We live now, but not yet

Proper7A, June 25, 2023, Immanuel Lutheran Church, Moses Lake by Sr. Annette Fricke, OPA We live now but not yet. As you may or may not know, Luther loved the book of Romans because it helped him to understand the gospel as well as the underpinnings to the preaching of Paul. Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? This was a misinterpretation that Paul was trying to correct. He would answer that as a ‘no.’ It’s like asserting, ‘well, I need something to confess, so what’s the point in keeping God’s law?’ People continue to distort what God would have us do and be. During Paul’s missionary days as well as today, we have experienced the splintering of the church. The splintering resulted in a West Church, an East Church, then Catholic, Protestant and the churches somewhere in between. Even the Jews separated into Orthodox and Reformed. As much as we may want to see unity and somehow feel right about it, there is much about the Church and our world that is not unified. The world continues to suffer from conflict and chaos. The Southern Baptist Church recently voted to oust 2 congregations they had because their leaders were women pastors. The countries of the world continue to practice on some level racism, sexism, discrimination, paying women less for the same job as a man. Justice does not have a chance if we don’t fight for it. The placement of this section of Matthew is known as the Missionary Discourse, the second of five major discourses in Matthew. This one is all about how the disciples might be received as they carry out their mission and what it means to be a disciple. The word disciple means learner, or student. Following Jesus is a commitment that exceeds commitment to family. This concept is also reflected in the other 2 lessons from Jeremiah and Romans. We should always follow this principle: “A disciple is not above the teacher, not a servant above the master.” Along the same lines, we should be like Jesus. Jesus frequently lived his life in conflict with others. Some would rather avoid conflict and engage in talking about people behand their backs, not wanting to engage in communicating face to face, fearing the worst. Even though Jesus came as the Prince of Peace, his interactions with people were not always peaceful. It is important for us to know where we stand as Christians. How can we be the hands and feet of Jesus? Be mindful that there is nowhere in the New Testament that Jesus tells us to go out and do our own thing. Remember when Jesus sent out the disciples two by two? There are practical reasons he did that. For one, we should help each other and support one another in ministry and pray for each other concerning our ministries. We are not called to do whatever we want. If a ministry is a product of just one person and it continues for years, burnout occurs. We are not called either to individually develop a ministry without discernment and other people to join in. If we leave, is there someone who will carry on a needed ministry? Or will it die with the person who left the congregation? Discernment and strategy should always be the precursor to any proposed ministry because it is not this or that person’s ministry, but the congregation’s ministry. Unlike Japanese culture, we, as Americans sometimes forget this because individualism is ingrained and preferred in our thinking. In academics, yes, we ought to be doing our own work to prove we are doing the work and learning the materials required to graduate, but the Japanese group think is a good model for congregations. But even when we discern and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us, it doesn’t guarantee all will run smoothly. Jeremiah felt abandoned and overpowered. He assumed that God had left him, yet what he had to say about God was like a fire within him. He felt all alone in his suffering and said his friends were watching for him to stumble. The psalmist also looks for God to answer his prayers due to his distress. Jeremiah suffered. Paul suffered. David suffered. We suffer. But most of all we need to remember that Jesus suffered. God is always with us even when we are unable to sense God’s presence. Even when we feel that God has abandoned us. God is here and ever present. We have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the father, so we too might walk in newness of life. Our lives are not brought to perfection in this life; even the saints have told us about their struggles, but that does not mean we should let sin reign. We are to live on, clothing ourselves in God’s righteousness, fighting for the salvation of the world, knowing that God is ever at our sides. We walk in the resurrected light of Christ knowing that some day we will see God face to face. We live now, but not yet. Feasting on the Word, Year A, Volume 3 Commentary on Romans, Martin Luther, translated by J. Theodore Mueller New Proclamation, Year A, 2005