St. Luke 11:14-28 – Oculi 2012
Zion Ev. Lutheran Church
March 10-11, 2012
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Glory be to Jesus! In the name of Jesus. Amen. It’s a messed up world. Totally upside down. Bizarre and twisted.
We see it every day and we don’t even notice. That’s how out of kilter it is. Like a house that settles whose floor is at an angle, we don’t even notice something is slanted in our world.
Look at American religion. It’s gotten to the point where coming to church is a rarity. Only 14% of Americans go to church on Sunday morning.
And we are so conditioned by the slant of this world, that we’ve lost our perspective as Lutherans. It used to be Wednesdays – which used to be reserved by schools for Christian Education. We gave them up to the world to a host of things that are important – I’m not saying their not important – but are they really important enough to set aside the Christian education and salvation of our Children?
Our kids have learned from us… they’ve seen our priorities, that’s why they say, “Pastor, you don’t know the week I’ve had… I had drama, or volleyball, or…”
Let’s hope they don’t learn from our lives. Our lives – horrific. Pick a commandment, we act like Pagans. We are desensitized to words, phrases, thoughts, and actions that shouldn’t even be found amongst us. If video recorders were played of us talking or living, could they be played at church? Wouldn’t that be embarrassing!
We know the truth. We believe the truth. We try so hard to live this truth. Then, we are asked about our Faith and we know how strange and unbelievable we sound. And so we talk about our faith like addicts talk about their addictions.
“I’m Pastor Borghardt, I’m a Lutheran… I believe that Jesus died for all my sins and he’s the only way to heaven…” And then we sit down and hide and hope they didn’t hear how absurd the thought is about what we believe.
Yet, it’s not absurd that there is only one way to salvation. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, if your doctor handed you a bunch of different kinds pills and said, “Oh they are all the same take whichever one you want…” You’d be looking for a new doctor. You want the right med for the right illness. Why can’t there be only one fix for sinful men? Only one medicine? Jesus’ death on the cross!
But you see the double standard, don’t you? We’ve got our home life. We’ve got our church. We do things at home, but won’t do them at church. Yet, when we are here, we should have the same conduct that we have at home. When we are at home, we should have the same conduct that we have at church. Not two lives, but one life flowing form the gifts.
Or do you stop being a Lutheran when you drive out of the parking lot? Do you become a good Lutheran when you drive in here?
You do it. I do it too. I don’t how many times I’ve found myself nearly screaming at the boys on my way to church so that they can at the very least be Christians at church in front of y’all. You know what I’m talking about… don’t you? Or at least, try to be godly at the communion rail.
But our kids got it right. They are at least honest. Take Sophia, she’s is tearing paper 24/7. She owns our house. She walks around here like she owns this place too. Her conduct is always the same… our children act the way we act…
Then… Jesus today talks about Satan being the guy running the show and we get like pious Lutherans and we adjust our halos in horror. “Satan not running my world… He’s not running my home… I recognize him on sight and I start singing a Mighty Fortress or at least hum to myself one of those unsingable hymns that pastor picks to send the devil packing..”
Check on that halo the next time you look at your clock during service to see how long service is going because church is so wrecking your Sunday…. out of whack, eh?
Into our broken, skewed world, comes Jesus on Oculi Sunday. So out of place… so different… so.. Jesus.
A strong man when he’s got his armor on and he’s in his house feels like he’s at peace…
(That’s the devil, btw… and his stuff.. well, that’s you..)
And then a stronger guy comes and beats him up and makes him gives up his stuff.
That stronger guy… is Jesus. Yes, in our world, Jesus is the THIEF who comes and beats up the devil and takes us back. He steals us. Breaking and entering. Armed robbery. A crime!
That’s the backwardness of our world. Jesus is the strange criminal who breaks into our world to take us back. He’s the one on Sesame Street who is not like the others. He’s the One who seems not to belong. He’s the one that wrecks the way things are going in our skewed world.
On Oculi Sunday, with your eyes ever on the Lord, you see the twistedness of our world, the awkwardness of the thing. You see it the twisted thorns on Christ’s head. You see it when the Son of God hangs on the Cross.
For that’s God on the Cross. That’s the twistedness of our world. Jesus hangs there answers for our sins. The sinless one, who knew no sin, who always lived and did His Father’s will is sacrificed for the world of us who don’t.
The strong man isn’t overpowered by force. No, He’s conquered in and by his own strength and armor. Christ’s death on the cross does in the devil, saves the the world, and redeems our sinful flesh.
The Cross alone is your salvation. Outside you. Certain and sure. Whether you believe it with your whole heart or don’t believe me at all – Christ died. Christ rose. Christ lives. You live in Him.
You and I are saved. Unbelievable, but true. We cannot go to hell in Christ. We must go to heaven. For Thief Jesus truly has come into our twisted world and robbed the devil of us… And salvation is found in no one else.
So, turn from your sins. Leave them behind. Stop walking in the twisted-ness that came before. Be imitators of God and walk in love. Live in the light of Christ and be lights to those around you.
Now that you’ve seen the skewness of your world, don’t go back to the slanted life you used to have. Live in your churchy life here and live in your churchy life out there.
Be lights to the world around you taking your church to a world around you that doesn’t understand a thing about your faith and life.But, let them see the Light of Christ reflected in your life!
Take back your Lord’s day and worship the Lord in his house more regularly. Reclaim your Wednesdays for the sake of your children as soon as you can. Make it a priority. Make it a God-thing.
Cause it is a God thing. Teach your children that we live in a slanted world and what seems the most odd – letting nothing get in the way of receiving Jesus – is the only right answer in all the world.
And if I seem absurd or unreasonable, remember Jesus hanging there. How reasonable is that?
Jesus has broken into your world like a thief and robbed the devil of his spoil. Break into the lives of your neighbor, your family, your friends, and the people you love, and take the light of Christ and shine it into their world.
For this world is backwards. But into this world with all it’s backwardness has come Jesus to break in and steal us back from our sins to save us.
Come today and eat His medicine – the medicine of immortality – take eat His Body. Take drink his Blood. Be forgiven.
Christ is your salvation. Christ is your life and the life of your children – here, now, today, tonight, tomorrow, Wednesday, unto life everlasting. Glory be to Jesus. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
