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“Don’t Give Up!” – Genesis 32:24-26; Luke 18:1

Pent. 21 – Oct. 15 & 16, 2016

Do you know (remember) the OT story of Jacob and Esau? (their nick-names were “Grabby” and “Hairy”). Esau was born first, “red and his body was covered like a hairy garment.” / “Esau” = Hairy. His twin, Jacob was born “with his hand grasping Esau’s heel” = “grabby.” Jacob certainly lived up to his name – born “grasping the heel” of his twin brother, Esau. He “wrestled” away from Esau (the birthright for a bowl of red stew) and the family blessing (deceiving his dad with his mother’s help). In addition, Jacob “wrestled” with his Uncle Laban (being tricked into marrying Leah, after working 7 years for Rachel; working another 7 years for Rachel; and another 7 years for flocks and herds). Now, as Jacob is returning to the Promised Land, fearful for his life again, because of meeting Esau with his 400 men; in the climax of this story, our OT reading; Jacob is “wrestling” with God, Himself!

This is a pretty strange story, for it seems that Jacob was “out-wrestling” God! But note God’s kindness and mercy – He got Jacob’s attention by doing what came so naturally for Jacob – “wrestling.” [How marvelous that God appeared in this extraordinary way – like a father wrestling with his very young child – allowing Jacob to appear to be winning!]   True to his name – Jacob was not about to “Give Up!” without “grabbing” a blessing! When God said, “Let Me go, for it is daybreak.” Jacob replied, “I will not let You go unless You bless me.” [And marvelously again! God gave to Jacob another blessing – indicated by the name change from Jacob (grabby) to Israel – meaning, “he struggles with God and with men and have overcome.”

In the process, and as a constant reminder of what God would promise him, and to assure Jacob that this was not another dream (remember the dream of Jacob’s ladder some 20+ years earlier?) – God “wrenched Jacob’s hip,” from then on he walked with a limp / a constant reminder of the blessings God had given to him and through him.

What Jacob didn’t realize (or remember / and we so easily forget as well): he didn’t need to “grab” a blessing from God – God had ALREADY promised Jacob The Blessing – the same covenant promise given to Adam & Eve, passed on through the generations also to Abraham & Isaac. Even before he was born, when Jacob and Esau were still in their mother’s womb, God told Rebekah, “the older will serve the younger.” And 20+ years earlier, when God gave Jacob the dream of the ladder reaching from earth to heaven, with angels ascending and descending, God had repeated the covenant promise given to Abraham & Isaac with the additional promise, “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go… I will do what I have promised.” (Genesis 28:15) In spite of Jacob’s “grabbiness,” God would continue His covenant promise through Jacob.

Our natural tendency is also to be “grabby” for the “stuff of this life;” racking up heavy debts, over-loaded schedules, closets and garages full of stuff, – always trying to “keep what we have” and “get more!”

And this is not just with the “stuff” of this world, but even more harmful, in our relationships. We “hold on” to grudges, indicating that we have not forgiven the offense and our refusal to be reconciled with the other person. We are “holding on to” the wrong things!

Therefore, God’s Word says – “Let go” the grip of the stuff of this world and the “past grudges and hurts from others” – INSTEAD, “grasp your hands in prayer,” “don’t give up praying;” with the assurance and promise of God’s richest blessings!

In the Gospel reading, “Jesus told His disciples (and us) a parable to show that (we) should always pray and not give up.” (Luke18:1) And note especially the question Jesus asks at the end of the parable: “…when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (v.8) Don’t Give Up (hold on!) or you will lose the precious gift of saving faith in Jesus Christ!

This parable Jesus told is really quite simple – two characters – a widow and a judge. We are told twice, perhaps for emphasis, that the judge “neither feared God nor cared about people.” (Just the opposite qualifications of what a judge – or elected official – should be!) And the widow was in need of “justice” from someone trying to take advantage of her. The widow didn’t give up until she wore down the judge and received justice. Then Jesus makes the absurd comparison “And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? I tell you, He will see that they get justice, and quickly.” (Luke 18:7-8)

He tells us, “we should always pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1) because God is “the exact opposite” of the unjust judge. God ALWAYS “brings about justice for His chosen Ones” – working in His time, in His way – in spite of our impatience and times of weakness of faith.

What a timely message for us today – especially in our political, social, moral situation in America and throughout the world these days – leading up to the election (a little over 4 weeks) of our next president and other elected offices. Are you “wrestling” with knowing how to vote – what to do? God’s Word tells us: “Don’t Give Up!”

Don’t give up (in spite of the pressures and many troubles of this world) / Don’t let go (of the precious truth of God’s love and care for you) / hold on tight (to the promises God so clearly promises and gives) – This is even more true with the eternal truth of saving faith – “hold on!”/ “Don’t give up!”

Oh, how we need the encouragement: to “give up” grabbing for the things of this world / becoming discouraged because of what we see, hear and fear for our future and the future of our children and grandchildren. Jesus shows us that we “should always pray and not give up:” and when He asked: “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” – by His grace, we confidently answer, YES HE WILL because He strengthens and preserves us as we “continue in His Word,” strengthened in His Sacraments, and “grasping our hands together” in prayer and petitions with thanksgivings – no matter the political, social, moral or personal situation.

Looking forward to worshiping with you next weekend!

God’s blessings,

Pastor Myers

 

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Come and See! John 1:43-46

Oct. 1 & 2, 2016 LWML Sermon Summary

Have you ever been surprised? Surprises can be quite pleasant. A man gets down on his knee, pulls out a beautiful ring, and proposes, “Would you marry me?” A young wife eagerly shares big news with her unsuspecting husband: “Guess what? We are having a baby!” Surprises can also be unpleasant. Heavy rain pours down, electricity goes out and your basement is flooded! An optimistic job seeker receives a letter of rejection after a seemingly great job interview.

All surprises are unexpected and people have vastly different reactions to the same surprise. This dynamic is what we read in today’s Gospel reading.

We read in John 1: Jesus found Philip and called him to be His disciple with the invitation: “Follow me!” Isn’t it most interesting that the first thing that Philip did was to seek out Nathanael – we sense excitement in Philip’s words: “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph!” Philip speaks as if he had found the most valuable treasure and he must tell everyone about it. He receives the news with a joyful heart. This is often the way the gospel spreads – one person commends it to another, face to face, person to person, in the context of a relationship. Nathaniel, however, came back with a cynical reply, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?”

Nathaniel longed for God to send a messiah who would lead Israel into a new era of international prominence. He was cynical and lost hope in the political situation of his day (with the recent debates, can we relate to this?). Like so many Israelites, he suffered only disappointment. Prophets and preachers throughout the centuries proclaimed that the Messiah was coming, yet Israel was still in Roman dominance. Philip was not “put off” by Nathaniel’s caustic response, he simply said, “Come and see.” AND HE DID!

When Jesus saw Nathaniel approaching, Jesus said, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.”

“How do You know me?” Nathaniel asked.

Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

When Jesus told Nathaniel that He had seen him sitting under the fig tree, this had significant meaning! The prophets of ancient Israel had used the image of the fig tree to convey a picture of God’s end-time kingdom. In Zacharias 3:10, the prophet wrote, “In that day, (when God’s Kingdom would come) each of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and fig tree, declares the Lord Almighty.”

The prophet Micah used the image in the same way (Micah 4:5). In effect, Jesus was saying to Nathaniel, “I know what’s on your heart. I know you’ve been praying for the Messiah. I know you want God’s kingdom to be restored.” Jesus greeted Nathaniel unexpectedly by speaking directly to what was most on his heart. And Nathaniel responded with simple faith and amazing joy. He told Christ, “You are the Son of God, the King of Israel.” His quick switch from cynicism to earnestness indicates the depth to which Christ had touched him.

Now look what Christ promised in verses 50-51. Christ didn’t promise to restore Israel – he promised to open up heaven and show the inner workings of creation. The image of angels ascending and descending comes from the vision of Jacob’s ladder in Genesis 28:12. There, God promised that Jacob (who was a fugitive, running for his life from his brother, Esau, who wanted to kill him) that he would be father to a great nation and that God would always be with him (no matter the circumstances). Through this reminder (of Jacob’s ladder), Jesus let Nathaniel know His plans to build a great nation – NOT THE POLITICAL NATION that Nathaniel expected. Jesus was in effect saying, “I’m a bigger king than you ever expected.”

Always, with our encounter with Jesus – Prepare to be surprised! Nathaniel was right in asking: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” and the answer is with Philip’s invitation to meet Jesus: “Come and see!”

Can anything good come out of these elections? God surprises us. We often look for power and wisdom in the wrong places: in the best we humans have to offer, so of course we get cynical! It is far beyond the politics, it is in Jesus of Nazareth, the unassuming Man from Galilee, that we are called to see the power and the wisdom of God at work in our lives. We are called to fix our eyes not on ourselves, but on Jesus.

“Come and see” the love of God in Christ Jesus through water and the Word (baptism!) / (and hear) Jesus speaking to us (Bible reading, study, hearing His Word) / blessing us through bread and wine (The Lord’s Supper) – “Come and see.”

We also ask the Lord Jesus to open our eyes to His surprising opportunities for partnership with brothers and sisters in Christ from different ethnic and language groups at work, in our neighborhoods, in the United States and abroad, so that together we might invite even more neighbors to meet Jesus, “the Man from Galilee,” the Savior of the world.

Nathaniel asks: Can anything good really come out of Nazareth? Yes, indeed, Jesus, God’s greatest gift to us, has surprisingly come out of lowly Galilee for us and for our salvation. Good things do come out of Galilee!

Hey Nathaniel! Can God work out His salvation in spite of our political, social, economic situation? Can God work out His salvation in our surprises, disappointments and situations? Yes, indeed, Nathanael. “Come and see!”

In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Come, join us this coming weekend as Jesus continues to surprise and bless us in His Word and Sacraments.

Pastor Dan Myers

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Manners are important. They affect how people live together. Manners are NOT natural – we need to be taught:

 (table manners) Don’t chew with your mouth open; use your spoon, fork and knife…

 (social) Look at a person when they are talking to you / reply politely…

 Say “excuse me” whenever you need to leave the table / sneeze or bump into someone.

Add to these all the “manners” when driving, (maybe we wish more people used driving manners!); manners in school, on the playground, at work, etc. We could even talk about manners in political speeches and running for office…

Our Scripture readings this weekend teach us about “more than manners” as we read in our Gospel reading, Jesus was invited to “eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee.” The reading indicates that Jesus was NOT invited as an honored guest, as we read, “One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, He was being carefully watched.” – (literally – “to lie in wait for” / ready to pounce on Him!) to discredit / humiliate Him before the people! “There in front of Him was a man suffering from a disease.” Obviously he was a “trap” to embarrass / discredit Jesus; whether He would heal on the Sabbath. Jesus loved the man and “healed him and sent him away.” (v.4)

Jesus knew all about the “social status” / the “social currency” of the day – Hosting and being invited to a party like this was part of a complex system of establishing or maintaining social status. Social status was achieved and maintained by

a) knowing the right people, (whole and healthy!) b) being seen with the right crowd and

c) associating only with the right kind of people! (It is significant that Jesus was known for associating with the “wrong” people – “tax collectors and sinners!”)

Formal banquets were a kind of “social currency” – canceling social debts of some, while incurring new indebtedness for others. Being invited to a formal meal indebted the guest to future reciprocation – IF you wanted to stay on the A-list of social status. We naturally apply this to our relationship with God: I must somehow become “worthy” / do something / please God to be in the Kingdom of heaven.

We read: “When Jesus noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, He told them this parable (politically incorrect but divinely true teaching).” Jesus says: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (14:11)

The sin of pride has been around since the beginning of creation. It’s the sin that got the devil and the evil angels banished from heaven; it’s one of the series of sins that caused Adam & Eve to “fall” into sin; and it’s the sin and temptation that continues to “trap” us so easily.

So Jesus teaches us: “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and (with the promise) he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Luke 14:11) This humbling is ours as God works true repentance – when we truly confess our sins (especially pride) and look only to Jesus our Savior.

Then GOD EXALTS US, to a place of honor in His Kingdom – the Church and eternally, a place in heaven!

Because Jesus truly humbled Himself (suffered and died on the cross) He now gives us REAL, LASTING personal worth. We ARE exalted – we have REAL WORTH, not because of who we are (or what we’ve done) but because of WHOSE we are (what Jesus Christ has done for you, me, the whole world!) – we have worth through our Baptism!

God’s blessings this week as we live and serve our Savior and those He places in our lives.

Pastor Myers

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