Roger's Postings

Friday, February 24, 2012

Mark 1:9-15                The time has come!!!!                                     26/2/12

 (9)  At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. {10} As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. {11} And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." {12} At once the Spirit sent him out into the desert, {13} and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him. {14} After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. {15} "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"

 Jesus says here, "The time has come."  A critical point in history is at hand. So here we have Jesus talking about a key point in life. So if that is the case we need to listen carefully to hear what he has to say. Now of course that has primarily to do with Jesus and his ministry; but we will come back to that in a minute. However we are reminded by Jesus’ very next words that this is also a critical time for us as well. No matter what point in history we look, we are always now at that point where "The time has come."  Our ‘time’ and Jesus “time” must always come together if we are to have that which we truly need in life.

 Yes, our critical time has come. We today, again, are a people who are in deep trouble. We all are caught up in a life that is far from what it should be and was intended to be. There are many hurting and being hurt people: Justice is often not there any more; particularly for the little people: Corruption and hypocrisy abounds: all of us are caught in a life of sin in one way or another: the forces of evil are all about and even within. To add even further to this; or should I say, to get right to the heart of the matter, we as a people and as a nation have turned our backs on God and left him very much in the background of our lives. As a result Jesus is saying again, "The time has come."  The time has come to deal with this evil, selfishness and all the rest that is there in our lives. If there is to be any chance of an improvement, then God’s Kingdom; his rule needs to break into our lives. We again need to hear and believe this good news that is a part of Jesus Christ and his coming into our world.

 So we go back to when Jesus time has come. Because he faced his critical time, there is now Good News for you and me today. As he begins his ministry, Jesus is well aware of the forces of evil and the destruction that is all about. That is why he came into our world; to do something about it. But after his baptism he was sent out into the desert, and he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. Shortly after that time John the Baptist, the great Prophet of God, was put in prison. He also comes across many people who are sick, under the power of demons, and hurting in all kinds of ways. So at his baptism his course was set; his time had come. Here we now have the focal point of all of history.

 From that point on, everything headed to Jerusalem and the cross. His time to deal with sin and evil, once and for all, had come. So he proclaims that God’s kingdom was now breaking into our world. God has now come to do what needed to be done. We can see it very clearly from this point on; he confronts and deals with, as only God can, with sickness demon possession, blindness and even death. He gets stuck into false religion and hypocrisy. He preaches love instead of selfishness. He clearly teaches the truth of the Scriptures. All as pointers to the fact that here in himself, was Almighty God come into our world to do what had to be done.

 Then he goes and does that which is absolutely critical. He goes to the cross. He goes to the cross and takes God’s punishment for all evil on himself. He takes the full force of God’s justice on himself. He suffers death that we might have life. He is forsaken by his Father so that we might be forgiven and freed from the power of evil to condemn us. Sin, death and the devil have been overcome. God holiness and justice have been satisfied, and his love now extended to each and every one of us. We are assured now of salvation and eternal life. Life is no longer the same.

 This central and critical point in history is linked in to our other two readings, and to other key points and factors in history. In the Old Testament reading it is linked to God’s promise through the rainbow that he would never again destroy the world by means of a flood. Through water humanity died, but those believing in God; Noah and his family were saved. From there he gave them the assurance that they only need to look up to the rainbow and trust in God and they would have the assurance that they would not be destroyed through a world-wide flood.

 Then in our second reading from Peter’s first letter we have God’s promise and assurance of that fact that we are saved and have eternal life through baptism, which connects us to Jesus’ death on the cross and all that he did for us through it. Let me quote: For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. ........and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also--not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our baptism thereby assures us that God has saved us: we have been washed clean and thereby given the assurance that we have been given a good conscience when we stand before God on the Last Day. All who believe in him will rise up on the last day and go to be with him in all eternity.

 So, "The kingdom of God is near. It has entered into our world today and into our very hearts and lives. God’s presence, assurances and promises are at work today in our lives and our world as much today as they were when Christ walked this earth. As his Word is proclaimed, heard and read; as his Sacraments are administered: as his people love, care and support one another: as his world continues to feed, support and preserve us; his rule continues to be near to each and every one of us.

 He is present and active right into the very sad and tragic situations that we are facing and will face, no matter how bad they may be. He is there in your suffering, using it for good. It right there as your selfishness brings you unstuck, seeking to draw you back to the cross and to him. He is there in your joys and your sorrows, wanting you to know that he is your God. He is there for you in the bread and the wine of Holy Communion, reminding you assuring you of his forgiveness, life and salvation that he has won for you. In so many ways he is continuing to remind you that he is with you and that he wants you to know, that nothing in all creation can separate you from his love in Christ Jesus.

 Yes God’s good and gracious kingdom is near. It is at hand, right here and right now. But the question is do we want it? Do we want to be a part of this good and gracious kingdom? Do we want to heed Jesus’ call for us to Repent and believe this good news? Do we want to turn away from the evil that is a part of our lives: the selfishness, hypocrisy, godlessness and all the rest? Do we want to continue to feel sorry for ourselves and wallow in our self-pity? Do want to turn away from our focus on all of these things and place it back on our Lord Jesus Christ and all that he is and has done for us? Do we really want to live under his rule, allowing him to lead us and guide us in all that we say and do? The kingdom of God is near, wanting all of this and much more for you. Repent!

 More than repent; Repent and believe the good news. Trust that Jesus at the right time died and rose again for you. Trust that he is true to his word when he says, he who believes and is baptized will be saved. Believe him when he says your sins are forgiven you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Believe him when he says, take and eat this is my body which is given for you. Take and drink this is my blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for the forgiveness of your sins. Trust him when he promises, Lo I am with you always to the ends of time. Trust that what he has to say to you in his Word the Bible is the Truth and all that we really need for this life and the next. Believe all this Good News that he has for you.

Yes all of this does take courage. It does go against the rest of society; and it goes against our human nature. It does mean following Jesus and not the way of the world. It does mean that our thinking and our feelings are not the last word. It will mean making sacrifices; and it will mean that we will want others to know of Jesus and what he has done for us also. But remember he died and rose again so that you can be sure. He has given us baptism so that each of us can be sure it is so for each of us individually. Remember the Fathers words to Jesus at his baptism, "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

 Yes, "The time has come. The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"  AMEN.
 
Pastor Roger Atze
Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish

Friday, February 17, 2012

2 Corinthians 4:3-6     Living in the Light of Christ                           19/2/12

 (3)  And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. {4} The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. {5} For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. {6} For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

 Here on Transfiguration Sunday we have a very powerful picture in front of us. One which cuts through to the very heart of our society; our church; and our very being, today. It is a message which portrays two very distinct ways of living. One which is of, going through life blinded; with a veil over our eyes; or using a modern expression, with rose coloured glasses on; oblivious of the disaster that is about to befall us. The other is of, living in the light of Jesus Christ and the knowledge that he has for us, and thereby being able to clearly see one’s way through life and into eternity. Either Jesus Christ shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, or the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ. The image is clear.

But let us use another picture to help us see the importance of what is being said. Imagine being in the middle of a battlefield on a pitch black night. You know that there are mines and death traps all around; and because of the darkness and impending defeat there is no way out. At daylight you know that you will be shot for sure. What are you going to do?

Are you going to run headlong through the minefield and hope for the best? Are you going to grope around on your hands and knees, once again not sure of what is going to happen next? Will you just sit there and pretend that it is not really all that serious and at daylight the whole situation will be quite different, after all we have got the Americans on our side?

 But then in the midst of your dilemma, there is an incredibly bright light that appears and lights up this whole area for you; and in fact even shows you a way out. Now of course in the first instance this light is blinding, but again what do you do? Do you allow your eyes to become accustomed to the light and then follow the way out? Or do you cover your eyes to shield them from the brightness and then turn away and seek to continue on in the darkness?

 Now there are many, sadly, that are doing just that with their lives. There are those who are closing their eyes to the fact that they are in danger and who are pretending that all is not as bad as we are told. Then there are those who know in reality that this world is a minefield, with dangers and uncertainties all around. They know, like all of us, that there are so many lives being destroyed every day, in so many different ways: murders, suicides, drugs, divorce, gambling, corruption, and the list could go on and on. Not to mention all kinds of religions and cults, as well as those who are falling for the lies, that science has proved that there is no God; or that it is what we have to do that will get us through.

With all of this going on around us, we see some running headlong through life; getting what they can while they can, enjoying life now to hang with the consequences. Others again are moving cautiously through life, trying to do the right things, but simply hoping that somehow it will all work out alright in the end. Others again are just sitting about, doing nothing, pretending that all is well; trying to convince themselves that God will accept them because they are as good as the next person.

But in the end we all know that these efforts will be futile. They will not get us safely through this life and into heaven. The darkness of the philosophies of our world, which have as their basis, selfishness, and the self-centredness of humanity, and rebellion against God, means that there is no way out for humanity. Out help must come from outside.

That is where the Scriptures remind us again and again that it is Jesus Christ alone who is our only hope. He is the only light that there is when it comes to hope for the future. His life, death and resurrection is the only thing that will help us out of the hopeless mess that we are in. Here we again need to remember, he is much more than one who simply espoused and demonstrated a good way for us to live our lives. He is much more than one who gives us an easy road through life, so that we can live and do as we please. He gives light and life to every situation in life: lighting up the good times and experiences, as well as the seemingly bad ones, as we live out our lives in a sinful, destructive world.

Yes, in many ways it hurts us to look at Jesus as he is shown to us in the Bible. We don’t like our faults and failings exposed, and our vulnerabilities brought to the light of day. We want to live in ignorant bliss; being masters of our own lives; free to do as we please. His directions for life are too restrictive and narrow. His suffering and death do not fit into our understanding of a saviour and king. Instead we want him to do and say what we think is right and good. We also don’t want to hear that we deserve Hell and that there is nothing we can do to rectify that situation. However when the light of Christ shines in to our lives, these things and more are exposed, and we at first don’t like it.

 Never the less, once our real situation is made clear to us and we are prepared to acknowledge it, then it can be dealt with. In fact once we recognise that this is a terrible situation that we are in and repent of it, we find something truly amazing. As we turn to Jesus we find that we have already been forgiven: our faults and failings; our rebellion has already been punished. Jesus on the cross took it all on himself, so that we can see a way through life once again. There is now life and hope, even though we are still surrounded by danger and troubles.

 Then as we continue to look to Christ, his light shines into our hearts and lives. As we read, listen and meditate on God’s Word the light of the knowledge of the glory of God begins to transform our whole outlook on life. Jesus becomes Lord of our lives, and that means we don’t just look on him as our saviour, but he becomes the one who is all important in life for us. His word is seen and accepted as the truth: it leads and guides us in every aspect of our lives. Instead of society and science leading us in how to understand and interpret the Scriptures, we look to the Word and the centrality of Jesus Christ to guide us in what is right and true.

With Jesus Christ as Lord we can then face life and our own sin openly and honestly. We can acknowledge that we are far from perfect and that we constantly need Christ and his forgiveness and help. We can stand up and not follow the crowd and what is simply popular. We can deal with the situations that are before us, without having cover things up or ignore them because it may not make us look too good. We know we aren’t, but we know that we stand under God’s forgiveness, so we don’t need to veil the truth and bully our way through life. Instead of doing something for show and feel-good sensations, we can now give all the focus and glory to God and what he has done for us through Jesus Christ and his death on the cross. After all, he alone is the one who has done everything necessary for us and our salvation.

 With this light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ we can then go forward in life, through thick and thin, with hope and confidence. Hope and confidence in Christ and what he has done for us, not in ourselves and what we do. Even when we fail: even when disaster, sickness and death confronts us, we still know that God loves us and has won a way through for us. Nothing now in all creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Eternal life is now ours, guaranteed. To God be the glory, great things he has done!

 So to conclude, the question stands; has Jesus been transformed in your life in this way? Is he the light of your life? Is he your Saviour and Lord, or have you turned your back on him and veiled his word so that you only see what you want to see? Irrespective of what you think, remember the light of the glory of Christ is still there shining bright. He wants you to know that he has a way lit through life for you. He wants you to have hope and certainty, no matter what you face.

 So my prayer is that you will allow him to light up your life and help you to grow and be the people that he wants you to be. And that through you others too may come to know the greatness of Jesus Christ and his death on the cross. Because after all, he is the only hope of life and salvation for mankind. To him then be all glory and honour, now and always. AMEN

 Pastor Roger Atze
Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish








Friday, February 10, 2012

Matthew 6:25-33.       Seek first his kingdom!                                               12/2/12

 (25)  "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? {26} Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? {27} Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ? {28} "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. {29} Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. {30} If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? {31} So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' {32} For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. {33} But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

 Here today our focus is drawn to the wonderful gifts that God has so richly provided for us as we live out our lives. We don’t just need to look around the front of the church here to see this: our stretching waistlines and good clothes also testify to this. Not to mention the good cars and all the other excesses that we have and see around us all, go to show that we are richly blessed here in this country.

 But as we celebrate Harvest Thanksgiving here this morning, are we so thankful and appreciative of all that we have? Or, are we one of those whom Jesus is referring to here when he says; do not worry about your life? Are we like the pagans who run after all those things that make for outward splendour and security; thinking that we have to have these things above all else? So, do we also obsess ourselves with, and even worry about, what we eat and drink and wear, as well as our super funds and other securities, thinking that it is these things that will give us what we need in order to get through this life?

 Yes, I am sure, that all of us fall into this category to a greater or lesser degree. All of us hunger and thirst after these things, thinking that they will add to our quality and length of life. As human beings we place a great deal of trust in these things being what makes for life. And we worry!! Do I have enough super? The price of petrol, food and housing is going up, but my wages are not keeping pace. Will our economy go into a major depression? And the list goes on.

 But surely these things are important! Surely we are to take these things seriously! We have to keep up with everyone else or we will get left behind. So we have to put our heart and soul into it, and we have to be positive about these things, or else we will not get by in our world today.
We have to ..... We have to ...... And the pressure continues on.

 That gets us right to the heart of the issue; doesn’t it? We and these things are what is all important for us. These are what we trust will give us what we need to get us through this life in one piece and give us health, wealth and happiness. And where our treasure is there our heart will be. And there then will be the things that we hunger and thirst for: that which we will worry over. And we will worry over these things because deep down we know that time and time again these things do not live up to our expectations, and again and again we are left short and alone. In the end we still die with no more than we began with. It is all such a worry!!

 It is right here then, as we are caught in the midst of our worries that Jesus comes again and speaks words that we desperately need to hear.
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

 Yes, look again around you. Look again up front here, and at the plenty that we have and are surrounded with. Look at how richly we are blessed here in this country. We have so much, not because we have focussed on these things and worried about them, but because God has provided in abundance for us. Not because we are good and deserve it, but because he is almighty and gracious. Not only has he given us all that we need for this life in abundance, but he has also richly provided for us beyond this life, into all eternity: Again, despite the fact that we have turned our backs on God and chosen to want to live our lives in isolation of him. Despite the fact that we are unable to get there by our own goodness, God in his grace sent Jesus into our world as God and a human being to take our punishment on himself so that we might be forgiven and accepted into his family. He has thereby blessed us beyond measure with that which is the very best of all. We have thereby every reason to be excessive in our thanksgiving on this day and every day.

 Knowing then that he loves us to this extent, we now surely will look to him and trust him above all things. Because he has not only provided for us here, but also into eternity, we will now seek first his kingdom and his righteousness above all else.

 Because of the depths and riches of his love that he has shown to us in Jesus, we will now want to come once again under his rule. Instead of looking to ourselves and the things of this world as being central to all that we are, have and do, we will seek to be in his kingdom. We will desire to live under his grace, rather than the pressures to have and to perform according to that which is here today and gone tomorrow. We know that he is the Way and the Truth and the Life, and so we will allow him full control over our lives.

 We also will seek first his righteousness, rather than try to stand in our own goodness. We will desire to have and be a part of that right relationship with God that Jesus has made possible through his death on the cross. That means that we will constantly recognise our sinfulness and our need for his forgiveness. It will upset us that we have gone against what he has to say to us, and we will want to be right with God. So we will thereby repent; turning back to him, and seeking to have and be a part of all the goodness that he desires for us. We will regularly gather in his house so that he can reassure us that he does love us and forgive us; that he has joined us to his family here and in eternity; and so that he can guide us in how we can live at peace with him and with each other. All this we will seek as of highest priority in our lives: His kingdom and his righteousness is what we will hunger and thirst after.

 Then as we go on desiring God and his grace more than anything else we will find that our trust in him and what he has done and given for us will shut out every bit of worry from our lives. We then will know that since God loves, cares and has even died for us and our forgiveness, he will also then give us our food, drink, clothes and so much more. We will be able to trust that just as he feeds the sparrow which does not sow or reap or store away in barns, he will also do for us. Even when we face difficulties and hardships we will be able to accept everything that comes our way, knowing that God is there in the midst of it seeking to bring good about through it.

 Yes, today, look again around you and see how richly we are blessed. See again how God has abundantly provided for us, even though we do not deserve it. See it and know that God is true to his word, all these things have been given to us as well. So let us give him thanks and praise for all his goodness to us. He has truly been wonderful beyond measure toward us, so let us look to him always and trust him to care for us no matter what comes our way.

  So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

 To him be all glory and honour, now and always. AMEN.

 Pastor Roger Atze
Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish

Saturday, February 04, 2012

Sermon by Vicar Kees Sturm on Mark 1:29-39.                  5/2/12

What is it that we look for in our lives?

That is a very interesting question, isn’t it?

 Recently I received an open invite in the mail. Its title read “miracles are real”, it was a leaflet advertising several healing services that are being run in our local area. On the front of the leaflet there are photos of the guest speaker with different people, with a caption reading “this guest speaker” I won’t mention names “has preached God’s healing recently in a number of different countries … He has witnessed people healed from cancer, back pain, arthritis and all manner of sicknesses. You can personally witness the power of God through miracle healings in your own life”.

 What are we looking for – the sermon text this morning gives us insight to this question. Everyone is looking for you the disciples said to Jesus. But Jesus, who had been praying in a place of solitude, replied let us go to the next towns, that I may preach there also.

 As we heard in the sermon text, during the previous night the whole city was gathered at the door of Peter’s house and Jesus healed many who were sick or oppressed by demons.

 The fact that everyone was looking for Jesus the next morning, leads us to ask the question, why? What is it that drove people to search Him out?

 Healing … the people of Capernaum were searching for a miracle. Much like today there were no easy answers for the problems that were faced in the everyday life of Capernaum. Just like in any community there was sickness, disease, disability and injuries that affected people. And the community had no place within it for these people; they were cast out and left to fend for themselves.

 If you suffered with any of these you were seen as a sinner, you must have done something wrong to be afflicted by the condition that you had.

 Think about the story in the gospel according to John (chapter 9) where Jesus heals the man born blind, which begins with Christ’s disciples asking Him Rabbi who sinned this man or his parents, that he was born blind?

 So it’s no wonder that the people were out looking for Jesus. Unlike today, there was no going to centrelink to get your disability pension; you and your family, if you even had one, were on your own. And chances are that you would have had to beg or steal to survive. For them healing meant being able to function in a society that shunned those who were sick, diseased, disabled or injured.

 These people were grasping for something, a healing, a miracle. They were looking for what Jesus could do for them, but in doing so they missed the real reason for Christ’s being there in the first place. And that was to preach that the kingdom of God is at hand, and that they should repent and believe in the gospel.

 So let me ask you again, what are we looking for?

 We are no different today, are we? How often do we still search for the Jesus who does miracle healing for us?  Think about the invite that I found in my letterbox. People, as they suffer their afflictions become pre-occupied with miracle healing. They go about looking for Christ the miracle worker, just as the people in Capernaum did.

 And lets face it, because we are sinful human beings we are more impressed by the visible results of miraculous healing than the unseen results of the words of promise. Whether we suffer from chronic back pain or some sort of cancer or any number of other physical, mental or emotional ailments we want results. Relief is what matters, but not all of our ailments are those of health, are they? What about our broken relationships with others, our obsession with our finances or our addictions?

 We end up searching for miracle cures that will ease our burdens don’t we? Because deep down in our sinful hearts that is what we want; an easy way out, a quick fix to all our problems. Unfortunately, no matter how hard we look there is no cure for our ailment, there is no quick fix nor is there an easy way out from our sinful natures.

 More often than not when we start to place our faith in miracles we take our eyes off what is most important; Christ Himself. Just like in the text where everyone was looking for Him, we are still looking for Him too. We are looking for Him not so that we can hear His teaching but instead we are looking for that miracle cure for all our ailments. We are like the crowds that gathered at Peter’s house, we are looking for the miraculous healings that Jesus performed, because they are what we think we need in our lives.

 In our reading today we see that this is not exactly what God has in mind for us. What we actually see is Christ’s reaction to the wants of the world and we hear Christ’s reaction to our wants. Everybody wanted Jesus to hang around, so that He could heal all their ailments. But as you have heard He moves on, and tells us that His coming was for a greater purpose.

 Since its beginning Mark has emphasized a sense of urgency in Christ’s ministry. It’s a sense of immediacy, which leads to the feeling of urgency in His work. This feeling is not one of being rushed, like what so many of us are used to in our high paced work place environments today. Rather the urgency of Christ’s ministry was a constant movement in a forward direction. Christ and His ministry was ever working towards a greater goal, He looked forwards towards it, not backwards.

 When we search for miracle cures, we have stopped moving forwards. We have slipped into neutral, or worse into reverse. Our focus is all too often no longer where it needs to be … that is Christ and His death on the cross.

 From our text we can see that there was an intent and purpose behind Christ’s ministry, rather than stopping to heal all earthly ailments, He continued to move forward. Rather than staying at Simon’s house, Jesus departed from there so that He could bring miraculous healing to the whole of creation.

 He moved on so that He could continue the spread of the gospel message, the same message with which He started His ministry. The miraculous healings that He had performed were secondary in His ministry. They were there as a sign if you like, a pointer to God’s glory, not His own.

 In the story of the man born blind Jesus answers His disciples saying it was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.

 Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t deny the existence of miracles and as Christians we need to recognize this. Miracles do happen, there should be no doubt about that. Unfortunately, as I said earlier as sinful human beings, we are more impressed by the visible results of a miracle than by the unseen words of promise and we forget that miracles are a pointer to God’s glory.

 For this reason miracles are something we should not place our faith in; rather our faith should be in the words of God’s promise, given to us in the gospel message. It is God’s promise that gives us reason for the hope that we have.

Rather than looking for Christ the miracle worker, we are to look for Christ the Saviour: The Christ that is found in the Gospel message; the Christ who died on the cross for our sin. The Christ who brought us back into a righteous relationship with God.

When we look to Christ our Saviour, we no longer need to look for miracles to relieve us of our burdens because He has already done that for us.

 The gospel according to John says that God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Through His death on the cross He has paid the price for the penalties incurred by sin. He released all creation from God’s wrath, He sacrificed His life as atonement for sin so that the world might be saved through him.

 John writes, He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

 This happens for us when we are baptized, we are re-born, not physically, but spiritually; we are gifted with the Holy Spirit, who resides within us. In baptism we are joined to Christ, to His death and to His resurrection, and we become children of God.

 As we participate in the Divine Service here this morning we come into the presence of our God. As we kneel before His altar we seek His forgiveness for our wrongdoing and as we stand up, we do so knowing that we are forgiven because of what Christ has done for us.

By hearing the Word of God read and preached the Holy Spirit works faith within us so that we can believe the hope that we have been promised. And through Holy Communion our Lord’s body and precious blood strengthens and preserves our faith in Him until eternal life.

 According to St. John (chapter 3:14-15), just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert (Numbers 21:4-9), so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

 God’s grace and mercy is the miracle that we need. Christ is the one who has saved us from the eternal death that we deserve. He was sent down to us so that whoever believes in Him might live. In Him is the hope that was promised to us.

 As we go out in to the world, remember what it is that we are to look for in our lives. We need to be looking toward Christ and His death on the cross to get us through life, rather than relying on miracle cures for our burdens. And we need to be looking forward just as Christ did, to the greater things that are to come in the kingdom of heaven.

Amen