Isaiah 64:1-9.                      God, come and help us out!!                      30/11/14

 {1)  Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you! {2} As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your name known to your enemies and cause the nations to quake before you! {3} For when you did awesome things that we did not expect, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you. {4} Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. {5} You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember your ways. But when we continued to sin against them, you were angry. How then can we be saved? {6} All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. {7} No one calls on your name or strives to lay hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us and made us waste away because of our sins. {8} Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. {9} Do not be angry beyond measure, O LORD; do not remember our sins forever. Oh, look upon us, we pray, for we are all your people.

 As we begin another Advent season the realities of life hover so near: life is not what it should be; sickness, troubles, job losses, poor church numbers and so much more. We try and gee ourselves up; we try and be positive; we get on with life in order to ensure that everything is right; but all the time we fall short; it just doesn’t work out! Life doesn’t work out the way that we think it should.

 So again we join the people of Israel and God’s people throughout history. ‘Come on, God; how about coming down and giving us a hand.’ We long for everything to work out for us; we try so hard to see that it happens; and then we are left with no choice but to finally accept that God needs to come to us and make things right.

 Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you! As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your name known to your enemies and cause the nations to quake before you! For when you did awesome things that we did not expect, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you.

Then we would know that everything will be OK. Then we could come here week after week and struggle to find a seat in this place as people flock to hear God’s Word. Then we would have less stress and hassles; life would surely flow more easily and everyone would be more inclined to do what is good and right. Then we would be proved right and we would be able to hold our heads high.

 So, ‘Come on, God; how about coming down and giving us a hand.’ ‘How about showing your great power and zapping all the evil that hangs around us.’ ‘Come and prove to us that you are in control by doing mighty things that destroys sickness, pain and evil.’ ‘Prove to the world you have overcome evil, so that all that is good might be preserved.’ ‘You have told us that you are a great and awesome God, and you have given us your Word, so let us see that you are true to your word.

 But what do we see when God has entered our world in the past in this way. He rescues Israel from the Egyptians with an immense array of powerful and wondrous deeds, but that same power also meant that all along the way, when they sinned, that God also brought disaster on them. God’s holy presence means that all that is sinful is destroyed. That means a terrible dilemma for us: For we are sinful and unclean.

 All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. No one calls on your name or strives to lay hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us and made us waste away because of our sins.

Yes, all of us have chosen to be selfish, self-centred and rebellious: All of us! All our goodness is like a filthy, stained pair of old underpants [which is the real meaning of ‘filthy rags’ in the original language]. So how can we expect that God should give us all that we want: we don’t listen to him very well, nor do we so often even try to do the right thing. Greed and selfishness has raped our environment as well as our economic system; not to mention our families and support of one another in our society. We deserve everything that comes our way; even as Christians.

 So God hides his face from us, so that we will not be destroyed. Yes even us today. Surely none of us are so self-righteous that we are able to stand in God’s presence, with all it glory. Surely none of us deserve to have everything go well for us. So we need to recognise and remember that we cannot expect God to ensure that we have it comfortable all the time. Inevitably when things go well for us, we as sinful human beings all too often forget God and take all his goodness for granted. So it is not good for us that God let us have our own way.

 So, how then can we be saved? How then can we live in peace and happiness? How can we go on, if all we can expect is more of the same? It would seem that it is all so pointless and negative and miserable. Sadly this is what we as a sinful human race have made the world that we live in like. And no matter how hard we try, we on our own are unable to change the situation. No human plan or system can rectify it, for our sin will always corrupt it, whether we are christian or not.

 But we must remember that this is not the end of the story. Yes, we need to remember that the difficulties and tragedies of life are all the fruits of and reminders of the fact that we are sinful; and that we need to look to and trust that God is the only true answer that we have. We need to turn to, look to and trust that he alone can bring the comfort and strength that we need; and that he is the only real hope of peace and life for the future.

 We need to be like Isaiah: Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. Do not be angry beyond measure, O LORD; do not remember our sins forever. Oh, look upon us, we pray, for we are all your people.

 This Advent season, as we prepare for Christmas, we are called on to prepare ourselves; turn to and look to God and his answer to the dilemma that we find ourselves in. As we look to God’s answer we need to recall that time and time again throughout the Old Testament period, God told his people that he would send a saviour who would defeat sin, death and the devil. They were called to look forward in faith, trusting that God was true to his word.

 That we find to be the case in the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. There we have “God with us.” There we have his full answer to our need. There in God; coming as a frail little baby; living as a human being; and then suffering and dying on the cross, we have God doing what was necessary for our salvation. There we have the help that we so desperately need.

 Now we are assured that all who are connected to him will get to live with him in heaven free from sin and its consequences. We have a sure and certain hope for us to cling to in the midst of this sinful world. We can even see our troubles and hardships as good, in that they help to keep our focus where it needs to be, on Jesus Christ and his death on the cross.

 Here we need to remember again that God’s demonstration of power and his answer to evil is quite different from the way we think it should happen. He comes in weakness and frailty: he lived in the midst of all the same troubles and difficulties that we face; he defeats the devil by dying himself; he overcomes death for us by rising from the dead himself. As a result we are assured that forgiveness of sins, life and salvation has been extended to us. He has assured us that he is with us as we face our own troubles and that with him there is a way through for us.

 Now he calls us to daily live, suffer and die in the midst of a world that is and always will be troubled by the consequences of sin. However, not to live in and with our own strength, but to always look to the Lord Jesus, and rely on him and live in him. As we do we are assured that he will uphold and sustain us in the midst of all that is happening: All the while having the full assurance that we are forgiven and are guaranteed salvation and eternal life with God in heaven.

 So this Advent season we are reminded again to look forward to; and prepare ourselves for the full assurance that God has come to be with us and to help us in our need. He comes to help us to always look to him and trust that after our short time of suffering here on this earth he has made it possible for us to live with him in eternity, completely free from all that is bad and evil. So look again to him and trust him, to whom all glory and honour will go, now and forever; our great God Father, Son and Holy Spirit. AMEN.

 Pastor Roger Atze

Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish

Matthew 25:31-46.                          Jesus has the last word 23/11/14

 

(31)  "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. {32} All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. {33} He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. {34} "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. {35} For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, {36} I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' {37} "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? {38} When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? {39} When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' {40} "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' {41} "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. {42} For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, {43} I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' {44} "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' {45} "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' {46} "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

 The readings this morning again give us another very sobering and important message. Today being the Last Sunday of the Church year we are reminded that at the end of the day Jesus has the last word, not you and I.

 One day you and I will be called to account: we will face judgement for how we have lived our lives here on earth. What we believe and say here and how we live from here on will determine whether we go to the right or the left: to heaven or to hell. That should surely make us stop and evaluate what we are on about. Surely we will want to listen to and heed what our Lord has to say on this matter. We will want to take care as to what we are doing each day of our lives.

Yet at the end of the day, will what you say and think make any difference? Will our good deeds earn us the right to heaven, or will God simply accept everyone because he is a loving God? Or is there something else? Well, we are reminded here that in the final analysis Jesus will have last word - not you or I. Jesus will determine who and what the criteria is for acceptance on that great day. He, and not us and what we think, will have the final word on what is important.

 
Now think about that! There are heaps of people out there who don't really care too much about this Jesus stuff. They don't think too much about how God wants them to live, and yet they think it is all going to work out all right in the end. They think they will be able to stand up there on that final day and say, ‘hey, I was a pretty good guy – I didn't do anything too bad - God let me in.’ They think that they will get to be in heaven, if there is one. The assumption is that all who have not done anything too bad in life will be alright.

 At the same time we have many saying God is an all-loving and gracious God who ultimately accept us, because we are making a reasonable effort to be a Christian and live a good, moral life. ‘I know a certain amount about Jesus, or I speak in tongues or do whatever, therefore I will be acceptable.’ So again we are setting the criteria by which God will accept us.

  
But we are reminded here that Jesus will have the last word. Jesus will make the decision who gets to share heaven with him; and yes it will be determined by our attitudes, beliefs, and how we live here and now. It will be determined by how seriously we take Jesus Christ and what he has to say. Here remember he knows what and why we are thinking and doing what we are doing. Sadly, to many he will say, 'depart from me to the eternal fire.'

 But if you think that is scary, think about the alternative. What if there were no criteria for judgement, and right and wrong had nothing to be gauged against; except what we think at a particular point in time? What if there was no final evaluation as to what is important, and worst of all, what if there was no heavenly king to have the last word, but instead we are left to our own devises and to pass our own judgements on ourselves and others: Which of course are fallible because we cannot see the whole picture? That is scary! If that is all that life ends up being, it is frightening: That would mean a real dog eat dog world, with nobody at all winning.

 But Jesus will have last word, and what we say and think on that last day will in one sense be unimportant. Notice the only thing the people say as they are sent either to the right or left is, ‘when did we see you?’ No excuses - no pleading 'I tried' or 'I was a pretty good fella'. No bargaining. Even the judge, Jesus, does not question the people, because he already knows the facts. He knows our heart - he knows what is important to us – he knows what we have done and why we have done it. All he says is, 'come you blessed;' ‘Go you cursed'.

 The test has already taken place. “You looked after the hungry, thirsty, lonely, sick, and so on.” “Or you did nothing.” And even this is much more than merely scoring a few brownie points, or doing a few good deeds so as to enable us to get to heaven. It is not about simply being good enough to be acceptable. They are merely a selection of actions which indicate a person is living in harmony with the will of God. And it can be summed up simply as loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and our neighbour as ourselves. We need to remember that God alone can see into our hearts and minds, and knows if we are doing that. He knows who we are serving – whether we are loving and serving the Lord Jesus or not.

 Jesus makes it quite clear from his perspective that it all depends on the reason why we are doing what we are doing in every single aspect of our lives. He says, ‘as much as you did it for others you did it for me.’ Everything we do in life as Christians is done for Christ: done because of what he has done for us. Not to gain points. Not so that he will accept us and let us into heaven; but because he has done everything necessary for our salvation.

 He knew that we all have and continue to sin much and as a result deserve death and hell. Therefore he came to do what was necessary for us to be saved. He died on the cross so we might have salvation and eternal life. He gave his life so that we can have life, and can face judgement day with confidence. He has done what is needed so that we can have what is important.

 All that he now looks for, is for people who look to him and trust what he has done for them and their salvation. He even gives us the faith that we need in order to do this. He has done everything for us so that we can have eternal life as a free gift. However as we know, many have turned their backs on this gift and have willingly gone on and done their own thing; thereby rejecting this wonderful gift. But for those who do continue to look to him and trust in him and what he has for them, they have the assurance of forgiveness, life and salvation.

 As a result, now our grateful response is to love God and our neighbour: to give the hungry, food – the thirsty, a drink - to look after the sick – and so on. Even our work, sport, and recreation are all done in gratitude for what God has done for us in and through our Lord Jesus Christ and his death on the cross. Now we live in loving obedience: trusting that God knows better than what we do: trusting that he knows what is best.

 Now because we believe in what Jesus Christ has done for us and that he has the last word, and are now seeking to live as God wants because he is our Lord [our Master] and our Saviour, then we have nothing to fear when the time comes for us to face God on the last day. On that day what we are doing and saying here will be proved right. And all those who give us a hard time because we are Christians will be put to shame; and those who think that they can live without taking God and what he has to say seriously will realize their foolishness.

 But there are better reasons for looking forward to that day. God promises us so much more. Yes from that point on we will no longer have to question our motives or struggle to live the way God wants us to. That day of separation will be a day when our Lord removes us from all that would hurt or harm us: he will separate us from all suffering and pain. Instead we will have peace and happiness as we share in the very best of everything with our God, all of which will go on and on forever: eternal joy as we share fully with our Lord and saviour. All because Jesus Christ has the last word and not us.

 So with all of this in mind let us never lose sight of the Lord Jesus Christ and what he has done for, and will do for us. Let us not take him and his death on the cross for granted, ignoring him and what he has to say; which is all good for us. Out of gratitude for what he has done, let us serve him in everything we do, trusting him as our Lord and Saviour, and trusting his last word and every word. Looking forward to that moment when he says, 'come you who are blessed by my Father, take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.'  Yes, Jesus Christ and his last word is what is important, so let us look to him and trust him now and always. AMEN.

 Pastor Roger Atze

Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish

Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18.                     The Day of the Lord???                 16/11/14

⁷ Be silent before the Sovereign Lord, for the day of the Lord is near.
The Lord has prepared a sacrifice; he has consecrated those he has invited.

¹² At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who are complacent, who are like wine left on its dregs, who think, ‘The Lord will do nothing, either good or bad.’
¹³ Their wealth will be plundered, their houses demolished. Though they build houses, they will not live in them; though they plant vineyards, they will not drink the wine.”
¹⁴ The great day of the Lord is near— near and coming quickly.
The cry on the day of the Lord is bitter;  the Mighty Warrior shouts his battle cry.
¹⁵ That day will be a day of wrath— a day of distress and anguish,  a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom,  a day of clouds and blackness—
¹⁶     a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the corner towers.
¹⁷ “I will bring such distress on all people that they will grope about like those who are blind, because they have sinned against the Lord.
Their blood will be poured out like dust and their entrails like dung.
¹⁸ Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the Lord’s wrath.”
In the fire of his jealousy the whole earth will be consumed, for he will make a sudden end of all who live on the earth

 Again as we are reminded of the end of time and Judgement Day we have another sobering reminder of the need to take it seriously or else: Or else we might find that it does not end up the way would like to think it will. At the same time we are surrounded by the attitude that is mentioned here: ‘The Lord will do nothing, either good or bad.’ We’ll be okay, because we are as good as everyone else around and surely he is not going to reject us all.

 Well, God is saying here, don’t be so sure about that! In fact he is clearly saying that for many, that day will be a very bitter one indeed. He states quite plainly that he will punish those who are complacent . That day will be a day of wrath— a day of distress and anguish,  a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom,  a day of clouds and blackness—. “I will bring such distress on all people that they will grope about like those who are blind, because they have sinned against the Lord.
Their blood will be poured out like dust and their entrails like dung.
¹⁸ Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the Lord’s wrath.”

A harsh and powerful message indeed. This surely then is not something that we can ignore or pass over quickly and get on with our lives. The consequences of what we do here and now can be very severe. This then is something we will consider very seriously both with regard to our own lives but also for all of our family, friends and neighbours as well.

 I really do think that there are many who think that it is not going to be all that bad. On top of that there are many more who do not really care; but when it comes to the death of a loved one, they very quickly talk of their loved one or friend as being up there in heaven, even though they have never taken Jesus seriously here in this life. They talk of resting in peace, and more.

 Now I know this is touching on a very sensitive issue for many, and there are many who will take an angry exception to this message. But it is here that I will say; listen to what God himself has to say. Not what we might want God to say, but what does he actually say with regard to these things. And if God says that this is a serious issue and that many will not get to be in heaven because they have not taken him seriously, then we had better sit up and take note.

If we don’t like the thought of us or our loved ones or friends ending up in Hell then we had better do something about it: we had better listen carefully to what God himself has to say. Let us not be complacent. Let us not put it off till some later time, for he tells us the day is near.  

 Here in this regard, I think there are many who just think she’ll be right, we’ll take it all a bit more seriously a little later in life. At the moment they are busy doing what they need to do in getting on in this life. Their silver and gold; their great house and successful businesses, their fine wine and full stomachs are what is important for this life. Our sinful world sees these things as of great value and we have allowed these things to become all-consuming.

 Along with this, what I, me and myself think and do has become the base philosophy by which we operate day by day. Yes this often even extends to what we believe with regard to God and how he should and will treat us. We all too often relegate what God himself has to say to the back corner of our thinking.  And because we are people who all too regularly only think of here and now, we only look at what looks good now, without considering the ‘big picture’.

 This is all dangerous living for us. Now is only a tiny fraction of a second compared to eternity. A moment of ‘pleasure’ is nothing compared to an eternity in hell. Money, power and fine living here does not ensure access to and a good time in heaven.

 God here and in many places throughout the bible tells us of all of this. He dearly wants us to think carefully about this so that we do not face the great day of the Lord with all of its terror and the eternity in hell which follows. So with that in mind let us take careful note of what he said in that first verse that was read to you.

  Be silent before the Sovereign Lord, for the day of the Lord is near.
The Lord has prepared a sacrifice; he has consecrated those he has invited.

 So he begins by saying ‘Shut up and listen’ and take to heart who and what the Lord is and has done for us so that we do not rue that great day of the Lord. There is a way through all of this is we take the Almighty and Sovereign Lord seriously and listen to what he says.

 Here remember that in the end he is the only hope that we have. There is no other way. For we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory that he expects of us. All of us deserve to face Judgement and receive its terrors and hell. However he has provided a way through.

 There is a connection between this great judgement day and the other great Day of the Lord: The day that he sacrificed his only Son on the cross so that we might be forgiven and have a sure hope for that terrible Day of Judgement. On that day in Jerusalem God brought his terrible judgement on sin to bear against his one and only Son, so that those who look to him and believe in him may be spared on that great and terrible Day.

 Through Jesus’ death on the cross the price was paid for our release. He faced all that terror that is spelt out in the reading so that we might be spared it. He died for all so that those who believe and trust in him and what he has done for us might instead be ushered into an eternity with him in heaven

 He has now then invited each and every one of us to believe in him and what he has done for us. He has invited us to now join with him and receive eternal life with him in heaven, free from all pain sickness death and all the rest: just enjoy with him the very best of everything. He says believe and be baptised every one of you so that you may be joined to Jesus Christ and all that he has won for us: all freely given by God almighty himself.

 So what a great and wonderful thing this is that he has done for us. Surely now we will want to believe in him and what he has done for us. Now surely we will want to live with him and enjoy eternal life with him. Surely now we will look away from ourselves and our own feeble and failed efforts to make a life for ourselves today.

 

Surely we will listen him as well as look realistically out our lives here and now and know full well the tomorrow all that we have achieved for ourselves will be gone and we will in the end leave this life with nothing.  Then even worse still having to face the terrible Day of the Lord knowing that it will be a day of wrath— a day of distress and anguish,  a day of trouble and ruin, a day of darkness and gloom,  a day of clouds and blackness—.  And even worse still then to end up in hell for all eternity.

 

No, surely now we will want to take Jesus Christ and his death on the cross seriously. Surely now we will want to be in his presence week after week so the we do not lose sight of what he has for us. But even more important, to be with him who truly is our Lord and Saviour who loves us and wants us to be with himself. He now surely will be that which is all important for us each and every day of our life.

That day of the Lord is near for each and every one of us. Let us stay close to him who has made it possible for us to avoid that terrible day. Let us look to and trust him to take us to be with him in heaven. To him then be all glory and honour, now and always. Amen.

Pastor Roger Atze

Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish

Amos 5:18-24.                   Religious or Righteous??                                               9/11/14

Also Matthew 25:1-13 [Wise and foolish virgins]

 (18)  Woe to you who long for the day of the LORD! Why do you long for the day of the LORD? That day will be darkness, not light. {19} It will be as though a man fled from a lion only to meet a bear, as though he entered his house and rested his hand on the wall only to have a snake bite him. {20} Will not the day of the LORD be darkness, not light-- pitch-dark, without a ray of brightness? {21} "I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. {22} Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. {23} Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. {24} But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!

 When you listened to this reading a few moments ago, did anything strike you as being a bit odd? Were you a bit unsure as to what the text was really saying? Or, weren't you listening?  Perhaps in the first part you might have thought, yes I can identify with that; Running from the lion only then to meet a grizzly bear. Just get out from one difficult situation to then face another: having one hassle after another. Often that could express life for many of us.

 But there is a real problem with this reading for us today. At this time of the Church Year we are reminded of the end of time and Judgement Day. Here in this reading there are these harsh words – this judgement was given to people who were being very religious about their life. They were, so to speak, in church every Sunday; singing loudly and confidently; speaking of God's almighty power and how great it is to be a part of his kingdom; sprouting forth how God will come showing his power here on earth, by giving the heathen a hard time; and on the other hand, showing how great they as God's people are. This sounds a little bit familiar, doesn’t it?

 It is to these very religious people that Amos is pronouncing a very hard word from God. Why? That is the question we need to ask ourselves here today or otherwise we too, may well be the ones that are in the firing line along with those that Amos was speaking to. Whether we are regulars, or the not so regulars, in church, the question is there; why is God being so harsh on people who claim to be people of God?

 At first glance it would seem that there is no real problem with what the people were on about. They were giving the offerings that God had prescribed; they were singing their hymns and playing their music with gusto; they were active in their church life. So what is the hassle?

 The problem however seems to be that they were not taking God seriously. Ah yes, God was there for them, but he was there simply to give them what they wanted from life; health, wealth and happiness, without any effort on their part. He was to fit into their way of thinking. But all the while they were not prepared to live the way he wanted: they were not prepared to live each day in a right relationship with God. They were not prepared to trust in him and how he tells them they should behave. They were not prepared to look out for the welfare of others or live as God would have them.

They were quite happy to let people be ripped off and the morality of the nation to slide away: justice was quite OK as long as they were getting a good deal; as long as the rich were getting richer and the poor, poorer; justice was seen merely in terms of my rights - I have a right to this, that and the other, without any thought or concept of the responsibility that goes with those rights: They were not prepared to get on with their neighbours; but use them for their own purposes: and I could go on.

 But you see, justice and righteousness had long since gone from their life. Yes, unfortunately even from many of those within the so called people of God. They held themselves up as fine upstanding citizens and church people, but in reality they were far from what they should have been, or from what they pretended to be. They gave no thought to the fact that there might be anything wrong in the way they were thinking, living or acting. Their focus and attitude was all wrong. They were looking to themselves and not to God.

 Therein we find the reason why God has Amos speak such a harsh message.

 Now that being the case, we then need to also consider these words and where we stand before God and his thinking. Because after all, there are those today who also think and act similarly. There are those who seem to look for grand demonstrations of God's power against evil, for their own benefit. There are those who seem to make a good display of their church attendance, or who similarly, have very little contact with the Church, but think ‘she'll be right’ God will take care of everything; I’m OK Jack.

But when it comes to justice within the church and in the community, there is little evidence of it at all. Then when it comes to right living and a right relationship with the Lord, there is merely an outward pretence. We too are living very much in an age of entitlement and selfish thinking.

 Here this morning God’s Word reminds us that each one of us needs to look to where we stand and whether we are prepared for the day of the Lord. We like the ten maidens in the Gospel reading need to be ready and prepared in season and out of season. We do not presume on God and his forgiveness, such that we give almost total disregard for how he would have us live and act.

  Yes, we look for the day of the Lord – the coming of the bridegroom; and we look for God to come to the aid of his people; and even to display his power when necessary; but all of this is not for or because of our own selfish ambition and comfort.

 Our aim now is for justice and righteousness. Our aim is, as we were reminded recently, to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself." We seek to do that because that is what is required; because that is God's call to you and me. A tall order; yes - but God's demand never-the-less: and God is God - he is the boss: and if that is what he wants that is what we are to do. And that is what he is looking for from each one of us.

 But we can't! We have fallen again and again! We have failed! We all are turned in on ourselves and think life is all about us and what we do. So surely we know that we cannot ‘do’ life by the things that we do and say, even of a religious nature. We need God at the centre of everything we are and do.

 And that again is where we are reminded that Jesus died on the cross so that all those failures and weakness may be forgiven: that they won't be held against us. That is why we constantly are encouraged to always look to Jesus Christ and the cross; so that we never loose sight of the extent and greatness of God and his love for us, or of the forgiveness that is there for us.

 But at the same time we look to him and the help that he gives, to now live again the way he wants us to. Just because we are forgiven doesn't mean that we can now disregard everything that God has set out for us to do. We don’t spiritually go to sleep. We don't presume on the grace of God by being selfish and self-righteous; but motivated by sheer thankfulness for the Lord and all that he has done for us, we now seek his help to live, love and be the people he wants us to be.

 So when we come together in worship we come to be in God’s presence to receive from him, all that he has to give to us. We come together, because he wants us to come together, and because he wants to give to us and remind us of all the many things we need to be mindful of as his people. We come together so that ‘the oil in our lamps’ might be replenished, so that we are always ready and prepared for his coming on the day of the Lord. As we look to him and receive from him all that he has for us, we know that we can go forward, boldly and confidently: because he goes with us; and we go forward to live as he would have us.

 We turn day by day back to God for all that he is and, all that he has, and continues to do for. We cannot on our own do what is good and right. On our own we will turn to and trust in what we do; even when it comes to the religious aspects of life. We need Christ – in our lives in order to be what is good and acceptable.

 So in conclusion, let us be mindful of the need to be prepared for God's presence and coming; and let us encourage one another to look to Jesus Christ; to seek his forgiveness and help; and then let justice and righteousness flow in abundance. The day of the Lord is coming - we know not when - so let us watch out and be prepared; so that we don't run from the lion into the arms of a bear; from difficulties, into a disaster; from this life, into Hell.

 But being constantly in the presence of Jesus, let us go on; let us go forward as his true people, looking to him, trusting him and seeking to live as he would have us; and so worshipping him as is pleasing. Ready and prepared, always.  AMEN.

 Pastor Roger Atze

Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish