Two Sisters – 22 August 2019, Anno Domini

 

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OW it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. 40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. 41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.    (Luke 10:38-42)

            The Church Militant (the present Church on earth) is comprised of similar elements as that Church Triumphant in Heaven. There are members of the Elect of God who have different talents and different callings in Christ in BOTH. Of course, we should make the distinction between those who feign faith in the Church, and those who are wholly committed to our Lord Jesus Christ. The latter only comprise the true Church Militant. 

            But our Lord has a place in the wall of His Temple for every stone – large, small, square, round, granite, marble, or alabaster. For whichever stone you are there is a void of the exact proportion in His Temple Wall for you. The Church is like a great orchestra – each performer has a part to play, and each a different instrument to reflect his special talent; but the resulting music will always be harmonious so long as each plays from the same sheet of music as all the others. As the great Baroque composer, Johann Sebastian Bach, avers, all such great music is produced to the Glory of God and is His gift through the investment of talents given the performer by Him. I doubt much of the light and sensual music of the church today can be so classified.

            The focus of our devotion today is centered on the two very precious ladies of Bethany – Martha and Mary. Martha seems to be the elder of the two since the house is referenced as belonging to her. Martha was gracious to invite Christ into her home and to always treat Him with the utmost graciousness and hospitality. In fact, this family, including the brother, Lazarus, were close friends of our Lord. I believe it important to know not only the power and Person of Christ, but also to be His intimate friend. We all must invite Him into our homes and into the Temples of our hearts.

            Martha was a lady whose attention to detail would pass any Saturday morning inspection. She was diligent and meticulous in her housekeeping, and she probably resented others who were not so gifted in those endeavors.  When Jesus came to visit, she was studious in making all things ready and her heart was fixed on her preparatory works as a sign of her devotion. Beyond question, she honored the Lord with her best works and loved Him dearly. Unlike many pulpit reports on Martha’s works-oriented nature, there was much good in it. The Lord did not tell Martha, in the quoted text, that her works of culinary preparation were bad; He simply told her that her sister Mary had chosen the better part. To me, the best part of a chicken is the breast. That is the best part as far as I am concerned, but that does not mean that the drumstick lacks goodness. That, in a sense, is what Jesus was telling Martha. More than critiquing Martha’s labors in the kitchen, I believe the Lord was lovingly counseling Martha about her attitude toward her sister and toward Himself. 

            Would it be unlike an older sister to harbor just a bit of jealousy over a younger sister who is fully enjoying the fellowship of a special guest while the other labored in the hot kitchen? Moreover, to Martha, more important than sitting at the feet of Jesus was the preparation of an acceptable meal for Him. It is the same with many churches of our day. They may have a great love for Christ in their beginning works even though they began with humble resources; but as they grow into what they consider a respectable institution in the community, they forget the Lord for whom they began their labors and are overly occupied with numbers, and buildings, and fund-raising. There was never anything wrong with their labors to build larger accommodations for more people unless that eclipses their testimony and fellowship in an intimate relationship with Christ.

            When our work in the church begins to take precedence over our love of Christ, it is time to pause and reflect upon our intentions and attitude. If we are uncomfortable that our church is smaller than the one down the street, we may become fixed on building an edifice that will put the other church to shame. Is this the spirit we should have as Christians? God has given each of us special talents of precious coinage that we must invest; but our Lord has NEVER emphasized size and prominence of the building structure or the numbers it accommodates. Some of the most Christ-centered churches I have ever known exists in the bush country of Kenya where the people literally worship under an arbor of tree branches. 

            Bethany was the home village of those three close friends of our Lord – Martha, Mary and Lazarus. He frequently stopped there on his many trips from Galilee to Jerusalem and return. It was a place of rest and leisure (if our Lord ever truly had a moment of leisure). The House of Martha was prominent in that village since many wonderful things happened there. 

            On one occasion, Jesus attended an invitation at the house of Simon the Leper in Bethany at which Martha served – Martha was ALWAYS serving because that was the fundamental nature of Martha. Simon was not a leper in fact, but a former leper whom Christ may have healed. 

            There was a fundamental difference in the natures of Martha and Mary which is not unusual between sisters. Martha was practical and decisive. Mary was driven with a strong emotion of love. A further example of this difference may be seen on the occasion of their brother, Lazarus’, death. When our Lord had delayed His coming until after Lazarus had lain in the tomb for four days, both Martha and Mary were despondent – not only over their brother’s death, but hurt by the delay of Christ which seemed to them intentional – and, indeed, it was intentional. But neither could understand the motive of His apparently intentional delay. Our Lord told the disciples, at the news of the illness of Lazarus, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead.
And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him. (John 11:11-15)

            It is easy to understand the hurt of Martha and Mary by the seeming remission of their friend in coming sooner. They KNEW our Lord could heal Lazarus, but now he was dead. What could Jesus do now? Martha was just as hurt as Mary, but Martha came out to meet Christ as soon as He arrived at Bethany. Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.(John 11:20)Mary had a tender heart that the practical often lack. She was hurt to the core and did not come out to meet the Lord. She misconstrued His purpose in delaying His coming. But Martha, being equally hurt, came out to meet the Lord. She had her own grievances to share with Christ over His delay but was convinced that the Lord would do SOMETHING. In her practical thinking, she knew the Lord had restored sight to the blind, healed lepers, made the crippled to walk; so, it meant that He could do something unusual in this loss of Lazarus in her mind. But Mary was heartbroken. She loved Jesus, and she also loved her brother. Her mind was fixed on the loss, but Martha’s upon the unknown possibilities. Martha went to Mary and said, The Master is come, and calleth for thee. As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him. This was all the emotional hope Mary needed. HE STILL CARED FOR HER! She went running and, as was her nature, fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. (John 11:32)

            All of Martha’s neighbors were gathered about weeping which Jesus saw, but when He saw Mary weeping, He was hurt in His soul, When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled, And said, Where have ye laid him?They said unto him, Lord, come and see. Why did our Lord groan in His spirit? It was not because of sorrow over Lazarus (for He knew He would raise him). It was sorrow over the lack of faith of one who loved Him with such a sincere heart.

         There are all kinds of Christians in the Kingdom of Heaven – some emotionally oriented, others practical, some impatient, others quite decisive and firm. It takes all of these different qualities to make up the great Orchestra of Heaven. The shrill fife, the thunderous drum, the serious tuba, and the sweet violin are all need to make harmonious the beauty of music. But love trumps all other qualities as is evidenced in the life of Mary of Bethany. It was Mary of Bethany who was privileged to anoint our Lord for His burial in the Garden Tomb – that is FOR His burial, and not BECAUSE of it. All that Christ ever did was anointed by the Father, and Mary served that final anointing. Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her. (Matthew 26:6-13)

         Mary, rather than performing the mundane work of housekeeping and cooking (which are also worthwhile), preferred a place at the feet of Jesus instead. So, at the death of Lazarus, she again came forth and fell down at our Lord’s feet. Perhaps we should do so as well instead of worrying about the sprouting of the seed we have planted which is the work of the Holy Spirit in the depths of the heart’s soil. 

The Ribband of Blue – 21 August 2019, Anno Domini

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ND the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, ³⁸ Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue: ³⁹  And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring: ⁴⁰  That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God. ⁴¹  I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the LORD your God. (Numbers 15:37-41)

            During the closing days of World War II, America had experienced some hard trials. There was much concern over the men and boys who had gone off to fight against a ruthless dictator who would impose a grievous yoke of socialist dictatorship upon all of Europe and America as well were he to succeed. More than sixteen million Americans served during that War to defend our freedoms. Practically everything was rationed, especially coffee and anything containing sugar. The deprivation of conveniences of sweets and other commodities was a small price to pay compared with the suffering of millions of others who lived in the wake, and on the forward edge, of the battle lines. But even the want for small conveniences drew the American people together in a unity that did not exist before hostilities, and the embers of faith were rekindled in the hearts of the people.

            Near the end of the War in Europe, or shortly after, a small boy of three years age sat on his mother’s knee. He asked a universal question that is common of early youth, “Mama, where did I come from?” His mother answered as if such knowledge should have been commonly understood even by a child, “Why, of course, you came from Heaven. You are a gift of God to me.” In the boy’s mind, that simple answer settled the issue for many years to come. The soul of a child, so recently departed from beyond the Gates of Splendor, has little difficulty in believing the simple truths expressed concerning God. 

A great English poet, William Wordsworth, wrote of this spiritual sense of the child in his amazing poem:

Recollections of Immortality

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:

The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star,

Hath had elsewhere its setting,

And cometh from afar:

Not in entire forgetfulness,

And not in utter nakedness,

But trailing clouds of glory do we come

From God, who is our home:

Heaven lies about us in our infancy!

Shades of the prison-house begin to close

Upon the growing Boy,

But he beholds the light, and whence it flows,

He sees it in his joy;

The Youth, who daily farther from the east

Must travel, still is Nature's Priest,

And by the vision splendid

Is on his way attended;

At length the Man perceives it die away,

And fade into the light of common day.

            Most of those reading this devotion will recall very well the Words of our Lord Jesus Christ concerning the natural inclinations of young children, “Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  (Matthew 18:3-4)What happens to such innocent faith of the child as he grows into adulthood? The cares, concerns, and false indoctrinations of the world take their toll on faith. When we have learned so much that is false, the simple truths that once occupied our souls is often crowded out. 

            The young boy referenced earlier traveled the same course of most mankind. His faith was challenged, and in some ways diminished, by the apparent successes of the world; but in his mature years, he returned to the Ancient Landmark of his soul and to God who had blessed him with life. It is good that we grow older at first, and then seem to become child-like with advancing age. Our memories are triggered by the same infirmity of age that our infirmities as a child had spawned in us as a faith in God. We may come again to love all living things and understand that all life is precious. We anticipate, with wonder, the coming Light as it intensifies.

            You may wonder how any of this relates to the “Ribband of Blue” referenced in our leading text? It relates much. The pure blue of the sky is the first color most of us remember. It symbolizes to us an infinite ‘something’ that we can see but cannot fully understand. What makes the sky blue, for example? But beyond this simple understanding is that of a Higher Being who rules in the lives of men, whose power regulates the orbits of celestial bodies. That Higher Being is Almighty God! That ‘Ribband of Blue’ to be worn on the borders of the garments of God’s people, Israel, was to be a reminder to them that they owned a Heavenly heritage. It reminded them of the sovereignty of God and was, above all, a source of remembrance of who they were in God. We need such reminders today. 

            Men claiming to be ordained of God in the modern pulpit may be ordained by something, but, in many cases, it is not the God you and I have come to know. This new god of theirs is coy and changeable – not immovable as the Solid Rock of our Salvation! This new god sanctions all manner of perversions and twisted scripture. Reverence before God is viewed as provincial at best, and backward at its worst. Anything goes with this new god of the modern age as long as there is no imposition of biblical restrictions of any sort. Even the music of this new god is degenerate and sensual. 

            But each of us, as Christians, must wear the Ribband of Blue about the borders of our soul to remind us that there is a Heaven and a God who rules over all from His domain above the blue. The color blue, to the Hebrew, signified ‘perfection.’ Only God is perfect, and we are full of weaknesses. But He will always lead us in righteousness. 

That Ribband of Blue about the garment of the Child of God, whether marked on the hem of his garment or graven into the hidden chambers of his heart, is a reminder of the Divine Source of our Being. Remember the woman taken with an issue of blood? “And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.” The hem of the Lord’s garment was a sign to the woman of His Divinity and sonship in the Father. May we all do so as well – so much so that others may behold that Ribband of Blue in our faith and lives.   

            I will end this devotion with a quote from a most Godly servant of the Lord, J. Hudson Taylor, who led many to Christ during his 51 years on the mission field of China. In fact, he founded the China Inland Mission which has a living testimony among Chinese Christians today:

GOD would have all His people wear a badge. Throughout their generations they were to make them fringes in the borders of their garments, and to put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue, that they might look upon it and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them, and might be a holy people, holy unto their GOD, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, to be their GOD.

 “Blue is the colour of heaven. The beautiful waters of the sea reflect it, and are as blue as the cloudless sky. When the clouds come between, then, and then only, is the deep blue lost. But it is the will of GOD that there should never be a cloud between His people and Himself; and that, as the Israelite of old, wherever he went, carried the ribband of blue, so His people to-day should manifest a heavenly spirit and temper wherever they go; and should, like Moses, in their very countenances bear witness to the glory and beauty of the GOD whom they love and serve.

“How interesting it must have been to see that ribband of blue carried by the farmer into the field, by the merchant to his place of business, by the maid-servant into the innermost parts of the dwelling, when performing her daily duties. Is it less important that the Christian of today, called to be a witness for CHRIST, should be manifestly characterised by His spirit? Should we not all be |imitators of GOD, as dear children,| and |walk in love as CHRIST also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us|? And should not this Spirit of GOD-likeness be carried into the smallest details of life, and not be merely reserved for special occasions? If we understand aright the meaning of our SAVIOUR'S direction ‘Be ye therefore perfect, even as your FATHER which is in heaven is perfect’, it teaches this great truth.

Hymn 147 – God of our Fathers - a Recessional – 20 August 2019, Anno Domini

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ND it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, 11 And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full; 12 Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 13 Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. 14 Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you;   (Deuteronomy 6:10-14)

            Here is a classic hymn reflecting the greatness of the British Commonwealth and its imminent decline lest they forget the God who had so richly blessed their arms in battle and their labors of empire-building. The hymn is written by none other than the great writer of exploits, Rudyard Kipling, on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897 - queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1837–1901). 

Though I have referenced this great poem often, I have yet, until today, written a devotion upon the hymn it came to be.  There are a number of tunes to which the hymn has been sung. My favorite is ST. CATHERINE by Henri F. Hemy (1865), but the 1940 Hymnal suggests the tune, OLD HUNDRED TWELFTH– a German tune by Johann Walther which he presented to Martin Luther to accompany his LORD’S PRAYER in 1530. 

A Recessional Hymn in traditional Anglican worship signifies the hymn for the closing of the service, or end. The pride of Great Britain was riding high on their successes as a great empire upon whose commonwealth the sun never sat. They were, as well, masters of the ocean seas. But Kipling foresaw the potential of that pride to destroy the greatness of the empire and her people – and Kipling was right to remind the people God raises up, and God is able to debase.

  

God of our Fathers- a Recessional

by Rudyard Kipling,  1897

God of our fathers, known of old,

Lord of our far-flung battle-line,

Beneath whose awful Hand we hold

Dominion over palm and pine—

Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,

Lest we forget—lest we forget!

The tumult and the shouting dies;

The Captains and the Kings depart:

Still stands Thine ancient sacrifice,

An humble and a contrite heart.

Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,

Lest we forget—lest we forget!

Far-called, our navies melt away;

On dune and headland sinks the fire:

Lo, all our pomp of yesterday

Is one with Nineveh and Tyre!

Judge of the Nations, spare us yet,

Lest we forget—lest we forget!

If, drunk with sight of power, we loose

Wild tongues that have not Thee in awe,

Such boastings as the Gentiles use,

Or lesser breeds without the Law—

Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,

Lest we forget—lest we forget!

For heathen heart that puts her trust

In reeking tube and iron shard,

All valiant dust that builds on dust,

And guarding, calls not Thee to guard,

For frantic boast and foolish word—

Thy mercy on Thy People, Lord!

            God of our fathers, known of old, Lord of our far-flung battle-line, Beneath whose awful Hand we hold Dominion over palm and pine— Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, Lest we forget—lest we forget! Though this hymn was intended to ameliorate the high pride of the British Empire and people, it definitely presents a warning to the entire western culture of nations and people. The dominion Great Britain, and the western powers, enjoyed over the past two centuries were attributable to their faith in God and reliance upon His righteous Hand to lead them in bringing greater Light to the many masses who sat in darkness with no knowledge of the Holy. To abuse that leading is to incur the wrath of the same God who blesses. Forgetfulness occurs through careless neglect and false pride. Remembrance requires a conscious effort. So, let us restore the moral teachings of the Holy Bible to our youth and all others if we will survive as nations blest of God. 

            The tumult and the shouting dies; The Captains and the Kings depart: Still stands Thine ancient sacrifice, An humble and a contrite heart. Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, Lest we forget—lest we forget! Pride leads the list of all sins the Lord hates because it is parent to all the others; in fact, pride is what led to the fall of Lucifer – the master of sinners. “These six things doth the LORDhate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.” Proverbs 6:16-19 (KJV)Have we forgotten how our arms, as well of those of Great Britain, were favored on so many hard-fought battlefields by the Lord of Host? “With him is an arm of flesh; but with us is the LORD our God to help us, and to fight our battles.” 2 Chronicles 32:8 (KJV) When the victory seemed impossible by the might of our arms, the Lord has so often turned defeat into miraculous victory – not by our might, but by His! Humility in victory is the signet ring of a great nation. Are we? (i.e. the defeat of the Spanish Armada and the victory at Yorktown, and the victories at Trenton by Washington in 1776–77. Normandy and the Landing at Inchon were also stark reminders of God’s blessing of our arms in battle).

Far-called, our navies melt away; On dune and headland sinks the fire: Lo, all our pomp of yesterday Is one with Nineveh and Tyre! Judge of the Nations, spare us yet, Lest we forget—lest we forget! The glory of the Western nations fades as a dim star on the distant horizon. We have forgotten the Lord who made us and who crowned us with victory, who raised us from the idolatrous depths of paganism to the very heights of heaven through the preaching of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ by the early Apostles and their emissaries. Yet, we suffer from spiritual amnesia.  The Name of the One to whom we prayed for victory at Bunker Hill, Valley Forge, Gettysburg, Flanders, Normandy, and the Pusan Perimeter has all but been repudiated by the very peoples whom He so richly blessed at our founding. Instead of alabaster buildings of gleaming white and amber waves of grain on the high plains, we shall instead become deserts and dunes of the wilderness if we continue on our present course of godlessness.

If, drunk with sight of power, we loose Wild tongues that have not Thee in awe, Such boastings as the Gentiles use, Or lesser breeds without the Law— Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, Lest we forget—lest we forget!     On the eve of the Desert Storm Operation in Iraq, churches and peoples turned out across the landscape of America to pray for victory and to relieve the military forces of a great loss of lives. Commendable! It was anticipated that as many as 60,000 casualties could occur in the first four hours of battle; however, there were only 154 killed in battle during that engagement. Ironically, the churches did not turn out in the same intensity to thank God for His providential hand of mercy to us in that result. Instead, TV monitors were aglow with the brilliance with which we prosecuted the war. Of course, our soldiers-at-arms performed admirably and with patriotic fervor, but those values resulted from an institutional and traditional faith that ‘might makes right.’ But we forgot the One who always gives the victory in war and peace: “The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name..” (Exodus 15:3) We are ALL “lesser breeds” without the Law of God – that is Kipling’s point here. 

            For heathen heart that puts her trust In reeking tube and iron shard, All valiant dust that builds on dust, And guarding, calls not Thee to guard, For frantic boast and foolish word—Thy mercy on Thy People, Lord! Can the dust from which we are created be worthy of any victory in battle – NO! The Lord God breathed the breath of life into our souls and quickened the hearts of His people by the agency of His Holy Spirit. We become what we are by virtue of His calling and choice. Without His making us alive and free, we would remain in trespasses and sin. The dead have no will except a self-will – nothing free about such a will. Freedom to sin is not freedom. The only true freedom is found in Christ. That is the only FREE Will that exists in the Kingdom of Heaven. But though we have spiritual relapses, it is never too late to turn back to the God of our Fathers in repentance and prayer. Our boasting means nothing. Our foolish academics who pretend greater knowledge than their Maker are without any standing with the Lord. They boast of knowing the origins of life, yet, they cannot make even a tiny flea to live. They boast of knowing the effects of global warming in twelve years, but cannot predict, with certainty, if the weather will be rainy or clear either tomorrow or next week. Let us heed the counsel of the Apostle Paul to Timothy: “O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen.” (1 Timothy 6:20-21)

Sermon Notes - Ninth Sunday after Trinity - Saint Andrew’s Anglican Orthodox Church - 18 August 2019, Anno Domini

The Ninth Sunday after Trinity.

The Collect.

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RANTto us, Lord, we beseech thee, the spirit to think and do always such things as are right; that we, who cannot do any thing that is good without thee, may by thee be enabled to live according to thy will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

            Before going into the beauty of this Parable of the Prodigal, let us first examine the reason for our Lord’s telling of it. The Scribes and Pharisee had a head-knowledge of Holy Scripture, but their hearts were far from its meaning, beauty and compassion. They always felt themselves more righteous than any others especially the publicans and common sinners. In fact, the scribes and Pharisees were no common sinners, but were, instead, GREAT sinners whose pride separated them from the common. The older son at the end of this parable represents those same scribes and Pharisees who murmured against our Lord at the beginning of the chapter (vs 1-3). 

            The Collect points out, rightfully, that our works are nothing worth if not performed to the glory of Him who died for us.

The Gospel Text for today’s sermon comes from the 15^thchapter of St. Luke, verses 11-32. For the benefit of those who will be reading these notes instead of hearing them, I will include the entire text by individual verses in the body of my sermon rather than print the entire text at the beginning. We all have Bibles, so perhaps this will simplify our understanding. 

Here is another of my favorite passages of Holy Scripture. It is the third series of Parables in this chapter that address “lost” things – the first is one lost sheep out of one hundred (Vs. 4-7). The sheep might be compared to a baby Christian who has not gotten his roots deeply set in the Word of God ere the winds of doubt and temptation assail. He has little vision to see the road ahead, and wanders off from following the Shepherd. Once lost in the rocky crevices of the mountain plain, he is terrified and begins to bleat. His Shepherd is the Good Shepherd and He never loses a single lamb placed in his charge. The second example is that of a lost coin – one silver coin out of ten – that a lady misplaces. All those who are lost without the church are precious to the Lord. The lost have no conscience of being lost. They are as good as dead – just like the silver coin. They cannot even bleat for the Good Shepherd for they are “dead in trespasses and sins.” That lost coin can in no wise find itself, so it is like the sinner who is without hope unless he is found by the good woman (the Church).

Now the third example is you, and me, and all who call themselves Christians. Do not make the mistake of assuming, ladies, that this Parable is just about some errant son – it is about the errant daughter as well. If we belong to Christ, we are all equally the sons and daughters of God the Father. I understand this parable quite well because I have traveled the same road that the Prodigal traveled and, thank God, I have also returned by way of that same road. I have wasted my substance in riotous living, found myself alone and devoid of a friendly soul, wandered to the depths of the pigsty, and then, thank God, came to myself and arisen and returned. If you are honest with yourself, you, too, may have done all that the Prodigal did unless you are a very unusual son or daughter of Adam. The prodigal, unlike the lost sheep and the coin, knows his Father well, has a conscience to think, and goes into a far country away from his Father with intentional resolve.

Let us go back in time to that day when Jesus, confronted by the murmuring scribes and Pharisees, looked deep into the hearts of all men and spoke this Parable. His mind could see every human heart and every prodigal that had ever lived, or will ever live. Being the Master of all Truth and Wisdom, He condenses all of those prodigals into a single account, so much more accomplished at the art of example than any Shakespeare that ever lived – or any other. “A certain man had two sons.” (Luke 15:11)This is every man – every father, but especially, God the Father. The two sons are you and me, and every daughter that has seen the light of day.

The man is a good Father, and He loves His sons dearly. The younger son is a rebellious boy, just like you and me, who resents the authority of his Father over him. “And the younger of them said to hisfather, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me.” (vs. 12a) The boy believes that he deserves a reward for which he has never labored or sacrificed. He believes the wealth of his Father falls to him simply by accident of birth. How many of us cry for the blessings of God, but deny His Sovereignty over us? I venture to say everyone who hears this sermon does so to some extent. The Father looks at His willful son with love and disappointment; but His disappointment does not abate His love for his rebellious son. “What can I do to awaken my son to his great need?” the Father must have asked. Surely, He could have denied the boy’s request, but would that have awakened him to his dire shortcomings, or simply hardened his heart in the matter?  

            “And he divided unto them hisliving.” (vs. 12b)  God the Father has no obligation whatsoever to bless us, but He chooses to do so. This old Hebrew father has no legal or ethical constraint to grant the boy’s request, but he grants him his prayerful request knowing that the boy will fare badly on his own. Why? Because the only way that we can have our dull eyes opened, often, is by having all, losing all, and then coming to our right minds. It is coming to the last rung on our ladder. So what does the son do?

            “And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.” (vs. 13) This son was in a great hurry to get out from under his Father’s thumb. “And not many days after” he gathered up his newfound wealth and left his Father, his brother, and all that was his Father’s. That is what we do when we have known God and, yet, embark off on a far journey to satisfy our own lusts and desires. 

            “And when he had spent all.” The only thing we own in this world is what our Father has given us. We have no wealth of our own at all since ALL belongs to God. When we strike out away from our Father’s House, we will soon expend the daily Manna He gives and exhaust ourselves in barren places. “And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.” (vs. 14) Wherever we go away from God, it is a ‘far country’ of unloving strangers. Whenever we obey our own wills and not the Will of the Father, there will result a famine in that land to which we have fled. The want for bread is not nearly so dreadful as the want for spiritual fellowship with our Father. A famine of the word, as Amos says, is far more severe than a famine of bread and water. (Amos 8:11-12)

            If we take a chunk of our Father’s money and go out to a far country – say, Las Vegas – we shall have many friends as long as the largesse remains; but once gone, so are all of the doting friends. Their faces now become sharp and condemning. Just as sodium is never found in its pure form in nature, but always joined to some other element, so the son who is not joined to his Father, must join himself to others – others who only use and do not care for him. “And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.” (v.15) There is no real love among the Godless. This young Jewish son found himself in the most deplorable of conditions for his faith – feeding the pigs. I will remind you that the Father knew all that was happening to His son just as God knows every second of your life, but He lifted not a finger to bring him home. Why was this? We shall see in due time.

            Once famine strikes at the heart, it is unrelenting – never lessening, but always increasing from misery to misery. “And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.” (v. 16) Once we have known God as our Father, separation from Him becomes unbearable. Our hunger for righteousness becomes ravenous. God did not put us in this deplorable state: we did it to ourselves without Him. No man will lift a finger o alleviate the suffering of the poor in the Far Country of the World. It is a terror to be ravenously hungry and to know that no man cares enough to give us a crumb from his table. As the Prayer of Collect truly asserts, “. . . cannot do any thing that is good without thee, may by thee be enabled to live according to thy will; through Jesus Christ our Lord.” The Lord does not bless us in Far Countries from Him.

            There are five profound matters that come to light which the son acted upon when he found himself in extreme depravity of soul:

1)     HE CAME TO HIMSELF: “And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!” (v.17) It is my opinion, and I believe one supported by Scripture, that all who are apart from God are out of their right minds. The son finally “came to himself” and recognized his total lack of worth in this “Far Country away from his Father. Everyone who comes to Christ must first recognize their depravity and great need.

2)     HE RESOLVED TO ARISE AND CONFESS TO HIS FATHER: “I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee.  And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.”(v.18,19)  Every repentance of man begins with a resolution to arise. Certainly, a sinner can sink no lower than he has already sunk. The only way to move is up toward God and His Savior.

3)     HE ACTED ON HIS RESOLUTION: The son did not pay mere lip service to his resolution – he ACTED upon it! “And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.” (v.20) Here is a picture of whose beauty I can barely imagine! We know that the Father is completely aware of His son’s debauchery, yet He never sought to bring him back. If He had sought the son to bring him back before he had reached the end of his rope, nothing would have been learned. The Father waited and watched in pain of soul. Every rebellious sin we commit as Christians is like another lash over the back of Christ. The son returned! His Father has sat watching the horizon patiently for days, then weeks, then months, and then the months turned to years. But with failing eyesight, He watched. Suddenly, a figure emerged over the distant horizon over which the road wound upon which his son had left long years before. The figure was dressed in rags, walked with a stumbling step, smelled of the filth of the pigsty, was bearded and gross of appearance – no one would have recognized this figure as the handsome young boy who so proudly marched away on the road of prodigality years before – no one EXCEPT the Father. His loved told Him who this fellow was at such a long distance. God loves us so much that He knows and recognizes us even when we are in desperate sin. The Father could no longer sit and wait. He waited when His son was going away, but when he was returning, this was a joy to the old man’s heart. God cares that we are headed in the right direction even if we are yet a long way off from being at His side. Sin is a DIRECTION and so is RIGHTEOUSNESS. The Father hugged a filthy, flea-bitten son who stank to high heaven.

4)     HE CONFIRMED HIS RESOLUTION BY CONFESSION AND REPENTANCE:  “And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.” (V.21) It is only when we recognize our unworthiness that we can please God. It is HIS worthiness upon which we must furl our flags. The Father, just as He knows our hearts, already knew, without words, the heart of His son. He did not even hear the verbal confession of His son – the spirit had shouted the news to His heart from afar. 

5)     HE IS FORGIVEN, RECEIVED, AND RESTORED: “But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put iton him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on hisfeet:” (V. 22) The Father does not quibble over the depth of our sins and disloyalty when we have returned to Him with broken spirit and contrite heart. THE ROBE:  He takes that precious, blood-bought Robe of Righteousness that Christ purchased at our Redemption and covers our filthy rags of sin and pungent odor. That covering represents forgiveness, justification, and acceptance.  “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness.”(Isaiah 61:10a) THE RING: This is literally a signet ring which conveys the authority of the Father upon the son. As believing Christians, we too have that authority conveyed upon us. In labeling sin as sin, we express not our own opinion, but the law of God. SHOES: I have seen disturbing pictures of late of the senseless and cruel murder of captured Iraqi soldiers by ISIS. Most were lying in a ditch to be shot, and shoeless. Why? It has been a tradition as far back as King Cyrus that the shoes of captured prisoners be taken to prevent their escape. Shoes are a sign of liberty, and Christ is the Perfect Law of Liberty.

The Father arranges a feast for all who return to Him in love and repentance. “And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry” (v.23) There is rejoicing in Heaven over the repentance of a single sinner. (V. 7) 

            “For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.” (v.24)

            Time does not suffice to bring out all of the beauty inherent in this Parable, or to expound upon the final verses. That will be food for a later time. But each of us should read this parable and, in each place the prodigal is mentioned, insert our own names. It will be an eye-opener.

            If you are whiling your days away in a Far Country (no matter how far away that country is), come to your senses, resolve to arise, then follow up by arising; return to your Father, confess your sins, and be restored.

Lost – 16 August 2019, Anno Domini

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HENdrew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. 3And he spake this parable unto them, saying, 4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?  (Luke 15:1-4)

E

ITHERwhat woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?   (Luke 15:8)

A

NDhe said, A certain man had two sons: ¹²  And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.¹³  And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. ¹⁴  And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.    (Luke 15:11-14)

            The Gospel Text for the Ninth Sunday after Trinity next is the Parable of the Prodigal Son; but I believe that Parable takes on greater meaning when the previous two parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin are taken into context with the Prodigal Son. All three parables address something that is lost in varying degrees of measure. Each has, I believe, a significant relevance to the nature of being either lost ‘in’ Christ, or lost ‘to’ Christ.

            To set the stage for our devotion, let us recall the Words of our Lord’s prayer in the Garden at Gethsemane on the night of His betrayal. 

A

NDnow I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. ¹²  While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. ¹³  And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. ¹⁴  I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. ¹⁵  I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. ¹⁶  They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 

NB: Those our Lord proclaims to be not lost includes Peter who denied the Lord three times this very night. Peter was secure in the predestined calling of God even though he stumbled that one night three times over.

            There are few routine occurrences more unsettling than to lose something even if of little worth, but to lose a very valuable  possession is heartbreaking. One will search high and low, over and over again, until that thing is either recovered, or all hope of finding it is abandoned. A mother of ten children could never choose one of the ten to be eternally lost. They are all of equal value. In fact on is worth the ten in a mother’s eyes. 

            The three parables under consideration today speak of someone, or something, that is lost. But each lost thing represents a certain stage of one’s standing in Christ.

            The first parable is of one sheep out of one hundred that is lost (1% lost). The second speaks of one coin out of ten that is lost; and the third speaks of one son out of two that is lost. What do these lost things refer to individually. Let’s examine them one by one. 

The Lost Sheep

What is the nature of a little sheep? It has very little situation awareness. It feels safe under the watchful eye of the shepherd. But is lacks distant vision. It can see clearly only a few feet ahead. I believe this lost sheep represents the baby Christian whose faith is not deeply rooted in the Word. He or she has only recently come to know the Lord, so their understanding of the wiles of the devil are not fully developed. They follow along behind the animal just to their front, but are tempted by a bit of grass just a little distance from the trail. Thus, they wander there to eat, but see more grass even further beyond. Suddenly, they look up and neither the other sheep nor the shepherd is anywhere in sight. At first, they panic and run to and from to find the shepherd and the flock, but to no avail. They wander aimlessly in fear of wolves and other predators. They are on their own without any defense in the absence of the Shepherd just as we Christians are lost without our Lord when we drift away from our sensibilities of Him.

            So, what does the little sheep do? It begins to bleat among the rocks and crevices of the mountain slopes. The shepherd in due time misses the little fellow and secures his ninety and nine in a secure fold while he searches for the little one. At length, the shepherd hears the bleating (praying) sheep and carries it home on his shoulders to his friends “saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.” Our Lord rejoices when an errant son or daughter of His elect wanders from faith but is finally awakened by the desperation of their circumstance. A newborn Christian has faith from the beginning but lacks the depth of spiritual knowledge and training which often results in their wandering into the wilderness of the world. Once aware of their lostness, they begin to pray (bleat) and seek the face of their Shepherd who knows their predicament and will bring them home to the fold.

The Lost Coin

What of the woman with ten silver coins one of which she loses (10% lost). A coin is not like an animal or a person. It is inanimate or dead just as the lost without Christ are dead in trespasses and sins. In fact, until we heard the Voice of Christ calling, we were all as the coin – dead to all around us. The coin is like the lost sinner who is dead in trespasses and sins. When a woman of Israel was wedded to her husband, she was given a diary by her father in case she was ever summarily divorced by her husband – a practice not uncommon in Israel. The diary was her emergency fund on which to live in event of such a contingency. So, the woman was desperate to find the silver coin. God has His diary for the Bride of His Son (the Church) and every one that is chosen to make up that diary is important in the eyes of the Lord. He will never fail to find and make alive that lost coin of His heritage. “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)  (Ephesians 2:4-5)  “those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost,”

The Lost Son

There were two sons, and the younger demanded his inheritance, early, even before the death of his father which was customary. The father was a kind and insightful man who granted this demand of a rebellious son. Not many days after, the boy packed his goods and set out on a world of adventure (50% lost). The old father watched sadly as the boy disappeared over the road leading to a far country. But the father was not blind to the boy’s excesses in that far country. He was careful to hear reports of how the boy was getting on. He realized that forcing the boy’s return would not be wise. Well, the boy wasted his money on fine living and drink. As long as the wealth held out, he was blessed with many ingratiating friends; but, once he was without money, he turned to see his friends, and none were there. He was hungry and homeless. He associated himself with a stranger (the devil) who cared nothing for the boy except in how he could use him. So, the stranger sent him into the pigs’ sties to feed and care for them. This was particularly demeaning to a young Hebrew. Once, when he came to his right mind (for none of those who wander from their father are sane) he repented and resolved to go to his father and to repent.

The old father sat on that same porch watching the same horizon upon which the boy had disappeared long ago. Though the boy was ragged, stooped, and covered with the filth of pigs, the father nonetheless recognized the boy at first glance, ran to him, embraced him, had shoes put on his feet (freedom), a signet ring placed on his finger (authority), and a robe on his back to cover his filth (the redeeming blood of Christ). The boy was still his son and had ever been even in a far country; but now the son was home, and all was joy.

The older son was angry at the treatment his young brother received. He resented the reception given his lost brother and though himself far better than the Prodigal. This older brother represented the scribes and Pharisees whose badgering had resulted in Christ giving the three parables: “Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And he spake this parable unto them” (Luke 15:1-3)

            We, and they, have enough to be concerned about with our own souls instead of condemning those we consider of lower class or stature. That is the lesson simplified.