Todd A. Peperkorn, STM
Messiah Lutheran Church
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Easter 3 – Jubilate (May 15, 2011, revised from 2004)
John 16:16-22

2011jubilate

TITLE: “A Little While”

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text is from the Gospel lesson. We focus on Jesus’ words, A Little While.

In Exodus fifteen we read that as the children of Israel were led by the Lord, they wandered for three days and found no water. But when they finally came to Mara, the water they found was so bitter they couldn’t drink it.

That is still how things are with you and I, the spiritual Israel. Sometimes we have to drink bitter water in the wilderness of this world. Sometimes the cup that the Lord gives us is the cup of cross and tribulation (Ps. 75:9), just as our Lord drank gall and vinegar from the cross (Matthew 27:48). This is, to be sure, one of the most difficult things to understand about the Christian faith. It is sometimes called the theology of the cross; at other times the theology of suffering; but we might simply sum it up and call it life. How is it that in this life we suffer and undergo trials of various sorts? Didn’t Jesus die on the cross and rise again from the dead so that we would not have to suffer?

We all face crosses and trials of various kinds here in this life. They may be physical trials, they may be emotional or personal, they may have to do with family or work. Or the trials you face may be of another sort entirely, that no one else even knows about! The trials of this life can be very painful and grueling, just as that bitter water was so hard to swallow for the children of Israel so many years ago.

But God showed Moses a tree which he was to set down into that bitter water in order to make it sweet. God does the same for you. He sets before you the Tree of Life, that is, Jesus Christ in His Word (Rev. 22:2). As one pastor put it many years ago, “When we sink the Tree into the bitter waters of cross and tribulation, when we ponder Christ’s cross and suffering, also when we seize and take to heart the comfort of His Word, even through that our cross becomes light and sweet” (Johann Gerhard). This is what Jesus is talking about when he says, Come to me, all you who are worn out and overburdened; I will refresh and renew you. Take my yoke upon yourselves-for My yoke is gentle and My burden is light (Mat. 11:28-30).

Our text this morning about the little while of Jesus going and coming teaches us four things about the doctrine of the theology of the cross. First, it teaches us that all true Christians will be subjected to the cross in this life; second, that our reason cannot understand the mystery of the cross; third, it shows why our Lord places us under the cross; and finally, what kind of comfort the Christian may receive by the power of His Word.

First of all, the Scriptures repeatedly teach that the Christian will be under the cross their entire life. Jesus says in Matthew 16:24: If anyone wants to follow Me, let him deny himself and take his cross upon himself and follow me. And Saint Paul says that We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22). And St. Paul says again in 2 Timothy 3:6, For those who want to live godly lives in Christ Jesus have to suffer persecutions. And we hear in Hebrews 12:6, For whomever the Lord loves He chastises. And Jesus repeatedly says in reference to His own suffering that this must happen or it is necessary that the Son of Man suffer and the like.

Perhaps the way to think of it is like this. Our Lord wants to make you into living stones that build up the body of Christ. You are His workmanship, His work of art. Now stones, in order to be used in building, must be chiseled and polished and worked until they are just right. God is, in effect, chiseling you out and polishing you for the kingdom of God. He is working away at your unbelief and sin, removing the impediments to faith and building you up into His own image, the image of His only begotten Son.

But this is truly a mystery if there ever was one. This is the second point of our text. The disciples didn’t understand, and neither do we. When we are faced with trials and tribulations in this life, our response is more likely to be one of complaining and murmuring against God, than it is rejoicing that He has made us worthy to be fashioned into His likeness. It is a mystery that only God can reveal to us by His Word.

So why is it that God must lay crosses and tribulations upon us? It works this way: Our rebirth comes through faith, and faith comes from the Word of God, but the Word of God is seldom planted apart from the cross and tribulation. When things are going perfectly in your life, when you are happy and making money, when everything goes right in your life, who needs God? So in order to cultivate the ground of your heart, God sends tribulations and trials, so that you will hear His Word and trust in Him all of your life.

Now perhaps at first glance this seems mean. I suppose that to a young child, when a parent disciplines them, it does appear just mean. But nothing could be farther from the truth. Our heavenly Father chastens us and allows trials and tribulations precisely because He loves us. When cross and trial grieve you, rejoice and be glad! For this is a sign that God has not abandoned you, but rather that He loves you so much that He wishes to fashion you into something even greater.

Jesus’ cross and empty tomb give you a lens for seeing the world and your own life. The devil, the world and your own sinful nature all want you to look at the trials and sufferings of your life, and believe that by them God is proving He has abandoned you. But Jesus in our Gospel today gives you hope. A little while, he says. That doesn’t sound so bad, does it? A little while. That’s how long the suffering and trials of this life will last.

Now while you and I are stuck in the middle of things here on this earth, a little while may seem like a terribly long time. We may cry out with the Psalmist, How long, O Lord, how long? Our little while may seem more like the Israelites four hundred years of slavery in Egypt, or their seventy years exiled in Babylon. But just like the Israelites as they prayed in Psalm one hundred twenty six:

1 When the LORD brought back the captivity of Zion, We were like those who dream.
2Then our mouth was filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing.
Then they said among the nations, ”The LORD has done great things for them.”
3The LORD has done great things for us, And we are glad. (Psalm 126:1-3)

Christ our Lord may leave for a little while, as He says in this text, but He returns again and again by Word and Sacrament to give you the strength you need to go on with life. Trust that Christ will take care of you. He who died on the cross and rose again for your salvation will see you through. Believe it for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in true faith, unto life everlasting. Amen.

Some of the ideas behind this sermon are received with thanks from Johann Gerhard’s Church Postils.

easter02-2011

TITLE: “Peace be with you”

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Our text for this morning is from John 20.  We focus on the words, Jesus breathed on His disciples and said, Peace be with you.

We have heard the story of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.  We have heard how he crushed Satan and won salvation for all who believe His Word.  This is the victory of God over all the powers of darkness and despair.  So why is it that the Sunday after Easter always seems like a letdown?  In the Church year this Sunday is sometimes called Low Sunday.  I’m not sure if this refers to low attendance or how low the disciples felt in our Gospel lesson, but it is certainly true that things are different for the disciples and for us.

Our Gospel lesson takes place the evening Jesus’ rose from the dead.  Last week we heard of the morning’s events.  Jesus rises from the dead, and appears to Mary Magdalene, and says her name.  When she went to tell the disciples, though, they didn’t believe her.  They thought she was crazy, or perhaps was drunk.  So that brings us to this week’s lesson

In our text the disciples are hiding behind closed doors for fear of the Jews.  Jesus has risen from the dead, but the disciples are afraid.  They are afraid of the Jews, they are afraid they are going to be found out, they are afraid that they have put their hope in a dead God.  What could be more pathetic than that?

That is how it goes with our faith, too.  It’s easy to feel good on Easter morning.  The music, the readings, the beauty of the service, everything points to the wonder of Christ’s resurrection from the dead.  But what about later?  What about after the glow of the resurrection seems to wear off?  What about those times when you are alone with your sins.  What about those times in your faith-life when you feel like you can get no breath, when you feel like you are choking or being asphyxiated because it just isn’t in you?

We’ve all been there.  Like the disciples, our emotions as Christians ebbs and flows.  There are times when we feel close to God, but there are other times when we feel far away and distant, unconnected, afraid and alone.  That is where the disciples were that first Easter evening.  They were there with you.

This is how Satan seeks to work on you, my friends.  The last thing Satan wants you to believe is the connection between Easter and your faith.  If He can convince you that Christ’s death and resurrection were just events from a storybook a long time ago, if he can convince you of that, then Jesus’ resurrection from the dead has no meaning.  That is Satan’s ploy.  He seeks to convince you that you don’t believe.  He is willing to lie, deceive, convince, do whatever he can in His power to draw you away from Christ’s words of forgiveness and life.

Left to yourself, you are stuck, right there in league with Satan.  But you are not left to yourself.  That is the point of our Gospel lesson today.  Jesus appears in the midst of them and says, Peace be to you.  Jesus knows His disciples don’t believe in Him at that time.  He knows that they are filled with unbelief and doubt.  He also knows they are full of fear at the Law and that they need to hear words of comfort and hope.

So He says to them, Peace be with you.  Notice how tender these words are in the ears of the disciples.  Notice how tender these words are to you.  Peace.  The wall of separation between God and man was broken when Jesus burst forth from the tomb.  God and man are not longer at enmity; they are no longer at war with each other.  They are at peace.  But like prisoners of war, the disciples have not heard the news.  They haven’t received the fruit of Jesus’ work on the cross and in the tomb.  So Jesus preaches to them and says, peace be with you.

They are great words.  With those words Jesus comforts you and gives you hope.  Jesus died and rose again from the dead to put those words in your ears.  Peace be with you.  He doesn’t pummel with the Law, he doesn’t mock them or condemn for their unbelief, although I suppose the disciples deserved it, as do we.  No, Jesus gives them the only thing that could actually make a difference.  He gave them peace.  As Jesus uses the word here, it means the same thing as forgiveness.  He forgives them their sins.  They are gone.

But Jesus isn’t satisfied to simply forgive the since of the eleven some 2000 years ago.  No, He then gives them the peace again, and says to them: whoever sins you forgiven, they are forgiven; and whoever’s sins you hold back, they are held back.

In Lutheran theology we call this the Office of the Keys.  Jesus gives the Keys to the disciples, now called the Apostles or sent-ones.  He gives them the keys and says that their work, they life task is to be about forgiving sins.  They are to release sins, get rid of them and cast them into the depth of the sea.

That is the work of the Christian Church.  That is why we gather here Sunday after Sunday.  God draws you to this house week after week so that He can say to you, Peace be with you.  I forgive you your sins. That is the point.  God does forgive your sins.  Remember the words from the end of our Gospel lesson, These things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, and that believing, you may have life in His name.

God puts His peace on you.  He gives it to you, freely, not because of any merit or worthiness on your part, but because of His great and abundant mercy, which knows no bounds.  This is what the world doesn’t get about Easter.  For so many, even for many Christians, Easter is about the drama of the event or the pageantry or whatever.  Now we do make a big deal about Easter.  But we do so because Jesus died and rose again for us.  Remember again the words from the Creed: who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate of the virgin Mary and was made man. God came down to earth with a purpose.

The old title for this Sunday is Quasimodo Geniti, from the Introit, which begins, “As newborn babes desire the pure milk of the Word.”  The power of Easter lies in the Word of God.  For it is in that Word of God, peace be with you, that all of Christ’s work on the cross and in the tomb becomes yours.   He puts those words into your ears here on Sunday.  He puts those words on your heart in Holy Baptism.  And He puts those words of forgiveness in your mouth in His Holy Supper.  As we prayed in the Introit, open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. Our Lord gives you His very Word made flesh here today.  Receive it with thanksgiving, for all of God’s work is now given to you.  Peace be with you. In the name of Jesus.  Amen.

The peace of God, which passes all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in true faith, unto life everlasting.  Amen.

Alleluia! The Lord is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

“The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:26 ESV).  Paul really sums up so much of life under the cross with those words. So much of our lives are really about cheating death.  Makeup, diets, slimming clothes, bigger or better muscles.  We have medicines to make us happy, to mask pain and hurts, or to numb everything.  Our daughters put on makeup at younger and younger ages, and we put makeup on those who have passed away, to keep them looking good as long as possible.  We have cars to make us feel younger, gadgets to keep us on top of the latest trends, and memories to keep the dreams alive.  We long for the so-called glory days which pass us by all too quickly, as Springsteen once sang.*

But death is no dream.  It is very, very real.  And while we relish the release of pain and suffering, death itself is still the last, great enemy. A family struggles with the question: when do you “pull the plug,” as some say so crassly.  It is so hard to let go, and it seems wrong not to do everything in your power to keep the one you love alive.  Where is the line between letting someone die and killing them?  What is right?   How do I know?  You feel guilty whether you zig or zag.  The pain and sorrow and grief are no less with all of our science and medical technology.  In some ways, it is worse.  We live longer than our parents and grandparents, but that doesn’t mean we live better.  So when do you say goodbye, and how do you know?  How many times can you say goodbye?  I’m sure some of you have struggled with those heart wrenching moments.  Maybe you are struggling with it now.

The women knew this grief and sorrow, as they came to anoint their dead Lord and found Him gone.  Talk about insult added to injury!  You don’t mess with a grave.  Never.  It is just not done.  But there it is.  He is gone.  Not just dead.  Gone.  Peter sees, rushes in, saw the empty tomb and the linens folded up all nice in the corner, and went off.

Mary Magdalene is left to mourn, alone. Two angels come to comfort her.  They ask why she is weeping.  Why am I weeping, she in effect says to them.  I’m weeping because Jesus is dead and now they’ve stolen Him from me!  There is no body.  Everything is gone.  I have no place to mourn.  Even the place of my grief has been taken away! Suddenly the gardener appears, or is it Jesus?  He, too, wanted to know why she wept so.  She replies, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away” (John 20:15 ESV).

All she wanted was to mourn in peace.  The thought that things were better than they ever imagined, well, it never even occurred to her.  Grief has that way about it.  It sucks us in, as Satan tries to pry our faith from us. But life interrupts death.  Jesus is alive, and says her name, Mary.  In the blink of an eye, everything, everything is different.  Now, the mourning doesn’t seem to fit quite the same.  Now, Mary can see that when Jesus raised her brother, Lazarus, from the dead, that was just the beginning.  When Life conquered Death in that strange and dreadful strife, everything that we thought we understood about the world was turned upside down and inside out.

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the story of our lives, that we forget we know the ending.  It reminds me of one of my favorite movie scenes is from the cult classic, The Princess Bride.  In the movie a grandfather reads a story to his sick grandson.  The son reluctantly agrees.  As the story of death and mayhem and romance goes on, the young boy gets further and further engrossed into the movie.  At one point the grandfather has to stop the story and remind the boy “she doesn’t get eaten by the eels at this time.”

I know, it sounds silly.  But it is important as we journey in joy and sorrows and romance and grief to remember that we don’t get eaten by the eels, so to speak.

In the world, death is the end.  There is no more story.  We either seek to defeat death by taking life on our own terms (e.g. Euthanasia, abortion, suicide, and the like), OR we try to defeat it at all costs by covering it up, extending life no matter what, and masking its reality.  But Jesus’ resurrection means that death is not in charge.  St. Paul wrote, “We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him” (Romans 6:9 ESV). Death is not your master.  Our living Lord, Jesus Christ, has died and risen again, so that your dying will always mean life in the end.  St. Paul wrote again, “For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s” (Romans 14:8 ESV).

For thousands of years Christians have faced death with a remarkable grace and confidence.  That doesn’t mean we aren’t afraid to die.  Of course, death is still scary, and none of us long for the unknown like that.  But at the same time, because of that empty tomb and living Lord, you are free to live or die.  It is all the same. Eternal life is your inheritance.  Jesus has conquered it all.

Easter morning, Christ is risen. Come behold the empty grave.
We deserved the fiery prison.  Hear the pardon which He gave.
Be refreshed, renewed my people, Stooped and beaten since the Fall
You, in Him are more than conquerers: Cruel Death is killed for all.*

Be at peace, dear children of God.  Christ has done it!  You know the end of the story.  Sing with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven!  Nothing can defeat you in Him.  Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.  Everything else, even death itself, pales by comparison.  Rejoice, Oh Redeemed, for your Redeemer bids you feast on Him and live forever.

Alleluia! The Lord is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! In the strong name of Jesus.  Amen.

Here’s the audio for my Trinity 16 sermon on the raising of the widow of Nain’s Son.  Another mindmap sermon, so no written text.

-LL

This is part two of my bible study on President Harrison’s book on joy.

Also as a note, the YouTube video just zips through it quickly because it is showing the presentation.  There is no audio, etc.  Enjoy!

A Little Bible Study on Joy: Part Two – in Keynote

A Little Bible Study on Joy: Part Two – in Powerpoint

A Little Bible Study on Joy: Part Two – in PDF

A Little Bible Study on Joy: Part Two (YouTube)

It is very easy in the church, in our lives, and in the world to major in minors.  What I mean by this is that sometimes we can get so caught up in the details, that we can overlook the whole point of the matter.  How many people do you know, for example, that at the end of their life lamented how much time they had spent with their family?  Or how many businesses are there that make a conscious decision to spend less time or work making sure the customers are happy?  Or how many churches are there in the world that spend so much time on the things of today, that they forget they exist in order to bring Jesus Christ to their people?

This is what we have with our Lord in the text this morning.  Jesus is drawing near to Jerusalem, the city of peace, God’s city, the holy city, and rather than rejoice over it, he weeps.  Jesus sees a city and a people so immersed in the things of this world, that they miss the most important event of their lives.  They miss God’s gracious visitation.  God Himself was coming into their midst, into their flesh and blood, walking among them, teaching and healing in the Temple, and they would act as if nothing had happened.  As a result of their unbelief and stubbornness, there would come a time not far in their own future, when the city would be level, and not one stone would be left upon another.  It is a sad picture.

But the picture gets even more tragic.  Jesus then goes to the Temple, the very place where God had promised He would dwell, and what does He see there?  He sees the work of the sacrifices turned into a bustling business.  He sees this magnificent building, which all pointed to God’s reconciling love, turned into a place for the select few to make a buck.  It is no wonder He wept.  It is no wonder he drove the hucksters and hustlers out of the Temple.  Jesus wept, and He was right to do so.  Remember, this is the same Jesus who said before, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem…, how often have I wanted to gather your children as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing” (Luke 13:34).

But He does not only weep for them.¹ He weeps for you.  That word “visitation” is a variation of the word we usually translate as “bishop” or “overseer,” or what we in Lutheran terms would call pastor.  God’s oversight of the world, both the mysterious, hidden presence throughout history, and His oversight at the Last Day, is that of the Good Shepherd.  He comes into your midst to lead you away from the life that leads to death and destruction, and leads you into into paths of righteousness.  But when we think about God, look at His presence in our midst, our pride makes it so that we cannot see Him as the Shepherd, but rather as an angry judge.

What I mean is this.  It is nearly impossible for us to separate the presence of God from the judgment of God.  We do not by nature think in terms of a God of love.  What is the first thing that pops into your head if I were to say to you that God is present here, in the flesh, right now?  Fear.  That is the first thought, or nearly the first thought.

One preacher put it this way:

Going into the temple, he drives out all who sold and bought in the temple, overturns the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons, and says to them, “My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you make it a den of robbers.” His episkope – his visitation, his gracious shepherding and bishoping of creation – once again asserts itself. Of all the places in the world that should have stood witness to grace and truth, the temple was that place; but the world has infected even it, and there is nothing to be done with such a ship of fools but to pronounce upon it the judgment it deserves. Nevertheless, even after he parabolically acts out that judgment, his visitation remains one of grace: “and the blind and the lame [losers all] came to him in the temple, and he healed them” (Matthew 21:14).

Luther once described the Gospel as a passing rain shower that comes to a place for a time and then leaves.  You never know how long it will stay, or when it will go from the place.  The mediterranean world, particularly Jerusalem and Palestine, were the birthplace of Christianity, but within a few centuries that had changed.  There was a time when Europe was the center of Christianity, but no more.  There was a time when the United States was the heartbeat of Christianity, but I fear that is fast leaving us.  What this really comes down to is a people refusing to recognize God’s presence in their midst.

So today, my challenge to you is this.  What are the things that prevent you from receiving God’s mercy?  Is it money?  Family?  Friends?  The things of this world?  Do you see God’s hand at work in your life, drawing you into His gracious presence, forgiving your sins, giving you life where there is none and hope where it is absent?  Repent of all of your ties to falsehood, your desire that the things of today become your gods.

Repent, and believe.  Believe that Jesus is your Good Shepherd.  Believe that He comes as your judge, and that He judges you innocent of all because of His own death on the cross for your sins.  Believe that God comes to you even now, humble and lowly, weeping for you, longing to gather you into Himself.  God is in your midst.  Right here.  Right now.  He is a God of love, nor fear.  He loves you more than life itself.  Christ Jesus is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes (Romans 10:4).  Be free of the burden of your sin.  Be free, and live as free people, one, holy, and righteous because of His death and resurrection.

It is easy to major in minors.  It is easy to let the things of this life really take on a life of their own.  But Christ is your life.  Live in Him, for He lives for you.  Believe it for Jesus’ sake.  Amen.

—————————

¹ Taken from Fr. Capon

Jesus often spent time praying alone. Throughout the Scriptures we can find pictures of men and women who would go up on a mountain, meditate on God’s Word, and pray. There is great benefit in sitting back, removing yourself from the commotion and distractions of life, and hear what God has to say in His Word, and speak to Him in prayer about what troubles you, confessing your sins, and giving thanks for His mercies.

This is true. I know it is true. But I must admit that I don’t find this a natural practice for me. It’s hard. So often I have so many things running through my head, that slowing down long enough to hear what God has to say and speaking to him, well, it just gets pushed down on the priority list.

It would be easy to go into a discussion about how we are too busy today, we have too many things coming at us, and that we don’t have time to sit down and smell the flowers. This is all true, but I think really misses the point. The point isn’t that we are so busy. The point, rather, is that we don’t want to hear God or speak to Him. Like Adam and Eve hiding from God in the Garden, we run from our conversations with Him because we fear His anger, we don’t want to disappoint, or even because we don’t want Him to know how much we hurt or how angry we are at Him.

So how do we break the cycle of isolation from God in prayer? Here are a few suggestions that have worked for me over the years, and I would love to hear yours as well:

• Keep it simple. Using devotional guides can be of great benefit, but don’t allow the process of meditation and prayer become more important than actually meditating on His Word and praying. If that means something very simple, like Portals of Prayer, great! If that means using something a little more extended like To Live with Christ or The Treasury of Daily Prayer, then that’s fine too. It is more important to develop the regular habit of praying than to have just the right system.
• Connect prayer to God’s Word. For Lutherans, when we pray it is in connection with hearing God in His Word. While I may pray alone, I am never really alone. Christ prays with me. It is always a holy conversation.
• Make a list. Maybe this is obvious, but don’t allow prayer to become so spiritual that you actually forget your own personality! I am a list guy. I am always writing lists. So if I’m going to remember to pray, and to pray for specific people or things, I am going to write it down. It’s that simple. If I don’t write it down, my own natural inclination toward busyness and distractions will drive the whole thing right out of my head.
• Remember that Christ prays for you even when you don’t pray. If you forget to pray for a day, be at peace! Christ prays for you even when you forget. Jesus is loving and forgiving, and longs to be in your presence. He will pray for you even if you don’t.

There are many things that could be said about the privilege of praying alone. God loves it when you pray to Him! He leaves to speak to you and to hear you. Trust that praying in Him and to Him is good, and will be to your great eternal benefit.

+God be with you+
Pastor Peperkorn

From the February 2010 Messiah’s Messenger

-ll

Todd A. Peperkorn, STM

Messiah Lutheran Church

Kenosha, Wisconsin

Lent 2 – Reminiscere (February 28, 2010)

Matthew 15:21-28

TITLE: “Prayer Answered”

This year is a year of prayer for Messiah. We have a lot of things to pray about here. We pray for the needs of our congregation members, health, jobs, families, money, and even more. Prayer is a good and wonderful thing. It gives focus to our needs. It makes it so that we are never truly helpless, because God promises to hear our prayers, always.

The problem with prayer from our perspective is that it seems so wispy, so intangible and difficult to really nail down. If we are honest with ourselves, we treat prayer like a cop-out, a “Hail Mary” pass of desperation when things get really bad. Oh no! Things are so bad that we have to resort to prayer? That is serious.

The other alternative is that prayer becomes rote, like Come Lord Jesus or even the Our Father. Prayer becomes a habit that has no meaning, like brushing your teeth or making sure you put your socks on before you walk out the door. You may even be unconscious that you are doing it!

So why do we have such a hard time praying? Let’s take a look at our Gospel for today to learn why.

In our story for this morning we have a woman with everything against her in first century Palestine. First of all she’s a woman. We don’t see in our story where her husband is, but one thing is for sure is that women did not simply go up to men at that time and beg for anything. It was simply not done. Second, she’s a Canaanite. You know, the people that God told the Israelites to kill when they took over the land of Canaan? Then third, her daughter is possessed by a demon. This does not bode well for her in terms of getting help. At this point she was probably thinking in terms of that prayer-as-hail-mary-pass.

So she goes to Jesus and begs, have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon! If ever there was a request that seems reasonable to grant, this seems like a pretty good one. After all, we sorta believe we can take care of the normal earthly problems, but demons? That’s out of our pay grade.

Jesus, however, is silent as a tomb. Have you ever felt that way about God and how He answers prayer? I think every week about the things we pray for here at Messiah. We pray for our shut-ins, expectant mothers, confirmation students, the Academy, Racine Lutheran High School. We pray for people who are sick or in prison. We pray for good stewardship and that God would bless our efforts here at Messiah. This doesn’t even include the fears that we have lurking in our hearts at night, the things we are too afraid to pray for out loud because we don’t want to be disappointed.

So for all of the things we pray for, do you believe that God will answer them? Are you afraid that God doesn’t even care? That certainly seems to be the first answer this woman got to our prayer. Silence. Sometimes God is silent when we think He should be talking, and talks when we wish He would be quiet. Sometimes prayer feels more like we are wrestling with God than it is that we are praying to Him. Prayer has an amazing way of exposing our own fears when it comes to God.

You and I may well have given up, but not this woman. She keeps asking, even to the point where the disciples beg Jesus to give her what she wants and send her away. You can certainly imagine the scene. She is crying and begging and asking and making this scene, much like blind Bartemaeus from a couple weeks ago. The disciples don’t want a lesson in persistent prayer. They want a little dignity!

Jesus then goes on and says He is only sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Certainly this seems like a put-off on Jesus’ part. This woman, though, doesn’t want to get into a theological debate with God. She just keeps on asking, Lord, Help me!

Then the ultimate insult, at least it looks that way. It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs (v. 26). In any culture, calling someone a dog is a bad thing, and this is no exception. The Jews in Jesus’ day would call the Gentiles “dogs” as a way of emphasizing that they aren’t God’s chosen people. So Jesus here is really highlighting the fact that she isn’t a Jew.

But this woman catches Jesus in His words. Of course, Jesus wanted to be caught. She replies, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” In other words, she confesses that while she’s a dog, she is His dog. She is a part of the family. The important thing is not where you sit. The important part is that you are at or at least under the table.

So what do we learn about prayer from this woman? This is what I want you to take home from this text:

1. God doesn’t answer prayer when or even how we want or expect. Sometimes God uses silence to great effect, because it may help us focus on what we truly need. He may also use silence to draw attention to the grace that He will give in His own time and way.

2. God does answer prayer. It is really that simple. Prayer is not a last-ditch effort of a desperate person. It is the cry of faith to the one and only person who can actually help in your time of need. Even in your darkest night and most painful moments, God will answer.

3. God answers with His Word. I don’t have to speculate or wonder about God’s will for me. I know His will for me, that is, I know that He wants me to live and to be with Him forever. That is His good and gracious will. What I don’t know is all of the details on how He will get me there and keep me there.

4. Finally, Prayer is all about trust. We pray to God trusting that He will answer us. That is God’s promise to you. He will answer your prayers. Don’t give up on God. He certainly has not given up on you.

So be at peace, dearly baptized. God is with you. He hears your prayers and answers them with your greatest need. He gives you Jesus. The rest of it will come in His time and way, and frankly, that is really far better than anything you or I could ever want or imagine. Believe it for Jesus’ sake. Amen.