Sermon July 6th 2008
Jared Rakness
Sermon July 6th 2008
First Reading Zechariah 28:5-9
Second Reading Romans 7:15-25
Gospel Matthew 11:16-19; 25-30
“Never Good Enough”
Dear hearers of the Word of God, Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Let us pray: God of all mercy and consolation, come to us this day that we may know you, not where you do not want to be found in your wrath and anger, but come to us in those places where you want us to find you, in your Word and in your Sacraments, for there we find you in your grace and in your mercy. So come to us this day that we may know you, for we pray in Jesus name, amen.
This past Friday, we spent the day at my aunt and uncles new lake home up near Watertown, now my uncle John is one who likes toys, and because of his bad knees he purchased a Segway off road Transporter. So with fear and trepidation I learned how to use the segway, which is not that easy as you have to learn how to manipulate it to go forward and backwards all while trying to not fall down.
Well it took me some time but I got it down, although I’m still not very good on the thing as I’m still very cautious. Next my uncle taught my nephew how to ride it, my 7 year old nephew got up on it, and within a minute was riding it much better than I could probably ever hope too.
Now what was the difference, why did my nephew pick up on it so much quicker then me? First I think it has to do with exactly what the Gospel lesson this morning is speak to, my nephew didn’t throw up a bunch of road blocks in his mind about riding the segway, he just got up and did it. Me on the other hand I was reasoning things out, like, what do I do if I fall, and what do I do if I can’t stop, and what is better to fall in, grass or gravel, and now what exactly did my uncle tell me about toes and heels?
Using my wisdom and reason I threw up road blocks in my own mind as to my ability to learn to ride the segway, something my nephew didn’t do, he just wanted to ride it so he got up and did it. Our approach to it was completely different, I’m sure he wasn’t concerned in the least as to what he would do if he fell, something that occupied my mind almost entirely.
In the life of faith this is what we do, we throw up road blocks, we try and reason or think our way around or out of, we look directly at the thing that is being given, the joy of our God incarnate Jesus Christ who has called us and forgiven us, and we say well that’s very nice, but what should I do in this instance or in the face of this or that?
Sinners always do this, looking past the very thing given to what’s behind it, what’s the catch Jesus, after all nothing is ever free, right? But the child, the youth see things differently, they see the thing given and rejoice, they stand up on the segway and they ride because it is a wonderful thing, they never ask the question of why or how, they just take it for what it is and rejoice.
So Jesus shows you how it is that the wise and the learned respond by explaining to you your reaction to John and then himself, “he neither ate nor drank and you say that he has a demon”, but the Son of Man comes, God incarnate, and he came eating and drinking and you say, look a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners”.
Nothing is ever good enough for this crowd, if John the overly pious preacher of the coming kingdom of God tells them all to repent and live a life of one who is solely working toward this very kingdom then he must be possessed, there must be something wrong with him, he’s just to religious, or he’s to pious.
So Jesus comes and they declare that he is a drunkard and glutton, a friend of tax collectors and sinners, he’s a bum, he’s no good, he hangs around with the wrong crowd don’t you know. He’s not in the image of the one that we want, the one that we are expecting, nothing is ever good enough, nothing is ever capable of living up to this crowd, the pious crowd, the spiritual and religious crowd.
In short it is the same problem that the Quakers in our own country ran into after a generation or two, the elders never thought the younger generation worthy or religious enough to be admitted into the faith. They just weren’t living up to their expectations or high standards, so the Quaker religion began to have problems and now you find very few Quakers.
So when God comes in the form of humanity, in flesh and blood handing out to you his sinners everything he has to give and doing so freely, the forgiveness of sins and eternal life, and yet you are still waiting for the catch, you are waiting for the but. So what now must this God of yours do, well he hides himself, only under the negative, the opposite. He hides himself where you did not even think to look, he hides himself under the cross.
He hides himself in the very image of the weak, after all the cross is no symbol for power, it is the symbol of death, it is the symbol of powerlessness, it is the symbol of the Roman’s control and power over whoever was nailed to it. This cross as Paul writes is a stumbling block to the Jews, and it is folly to the gentiles, but to those who are being saved it is the very power of God.
God hides himself in the powerless, in the cross, and for you here today God hides himself in Words, or the Word, which by the world’s standards are a nothing, they don’t carry power or prestige, they are weak. And God hides himself in the sacraments, in the water and in the bread and wine.
Why does God do this, why does God hide himself from you? “Man hides what is his own in order to conceal it, but God conceals what is his in order to reveal it. That is to say, he hides it from the wise and the great in order that they may be humbled and become fools and thus reveal it to babes; for such was his gracious will, and his will is the best, just, righteous, and holy. And where is there any better will than that which, because it hides itself, removes what impedes the gospel, namely, pride?”
Did you know that God is playing a game of hide and go seek with you, only God will not be found where he doesn’t not want to be found, he hides himself from you in order to be found where he wants to be found. It’s like playing a game of hide and go seek with a toddler, the object of the game is not to hide forever, never being found, but the object of the game is for the hidden to be found.
A few years ago I was playing this game with my cousins two girls, and I counted to 20 and went seeking, so I went upstairs and could hear the youngest daughter all of 2 or 3 years old giggling and laughing in baited anticipation of being found. So I went up and said I wonder where Allison is, and she here I am laughing and giggling as she came out of her hiding place.
This is exactly how God works in relationship to you, he’s hidden himself in order to be found. He’s hidden himself in the very place he said he would and he’s doing everything he can in order for you to find him, he’s sent you preachers, and he’s given you his sacraments all in order that you may find him not in his wrath but in his mercy.
God is found in his word for you, and in his sacraments for you, this is where God wants you to find him, for here in the finding of God in these two things, God gives grace and mercy. But to seek God outside of these two, outside of his Word and Sacraments is to try and rip the mask off the hidden God.
But God hides himself from you for a purpose, for to seek God in all his glory and majesty is to be exposed to a terror greater than you could ever imagine, so God hides, and in order to humble the wise God hides in the darndest places, he hides under the form of the opposite, in the cross, in the scripture, in the Word of the preacher, and in the sacraments.
Therefore, no matter how much you work, labor, and speculate, you accomplish nothing else except to increase the restlessness of your souls, which is just what you are seeking to escape through all your efforts. Your will and reason can accomplish nothing, they only put up road blocks to your faith, and burden your soul.
The only thing you can now do is know God the Father and his Son, Christ your Lord where he wants to be known, there you will find rest, for Jesus bids you to come to me, all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest, for you cannot refresh yourselves, you cannot give yourselves rest, but I can, Jesus tells you. What is there left in you? Get out of yourselves and come to me, despair of yourselves and hope in me.
For you will find no peace and you will find no rest apart from me, there you will find only despair and sorrow. But seek me where I will be found, set yourself aside and enjoy the ride not asking how or why but solely enjoying the grace and the peace of knowing the mercy that comes from Christ alone.
Be as a child, as a infant even, who sees the grace and the mercy of Christ for what they are, a free gift with no strings attached, so take it, ease your burden, take it and ride, amen.
http://ilcep.org/ilcblog/public_html/article.php?story=2008071011383686