God's Mercy Never Fails

God’s Mercy Never Fails

Luke 13:1-9[1]

How we view “salvation” makes all the difference in how we view God. When we make it about sorting out who goes to Heaven and who goes to Hell, it’s hard to see a loving and merciful God in that. In fact, that whole way of looking at salvation seems to fit more with a God who is “jealous” and “angry.” When we make salvation about where we’re going to wind up in the end, we make God out to be a God whose anger “devours” all who provoke him, a God whose “wrath” wreaks “vengeance” upon those who go astray. That’s the God of “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” I would say that version of “salvation,” and the view of God that goes with it, inspires more fear than it does hope.

While you can find plenty of Bible verses to back up that view of God and salvation, I would say it misses the whole point. The essential revelation of God’s character in the Bible is what God declared to Moses in the “cleft of the rock”: “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Ex 34:6). That message resounds throughout the Bible, especially in the Psalms: “O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever” (Ps 136:1). And the message of salvation is that this God whose very character is mercy and grace is working to draw us all into his infinite kindness, and his love that never fails. This understanding of salvation, and the view of God that goes with it, inspires hope!

Once again this may seem like a strange way to introduce the Gospel lesson for today. But I would say that how we view God is at the heart of making sense out of this passage. We hear Jesus saying, “unless you repent you will all perish,” but I think we must do a double take because it doesn’t sound much like Jesus! I believe what’s going on here is that Jesus was confronting the self-righteousness of the people who brought up the fate of the Galileans. In the setting of Luke’s Gospel, Jesus has been talking about the importance of the proper response to the kingdom of God: repentance and faithfulness. These folks came to Jesus assuming that because they agreed with him, they were much better off than the “poor” Galileans who “must have done something to deserve their fate.”

I think that’s why Jesus adopts a rather harsh tone here: “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did” (Lk 13:2-3). I think he was confronting them with the casual way in which they painted those Galileans as “worse sinners” because of what happened to them. God doesn’t work that way. And Jesus was confronting them for thinking of themselves as if they didn’t need to repent. But in Luke’s Gospel Jesus proclaimed that God’s love demands a change of heart from all of us that changes our lives!

The fact that Jesus emphasized the urgency of this change for everyone may still sound strange to us. But I would say that’s why Luke’s gospel combines Jesus’ warning about the urgency of repentance with the parable of the fig tree. It might not seem obvious, but I would say that the parable is meant to balance the demand for repentance with the assurance that God’s mercy never fails. The reason we might miss that is because we tend to think that the owner of the vineyard who came expecting fruit from the fig tree represents God. And we think that the gardener seeking more time represents Jesus. I don’t think that’s the point. In the parable of the fig tree God is both the one who demands that we change our hearts and lives, and the one who patiently draws us toward that change in his kindness, mercy, and love.

There’s a balance to be struck here. It’s true that God’s love demands of us all a heart-felt change that results in a different way of living. But it’s also true that the God who is working to make all things new is kind beyond measure, infinitely patient, and merciful without fail. That means God never stops seeking to draw us to himself. Like the gardener in the parable of the fig tree, God is continually “cultivating” our hearts to produce the “fruit” of living in a way that lines up with God’s love.

 Of course, if God is simply sorting out sinners and saints, none of this makes much sense! I realize that view of salvation has been around for a long time. But it’s way too simplistic. And the end result is that people live in fear of their “eternal destiny” all their lives. The biblical view of salvation is that the God whose very character is mercy and grace is always working to “cultivate” our hearts, always working to draw us into his infinite kindness, and his love that never fails. We may have to wait to see the fruit of what God is doing in our lives, but it all flows from who God is. I believe that’s worth waiting for!

Yes, when God’s love takes hold of our hearts, it demands that we all change our lives. I think that’s why Jesus spoke the way he did to those who came to him looking to be congratulated for their “righteousness.” Jesus was reminding them that God’s love demands that we all change our lives. But at the same time, the Bible’s primary teaching about God is that he is infinitely patient, and merciful without fail, giving us the time we need to make that change. I don’t believe we have to live in fear that we may at any moment step over some line that will exclude us from God’s love. Rather, I believe we can remain hopeful as we wait to see salvation fulfilled, because God’s mercy never fails!

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[1] © 2022 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm, Ph. D. on 3/20/2022 for Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.

For the Sake of the Joy

For the Sake of the Joy

Luke 13:31-35[1]

One of the difficult aspects of following the schedule of Scripture readings for our worship is that they demand a great deal from us. That’s particularly the case for our readings from the Gospel of Luke this year. As I’ve mentioned, the “good news” in Luke’s Gospel has an “edge” to it. Part of that “edge” is that Jesus emphasizes repeatedly the “cost” of following him. Hearing week after week that discipleship is going to cost us can wear on us, and perhaps even feel discouraging. The more we hear the demand to take up our cross and follow Jesus, the more discouraged we may get about how well we follow him.

One of the reasons for this is because Jesus focuses his attention so consistently on the fact that his faithfulness to God was leading him to die on a cross. And Jesus used his journey to the cross as a model for us to follow. We hear in many ways that following him will require us to give up our lives. But we have to remember that the cross was not the end of Jesus’ journey. His path would lead him through death to resurrection, to his exaltation to the right hand of God, and to his return with power to complete God’s final victory. The author of Hebrews puts it this way: “for the sake of the joy that was set before him he endured the cross” (Heb 12:2). I think we can take a similar approach to the cost of following Jesus.

Our lesson for today may not seem like a good fit for finding this kind of encouragement. One factor in trying to understand this passage is placing it in the context of Luke’s Gospel. In this section of Luke, Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, where he knows he is going to complete his mission by giving up his life. As Luke tells the story of Jesus’ journey, he takes the opportunity to report Jesus’ teachings about what it means to follow him. And he does so over the course of half of his Gospel—ten chapters! While Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem to fulfill his calling, Luke tells us that he was preparing his disciples for what it would mean for them to follow him.

I think we do well to pay special attention to the final verses in our lesson for today. This strange passage starts off with an even stranger event: Luke tells us that some Pharisees came to warn Jesus that Herod was trying to kill him! We might be thinking that if they were Pharisees, they were probably trying to kill Jesus as well. But it’s important for us to recognize that not all the “Pharisees” were against Jesus. The reason there was so much friction between Jesus and the Pharisees is because they had the most in common among the Jewish groups in that day. And the Gospels name two Pharisees who actually supported Jesus: Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus (Lk 23:50-53; Jn 19:38-42).

But our lesson gets “curiouser and curiouser,” to quote Alice in Wonderland. Jesus responds to the warning by saying, “Go and tell that jackal for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work” (Lk 13:32). To say the least, it’s a confusing way to reply to a warning about a death threat! I think, however, that what we’re meant to hear is the phrase “today and tomorrow, and on the third day.” This reminds us of the way in which Jesus predicted his own death. I would say that Jesus knew he was going to die, and it wouldn’t be at the hands of Herod!

And so in the next verse, Jesus continues, “today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem” (Lk 13:33). It’s clear in this verse that Jesus knows he “must” go to Jerusalem to die. But again, we have this phrase, “today, tomorrow, and the next day.” I would say that this repeated emphasis of what Jesus would do over the course of three days points us to the fact that he would “finish” his work not only on the cross, but also on the “third day” when God raised him from the dead. Although he knew that he faced a brutal trial, he also knew that would not be the end for him, but that God’s power would prevail through him.

I think we see something similar at the end of our lesson, where Jesus says, “you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord’” (Lk 13:35). Although those very words were the ones the crowds used to welcome him to Jerusalem, Jesus was looking past that. I think he was looking beyond his death and resurrection to his return with power to complete God’s final victory. It’s hard to imagine the faith and courage it took for Jesus to face his death with so much resolve. But I believe, as Hebrews tells us, that he did it “for the sake of the joy that was set before him.” In other words, he faced the ultimate test of his faithfulness to God by his faith in the victory God would win for all people through him.

I think we can approach our commitment to following Jesus in a similar way. We may have to face hardships. We may have to make sacrifices. As Jesus said we may have to give up our lives in order to truly find life. None of that’s easy. And the road can get long and weary as we continue to follow Jesus. But like Jesus, we can remain faithful by remembering that all the hardships we may face, all the sacrifices we may make, all that we may have to give up serves to bring God’s love to hurting people in our world. And so we can follow Jesus “for the sake of the joy” that is set before us, because we trust that God is working through us as well!

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[1] © 2022 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm Ph. D. on 3/13/2022 for Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.

The LORD Alone

The LORD Alone

Luke 4:1-13[1]

I’ve observed before that the information age has opened many doors for us. Most of us carry a device with us that provides instant access to all the information we could ever need or want. That opens up for us new doors by which we can learn and grow, new ways in which we can stay connected to one another, and even new means of being productive. But the information revolution has also opened a whole “pandora’s box” of temptations for us all every day. If anyone has a particular weakness, our smartphones and tablets and computers tempt them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Whatever it is that we turn to in order to fill the emptiness in our hearts, we can access it any time, and nobody will know about it.

We turn to our faith to help us with the temptations we face. But I think we get confused about what constitutes faith. In the Scriptures, faith is not about getting whatever we ask for, simply by using the right “magic” words. Faith is about recognizing that the “LORD our God alone” is the one who provides all our wants and needs. Faith is about trusting God, regardless of the circumstances of our lives. And faith is about a relationship with God in which we love God with all our hearts. That means that we commit ourselves to be faithful to God, no matter what may come. That’s the kind of faith that will help us face our temptations, not some kind of magical wish fulfillment.

Our Gospel lesson for today tells a story about how Jesus faced temptation. It talks about Jesus being tested for forty days by the “the devil.”  Since Jesus had gone without food during that time, the initial temptation was obvious—he was hungry! And in a subtle and seemingly innocent way, “the devil” suggests that if Jesus is really the Son of God, he could turn a stone into bread. In this way he could easily fill his hunger. It seems harmless enough. If I had gone without food for an extended time and someone told me that I could turn a rock into a meal, I probably wouldn’t think twice about it. After all, what’s wrong with eating when you’re hungry?

But Jesus knew there was much more at stake than the rumblings in his stomach. The temptations weren’t about the best way to find a meal in the desert. The point of the test that Jesus faced in the wilderness was about his faith in God and his faithfulness to God. He faced this test right after hearing God’s voice affirming him at his baptism: “You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased” (Lk 3:22). The temptations Jesus faced tested how he would fulfil his role as the “Son of God”: whether by relying on his faith in God and by remaining faithful to God or simply by using any means available to fulfill his own desires.

Jesus knew that the point of the temptations, even the one about feeding himself, was to determine whether he would follow God’s ways and God’s purpose for his life, or whether he would see to his own needs. I think that’s why he responded by quoting scripture: in every case Jesus demonstrates his determination to remain true to God. In response to the question whether he would take a shortcut to ruling over the kingdoms of this world that would bypass his death on the cross, Jesus answered, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him’” (Lk 4:8, quoting Dt 6:13).

The background of this quote is important. In Deuteronomy chapter six, Moses insisted that “The LORD is our God, the LORD alone” (Dt 6:4). Since the LORD alone was their God, then the “great commandment” followed: “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might” (Dt 6:5). And the way they would do that was by obeying God’s commands from the heart in all areas of their lives. In other words, their faith in the LORD as the one who alone was their God led them into a relationship in which they were to love God with all their hearts. And the way they were to demonstrate their love for God was to remain faithful to God by obeying him. This was the kind of faith that Jesus used to overcome his temptation.

Like the people of Israel, Jesus found himself in the wilderness, at the mercy of the elements, unable even to provide for his most basic needs. This was not an accident. Moses says that the purpose for Israel’s wilderness wandering was to determine whether the people would remain true to God (Deut. 8:2). I think something similar was going on with Jesus: The test Jesus faced on this occasion and throughout his ministry was whether he would remain faithful to God’s ways and God’s purpose, which would lead him to a cross. Although Israel failed that test again and again, Jesus demonstrated that he would hold firmly to his faith in God and remain faithful to God’s purpose.

Our Gospel lesson presents Jesus as the prime example of faith and faithfulness to God: his faith that “the LORD alone is God” meant that he loved God with all his heart. That love for God led him to remain faithful to God. This story encourages us to follow Jesus’ example in our own lives. But we must remember that Jesus’ faith and faithfulness led him to his death on a cross. As we seek to follow him in this season of Lent, we must remember that the fundamental test we face is whether we will worship “the LORD alone” who is our God. There is no other one who has created us, there is no other one who provides for us, there is no other one who deserves our faith and who can command our faithful obedience. All of that, along with our hearts and our lives, belong to the LORD alone!

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[1] © Alan Brehm 2022. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm, Ph. D. on 3/6/2022 for Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman NE.

Winning

 Winning

Luke 9:28-36[1]

Nobody comes to church to hear about how hard it is to follow Jesus. We have all kinds of reasons for being here, but that’s probably not on the list. We come for an emotional and spiritual “boost” to help us make it through the coming week. We come looking for assurance in a world that seems to be spinning out of control. We come to find encouragement to lighten the burdens we carry. We come to hear some good news, to hold onto the hope that we can feel at least a little bit of joy to brighten our day. We want to know that somehow, someway, God is working in our lives to help us win the struggles we face.

Luke’s Gospel gives us the good news, but as we’ve already seen, it’s a version of the good news with an “edge” to it. Jesus’ message is one of turning the tables, of the first being last and the last first. And Luke’s Gospel doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to making plain the demand that the good news makes of us. Jesus set the example as to what seeking first God’s intentions for this world demands of us. He did that by obeying God to the point of giving up his life. And Jesus didn’t hesitate to say that if we want to follow him in seeking first God’s kingdom, we’ll have to give up our lives as well.

That may seem like a strange way to introduce our Gospel lesson for today. After all, we’re talking about the “transfiguration.” It was a “high point” for the disciples. It was a “mountaintop experience,” and Peter made it clear that he wanted to stay there. Like the other Gospels, Luke tells us Peter didn’t know what he was saying (Lk 9:33). I’m not sure I would have done any better. But the voice of God that came from the cloud broke the spell of Peter’s euphoria. It may not be obvious at first glance, but I think God was telling him and the others to go back down the mountain and get back to work among the people who needed their help!

But we’re getting a bit ahead of ourselves. The story behind all of this is about the amazing transformation of Jesus’ appearance that Peter, James, and John witnessed. What’s more, they not only saw Moses and Elijah with Jesus, but they also got to “overhear” their conversation. And the “voice from the cloud” came to confirm for them Jesus’ identity as it had been revealed to him at his baptism (Lk 3:22): “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” (Lk 9:35). I can only imagine what it was like for them to wonder what all that meant as they followed Jesus down the mountain!

I think it might help to take a closer look at what the voice said. It began with “this is my son.” Many have assumed this is an affirmation that Jesus was the divine Son of God. But the title “Son of God” in the Bible refers to someone God has chosen to fulfill God’s work. That’s what the voice announced: Jesus is the one who will carry out the work of God’s kingdom. “My chosen one” refers to the “Servant of the Lord” in Isaiah. We’ve already seen that Jesus announced he had come to carry out that role: to “bring good news to the poor,” to “proclaim release to the captives,” and “to let the oppressed go free” (Lk 4:18). And the last part, “listen to him,” recalls a promise Moses made to the people: that God would raise up a prophet like himself who would make God’s purpose clear to them.

All of this refers to Jesus’ identity in terms of the mission he would fulfill. We should take note that Moses and Elijah were said to be discussing with Jesus “his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem” (Lk 9:31). The idea here is that the transfiguration pointed forward to the way Jesus would effect the “release” that God intended to bring into this world. He would do it by going to Jerusalem, where he would face hostile opposition and ultimately sacrifice his life. That’s how he would win the “victory of God,” as some have called it, by giving up his life for others.[2] But as we know, Jesus’ death was not the last word. The “glory” that Luke says the disciples saw on the mountain also points forward: not only to Jesus’ resurrection, but also to his ascension to reign at the right hand of God, and his final coming with power in the end.

I think it’s important for us to understand that all of this is the full story of how Jesus would accomplish God’s purpose in this world. He would bring release to all who suffer by sacrificing his life. But that wasn’t the end of the story; his death would lead through resurrection to new life and the promise of God’s final victory in the end.[2] Even though the voice from the cloud instructed the disciples to “listen” to Jesus, I don’t think they could really hear that the way the Jesus would win “release” for the whole world was by giving up his life. And they certainly couldn’t hear Jesus saying they could only follow him if they were willing to give up their lives for the sake of others.

It all seems backwards: we “win” by “losing”! We experience the “release” of God’s kingdom by giving up our lives for others. We gain the hope and joy and new life that we seek by getting involved in the struggles people face. As Peter, James, and John were sent back down the mountain, so Jesus calls us to follow him to a world full of hurting people. I don’t think any of us will ever do that perfectly. I believe Jesus accepts us where we are as we strive to live up to this high calling. And he promised to be with us to enable us to give up our lives for others, which will take the best we have to offer.

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[1] © 2022 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm Ph. D. on 2/27/2022 for Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.

[2] Cf. N. T. Wright, Jesus and the Victory of God.

[3] Cf. F. Bovon, Luke 1: A Commentary on the Gospel of Luke 1:1-9:50, 376: “Luke knows that [death] is not God’s last word. Jesus’ journey leads from Good Friday to Easter, and finally to the ascension.” I would add the return of Christ as well.