Jan. 7 - 11, 2009
January 7, 2009
NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL
Bible Readings: Ezekiel 1:1-14, 22-28 and Romans 1:1-17
St. Paul and Ezekiel both had special calls from God to do special work. Ezekiel was to talk to the people in Babylon during the Exile and keep them encouraged to go home again after it ended. St.Paul was a missionary to the Gentiles after beginning as a Pharisee of Pharisees.
The Letter to the Romans begins with St. Paul telling of his service to God. He also tells the Roman Christians he wants to come to see them soon. But, the key verses in this passage have to do with his attitude towards the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
St. Paul tells us He is not ashamed of the Gospel he preaches. He says it is God's power to save believers. True, it came first to the Jews. But, now, through him and others, it has also come to the Gentiles. Ezekiel was also unashamed of his message, even when preaching got tough. Both of these men faced grave obstacles to their ministries. Yet, they preached.
St. Paul ends today's section of Romans telling us the reason for the Gospel's power is that it is God's righteousness brought to us by faith to grow faith. You see, Jesus justified everyone. Not everyone has come to faith, because not all are able to believe that Jesus' righteousness saves them, not their own good works.
St. Paul's words helped another great preacher of the Gospel, Martin Luther, to see that God wasn't only a God of wrath and retribution. No, God is also a God of mercy and love. He saves those who are righteous because He gives the free gift of faith to them in Jesus Christ.When Luther saw these words one night in the tower of the Black Cloister in Wittenberg, Saxony, he was transformed from a God-hater to one powerfully preaching the Gospel and wanting to learn ever more how God works in and through each of us.
How about you? Are you telling the Gospel and helping others see God's love in Jesus?
Prayer. Lord, help us through the Holy Spirit to see the Gospel as Your power to salvation and to preach it with joy and resolve. In Jesus' name. Amen.
January 8, 2009
WHEN PEOPLE FAIL TO LISTEN TO GOD
Bible Readings: Ezekiel 2:1-3:11 and Romans 1:18-32
Ezekiel has a big job when he went to the captive Israelites is Babylon. God called him to convince them they had done wrong and needed to return to God from the acts and idols they were worshipping in Babylon.
Ezekiel has only God's Word against the entire nation of Israel. Yet, God said His word would win the day. God's word always wins the day since its true and fulfills its promises. Ezekiel learned that fact as he continued in his work as a prophet of God among the Israelites.
St. Paul also had a tall order in speaking to the Roman congregations. First, he had not established the congregations at Rome. Jewish Christians spread from other parts of the Roman Empire, taking up residence at Rome. They formed the congregations. St. Paul wanted to visit them to help them with their faith as well as to see their health as congregations.
Rome was a cosmopolitan city. The practices of many religions, cultures, and nations were a part of everyday life in Rome. Some of those practices had spread to the Jewish population of Rome as well. St. Paul says that God let them go on with the practices as a consequence of their violating His Law. Homosexuality is one such condemned practice. St. Paul says God let them practice this form of sexuality because they wouldn't listen and return to heterosexual practices.
God also allows other behaviors against His Law to go simply because people will not listen to His warnings and His asking them to stop them. Many sins continue in society because people will not listen to good reason and cease sinning.
Human ego also falls under such a condemnation when it contradicts the will and the Law of God. People have invented all manner of "wisdom" to replace God's Law. God allows it to go on because people will not listen. Genesis 3 tells of the first such instance of non-listening. Reality hasn't changed since! The consequences of these actions is confusion in society and finally the destruction of a society.
Jesus brought an end to the need for such folly. He taught, acted, and showed God to us in all He did. He died on the cross so each of us could be forgiven for the times we don't listen to God. Through baptism and the Lord's Supper, God gives is faith and keeps our faith so we listen to Him and come to Him for wisdom to live and forgiveness to deal with the times we act other than according to His ways.e diHhE
Prayer. Lord, help us through the Holy Spirit to listen to Your Word and to faithfully partake of Your Sacraments so we may always listen to You in our lives. In Jesus' name. Amen.
January 9, 2009
APPEARANCE ISN'T EVERYTHING
Bible Readings: Ezekiel 3:12-27; 4:1-11:25 and Romans 2:1-16
For some people, appearance is everything. They look at the outside of a person and think they can find out what's inside the person. This is not always so!
Appearance was also important to the Jews of St. Paul's day. Who would have know better than St. Paul how much appearing to be a Jew meant to your fellow Jews?
But, St. Paul learned true believers in God run much deeper than a bunch of outward "good works." He tells the Roman Jewish Christians they must also be believers on the inside. They need to teach themselves the ways of God in order to teach and to guide others. Jesus' life and death on the cross show God's perfect wisdom. The Holy Spirit uses God's Word to show us God's wisdom in every life situation. He reminds us we are baptized members of Jesus Christ.
Ezekiel has the same message for people of his day. God gives him a catalog of wrongs and evils in their society. Even the temple ahs become corrupt and used for false worship. They no more believe in the True God than do the pagans they constantly rail against and hate. God's punishment is about to be visited upon them. And so it was! Ezekiel prophesied both before and airing the Babylonia Exile. He saw the sin causing the exile and the exile caused by the sin.
We also claim to be Christians. We want to teach and to witness to others so churches can be filled with people who know Jesus. But, is our faith what it appears to be?
Do we leave our religion on the church steps on Sunday? Do we help others and serve others all week? Do we treat our family members with love and care? Do we always seek to put the best interpretation on the acts and the comments of others? Do we gossip about others? Do we talk behind other's backs in church about how they act, dress, govern the church, or live their lives?
Our actions and words show what's really inside our minds. We show our true faith by the way we live our lives. Outward appearances are nice. But, they are often deceiving. Does your outward appearance match the faith in Christ you confess on Sunday?
Prayer. Lord, help us through the Holy Spirit to show that our outward confession of faith matches with our commitment to You . In Jesus' name. Amen.
January 10, 2009
WHO'S THE REAL JUDGE?
Bible Readings: Ezekiel 3:12-27, 4:1-11:25 and Romans 2:17-29
"Here come da' judge!" was a common phrase about 30 years ago. We like to play judge over others. It shows power and control. It can feel good to have such power. But, what power of judgment do we really have?
St. Paul tells the Romans judging when one is doing the same thing is forbidden by God. Why? Because one is no better than the sinner when one judges someone doing the same sin.
But, what about God's judging of sin. Is His judgment fair? After all, some people just can't help themselves. We might also say, "There. but for the grace of God, go I."
Ezekiel answers such claims as does St. Paul. Ezekiel tells us if one generation has a pet sin, they are judged. Fair so far? If the next generation follows that sin, then they are judged as well. Fair again? The same holds true to any number of generations following the sinful practice or action of the previous generations. Societies could also fall under this idea. We often recite this from Luther's Small Catechism as "The Close of the Commandments." In reality, it is the end of the First Commandment and deals with worship of false gods. But, Ezekiel applies the principle to all sins.
The bad new continues for those wishing to sin. Even the heathen can do better! They have God's natural law in them telling them by nature that certain acts are against God's will and the way of nature. Thus, they are a judgment to those who sin. Conscience in those who sin also acts as a curb to sin. The sinners become a law unto themselves.
How does one escape this horrible mess? We escape by God's forgiving our sin through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. We can curb the desire to sin by the Holy Spirit living in us. He comes to us in Holy Baptism. He continues with us through God's Word, the Bible, and through Holy Communion. He also leads us to places where we can be with other Christians so we are able to be led to know sin and to avoid it. We also avoid judging others.
Prayer. Lord, help us through the Holy Spirit to know that Your judgment of sin is always fair Help us to find a place where we can find the help of other Christians to deal with our sin and our other problems. In Jesus' name. Amen.
January 11, 2009
A BAPTISMAL MISSION
Readings: Romans 12:1-11 and Mark 1:4-11
Jesus went to the Jordan River to be baptized by John the Baptist. John needed to see Jesus and the be able to recognize Him as the Messiah. Jesus' baptism offered Him such an opportunity.
But, John the Baptist wondered why Jesus came to him. He asked a good and proper question. Why would the Son of God go to a human to be baptized? It doesn't really make sense. John's proposal that Jesus baptize him makes far more sense to our human minds.
The wisdom of God shows itself while Jesus is in the water. If John didn't know Jesus' mission before that time, He certainly got the word on the mission right from the source as the Father's voice rang out.
The Father simply states facts, "You are My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased." Now John knows who Jesus is. He's God's Son, the Messiah. The Holy Spirit descending also tells John that Jesus is the Messiah. Here is the One Isaiah said would have God's Spirit upon Him to right the wrongs done by sin. He would right these wrongs by dying on a cross. God would then speak approval of the sacrifice the results of the sacrifice by raising Jesus on the Third Day. Jesus' mission was also to heal illness of all kinds, raise the dead, and to preach the coming of God's kingdom directly among His people. What a mission!
What about us? When we are baptized, do we receive a mission?
We do receive a mission when baptized. God sends us to tell others about Him. He sends us to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He sends us to teach and preach so others can grow in the faith and also so more people can be added to those who believe in Him. He also tells us to go out into the world and to act as a little Christ so people know Him better.
Does God give us any help through baptism to carry out the mission? He does.
God first forgives our sins. If there is no forgiveness, there is no ability to be God's child. He also gives us eternal life and salvation. We baptize all ages, as all need the forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation. For those too young to understand, we appoint sponsors or godparents both to remind them of their baptism and to aid their Christian growth should their parents die.
So it was that Jesus received His baptismal mission. Our baptismal mission goes on throughout our life. May God grant us His Holy Spirit so our baptismal mission is fulfilled.
Prayer. Lord, give us Your Holy Spirit and all the gifts necessary to remember our baptism and to carry out our baptismal mission. In Jesus' name. Amen.