Roger's Postings

Saturday, September 26, 2015

Mark 9:38-50.                                     In Jesus name????                                                            27/9/15

38 “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”
39 “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40 for whoever is not against us is for us. 41 Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.
42 “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea. 43 If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. [44]  45 And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. [46]  47 And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 where
“‘the worms that eat them do not die,
    and the fire is not quenched.’
49 Everyone will be salted with fire.
50 “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”

This morning we are confronted with the critical nature and consequences that come with our every action. Why are we doing what we are doing is very important for us to consider. Our motivations for every action is vitally important. So what is it that under girds everything that we say and do?   

Everything we do and say is motivated by some attitude and reasoning. Selfish egotism , desire to be popular and to go with the crowd, or fear of what others will think or say, love, or as a response to what Jesus has done for us and what he would have us do. All these motivations have consequences, good or bad.

Here Jesus comes down to the simple idea that either we are for Jesus or we are against him; and it is this which motivates what we do and the consequences that flow from it. Either Jesus controls our life or we do. Either I am all important or God is. This in turn determines whether some words or actions are good or bad.

But it is here that that it all comes to the point. For today we have this idea that our own view is always right and good. We have an over inflated view of ourselves and our ideas. We all too readily think that we are right and what we do is good. If I think it, therefore God had best accept my view as alright. If our views don’t line up with what God says then we either try to twist his word to suit our view or we reject God and try to deny his existence.

This thinking then has horrific implications for us and the consequence of living and acting with this view. Here Jesus is very strong in his reaction to this thinking: if you cause someone to stumble through your words or actions, then it would be better for you if a large millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea.

The ramifications for the causing someone to stumble then is very serious indeed.  The consequences of leading people to lose their focus and faith in Jesus Christ and his death on the cross, is huge. If our words and actions cause people to turn their backs on Jesus, it is no small matter. In fact here Jesus uses the word stumble rather than fall. So if our words and actions which come from selfish motivations leads someone to struggle with their faith, we will be judged harshly.

The idea of being chained to a huge block of concrete and thrown into the sea gives the idea of the certainty of being punished with death from which there is no escape. This is no trifling matter.

 So serious that he goes on to say: If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,

The point there is that if your hand or foot is so diseased with gangrene that it is causing you to die, you would cut it off, so that your life may be spared. In the same way we are to think about what we do that causes someone else to lose their faith. It is very serious indeed. We need to do our utmost to rid ourselves of that which will cause others to stumble in their faith.

Now this has a lot to say to us in the church at this time. How we approach, speak and use God word is something that we need to be careful with. When we say that we can ignore and change what the word says, we are in danger of doing harm to others faith. When we fail to speak of the seriousness of sin we are a stumbling block to others. When we fail to point to the importance of Jesus death on the cross for the forgiveness of sins we are withholding the medicine of life. When we fail to live in accord with what God tells us, without any sense of contrition and sadness, we are telling them that God and his word is not important.

At the same time it is making the point that our putting ourselves on a pedestal and then stopping others from helping others in Jesus name is also a dangerous thing. John tried to stop someone driving out demons in Jesus name, because he was not one of us. However Jesus said. Do not stop him.  For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us. So we need to be careful in condemning others.

Here we are then confronted with the question; Well surely if women do what the pastor does in Jesus name, then surely we must be careful in our rejection of them. This is a plausible argument, but the answer would seem to lie in; is a person doing something in Jesus name when they are clearly doing something which his word says they must not be doing. Certainly it is wrong when it becomes a church teaching that it is okay, when God clearly says that it isn’t.

Again the question arises as to why are we doing what we are doing? Are we doing it in Jesus name or in our own name?  Elsewhere in the Gospels Jesus makes it clear that not all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved. He says:  Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’  Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!.’ So are we using God’s name for our own purposes or are we doing it in his name and by his guiding?

Here the last part of the reading has much to say to us. Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.

Salt is what preserves food and gives it its taste. Salt is useless if it does not have its saltiness. In fact it would do harm.  For what would happen if I salted some meat with salt that did not have its saltiness? Instead of being preserved, it would quickly go rotten.

What then is this saltiness that we are to have as Christians? Jesus says; Everyone will be salted with fire. Fire is used to burn up and get rid of rubbish.  Here Jesus uses this imagery in two ways: Just prior to this he says that it is far better for to cut off an arm or leg than to experience the fires of hell which does not go out. Those who are not in Christ and doing everything in his name will be sent there where: “‘the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched.’

Then here he use this fire to cleanse us and makes us salty.  Here this is referring to Jesus taking the punishment of fire on himself so that we might be cleansed of our sin; forgiven. Here again Jesus says everyone is salted with this fire. Jesus has died for all: all have been forgiven and made acceptable. Now as we know many have rejected this and so have lost their saltiness, making it worthless to themselves; and their words and actions.

However for us who are Christians, this is our defining event that surely flavours everything that we say and do. We are cleansed and redeemed. We have forgiveness of sins and therefore the assurance of eternal life with God in heaven. We now have been given something sure, good and hopeful for us as we live out our lives every day.

Now surely Jesus Christ and what he has done for us and wants us to do in this life is what is all important for us. He is our Saviour and he is our Lord. That surely means that he is the one we look to be the determiner of all that we say and do.

Now we no longer put any confidence in ourselves and our thinking, for we know from what he tells us, that we are constantly skewed by a sinful human nature. We know that we do not get it right when we rely on ourselves. So we allow his Spirit through Word and Sacrament to keep us focussed on him and to guide in all of our words and actions.

This is the salt then that flavours our relationships with everyone else. Jesus and all that he is and does is what is the reason and motivation for all that we do. This then gives a whole different flavour to our dealings with others from that of the society around us.

Jesus and his death on the cross then also becomes that which preserves life in our society.  Even though this Christian message and life is not what many want, it is what enables our society to function in some reasonable fashion: albeit tainted and hurt by the constant rejection of that which is good for us.

But for us now we need to constantly look to Jesus Christ and his death on the cross and let him lead and guide us in all that we say and do so that we do not lead others into temptation and to stumble. We will serve all others no matter who they be so that in everything Jesus is seen as the greatest of all and necessary for the salvation of all. So to him again then be all glory and honour, now and always. AMEN.

Pastor Roger Atze

Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish

Saturday, September 19, 2015

Mark 9:30-37.                    What is greatness??                                       20/9/15

30 They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, 31 because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” 32 But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.
33 They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” 34 But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.
35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”
36 He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

Here today in our readings we are challenged by an issue that is very much in the headlines at this time: who and what makes for greatness?  It is interesting to see once again how the human worldview is so at odds with what God has in mind and which ultimately makes for true greatness. Worldly greatness has to do with political manoeuvring, manipulations and deceit. It is about false impressions and is what looks good and promises what people would like.

When it comes to greatness sinful humanity seems to have a propensity to deliberately do the opposite to what God tells us is good. The flow on then of course, is that it all goes horribly wrong and we wonder why. People are left disillusioned and down-hearted and helpless. To make matters worse our modern media is doing its utmost to further heighten this very worldly and humanistic aspect to it and derides those who seek to be servants of that which is good and right.  And we are paying the price for it.

Now there are many aspects of this coming to the fore in our present time in the political sphere, but I don’t want to get into that here, other than to say that here we are see the consequences of this sinful worldly view. But the same thing is happening right across our society in every aspect of life. The world’s view of greatness is a long way from what God has to say in his Word. We change what it really is and then bring untold harm to ourselves and our world as a result.
Now here in this reading Jesus turns our views of greatness on its head. He says: Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”  He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them,  “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

How shocking this is in face of our reasoning today! Seeking to be last and being a servant of all does not sit well in our thinking. We want to be first; up front, on top and over everyone so that we can be looked up to, lauded and admired for our visions of grandeur. We want our views to dictate what everyone else should do.

Again take note of where the focus is: on us and who we are and what we do. However in just that one verse we see that Jesus shifts the focus to the other person and what we do for them. Throughout the Scriptures that is God’s view of where greatness lies. Our service to others is what is important and great. Our willingness to be last so that others can receive first, is what God sees as good.

He places the little child in front of us and says:  Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”  Even though the little child cannot do anything to return our favour and care, this act is seen as greatness , because it is simply done as a response to what Jesus has done for us and his call for us to do.

The James reading adds to this thinking when it says:  13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
How at odds is this thinking with what we see around us today? Again we place ourselves and our wants and desires at the top of our thinking.  Being served is more important than serving:  Doing things so that we can climb the ladder of popularity. Ambition and self-confidence is all important. Wisdom is about telling others what they should be doing. Sincerity is about appearing sincere, when out of the public eye you are anything but sincere. And I could go on.

Here the sad thing is that these things are held up as being good and that which we are to strive after. We only need to look at the current political scene to see all of this at work. At the same time we there can also see the destructive nature that inevitably comes when we follow this path.

But the greatest tragedy in all of this is the attitude taken toward God and what he has to say and the part that he plays in all of this. We can see what has happened to one of our leaders who has sought to much more follow Gods ways for our nation and how then he has been hounded out of office. Many today are looking for a great leader who will allow us to live and do as we please and give us what we want, no matter what.

Here let us be quite clear that the more that we take on board those things that God emphatically says is not good and right, the more we will bring greater trouble and difficulties on ourselves and our nation. The less that we are willing to serve God and others the more disharmony and brokenness will happen. The more we put ourselves on a pedestal the greater the fall will be.

On the other hand we need to take careful note of the one who has and is the greatest here on this earth.  Again we need to look to him and follow his lead and in that then be able to be truly great. Here note that Jesus in this reading does not condemn seeking greatness or even being first. In fact he is encouraging and wants all to be great. Hear what he says: “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

He doesn’t condemn it, but instead tell us how we can achieve it: By being last; by being a servant of all; by welcoming those who are of no consequence in our world’s eyes; by doing it all in Jesus name and as a result of who he is and what he has done for us. Here take note of the context of this whole issue coming up.

Jesus was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” 32 But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.
33 They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” 34 But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.

Jesus is talking about dying and his disciple start thinking about who is going to be his successor. When he is gone who is then going to be their leader and the greatest among them. Jesus is teaching them what it is that is going to make for their greatness, but especially what is greatness, and they just don’t get it.

You see greatness has to do with Jesus’ death and resurrection: it has to do with him doing what was necessary for us to be great; greatness has to do with ‘welcoming’ the little ones who can do nothing toward saving themselves. The disciples and we today do not understand this thinking; yet there is the answer. There is what enables us to be great – there is what enables us to be with God in heaven as part of God’s family.

Because of Jesus giving his life as punishment for our sin we are now enabled to be first in God’s kingdom. Through his death and resurrection we are able to know that we have the certainty that everything will work out for us for all eternity. We know that even our troubles, hardships, and even death, are his means of freeing us from sin and its focus on self, to now look to and trust in him who has made all this possible.

 Now we are enabled by Jesus to serve others and give our life for their benefit. Now, being last, or little, or a nothing in this world’s view of things, counts for nothing. We know that in connection with Jesus we are first and great, so we can give our all to help others be a part of this greatness and to share in eternity with our Lord and saviour. Through it all now we have every reason to give him all glory and honour, now and always. AMEN.

Pastor Roger Atze

Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish

Saturday, September 12, 2015

Mark 8:27-38.                    What Jesus do you want??                          13/9/15

(27)  Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, "Who do people say I am?" {28} They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets." {29} "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ." {30} Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him. {31} He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. {32} He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. {33} But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get behind me, Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." {34} Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. {35} For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. {36} What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? {37} Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? {38} If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."

Today we are confronted with this crucial question of Jesus': Who do you say I am?  In our day and age this as critical as it was for Peter and those first disciple; for today we have so many who also want a Jesus and Christianity that fits into their own thinking rather than the other way around. Then we wonder why our lives are not fulfilling and giving us the happiness and hope that we believe should be there for us.

However when we understand and accept who Jesus really is then we find that which turns life upside down for us. In Jesus we receive life and hope that is way beyond what we could ever dream of here in a world that continually promises much but always come up far short. In him we find everything that we really need and especially forgiveness for all of our failures to be what we were meant to be, both of our own making and that which has been inflicted on us by others.

Now we are living at a time when we think that if we can get what we want from life then we will be fulfilled and happy. But as we readily see it never works out. There is always something cropping up the messes the whole thing up for us. The harder that we try, the bigger the fall seems to be. No matter how good the idea, always something goes wrong; either of our own making, or the results of others selfishness and greed.
Across the globe and across history humanity has never been able to achieve what deep down we know should be there for us.  Yet rightly we keep looking and longing for the answers, but it always keeps alluding us.

The trouble is that we keep looking in the wrong places, and we keep wanting the answer to be what we think it should be. We have placed our own human reason up on a pedestal even though deep down we know that we always come unstuck. Sadly we don’t want to admit that there is something wrong
with our thinking and reasoning.

This comes all the way down to our acceptance of the only true answer that there is for us. God himself comes to us in Jesus and we still place our reasoning above him and what he has to say to us. We want him to be what we think he should be and to say what we think he should say. We all too often want to twist him into being and doing what we want him to be. Again is it any wonder then why Christ and Christianity has failed to have the impact it should. Satan is having a field day: Did God really say? Rings out again and again; and we swallow it; and we reap the reward of it.

Here think of Peter and the people of his day. To the question "Who do people say I am?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets." Here is a great man of similar ilk to the great prophets of old. Jesus has done miracle after miracle and taught as one who had authority, but he is still seen as another man: one who they could listen to and take on board what fitted their thinking.

Then Peter when was asked "But what about you?" "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "You are the Christ."  Here Peter is getting close to the mark. In fact he is right: here is the promised one that God would send to save his people. But as soon as Jesus starts talking about suffering and dying Peter quickly rejects this view of Jesus. He wants the miracle working, great leader and teacher – the worldly view of what a saviour would be and do.

To this, Jesus rebuked Peter. "Get behind me, Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

Note the very strong language that Jesus uses here. These thoughts are not just opinions that we can take or leave as of no great consequence. Any view that wants to see Jesus apart from the centrality of his death on the cross for the forgiveness of sins is the work of Satan himself. Satan and his lies are deadly!

Jesus then also draws the connection between our false views of him and our wrong views of how life should be for us. Here in this reading we see how God turns everything upside down. Our views of what are good, are bad; and what we think is right and good is harmful for us. Much of what we do then in life is the leading of Satan rather than God. Is it any wonder then why it doesn’t work out as we believe it should? We are following the wrong leader.

So with all of this in mind we need to ponder carefully Jesus question to us also; "Who do you say I am?"  What sort of Jesus do we want?  For many today Jesus means very little: God means very little. However Scripture is quite clear about the fact that we all have an inbuilt knowledge that there is a God. We know it, but we seek to deny it because we don’t want to have to take him seriously: we want to be free to do as we please.

So for many, this Jesus is a relic from the past that they don’t want to take seriously. Many others again today, they simply want a Jesus who is a good example for us in how to live out our lives: so he is a good teacher. Others again see him as a miracle worker from God, whom they can turn to when they are sick or in trouble; or who will make us healthy, wealthy and happy as long as we do the right thing. For many others he is God who should be there to approve of and bless their whims for what the christian life should be and bless them and their endeavours, irrespective of whether they are in agreement with what the Bible says or not.

The results of all this is that the rebuke of Jesus to Peter stands: "Get behind me, Satan!" "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

The true Jesus that we are called to follow is the one who said of himself: that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. The true Messiah, saviour promised by God, is the one who dies on the cross as punishment for our sin, so that we might be forgiven and assured of eternal life in heaven for all who believe.
Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. So to take Jesus seriously is to acknowledge that we are sinful through and through and who have no hope of salvation except through Jesus Christ and his sacrifice on the cross. To gain life for us he gives his own life.

This is surely amazing! This is the Jesus who makes all the difference to us. Here surely is someone and something to follow that is reliable and trustworthy. This Jesus and what he brings to us is absolutely remarkable.  He and what he has done for us is for real and it gives us life far beyond what this world has to offer and deliver.

In this Jesus we have love and acceptance that is real and sure. In him there is a hope that is guaranteed for all eternity and is not dependant us and our goodness or failures; or the world around us delivering an abundance of good things; or others not hurting, defiling or even killing us. Because of Jesus, nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

This Jesus also has truth for us to live by. Not false promises or ideas that are here today and gone tomorrow, letting us down when we need them most. In the Bible is his Word that we can rely on as being good and right for our welfare. What was said 2000 years ago is just as relevant and important for us today. As we place ourselves under and obedient to this Word, we have that which is truly good and right for us now and always.

Then he concluded by saying: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. {35} For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. {36} What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? {37} Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? {38} If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."

Yes this is all challenging for us and our world today, but it is that which is good and right and life-giving for us in a world that has lost its way and fast falling apart at the seams as we are seeing around us. Here in Jesus the Christ who dies on the cross so that we can have forgiveness and life in abundance, we have him who is the only real hope for humanity. So we can deny ourselves and follow him. He alone is Lord and Saviour, now and always. AMEN.

Pastor Roger Atze

Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish