“In Christ in All Things” Col. 1.15–20 Jan. ’22 N. Lutheran Schools Week

 

1.                Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. The message from God’s Word as we celebrate National Lutheran Schools Week is taken from Colossians 1:15-20, it’s entitled, “In Christ in All Things,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.                Some of us struggle trying to be “all things” to all people. Some of us are anxious looking at all the things on our “to-do” list at work or in the home. Some of us are often disappointed with all the things we expect of ourselves or others. In our Lutheran school world, the staff considers all the things that go into teaching a class, facilitating a variety of activities or administering a ministry. The congregation considers all the things including finances, staff, facilities and more that go into supporting an excellent Lutheran school ministry. “All things” is overwhelming, frustrating and humbling. “All things” is a constant reminder of our sinful nature and the sinful world.

3.                The National Lutheran Schools Week theme, “In All Things,” takes us to the theme text of Colossians 1:15–20 and the Good News that Christ is “In All Things.” Five times in these six verses, the Apostle Paul references Christ “In All Things.” Christ is the Creator of all things. He is before all things. Christ holds together all things, and He reconciles all things to Himself.

4.                Scripture begins with the creation of all things. In our text, Paul also begins, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible.” The eternal, triune God is the creator of all. Christ’s participation in creation is described by the Apostle John, “In the beginning was the Word … All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made” (JOHN 1:1, 3). While our Small Catechism explanations of the articles of the Apostles Creed divide the divine workings of the Father (creation), Son (redemption) and Holy Spirit (sanctification), the Holy Trinity works together in all things. Christ is also our Creator.

5.                Adam and Eve, created in the image of God, are challenged by the serpent, “Your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (GEN. 3:5). Satan suggested that they could be and do all things without their Creator. Succumbing to the temptation, the crown of creation was separated from the Creator. Paul’s introduction to Christ in all things states the reality of the “domain of darkness” (COL. 1:13). The fall brought Adam and Eve and their descendants to the darkness of broken relationships, physical pains and “thorns and thistles” outside of the perfect garden. Sin affects all things. Most of all it affects man’s relationship with God. Instead of being like God, Adam, Eve and all of us hide in fear from God.

6.                The Christ of all things in creation chose to reconcile His creation to Himself through Himself. Paul notes the means of reconciliation, “making peace by the blood of his cross” (COL. 1:20). Situations of conflict are sometimes addressed with the assistance of a “reconciler.” Whether the distanced parties are spouses, business entities or sometimes even ministry professionals, a reconciler brings the parties together to examine the issues and to map a journey to reconciliation.

7.                In Christ, God and mankind are brought together. As sinners, we have nothing to offer for resolution. Christ offers the only solution possible, Himself. The setting for resolution is Good Friday and the cross. Christ sheds His blood as the perfect and complete sacrifice for sin. All hostility has been removed between God and mankind.

8.                The reconciliation is gifted to each of us through the Means of Grace. The little child is reconciled to God at the baptismal font. The word of reconciliation is announced in the absolution: “As a called and ordained servant of the Word and by Christ’s command, I forgive you all your sins.” The communicant leaves the Lord’s Table where the body and blood of the cross are received, and the communicant is blessed to “depart in peace.”

9.                A staple of every early childhood and early elementary child’s supply list is the school glue. The drops of glue miraculously hold together craft projects and other items. The Means of Grace are the glue of the church. They hold together God’s people. They hold together what happens in our church and school. The Means of Grace bring Christ to His people and hold the church family together in Christ.

10.             Lutheran schools are places where the reconcilia­tion through Christ is taught, lived and shared. The response to the preschool playground disagreement is more than “Say you are sorry.” The discussion includes, “Jesus forgives you and so do I.” The tension between teachers becomes part of the staff devotional dialogue, “We are the Body of Christ and each part shares its gift and blesses the body of the church.” The disagreement between parents and teacher is resolved in light of the mutual desire to bring Christ to the child. Competition between church and school for resources is more than a stewardship conversation, becoming an opportunity to refocus the mission of the church. The focus is on Christ who continues to bring peace to His church and to unite the church in reaching out energetically and faithfully.

11.             It is easy to get distracted in our individual and family life. We compartmentalize our lives. Christ is present in our family devotions, but we’d rather not have Him hear the disrespectful words to the spouse or to parents. Christ is the center of the Bible class conversation, but we’d rather not have Him hear the gossip in the office. Christ is worshiped with our words in the sanctuary on Sunday morning, but our words in the Saturday evening social setting do not honor Him. Christ has forgiven all things. By virtue of our Baptism, Christ is present in us in all things and all places. Our prayer is that of the Apostle Paul that “in everything he might be preeminent.”

12.             Christ may also be compartmentalized in the church. Christ “In All Things” affirms the message of the Divine Service. He is also the focus in the Sunday school class­room, conversations in the church and school office, the youth group gathering, the Ladies Guild, the Church Council meeting, the Stephens Ministry meeting, and all things that take place during the week. “He is the head of the body, the church.”

13.             Schools have moved way beyond “reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmetic,” technologically and otherwise. Schools cheer for their athletic teams. Music leaders conduct choirs and plan concerts. Parents are asked to partner in many school projects. Principals make sure state reg­ulations and National Lutheran School Accreditation standards are met. Teachers are aware of curriculum standards and test for their completion. School Board members continue to review and develop policies. School coun­selors are faced with challenging student and family dynamics. Lutheran school ministry is challenging.

14.             Christ is “In All Things” in Lutheran schools. Christ is the topic of the preschool “Jesus time” and the junior high confirmation class. Christ is worshiped at school “chapel time” and at the baptismal assembly of the school family asking to have their child baptized into God’s family. Christ is in the phonics and algebra lesson. Christ is on the stage and in the gym. Christ is at the parent group and faculty meeting.

15.             “Christ” is the confession of Lutheran schools. Martin Luther was opposed to attaching his name to any organi­zation in Christendom. In 1522, Luther wrote, “I ask that men make no reference to my name and call themselves not Lutherans but Christians. … Let us cast out party names and be called Christians after Him whose doc­trine we have. … Christ alone is our Master. He teaches me and all believers one and the same doctrine.” (What Luther Says: An Anthology, Vol. II (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1959, 856). While “Lutheran” is rightly and joyfully affixed to our church and school names, we carry on in the confession of the Reformation. Christ is in all things in our teaching.

16.             Christ is the basis of our commitment to Lutheran schools. It is important to always reevaluate, “Why do we do what we do?” “Why do we invest in a Lutheran school ministry as parents or as a congregation?” “Why does a staff member serve in a Lutheran school when other opportunities might be more attractive?” The response is “because Christ is here!”

17.             Christ is the focus of the commission of Lutheran Schools. Our contemporary context is sometimes referred to as a “post-Christian” era. Christianity is no longer the basis of morality and other aspects of our culture. The world needs Christ. Our community needs Christ. Our children and families need Christ. Lutheran schools provide the opportunity to bring Christ to those who do not know Him and to nurture in Christ those blessed to be in His church. Every school day, the mis­sion field drives onto our church and school parking lots. Increasingly, children and families first hear of Christ in our schools. We praise God for that opportunity as we respond to His commission creatively and energetically.

18.             We can’t be all things to all people. All the things on our list will not be accomplished. Not all aspects of school ministry will be efficient and effective. But, Christ has chosen to be “In All Things” for His church. We continue to worship and serve Him “In All Things” in our Lutheran school ministry. Amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus until life everlasting. Amen.

 

“Heartbreak Hotel” Exodus 1-2 Life Sunday Jan. ‘22

 

1.                Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. The message from God’s Word as we observe Sanctity of Human Life Sunday is taken from Exodus 1-2. It’s entitled, “Heartbreak Hotel,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

2.                Howard Rutledge was an American fighter pilot. He was shot down and captured by the North Vietnamese in 1965. They threw him into a prison in Hanoi. What was the prison called? Heartbreak Hotel.

Howard Rutledge writes, “When the door slammed shut, a feeling of utter loneliness swept over me. I was locked in a six-by-six cell. It’s hard to describe what solitary confinement can do defeat a person. There are no books, no magazines, and no newspapers. The only colors you see are drab gray and dirt brown.”

3.                Many of us know what it feels like to be in Heartbreak Hotel. Our country entered the hell of Heartbreak Hotel on January 22, 1973. That’s when the United States Supreme Court legalized abortion. Since then, over sixty million American children have died in their mother’s womb. According to a United Nations 2013 report, only ten countries in the world have a higher reported abortion rate than the United States.

4.                The book of Exodus begins with its own version of Heartbreak Hotel. The first two chapters of Exodus take us on an epic journey—from a family to a nation, from an arrogant pharaoh to some bold women, and from state-sponsored killing to the God of all power and compassion. You remember the story. Because of a famine in 1847 BC Jacob and his family—70 people in all—traveled from Canaan to Egypt. That’s described in Exodus 1:1–7.

5.                Fast forward 300 years and the enemy is no longer a snake in the grass or an older brother named Cain or a nephew called Lot. No. This time the problem is a new pharaoh who doesn’t know Joseph. He notices that Israelites are becoming too numerous and powerful for his comfort. So, what does the pharaoh do? He creates his own version of Heartbreak Hotel.

6.                Stage One: State Slavery. Exodus 1:11 says: “So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh.” Every Israelite slave was required to produce hundreds of bricks a day. And you think you have a tough job? Try this. Get water from a canal. Pour the water into a mud pit. Step up and down in the mud pit. Add straw to some mud. Let it dry in the sun. And presto, you’ve got a brick! Now make hundreds of those a day—every day—with no time off. Ever!

7.                Stage Two: Private Infanticide. Exodus 1:15–16 describes it this way. “The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, ‘When you help the Hebrew women in childbirth and observe them on the delivery stool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.’” Shiphrah and Puah obey God and disobey the pharaoh’s command. God puts their names in the Bible. But Pharaoh, the most powerful man on the planet? His name isn’t in the Bible. Why is that? God does big things with small stuff.

8.                The book of Exodus doesn’t mention God until Exodus 1:17. “But the midwives feared God.” Shiphrah and Puah to the rescue! Their bold witness testifies that God—the God of the Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—knows all about the Hebrew Heartbreak Hotel.

9.                Stage Three: Open Genocide. Exodus 1:22 describes Pharaoh’s decree. “Every boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.” The pharaoh has moved from keeping the Israelites from fighting against Egypt and escaping (Exodus 1:10) to the horror of killing Hebrew baby boys. His policy becomes one filled with brutality, violence, and public slaughter.

10.             It’s against this backdrop that Moses is born. “Now a man of the house of Levi [Amram] married a Levite woman [Jochebed], and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son,” Exodus 2:1–2 says. This son is Moses. Moses is the couple’s third child. There is an older sister, whose name is Miriam, and an older brother, whose name is Aaron. “When she [Jochebed] saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch” Exodus 2:2–3 says. This word, translated “basket,” is the same word that is translated “ark”—as in Noah’s Ark—in the book of Genesis. This ark in Exodus, just like Noah’s in Genesis, is coated with tar and pitch. You say, “What a minute! Noah’s ark was so much bigger!” Why is that? Because in the book of Exodus, God does big things with small stuff.

11.             This baby boy is placed in the Nile River, and Miriam runs along the river’s edge. She watches as Pharaoh’s daughter bathes with her servants in the Nile River. “She [Pharaoh’s daughter’s servant] opened it and saw the baby. He was crying and she felt sorry for him” Exodus 2:6 says. Moses is crying. This changes everything! In the book of Exodus, a baby’s cry changes everything? Of course! God does big things with small stuff.

12.             “When the child grew older, she [Jochebed] took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, ‘I brought him out of the water’” Exodus 2:10 says. Just like the midwives in chapter one, these women engage in civil disobedience. Moses’ mother and sister--as well as the Egyptian princess—all three align themselves with life instead of death. All for Moses.

13.             Moses is an Egyptian word that means “bring out of water.” Finally! Someone who will bring Israel out of Pharaoh’s Heartbreak Hotel! And Moses will do it through what? Water! Moses will part the water of the Red Sea with a wooden staff. A wooden staff? God does big things with small stuff. Hebrews in Egypt aren’t the only ones who know what it feels like to be locked up in Heartbreak Hotel. You and I know all about drab gray and dirt brown. The problem for us, though, is that at first it didn’t look like Heartbreak Hotel. It looked like the Promised Land! And it even was the Promised Land—at least for a while. That moral indiscretion? “No big deal!” That financial dishonesty? “No big deal!” That little lie? “No big deal!” 

14.             Sooner or later, though, “no big deal” becomes a really big deal! What we thought was the Promised Land becomes the death of a job, the death of our hope, the death of our dreams. Satan slams the door shut and says, “Welcome to Heartbreak Hotel! You can check out anytime you like. But you will never leave!” I’ve got really bad news. We can’t fight our way out. We can’t think our way out, buy our way out, educate our way out, vacation our way out, or blast our way out. We’re all stuck in sin—call it Heartbreak Hotel.

15.             I’ve got some really, really good news for you! God does big things with small stuff. Two pieces of wood, three nails, a crown of thorns, and six God-forsaken hours. Jesus doesn’t recoil, run, or retreat at the sight of our ugly prison. Instead, Jesus sheds His blood for us and for our salvation. That includes anyone in worship today who is grieving over aborting their own children. If this is you, then hear the Gospel that is for one and all. Jesus does really big things (sets us free from sin and shame and guilt and death), with what looks like really small stuff (His Word and Sacraments).  

16.             Howard Rutledge has more to say about Heartbreak Hotel. He writes, “I prayed for strength to make it through the ongoing night. Then, one day, a glimmer of light dawned through the bottom of my prison door. I knew that God would set me free!” There is a glimmer of light dawning through the bottom of our prison door. Can you see it? It’s Easter light. It’s resurrection deliverance! Christ is alive! Christ’s resurrection victory empowers us to take a bold stand for life. How?

17.             First, through our prayers to God. We may think our prayers are small in relation to the magnitude of the problem of abortion. Not so! Education. Educate yourself, your children, and the people you know about Lutherans For Life. Second, through legislation. Support leaders who embrace these words, “All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Third, through proclamation. We have the most hopeful message the world has ever heard. You know it. God does big things with small stuff. How can we be so sure? Shiphrah and Puah, Jochebed, Miriam, and Moses … and especially Jesus. Amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus until life everlasting. Amen.