Philippians 3:17-4:1.    Be what you are: citizens of heaven!               24/2/13

 ¹⁷ Join together in following my example, brothers and sisters, and just as you have us as a model, keep your eyes on those who live as we do. ¹⁸ For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. ¹⁹ Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. ²⁰ But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. 4:1 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!

 Here today in this reading we have a very encouraging, but challenging message for us as God’s people. Be the people that you are. Live the good life that is ours, in Jesus Christ. Our citizenship is in heaven. So we are a part of a life that is truly remarkable and great. So live and be what you are.

 However, it is interesting isn’t it? We have and are a part of this great existence and yet what do we do? All too often we live as enemies of the cross of Christ. We live as if our destiny is destruction, our god is our stomach, and our glory is in our shame. Our mind is set on earthly things. We live miserable, self-centred, pleasure-seeking lives despite the fact that our citizenship is in heaven: despite the fact that we have every possibility and help to live positively. How sad is that?

 We stand in midst of the filth and grime of this life and we live as though that is our life. We can readily see the results of our current world view of life, and yet we continue to chase after these things as if they are the be all and end all. We willingly allow these other influences to crowd out that which we know is good and right. All of this drags us down and leads us away; and all too often it seems that we don’t care.

Yet let me remind you again, Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends!

Look, each one of you is important and valuable: you are loved; God longs for us all to share in his glory. And most importantly he has made it possible for this to be so for us all. Jesus himself came into our world for the very purpose of dying on the cross so that we might be forgiven and thereby be assured of our citizenship in heaven.

 Because of what Jesus has done for us through his coming down to earth and dying on the cross we now have been given access to heaven itself, where everything will be good and perfect and go on forever. There will be no more pain, dying, crying or anything bad at all. It will all be laid on for us because of what Jesus has done for us.

 In our baptism’s we are reminded that we are joined to his death and resurrection and all that he has won for us. We have been made a part of the family of God; citizens of heaven. In Holy Communion, week after week, he further reminds, reassures and comes personally to us, so that we can be empowered in that reality that we are loved, forgiven and have a place in eternity with himself.

 At the same time he now makes available to us here and now, what we need in order to live in comfort and peace in the midst of a world that is messed up by sin. He gives us weekly worship so that he can give us the things that he knows we need in order to face up to the week ahead. He gives us Bible Studies and other helps so that we can keep our focus on the things that are important for us. He gives us his Word so that we can know how to live and act in the face of the evil around about us.

 Through all of this, now can have peace and contentment; hope and confidence. We are a part of something great, that is going to be even greater in the future. We have with us Jesus Christ who is our Lord and our saviour: the only one who can truly help us and see us through. So we have everything going for us.

 Therefore let us stand up and be what we are. Since we have this assurance, what on earth are we doing by turning our backs on all of this and going back to live the old dark life. Is that what we want our life here and eternity to be? Surely we don’t want to live as enemies of Christ.  Surely we don’t want destruction to be our destiny, our over- abundance of food to be what is all important for us. Neither do we surely want the shameful things that are taking place all around us to be what we think is right and good, even though we know they are so destructive. Surely pleasure ‘here and now’ to hang with the future, is not all that we have in mind for our lives.

 No, surely after all that Jesus Christ has done for us, we will have so much honour and esteem for him that we will want to be where he is and we will do what he wants us to do.  We will stand firm in the Lord.

 We will come here week after week as often as we can, recognising that our great and gracious God is here present with us. The Almighty God is here to forgive us for the failures of the past week so that we can hold our heads up with confidence and hope. Through his forgiveness we are then once more able to go forward to do the best we can in our relationship with him and in our world around us.

 His Spirit is here to remind us of and apply to us his Word that he knows that we need to hear and hold as vitally important in our lives. He continually points us to Jesus Christ and the importance of his death on the cross for our salvation and assurance of eternal life. He also reminds us of how he would have us live and act both in our relationship with him as well as with one another. Because we know that our sinful world gets it all wrong over and over again, we will eagerly want to hear and study what our Lord has to say, knowing that his word is good and right and lasting.

We will spend much time in prayer, both in our Divine Service and in the rest of our lives, for we now know that he wants to be in communication with us and hear of wants, joys and sorrows; our thanks and praise; as well as our prayers for others around us. We will recognise that our General Prayer in church and the Lord’s Prayer each week covers all the things that need to be prayed for. When we pray for the sick and lonely, each of us mentions those that we know of. When we pray for our nation we bring before our God in our thoughts those issues of the day that are on our minds. So this is both the prayer of the church and our individual prayer as well.

 Then week after week we will long to come forward to the communion rail so that we can commune with our Lord and Saviour. We will want to receive his Body and blood so that we can be further reassured that we have forgiveness of sins and full acceptance of our Lord. As well, we will want the strength that comes from receiving Jesus Christ himself into our very being so that we can know that he goes with us into the rest of our week, wherever we are and whatever we are doing.

 We will stay to the very end of the service so that we can have his blessing pronounced on us and go with us as we leave that service and go to live the rest of the week in our rough and tumble world. Then we will go out into our daily lives to stand up and stand firm in our Christian faith. We will seek to live and be his people wherever we are.

 We will not give way to the destructive forces that are so subtly leading us away from our Lord, We will not make our food and material possessions our god; or willingly go along with many of the shameful things that are going on in our society around about us. We will recognise that earthly things are not the be all and end all of our existence.

 So we will make every effort to be the people that we are in Jesus Christ. As much as we possibly can in this life we will aim to be the kind of people that our Lord would have us be. Yes, we will recognise our weaknesses and failures but we will strive not to give way to them or to conform to the ways of this world.

 Instead we will also recognise that our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

 So there will be what we seek to be a part of, and so we will constantly look to our Lord Jesus Christ and the help that he offers in this regard. For to him alone belongs all glory and honour, now and always.

 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, dear friends! AMEN

 Pastor Roger Atze

Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish

Luke 4:1-13.    The temptations of life???                                          17/2/13

 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, {2} where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. {3} The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." {4} Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone.'" {5} The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. {6} And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendour, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. {7} So if you worship me, it will all be yours." {8} Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'" {9} The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. {10} For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; {11} they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" {12} Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" {13} When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

 Today’s reading raises the issue of the temptations of life and how to face up to them. Yes, primarily it is speaking of Jesus and the temptations that the devil placed before him, in an attempt to derail Jesus’ ministry: and of course how, and with what, Jesus withstood those tests. In that we find where our real help lies as we face the many temptations that are regularly placed before us. We need to cling to the Lord Jesus and his Word to be able to withstand the attempts of the devil to derail us as we go through life.

 This, I believe, is a real issue for us as God’s people at this time. There are untold temptations facing us, day in day out, and we are ‘rolling over’ again and again without even realizing it. Bit by bit the devil is chipping away at us, leading us further and further away from where we should be as God’s people.

 Just a couple of examples. Last Wednesday we had our Ash Wednesday Service. Now, this has alway been considered an important event in our yearly calendar. But the attendance the other night would seem to indicate that this is no longer important: As, might I suggest, are the weekly Lenten services. We as the people of God, at this time, seem to consider this aspect, and part of our Christian walk, as something that we can take or leave. It is not seen as a vital part of our life. Along this vein we could also think of our attitude toward Sunday worship, work and sport and all of that, and the affect that it is having on our lives, as well as the lives of our children.

 Now, I am sure we could all go on with many other areas where we are facing and often succumbing to temptations that are gradually leading us away from where we should be as the people of God. But it is not so much the issues that I want dwell on, but what is our response to them, and what do we use to guide us through.

 Probably the first thing that can be said in this regard is to what extent do we see many of these things as even temptations. I would suspect that for all of us, much of the time, we do not even give a second thought to many of the things that we are confronted with. We just go ahead and do what we want to do and that which everyone else is doing, without even thinking about it. If we were Jesus in the wilderness and were as hungry as he would have been, we would have had no hesitation in wanting to turn stones into bread. After all surely God wants us to be well fed. So what is the drama!

 But that then raises the next and probably the most crucial issue of all. What is it that determines our attitude toward these things. When the encouragement is there to skip church, so that you can do whatever; what and who is it that shapes our thinking? Think about it as you reflect on these times that you have been tempted in this way. On Wednesday evening, for instance, what was you thinking and reasoning for whatever you did?  Is it not, often, our own selfish desires and the influence of the world around us, that entices us most of all?  For some, you probably just plain forgot all about it. But even then, is that maybe, because we just do not see the importance of it? Or maybe we have just so many other things to think about. But even then the question arises as to what we see as the more important?

 But even there when we are confronted with these things, we are often very quick to justify our position. We have got it all under control. We have got our faith. We have to do this, that or the other, in order to get on in life. And I am sure in most cases it all sounds very reasonable. But who and what is it that determines this for us? Where are we looking and thinking? I would suspect that for most of us, most of the time, we have our noses to close to the earth. We are looking at ourselves and our wants and desires, and we look to the world around us.

 Yet what do we see when we look to Jesus as he faced his temptations. He does not look to himself and what he wants and what he thinks he needs. His first reaction every time is: "It is written.” He doesn’t go to what he thinks is right and good. He doesn’t even look for some indication from God via some other source or means. He goes straight to the Word that he knows is true and reliable, for every situation. There even the devil cannot argue.

 And yes, I know what you and the general response is to this. ‘But look it doesn’t have anything to say about all the mundane things of life that we are faced with.’ Really! Who tells us that? Is it perhaps the devil? Again, go back to our reading, what does Jesus do when he is faced with hunger. Surely if we are hungry God expects us to feed ourselves. Surely God’s Word doesn’t deal with such trivial things. But Jesus listens to God’s Word. : 'Man does not live on bread alone.' A full stomach is not all there is to life. In fact it is not even the most important. Something to ponder over. Something to follow up in the Scriptures.

Ah, Yes, but surely the end justifies the means.  Surely as long as it all ends well that is all that matters. The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendour, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours."  To give way in one small thing for the sake of having influence over all. What could be better? God’s Word however says; what a disaster. Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.' God and what he says is all important.

 Well then, if we can at least perform a few miracles and draw attention to how great and grand God’s works are then, we can be successful for God and his church. We have the highest motives and the best focus: surely then it can be right.

The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully;  they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"

With the right scene and the right feelings we can accomplish so much and be able to draw so many into God’s kingdom.

Yet Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" Don’t try and play games with God. He is after all God almighty himself.

 Jesus’ focus was always on what God and his Word has to say and deems as important. The focus was always heavenward, not what we think and feel. No matter how trivial or how tempting, Jesus faced them and answered them as is called for in every situation. Even when he knelt in the Garden of Gethsemane, with the crucifixion, before him; his answer is still: "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." Then he goes uncomplaining forth to the cross and the full punishment of God. He allows God to do to him what we all deserve, so that we might be forgiven and have eternal life with God.

 Jesus stood up to every temptation so that life and salvation may be ours. He was faithful to God and his Word so that we might have hope in the midst of our hopelessness. He stood by the truth so that we can stand in his goodness and trustworthiness, as we face our temptations. He looked to his Father and sought his will so that we can know who and what is right and good; and who we should look to as we need to make our decisions in life.

 Yes, as a human being Jesus faced the same temptations that you and I face, but he did not succumb, so that he could be the sacrifice which takes the penalty of sin away from us. Unlike Adam and Eve, and us, he did not fall to the temptations of the devil, so that he could then be the saviour of the world. Thank God that he did not give way, like we so readily do.

 So may Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour so lead us now, as we face the many temptations that we do in our life. As we look to him and place our trust in him and his word, he will lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For his is the kingdom, the power and the glory, now and forever. AMEN

 Pastor Roger Atze

Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish

John 6:25-35.              Important work!!                                            10/2/13

 ²⁵ When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

²⁶ Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. ²⁷ Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”
²⁸ Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
²⁹ Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
³⁰ So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? ³¹ Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
³² Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. ³³ For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
³⁴ “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”
³⁵ Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

 Here this morning, as we celebrate Harvest Thanksgiving, we have a very interesting and challenging message for us and our world today. The crux of his message here is the question; what are we chasing after in this life?  What is it that we should be striving after if we want to truly live? Important questions for everyone. That will then be reflected in, to whom and what we are thankful for.

 As we look at our society around us, and thereby what has a huge influence on our lives, we find that the attitudes are very disturbing, even on a human level, without taking into consideration what Jesus has to say here in this reading. The danger is that we are, and will be, caught up in the thinking that is around us and therefore of what makes for life and living. That also flows on to our thankfulness for what we have.

 Now as we look around us here this morning, what do we see? The churched packed with people readily seeking to give thanks to God for the wonderful harvest of all the things that we so enjoy! Do we see our church magnificently displaying the abundance of all that we have been blessed with – too excess?

 Then as we widen our view we see a society that is aching and striving for more and more; never satisfied. Constantly seeking to have enough of everything so that they might somehow find happiness and contentment; but always coming up short. A society that has way in excess of what it needs, but wants even more. A society that is obese in every way, but still ever hungry for more.

 Along with this, is the attitude that we have worked for what we have and we deserve every bit of it and more. It is for our own pleasure and benefit that we live and work. So we work so that we can have that which will give us what we want in order to be happy and fulfilled. Along with this is the attitude that it is our right to have everything, even if it is at the expense of others.

 Unfortunately, of course, we never achieve what we believe should be there for us. Along with that we are rarely thankful for the much that we have; for there must be something more that will make us truly happy and fulfilled. Amid the absolute abundance of what we have, we live with a spirit of hunger and poverty.

 And yet we still strive on for more and more. We have not yet stopped and begun to question whether we have missed something vitally important. Because we are so inwardly focussed we cannot, or do not, want to see that something which is by all intents and purposes plainly obvious. Saddest of all, we do not want to seek the help and advice of the one who truly knows what it is all about; God Almighty himself.

 Therefore Harvest thanksgiving will never be what it should be: life and the strivings of life from our society’s perspective will always be one of poverty and hunger: even in the midst of plenty.

 So with this in mind let us focus back on our reading here.

 It begins with the people looking for Jesus and finally catching up with him. But Jesus knows what on their hearts and minds: they we simply looking for him because of his miracles. In others words; they wanted the food he could provide without them having to work for it and healings and other earthly benefits that they could have, so that they could live happily here and now: to hang with the future.

 What did Jesus say? “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

 Instead of simply looking for the here and now, he saying we need to strive for that which endures to eternal life: In other words to think about that which is of lasting value and importance. Our life here on earth is but a blink of the eye compared to eternity: it is much more than simply, here and now. Something then, that we need to be mindful of as we go through life.

 But the question arises: “What must we do to do the works God requires?” What is it that is important for us to work at as we go through life? What is it that should be important for us to consider, work at and strive after as we go through life?

 Jesus surprising answer to this question of ours is: “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” From his perspective the most important thing for us to do as we go through this life is to believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. If we want to strive after something that will make life truly worthwhile and fulfilling, then faith is what it is that we will be after; at all costs; first and foremost.

 Our focus is turned outward to God, rather than to ourselves and what we think, do and achieve for ourselves. It is to take Jesus Christ and his death on the cross seriously as that which will make life here and in eternity truly worthwhile and fulfilling. Now, that certainly goes against the grain of our thinking. We want to see that it is what we do and achieve that is what will give us true satisfaction and meaning. We want to put ourselves into the centre of the picture.

 So we like the Israelites hold on to manna and material possessions as our signs that we are on the right track and that we are blest people. We think that if we have more of these things then surely God is obviously pleased with us.

 However he again reminds us quite clearly that it is not material possessions and earthly food and pleasures that we need for true and lasting satisfaction and wellbeing. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. What he has for us, and wants us to have for our ongoing benefit, is what he has to give. He has bread which is a lasting food: not that which we have got today and is gone down the toilet tomorrow.

 When we have what he wants us to have, he tells we will never be hungry or thirsty. Not just physically, but in every way. When we have what he has to offer we will never be left unsatisfied and unfulfilled. We will not be left longing for something more – something better. We will have everything necessary for this life and the next.

 So surely we will be like the people to whom Jesus was speaking here.

“Sir, always give us this bread.”
Then Jesus declares, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

 So Jesus alone is what we really need if we want to have life in all of its fullness. He is what we need to chase after as that which is vitally important for us if we want to be fully satisfied and fulfilled. There is what we need more than all the things that our society strives for around us.

 With him as the Lord of our lives we will then be enabled to be truly thankful for all that we have: whether it be much or little. We will gather in his house week after week for him to fill us with himself through Word and Sacrament so that we can go forward fully satisfied and strengthened for the work that he has for us to do. With Jesus as the centre of our lives we have that which is truly good and lasting. To him then be all glory and honour, now and always. Amen.

 Pastor Roger Atze

Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish

1 Corinthians 13:1-13.                        Love is the answer!                             3/2/13

(1)                If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. {2} If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. {3} If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. {4} Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. {5} It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. {6} Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. {7} It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. {8} Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. {9} For we know in part and we prophesy in part, {10} but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. {11} When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. {12} Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. {13} And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

 If you were to be granted one gift from God, what would it be that you would want? If you had the choice of all that the Lord wants to give us for this life, for you personally and for the good of the community, what would it be that you would choose? Now I am sure that if you called out your answers, we would get many different responses to that question. But how many of you would have asked for love.

 Now my initial thoughts were if only I had the gift of being able to speak well and be able to convince people of the value and importance of Jesus Christ.  Perhaps if I had the power to change hearts, minds and lives, so that we all could be more loving, caring and committed to the Lord and each other, and so make the world a better place to live. Or perhaps it might be to have the ability to step in and sort out some of the very difficult situations that we are facing as a church and which arise in pastoral work. Yes my first thoughts to this question, was along these lines.

 Yes, even as Christians, our human nature wants that which will make life easy for us and which will draw attention to ourselves and make us a little more acceptable. We want God to give us those gifts which will lift us up in the eyes of others.

 This, we see, was very much the case for the Christians in Corinth. They prided themselves on their great gifts: being able to speak in tongues; being a good public speaker; the ability to lead people and draw in the crowd; and many others. As they put their emphasis on these gifts and the fact that they had them, they were the cause of a great deal of disharmony and hurt. In their wanting to be in the ‘limelight’ they did immense harm to the Christian cause.

 This is why Paul had to sit down and write this letter to them; and in this chapter he gets right down to the heart of the matter. ‘If they want to know what the Christian life is all about; and if they want to be super-christians, then initially they must forget about the spectacular gifts and concentrate first and foremost on faith, hope and love: and particularly on love. Here in this chapter he is pointing out to them what this great gift of love is really all about, and thereby why it is the greatest gift. So here Paul continues on with that constant call of Jesus for his followers to love. Remember how he said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your mind and with all your strength. And then to love your neighbour as yourself.”

  Here again we also need to remember that when we hear the word love mentioned in Scripture, it does not have the same meaning as what is commonly understood in our society today. It is almost that the word love today has no connection with this biblical love, for our love today has a very selfish and self-centred meaning to it. This biblical love however is an all-giving love:  a giving without expecting anything in return. It is a love which places all the value on the other person, instead of the self.

 Now of course this is not something that we can achieve by ourselves because of our sinful, selfish nature. This love can and is only a product of God. In fact it is a part of God and who he is; for ‘God is love.’ For us to have this love we need then to be connected to the Lord Jesus Christ and his death and resurrection. The Spirit therefore works this gift in us by helping us to know the depths of God’s love for us in Jesus Christ and his death on the cross. Through the knowledge that we are loved, forgiven and fully accepted by God through Jesus Christ, we can then be totally focussed on God and what he says as well as on our neighbour and their good, rather than on ourselves. As we are enabled to love in this way, then we will be able to have an impact on the world around us. That is why Paul can say that this love is the greatest. That is why he sees that love is the important gift that we should all strive after.

 To see why love is more important than those other more spectacular gifts, Paul seeks to help the Corinthians and us realise that all these other gifts of prophecy, tongues, knowledge, etc, they are nothing without love. Even in themselves they are all things that will pass away. They are not the centre and core. In fact without love they are in fact harmful.

 To get the point, think about the accusations and the negative impact that are often the result of Christians today using their gifts without love. How often don’t we hear things said like: ‘They call themselves Christians and yet look how they fight and quarrel.’ Or, ‘he knows his Bible and doctrines but he couldn’t care how many people he drives away from the church.’ Or, Look how she puts on the airs and graces trying the impress people that she is somehow a super-christian who is better than everyone else.’ And I am sure you could add many others.

 But what lies behind many of these accusations, is not the gift that that person may certainly have, but their use and abuse of it. The gift is having a negative effect because it is not undergirded by love. That is Paul’s big point here in this reading. It is love which makes all these other great gifts worthwhile. It is the use of the gifts for the other persons benefit, not for our own selfish benefits, that makes them valuable. If all we are seeking to do is to get our own way, or to impress people about how good we are, and not lead them to Jesus Christ then they are a disaster. If love does not accompany everything we do then we are wasting our time, no matter how great the gift might be. It is only as we give first consideration to God and the other person that we are able to be of real and lasting benefit.

 Now why is it that love is so important? Paul goes on to stress the ideal qualities of this love: qualities that build up rather than tear down: qualities which make for good relationships that draw people to be what God intended us to be.

Paul lists what is so good about this love. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

 We could all do with a little more of those qualities, couldn’t we? They certainly would make a huge difference to life in this community if this love was at work more and more in our midst. That being the case let us concentrate on having and displaying this gift above and beyond all the others.

 Now of course to do that we will need to allow the Spirit to lead us to a deeper understanding of Jesus Christ and what he has done for us through his death on the cross. Then that love will become a stronger part of our lives. The more time we spend reading and meditating on God’s Word: allowing the Holy Spirit to deepen our understanding of the depth and extent of God’s love for us, the more that this same love will then flow out into our community around us. The more we grasp and trust what God has done for us in Jesus, the more that security and hope enables us to love in this way. That is, we can forget our selfish wants and desires and focus on God’s good and glory, and the good of those that we come into contact with.

 As we do love in this way, the more people will be drawn to give all glory and honour to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and him alone. It is surely that which we would want to do if we truly want to be super-christians. To be a truly good Christian means that can stand in the confidence and hope of the forgiveness and salvation that is ours in Jesus Christ and to then do all we can to share that with the people around about us. God grant this gift to us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. AMEN.

Pastor Roger Atze

Glandore/Underdale Lutheran parish