Roger's Postings

Friday, January 25, 2013


Luke 4:14-21.              Hear and Know!                                                         27/1/13

 (14)  Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. {15} He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. {16} He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. {17} The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: {18} "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, {19} to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour."  {21)  Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, {21} and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

 As we gather week by week here in God’s house, what is it that we come for? What is it that we listen to and are a part of? Why do we, or should we, be here regularly?  What is it that makes this one hour a week the most important thing that we can be a part of and participate in?

 So often we come out of habit and ritual, not really sure why. We come because we have a sense that somehow it is the right thing to do. We come because we know deep down that we need something more in our life. Perhaps we even come in order to do the right thing by God and to show him and others that we are a Christian: that we are worthy of acceptance.

 However, no matter what reason draws us here, it is here that we have an encounter with the Almighty God himself. Here his Word is read and heard, and it leads and points us to Jesus Christ and challenges us to see that he alone is what we need for life. In God’s Word and Jesus’ fulfilment of it, we have that which is truly important for us.

 Now with these things in mind let us reflect on some very important points that come to us through this reading.
Firstly we hear how Jesus as he began his ministry here on earth: He went to Nazareth, (that is, his home town) where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom.

Here we learn something that was basic for Jesus, and has been that way for faithful Christians ever since. His custom was that he would go to the synagogue and listen to and reflect on the Scriptures - the Word of God. Each Sabbath he would go to God’s house and hear and read that which was known to be of utmost importance to God’s people. So regular worship, where God’s Word was central, was very much a part of his thinking; and so should also be for us.

 We need to gather regularly under God’s Word, for we are people whose nature is very easily led astray; as we can see from our society around us. Because we are self-centred people, we all too often think we have it under control and that we can go to church when and where it pleases us. But as we can see, that as this thinking grows, so does the absenteeism from worship. We need to maintain regular worship as best we can, for our benefit and the benefit of our relationship with God, as well as for the benefit of other.

 Secondly we read that the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. This again reminds us quite clearly that what we have in the Bible is what is to be the focus of our worship, as it was for Jesus. No other book or revelation is needed for us to know what is basic to the faith. We don’t need all the added extras that are so often held up today as being essential. We don’t need the right experiences and feelings. God’s Word extends to us that which we truly need.

 Here, what Jesus read from the scroll, and said of it, is very interesting. There was no long flowery sermon or intellectual gymnastics. He simply read the lesson, and sat down saying the words: "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." This reading was his Gospel lesson and his sermon. Here was good news for the people: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour."

 Here was no moralistic sermon: no hyper-charismatic, get them in, address. No focussing on feelings and experience, in order to help people simply feel good about themselves and to go away enthused. He did not focus on the people and what and how they must live as God’s people if they were to receive God’s blessings.

 So here he simply reads what God’s Word has to say and concludes by saying that it is he who it is referring to. This reading and the whole of scripture seeks to point to and lead people to Jesus Christ and the Good News that he has for us. Any use of Scripture for purposes other than leading people to Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour is deception and heresy.

 After all what more could we want, than what was prophesied about Jesus and which he said is now fulfilled in his coming. "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour."

In Jesus and his life, death and resurrection, there is good news for the poor: Both the poor in spirit and poor in terms of earthly wealth: For in light of Jesus and his love for us, that has ensured forgiveness of sins, life and salvation, now we no longer need to be ‘down in the dumps’ because the troubles of this world are overpowering us. We do not need to fear that though the world might look down on us because of our lack of wealth and material possessions; because we do know now that we are loved and accepted by God even though we do not have anything to offer or make us acceptable. Our wealth or lack of it does not indicate that we are more or less blessed by God. We are blest and accepted by God because of Jesus’ death on the cross for us: Nothing more: Nothing less.

 Also even though we spiritually might be feeling poor and empty: knowing that we are sinful and unclean, Jesus even there offers this same Good News. Even though we have nothing to offer God in terms of good works, he died for each and every one of us: thereby determining that we are all made right with him. In Jesus coming and his life, death and resurrection: and our connection to him and his death and resurrection through baptism, we are assured that nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from his love. This is truly good news for the poor.

 Yes there is even freedom for the prisoners. To those who are bound by the devil, like the exiles dragged off to Babylon, and with no human hope of return; Jesus’ coming announces freedom. To those who are caught in the web of all kinds of deceit, and cannot see a way out, Jesus assures even them that he has freedom for them so that that too can share eternity with him in heaven.

 To those who are blind and see nothing but darkness and more of the same, Jesus also comes, announcing recovery of sight for the blind. Yes, Jesus healed many in his day that were physically blind; but even more so he proclaimed that those who have trouble seeing spiritually, but long to know and understand the truths of God, will be enabled to see that which is right and good. Through his Spirit at work where his Word is proclaimed they will be given every help possible, physically and spiritually. It will only be outright rejection of what he has to offer which will bar any from seeing.

 Also the oppressed will know that there is release for them. So many today, as throughout history, feel hopelessly weighed down. They have been smothered by life situations and are helpless to find a way out. Even to them Jesus assures that there is hope and there is life. No matter how tough life is here and now there is release ahead; guaranteed by Jesus Christ himself.

 To each and every person Jesus’ coming proclaims the year of the Lord's favour. In him and our connection to his death and resurrection the Lord's favour is extended to each one of us. We are loved and accepted by God because of Jesus Christ. We have forgiveness of sins, life and salvation: All freely extended to each and every one of us. This is what is made available to you and me again today.

 This is truly good news for us all. This is what Jesus extends to us week by week as we gather here in his house, as is our habit. This is what God has for us here today.  In this Service God himself comes and serves us with this Good News, as we listen to his Word and partake of the Lord’s Supper. Continually we are pointed to Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour and are encouraged to place our trust in him alone, for these things that we truly need and long for. He is our only truly Good News. To him be glory and honour, now and always. AMEN.

Pastor Roger Atze
Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish

Friday, January 18, 2013


John 2:1-11.    Jesus - giver of the good wine of life             20/1/13

 2 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” 4 “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

 What an embarrassing situation the bridegroom here in this text was faced with: part way through the celebrations and the wine runs out. Now in that culture this would have been considered quite a disgrace. The wedding and the celebrations were a very important and joyous occasion: the new household and family was being established, and the supplies of food and drink needed to be ample to last up to a week; and to run out, meant the celebrations were incomplete and he would have been considered a social outcast - people would have talked for a long time after. The poor guy was in trouble, with no way out.

 Now in many ways we could compare this wedding feast with our own Christian lives. There too, we are meant to be beginning something new: a new life, with a new relationship with God and a new way of living. It is meant to be a time of joyous celebration all round. But like the bridegroom we face embarrassment and disgrace. Many times the wine in our life runs out - the good is not there; and we fail to live and be the new people that we are. The joy is gone out of our lives: the new life reverts back to the old and we do things against the will of God: We fail to live as Christians seven days a week.

 Some of us are perhaps in the position where others out in the community are talking about our inability to live as a Christian should – and are called hypocrites. People saying that, if that is what it means to be a Christian they don't want have any part of it. Yes, at many times in our Christian life we, like the bridegroom, are in trouble - with our backs to the wall, with no way out.

 But from this reading, what a surprise it was for the bridegroom and others at the feast when the master of ceremonies comes forward with gallons of the finest wine. Now there is no longer any disgrace - no need for embarrassment, but instead there is amazement: Where did this come from? How? Why?

 On the groom’s part, there would have been great relief, thankfulness and renewed joy. In fact there would have been even greater joy because of what has just taken place. Here there was no ordinary event: water has just been changed into wine: here God was at work in their lives - helping them in their time of dire need. Here God was at work in and through this invited guest Jesus. God has just revealed his glory to them through Jesus Christ.

 Now, time and time again the same thing happens in our own lives. When we think back over the years we can often see many times where we have faced embarrassment, disappointment and even disgrace, with seemingly no way out, when somehow the situation has just turned around: things did not turn out the way that they should have. To our amazement, good has come out of a bad situation. God has been at work and shown his power and glory; whether we recognise it or not. Miracle after miracle has occurred.

 But it is often interesting to see how this so often occurs. At the wedding banquet when the crisis was on, it was Mary who took the grooms concern to Jesus. Probably the groom was either too embarrassed or too concerned perhaps, even to think about seeking help. Mary knew her son could help, so she takes the concern to Jesus and asks for his help.

Also, many times, good things happen in our lives because someone else has seen the predicament and taken the problem to Jesus in prayer. In the midst of our problems, too often we are not thinking clearly, or might even be blind to the reality of what is happening; or too proud to admit that we have got a problem. So it takes someone else to go to Jesus with the problem and seek his help. Through the prayers of others God has brought good out of a bad situation. So we need to continually be on the lookout for one another and be prepared to take any concerns to our Lord in prayer, knowing that he can do something to be of help.

 But at the same time, we need to keep in mind what Jesus has to say in this situation at the wedding. His reply suggests that Mary's concern was somewhat different to what he had in mind for the occasion. You see, Mary wanted to help the bridegroom out of an embarrassing situation: she wanted to help him solve the shortage of wine: her concern was temporal. Jesus on the other hand has something far more important in mind: his main concern is the person’s soul’s salvation.

 That what he meant when he said; 'my hour has not yet come'. It was not yet time for him to go to the cross and die for the sins of the world. It was not yet time for him to fulfil his task of saving mankind. Remember, that is always Jesus’ primary concern and purpose for being here, and being involved in any situation in life.

 So also today, Jesus’ main concern is still more for a person soul’s salvation, than simply helping us out of a temporal and embarrassing situation. Jesus went to the cross for that very purpose: there he displayed his power, glory and love for us, by dying on the cross so that we can live with God, both here and in eternity.

 It is not that he is not willing to help us out in our day to day problems. His changing of water into wine shows that he is concerned about what happens in our daily lives and that he is willing to help out in our time of need. In fact he is prepared to give a lot more than what is asked for: at the wedding banquet he doesn't just give a couple of extra flagons of wine, but he gives 100-150 gallons of the best. Time and time again, he gives us far more than we ask for, need or deserve.

 In fact, here Jesus uses this wedding feast to show that God is involved in this world. He does this miracle to show that the power and glory of God is there in and through himself. Our text here tells us that many of the people there put their trust in him. They began to have the confidence to know that he is concerned about them and their soul's salvation. Having received joy from having their temporal needs and embarrassments removed helped them to trust him when he had more important things to share with them. They found that they could trust him when he talked about his death being for their salvation.

 That is also why he produces miracles in our lives and that is why so often he gives more than we need or deserve. He does it so that we can see the power and glory of God at work in through the Lord Jesus. It does it to help us to trust Jesus and his word: so that we can have the confidence of knowing that above all he is concerned about our soul’s salvation. More important than temporal things, he wants us to have that which enables us share eternity with him in heaven. He wants us to know that he has done everything necessary for that all to be ours. He wants us to know it and never forget it. He wants to assure us again and again of what he has done for us in giving us eternal life with himself.

 So now we can get on with the feast. We can get on with our life with renewed joy knowing that God cares about our life both here and in eternity. Knowing that he has produced the impossible for us, despite our weaknesses and failings, means that our life can now have a richness, like that of a good port, in abundance: more than we could ever think possible.

 So let us live life with the festive joy of a wedding breakfast: Living every day knowing that the Lord Jesus – the invited guest – has and is doing great things for us. He has taken care of our soul's salvation and he is willing to gives us what we need when we fail along the way. Let us continue to focus our lives on Jesus Christ knowing that the power and glory of God is there in him. May the joy of Christ go with you, as you give him glory and honour, now and always. AMEN.

 Pastor Roger Atze
Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish

Friday, January 11, 2013


Matthew 3:13-17.                   Jesus’ baptism – for us!!                     13/1/13

 {13)  Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. {14} But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" {15} Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfil all righteousness." Then John consented. {16} As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. {17} And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

 Today the focus for us is placed on Jesus’ baptism. But the question for many is; what is his baptism all about? After all he is God’s Son. He is a sinless being. Surely he does not need to be baptized for the forgiveness of his sins. But probably the bigger question for most today, is ‘what has this got to do with us anyway?’ ‘Here, then, is one sermon that we surely can go to sleep in because this has nothing to do with me. It is only a lot of theological mumbo jumbo.’

 
Well, let me begin by saying that this has got everything to do with you and me. If this event of Jesus’ baptism had not occurred you and I would be facing an eternity in Hell; guaranteed. Jesus’ baptism has everything to do with you and me and our salvation. If we think we can bypass this event, then you are also bypassing everything he did on the cross for us; and we are also bypassing the true significance and importance of our own baptisms today and the confidence and certainty we gain from it.

 Here again, God is doing something in and through Jesus Christ that gives us great assurance with regard to the certainty of our salvation. Here again Jesus becomes the centre and core of what our salvation really entails. It is what he has done that guarantees our salvation and helps us to now look away from ourselves and to place Jesus at the centre and focus of not only our salvation, but everything that we say and do. Because he did what he did there at the Jordan River we have every reason to now allow him to lead and guide and do what he wants to do in and through our lives.

 But I wonder; do we really want Jesus as the centre of our lives? Do we want his identification with us and his salvation that he has won for us; and thereby also the new life that he has for us? Or do we want to continue to justify ourselves before each other and before God? Do we continue to want to live and do as we please?

 Sadly I think, all too often, this is the case for us today. Life is all about me and what I think and what I make of life. This is sin! This is our desperate plight as human beings. We tell God and everyone else what we want to do and have, so that everything can go the way we want. From that flows all kinds of deeds which break the harmony that God intended for us. As a result we are all left hurt, lonely and depressed. Deep down we know that we are guilty; but we continue to try to justify ourselves; we keep trying to prove that we are alright. But we are not. We are in deep trouble.

 Yet, it is right here that Jesus’ baptism becomes so significant for us. Here Jesus, as he now is about to begin his ministry of seeking to save this lost, lonely and guilty humanity, goes to John the Baptist on the banks of the Jordan to be baptized. Here John the Baptist gets it right. Jesus doesn’t need to be baptized, for he is sinless; he is God come to us. John’s baptism is for the forgiveness of sins. It is interesting that John does not baptize some of the Pharisees because of their impenitence, and here he is unwilling to baptize Jesus because of his sinlessness.

 But Jesus insists, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfil all righteousness." Even though John is right in his assessment of the situation, Jesus says it is right and proper that he should be baptized. Why? To fulfil all righteousness. That is to fulfil everything that is necessary in order for us to be right with God. Here at the Jordan, Jesus enacts God’s saving deeds for human kind by [literally] standing with sinners. There he joins with us sinners. In his baptism he becomes one of us. He takes on himself our sin; and then heads forward to Jerusalem and the cross. There He as the sinless one offers up his own life as the ransom payment in the place of many; in the place of you and me.

 So here, get this straight, at his baptism Jesus joins himself to you and me. He fully becomes one of us, sinful human beings. He knows full well the dire situation of us human beings: sinful and without any way of being able to get ourselves out of our own mess. Yet he takes all of that on himself; and then proceeds to Jerusalem to ensure that we can once again be made right with God. That is absolutely incredible.

 Now recognising that in his baptism Jesus has identified fully with us, God’s words from the heavens immediately following, then also becomes very significant. "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."  So here we have acknowledgement that Jesus is God’s very own Son; but this also signifies that all with whom Jesus has joined himself to and are identified with him, are here in Jesus’ baptism addressed by these words. In a number of places in the Old Testament God addresses his people as his ‘sons.’ So with Jesus and his baptism he identified himself with us so that he could save God’s ‘sons’ lost in sin. So here in these words that are spoken of Jesus also comes the acknowledgment that all for whom Jesus died on the cross, these words are spoken; "This is my ‘son’, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." Truly remarkable!

 Again that can only be because of Jesus’ death on the cross and his resurrection three days later. There he died our death; taking the punishment that we deserve on himself so that we might be forgiven and accepted as his Fathers own dear ‘sons.’ Then he was raised from the dead three days later as a clear confirmation that what he has done on the cross is accepted by God and his work of salvation for us is complete. Now he and we can once again live at peace with God and with one another.

 Jesus has come, connected himself to us as sinful human beings that he can bring about salvation and eternal life for us. His baptism and his connecting himself to us had as its focal point, his death on the cross and his resurrection: For there alone is our salvation!

 Now then, for us living this side of his death and resurrection he gives us baptism where he can again connect, not only himself, but also the Father and the Holy Spirit, with us, so that again he can impart to us, all that he has done for us through his death on the cross. Now the forgiveness of sins, life and salvation are now freely available to all who are connected to him and his death and resurrection. Through baptism he washes away our sin and joins us to his family for all eternity.  All now may become members of God’s people, God’s ‘sons’, through baptism and faith in him.

 So yes we say that the cross and the empty tomb stand at the centre of the Christian faith, with Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan pointing forward to those central saving events in anticipation; and with Baptism flowing out from those events. There God places on us the salvation that he has won for us. Just as he connected himself to sinful humanity at his baptism, now he joins us to himself and the new life that he has for us.

 Now we can have complete certainty as we go forward in life, for God himself, Father, Son and Holy Spirit has united himself to us and to all that Jesus has won for us through his death on the cross. Forgiveness of sins, life and salvation are now guaranteed for us, and confirmed in us. Now there is hope for us; there is new life; there is a new ‘Lord’ for us as we live out our lives every day.

 Now, surely, Jesus and the cross, stand at the centre and the core of our very life. He and what he has done for us is what gives us our meaning and direction for life. There is what is important to us. That also surely will mean that everything we say and do will be guided by him as well. Now, He is Lord for us, instead of ourselves. Now we will be outward looking, focussing on the needs of others instead of ourselves and our wants. It means we will love one another, even though we recognise that as long as we live here on this earth, that we will constantly be dealing with the results of sin. So we will be forgiving of one another; but at the same time seeking to overcome weakness so that we do not cause offence and hardship.

 But most importantly of all, we will constantly be seeking to give glory to Christ and the cross. We will want to do all that we can so that others also may know of this wonderful Good News that is here for us through Jesus Christ and his identification with us and his death and resurrection for us. Jesus and what he has done for us is what is absolutely essential for us and for our lives.

 Thank God that in his baptism Jesus Christ identified with us in our sinfulness, so that he might do what was necessary for our salvation. He truly is Lord. To him be all glory and honour, now and forever. AMEN.

 Pastor Roger Atze
Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish

 

 

Saturday, January 05, 2013


Ephesians 3:1-12. The great mystery of Jesus Christ!!        6/1/13

  For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—
2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. 8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

 Today being Epiphany Sunday we reflect on the wonderful revelation of Jesus Christ and the Good News that he has made possible. So again we are reminded of why Christmas is so special and why it goes on into every day of the rest of our lives. With the coming of Jesus we now have revealed to us the great mystery that surrounds his coming and his implication for all of life, for all time.

 Here we are reminded of just why Jesus Christ is so important for us and for all people. He is not here just for God’s chosen people, Israel, and a few other special people: we are all members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. Just why and how he does this, is the mystery that still perplexes people the world over. It is too simple and too against what we humans would normally think is the way that God would and should do it.

Even today; and perhaps even more so today, we want to put ourselves into the centre of the picture and as a result can’t understand how God could work through Jesus, and his life, death and resurrection here on this earth. We place the importance of our life and salvation on what we do and think, is the way that it should be done.

 I am currently reading a book that was given to me for Christmas by a fellow pastor, which is written by a non-christian about the dire straits that our world is currently in and where we are heading in the future. He is painting a very bleak picture and yet he is optimistically suggesting that we human-being will get ourselves through it and come out better for it on the other side. We have evolved to the point that we are on the verge of destroying a sustainable life, but he believes that we can work our way through it and evolved into a position where we are far more in tune with nature and the world around us.

 Now unfortunately, even though in many ways I believe he has fairly accurately analysed the current situation, he has failed to consider two very important ingredients which alters everything considerably. By looking at this issue from the perspective of the current humanist, evolutionary point of view, he has doomed us all to absolute disaster, even though he would not agree.

 Unless we take the sinful nature of humanity into consideration, along with the reality of God and what he has to say, we will get nowhere but into further trouble. Human nature being selfish and ego-centric it will always fall, because it is out to get and do what I want above all else. To design any form of human government or system of living, will always fail in the long term. We will always struggle to maintain a good life and in the end fail.

 That is why it is so important for us to take seriously Jesus Christ and all that he has done for us.  As much as we think we can get by without God, and all that he has said and done for us, it is just not possible. That means that we have to accept him on his terms and take what he has to say as all important. Otherwise we will just fall back into the same old trap of us determining what is important and messing it all up.

 This is all too often the problem, even within the Church, where we want to determine what is good and right. We want to change God’s word to suit the prevailing culture of the day; we want to determine who is acceptable and who is not; we want to place the emphasis on what we have to do in order to be acceptable; and much more. So our sinful human nature is seeking to manipulate the Christian faith in order do what we think is right and good.

 Yet here again we are reminded very clearly that it is Jesus Christ who is the centre and the determiner of what is good and right. Even though his ways may seem foolish to us, they are the mysterious way that God has chosen to work for our good. They are what God himself has revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets: that is his Word – the Bible. It is there that we find all that we need to know with regard to life. There it points us to what is all-important for us – Jesus Christ and his death on the cross.

 There also it clearly makes the point that it is all a gift of God’s grace. He chooses to do what he has, and continues to do, because of his charitable love for us, and nothing more. He chooses to accept all people by grace rather than position, status in society, race, goodness, or anything else. Everything good that we have is a gift of God, rather than something we have achieved by own abilities and doing. Despite the fact that we don’t deserve to have any good come our way, God has chosen to provide us with what we need in order to get through this life and finally be with him in heaven where we will have everything good and perfect.

 Like Paul who actually and openly worked against Jesus Christ and his Good News for us, God and the working of his power, makes it possible for him and us to have a whole new life and approach to life; and be enabled to do something that can be truly helpful for our world. With God’s power working in and through us we can help people to know the greatness of Jesus Christ and all that he has done to change the outlook in life for us all.

 Through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms. Here again we have another mysterious aspect to Jesus Christ; and that is that he uses and works through the church, as weak and fallible that it is. He works through ordinary people, like you and me, in order to reach the whole cross section of our society and our world. All so that they can come to know of the great thing that Jesus Christ has done for us so that we can have a truly good life.

 Through our gathering together week after week we are doing much more than simply strengthening ourselves for our task of making known the Good news of Jesus Christ, but we are also proclaim to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, the greatness and importance of Jesus Christ and what he has done to save the world from its own self-destruction. Here we are making a profound statement to all, that Jesus Christ is all important. He is the great Lord of all.

 This is according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. Yes, already before the creation of the world this has been his great plan all along: So that all people can know Jesus Christ and be lifted beyond the realms of struggling fruitlessly to make a life for ourselves here on earth. His whole aim was to make it possible for us, despite our sinfulness, to find life and hope, outside of ourselves, in Jesus.

 That is why this passage concludes with the words: In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. Because of Jesus Christ we can now be with God and take him seriously without fear of being rejected. Even though we are sinful and selfish and mess everything up, we now can be sure that God loves us, forgives us and has won eternal life for us with himself.

 This is the wonderful mystery of Jesus Christ that has been made known to us and that he would have us share with the world around us. We have every reason to now go forward confidently and boldly to live our life here as best we can in the midst of the troubles and difficulties of a life that is likely to come under ever increasing pressure. Our present way of living is not sustainable, but in Jesus there is a way through it all to something infinitely better. So let us continue to look to him alone as our one sure hope for the future; for again to alone belongs all glory and honour, now and always. Amen.

 Pastor Roger Atze
Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish