. 

³⁹  He spread a cloud for a covering, 

and fire to give light by night. 

⁴⁰  They asked, and he brought quail, 

and gave them bread from heaven in abundance. 

⁴¹  He opened the rock, and water gushed out; 

it flowed through the desert like a river. 

⁴²  For he remembered his holy promise, 

and Abraham, his servant. 

⁴³  So he brought his people out with joy, 

his chosen ones with singing. 

⁴⁴  And he gave them the lands of the nations, 

and they took possession of the fruit of the peoples’ toil, 

⁴⁵  that they might keep his statutes 

and observe his laws. 

Praise the Lord! 

Praise the Lord!  God has revealed himself in various signs and wonders.  He sent his Servant Moses with Aaron to be his instrument before Pharaoh.  They brought all kinds of plagues upon the land of Egypt.  It was through these signs, and wonders God delivered his people from their bondage in Egypt.

Here is the great thing.  God did not just do this once.  God continues and is constantly pulling people out of slavery and darkness into his light.  God did this with Abraham, offering him the holy promise.  God brought his people even into the land of Egypt with Joy, as he united his family.

God sent a famine on the land of Canon in order to send Jacob and his sons to Egypt.  God then sent plagues upon Egypt to deliver his people from there.  God sent plagues upon his own people in the desert to help push them to the Jordan River.  God sent further plagues upon his people as they turned their backs on him. God continues to bring his people out of slavery to sin and into Light.

God continues to even work through your life with signs and wonders.  God works in you through your Baptism, which by water he has washed you in his blood.  God works life and salvation in you as he offers you the true body and blood of Jesus Christ in the Lord's Supper.  God works through the power of His Word to break your hard heart and offers you forgiveness of sins.  God offers you a great sign in the death of his Son upon the Cross for the forgiveness of your sins.

Second Sunday in Lent (GA)

Luke 7:18-23

¹⁸ The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, ¹⁹ calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” ²⁰ And when the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?’ ” ²¹ In that hour he healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. ²² And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. ²³ And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” 

Is Jesus really the Christ?  He has not destroyed all the enemies.  He has not set John free from his prison.  He has not chopped down the tree, yet.  Is this really the one we have been waiting for all these years?

Look around at all that he has done.  Look at the blind people who have received their sight.  Look at the lame people who have been made to walk.  He has made the unclean people clean.  He has ripped open the ears of those who could not listen.  He has even raised at least three different people from the dead.  He has come to preach the good news to all people, even the poor.

Jesus came with many unbelievable signs.  He did many very strange and unbelievable things.  He did things not as tricks, or by mirrors.  But he did them in the sight of many people.  These people told other people, and great crowds gathered to see and hear him.  They gathered to see what more he might do.

But John is in prison and he can not see these things.  Likewise, we are some 2000 years in the future and we can not see these things.  Thus, there are eyewitnesses who testify concerning these things.  And if we had two witnesses as John has sent two of his disciples that would be enough.  But we have Four witnesses in the Four Gospels.  We also have several other witnesses who talk about what they saw and heard, namely St Paul and St Peter.

Therefore, we can Identify Jesus by his signs and wonders.  We can even identify that he was rejected by God upon the cross for the forgiveness of your sins.  He was buried in a tomb with your sins.  And he also did one other thing, but we might just save that for Easter Sunday.

Second Sunday in Lent (NTA)

Ephesians 3:1-13

For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— ² assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, ³ how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. ⁴ When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, ⁵ which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. ⁶ This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 

⁷ Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. ⁸ To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, ⁹ and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, ¹⁰ so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. ¹¹ This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, ¹² in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. ¹³ So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory. 

St Paul has been made a minister of the Gospel by the grace of God.  St Paul does not claim any worthiness for such a gift or office. St Paul simply reminds his readers of the task he has been given.  He has been given the task of revealing the riches of Christ and the eternal purpose of Jesus Christ.

St Paul is suffering greatly on account of his office.  He has suffered at the hands of many enemies and possibly even old friends.  But St Paul remains faithful to sharing the truth with all people.  He remains faithful to this office of which he is unworthy. St Paul recognizes as he is chief of sinners the need other people have to know that they also can be reconciled to God through Christ Jesus.

This was not the backup plan, nor a new mystery or insight from God.  Christ Jesus was made man in accordance with the eternal plan and purpose of God to rescue his people from their sins.  Jesus Christ has provided us access to everlasting glory, not temporal power or greatness.  It is everlasting glory and eternal salvation.

Second Sunday in Lent (OT)

Exodus 8:1-32

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. ² But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will plague all your country with frogs. ³ The Nile shall swarm with frogs that shall come up into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed and into the houses of your servants and your people, and into your ovens and your kneading bowls. ⁴ The frogs shall come up on you and on your people and on all your servants.” ’ ” ⁵  And the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the canals and over the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt!’ ” ⁶ So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. ⁷ But the magicians did the same by their secret arts and made frogs come up on the land of Egypt. 

⁸ Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Plead with the Lord to take away the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.” ⁹ Moses said to Pharaoh, “Be pleased to command me when I am to plead for you and for your servants and for your people, that the frogs be cut off from you and your houses and be left only in the Nile.” ¹⁰ And he said, “Tomorrow.” Moses said, “Be it as you say, so that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God. ¹¹ The frogs shall go away from you and your houses and your servants and your people. They shall be left only in the Nile.” ¹² So Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried to the Lord about the frogs, as he had agreed with Pharaoh. ¹³ And the Lord did according to the word of Moses. The frogs died out in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields. ¹⁴ And they gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. ¹⁵ But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the Lord had said. 

¹⁶ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may become gnats in all the land of Egypt.’ ” ¹⁷ And they did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats in all the land of Egypt. ¹⁸ The magicians tried by their secret arts to produce gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast. ¹⁹ Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said. 

²⁰ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh, as he goes out to the water, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. ²¹ Or else, if you will not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants and your people, and into your houses. And the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand. ²² But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth. ²³ Thus I will put a division between my people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall happen.” ’ ” ²⁴ And the Lord did so. There came great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and into his servants’ houses. Throughout all the land of Egypt the land was ruined by the swarms of flies. 

²⁵ Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.” ²⁶ But Moses said, “It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the Lord our God are an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us? ²⁷ We must go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as he tells us.” ²⁸ So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you must not go very far away. Plead for me.” ²⁹ Then Moses said, “Behold, I am going out from you and I will plead with the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow. Only let not Pharaoh cheat again by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.” ³⁰ So Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. ³¹ And the Lord did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained. ³² But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and did not let the people go. 

(OTA Exodus 8:5-11, 16, 20-24, 32)

After the plague of turning the rivers into blood, these next to plagues do not seem all that amazing to most people.  Frogs dwell in the rivers and streams.  Therefore, the Frogs that dwelt in the river and streams would leave them and move into people's homes and even live with them. Then after the frogs have died, dead flesh attracts flies.  Therefore, swarms of flies would grow up and live for a short period of time.  Now someone might even reasonably assume that most of the dead frogs were gathered outside the land of Goshen and therefore there would be less flies in the land of Goshen.

This seems all good and reasonable.  But wouldn't the frogs have left the Nile during the first plague?  Why did all the frogs die? Doesn't it sound like it was a thick swarm of flies covering a lot more than just the dead frogs?  Wouldn't Pharaoh have known the relatively short life span of flies? Are the Egyptians just that ignorant or is God actually doing something Great and Powerful?

I am going to side with God doing something great and powerful! God increases the population of frogs even though they natural would bread in water, and the water was previously blood.  This is not a natural event, but God is working in his creation something miraculous.  Likewise, God is the one who creates life and he is the one who removes life from these frogs.  He does this in direct correlation with the Time of Moses prayer, which was even determined by Pharaoh.

Pharaoh hardens his heart and does not recognize the great power and authority of these signs.  He sees and recognizes them when they occur but he quickly dismisses them, event though he personally witnessed them.  God has provided us with a great witness and testimony of the Apostles concerning Jesus Christ.  He has not only provide great signs and wonders, but brought us salvation through the cross of Christ.  Even those people who were there hardened their hearts unwilling to believe, "This truly was the Son of God!"

Second Sunday in Lent (NT)

Romans 3:1-8

Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? ² Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. ³ What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? ⁴ By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written, 

“That you may be justified in your words, 

and prevail when you are judged.” 

⁵ But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) ⁶ By no means! For then how could God judge the world? ⁷ But if through my lie God’s truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? ⁸ And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just. 

Is it okay for God to show love for the unfaithful people?  Yes, God loves all people of the world, and truly desires that they would be brought to faith.  God desires their hard hearts to be softened by the Word of God and brought to the truth.

Is it okay for God to cause the faithful to suffer, or be inflicted by wrath?  Yes, God is still Just.  All sinners therefore must suffer for their sins, and even the faithful are still sinful human beings.  They are still corrupt and defiled by their sinful nature and will suffer the just wrath of God.

Where does this leave us.  God can be good to completely and depraved lost sinners.  God can be wrathful to depraved and corrupt redeemed sinners.  God does not offer grace only to people who have been redeemed, but he offers it to all people.  The gift of the Cross is for all the people of the world.  It is a free gift offered to all sinners.

But if people do not recognize their own sins, they will never welcome the idea of a Savior.  If people continue to think they have to work with the cross for salvation, they will never welcome a free gift.  If you continue to do evil and squander the gift of God, you will never understand the greatness of the Sacrifice or gift given to you.

God has given you the gift of his only beloved Son to die for the forgiveness of your sins.  God has offered this gift free of any requirements, but it is truly a free gift.  This is the Love of God.

Second Sunday in Lent (CL)

Mark 11:12-26

¹² On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. ¹³ And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. ¹⁴ And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it. 

¹⁵ And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. ¹⁶ And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. ¹⁷ And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” ¹⁸ And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. ¹⁹ And when evening came they went out of the city. 

²⁰ As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. ²¹ And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” ²² And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. ²³ Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. ²⁴ Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. ²⁵ And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” 

Is this a lesson of having fruit when the master comes to us?  Is this a lesson about not using the house of God or His Word for financial gain?  Or Is this text about prayer and faith?  I am going to lean toward the last one.  If I start at the end of the text, Jesus is talking about prayer for forgiveness and intercessions of objects or help.  Jesus treat the curse of the fig tree like a prayer.

Jesus reminds his disciples that they need to pray for forgiveness for their own wickedness.  They need to ask for the Lord to have mercy upon them and likewise should pray for the strength to forgive others.

But if you are going to spend time in prayer you need a place of prayer.  You need a place devoted to God, for you to offer up your intercessions and request.  God had Moses build a Tabernacle to be that place where people knew God was listening.  Likewise God instructed Solomon to build a temple for all nations to offer their prayers.  God even encouraged Darius to instruct his people to build a second temple.  For us God has raised Jesus from death as a perfect temple for us to direct our prayers.

But this still means we need to offer up our prayers certain that those prayers will come true in accordance with the Will of God.  God will continue to encourage you to pray.  He will continue strengthen you as you pray.  But if you don't pray, your faith will wither just like the fig tree.  If our prayer life is overcome by business and other priorities we will wither up just like the fig tree.  But Christ and his church will continue to pray for you to pray.

The First Sunday in Lent (Ps) February 17th

Psalm 95:1-11

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; 

let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! 

 ²  Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; 

let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! 

 ³  For the Lord is a great God, 

and a great King above all gods. 

 ⁴  In his hand are the depths of the earth; 

the heights of the mountains are his also. 

 ⁵  The sea is his, for he made it, 

and his hands formed the dry land. 

 ⁶  Oh come, let us worship and bow down; 

let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! 

 ⁷  For he is our God, 

and we are the people of his pasture, 

and the sheep of his hand. 

  Today, if you hear his voice, 

 ⁸  do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, 

as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, 

 ⁹  when your fathers put me to the test 

and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work. 

 ¹⁰  For forty years I loathed that generation 

and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart, 

and they have not known my ways.” 

 ¹¹  Therefore I swore in my wrath, 

“They shall not enter my rest.”

How many times have you sung the first part of this Psalm? This is a part of The Lutheran Hymnal’s Matins Service.  It serves as an entrance hymn into the service and as we come before the throne of God. Recognizing that you have reminded yourself of God’s creative power.

Now let us look to the last part of the Psalm.  The Psalmist recalls not only the time when the people of God hardened their hearts, following in the pattern of Pharaoh.  But it also reminds us about their forty-year journey in the wilderness.  These people constantly fell into to temptation and turned away from the God who had delivered them.

But God did not leave them nor forsake them.  He remained with them throughout these 40 years in cloud & fire.  He continued to call them back to himself.  He pointed them to what he has already done, and is still doing for them.

Likewise, God will not leave you nor forsake you.  He will remain with you by means of his Word.  He will continue to call you back to himself.  It is in the Word of God we are pointed to what God has done for you and continues to do for you.  He has sacrificed his only son for the forgiveness of all your sinful acts and your sinful condition.

It is Jesus Christ who is the perfect Son of the Most High.  He is cast into the wilderness and does not turn away from his father, but clings to him as he faces every temptation.  He leads this perfect life in flesh and blood and he offers that life to you in flesh and blood.