Lent 5 - Mark 10:32-45

This Sermon is adapted from the book: Selected Sermons of Norman Nagel
 

In our reading we have the third and last prediction of the passion, the fifth Sunday in Lent, Judica, which comes from the Introit, "Vindicate (or Judge) me O God."  Who dares to pray such a prayer?  Jesus does.  Through Lent we have been following Jesus toward Calvary.  Our Judica Gospel tells of the last stretch of that journey.  "They were on the road going up to Jerusalem"  Who dares to take such a journey?  Jesus does.

The Disciples hung back in foreboding and fear.  They were amazed and afraid.  Twelve disciples.  Twelve tribes of Israel.  He who leads the disciples is the Lord of Israel, just as the statement of His presence, the bright cloud, led Israel on her journey to the Promised Land, which was entered by way of Jericho.  That is where Bartimaeus is given his sight.  He sees as the twelve failed to see.

Jesus told the twelve, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles."  (Mark 10:33)  The twelve did not get it.  They did not see.  What blinded them was their lust for power and the fear that they might lose out or lose their lives.  First James and John, then the others, were indignant that they might only get third or fourth place or even - perish the thought - twelfth place, the bottom spot.  They were looking to get the top spots.  "One on your right hand, and the other on your left hand in your glory."  (Mark 10:37)  The two brothers just wanted to keep in in the family.  The fight about who gets the right hand spot can wait until later, so long as its one of them.  When we see that sort of thing going on today - nepotism, influence peddling, heads rolling, you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours, jostling for the power spots, simony, who gets to call the shots in the church and who has the greatest influence and clout in the voters meeting - when we see that sort of thing going on it just makes us want to puke in disgust.

Jesus does not puke.  He continues on his way to Jerusalem.  And he draws us along with Him, which means leaving all that putrid and enslaving stuff behind.  How gently Jesus draws the disciples on. "You do not know what your are asking," He tells the brothers.  The place is at his right hand and at his left.  We know who gets those places when Jesus is crowned, proclaimed king, and enthroned, as John says.  Those at his right hand and at his left are those who are crucified with him.  All three of them are numbered with the transgressors.

One of the criminals who hung next to Jesus on the cross mocked Him, "If you are the Christ save yourself and us." (Luke 23:39)  The other rebuked the thief saying, "And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong." (Luke 23:41)  The just for the unjust, Jesus is judged as the one who bears the iniquity of us all.  He drinks the cup of God's wrath on sin, before which he shuddered at Gethsemane, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for you; take away this cup from me.  Never the less not what I will, but what you will." (Mark 14:36)  Yet it was the will of the Lord to bruise him.  He put him to grief when him made himself an offering to for sin.

"For Christ also has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God." (1 Peter 3:18) Those words are  Peter's words, preaching in his first Epistle.  Yet In Gethsemane Peter also slept, "For their eyes were heavy," (Mark 14:40).  Then he  thought power, (swinging a sword), would help Jesus.  At Caesarea Philippi, Peter spoke for Satan.  Peter wanted no crucified Christ.  In today's Gospel he is indignant with James and John for trying to get the top spots.  Jesus had a long way to pull them when he, walking ahead, went up to Jerusalem.  There is death for them in that Lenten journey.

Jesus speaks of the cup that is His to drink at his baptism, his death that is His to do.  Are you able?  We are able.  "Yes" says Jesus, "they will be yours, and that will put an end to your worrying about who sits at the right hand and who sits at the left.  When yours are the cup and the baptism, you will no longer carry on as those who are not Mine.  Those who are not Mine think of themselves great by how many people they can push around, get on top of, lording it over them, laying it on them from above, great by how many you can make serve you.  That is not where Jesus does His thing.  Jesus is at the bottom of the pile.  The whole weight of it comes down on him.  He is one lump with all sinners.  All sins' enslavement He is slave to - judged, damned.

Jesus spoke of it as giving his life as a ransom for many. Ransomer is Redeemer, go'el and the price is his life.  For many, as in Isaiah 53, Jesus speaks His disciples into that many, as He does also when He gives His body to eat and his blood to drink into our mouths this morning. His blood is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins.

Our liturgy follows Luke at this point and says, "For you".  The phrase "for you" evokes faith.  Yes, for me too.  We say, "Amen" as Jesus gives into us His body and blood.  Those to whom our Lord gives His body and blood can pray, "Judge me O God"  If he tosses you out, he is tossing out the body and blood of his son - and He cannot do that.

God did the judgment on you when He did the judgment on your sins on Jesus.  That death for your sin was given you.  It is yours at Baptism.  His cup, His baptism - yours.  There was a putting of you to death in your baptism by words and water and a new "you" was born, a you no longer enslaved to sin.  "I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20).  It is no dead inert stuff that the Lord gives into your mouth this morning.  As he forgives and enlivens you with his body and his blood, his body and blood are alive  in you in the same way when he spoke of them as a ransom for many, for you, not to be served but to serve.

Amen.

Lent 4

My parents were born on the East Coast. When I was a child my family used to load up in the family car and take trips out to Long Island New York to visit with my mother's family and especially her father who lived alone as a widower. It turned out that my grandfather had a friend who would serve as a care taker for a well-to-do family; they lived out on the less populated side of the island in a town called Oyster Bay. We would go out to visit from time to time and would, as my mother used to say, "see how the other half lived". The house was amazing, big and spacious. The view was spectacular. The furniture in the home was lavish. There was one room in particular where we were not allowed to play. There was a painting that hung on the wall. I was not much of an art connoisseur as a grade schooler so I do not know the name of the artist, but I know that this one painting was valued about the same as our house. To say the least, this family was well off. While you and I have been blessed with more than we need simply to live, there are those who have even greater wealth and material blessings - there are those who have enough extra lying around for things like property and homes and cars and expensive works of art. While you and I might dream about such wealth, there is One who has even greater wealth, even greater riches, even greater affluence. There is one who puts the Forbes list of the world's richest people to shame. And while material things and possessions are certainly at his disposal, the greatest treasures he has to offer are things that cannot be counted or measured. They wouldn't appear on a balance sheet or list of assets. Yet the greatest treasure and the greatest hope is that God gives this away for free. Of course we are talking about God. God is the creator and giver of all good things, wealth and material things included. But God's greatest and richest gifts are the gifts of his mercy and grace and forgiveness. And this gift is the greatest and best gift of all. This gift is given freely and generously and richly without measure. Meager Hope From time to time we like to think of how our lives would change if we all of a sudden were rich, if we won some prize or received some gift that would net us a million or two or three. We would like to think that it would change our lives and make our problems go away. It wouldn't. Rich people have problems too. It doesn't matter your social class or financial standing. There are problems that money just can't fix. Rich people get sick. Rich people experience broken and strained relationships. These are real problems. These are problems that are life altering and often for the worse. Every person experiences these sorts of problems. We pray about these problems. Lord, solve this one thing. If only there were a solution. These are real problems. God knows we have them. He does not overlook them. But He also doesn't overestimate their value, at least not the way that we do. Of all the problems that we could have, of all the issues that could crop up in a person's life, of all the things that stress us out and cause us to worry and fret and fear and stress, God sees and knows and understands those problems even better than we do. And so God has solved them. He has solved them according to the riches of his grace. Greatest Hope But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, God is rich. Of all the things that people want and think they need, of all the things that people spend their lives chasing after hoping to own and trying to achieve, God has them to spare. God gives them, God makes them, God creates them, God hands them out like trifles. Lavish homes, opulent life styles, all the good things this world has to offer that money can buy - God has it to spare. He can create it out of nothing and give it in an instant. It takes us a lifetime to collect. It can take only a moment to lose. God knows it really isn't all that valuable. God has real wealth. God has real riches. Riches of grace and mercy and forgiveness. God has riches that can't be taken away. Riches that can't be lost or ruined or burned or broken or taken away. And God gives these riches in overflowing abundance. Again to our text - God even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, We can all appreciate the rags to riches stories that are told from time to time. Someone who is born in poverty, but through hard work or some unexpected turn of events suddenly became successful and wealthy. As great as those stories are, God has outdone them all. We were not just poor, not just bedraggled. We were dead! A lifeless corpse! Dead in trespasses and sins. And that's not just a metaphor. We were actually and truly and really dead. In the way that deadness counts. Spiritually Dead. When you are spiritually dead your spirit is dead. You are dead to God. You are dead in the way that death really counts. Your bag of bones can be upright with blinking eyes and beating heart, but sin makes you a slave to Satan and condemned by God. There is no hope. There is no revival. There is no chance. You need a miracle. So God gives a miracle better than any that money could buy. God gives Jesus. And Jesus pays for your life by suffering your death. He suffered your death on the cross to buy your life back. And "not with gold or silver as we say in the creed, but with his holy precious blood and with his innocent suffering and death... That you may be his own and that you may live under him in his kingdom and serve him in everlasting righteousness innocence and blessedness." That;s what our text says, isn't it? "He raised us up and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." You have a seat at heaven't table. Is there any better table where we could sit? Sometimes there are contests that offer as their prize the chance to sit down to dinner with some sports figure or celebrity. People want that prize. They will pay big money for that prize. To sit at the table with a movie star, or better yet, one who has worn he Scarlet and Gray. Friends, God gives you a seat at his table. You haven't earned it. YOu couldn't pay for it. You don't even have anything to give that would put you in the running to receive it. But God gives it. God gives it for free. God takes away your death and gives you life. God takes away your poverty and gives you wealth. God takes away your trespasses and sin and He gives you righteousness. You are turned in to his display, his center piece, the evidence of his good work. He is proud to show you off to his saints and angels in heaven. Look at my child. Look at what I have done. See how I have turned this one from death to life, from lost to found, from shame to glory and honor. This world has its share of problems. There are problems and then there are problems. There are issues and then there are issues. They all seem big at the time, but while we each deal with our own, we wouldn't every want to trade. Well, there are also solutions and then there are solutions. There are blessings and then there are blessings. There is wealth and then there is wealth. God has given it on the good. On the better. On the rich. And on the overflowing. And that is his promise to you. He will not take it away. He will not let it fall. You have been raise up. You are seated with Christ at Heaven's table.

Lent 3 Unity in Christ 1 Corinthians 1:10ff

Liturgical Date: Lent 3 Date: March 10, 2012 Rev. Paul Schlueter Text: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 Prior to this past week, most of the world had never heard the name Sandra Fluke. But now, after recent events, her name has been on the lips of virtually every news anchor across the country not to mention the subject of political columnists from perspectives all over the spectrum. In case you haven’t heard, Ms. Fluke testified in a hearing having to do with health care. She was then insulted over the air by talk radio host Rush Limbaugh. Later she was consoled by President Obama. And every political columnist has had an opinion about the issue since then. There have been accusations and name calling to say the least, against Ms. Fluke, Mr Limbaugh, Pr. Obama, and everyone in between. Whitehouse spokesman Jay Carney said that “It is (a shame) that our political discourse has become so debased.” I think we could all probably agree about that. Public, and political discussion is all about character assassination. It’s all about name calling, tarnishing reputations, lies, false perceptions, whatever it takes to run down the other guy so that you can win. Just look at the way Romney and Santorum have gone after each other leading up to this past Tuesday’s primary election. I’m Mitt Romney and I approved this message. I’m Rick Santorum and I approved this message. They shouldn’t. And neither should we. Because this is not the way people should talk to each other or about each other. But they do, and so do we. We might not do it over the airwaves or in print the way the media does it. It might not be in front of a lot of people. But we still do it. Our text is from Paul’s first letter to the Christian church in Corinth. The theme of the entire book is laid out in verse 10 of chapter 1, a few verses prior to where our text begins. It says this: “I exhort you brothers through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you all say the same thing and that there be no divisions among you but that you be of the same mind and have the same thinking.” In the next verses Paul lays one such division: it would seem that the church played favorites with its pastors; Peter, Apollos, Paul. One personality, one pastor played against another. Paul scolded them and said that making the gospel about the preacher “emptied the cross of its power”. For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. Paul’s message is quite simple: divisions, fights, slander – those are things that happen out in the world. That’s how the world does it. You aren’t like the world. You are different. You are Christians; redeemed by Christ on the cross. Christ crucified is the wisdom of God. The world doesn’t have that wisdom. The world doesn’t even understand that wisdom. Instead, the world makes up its own wisdom because they don’t have any place else to find anything better. But you do. You have the cross of Christ. And this makes all the difference. The cross of Christ makes all the difference because it joins every one of us together as one family. It makes all of us the same. Elsewhere Paul will say that there is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female. We are all the same. And when he says that we are all the same he means that we are all sinners. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. This being the case, it is rather silly for us to condemn each other. Jesus says before you worry about the speck in your brother’s eye, get the plank out of your own. We point fingers, we condemn, but we are all guilty. We are all sinners. Take that political controversy we mentioned. Sure Rush crossed the line and what he said was terrible. But, then again, the lies that these people tell about each other, the subtle twists and half truths that they use to ruin each other’s reputations is just as bad. They are all guilty. Likewise with us. When we talk it up about a brother or sister, straining the speck from someone else’s eye we have just inserted a plank into our own. If we would just stop before we spoke, if we would just remove that plank, we would probably build a house with all the lumber. Paul is right. We are all sinners. We have all missed the mark of God’s glory. But we are united in another way. We are sinners, but we are not just sinners. We are forgiven sinners. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, but we are also justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. (Rom. 3:23) Jesus died. He died for us. For every last one of us. All of those sins that we love to point out in each other, and all of those sins that we try to cover up in ourselves, they have all been forgiven. Washed away. Paid for by Jesus through his innocent suffering and death on the cross. Aha! There it is! The wisdom of God! The great equalizer that forces us to fess up to our own guilt so that not one of us is better than another, but that immediately cleanses us of that guilt so that not one of us is worse than another. All have sinned. All are forgiven. It’s all by grace. It’s all a gift. It’s all done by Jesus for you! Paul builds his theme for 1 Corinthians on this unity that we have in the cross of Christ. He does it with his use of one specific, special little word. He says, “I urge you brothers.” “Brothers” he calls us. Adelphoi in Greek. It’s a a family term. Notice what he doesn’t say. He doesn’t call us acquaintances, he doesn’t say friends, he doesn’t say companions or comrades, he doesn’t even say fellow Christians. He says brothers. He joins every one of us together under one roof, and under one house and under one family because by virtue of our faith in Christ and by virtue of our baptism, that is what we are. When Christ called us by His Spirit to faith he called us to be members of his own family, Christ has called you and you and you and you and all of you his brother, his sister, so that he is your brother and so that your father is his Father. And just like adoption is a sign and guarantee of son-ship for one who is born and brought into this world as a member of another family, baptism is your sign and guarantee from God that you are in his family. Your were out, now you are in. And there is nothing that can take that gift away from you. Now, because you are called by God to faith in him and because you are called to be members of his own family therefore you are all family together. Brothers and sisters in Jesus. This changes things. It changes everything. It changes how we live life together, one by one and two by two and church by church. “Let there be no divisions among you.” Says Paul. Schisms. Things that you do to each that causes another to stumble. Don’t push someone to sin. Don’t push someone to anger. Don’t push someone to frustration or bitterness. Don’t push back against someone to who has pushed at you. Don’t be so quick to anger, quick to fight. Turn your cheek. Carry a burden. Be called the fool for not lashing out or proving yourself right. Show love, humility, gentleness, honor, longsuffering, faithfulness, kindness, self-restraint, forgiveness, mercy, generosity, joy, patience, because these are things that Jesus shows to you. Paul says “We preach Christ Crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to gentiles but to those who are saved, it is the power of God and the wisdom of God.” Every single one of those traits that we are seeking to emulate and that was just listed were given to us as Christ suffered and died on the cross. Consider the list. We started with love – God so loved the world that he gave his only son. When Jesus was given, he was given to die to save you and to preserve you. Humility – Jesus was the son of God. Yet he did not consider equality with God something to be grasped. Instead he emptied himself and became as man and was obedient onto death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:6-9) Gentleness – when Jesus was treated roughly and manhandled and pushed and shoved he never once pushed back or lashed out. He could have called down legions of angles to come to his defense, he could have torn his tormentors limb from limb, but he did not. Instead he was led like a sheep to the slaughter. Longsuffering. Jesus endured. When it came to the rejection the scorn, the physical beatings, the abuse, the hatred, the pain; Jesus endured it all without questioning, complaining, fighting, pouting, lashing out. He just simply endured. Faithfulness – His own closest friends all ran away. They were too self-absorbed and terrified to even stand by and watch. Jesus was abandoned. Yet in this hour of solitude, when he and he alone carried the sins of the world he looked down and saw him mother. In faithfulness to her he gave his disciple John the duty to watch over her and provide for her. Kindness – weighted down in his own suffering he still looked over to the men hanging beside him and consoled them – today you will be with me in paradise. Self-restraint – he had every chance and opportunity to challenge the lies of his accusers, to put back the raised fists of his attackers, to gain his freedom against those who stood in judgment but he did not. Forgiveness, mercy – even when he was suffering at the hands of his enemies he pleaded with the father that he forgiven them. In our own speech our catechism directs us to put the best construction on everything. We know how hard this is to do, especially when we have reason to doubt the efforts or motives of another. Father forgive them for they know not what they do? Did they really not understand that they were committing murder? Did they really not comprehend the weight of their sin? Jesus knew their hearts, but he still pleaded that God would have mercy on them and explained their sin with understanding. Generosity – is there any greater or more generous gift than for someone to give his life, to suffer every shame and inhumanity known to man and even to suffer God’s rightful wrath against his sin filled creation? This is the generosity that Christ has for us. And don’t you see? When Paul says we preach Christ and him crucified, when he in our text speaks of the wisdom of God and the power of God, when he speaks of the unity and the like-mindedness that we have in Christ, it is all there in that word of the cross. The word of the cross that destroys the foolishness of those who are perishing. The world around us – they are so worried about the life they have built or are trying to build for themselves that they have to do anything to achieve it or to keep it. And so they destroy one another other. They criticize, they condemn, they point fingers, they call names, they injure, they kill, they destroy, all in the name of their earthly kingdom. But we have something better. We have Christ. We have the cross. We have love and mercy and gentleness and kindness and longsuffering and patience and humility and faithfulness and everything else all right there. Given to us, used by the Lord to draw us to himself and to his perfect kingdom. The world doesn’t get it. But we do. God loves us. We love each other. There is nothing else that matters. Amen. And now may the peace that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen

Lent 2 "Suitcase"

Suppose you are getting ready to go away on a trip. You grab your suitcase and fill it with everything you are going to need for your time away: your clothes, your shoes, your personal items. You get it all together and ready to go and then you pack it all together and put it away in your suitcase. When it comes time to go, you take your suitcase with you to the airport, check your bag at the counter, board the plane, and anticipate arrival at your destination confident that you have packed your suitcase full with everything you are going to need. Well, it just so happens that one of the other passengers traveling on the same flight on that same day coincidentally must shop for their luggage at the very same department store that you do and as it turns out she bought the exact same bag. Where you filled it with all your clothes that fit your person and your purpose she filled her bag with items to fit hers. And lo and behold when the bags where making their way around the baggage claim conveyor you picked up the wrong bag. At first you can't even tell the difference, after all, they appear the same. But then when you arrive at your hotel and start to unpack it is then that you realize the difference. All the contents are different. What appeared to be the same on the surface turned out to be very different. Dear friends, words and especially for our purposes today, God’s Words, are like suitcases. And like suitcases, they are packed full. And in the same way, as you were unpacking that misplaced suitcase in your hotel room you would notice similar themes – shirts, pants, personal items, etc. they would be different. Likewise, while the themes and concepts packed in to the definition of a word might be very similar, the meaning can be totally different. And when it comes to God’s Words, getting themes and ideas close to what God intends isn’t nearly close enough. And if you are off even just a little bit you will entirely miss the point. Try to put on the clothes you find in a suitcase switched at the airport terminal and you are not going to be properly dressed. In the same way, if you put on the meaning unpacked from those Bible Words but that have been packed by somebody other than the Lord and you are going to show up to heaven improperly dressed. You need to make sure you are wearing the right clothes. To do that you need to make sure you pick up the right bag. Take, for example, the word Christ. That is totally a Bible Word. It is an Old Testament word. A word that God used to describe the Savior he planned and promised to send from the very beginning. It’s Hebrew associate is Messiah. It is a title that the Lord gives to the one he would send to save the human race from punishment for sin and death and suffering in hell. It is an important word. And the way you understand that word, and the meaning that you stuff into that word is incredibly important. In our Gospel for today we see that Peter and Jesus were using the exact same word, but they each had filled it differently. They each had packed it full with their own meaning. Jesus came to his disciples and asked them, “Who do people say that I am?” They answered, “Some say John the Baptist. Some say Elijah. Others say one of the prophets.” “What about you? Who do you say that I am?” And here is Peter’s response: “You are the Christ.” Peter had the right word. He had the right suitcase, but that word was packed with the wrong meaning. Again, just like unpacking the wrong suitcase at the hotel you will notice similar items, albeit items that don’t fit just right. In the same way Peter packed similar things into his definition of that word Christ. It was after all a kingly word. It was defined in the Old Testament as one who would sit on the throne of his father David, who would put his enemies under his feet, who would lead God’s people forward in victory. So, when Peter packed the word Christ full of meaning he chose a wardrobe fit for a king: a rich robe fit with a gold clasp. A golden crown, a scepter, a kingly throne. The Christ is a king. Let’s make him a king for the ages. In the very next scene we see that Jesus opened up his suitcase, we see Jesus unpacking that very same Word. And yes, there was a crown, there was a purple robe, there was a throne. But they were entirely different from the ones that Peter envisioned. “Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again.” A crown? Yes, with thorns. A scepter? Indeed, but instead of gold it was a simple blade of grass. And that fine purple robe? Yes, that was there too but it was stained with blood and given for mockery and abuse. And the throne? The throne was the cross where Jesus was nailed and condemned to die. Peter and Jesus were using the exact same word. They even filled that word with similar things – a throne, a crown, a kingly robe. But in the end, Peter had grabbed the wrong suitcase. And the result was a disaster. Peter thought that Jesus was wrong. That Jesus packed the wrong outfit into that Kingly Word, and he told him so. Peter began to correct Jesus. But Jesus knew exactly what he was saying. He had his outfit perfect coordinated, tailored, and fitted. This was exactly what he had come to do. So Jesus corrected Peter. “ You do not have in mind the things of God but the things of men. Get behind me Satan.” Having the right suitcase packed with the right stuff has to do with having the right mind, it has to do with having a mind of the flesh versus the mind of the Spirit. Peter’s mind was of the flesh. His mind was informed by the sinful flesh that is always seeking glory and fame and honor and power. The mind of flesh thinks of ways to ascend to the heights and Peter illustrates this perfectly. The mind of the Spirit looks to Jesus. In Jesus it sees suffering and shame and dishonor at the hands of the world. It sees service and love and self-sacrifice – all things that the mind of the flesh hates. Peter needed to be taught. He needed to be trained. He needed to have his mind turned. Jesus responded to Peter’s packing job harshly so that he could train the mind of his disciple. So that Peter would repent of his flesh-oriented thinking and turn to a mind governed by the Spirit. Today is the beginning of our celebration of National Lutheran Schools Week. This week St Paul Chuckery together with other Lutheran Schools across the Synod are celebrating Lutheran Education. Lutheran Schools train minds. Our Board of Stewardship has just begun reading a book – God at Work: Your Christian Vocation in all of Life. It’s by Gene Veith. It was inspired by Martin Luther’s teaching that the Christian lives life in the world as one who has been called by God to perform the work he does no matter how mundane that work might seem. God feed those who are hungry; he calls farmers and chefs and bakers or bread to help him. God maintains order in the world by punishing those who break the law and he does it by calling police officers to patrol the streets and arrest criminals. God protects people from danger and rescues them from perilous situations and he calls firemen and rescue workers to help him. God also teaches us to read and write and he does it by calling teachers to help him. In our discussion of the this book we were noticing how the Lutheran reformation made prominent both the vocation of teacher and the vocation of student, after all, this world is God’s world and if Christians are to truly appreciate it for what it is, if Christians are truly to fill the earth and subdue it as God has commanded then we should study it. God teaches us about the beauty and the order he has built into his world and he calls teachers to help us in this task of learning. Because of this understanding, Lutheran Christians have built and maintained Lutheran Schools ever since, for these past 500 years. We at St Paul Chuckery are heirs of this great legacy. Lutheran Schools train minds. Now, let’s unpack that suitcase. Talk of training minds, can after all be stuffed full with several different meanings. Some people pack it with caps and gowns, and then with uniforms or lab coats or business suits. Education, training a mind is a means to an end. You will know it is successful by graduation rates and test scores and job placements. That is what education is for. But we know better. Sure education does those things. But our school isn’t just a factory for turning out good employees. Nor does our school teach students those things that reinforce the flesh. Instead our school is a nurturing ground for the spirit. It is a curriculum that is connected and tied to the Spirit’s influence. It is an environment where students learn the Word of God, where students are trained and ministered to by teachers who are not just teachers, they are servant in the Lord who pray for our children and who pray with them. They guide these young minds in understanding the Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There are after all two minds – a spiritual mind and fleshly mind. You can have the Old Adam on the brain or the New? Christian education is about imparting that mind of Christ. Christian education is about training the mind so that it understands the Gospel of Jesus. Peter had his bags packed with a mind of flesh. And then he stepped in to Jesus’ classroom. His mind of flesh told him that Jesus was going to march on Jerusalem kick out the Roman oppressors and then get dressed in a purple robe with a golden crown and sit on a Jerusalem throne in a Jewish kingdom. Jesus had Spirit-informed mind. A mind that saw the cross and its suffering, but that also saw the Gospel and forgiveness. The Mind of Jesus saw victory for the Human Race over sin and death. The mind of Jesus saw freedom from fear and from guilt, from a bad conscience that has been abused by the accusations of the Devil. The Mind of Jesus saw that this was only possible through his suffering and death on the cross. And so, when Jesus packed up his suitcase, when he filled up his title of The Christ of God he knew that it meant that He was going to die. But he was okay with that. He even embraced that. Peter’s mind needed to be trained. So Jesus trained it. He rebuked Peter, in the full presence of the rest of the disciples and even the crowds. Jesus wanted them all to know the right way to pack this suitcase, the right reference for the word “Christ”. That’s what Jesus does. Because that is what Jesus does, that is what we do. That’s what we do here at school. A St Paul Chuckery mind is trained to read and write and spell. It can tell you Ohio history and American History. Studying with my own 4th grader I can tell you that they know about the National Road and the Erie Canal. Studying with my 2nd Grader I can tell you that they know past and present tense verbs, compound subjects and how to make you verb agree with the subject. But I can also tell you that they know the creed, the Lord’s Prayer, that the Words of Life and learned and committed to memory. That they can tell you about the life of Jesus that was given for them. Dear friends, virtually every religion buys their suitcase at the same store. They use the same words: faith, forgiveness, redemption, justification, sanctification, the Son of God, the Holy Spirit, Jesus. But I can tell you that if you were to take these suitcases home and start to unpack them you would find an outfit that just doesn’t fit. You would find a gospel but it would be a gospel that still had the price tag attached and with an invoice for money still to be paid tucked in the pocket. And I can tell you, any price is more than you can pay. You see, the gospel doesn’t come with payments still to be paid. The robe of righteousness God gave to wear at your baptism doesn’t still have a bill of sale. It’s all God’s gift. It’s all free. The Gospel is a suitcase packed for you by God. Open it up and you will find exactly what you need to be dressed for heaven’s banquet. The finest of clothes tailored perfectly to fit you. All purchased and paid for by the blood of Jesus and his righteousness given for you. All these things are yours. They are God’s gift to you. Ready made. Freely given. Freely received. Flesh and blood has not revealed this. It is revealed by the Spirit of God. In His name. Amen. And now may the peace that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.