Roger's Postings

Friday, January 27, 2017


Matthew 5:1-12.                Jesus says: Blessed are you …….!!!                               29/1/17



Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.

He said:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.



Here today Jesus again reveals to us just how extraordinary he and what he says really are. Here again he turns upside down the thinking that is at the heart of our human existence. These words of Jesus are just down-right crazy to our human way of thinking. Is it any wonder that we say how nice these beatitudes are, but very quickly ignore them, or play games with how we can live by them?



However, we need to remember these are the words of Jesus Christ himself. This is the Messiah that God himself has sent into our world to help us out of the mess we have made for ourselves. This is the God who not only created this world, but who has the knowledge as what is best for us. Here also remember this very same Jesus Christ went on to die on the cross for our sins and was raised to life again so that we can be sure that those who are connected to him have eternal life.



So are we going to sit back and say how nice these beatitudes are and how we should live by them, without really taking them seriously at all. Surely we here will want to ponder over what he is saying here and why this is so important; even if it is ridiculous to our way of thinking.



According to him, if we are to find happiness, peace and hope we are looking in the completely wrong direction. If we want to be blessed, then we need to look at life quite differently to the way the world does. Also we need to look with quite a different attitude than what many in the churches do as well.



For humanity all too often would write these beatitudes in a completely different kind of way. Blessed are those whose spirits are high, for they sit on the top of the world. Blessed are those who are always happy and entertained, for they need no comfort. Blessed are the aggressive, for they shall dominate the world. Blessed are those who are satisfied with their righteousness, for there are more important things to hunger for. Blessed are those with rights, for they shall obtain justice. Blessed are the clever, the sharp in mind, for they cannot, or will not see. Blessed are those who dictate peace, for they shall play the role of God. Blessed are you when men like you, accept you, want you for their leader and consider themselves fortunate to know you. Rejoice and be flattered, for great is your prestige on earth; for so men have accepted the conformist before you.



Is it then any wonder that our world is in misery as it desperately tries to make a life for itself, but continually come up with the opposite. Our sinful human nature wants to desperately see and do that which is grand and popular in our own eyes. We want do life our own way without regard for what God says. Even when we consider what God says we twist it so that it conforms to our own thinking. Then even worse we want to pretend that it is all good, even though we can readily see all the problems that result.



This is seen also in our attitude toward these beatitudes that Jesus speaks. We all too often are like the Pharisees of Jesus day. We fail to see the true intent of these beatitudes and then set about seeking to live them out as best that we possibly can. All so that in the end we might be accepted by God because we have made a reasonable attempt at doing what God has told us to do here.



The attitude and teaching is that if we do these things then we are being truly Christian. We are following Jesus example and so we are being the kind of people that God would have us be. So it becomes all about me, myself and I and what I do.

Yet that is far from the intention of what Jesus is trying to impart through these Beatitudes. Again in many ways it is just the opposite. Let us look at them a little close and see what Jesus has in mind here.



Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. As I said earlier our worldly and self-centred attitude is: Blessed are those whose spirits are high, for they sit on the top of the world. But of course the realities of life are such that our spirits are often not high and our ability to reach the top of the world is nigh on impossible. So our spirits are crushed.



Then to add to the dilemma our world and all too often the church also tells us to try harder; be more positive in your approach; and the like. So we desperately try to do so; and we may see some improvement for a while. But in the end it all comes crashing down around our ears.



Now it is right here that Jesus tells us there is hope for us to be blessed. It is when we get to the point that everything is hopeless for us from a worldly perspective that God is able to reach out to us and tell us of the sure hope that he has for us. He tells us that God has that which enables us to be a part of the kingdom of God; eternal life in heaven. All as a free gift through Jesus’ death and resurrection.



 Jesus is our only hope when all our worldly hopes crumble. In him alone do we find the way, and the truth, and the life that we need. Nowhere else. We can’t do a thing to make ourselves truly blessed.



Let us move on to: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Again the world has quite a different view. Blessed are those who are satisfied with their righteousness, for there are more important things to hunger for. Near enough is good enough. As long as I am a reasonably good bloke, then I’ll be okay. As long as I think I am doing the right thing or doing what everyone else is doing we’ll be alright. Or look, I have got more important thing to do at the moment, rather than going to church and reading my bible. And the list could go on.



But again at the end of the day these views will let us down badly. In fact, our world is full of people who thought this was the way to go, only to find within themselves nothing to hold them up and sustain them. All around us people are empty inside and have got nowhere to go. Longing for something more, something better.



Only then again will they be open to what God has for them. Only then will the righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ be accepted and taken seriously. Only then will they be truly blessed.



Again: “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

The world however says: Blessed are you when men like you, accept you, want you for their leader and consider themselves fortunate to know you. Rejoice and be flattered, for great is your prestige on earth; for so men have accepted the conformist before you.



However, for many of us this again is beyond our reach. Even though we have tried to conform and compromise, not only do we not achieve what our world says should be there for us; but deep down we are not comfortable with ourselves for doing so. Yet when we don’t follow this path we are ridiculed, insulted and persecuted. Along with that all kinds of falsehood are spoken against us.



This however, again, is the point at which we are prepared to hear all that God has done for us and the certainty that even though we have gained no rewards here on earth, eternal life for us in heaven is guaranteed. So again we find that we are blessed when we have given up on the world and all the lies it peddles.



So without going into the rest of the Beatitudes, we can see that the intent is to show us what happens when we follow our worldly and selfish views. How when they fail us, as they inevitably will, we fall into these beatitudes: we become poor in spirit, mourn, meek, etcetera. We then become more merciful toward others, peacemakers and the like. We no longer trust the world and its lies, and are then open to God and the help that he offers us.



Then as we look to and trust him we find one blessing after another. It is only when we give up on trying to achieve blessing through our own effort and turn to God, that we find then that we are blessed. Jesus Christ and his presence and blessings are already there for us. His forgiveness of sins, life and salvation are there for us. As these beatitudes become a part of our lives we find, in God, that we are truly blessed.  



Then Jesus Christ becomes so important in our lives, for in him alone we find that we are truly blessed. We find in and with him that we have that which is truly good and right. He becomes truly our Lord and Saviour, and we seek to subject ourselves totally to him and all that he says to us. So blessings are heaped on blessing for us as we take heed to what he says in these beatitudes.



So to him again then be all glory and honour, now and always. AMEN.



Pastor Roger Atze

Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish


Saturday, January 21, 2017


Deuteronomy 8:7-18.                     Harvest Thanksgiving???                                               22/1/17

For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.

10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. 11 Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 15 He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. 16 He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. 17 You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” 18 But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.



It is funny isn’t it? Well not really. God is so perceptive of our sinful human nature. He knows what we are like; so he gives us clear instructions so that we can be ever wary as we go through life. He knows the dangers that are there for us, so does all he can to helps us not to fall. But we still do!



Here as we celebrate Harvest Thanksgiving there is a very good and important example of both his concern for us and the dangers that we succumb to. God knows what we are like when we have surrounded ourselves with good things. So he lays it on the line for us; very clearly. Now sadly the very next verses, which are not included in this set reading, spell out what God will do to us if we do.



19 If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. 20 Like the nations the Lord destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the Lord your God.



So his message to us this morning is a very important one as we celebrate Harvest Thanksgiving. Remember who you are thanking and why. Do we really believe it; or do we really care. Also take note of what is happening all around us, and be prepared for what lies ahead. God is true to his word.



That does not mean that he is not a loving and forgiving God, and all of that. But in his love for us, as he did for his people all the way down through history, he will bring troubles, hardships, and even disaster if necessary, to wake his people up and get them back on track.



Now there is no doubt as to the fact that God has given us a good land: a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.



We have much to be thankful for. This is a great and prosperous nation, that has lifted its standard of living dramatically in just my lifetime. The produce of the land, mineral resources, and the manufacturing industry have enabled us to have much in this country of ours. We have been enabled to have so much. So we have every reason to be ever so thankful.



But are we? I think as a nation we used to be. But in recent times the attitude has changed dramatically. We were an industrious nation that has worked together for the good of others. We were a nation that was built on Christian values. And we prospered. But things have changed.



We now appear to have become far more selfish and self-centred. We have become a people who believe we are entitled to have all that we want, without doing anything to earn it. We work so that we can have ease and pleasure, rather than working for the good of the nation and others. And much more. The attitudes have changed dramatically, and the struggles and heartaches are increasing.



Here let us recall again what God said to his people through Moses all those years ago; and thereby to us today as well. 10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. 11 Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. 12 Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, 13 and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 15 He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. 16 He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. 17 You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.”



Is this not what we see today? Just as God had said; as a nation we have not only forgotten God, but in many cases we have also rejected him completely. In fact, more and more we are trying to eradicate him from our thinking. In our affluence we think that we have no need for God. We also want to get rid of him altogether so that we can disregard his Laws and so live as we please. And we think is going to make us happy and fulfilled.



We can see today how we are seeking to produce all kinds of things, without regard for what God’s Word says, so that we can replace him from our lives. Have you noticed these days how there is this desperate attempt through science to enable us to live forever? Not to mention changing our laws to cater for homosexuality, abortion and much more.



Yes, we definitely have forgotten the Lord our God, and failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees. In our affluence we have replaced him and what he says, with ourselves and our wants. Many have made themselves and their desires their idols which they look to and worship.



Here again we need to listen again to those verses that follow on from our text. 19 If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. 20 Like the nations the Lord destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the Lord your God.



What a sobering reminder our Lord thereby has given us today as we celebrate Harvest Thanksgiving. What do we do about it? Surely the call is for us here today, to return to the Lord with all of our heart, with all of our soul, with all of our mind and with all of strength; giving him thanks and praise for all that he is and has done for us.



Surely we here will want to be renewed in our desire to know and recognise that he is the giver of all the good things that we have all around us. We will ever want to come near to our God so that he can remind us that the good things that we have are all only made possible by him who is our Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier.



We need ever reminding that it is our Lord who has given us the ability to produce all that we have. Not just to produce our crops and stock, and to dig our minerals out of the ground. But it is he who gives us the knowledge and where with all to do all the scientific and technological things that we do. He is the giver of all that we have and do.



That being the case we then also need to look to him for his guidance on how we should use or not use all of the things that we have. What we have and do, needs to be guided by him and his Word, rather than the popular opinion of the day or our feelings and ideas. He after all knows what is good and right; and we by our own devices, always have a tendency to do what in the end becomes harmful rather than good. 



Here again we always need to look to Jesus Christ and his life, death and resurrection as our assurance that God and his will for us is always good and right. He not only has ensured that we have forgiveness, life and salvation, but also that God’s will and Word is that which is good and right for us. His word is reliable and trustworthy. This enables us to hold fast to him and know that everything works out for the good of those who are in Christ Jesus.



So this day may we again give praise, honour and glory to our great God who has brought us into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills, a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.



Let us also remember the Lord our God, for it is he who gives us the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to our ancestors. To him the be all glory and honour now and always. AMEN



Pastor Roger Atze

Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish

Saturday, January 14, 2017


John 1:29-42.                      Look to and follow Jesus???                                        15/1/17



29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”

32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”

35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”

37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”

They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”

39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”

So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.

40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus.

Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).



Here in Epiphany we are encouraged to think about how we see Jesus, and our reaction to him when we see him as he would have us. Here again it ties in with the message of last week, where we all too often want to look at Jesus in terms of how we want to see him; rather than as he has revealed himself to us.



When we do this we are committing a grievous sin and are placing our salvation in serious jeopardy. Today we have many so called ‘christians’ who merely look to Jesus as one who has great teaching for us to follow; or is a great example as to how we are to live our lives; or he is a loving god who simply accepts us all as we are, so that we can live as we would like; or he is a distant God to whom I need to please if I am to be acceptable; Or yes, he died for our sins, but we have to do our bit too; and more.



In all of this we are determining who this Jesus is and what we would like of him. As I said last week this is a sin against the First Commandment. It is making ourselves the decider of what we believe and follow. We are making idols of ourselves and of God himself, also. For we are not looking to him, who is God Almighty himself, as that which is all important. And we are not heeding him and what he says, as of first importance.



In this reading, right at the beginning of Jesus ministry we have John telling us who this Jesus really is and why he is so important. “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! Here is the heart of who this Jesus is, and why so many want to change who this Jesus is for themselves.



This Jesus is the Lamb of God. He is the one who was to be sacrificed for the sins of the world. This is the one whom God had promised that he would send to do that which was necessary for humanity to be restored back into God’s presence. The very reason why this terrible situation is there for us, is that right from the Fall in the Garden of Eden, humanity has refused to listen to and heed God and what he has said to us.



The results of this Fall is that we have not only brought death on ourselves, but all manner of troubles, hardships and disasters. They are our doing! We all too often want to blame God for all that is wrong. But we had perfection and the very best of everything placed before us to enjoy. Nothing bad or evil was there. But we chose and choose to want to be like God and have control over our lives. Our selfish pride does not want to be subject to God and his Word. And we have reaped the sad rewards.



However, God in his love for us sets about rectifying the situation. In Old Testament times he told the people that when they sinned they were to sacrifice a lamb so that that God could forgive them. The power for that sacrifice was the one whom God would send as the true Lamb of God who would be the real sacrifice for the sin of humanity: once for all. Their sacrifices were to help them to look to, trust and receive their true saviour.  



Later the promise also was associated with the promised Messiah, whom God would send to save and rule over his people. Here again was clear direction that God was going to come to take care of humanities sin. Here John the Baptist points to Jesus and says: ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’  I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”

So here in Jesus we have this one who is absolutely critical to the salvation of us all. He alone is the one who enables forgiveness of sins, life and salvation to be ours. He has done everything necessary for us to again be able to live in God’s presence. All as a free gift extended to all who are prepared to believe it and live in light of it. Without what he did for us on the cross we would be destined to an eternity in hell. So surely we will hold him up as being all important in our lives.



Yet what do we find? Our sinful human pride does not want to acknowledge that our sin is so bad. We are basically good people who just do a few bad things. If we ignore and change God’s laws and commands, then we will not be accountable. Anyway God is a loving God so I can get on with living my life as I please and he will still let me into heaven in the end. Yes, we still want control over our own lives and be able to do what we think is right and good.



However, the Bible, which is God’s revealed Word to us tell us quite clearly that these are not acceptable responses. At the very heart of this thinking it is still me, myself and I, seeking to have control over our own lives. Yet God tells us quite clearly that it is through Jesus Christ alone that we are saved. He still calls of us to acknowledge that he truly is Lord of all.



Here remember also that John tells us that this Jesus is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit. In our baptism God has connected us to himself and to all that Jesus has done for us through his death and resurrection. As well we are told here that there he gives us his Holy Spirit, to help us to see, know, believe and follow this one who is all important; Jesus Christ.



On our own we are incapable of doing all of this because of our sinful nature. So he gives us his Spirit to enable us to do all that we need in order to look, believe and follow our Lord. So even there we are promised all the help necessary. He has and wants to do everything for us so that it all can be ours. Unfortunately, many are too stubborn and arrogant to allow themselves to believe.



Here though we need to remember that the Holy Spirit is here with us to point us to Jesus and what he has done for us through his death and resurrection. Everything he informs us of is in accord with what we have in the Bible. With him there is nothing more or extra, as many today are saying. That is not the work of the Holy Spirit, but the devil, the world and our sinful selves. No The Holy Spirit seeks to help us to know and believe what God has given to us in his Word; the Bible.



Here also remember that he is here to help us to believe that God is all important in our lives. His whole aim is to help us have him first in our lives: to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, with all of soul, with all of our mind, and with all of our strength. Not just a little bit. Not just now and again when it suits us; and the like.



He is also with us to enable us to follow him. Again this surely has the idea that this Jesus is that important that we will want to be with him and do what he wants us to do. Rather than we doing what we want and Jesus is just there to fill the gaps. That means that we will want to be with him week after week in his house so that he can strengthen and encourage us for our daily walk with him. We will want to hear what he has to say to us, so that he can guide us in all that we do.



We will regularly come to him and confess our sins and receive his absolution. We will take him at his word and come to his Altar Rail and receive his Body and Blood so that we can be further reassured of the forgiveness, life and salvation that he has for us. It also means that we are reassured that he is with us as we go about our daily lives. So we will then be seeking to live, act and speak, knowing that he is with us always. What he sees as important so will we. What he is doing so also will we want do the same.



From this reading we can readily see that those who were following him were keen to tell others who the Jesus really is and why he is important. They also had the aim of bringing these other people into Jesus presence. For without Jesus they are doomed to hell. So this was vital for them and their love for family, friends and others.



So we a reminded that this Jesus has been revealed to us as that which is all important. He is not someone who is to be treated lightly. And he is not just one way among many others that we can find salvation and life. He is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! He is God’s promised Messiah who has come as the King of kings and Lord of lords.



So may he now be all important in all that we think, say and do. May his Holy Spirit help us look to, believe, follow and point others to him, for he alone is our true hope and salvation. To him be all glory and honour, now and always. AMEN



Pastor Roger Atze

Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish

Saturday, January 07, 2017


Isaiah 60:1-6.      The light of Christ has come into a dark world!                         8/1/17



1 “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you.
Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

“Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you;
your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the hip.
Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy;
the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come. Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah.
And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord.



This morning we are reminded that in the midst of dark times God has promised that there is a light shining for us. As a result of Jesus coming into our world there is hope and life for us, no matter what we face in life. So as Christians there is always light at the end of the tunnel.



Now it would seem that again I am being rather pessimistic and gloomy. For surely we are living at a time when we have got everything; and that by and large things appear to be relatively peaceful. We have made great advances as a society technologically. We are told that we have never had it so good. So why talk about darkness and troubles?



Yet it is right here in the midst of all of this positivity that we can see more and more the darkness growing. Despite all the talk and promises, somehow we are growing more and more uncertain and restless. Something is not right. Something is missing. The further we seem to go and the more that we have, the worse it all becomes. What is wrong here?



Well, God’s Word is quite clear in this regard; when we make something our idol, instead of it bringing blessing to us, it makes things far worse. Then it becomes even worse when we make me, myself and I the idol. When what I want, do and have, apart from God, is what we look for in order to be blessed and happy, we find God’s curse instead of blessing.



This extends into the Christian life and salvation as well. As we seek to do this life on our own and by our own methods, it does not work. So doing good works in order to be acceptable; changing God’s Word so that it is acceptable to our current society and thinking; thinking of worship as being all about experiences and what makes us feel good, rather than what we receive from God; and more, all lead to frustration and darkness.



So the problem is not the technological advances, or the things that we do in order to be acceptable to God. But the fact that we look to and see them as what is going to make us happy and acceptable, instead of looking to God himself, who is the creator and giver of these things. We think that these things that I want, are what will make us happy. Then we find that instead of life being easier for us we have to work even harder to achieve that happiness that we want.



Then when we find that we are not and cannot achieve this happiness and fulfilment that should be there for us, we are consumed by blackness and gloom. I would suggest that as we look around at all the suicides, drug, alcohol and sex abuse and more, we see this growing darkness enshrouding our nation.



We too, when we look to find life and happiness apart from God, find that it is hard work, or in the end it is futile and empty. In fact, more and more we are finding instead of fulfilment in these areas, are finding the opposite. When we fail to have God first in our lives, above and beyond what me, myself and I want, then we quickly find that we run into trouble. When God is relegated to only a small part of our lives we find a growing darkness coming over our lives.



So we all need to again hear this message that is before us. In the midst of this growing darkness there is a light that has come. A light that truly gives light and hope in the midst of this world that has got things so horribly wrong.



We are told here: Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you.



God has come and given us a way through this fog and darkness that enshrouds us. The Lord God himself has come to us. He hasn’t left us to blindly go through life, desperately hoping that we are doing the right thing and instead finding that we just can’t do it on our own. He has come to do everything for us, so that we can have all the we need for this life and the next.



So his glory appears over us. Everything that is good, right and useful is there in our midst freely available to us. We don’t have to invent it, change it, do it by ourselves or any such thing. The Lord God has come and seeks to give it all to us.



In these days we have been reminded very clearly that God has come into our world in the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, at a particular point in history. This Jesus grew up and did things that only God himself could do. He performed many, many miracles; drove out evil spirits; Raised that dead back to life; forgave peoples sins; and taught Gods Word simply and powerfully, as God would have us hear it.



Then he went to Jerusalem and allowed himself to be killed on the cross. There he took the punishment from God that we should have received because of our selfishness and sin. In doings so forgiveness of sins, life and salvation is extended to us all. He then is raised from the dead so that all can know for sure that what he did on the cross was God’s will. Also there we can know that he was raised from the dead so that he can live and reign for all to trust in him.



Through all of this he reminded us all that his Word is reliable and true. What we have in the Bible is all that we need to know with regard to the things that are important for this life; for our salvation; and how to live in light of all that he is and has done for us. We don’t need something more, extra or different than that which we have in the Bible itself.



Along with that he gave us baptism so that through it he could connect us to himself and the forgiveness and salvation that he has won for us. He does the work there that enables us to be sure that we have received all that he has won for us through his death and resurrection.



As well as that he gave us Holly Communion so that we again can be absolutely sure the Jesus Christ is with us and there imparts forgiveness of sins, life and salvation to us. So week by week we are reminded by God himself through Jesus Christ that he is with us, and that in him and in connection with him we have all the we need for this life and the next.



It all comes with the presence of Jesus Christ himself. So it all comes to us in down to earth, tangible ways that are easy to access. It is all there in the baby in the manger; in his life as he moved among the people; in his suffering death and resurrection; in his Word and the Sacraments. Everything that we need is there to give light to our lives. Forgiveness, life and salvation and much more is all there for us.



As we listen to and receive the things that he has freely and simply given, we can know for sure that everything will work out for good. It is only as we try to change, add to, ignore or do these things apart from Jesus Christ, that it all comes unstuck. Sadly, all too often our selfish pride comes to the fore and we will not receive these things as a free gift. We want to think that what I do, think, say, must be of some importance. The result then comes about that we do not receive these gifts as blessings, because we try to achieve them in some way because of our merit.



Here remember clearly the first and greatest commandment: Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The Lord God is all important. He comes first in our thinking, or else we place an idol in his place; and so often that is we ourselves.



With God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit as all important, then Jesus Christ and all that he has done for us, is our only connection with him. He and his Word, the Bible, will then be that which enlightens life for us.



Then we begin to see the fulfilment of these words in our reading. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. “Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the hip. Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy;



In various places around the world we see this happening as people and nation willingly receive what God has to give, as of first importance. The light of Christ has brought many blessings to them, as it has to many others, throughout history. So again God is true to his Word.



May we too, live in his light and then receive the wonderful blessings that he has in mind for us also. To him be all glory and honour, now and always. AMEN.



Pastor Roger Atze

Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish