tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14185929443978508082024-02-19T00:17:19.481-08:00The Beaton TrailThoughts on walking in the WayCraighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06286532444856705606noreply@blogger.comBlogger86125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418592944397850808.post-21424028427090977162009-07-09T14:03:00.000-07:002009-07-09T14:07:29.785-07:00NEW BLOGThanks to some help from friends, I am moving my blog to <a href="http://craigsbeaton.wordpress.com/">http://craigsbeaton.wordpress.com/</a> : I will be able to do more with the wordpress software and will hopefully be more devout in posting sermons, thoughts, and more.<br /><br />Please keep following the Beaton Trail at <a href="http://craigsbeaton.wordpress.com/">http://craigsbeaton.wordpress.com/</a> !<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://craigsbeaton.wordpress.com/"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 183px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyHbsl-NtJfLN3sbTGYpJEZ1sLjq0fNEpVVMmPJu3FdBvKPyPHIVnPf11hnZYSML4hVJEstyAAPQULfAEDlsGcw-gZ4bUwGhZhcei14XdkOqQ15-vSBgLtl4PzBBLyUZGBjWYBMhDZEXw/s400/nb.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356569619620336898" border="0" /></a>Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06286532444856705606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418592944397850808.post-68367833467373885482009-03-23T06:14:00.001-07:002009-07-09T09:25:48.088-07:00Bread for the WorldThis morning we’ve considered the mission of the Father, Son, and Spirit to save the world. And this Table likewise reflects this mission. In John 6:51 Jesus says, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” Here we see that the salvation of the world through Jesus takes on a Eucharistic shape... <span class="fullpost">The life and salvation of the world are connected to eating the flesh of Jesus. The giving of His flesh reflects the Father’s love for the world in giving His Son over to death. Jesus came to do the will of His Father and drank the cup He was given. In order to receive life and salvation from His death on the cross the world must feed upon Him. This ‘eating’ corresponds to the ‘faith’ of those who believe in His name, do not perish, and now possess everlasting life. It is that faith that you express at this Table in eating and drinking the bread and the wine. These actions symbolize your active participation in the death of Christ for as Paul says it is a communion in His body and blood. The elements do not change in substance to become such, but rather by faith we feed upon His flesh though He remains in heaven. It is through this active participation in the flesh of Christ that the Father and Son by the Spirit are now renewing and bringing life to the world. Eventually all the nations of the earth will join us at this Table as men and women, boys and girls, stream into Zion from north, south, east, and west.</span>Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06286532444856705606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418592944397850808.post-30115363665779504712009-03-23T06:11:00.000-07:002009-03-23T06:12:51.491-07:00Lent and LifeThe season of Lent is really a microcosm, a miniature picture, of the Christian life as a whole. The discipline of denying ourselves, taking up our individual crosses each day, and following in the steps of Jesus should characterize our lives as Christians all year round. This shouldn’t, however, be registered as an argument against the value of Lent. We could make the very argument about the Lord’s Day. The worship, refreshment of body and soul, and works of mercy that characterize this Day are by no means to be confined to one day in seven. Rather by directing our full attention to these practices for one day in seven we are training ourselves to live, work, worship, and rest like this throughout the week. The season of Lent relates to the rest of the year in the same way. By directing our attention to the sufferings and death of Christ and our calling to follow Him in the way of the cross we are cultivating a cruciform, literally cross-formed, life that will be manifest throughout the year. So as you focus on the sufferings and death of Christ; and as you give yourselves to the practices of almsgiving, prayer, and fasting throughout the season of Lent; don’t even begin to entertain the notion that this focus and these practices are somehow unique to these forty days. Rather, allow this focus and these practices to give shape to your lives as individuals and as families. In this way the Church of Jesus will again be known as a house of prayer and alms for the nations of the earth. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen!Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06286532444856705606noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418592944397850808.post-87586585768060481052009-03-23T06:08:00.000-07:002009-03-23T06:11:17.979-07:00Divisions and the TableIn the sermon we considered how the people of God are always prone to putting obstacles in the way of those who would draw near to God. Nowhere is this propensity more clearly revealed than here at this Table. Think of the ways that various churches rope off the Table and keep folks in the outer courts. If you’re too young, or mentally infirm; if you’ve not been baptized in the correct branch of the church, or are unable correctly to parse out the way in which Christ is/not present spiritually/materially in the bread and the wine, then in many, many traditions, you are not welcome at this Table. In these ways and countless others the church has kept other Christians at a distance and failed to realize the visible unity of the Church that the one loaf symbolizes. Brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, baptism and communing at this Table define who is “in” and who is “out.” This is not the Table of the Reformed, or Episcopalians, or Lutherans, EO, or RC, it is the Table of the Lord. He decides who can come and who can’t. Let the unity that is manifested at this Table shape the way you view and treat your brothers and sisters in Christ both within and without this congregation and our denomination. Strengthened by the body and blood of Christ, endeavor to live peaceably with all those bought with the blood of Christ. You’ve been blessed and given grace in order that you might bless and extend grace to one another and to all men. Rejoice in the grace that you receive at this Table, but don’t keep it all to yourself!Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06286532444856705606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418592944397850808.post-90002775037674697182009-03-23T06:07:00.000-07:002009-03-23T06:08:52.526-07:00Put Your Trust in the LordIn this morning’s Gospel Lesson we will consider John’s account of Jesus clearing the Temple near the beginning of His public ministry. In going after the Temple Jesus was targeting the primary symbol of Jewish identity. Under the old covenant the Temple was the cosmic center of the universe. It was the earthly dwelling place of God, the locus of sacrificial worship, and the center of political influence. Sadly, at times in Israel’s history the symbolic importance of the Temple became an end in itself and the people began to put their trust in the Temple, rather than Yahweh. For many Jews in the first century the Temple had become nothing more than a talisman, a symbol obligating God to bless and protect Israel. And we can so easily do the same with the symbols of God’s presence with us (Word, Sacraments, Prayer). We’re tempted to think that simply by doing these things God is somehow obligated to bless us. But when we do this we turn the means of grace into ends in and of themselves. When Israel began to trust in the Temple rather than in Yahweh, the Temple had to be destroyed. Even so when you begin to trust in your church attendance, devotional practices, or even the sacraments rather than in Jesus Christ, God is not pleased. You are gathered here this morning, not to force God’s hand, but humbly to receive His grace. Your trust shouldn’t be placed in anything we do here this morning, but rather in who Jesus is and what He has done for us and for our salvation.Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06286532444856705606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418592944397850808.post-30038672510667269072009-03-23T06:04:00.000-07:002009-03-23T06:06:57.178-07:00Cross and TableWell this morning we’ve seen how the way of Jesus to the cross has set down both the pattern and basis for our way of the cross. And it is this pattern and basis that we proclaim and celebrate here this morning. For as you pass the bread and proclaim, “My life for yours,” you are proclaiming your willingness to follow Christ in the way of the cross. You’re saying that even as Jesus laid down his life for you, even so you, out of love for Christ, as a result of His gospel, and in accordance with His Word, even so will lay down your life for your one another. You’re saying that just as Jesus denied Himself and took up His cross, even so will you. And yet as you pass the cup and proclaim, “Christ’s blood for your sins,” you are proclaiming your failure to do so. Only Jesus has denied Himself and taken up the way of/to the cross in perfect obedience. And it only as His blood makes you clean that you will be able to follow Him in this way. What would you give in exchange for this bread and wine?Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06286532444856705606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418592944397850808.post-23196666614136427642009-03-23T06:03:00.000-07:002009-03-23T06:04:39.245-07:00Move it!This morning we will consider the summons to follow Jesus in the way of the cross. This sense of movement is central to the Gospel of Mark leading one scholar to call Mark “the gospel of The Way.” Indeed, the Church itself was simply referred to as “the Way” in Acts. This is all quite fitting given the fact that Jesus referred to Himself as “the Way.” But this sense of movement is mostly lost on us, particularly those of us in the Reformed tradition. For us Jesus is at best a person to be studied or still worse a proposition to be affirmed. Sure one of the propositions we affirm is “Jesus is Lord” and so we’ll even throw around expressions like “the obedience of faith,” but I’m concerned that we do all of this while still firmly planted on rear ends! The Lord Jesus Christ, however, has laid down a way that is to be followed, which requires closing our books every once in awhile, turning off our televisions and iPods, and actually employing our bodies in advancing His kingdom. You can even see this movement within the liturgy this morning. As the Lord raises you from your knees in confession to your feet in consecration; and again from your seats in communion to your feet in the commission/benediction; he is training you in the basic movements of life. The Christian life is not static and impersonal, but dynamic, personal, and engaging. So as the Lord engages you this day in Word and Sacrament, be sure to respond by engaging the world for His sake. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06286532444856705606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418592944397850808.post-20184542406196003772009-03-23T06:00:00.000-07:002009-03-23T06:02:42.282-07:00Food for the WearyThis morning we considered how Jesus’ baptism thrust Him into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. And we saw how, in the midst of the wilderness testing, angels ministered to Him. In same way we saw how the angel of the LORD provided Elijah with bread and water to sustain him on his 40 day journey. Though the bread and wine spread before you weren’t necessarily provided by angels, they are nevertheless one way that Jesus comes to your aid. Knowing your weakness and frailty, He, in His unsearchable wisdom, provides His body and blood to sustain you in your struggle against sin. He has given His body and blood for you so that so you would know you are forgiven. Where sin abounds, grace abounds much more. Here at this Table we obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need because here at this Table we find Jesus and the emblems of His death for us. And the help spoken of in that verse is help in the midst of temptation. Therefore come to this Table and find grace and strength to stand and shine in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06286532444856705606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418592944397850808.post-47700668017809186782009-03-23T05:59:00.000-07:002009-03-23T06:00:19.528-07:00The Day of FeastingThough the season of Lent is a penitential season marked by almsgiving, prayer, and fasting, we must remember that Sunday always remains the day of resurrection and feasting. It was for this reason that the early church actually prohibited fasting on the Lord’s Day. They would observe regular days of fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays, but never on Sunday. So if you’ve taken up the practice of fasting during Lent, don’t practice it today. Today is the day of feasting and rejoicing in the presence of the Lord. In the West the Sundays in Lent stand outside of the 40 days, almost invading them, to bring us refreshment and strength for the journey. Just as we will read this morning of the angels ministering to Jesus while He was in the wilderness, even so the Lord ministers to us each and every Lord’s Day as we make our way through the wilderness of this life. This reminds us that we always labor in light of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And our celebration of the Christian Year does nothing to change that. Sunday is, and must ever remain, the Day of days!Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06286532444856705606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418592944397850808.post-11952626258907526132009-02-24T08:02:00.000-08:002009-02-24T08:04:26.438-08:00Seeing, eating, drinkingIn this morning’s Gospel lesson we saw a number of allusions to Exodus 24 when the glory cloud of God’s presence descended upon Mount Sinai. One of the other things we find Moses and the elders doing on the mountain in Exodus 24 is sharing a meal. Exodus 24:11 says, “So they saw God, and they ate and they drank.” This eating and drinking with God comes at the end of what some have described as a covenant renewal service very much like our own. They have already been called by God to appear before Him on Sinai, which has required their cleansing and consecration by the reading of the Book of the Covenant. They have been called, cleansed, and consecrated, and then “they saw God, and they ate and drank.” Beloved that is very same pattern that has brought you to this Table this morning. Only unlike Exodus 24 you need not remain at the base of the mountain like the people, or mid-way up like the seventy and even the priests. No, you are invited right into the middle of the glory cloud of God’s presence to eat and drink with Him. As His light has shined in your heart through the preaching of the gospel this day, He bids you come and “behold as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, ...being transformed into the same image from glory to glory,…by the Spirit of the Lord.”Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06286532444856705606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418592944397850808.post-60508422410614543992009-02-24T07:59:00.000-08:002009-02-24T08:01:57.300-08:00Where we're headedAs I already mentioned Transfiguration Sunday marks the end of the season of Epiphany before we begin the journey of Lent. As with any journey it helps to know where you are headed before you set out. The Transfiguration tells us where the journey of Lent will end. That is because the Transfiguration of Jesus is a sneak preview of the Resurrection of Jesus and Easter is the final destination of Lent. The glorification of Jesus on the mount of Transfiguration gave Jesus a taste of the joy set before Him for which He endured the way of the cross. Yet this glorification of Jesus also gives us a picture of the glory that awaits all those who suffer with Jesus in order to be raised with Him. You were created and redeemed in order to shine with Jesus. That is where we, who have put our faith in Christ, are headed. The way from here to there is way of the cross. So before embarking on that journey this Wednesday let us together fix our eyes upon the glory of Jesus this Day. For this morning we ourselves will be given a taste of the joy set before us for which we likewise endure the way of the cross.Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06286532444856705606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418592944397850808.post-76117592874140910792009-02-24T07:58:00.000-08:002009-02-24T07:59:35.493-08:00Food to SustainLast week we noted Jesus’ unwavering commitment to fulfill His vocation. We saw how He viewed doing the will of God as His food – it was what sustained Him. Indeed when the devil tempted Him with food during His 40 day fast in the wilderness, He replied, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but every word of God.” He’s saying, though food is necessary to sustain your life, it is not sufficient in and of itself to sustain your life. Something more is needed for you to live the life that God has called you to live. Jesus says that “something more” is “every word of God.” Note it’s not just “a few words of God,” or “some words of God,” but “every word of God.” Jesus is saying that in order for you to be sustained to live the life that God has called you to live – as a man or a woman, as a husband and/or a father, as a wife and/or a mother, as a son or a daughter, as a student, as an employee or an employer – you need to know what Paul called “the whole counsel” of God’s Word. Indeed, Jesus Himself is quoting the Word of God from Deut. 8:3 to make this very point. This practice indicates not only a deep familiarity with the Word of God, but also the ability to apply it to life. Yet, as with prayer, isn’t it so often the case that the pattern of our life fails to corresponds to this necessity. If you want to live life well, faithfully fulfilling your callings, then you must make the Word of God central to your life. That is no doubt part of the reason you are here this morning. Even though, as we’ve seen in <em>The Lord's Service</em>, the primary purpose of the covenant renewal service is not education, nevertheless the Word of God is prominent and is intended to convey both a deep and broad understanding of Scripture and its application to your lives. Yet even this weekly diet of Scripture is not enough to sustain you. You need to build upon what you will read, and hear, and sing here this morning so that your life and the life of your family will become permeated by the Word of God. It is in this way that “every word of God” will sustain you to live the lives that God calls you to live.Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06286532444856705606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418592944397850808.post-25095873537667842202009-02-24T07:56:00.000-08:002009-02-24T07:57:54.541-08:00Sabbath MealThis morning we’ve seen that Jesus came to usher in an age of unending Sabbath consisting in peace and rest with God in His presence. In the sermon I made the point that this is why He performed so many healings on the Sabbath – He was enacting the peace and rest for which the Sabbath stood. I think it’s also why he spent so much time feasting. Nothing better communicates peace and rest than a meal. Remember that peace in the Bible doesn’t refer to the absence of conflict, but rather the presence of blessing. The former is shallow, even empty, but the latter is deep and full. Peace in the Bible, shalom, refers to wholeness and restoration of relationships between God and man and among mankind. When Jesus ate and drank with outcasts, He was offering them restoration, peace with God through Him. And rest in the Bible is most often connected to God’s presence. The Sabbath was the day when God drew near to His people and summoned them to rest. In the tabernacle and temple He assumed His resting place in the midst of His people. When Jesus ate and drank with His disciples at the Last Supper, they reclined and rested in the presence of God in the flesh. And this peace and rest for which the Sabbath stood and which Jesus enacted is yours in this meal. In eating and drinking this bread and wine you experience peace, wholeness and restoration both with God and with one another. Likewise in receiving this bread and wine you experience true rest with God in the presence of His Son by His Spirit. It is to this Table that your Savior beckons you to come and find rest for your souls. For here we hold up the emblems of our peace with God, the body and blood of Christ, and He remembers and renews His covenant with us. What could be more restful than knowing that you are at peace with God? So come and let us eat and drink in peace and at rest with our God! In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen!Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06286532444856705606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418592944397850808.post-33984957608266008812009-02-24T07:54:00.000-08:002009-02-24T07:55:44.887-08:00Sabbath RestIn this morning’s Gospel lesson we learn that Jesus’ Sabbath healings were intended to usher in the true and unending Sabbath, consisting in peace and rest with God in His presence. The whole OT period can be seen as a movement towards this peace and rest with God. It is the peace and rest that Adam was to have experienced on that first Sabbath Day in the Garden, but which was thwarted by the Serpent. Thus instead of peace and rest in the presence of God, Adam was banished from the Garden to experience discord and hardship. But God sent another Adam, the Seed of the Woman, in the midst of this discord and hardship to conquer the Serpent and bring man back into the Garden to enjoy peace and rest with God. That is what Jesus was doing in His Sabbath healings. He was telling the people that peace and rest with God could be restored in the kingdom He was preaching. The peace and rest with God that the Sabbath stood for was never to be confined to one day in seven, but was to spill out and transform the other six days. The Sabbath was a picture of what God was going to do the world. Well that Sabbath, and all that it stood for, arrived in Jesus Christ. In Him you are readmitted to the Garden to enjoy peace and rest with God. In Him you have entered the true and unending Sabbath. That is why we worship on the first day of the week. The Sabbath that Jesus spent in the tomb marked the end of the OT Sabbath as the Last Adam suffered the penalty of the first Adam’s Sabbath sin. When he rose again the next day, He threw open the doors to a new week for the world, an eighth day that surpasses the first seven in every way. And yet we know that we don’t yet fully experience the peace and rest with God that Jesus came to bring. Each week as you kneel to confess your sins you’re reminded of the truth that, “there remains therefore a Sabbath-rest for the people of God.” And each week you’re given a foretaste of that rest that is to spill out and transform this rest of your week. What we do here this morning is a picture of what God wants to do to the world!Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06286532444856705606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418592944397850808.post-45766811029086114832009-02-05T07:13:00.000-08:002009-02-05T07:18:42.761-08:00A Table of RefreshmentThis morning we’ve been considering the spiritual conflict in which both Jesus and the Church are engaged. Well, in the midst of this conflict the Lord has spread this Table in the presence of our enemies in order to strengthen and renew us for this fight. In 2 Tim. 4:4 Paul terms this holy war in which we are engaged, “the good fight.” And he says that he has waged this war by faith. Elsewhere in Eph. 6:16 he singles out “the shield of faith” above the rest of the “armor of God” as being especially useful in this fight. This is because by the shield of faith “you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” Well beloved this Table strengthens and renews us for battle by strengthening and renewing our faith. For here in the bread and wine our faith finds its object. Faith always has an object. We’re not to put faith in faith, even justification by faith. We’re to put our faith in Jesus Christ. And here at this Table our faith is exercised, it’s trained, to seek out its proper object. Faith is like a muscle. It must be used in order to grow strong. Well, the only way to come to this Table is to come by faith, believing in the death and resurrection of Christ for you. Even if your faith is weak or wavering, this Table has been appointed for you. Jesus says to you, “Come unto to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Are you feeling worn out and beaten down by the battle against the world, the flesh, and the devil? Then this Table is for you. Your Savior tells you He is gentle and lowly in heart and that in coming to Him you will find rest for your souls. His body was broken and His blood was shed that you might experience peace and rest in His presence. So come, feeding upon Him by faith and find this rest. And in resting, find your faith renewed.Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06286532444856705606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418592944397850808.post-26384070244629295412009-02-05T07:11:00.002-08:002009-02-05T07:12:37.521-08:00Prepare for BattleIn this morning’s Gospel lesson we’ll read of Jesus cleansing a man who is possessed by an unclean spirit. Mark places this miracle first in order to reveal the true nature of the conflict in which Jesus and the Church are engaged. We’re engaged in holy war, but not the sort imagined by the Jews of the first century or the Muslims of the twenty-first, though its every bit as real. Paul says that we wrestle not “against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spirituals hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” And we need to understand what we’re doing here this morning against this backdrop. This morning we’re engaging in holy war against the spiritual armies of wickedness in the heavenly places. But we don’t fight with guns and bombs. Our weapons are much stronger that. As Paul says, “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.” Guns and bombs can’t defeat our enemies. The weapons we’ve been given, “weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left,” are the Word of God and Prayer. Through the reading and preaching of the Word of God this day, Jesus will ride forth conquering and to conquer. Through the prayers of the people of God this day, both spoken and sung, Jesus will judge the earth. Don’t believe the hype that the real action is in Columbia and Washington. This is where the action is. The Kingdom doesn’t come through guns and bombs and neither does it come through bills and legislation. The real “Hope for America” and “Change we need” will be proclaimed and enacted here this morning in Word and Sacrament. But it’s not the hope or change that most are looking for and it puts us on a collision course with the powers of the present age. So as you stand there, poised to enter the conflict, remember the words of James, “Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you…Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06286532444856705606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418592944397850808.post-12783974986592855852009-02-05T07:11:00.001-08:002009-02-05T07:11:19.169-08:00The Family TableIn this morning’s sermon we considered how the gospel of the Kingdom reorders our lives by placing us in a new family. When folks come to Jesus telling him that His mother and brothers were outside, He looks at His disciples and says, “Here are My mother and brothers! For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.” And likewise He looks down upon you gathered for this feast and He says, “Here are My brothers and sisters and mothers.” Having responded to the gospel of the Kingdom with the obedience of faith, you have been constituted the house and family of God. And beloved there is nothing more important to life and health of family than the family meal. In recent years countless studies have shown the family that eats together is stronger, healthier, and happier than those who allow the family meal to fall out of the family routine. And this common sense observation regarding the earthly family holds true when we consider the family of God. The table that is spread before you is our family meal. And the family that shares this meal together will be stronger, healthier, and happier than those who allow this meal to fall out of the family routine (read liturgy). Sharing a meal together is one of the most potent rituals in human life. Nothing else that we do together conveys a sense of belonging the way that a meal does. Coincidently that is why it is so utterly important that our children come to the Table with us. That’s why Jesus was always sharing meals with people. And it’s no wonder that sociologists and cultural anthropologists are finally catching up with Him. Beloved, this is your family meal. In receiving you to this Table, God the Father is saying that He accepts you as His sons and daughters through your elder brother the Lord Jesus Christ. You are his brothers and sisters and mothers! Therefore come to the Table He has spread for you!Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06286532444856705606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418592944397850808.post-28341807731453139542009-02-05T07:08:00.000-08:002009-02-05T07:10:13.717-08:00Called to Worship in His PresenceLast week we saw that the summons to follow Jesus is first and foremost a summons to be with Him, to abide in His presence. We noted that to be with Jesus means to seek Him where He has promised to be found – in the Word, Sacraments, and Prayer. And you could think of the Call to Worship in much the same way. When the Lord calls you to worship Him in Spirit and Truth, He’s calling you to worship in His presence. Now, obviously you can worship Him privately, or as a family, but what we do here is different. Though God is generally present throughout His creation, He has also promised to be present in a special way when we gather around the Word, Sacraments, and Prayer. This is what the psalmist is getting at when he says, “The LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all dwellings of Jacob.” He’s saying your houses are great, but they’re not My church. In heeding the call to worship, “you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.” And that means this is different than your prayer closet or your living room. Your feet are soon to be standing on holy ground because you will have come “to God the Judge of all” and “to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant.” This is where Jesus abides and where you must seek Him. What we do here this morning is at the very center of what it means to follow Him. This morning we follow Him through the parted heavens into the very throne room of heaven. Let us do so with heart’s full of faith, hope, and love.Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06286532444856705606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418592944397850808.post-69598961515446311752009-01-22T06:40:00.000-08:002009-01-22T06:42:13.921-08:00Seeing JesusIn this morning’s sermon we saw how the invitation to “come and see” Jesus is connected to Jesus’ presence, where He abides. Like the summons to follow Jesus, the invitation to “come and see” Jesus is first and foremost a challenge to be with Jesus. And beloved if we would see and be with Jesus, then this Table should be the central event of our lives. For here with the eyes of faith we see Jesus, His body broken and His blood shed. And here He has promised to be with us. For as Paul says in 1 Cor. 10:16, in partaking of this bread we commune with body of Christ. And in partaking of this cup we commune with the blood of Christ. When you and I “come and see” Jesus at this Table, we come to the place where we are seen and transformed by Jesus. It’s pretty hard to commune with the body and blood of Christ and go away unchanged. Here at this Table we are, in the words of David, searched and known and tried by God. And if there is any wicked way in us, He will root that out and lead us in the way everlasting. But you see we need not fear the searching gaze of Jesus because He not only searches and knows us, but also loves us. And the Father accepts us on the basis of His body and blood. Therefore you should rejoice to “come and see” Jesus here in the bread and wine. For these are the signs of your acceptance – the memorials of Jesus’ death for you. You belong to Him and this is the way He has appointed for you unto everlasting life. So beloved, “Come and see.” Come and be seen and transformed by your Savior. He loves you and accepts you and delights to be with you.Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06286532444856705606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418592944397850808.post-40611886866155185992009-01-22T06:37:00.000-08:002009-01-22T06:40:41.801-08:00Come and seeIn this morning’s Gospel lesson we will see how Philip, following the example of Jesus Himself, invites his friend Nathanael to “Come and see” Jesus. Philip’s hope is that in coming to see Jesus, Nathanael will be seen and transformed by Jesus. One question that this text poses for us after Jesus’ ascent into heaven is, where are people to go if they would see Jesus today? Where do you and I invite people to “Come and see” Jesus for themselves? Well, beloved, if men and women are to see Jesus today, they must seek Him where He has promised to be found. They must seek Him in His Word, Sacraments, and Prayer. And that means that this gathering on the first day of the week is the primary place where people can “come and see” Jesus because here, in the covenant renewal service, His Word, Sacraments, and prayer are central. Now this doesn’t mean that we should, like so many other churches in our day, turn the covenant renewal service into an evangelistic service. No, this is the gathering of the Triune God with His people for the purpose of renewing covenant with us. And yet in the way that God renews His covenant with us the gospel is both proclaimed and enacted. You could think of the liturgy as God evangelizing us; proclaiming and applying the gospel to us in Word and Sacrament. If, therefore, an unbeliever comes into our assembly, he has come to the place where he can both see and be seen and transformed by Jesus. This is the scenario that Paul sketches out in 1 Cor. 14 when he envisions what would happen if an unbeliever came into the worship service in Corinth. He envisions the unbeliever being seen and transformed by the Word of Christ such that “the secrets of his heart are revealed; as so falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you.” And if we’re worshipping God in Spirit and truth, that is what can happen when we invite folks to “come and see” Jesus among us. Beloved, this day you have come to the place where you can not only see, but also be seen and transformed by Jesus!Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06286532444856705606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418592944397850808.post-17048946546661269202009-01-13T14:18:00.000-08:002009-01-13T14:21:28.464-08:00Heaven ReopenedThis morning we saw how one aspect of the work of Christ involved “the reopening of heaven.” We saw how Mark connected the tearing open of the heavens with the tearing of the firmament veil in the Temple. Through the person and work of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the people of God are given access to the Most Holy Place in the heavenly Temple. This is perhaps the central identity and vocation that you are given by baptism. In baptism God sanctifies you, makes you holy, in other words, He makes you a priest. And under the old covenant the priests were those who could pass through the firmament veil into the Holy Place. Everybody else had to wait outside. And even then only one the priests, the High Priest, could pass through the second veil into the Most Holy Place, and that only once a year. But by the sacrificial and atoning death of Jesus, the veil is torn and heaven is reopened. This old covenant form of graded holiness is done away with and we are all constituted priests of God. That is the truth portrayed at this Table. Here, we are all brought near by the blood of Jesus to share a heavenly meal. In the covenant renewal liturgy and most fully here at this Table, heaven is reopened. Together we pass through the heavens in union with the Lord Jesus Christ and come into the presence of God. This Table is the fulfillment of your baptism. So come and feed upon the body and blood of Christ by faith. Do so knowing that His body and His blood are the means by heaven has been opened for you. And rejoice because the same God who was well pleased with His Son, is pleased with you and accepts you because of His body and blood. You belong to Him by baptism and thus He is pleased to feed you at His Table. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen!Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06286532444856705606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418592944397850808.post-77568836322418160922009-01-13T14:17:00.000-08:002009-01-13T14:18:38.462-08:00Improving your baptismThis morning the Church celebrates the Baptism of our Lord and we have celebrated the baptism of Trevor Christian. Now whenever we witness a baptism we should take the opportunity to remember our own. Our forefathers often spoke of the duty of improving upon our baptisms. You see for the Apostles, the Fathers, and the Reformers, baptism remained a focus throughout the Christian life. For them the Christian life is really nothing more than the process of being conformed to baptism. Just as someone has described the history of Western Philosophy as a series of footnotes to Plato, you could think of the Christian life as a series of footnotes to baptism. What does it mean to improve upon your baptism? In Romans 6 Paul says that it means learning to live as those who have died and risen with Jesus. He says that your baptism into the death of Christ means that you died to sin and therefore you should no longer be its slave. And likewise he says that just as Jesus rose to new life, even so you are to walk in newness of life. And beloved that is why you are gathered here this morning. Perhaps you continue to struggle with particular sins. Perhaps there are sinful patterns in your life to which you feel bound. Well, if you are in Christ Jesus, God says differently. You are gathered here as the baptized people of God, the household attendants of the King of kings and Lord of lords, to improve upon your baptism. You are gathered here to confess and repent of your sins and be raised up to walk in newness of life. Having heeded the call to worship, turn from your sins and fix your eyes upon Jesus. You are no longer under the dominion of sin and the curse of the law. Christ has borne that in your place. You are under grace, grace that abounds more than sin and empowers you to walk in newness of life. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen!Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06286532444856705606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418592944397850808.post-2285665203777236272009-01-13T14:08:00.000-08:002009-01-13T14:17:03.755-08:00Describing vs. DefiningThis morning as we baptize Trevor Christian we should be mindful of a helpful distinction; the distinction between the descriptive and the definitive. There will be any number of physical and personality traits that will describe him. If he’s anything like his parents, he’ll probably be tall and have dark hair. I’m sure you could easily envision him having a good sense of humor and being outgoing, perhaps even outspoken! But these traits – “tall,” “dark,” “good-humored,” “outgoing” – would only describe him. They would tell us what he is like, but not who he is. Our physical or personality traits describe us, but they don’t define us. Our identity is not to be found there. But beloved what takes place here this morning will define him. For in baptism an identity will be conferred upon him. Whereas his appearance and personality will tell us what he is like, his baptism will tell us who he is. This morning Trevor Christian will be marked out as a Christian belonging to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And as a Christian he will have the calling to live and as one who has died and risen with Christ. It’s quite fitting, then, Trevor and Christina, that you will be calling him “Christian.” I exhort you to bring him up to find his identity and purpose in Christ. Bring him up to know that what describes him is to be put into the service of that which defines him. As parents it is easy to focus on our children’s gifts and abilities (what they will do) to the neglect of their character/identity (who they are). Bring him up such that every time he hears his name, he is reminded of the identity that God gives him this day. And brothers and sisters in Christ, I likewise exhort you to come alongside the Davis’ and encourage them in this calling. Never allow young Christian, or Trevor and Christina, to forget who he is in Christ. Always be reminding him that regardless of what he is like, what is most important is who he is: a Christian who belongs to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen!Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06286532444856705606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418592944397850808.post-76789568273528655972009-01-06T06:46:00.000-08:002009-01-06T06:50:02.390-08:00Things are not always what they appearThis morning’s Gospel lesson contains not only an epiphany, or revelation, of Jesus to the Gentiles, but also an epiphany of God’s way of working in the world. The one strand that ties the various nativity stories together is summed up by Mary in the Magnificat, “He has put down the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty.” Jesus Himself summarizes this grand reversal of fortunes with His saying, “the first will be last, and the last will be first.” What we see in these reversals, and which was prominent in our Gospel lesson this morning, is the strong element of irony in the way that God advances His purposes in the earth. The epiphany of David’s Greater Son provokes fear and plotting in Jerusalem, but joy and worship from the land of the east. And beloved we see the ritual enactment of this irony in the Table spread before us this morning. The “glorious and triumphant feast of the Lord” to which you are summoned each week would appear to many a rather inglorious and unsuccessful feast. I mean this isn’t a Table of fine choice meats and aged cheeses that we would picture on the Table of a King. And the feast is a celebration of the death and seeming defeat of the King, rather than the triumphal conquest that many of the Jews expected of their promised King. But to view the Table in this way is to miss the epiphany of God’s way of working in the world through Jesus. The simple of elements of bread and wine signify the transcendent glory of the King of kings and Lord and lords. And the death that is proclaimed by these simple elements is the means by which Jesus, “disarmed principalities and powers, making a public spectacle of them, [and] triumphing over them in it.” And beloved, despite all appearances to the contrary, as you feed you upon this bread and wine Christ’s victorious kingdom is advanced in your lives and throughout the earth. Despite all appearances to the contrary, this is “the glorious and triumphant feast of the Lord.”Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06286532444856705606noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1418592944397850808.post-68566966890473486362009-01-06T06:41:00.000-08:002009-01-06T06:46:40.197-08:00Come to the Light!We are gathered this day to celebrate the Epiphany of God’s grace to the Gentiles in the person of Jesus Christ. This Epiphany involved the manifestation, or revelation, of light in the darkness. When light comes into a dark place that which is hidden is exposed. And therefore the coming of light involves a judgment. You see this in the creation week as darkness is followed by light and thus each day is judged to be good. And you see it again as the firstborn of the new creation comes to bring the dawning of a new day following the nighttime of the old covenant. Now, the judgment that follows the dawning of this new day in Jesus Christ is determined by how mankind responds to the light. There are only two responses. You can accept the judgment of the light and be justified, or you can reject the judgment of the light and be condemned. The latter is the response of the wicked that hate the light and love the darkness because their deeds are evil. The former is the response of the righteous that come to the light and walk in the light and have their evil deeds cleansed by the blood of Jesus. Beloved, you have come to the light this morning that your deeds may be seen and judged. Beware how you respond to the light. Don’t allow your heart to be hardened so as to reject the light. Come to the light. Welcome God’s verdict upon you and forsake your unfruitful deeds of darkness. You are children of the light in Jesus Christ and thus God’s verdict upon you is always qualified by your death and resurrection with Jesus. And your death and resurrection with Jesus entails that you walk in the light, confessing your sins and endeavoring to manifest the fruit of the light in all goodness, righteousness, and truth. This is the way appointed for us to have fellowship with God and one another in name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen!Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06286532444856705606noreply@blogger.com0