January 27, 2008.
Epiphany is a time when we focus on God's Light shining into the world. The
message of Jesus is: 'by the power of the Holy Spirit, continuously repent,
keep turning away from darkness to light, from evil to faith, for the Kingdom
of Heaven is here, now so follow ME!' There are at least five points similar
to Jesus specifically calling these men and your own general calling as a
follower of Christ.
"Come, Follow Me," the Savior Spoke.
First of all: We Don't Seek Jesus. He Seeks Us. We see this in the call
the disciples. Peter and Andrew, James and John were involved in their
vocation as fishermen. They had heard Jesus before. Matthew was at a tax
collector's booth. The other disciples? None chose Jesus.
Saul, later re-named Paul, was busy trying to kill followers of Jesus when
he saw the Light on the road to Damascus. NONE of them were selected for their
great potential to work. God selected them and us because of God's greatness
of mercy.
God's seeking us continues today in the work of the Holy Spirit. Luther's
Third Article sums up Scripture well. "Not by my own reason or strength..."
In fact, it would go against the intended sense of God's Word to focus on the
Apostles here. The focus is on God's gracious call. It is the Lord who seeks
us, calls us to faith, and keeps us there.
Yet the Lord chooses people as His own special instruments, even raising
them as mighty people. God does not choose us in-view-of faith, our actions:
but by His grace. "And who knows if you have come to His kingdom for such a
time as this?" (Esther 4).
God does not look for superheroes who feel they don't need saving. God
makes the ordinary people and ordinary objects into the extraordinary tools for
His Kingdom.
Second: We Are Not Worthy to keep Our Status as Children of God. We are
saved by grace, thru the gift of faith; we are not saved by ourselves:
salvation is the work of God. (Ephesians 2). Paul writes in First Corinthians
One: "Not many of you were wise, mighty, noble, or skilled when God called
you." Moses stuttered. Elijah cowered. Paul had bad eyes. Luther had
problems {beyond being German J}
And for all you do (or don't do!) you are not worthy of God's love or
choosing either. You and I fail to be perfect, and a perfect God should have
nothing to do with us. But the Light of the World, Jesus Christ, overcame
darkness on the Cross (John 1:5). The cross means a change in status. By it,
the name "Child of God" is applied to you.
There is a very ugly phrase in politically correct speech during this
American Crystalnacht of Roe v. Wade: "every child a wanted child." Many
married couples would love to adopt children, but barriers and restrictions
often prevent this; and the Holocaust of abortion murders their dreams, as well
as the children, who ARE wanted. Beyond that, God declares He "wants ALL
people to be saved & come to the knowledge of the truth."
Tho no one is worthy of eternal life, God chooses us to be His own, to
live under Him in His kingdom, called out of darkness into His marvelous light.
1st Peter 2. Unworthy; yet the Father loves you because of Christ: God
chooses life, for you and me.
Third: We Do Not Empower Ourselves, Jesus Empowers Us. Nowhere in God's
Word does He say: "Decide yourselves to be My disciples, and you make
yourselves fishers of men." God decides. God makes. Think of the many times
the disciples failed to make themselves better disciples. Peter walked on
water, but got that sinking feeling. Andrew found a boy with 5 loaves & 2
fish, and said, "how could those feed so 5,000?" Remember the Garden of
Gethsemane? By trials and troubles faith is SHAPED. But faith is BUILT by the
power of His Word.
"Faith comes by hearing God's Word." (Romans 10.) Faith continues to
come to you and me when we read or listen during God's Divine Service (where it
is God who serves us, not we who serve Him!). When you read Portals of Prayer
or listen to the Bible on a CD, when your Sunday School teacher tells you about
Christ's forgiveness: that is God at work in your heart and mind.
When hardships come: will you act in faith and trust God's Word, or rebel
against God and act on your own? The message of Jesus is: confess your
rebellion, turn to the cross for total forgiveness and strength, and then run
your race of faith in His might, made strong by the Holy Spirit by means of
God's Word and Sacraments.
Fourth: He Calls as Full-Time Disciples. There are no part-time disciples
in the Bible. Anywhere. Many had other vocations, but all were full-time
followers. These four in the Gospel had a special Call, like a pastor. But
Jesus calls ALL of His followers to be Christians 24/7. Jesus does NOT say:
"get your act together first and follow when you can!" Jesus commands:
"Follow Me now. You are My child and My disciple now."
You have the joyful privilege of being His beloved daughter or son NOW, no
matter what vocation God has placed you in. Farmers, grandmothers, store
clerks, retirees, students, labor, or management: you have Christ's joyful
call to follow. Each of you followers of Christ are given unique abilities and
opportunities to share Jesus' love. Note: you are not followers of Luther, of
Pastor Harman, or of your own interpretations as the pompous people pretend by
proclaiming "I follow Christ" who 'do their OWN thing'. You are a disciple of
Christ crucified ONLY, as First Corinthians One today says. (So)
Fifth: we follow in the folly of the cross. The Holy Spirit works in us
each day so we turn away from unbelief. You look at each one of the Ten
Commandments and ask yourself: where have I *not* lived as a child of God?
Where have I *not* loved God as I should? Where have I *not* loved my neighbor
at least as much as I love myself? Christians do not 'do their own thing' and
decide what is good or evil: we use God's standards.
Then, when you come face to face with that sin, the Holy Spirit works in
you to turn you away from that sin. The direction you turn is NOT to your own
goodness, NOT to your trying to do better or feel better, NOT to anything about
you: but to the cross of Jesus Christ where all your sins were paid for, once
and for always. And washed clean from that filth, you do not go back to it.
You try to do a better job, to live a better life: NOT to gain God's love, but
because you already have it. That's what following Jesus is about: you live
in peace, strength, and joy because you ARE a child of God by His design and
laboring.
The outcome of Christ's call to follow is: following. We may be
following at a full run, on our hands-and-knees, or somewhere in-between. It
may be as a missionary, or as a student or teacher, or as a truck driver, a
nursing home resident, or day-laborer, or a mail carrier, or a parent, or a
child. Christ calls each of us to a life-long journey of faith, hope, and
love: to follow Him.
But it is Christ Jesus Who seeks us and continues to call us as His own,
unworthy tho we are. He gives us the strength & guidance we need to follow
Him, and we follow full-time in the cross! Let us live in that joy!
Pastor Michael Harman,
St. Peter LCMS - Newell, IA
vacancies at ...
Immanuel, Pomeroy
First Evangelical, Fonda
Yes, I'm posting retreads. This still has too much Law to be preached in most
places: read accordingly for yoruself.
