SERM: St. Mark 1:29-39; 5th Sunday after Epiphany; LSB Series B
St. Mark 1:29-39 Dearly beloved, St. Mark's gospel reminds us of the nature of this world. How you view the world and your place in it will have an impact on what you think about God. Your behavior and practices will reflect what you believe. In fact, what you believe about God largely determines your practice and vice versa. For example, the Pharisee and the tax collector in St. Luke's gospel demonstrate two very different perspectives. The Pharisee prays about all the good he did and thanks God that he wasn't like the filthy tax collector. The lowly tax collector hangs his head low and beats his chest saying, "Lord have mercy on me a poor sinner." The tax collector was no great shining beacon, but it is the tax collector that goes home forgiven, says Jesus. The difference between the two was humility. The tax collector repented. The Pharisee didn't even see his sins. The tax collector knew he was ill—he had the sickness of sin. In the gospel for today, Jesus and the four disciples go to Peter's mother-in-law. "She lay sick with a fever," Jesus was told. Jesus went to her, took her by the hand and lifted her up. The fever left her and we are told that she served them. There is much more to make of this than a mere healing of sickness. This is spiritual. Jesus taking her by the hand and lifting her up is the very language of the resurrection and victory. Beyond that, however, we are told that she began to serve them. This isn't some ancient form of cruelty on women. The word for "serving" is the word that we use for "deacon" or "deaconess." She is serving God with a willing heart. In Peter's mother-in-law, Jesus is giving us insight into what the church will be like because of the shedding of His blood on the cross. Jesus will take people who cannot help themselves due to the sickness of sin, and He will make them well again--So well, in fact, that they will immediately desire to serve Jesus. This is the way of the church, this is the way of Jesus, and this is how things are going to be from the time of Jesus unto eternity. Disciples will be born through holy baptism and nurtured through teaching, and the people will begin to look at things differently. This is your life in Jesus. Going on, we see that Jesus continued to heal the sick and cast out demons. St. Mark includes something in the gospel which is worthy of comment. "…in the morning, a great while before day, Jesus rose and went out to a lonely place, and there he prayed." It was very early, it was still night or, at best, very early morning. Jesus went to a place in the desert to pray. The church gets its ways from its Lord. Jesus prays, therefore the church prays. Jesus, by going into the desert, is hinting on something descriptive for the church. The desert symbolizes the place where the devil prowls. It's an unsafe place. Anything can happen, so he who is in the desert must keep watch. Jesus is showing us how to live. St. Paul tells the Galatians, "If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit" (Galatians 5:25). To the Colossians, St. Paul states, "Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving"(Colossians 4:2). Whether we want to believe it or not, the world is a spiritual desert. St. Paul is continuously telling the churches not to fall prey to the deceitfulness of the world. There are destructive teachings out in the world—destructive practices for the godly person as well. There are many ways of life that slowly lead people away from Christ. Things that seem non-threatening and innocent can become the most destructive for the life in Christ. Bad habits can turn into debilitating wounds. An unguarded mouth can speak all kinds of deceit and evil. Again, St. Paul speaks concerning this topic: "…walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you would"(Galatians 5:16-17). The sinful world and the sinful flesh are the culprits of our struggles in this world. We talk so much about the gospel, about what it means to be holy, baptized, children of God, yet how often have you lived your life just as the sinful world lives out its existence? How often have you failed to guard your soul, by not being watchful nor praying without ceasing? We don't often pray as we ought, nor do we live as we ought. We look at our lives and think that somehow we have failed to make use of the gift Jesus has given to us. Jesus is faithful, when we are not. Jesus is holy when our actions seem to indicate that we are not. Jesus became the sacrifice for sin that we could not become. Why Jesus heals the sick and casts out demons has everything to do with the reason for His coming. Jesus came to bring life and order
SERM: "Preaching Is God's Great Emancipation Proclamation" (Mark 1:29-39; 1 Cor. 9:16-27), 5 Epiphany B
Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany February 8, 2009 The Rev. Charles Henrickson “Preaching Is God’s Great Emancipation Proclamation” (Mark 1:29-39; 1 Corinthians 9:16-27) In the Holy Gospel for today, Jesus says, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also; for that is why I came out.” And then it says, “And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues.” Likewise, in today’s Epistle, St. Paul says, “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” Both of these readings emphasize the importance of preaching. It was a top priority for Jesus. It was a top priority for Paul. Why was it so important for them? And why is preaching still important today? Why is it important for you? After all, preaching has gotten a pretty bad name in our day. “Don’t preach at me!” people say. Or they’ll say, “That sounds too ‘preachy.’” Like preaching is a bad thing. Some people stay away from church because they don’t think they need preaching, they don’t want to be “preached to.” So we should probably ask, Just what is preaching? What is it, really? Not, what is it according to the common stereotype, but rather, What is preaching according to the biblical point of view? Let’s start with what preaching is not. Preaching is not mere “Bible-thumping” or “hitting people over the head with the Bible”--although preaching must be thoroughly biblical. It is not just a matter of piling up Bible passages. You could have a sermon full of Bible verses, pulled out of context or applied improperly, and it would not be true Christian preaching. Every cult and heresy uses the Bible. Preaching is not moralizing, just telling people what to do and how to live, without giving them the power to do it. Telling people they need to be driven with purpose, or giving them ten steps on how to live their best life--that is not Christian preaching. Giving speeches on social-political causes, whether from the right or from the left--even when the social-political cause is a just one, one that we as citizens ought to be concerned about--that by itself is not distinctively Christian preaching. Preaching is not primarily educational, learning facts or information, acquiring knowledge to store in your head--although preaching invariably will involve learning and growing in knowledge. That comes in the process, but it is not the primary goal of preaching. Preaching is not entertainment. It does not consist of stringing together a bunch of cute stories or funny jokes to keep the customers satisfied. That kind of preaching is what’s called a “skyscraper” sermon--one story stacked on top of another. But that is not true biblical preaching. Preaching does not rely on gimmicks or flashiness or compelling personality for its power. It’s not a TV show or a performance. It’s not entertainment. It’s not information. It’s not moralizing or advice-giving. And it’s not Bible-quoting without Bible-understanding. Those are examples of what preaching is not, even though you can find lots of preaching like that in every town, from many a Plexiglas podium, and on many a TV and radio station. And those cheap imitations of preaching can be extremely popular. A preacher can be very successful selling that kind of product. It’s just not right, not in God’s sight. What are you looking for in the preaching you listen to? The better question is, What is God looking for in preaching? What is his standard for success? Or the better word would be “faithfulness,” since God-pleasing preaching may not be very successful or popular according to the world’s standards. What is faithful, God-pleasing preaching? Simply this: Preaching is the authoritative, effective proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ for the salvation of the hearers. That is what you should be looking for and listening for in the preaching you hear. Preaching is authoritative. It comes with the full authority of God behind it. Christ himself sends out his preachers to preach. “He who hears you hears me,” Jesus tells his preachers. The called preacher is Christ’s ambassador, speaking his words, preaching in his name. When you hear your pastor preach to you, you should know that it is as good as if Christ himself were here speaking to you. That is the authority of the pastoral office, and it is for your good, so that you can be absolutely sure and certain of what you are hearing. Preaching is authoritative. Preaching is proclamation. It is not just information about Jesus or about forgiveness or about salvation. Rather, it is the proclamation of Jesus, of forgiveness, of salvation. It is proclamation; it is a herald proclaiming an official decree. The king sends out his heralds to announce, to declare, to proclaim an official message to the citizens: The war is over! Peace is declared! Peace has been made by the blood of Jesus Christ. You are forgiven. You have been set f
SERM: Mark 1:14-20, Epiphany 3, LSB B
Jesus Calls You to Die Third Sunday after the Epiphany The Conversion of Paul January 25, 2009 Mark 1:14-20 In the Gospel reading we have an end of an era, a beginning of an era, and the one who stands in the middle of it all. John the Baptist was on his way out. Peter and Andrew, James and John, they were on their way in. Jesus, He was always there—before John was ever born, and long after the last apostle was laid to rest. The Gospel, then, is never about John, or John, or his brother James, or Peter and his brother. It's never about you and me, but always about the one who is in the middle of it all, the one who has been around long before we ever knew there was a Gospel. If you look at what happened to John the Baptist and what would happen to Peter and John and their brothers, you might wonder exactly what good the Gospel is. John the Baptist gets arrested, and then decapitated. Peter, Andrew, and James, and all the other apostles were likewise martyred. John was the only one not martyred, and even then, he was sent to the island of Patmos to live out the rest of his days in isolation. Where is Jesus in all of that? Jesus didn't go get John the Baptist out of prison, He simply called more men to be martyrs for Him. And that's exactly what He calls you and me to. Today. Every day. For our whole lives. It doesn't sound so great, does it? Maybe even kind of dreary… But it's right there, in His very own words: "Repent and believe in the Gospel." He is calling you to die. And in calling you to die, He is calling you to life. Just as He did with John the Baptist; just as with Peter, and Andrew, and James, and John. This wasn't the end of one era and the beginning of another, after all. It was simply what our Lord has been doing ever since His first promise of the Gospel in the Garden of Eden. Calling sinners to repentance. Calling them to life. When our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, said "Repent," He called for the entire life of believers to be one of repentance. When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die. Everybody dies. There is no escaping death. The question is, what kind of death are you going to die? When Christ calls you, He calls you to life. But true life can only come through death. You cannot circumvent death. So He gives you life through death. Repentance is death to self. It is the drowning of the Old Man and the resurrection of the New. Repentance and faith go together: Repent and believe in the Gospel. Repentance turns away from the wretchedness of selfishness and sin. Faith clings to Jesus Christ and His righteousness. There is no true life without death to the sinful nature. Jesus is always there in the middle of it. He didn't go get John out of prison. He didn't prevent John the apostle from being incarcerated on Patmos. Didn't step in when the other apostles were martyred. Jesus, in fact, was only around for three years in His Ministry. That's what He came for. He came to do His thing. Not get us out of jams. Not pave the way for us so that things would go smoothly. Not to make everything work out for us. He came to minister. To serve. To save. He came, in fact, to die. That's why He came. And that's why He calls us. He calls us to die, too. He came to die in order to bring life. He calls you to death in order to bring you to life. In that prison cell, John the Baptist had life. In his prison cell on Patmos John the apostle had life. In the moments before their martyrdom and in their deaths, the apostles had life. Jesus had given all of them eternal life in their Baptism. Daily they lived out their Baptism, repenting of their sins and believing in the Gospel. You have this same life. Because you have died the same death. You, too, have been Baptized. You too, repent of your sins. You also believe that Jesus is your hope and salvation. You, too, have been called by Jesus. And you also endure suffering for the sake of Christ. There may come a day when you, too, will be martyred on account of Christ. There will come times when others see you as weak for leaning on a God you cannot see for your help and your hope. You will be derided by those who are offended at your certainty that there is salvation in no one other than Jesus Christ. Your life on this earth ultimately isn't what your life is about. Your life in Christ is. Your life on this earth continues because you sustain your life. Your life in Christ is sustained by daily dying to sin. As you go through life Jesus isn't standing next to you, but He's in the middle of it all. He is the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, the one in whom you live and move and have your being. He is, He was, and He always will be. He is the eternal God who died for you. He is the eternal God who bids you die to bring you life that has no end. The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. God comes to you in His Son. He comes as the one born a baby of Mary, the one who was Baptized by John, the one who called Pete
