Sermon for May 29, 2016: To KNOW and TO GROW

The following sermon was preached by Rev. Mark T. Peterson, on May 29, 2016, at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Holliston, MA. It is the first sermon in a 6 week series on Galatians, entitled TO KNOW, and TO GROW. I will be making references to a document I produced, of the same name, and that is pictured within this post. 

Galatians 1:1-12

¹Paul an apostle—sent neither by human commission nor from human authorities, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—²and all the members of God’s family who are with me,
  To the churches of Galatia:
  ³Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴who gave himself for our sins to set us free from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, ⁵to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

  ⁶I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—⁷not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are confusing you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. ⁸But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim to you a gospel contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let that one be accursed! ⁹As we have said before, so now I repeat, if anyone proclaims to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let that one be accursed!
  ¹⁰Am I now seeking human approval, or God’s approval? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still pleasing people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

  ¹¹For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin; ¹²for I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,

I have a new intro today, not really mine I guess, but one I copied, or plagiarized from Paul...but being as he hasn't been around for 2000 years, I think I'm ok. Paul wrote this, as the greeting to Galatians, and he writes similar things in his other letters in the Bible.

Today, we read from Galatians and we will continue reading from it over the course of the next six weeks. For a little background, Paul wrote this letter to the churches of Galatia thousands of years ago. These churches were ones that he had played a role in starting quite a few years before with his message of the Gospel. A message about Jesus Christ and a message that the Bible tells us Paul himself received directly from Jesus. As the story goes, Jesus, who has been raised from the dead and is living encounters Saul with a blinding light, knocks him off of his horse, and tells him to change his name to Paul. Jesus also gives Paul the good news, the saving news about himself, and Paul, an apostle, shared that news with others, like the Galatians.

It had been some years since the Holy Spirit, through the work of Paul, had formed the church in Galatia, and now Paul felt the need to write to them. It seems that Paul's Gospel message, the message of Jesus Christ himself, had gotten a little twisted. So Paul, writes the Galatians a letter, and he writes to them about what they are "TO KNOW" and how they are "TO GROW". 

Paul's themes; TO KNOW and TO GROW, also fits nicely with my own document, my pastoral vision that I call, "TO KNOW and TO GROW", which you all have a copy of. 

Paul wanted the people of Galatia TO KNOW, that they were the Holy People of God, and TO KNOW how they got that way....

Paul also wanted the people of Galatia TO GROW in what it meant to have that holy identity, as the People of God. 

Today, in a different time and place, we are no more or no less the People of God as the Galatians were, and therefore Paul's letter speaks to us as well. We are called TO KNOW and TO GROW.

The first thing that Paul emphasizes, the first thing TO KNOW, is that this Gospel of Jesus Christ didn't come to him from human hands, or human councils, it came to him directly from Christ, and most importantly, this message is not about Paul, but all about Jesus Christ. The message is about God, not about Paul. Paul goes to great lengths to emphasize this. 

This is what we are TO KNOW, even today, that Paul's message, that has been passed on for over 2000 years does not come to us by the power of humans, but by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is a message, a Gospel, about Jesus Christ, that has continued to reveal his presence to humans, right up to, and including today. Though Paul writes the letter, it is the work and Word of God. 

TO KNOW: The Gospel comes to us from Jesus Christ, is about Jesus Christ, and reveals to us Jesus Christ.

The second thing that we are called TO KNOW, is that Jesus Christ came to Paul, he came to this world, he comes to us in this Gospel message for a reason! Paul writes "Grace to you and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to set us free from the present evil age." Jesus is here with us, because he is doing something for us. He is saving us from our sin and freeing us from this evil age. 

We might not like to talk about sin, thinking that this type of language is a thing of the past, or that if we just ignore sin it will go away. But, our whole reason for needing salvation (from Jesus) is the fact of sin in our lives and world. I like to say that, "The Good News about the Church is that we have a savior. The bad news about the Church is that we really need one."  Jesus Christ is here doing something, and doing something about sin.

The sin that Jesus is doing something about, affects us all, no matter if it is our own sin or the sin of someone else. Sin's effects are apparent through all times and places, and we are confronted with its devastating results as we are about to observe Memorial Day. In our observance, we are marked by the markers of those who have lost their lives in service to our country, as a result of being put into violent situations. As we mark generations of those men and women who have died, we see the continual consequences of war; death, destruction; pain, and loss. Setting aside the issue of being right or wrong, in these losses, no matter who we are, or what times and places we have lived in, WE KNOW that war touches us. WE KNOW that this violence, this sin, leaves its mark, and darkens the lives of us all. Worst of all, WE KNOW that we will join with the mass of humanity that has gone before us, and continue to pass our sin on to the coming generations.

In our memorials, we remember. We remember the role of sin in our lives, whether we choose to acknowledge or not. Truly, sin is at work in our lives, and we don't have to dig hard to see that. Recently, there were bomb threats made towards schools in this area. These threats, thankfully, were unsubstantiated, but that didn't stop them from having an effect on teachers, staff, parents, and even young students; causing fear, stress, and anxiety. This sinful act causes us to wonder; what would happen if the threats were true? and what type of person would do something like that? When these thoughts enter into our lives, they become a part of our very being, causing us to be more afraid of others. These thoughts can cause us to turn inward, looking more and more upon ourselves, and our own protection, security, needs, and desires, and captivating us in fear, so that we forget about our neighbor. Sin, works its way into our lives, and then holds us captive to our own selfishness, however that manifests itself. 

The GOOD NEWS, what God, through people like Paul, so wants us...

TO KNOW: The Gospel comes to us from Jesus Christ, is about Jesus Christ, and reveals to us Jesus Christ.

TO KNOW: Jesus Christ has come to us to give himself for our sins, and to free us from this evil age. 

In my document, "TO KNOW and TO GROW" there is a focus on my calling to preside at worship, because it is in our worship, in our gathering, where God speaks to us the Gospel message that God wants us TO KNOW. As we read Galatians together today, we remember that 2000 years ago the people of Galatia didn't read this alone, in their homes. Rather, they gathered together to hear it, and to be formed by it. The Holy Spirit continues to call us together, into worship, so that we, like the Galatians, KNOW that Jesus Christ has come to give himself for our sins, and KNOW that Jesus does this work in grace and peace. 

The Holy Spirit calls us together in worship so that we can hear God speak to us about the grace of Christ in ways that go beyond words. God speaks to us in water that is splashed upon us, so that we KNOW that we have been made Children of God, so that we KNOW that God has claimed us as his beloved. God speaks to us in the bread and wine that we take and eat the body and blood of Jesus Christ, given for us, for the forgiveness of our sin, for the forgiveness of the sin of the world, so that we KNOW that nothing we do can separate us from the love and life of God.

The Holy Spirit gathers us in worship TO KNOW this promise of God, to experience this promise together, and then....the Holy Spirit empowers us TO GROW in being people of this promise. When we KNOW of God's love, it transforms us, so that we may GROW in our own love for God, and love of all whom God has made.

The Holy Spirit gathers us in worship to be formed, TO GROW, in our holy identity, and the Holy Spirit gives to us many spiritual gifts and practices to help us grow, and for today, our growth comes from focusing on a question Paul posed to the Galatians, "Am I now seeking human approval, or God's approval? Or am I trying to please people?"

KNOWING the Gospel of Jesus Christ. KNOWING the grace it gives to us and KNOWING that it is ours forever, we are given the freedom to ask this question of ourselves, "Are we seeking human approval or God's approval?", and simply in our self-examination, we begin TO GROW in our trust for God, our love for God, and our life together in God. 

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen

TO KNOW: The Gospel comes to us from Jesus Christ, is about Jesus Christ, and reveals to us Jesus Christ.

TO KNOW: Jesus Christ has come to us to give himself for our sins, and to free us from this evil age. 

TO GROW: "Am I now seeking human approval, or God's approval? Or am I trying to please people?"

Sermon for April 10, 2016: Coffee with Jesus

This sermon was preached by Rev. Mark T. Peterson at Christ the King Lutheran Church, Holliston, MA on April 10, 2016.

John 21:1-19

1After [he appeared to his followers in Jerusalem,] Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. 2Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. 3Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
  4Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” 6He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. 7That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. 8But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.
  9When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread.10Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. 12Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. 13Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

  15When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” 19(He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.”

Sermon for March 6, 2016 Lent 4: Accepting that you are found.

^{This sermon was preached by Rev. Mark T. Peterson, on March 6, 2016 at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Holliston, MA.} 

^{Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32}

¹Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to [Jesus.] ²And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
  ³So he told them this parable: ^11b“There was a man who had two sons. ¹²The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them. ¹³A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. ¹⁴When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. ¹⁶He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. ¹⁷But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! ¹⁸I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; ¹⁹I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.” ‘ ²⁰So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. ²¹Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ ²²But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; ²⁴for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.
  ²⁵“Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. ²⁷He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.’ ²⁸Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. ²⁹But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. ³⁰But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’ ³¹Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. ³²But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.’ ”

Be a Values Voter!

Through Jesus Christ, God has established the Kingdom of Heaven, right here, in this time and space, right in our very midst. Yet, while the Kingdom is certainly established, God continues to grow the Kingdom, by acting through us humans. My favorite vision of this Kingdom comes from Micah 4, which says:
In days to come, the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established as the highest of the                          mountains, and shall be raised above the hills.
People shall stream to it, and many nations shall come and say, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain            of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may             walk in his paths.
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
The Lord shall judge between many peoples and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away;               they  will beat their swords in plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; and they will            not learn war anymore.
But they will all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees, and no one will make them             afraid.

Knowing that God uses us to bring about the Kingdom of Heaven, we should remember that a very formidable tool that we have been given, is a recognized voice and vote in the way that our community, state, and nation are governed. Here, in this time and place in the world, using this tool of participatory government is not just a privilege we have, but our Godly duty. Indeed, we are called to be values voters!

 Before continuing, a few clarifications about the government we are called to participate in:
--First, the government is not our Savior, it’s merely a system, and an imperfect one at that. 

--Secondly, the government is not “ours” and by that I mean the property of Christians, or any other group that would claim ownership of it, at least not in this country.  

--Thirdly, governance and order are a gift to us and our world from our creator, and they are given to help us live together according to something beyond our own whims and fancies. These authorities in our lives and world require our attention, even if it means standing up to them, rather than supporting them. 

--Finally, our Savior, Jesus Christ, and his church, are not held in peril by any government, whether it is our own, or the Roman Empire. Our faith is secure, Jesus Christ has won the day and will continue to live eternally, both in places where Christ’s Church is persecuted and in places where the Church has become the persecutor.  Therefore, we remember that government, whether a democracy or monarchy, whether representative or autocratic, whether peaceful or warlike, whether open or repressive, and whether brutal or compassionate, is merely a system, and is neither our salvation nor our greatest threat.  

Moving on, we, who live in the United States, have the opportunity to actively and safely, ( At least in theory, many who are neither white nor male could argue this with a long list of exampls to the contrary.) participate as representatives of the Christian faith, as ambassadors of Christ, in the system of government that helps bring order, for better and worse, to not only the 310 Million people who live in this country, but the billions that live in this world. It is incumbent on us as Christians to work to influence these systems that have authority over us so that God's righteousness, justice, and love is not a forsaken part of this ordering.   At the same time, our Christian duty to be involved in the workings of our government does not mean that we seek to make a Christian state. We as a faith community place our trust in the fact that God's Heavenly Kingdom has already been establish, and that God has instituted the community of the Church to be the place where Christians are called and transformed.

Ultimately, the way that we are called to act in our government is as an active voice, representing those who society forgets and tramples, with the truth of God. This is a truth of a Godly justice that values all life, and especially the lives of those our systems usually discard; the lives of the poor, the homeless, the imprisoned, the persecuted, the immigrant, and the refugee. This is a truth that stands in solidarity with these forgotten ones, and stands opposed to our human ideas of justice, which all too often places a higher value on order, profit, vengeance, and power, than it does upon the life that God creates.

Today, as many people vote on Super Tuesday, remember that it is indeed, right our duty and JOY that we should in all times and all places proclaim God's truth. Here in the United States of America, we have a freedom that should make this proclamation easy, and there is little excuse to keep us from yielding our freedom on behalf of all people, even and especially those who can't make campaign donations. So go vote!

Finally, a word from the prophet Ezekiel:

34The word of the Lord came to me: ²Mortal, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel: prophesy, and say to them—to the shepherds: Thus says the Lord God: Ah, you shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? ³You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fatlings; but you do not feed the sheep. ⁴You have not strengthened the weak, you have not healed the sick, you have not bound up the injured, you have not brought back the strayed, you have not sought the lost, but with force and harshness you have ruled them. ⁵So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd; and scattered, they became food for all the wild animals. ⁶My sheep were scattered, they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill; my sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with no one to search or seek for them.

Ask the Pastor: What is worship? To Know and to Grow.

Ask the Pastor. I recently created a vision of what my pastoral role at Christ the King is. You can see this vision To Know and To Grow below, and that my primary role as pastor is to preside at worship. I was asked to clarify and expand on what I mean by worship, and worship life, and so I have done this, immediately below this vision statement. I look to expand on this more in the future. 

What is worship?

In short, worship is God's gift to our sinful world, so that we, as people in bondage to sin, can see, receive, and PARTICIPATE in the world as God intended it to be at creation. Our worship connects us to our, "Immortal, invisible, God only wise" and proclaims the truth of that eternal God to all people. This truth is perhaps most evident in the Hebrew slaves, who would show the ultimate sign of God's providence, through their worship on Mt. Sinai. Exodus 3:12, The Lord said, 'I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt you shall worship God on this mountain. 

The worship of this God, was a contrast to Pharaoh, who was the Egyptian God, and the term "The Lord" is in contrast again to Pharaoh who was ultimately the Lord of the Hebrews. Thus the worship of God, gave the Hebrews, who were in a brutal, hopeless, despairing situation, the hope that Pharaoh didn't have the last word. In more modern times, slaves in North America were often banned from worshiping (lest they here something about their worth) and held secret worship. Sometimes, this would include singing praises under water, so that they would not be heard and punished. For those in slavery, worship of a being greater than the slavemaster was a necessary source of hope and life as they were kept and brutalized from generation to generation. 

The truth though, is that it wasn't only the slaves who were in bondage, but all humans, by sin. The worship of a God more powerful than us, and who frees us from our sin, is indeed life-giving good news. Unfortunately, sin deceives and we humans don't desire or perceive that we need this life-giving hope, as by and large, our situation, at least for many of us in our country, is much better than that of the slaves. Regardless, the worship of God, gives us the hopeful vision of how God intended the world, and now, through Christ, is redeeming the world.

Worship Life

From my Letter of Call: 

We call you to exercise among us the ministry of Word and Sacrament which God has established and which the Holy Spirit empowers: 

- to preach and teach the Word of God in accordance with the Holy Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions; to administer Holy Baptism and Holy Communion; to lead us in worship; to proclaim the forgiveness of sins; to provide Pastoral Care

There are other duties as well, but I think these give the essence of what my role in the worship life of the congregation is in terms of actual services. But, going further, the "worship life" that I preside over isn't just these services, but lies in instilling a "worshipful life" throughout all the activities of the congregation. For example, how we use our money as a congregation is not influenced by getting the most bang for our buck, it's in using it in a manner that is faithful to the God that is revealed to us in worship. The ultimate goal of our "worship life" is that it will reflect our God, and our obedience, as God's people, to the will of God, and our continued dependence, as God's people, upon God's grace. 

You tell that fox! Sermon for February 21, 2016 Lent 2

This sermon was preached by Pastor Mark T. Peterson at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Holliston, MA on the 2nd Sunday in Lent, February 21, 2016. 

Luke 13:31-35
31At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to [Jesus,] “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” 32He said to them, “Go and tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. 33Yet 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.’ 34Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 35See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ”

Lenten Hope, X-Men Hope

Continuing on the theme of hope from last weeks blog post, I wanted to write something more about the kind of hope that Christ gives to us, and enables us to give to one another, using one of my favorite super-heroes, Charles Xavier, a.k.a. Professor X, to do so. 

Charles gives a wonderful vision of hope in the movie, X-Men, Days of Future Past, which tells the story of mutants who work together across time, with the goal of changing the past, in order to save the future. In a moment of desperation, Charles, who has the power of telekinesis, visits his future self (Professor X)

Charles: I'm not the man I was. I open my mind up and it almost overwhelms me.

Professor X: You're afraid. And Cerebro knows it.

Charles: All those voices…so much…pain.

Professor X: It's not their pain you're afraid of. It's yours, Charles. And as frightening as it can be, that pain will make you stronger. If you allow yourself to feel it, embrace it, it will make you more powerful than you ever imagined. It's the greatest gift we have: to bear their pain without breaking. And it comes from the most human part of us: hope

That last line of dialogue is also the truth of our lives, and the pain that is present in our lives is ultimately a gift, and not a curse. The emotional pain that we suffer, helps us to know that both ourselves and others matter. When someone is suffering, or even dies, we ache emotionally because we care about them. When we ourselves are hurting, it is our minds telling us that we are deserving of love, care, and comfort. If someone hurts us, or hurts others, our emotional response tells us that this behavior isn't right. Just as our physical bodies experience pain, to tell us something isn't right with them, our emotional side does as well. We are often able to treat our physical pain, so that we can do the things with our bodies that we want to do, thus it can be a gift to us. The same is true of our emotional selves, but we often times leave that side of things untreated, and it ultimately hinders our wholeness of health, just as a sprained ankle hinders our ability to walk. 

When our emotional pain goes untreated, it doesn't just go away, it hides itself deep in our subconscious. Over time, the world, and all the pain that is in it can seem overwhelming, and we build up an immunity to the world by losing our ability to care, to feel useful, and to have any sort of hope for it. In order to keep from feeling our own pain, we retreat into self-made cocoons of frivolities, busyness, cynicism, and addiction, and creation becomes more disconnected, despairing, and cruel.  It is true that hurting people hurt people, and on a global level, a hurting world hurts itself. 

In the movie, it was Charles who confronted his own pain, and allowed himself to feel it, so that he could use his superpowers for good, and bring hope to the situation. For us, non-mutants, this confrontation with our own pain, and the pain of the world is too tall of an order for us. Thankfully, we have a Savior, who is both human and God, whose pain, bore out of unimaginable love, have given to us salvation and hope. 

By the grace of Christ, we can embrace the pain in our lives, knowing that our God feels that pain with us, and is with us in it. What is so amazing, is that with Christ, as we embrace and feel our own pain, our cocoon starts to become stripped away, and we are able to bear the pain of others, and give them hope, the hope of Jesus Christ.