2009-06-28
Trinity 3
Luke 15:1-10
In the Name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
First Move: pride in press conferences (Law)
We all fantasize about being famous. We have held imaginary press conferences in our minds. We see ourselves humbling accepting the accolades of the masses.
We've watched biographies of rock stars on television. None of us is unaware of Paris Hilton's or Donald Trump's antics. But somehow in our fantasies, we're not like them. We're decent and honorable.
This is simply pride. We should know what fame does to people. It is displayed before us every day. But we still want it. We think we can handle it. Because we think, deep down, that we are actually better, smarter, more controlled, than Michael Jackson. We think his talent was wasted on him. And even while we covet it, we despise him for having it. Repent.
We are utterly insignificant people. Neither the world nor history will note our passing. We are just a few ants in a colony that spans the globe, utterly replaceable. Our children might remember us but they will soon be gone. And I really doubt that Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson will by known by more than a handful of scholars a hundred years from now.
Despite this, we are proud. We want fame. We want to be loved and honored by men. Our daydreams give us away. Repent.
Second move: Significant in heaven, going after the 1 (Gospel)
Yet you are significant in heaven. The Lord counts the hairs on your head, which is like going to Foster Park and counting the blades of grass. He does not do this because He is bored. He does that because you are fascinating to Him, because He loves you. The holy angels know your name. You are famous in heaven.
The Lord leaves the ninety-nine and goes after the one. That seems like a bad business practice. He should cut his losses. But the one He lost is the most valuable, the most prized, worth more than all the others together. The One He lost is His Son. Not Jesus. You. Because Jesus has switched places with you. He pays for your sins. He goes to the cross and is forsaken by His Father, that you would be the beloved Son in whom He is well-pleased. Baptism wasn't a mere ceremony. It was heaven's claim upon you. God put His Name on you. You now belong to Him. The devil cannot have you.
You are not insignificant in heaven, one among many, among thousands. You are the special one, the famous one, whose life is of infinite interest to the holy angels, who sing about you and pray for you. You are known and loved by the Lord.
Third move--desire to hide/road rage (Law)
We also desire to hide. It is the opposite sickness of our pride. We want to hide in the dark to commit our sin. We want to be anonymous, unknown, and left alone with our sin.
Think of how angry you become when you are three cars back from the light and it turns green and the driver in the front doesn't immediately take off. If you were in line at the grocery store and a similar think happened, and you had to look the person in the eye, you'd be much kinder. But there in your car, alone with your sin, your self-righteousness, you are indulge your anger. You feed it. You encourage it. You vent and spew and curse. You do not want that driver to call you on it at the water cooler. Have you ever yelled at someone from behind the wheel only to discover it was someone you knew? If you are so self-righteous, so perfect in your driving, why were you embarrassed and ashamed?
Pornography is one of the worst manifestations of our desire to be left alone. It destroys lives, cripples marriages. Men who look at pornography want to be alone in the dark and they want it a secret. The internet can also bring road rage-style antics. Being alone, whether in the car or on the computer, doesn't bring out our best behavior.
Stop hiding. God sees in the dark. So does your enemy the devil. Repent.
The Lord's persistence (Gospel)
The Lord does not let you hide. He sees in the dark and we are caught, exposed, accused, cut to the heart. But the Law is also good. We need this. Because we need a Savior. If we stay deluded, if we stay in the dark, we will be destroyed. If your sin is small, then so is savior.
The Lord is persistent and patience in His grace. He doesn't give up until you are found. He won't leave you alone. You are too valuable. He will search through the night. He will love you to the very end.
Think on this: He dies for those who do not want him. No one, not even Mary or John, behaves at the cross. Everyone, even His disciples think it is a tragedy. But that does not stop Him. No one, even the most faithful, even Mary and John, want Him to die. They are looking for a Savior. They want a friend or a rabbi or a leader, but not a Savior. Mary and John, Peter and Thomas, as much as Judas, are heartbroken at the death of Jesus. They think it is a tragedy. The Sanhedrin and Pilate also think it is a tragedy. They think it is the unnecessary death of a stubborn man. But Jesus dies anyway, for all of them, despite them. And He does not only die for those who will repent and believe like Peter and homas, Nicodemus and Zacchias. He dies for all of them, good and bad, believers and unbelievers. He even dies for Judas and Herod. He dies for the whole world. All are reconciled to the Father.
Why? Because the Lord pours on more than you need, because He will not leave you in doubt if you are included, because you are worth it to Him. He pays more than the bill. He pays for those who will not believe so that there is plenty for you. How do you know if you are the elect? Are you baptized? Did Jesus die for you? If the answer is yes, then you are the elect. But you might say, "Well what of Hitler? He was baptized. Jesus died for him." That is true. But Hitler is not asking the question. If he had, he would be saved. Because the Lord is no respecter or persons. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of Bod, but so also has He in great mercy reconciled all men to His Father.
He is persistent. He is patient. You do not bore Him. He is not frustrated with you. No matter how many times you sin, you fail, you return to your stupid ways, He does not grow weary. He loves you. V. Conclusion
So you are famous in heaven. What you desire, you receive. But your sins are sins unknown. They have been removed. You are clean, with nothing in your past but the good works He prepared for you. Come to the feast. You are a sinner. Yes, but Jesus only eats with sinners. And you are a saint. You are washed clean. Your heart leaps in joy, even in the midst of sadness and struggles, at this Good News: Jesus loves you. And this is how heaven celebrates your faith, your being found, your repentance. Angels and archangels and the whole company of heaven are rejoicing over your faith--right now. They bid you join them in the celebration and bestowal of grace in the Holy Communion. The Lord Jesus has died, but is risen. He lives. He has ascended to the Father on your behalf and He descends here to be with you in His Body and Blood. In that Body and Blood, you sing and rejoice with angels. You proclaim the death of Jesus, that is how He has loved and redeemed the world and overcome death.
In +Jesus' Name. Amen.
Pastor David Petersen