A New Normal - Sermon for the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany Narrative Lectionary 3

A New Normal

Epiphany 5 – NL 3

February 9, 2025

Our Savior’s, Faribault, MN

Luke 7.1-17

We have two amazing and wonderful healing stories in our Gospel reading for today. They are somewhat opposites in form but both concern matters of life and death. The powerful, Gentile Roman soldier is as helpless as the powerless and now destitute Jewish widow. In the first episode, Jesus fore-stalls the certain death of the Centurion's slave. In the second, Jesus reverses the death of the widow’s son. In the first, it is Jesus who is amazed, marveling at the faith of the Centurion. In the second, the crowds perceive that Jesus is a great prophet, one who proves that God’s favor has been visited upon them. In both stories, Jesus is shown as one who has authority, even over the forces of death.

But Luke’s Gospel does us no favors if we assume that all is back to normal for them. How could it be? We who have looked woundedness, illness, even death in the face know better. True, the slave returns to serve the Centurion, and the son provides for his mother. But let’s allow ourselves the luxury of imagining what life was now like on the other side of death for them. No doubt the slave, Centurion, son, and widowed mother appreciated life even more. Yet, I wonder if they were able to embrace their death or near-death experiences in their new lives.

Kristin Hannah’s The Women is a novel set during and after the Vietnam War. It focuses on the women who served as surgical nurses in the Army Nursing Corps. The story is told through the eyes and experiences of Frances Grace, “Frankie,” a woman of privilege who decides to honor her brother, a Navy pilot who died in Vietnam, by volunteering to serve there.

It was a bloody, traumatic experience for Frankie and when she returned, she not only suffered the same indignity as all Vietnam combat vets, but the added insult “there were no women in VVietnam.” Counseling services were denied to her and even her parents refused to acknowledge her sacrifice, telling their friends that she was studying abroad. Having come of age during Vietnam, and having narrowly missed being drafted myself, it was a gut-wrenching and heart-rending read.

When I was serving as an associate pastor at Central Lutheran Church in Winona during the historic floods of 2007, I was able to be part of the long-term recovery effort. To help people process the trauma they experienced, we brought in Lutheran Social Services, who helped us with counseling services. especially for our young people who were able to attend “Camp Noah.” (Sidebar: LSS is not a terrorist organization nor does it launder money. They provide much needed social services that our government can’t. Whenever a disaster occurs, Lutherans are the first to arrive and the last to leave.) 

LSS helped us to understand that traumatic experiences like disasters, illnesses, and death cause a period of disorientation. Envision going along an even road and then being plunged into a chasm of chaos. Theologically, it can be called “the shadow of the valley of death.” The road “back up” out of the chasm is full of ups and downs and it takes time, a long time in most cases. But as importantly, there is now a reorientation, a “new normal.” In other words, there is no going back to the way life was before the disorienting trauma.

Without spoiling the book, Frankie learns to embrace her woundedness and find a way forward. There is no way that she can go back to life the way it was before Vietnam, but the way forward is not easy. Nor do we suppose that the servant, Centurion, son, or widow could go back. You, the faithful people of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, have gone through a traumatic period of disorientation. You are on the brink of reorientation, a new normal, with the calling of your next lead pastor. I encourage you to embrace your woundedness and discern how God will use you in the time ahead. And I implore you, I beg you, not to expect your next pastor to take you back to some idealized vision of the past. It’s not possible to go back and it’s potentially destructive to try. Frankly, it’s not fair to your new lead pastor, either.

You see, we worship a God who is both crucified and risen, who through his death brought new life. When Christ was crucified on the cross and raised to life, he still bore the marks of crucifixion, the nail marks in his hands and sides. In other words, the risen Christ embraced his woundedness and invited those who follow him to do the same. We who have been baptized also bear the mark of the Crucified One on our foreheads. It has been a privilege and honor to walk with you through the disorienting time to now. I will hold you in my heart and prayers as you discern what the crucified and risen life looks like in the time ahead. Amen.

My sermons don't always preach as they are written. For video of the sermon with the entire service, click here.

Yet, If You Say So, I Will - Sermon for the Third Sunday after Epiphany - Narrative Lectionary 3

Yet, If You Say So, I Will

Epiphany 3 – NL 3

January 26, 2025

Our Savior’s, Faribault, MN

Luke 5.1-11

Homiletics is the study of how to develop and deliver religious information. In other words, it’s about preaching. All ELCA pastors must take at least one preaching class and deliver prepared sermons, though it may not always look like it. When I learned preaching 30+ years ago, the joke was that the prior generation learned that a sermon was “three points and a prayer,” or, in the 70s, “three points and a poem.” I also learned somewhere along the way about communication theory, which advised preachers to “tell them what you are going to tell them, then tell them, and finally tell them what you just told them.” But I’m grateful that the preaching instruction I received was far more creative than these dictums.

So, harkening back to that earlier time, here’s a sermon throwback, with modifications. Today’s “homily” will be three parts and an application with a bit of introduction and a conclusion. We’ll explore what it might mean to follow Jesus into the deep of life; discern how we might reSimon Peterond like Peter, “Yet, if you say so, I will;” and wonder how to trust in God’s abundance.

Before we dive into those, a little background: since last week’s sermon in his hometown, Jesus has done some teaching, preaching, and healing, including Simon Peter’s mother-in-law. (This may explain why Simon Peter agrees to the use of his boat.) He is followed by crowds who are eager to hear him. To be heard better, he asks Simon Peter to take out a little way on the lake. We don’t know the content of the teaching, but my guess it is consistent with what we heard last week in his sermon based on the text from Isaiah. He came to preach good news to the poor, release to captives, and to let the oppressed go free.” This would be good news to the Jewish people under Roman occupation. But it was his message about everyone being God’s beloved that infuriated his hometown crowd that will foreshadow his death.

After preaching, Jesus tells Simon Peter to go out into deeper waters, but I want to linger here for a bit before we get to the net. The sea (or lake) was a fearful place for middle eastern folk, a place of chaos and darkness. To be a fisherman meant conquering that fear on a daily basis, especially at night. Jesus invites Simon Peter to go deeper into a relationship with him in a place that is frightening. And Jesus does this when Simon Peter is exhausted, despairing, and not in a receptive mood.

That is prelude to Jesus’ order to “let down your nets” for a catch, which Simon Peter understandably resists. Again, he’s been fishing all night, the time of optimal fishing, and thinks Jesus is crazy. Yet, for some reason, Simon Peter trusts Jesus enough to do as he says, “Yet, if you say  so, I will.” Perhaps it’s because he’s at the end of his net and has done everything he knows how to do that Simon Peter lets go, obeys Jesus, and does something counterintuitive to what he knows.

Lo and behold, Simon Peter experiences an abundance far beyond his wildest dreams or expectations. He is so overwhelmed by this enormous catch that he realizes he is in the presence of the holy and divine. It’s helpful to realize that Jesus didn’t fabricate fish; these fish were already there. Still, Jesus will be the One who we will come to know as through whom the universe was created, who can still the storms, and who provides for us in ways that we cannot conceive or anticipate.

I think Jesus often invites us into a deeper but scary relationship with him and asks us to do something we resist, something that makes no human sense. My experience of being called to seminary, to go into the frightening deep, to say, “Yet, if you say so, I will,” and leave everything behind is one example. Entering intentional interim ministry with no guarantee of work is another. You probably have your own experiences.

Following our worship service today will be our annual meeting and Pr. Drew reminded me this past week of the boat as being an ancient symbol for the Church. So, in addition to celebrating where we’ve seen God working in, with, and through Our Savior’s this past year will be an approval of the Ministry Spending Plan (budget). I’m not telling you to pass this, that’s your decision. I am saying it’s some deep waters that invite you to consider responding, “Yet, if you say so I will.”

This is not mechanistic: it’s not “if we do this then God will bless us.” Remember, we are not the heroes of these stories, it is the God who rules creation and who says, “I will make you fish for people” who is the hero, who equips us for the work. It is when we go deeper into our relationship with Jesus and are invited to respond to that invitation that God provides for us. For this the God who sent his Son with a message that all are beloved, who so offended people with that message that he died for it, but rose from the dead so that we would have new life. May you know God’s abundant love as you go deeper in that love and respond to it. Amen.

My sermons don't always preach as they are written. For video of the sermon with the entire service, click here.

Faith Grows Here - Sermon for the Second Sunday of Christmas - Narrative Lectionary 3

Faith Grows Here

Christmas 2 – NL 3

January 5, 2025

Our Savior’s, Faribault, MN

Luke 2.41-52

And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor. (Luke 2.52)

With today’s story, Gospel-writer Luke concludes what’s called the infancy narrative. Yes, the story is of Jesus as a 12 year old, but everything that precedes Jesus’ adult ministry is considered part of the infancy story. Just before Christmas, we heard the Annunciation of the angel to Mary announcing she will bear God’s Son along with her visit to Elizabeth and then Mary’s song known as the Magnificat. On Christmas Eve, we heard the birth story attendant with angels and shepherds. Then last week, it was Jesus’ circumcision with his Presentation in the temple where Simeon sings of God’s marvelous deeds and the prophetess Anna praises God. In today’s reading about Jesus as a pre-teen in the Temple, Luke again does two things that he has done through the infancy narrative. First, Luke stresses the family’s faithfulness to the Jewish customs and traditions. Second, and more importantly, Luke highlights Jesus’ identity as not just any special child, but The Special Child. 

This is the only story we have about Jesus’s childhood and only Luke gives us so much detail about his early life. (By the way, there were other stories written and collected about Jesus that didn’t make the cut into any of the four Gospels. You might want to read the Infancy Gospel of Thomas where, among other stories, Jesus makes birds out of clay and breathes them into life.) This story presents some familiar pre-teen and parent interactions. If you are a parent who has momentarily lost a child or been a lost child, you can relate. Similarly, if you have had a pre-teen or been one yourself, you know how challenging that situation can be. Even so, there are questions about how this came to be. How could Mary and Joseph not know Jesus wasn’t with them. Why did it take them so long to figure it out? And what was Jesus doing for those three days and nights?

I’ve often said how much I appreciate questions and I believe that it’s in the questions where the life of faith is lived. In part, I like questions because it’s the way I’m wired. I love to learn and to think about why things are the way they are. But I like questions because of my own faith journey. I’ve mentioned before that I left the church after Confirmation like many young people. That time was a period of light atheism or strong agnosticism that lasted through high school, college, and into young adulthood. In short, I returned to the church not only because I was invited by a coworker, but also because that’s where I instinctively knew the answers to my questions could be found. Along the way, I’ve also learned that while questions are good, some are better than others.

What strikes me about today’s reading is that Jesus is in the position of the student. He is sitting among the teachers, listening to them, asking questions, taking it all in. At the end of the reading, before we learn about the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, we hear that “… Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.” As an adult 20 years later, Jesus will become the teacher par excellence and he will threaten other religious leaders, challenging their interpretation of Scripture. This challenge, in part, results in the cross. For now, Jesus models learning as a disciple.

Some of you know that I have a very small side-gig helping to train interim pastors. It’s a way to keep my skills sharp and also a way to give back to the larger church what I have been given. One thing we try to encourage in the pastors is a sense of curiosity and wonder as they enter congregations. On my better days that’s what I try to do. For example, “Why do you do this certain thing? How did that practice develop? It’s not a criticism, merely a wondering. (By the way, this attitude of curiosity is helpful in conversations about difficult topics, such as politics, religion, and government. “Tell me how you came to this position?) I think that sense of curiosity and wonder could help us in the life of faith. 

One tool, Lectio Divina, provides a framework for reading Scripture. There are many forms of Lectio Divina, but one way of reading Scripture is by reading a biblical passage and first asking, “What do I notice? What jumps out at me? What questions do I have? Then you read the passage again, preferably in a different translation, and ask, “What is God saying to me in this passage?” Finally, you read the passage a third time and ask, “What is God asking me to do in this passage?

I think that same curiosity could be applied to all aspects of our life of faith.

The tagline, or motto, for Our Savior’s is “Faith Grows Here.” That motto is depicted in the beautiful tree logo that graces all our materials. In fact, the desire for growth was a theme that the Transition Team consistently found in its work. Growth not only meant finding ways for more people to engage in the life of the congregation, but also a deep desire for spiritual growth. Now, I am loath to make New Year’s resolutions except that my resolution is not to make any resolutions. (I know, that’s a logic problem.) Even so, I would invite you into a posture of curiosity and wonder in your life of faith, not as adding one more thing but rather seeking a deeper way into what you are already doing.

So, for example, as you gather for worship, ask yourself, what do I notice, where do I see God in the midst of this, and how might God be inviting me to grow? I think that you could do this for all the different ways you might encounter God. When you listen to music, when you behold a work of art, when you engage in service to others, or when you work for peace and justice. However you grow in faith this New Year, may you, like Jesus, increase “in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.” Amen.

My sermons don't always preach as they are written. For video of the sermon with the entire service, click here.

Supporting Cast Part 2 - First Sunday of Christmas - Narrative Lectionary 3

Supporting Cast Part 2

Christmas 1 – NL 3

December 29, 2024

Our Savior’s, Faribault, MN

Luke 2.21-38

Shirley lost her mom one year and it devastated her, even though her mother was on in years. The two were very close and, although her mom’s death was not unexpected, the sting of death is nevertheless potent. The Sunday following the funeral, Shirley went to church as normal, even though she didn’t feel much like it. She says she doesn’t remember the singing or sermon at all; she just went through the motions. What she does vividly remember was being surrounded by love from her church, her friends who by their presence held her and comforted her. She had gone to worship because that’s what she did and who she was, but she was surprised by God who met her in unexpected ways.

The Gospel writer Luke is very clear thus far in the story that Mary and Joseph are not only obedient citizens but also faithful Jews. As citizens they take part in the census ordered by Caesar Augustus. But they were also observant Jews who followed the law. Mary and Joseph

bring baby Jesus, just eight days old, to be circumcised. Circumcision is a sign of the covenant that was made between the patriarch Abraham and God as God commanded in Genesis 17. It was a sign that this child belonged to God. Then, 40 days after Jesus’ birth they go to the temple for Mary’s purification because of the birth she is ritually unclean. This time their obedience is in accord with Leviticus 12. (By the way, ritually unclean does not mean sinful. One could become ritually unclean and in need of purification any number of ways, including touching a dead body.)

This event has become known as the Presentation of Jesus and in our church world is celebrated as a lesser festival, given the right circumstances. Yet, for Mary andJoseph, who seem to be bit players in today’s events, the ordinary observance of the law becomes extraordinary. First Simeon, clearly a prophet, breaks out in a song that some of us know as the Nunc Dimittis. (In some of our ELW liturgies this is sung as the Post-Communion Canticle.) However, Mary and Joseph can only gape in amazement as Simeon then blessed them, and a mixed blessing at that. If that wasn’t enough, the prophetess Anna, an incredible 84 years old, praises God for the gift of Jesus. All of this is guided by the Holy Spirit, who has been very busy in these first two chapters of Luke’s Gospel and, as I noted last week, will continue to be through Volume 2 of Luke’s story, the Book of Acts.

As we frequently observe, God often shows up in the places we least expect God to be. And here we see that God can show up in extraordinary ways in the most ordinary routines. Mary and Joseph are faithful Jews who observe the law, trusting there were good reasons to do so. They are doing what all couples do after the birth of a son because it’s just what you did then. And although Simeon and Anna were doing their ordinary observances day in and day out, they are overwhelmed with the presence of the long-awaited Messiah in the presence of a poor couple who can only afford a pair of turtledoves.

This story of the Presentation of Jesus invites us to consider ways to present ourselves in ordinary circumstances. What if we went about our ordinary lives, doing our ordinary worship, and serving on our ordinary ministry teams expecting that it is precisely in the ordinary that God shows up? As we learned in our Wednesday book series on Martin  Luther, one of his key insights was that “the finite is capable of bearing the infinite.” This is true because we learn at Christmas in the Incarnation that an ordinary human being is capable of bearing the extraordinary Divine. And that’s also why we believe that ordinary bread and wine can carry the extraordinary body and blood of Jesus Christ and ordinary water can carry the Word of God. 

I want to close with a true story, though I can’t guarantee that it ever happened. A country preacher answered a knock at the door one cold evening to find a parishioner standing there. The preacher welcomed the man and bid him to sit by the warm fire. After the usual exchange of pleasantries, the visitor said, “You’ve probably noticed that I’ve not been in church lately. I don’t get anything out of it and I don’t see the point in being there. I’ll not be coming anymore.”

The preacher hadn’t said a word, only listened quietly. Presently, he got up, took a set of tongs from the hearth, and moved one of the glowing embers to the side and sat down. Presently, as the two of them quietly watched, the previously glowing ember went cold and dark. The preacher then got up, put the cold piece of coal back into the fire where it became hot again. After a moment, the parishioner got up and said, “I understand, Preacher, I’ll see you in church Sunday,” and left.

Merry Christmas, my siblings in Christ, as the extraordinary Christ-child comes to you in the ordinariness of everyday life, work, school, play, community center, and yes, even church. Amen.

My sermons don't always preach as they are written. For video of the sermon with the entire service, click here.

Supporting Cast: Part 1 - Sermon for the Fourth Sunday of Advent Narrative Lectionary 3

Supporting Cast: Part 1

Advent 4 – NL 3

December 22, 2024

Our Savior’s, Faribault, MN

Luke 1.26-56

“The Admirable Crichton” is a 1957 British film. It was released in the US as “Paradise Lagoon.” I don’t know why I saw it but there is a scene I’ll always remember near the end of the film. Crichton is a butler in the service of an earl’s family. Some of the family are marooned on a deserted island in the South Seas, including Crichton. In a reversal of roles Crichton becomes their leader and saves them from certain starvation. The royalty become dependent upon Crichton and he who gives the orders. Two years later, a ship is sighted and a landing party comes to rescue them. Crichton, understanding that the new order on the island would not work in Britain, goes off into the jungle and reappears in his butler’s outfit, much to the amusement of the rescuers.

Though I’ve not taken a film class, I’ve learned to look for a supporting cast member in a film, TV show, or book. This would be someone who exerts an outsized impact relative to their role in the work of art. In fact, the movement of the film often depends upon this somewhat minor character. Disney does this particularly well, although you can find these influential characters in any film. This might be like focusing on a lineman during a football game rather than the quarterback or whoever has the ball. Perhaps that’s why I was drawn to Elizabeth in today’s Scripture, one that focuses heavily on Mary.

Earlier in chapter 1, we learn that Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah are old and past the time of childbearing. As you know in biblical times, this was a shameful thing for a woman whose value consisted of being able to bear children, especially sons. Thankfully, that’s not true today. Her husband, Zechariah, is a temple priest who receives an angelic message. He and Elizabeth will indeed conceive a child that will become the forerunner of the long-awaited Messiah. Because Zechariah questions how this can happen, the angel strikes him mute. So much for being able to mansplain. As an aside, becoming mute is not something that happens when Mary questions the angel.

But Elizabeth is far more than a vessel containing the baby who becomes John the Baptist. Under the influence of the Holy Spirit who causes the baby to leap in her womb, Elizabeth becomes a prophetess, declaring the blessedness of God’s favor on Mary. She then confirms for Mary that the child she carries would fulfill God’s promises. In other words, Elizabeth helps Mary understand and see what God is doing in, with, and through her.

We need people like Elizabeth in our lives and maybe we need to be those people, too. There are times in our lives when things don’t go as planned. It is in those dark times when God is most often present and real, but we need the Elizabeths to help us see them. One blessing of the Advent season is that it invites us to be open and accept what God has in store for us, often what we aren’t expecting. The Elizabeths in our community help us to see God where we aren’t able to do so ourselves.

Yet, there’s another supporting character who is vital to this work: the Holy Spirit. It may be argued that the Holy Spirit is the main actor in Luke and especially Luke’s second volume, The Acts of the Apostles. The Holy Spirit is mentioned 20 times in Luke and more than twice that number in Acts. In fact, one person has noted that The Acts of the Apostles could more accurately be titled “The Acts of the Holy Spirit.” Truth be told, even Mary, who seems to be a central character, in the end gives voice to what the Gospel is about, the birth and ultimately death and resurrection of God’s Son. Mary also gives voice to the great reversal that the butler Crichton couldn’t see happening in his situation. Even so, Crichton will eventually seek that reversal elsewhere than the earl’s home. (You’ll have to watch the film to find out.) 

Elizabeth and Mary will share one more thing in common: the brutal deaths of their sons. It is unlikely Elizabeth will have to endure the agony of watching her son, John the Baptist being beheaded given her advanced age. Mary, of course, will endure seeing her son crucified. But she will also see the Greatest Reversal yet, the resurrection of her Son. It’s this message that shows us a God that we can believe in, who brings life from death. This Advent and Christmas, may you have an Elizabeth in your life who helps you see God present in the world and may you be an Elizabeth to someone else. Amen.

My sermons don't always preach as they are written. For video of the sermon with the entire service, click here.

Giving Thanks & Receiving Hope - Sermon for the First Sunday of Advent Narrative Lectionary 3

Giving Thanks & Receiving Hope

Advent 1 – NL 3

December 1, 2024

Our Savior’s, Faribault, MN

Daniel 6.6-27

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 

(1 Thessalonians 5.18)

At our weekly staff meetings, we take turns doing devotions followed by a time of prayers. This past Tuesday, Wendy was on deck and given the season, appropriately talked about giving thanks. In her devotion, she included the above scripture, “Give thanks in all circumstances.” As is typical of our staff devotional time, there ensued a lively and thoughtful conversation about what “all circumstances” meant. Both Pr. Drew and I reflected on the Community Thanksgiving service last Sunday evening at Christ Lutheran Church and the power of the reflections given by a lay person from each of the three congregations. Each reflection, though different, expressed gratitude in difficult circumstances.

So, I began reflecting about Daniel and wondering if he gave thanks in his circumstances. I think it’s easy to imagine Daniel giving thanks for the presence of the angel who stops up the mouths of the lions so they cannot eat him and then prevents them from pouncing on him. Yet, Paul’s encouragement to the Thessalonian church undergoing persecution says, “all circumstances.” That left me wondering whether Daniel gave thanks for everything.

For example, in his circumstances, did Daniel give thanks for his colleagues who wanted him out of the way? Did he give thanks that they went to extraordinary lengths to kill him, probably out of jealousy? He was a foreigner exiled in a foreign land who had risen to great influence and power. Did he not pay attention to relationships enough that they could accept him as an equal? Was his position, once a source of blessing now something hard to give thanks for? Did he wish for a less visible and risky occupation?

And while he was sitting in that den, did Daniel give thanks for King Darius? Though the king seemed to appreciate Daniel and his gifts, Darius also appears to be something of a clown. Darius also seems to be weak and easily manipulated by the other courtiers. And being a Mede, not a Persian, was he trying to impress everyone with his power? Did Daniel give thanks that he served someone who could be so unpredictable?

And what about the focus of the king’s wrath after he pulls Daniel from the lions’ den. Not only were the conspirators doomed to a horrific death, their wives and children suffered as well. Did Daniel give thanks in those circumstances? And what about the edict that King Darius makes regarding the religion of the Jews? A few hundred years after Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection,  a different ruler, the Emperor Constantine, made Christianity the official religion of his Empire. Some people observe that he did Christianity no favors by doing so. Would that have been the case for Daniel and his people?

This is pretty heavy for a Sunday morning after Thanksgiving, but it points out that the story of Daniel in the lions’ den is deeper and more complicated than our Sunday School faith. Sunday School faith is important, but we know that we grow up seeing the world as more gray than black and white. Most scholars believe that Daniel was written during the reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, about 200 years before Jesus was born, crucified, died, and resurrected. Antiochus was a Syrian ruler who committed many atrocities including blaspheming the temple with abominable sacrifices. Using stories of a folk hero set during the Babylonian exile a few hundred years earlier, the author seeks to give encouragement and hope to the Jewish people experiencing great persecution and hardship. It’s like we tell the story of George Washington cutting down the cherry tree saying, “I cannot tell a lie.” The story of Daniel reminds us that even encouragement in hard times is complicated but also necessary.

Today is the First Sunday of Advent and the candle we light is the Hope Candle. As the days get darker, we light more candles to remind us that Jesus is the Light of the World that no darkness can overcome. Today, we are sustained by the hope that Jesus brings. Whatever lion’s den you find yourselves in today, know that there is nowhere that God cannot be. Giving thanks in all circumstances can be complicated, but the presence of God never is. Thanks be to God. Amen

My sermons don't always preach as they are written. For video of the sermon with the entire service, click here.

The Two Hands of God - Sermon for Christ the King Sunday, Narrative Lectionary 3

The Two Hands of God

Christ the King, NL 3

November 24, 2024

Our Savior’s, Faribault, MN

Jeremiah 36.1-8, 21-23, 27-28; 31.31-34

When I first thought about today’s sermon based on Jeremiah, I was thinking about the promise that God made to the people, to make a new covenant that would be different from the previous covenants that God made, covenants that were broken, not by God but by the people. God promised that this covenant would be written on their hearts, that all people would know God, and possibly the most important promise of all, that God would not only forgive their sins but forget them as well. I thought I’d make the point that before we promise anything to God, God makes promises to us, promises that allow us to respond with promises of our own. These would be our baptismal promises, affirmed at our Confirmation.

I think that could have been a fine sermon, but given last Wednesday’s session on “Making Sense of Martin Luther” and that today is Christ the King Sunday, my thoughts have been pulled in a different direction. Besides, we preachers are always implored by listeners to be relevant. Be careful what you wish for. 

In last Wednesday’s session on Luther, Pr. David Lose talked about Luther’s notion of two kingdoms, which he called two hands. The two kingdoms or hands describe the two different ways God operates in the world. The right hand is the theological realm where God institutes the church to proclaim God’s mercy and forgiveness. It does this by preaching Christ crucified and resurrected and by making disciples who help heal the brokenness in this world.

The second way God operates in the world is through the left hand where God ordains institutions such as governments to provide for the safety and well-being of its citizens. The left hand, or civil arena, also includes the family and non-profit institutions. Good citizens are to respect their governments because God has ordained them and is working through them. This was Martin Luther at his best, but it was also at his worst as he said and wrote some things that resulted in thousands of deaths. His writings were ultimately misused by Nazi Germany with devastating consequences.

Why am I spending time on this? First, because the text from Jeremiah displays the interplay between the two hands or kingdoms in a stark way. Jeremiah the prophet challenges King Jehoiakim in his handling of the political situation at the time. The Northern Kingdom of Israel had been conquered by the Assyrians 200 years ago and had also made the Southern Kingdom of Judah its vassal state. Jehoiakim is resisting their hold over them and thinks that Egypt will come to the rescue. Instead, the Babylonians are rising in power and contending with Assyrian for regional domination. Ultimately, the Babylonians will conquer Judah and move most of its inhabitants to exile.

As a prophet, Jeremiah’s job is to bring a word from God to the people and particularly the king. His message is not a popular one because he tells them not to rebel against the Assyrians or Babylonians, but rather go along with them. They are not to count on Egypt for help. The king ignores this word from Jeremiah, destroying the scroll Jeremiah dictates. Jehoikim prefers to listen to other so-called prophets who tell the king what he wants to hear, that the rebellion will succeed. It doesn’t, with devastating consequences for the people of the Southern Kingdom.

In Luther’s theology of the two hands, he reminds us that they are distinct but not separate. Government is not to be in the church business, but it can hold churches accountable when it strays from its God-given purpose. Similarly, the church does not proclaim the gospel through governments but holds them accountable to work for the well-being of all people, and not just for a select, powerful few. I think this is really important for us in today’s society. And if you are spending your time thinking I’m pushing for a particular party you are missing the point. As someone once noted, if your theology matches the platform of your political party then you need a new theology.

Today is Christ the King, or Reign of Christ, Sunday, the end of the Church Year. It’s a time to remember how Christ rules in the world, not through violence but rather through sacrificial love. It’s a love that promises that we are forgiven and freed no matter what we have done or not. Christ works through us as we respond to that promise with promises of our own: to love God and neighbor; to work for justice and peace in all the world; and to hold both church and state accountable.

I guess I preached that initial sermon after all. May the peace and love of Christ reign in your hearts, today and always. Amen.

My sermons don't always preach as they are written. For video of the sermon with the entire service, click here.