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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Forward this issue to a Friend [http://ui.constantcontact.com/sa/fwtf.jsp?m=1101459756774&a=1102513948486&ea=sermons%40cat41.org] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Psalm 22:1-11 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest. Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praisesof Israel. In you our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they make mouths at me; they wag their heads; "He trusts in the LORD; let him deliver him; let him rescue him, for he delights in him!" Yet you are he who took me from the womb; you made me trust you at my mother's breasts. On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother's womb you have been my God. Be not far from me, for trouble is near, and there is none to help. (ESV) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Capturing Our Comprehension Friday in Lent 3 20 March 2009 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The gospel sometimes just flies by us. We have heard many of the great gospel biblical texts repeatedly read in services of the church and we study them again and again Bible classes. They become like elevator music to us, simply sounds in the background, which are ignored; listened to, but never heard. Their familiarity breeds contempt. If the Christian does know any Bible passages from memory, he can recite at least John 3:16 [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102513948486&e=001xSbGMlbwZlKp5risMgdTeZsmvM2SMhLPG3f_BnkaJhGFWo-aIgxWHg-85q9DAtrGKMeiLyokB4uycg1ZzJ8PpqdJd22vI1SonDlLYG-fe8soHtSxpDAqUnCFVdIckROPB2x97IPJzGmi-5sdCzMG_ry0Iq7Ta77c3y3Obw7RzH1Z1mBBiLL_PqAmXxeS20hJ], the so-called "gospel in a nutshell." It trips off his tongue as easily as his own name. But the surprising depth of its meaning seldom reaches the depths of our being. It's all too familiar, too obvious, too well known. We look upon this gospel gem as Luther says, like a cow looks at a new barn door; that is, without understanding. Jesus places in these words a clash of opposites. He speaks of God's love and then tells us to whom that love is directed: the world. The world neither knows nor understands the love of God as Jesus expresses it here. There is another kind of uncomprehension rampant in the world. Not only do we feel too familiar with these words, but our sinful human flesh rebels against the impossibility which they place in front of us. Even if we fully understand what these words mean, we may well descend into unbelief pointing out that there is nothing lovable about the world that should drive Jesus to offer Himself for the world's sins. What love have the loveless shown that they might lovely be? Yet there stands in a single phrase a clash of worlds: "God so loved... the world." God's love meets man's unbelief. Why does He seemingly waste Himself this way, and for us? Why is He willing to offer the price to which He has already referred; that the Son of Man should be lifted up? See the urgency of the Father that the Son should be offered for slaves. We heap contempt upon these words because they seem unreasonable, indeed impossible. Only if this Beloved of the Father will suffer and die for the slaves would they ever be redeemed from sin and death. Only if the Father abandons His Beloved One will those who have abandoned Him be counted among those who are loved. This beloved One is the only One who can carry out this plan and will of His Father to save a world full of poor wretches. He alone has the power of life and will not be abandoned to the grave, nor will He abandon us either. This is a Word of God to capture our comprehension. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ John Chrysostom "'For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life' (Jn 3:16 [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102513948486&e=001xSbGMlbwZlKp5risMgdTeZsmvM2SMhLPG3f_BnkaJhGFWo-aIgxWHg-85q9DAtrGKMeiLyokB4uycg1ZzJ8PpqdJd22vI1SonDlLYG-fe8soHtSxpDAqUnCFVdIckROPB2x97IPJzGmi-5sdCzMG_ry0Iq7Ta77c3y3Obw7RzH1Z1mBBiLL_PqAmXxeS20hJ]). By the expression, 'God so loved,' and the other, 'the world,' Christ shows the great strength of His love. Large and infinite was the gap between His love and the world. He is the immortal, who is without beginning, the infinite majesty. Those in the world are but dust and ashes, full of ten thousand sins, ungrateful, and at all times offending Him. These He loved. Again, the words which He added after these are also significant, when He said, that 'he gave his only Son,' not servant, not an angel, not an archangel. Yet no one would show such concern for his own child, as God did for His ungrateful servants. "He sets His passion before Nicodemus not very openly, but rather darkly. But the benefit of the passion He adds clearly and openly,saying, 'That whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.' For when He had said, 'must be lifted up,' and alluded to His death, so that the hearer would not be discouraged by these words, through forming some mere human opinions concerning Him, and supposing that His death was an ending, He sets this right, by saying, that He who was given was 'the Son of God,' and the cause of life, of everlasting life. He, who procured life for others by death, would not Himself be continually in death. For if those who believed on the crucified will not perish, much less does He perish who is crucified. He who takes away the destitution of others must be free of it. He who gives life to others, how much more does He pour forth life to Himself. Everywhere there is need of faith. For He calls the cross the fountain of life; which reason cannot easily accept, as the heathens now testify by their mocking. But faith which goes beyond the weakness of reasoning, may easily receive and retain it. How did God 'so love the world'? From no other source than His goodness alone." John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of John, 27.2 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Prayer Lord Jesus, only Son of the Father, Your Father offered You for the world. How we struggle to comprehend this! Send Your Spirit that we might believe with our whole hearts what the world mocks and ridicules, that we might have eternal life and never perish. Amen. For the Lutheran High North, Houston European tour group that they would travel safely and that their homecomings would be joyful For the faithful who have ordered their days to hear the Lenten word of repentance and forgiveness of sins that they may be built up in this holy faith For those receiving the rite of holy marriage this weekend that they joy may be made complete in Christ who joins them ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Memorial Moment Now Mobile You can sign up to get the Memorial Moment on your mobile device. You will receive it in a text only format. 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