The Burr in the Burgh

Advent 3
December 17, 2006
Text: Matthew 11:2-11

Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.

Something tells me that John the Baptist wouldn’t show up on most congregations’ call list for a new pastor. He’s not very warm or fuzzy. He doesn’t tiptoe around the issues and he doesn’t beat around the bush. He doesn’t care what you think of him and he certainly doesn’t seem to care if he hurts your feelings. John is a prophet sent by God. His words are not his own. And they’re not smooth and polished either. They’ve got rough edges, edges that cut. He called people to a change heart, a new way of thinking, a recognition of our standing before God.

Jesus said that John was not a reed shaken by the wind. So many preachers are just exactly that. Reeds shaken by the wind. A lot of times, pastors like all Christians, are tempted to just go with the flow, to avoid talking about the difficult teachings of Scripture, to shy away from controversial subjects or offensive moral instruction.

We want to be popular. We like it when people pat us on the back and say, “well done.” We think we need to be loved and respected by everyone. But Jesus said, “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, For so did their fathers to the false prophets (Luke 6).” Preachers, just like all Christians however, should worry less about winning the admiration of the world and think more about finding favor with God.

John hammered at the arrogance of men. Particularly religious arrogance, the sin of the Pharisees, the ever-present danger of the dedicated churchgoer. Pharisees, old and new, imagine that the kingdom of God belongs to them because they sing in the choir, attend every church function, give 10% of their income to missions, and volunteer all their free time to good causes. Please don’t misunderstand me. I wish every person did those things. Do those things. They’re good things to do. But don’t forget that your status as a child of God rests solely on the kindness of God, and it’s never because we have toed the line. Because we have not. There is no one so pious among us who can boast before the Lord. Even when you pour out your lifeblood in service to your neighbor, fighting off wild animals to spread the Gospel, even your most holy works are tainted by selfishness or the desire for recognition and reward.

In one of his less tactful moods, John criticized King Herod Antipas for stealing his brother’s wife. And that is what eventually led to John’s arrest and execution. So today, as John awaits the chopping block he sends some of his followers to Jesus to ask if He is the One or not.

I should add that many interpreters have understood this text to mean not that John himself was having doubts but that his followers were wavering and he sent them to Jesus for their benefit more than his own. But either way, you need to face this question. Is Jesus the One or do you want someone else? Why did you come to church today? Did you come here to be entertained or to have your egos stroked? Did you get up and come out of a sense of obligation? Or did you come here because God makes Himself known to us in the breaking of the bread, because you need what God wants to give and you know you need it?

A few years ago, there was a book that came out with the title: “Disappointment with God.” Disappointment occurs when our expectations are not met by our experiences. Haven’t you ever made a choice or a decision only to find that what you got was not what you thought you were going to get? Of course you have. We all have. A doctor at Johns Hopkins did a study and concluded that one of the main emotions experienced by adults in America is the feeling of disappointment with their lives. How can it be, you may ask, that the richest, most pampered and highly entertained society on earth could feel this way? Because what we assume will make us happy – riches, pampering and entertainment – seldom does.

As Christians, our disappointments in life often translate into being disappointments with God. All of us have certain expectation for what God should be like. If you could write God’s job description, what would you say? In my baser moments, here is what I would write: The right god for the job should always answer my prayers how I want, when I want. He should never make me wait. He should never say anything to make me feel bad about myself. He should always affirm my decisions. He should not place demands on me or require me to do things that I don’t want to do. And he should give me a lovely house on the beach surrounded by lots of friends and let me die in my sleep. That’s the kind of God our flesh wants. Actually I guess what I’ve really described is a genie in a bottle. Give me seven wishes. Even Santa Claus only gives you presents when you’ve been good. Maybe your job description for God would be a little different from mine, but I’ll bet I nailed it pretty close.

A lot of people had expectations for the Messiah and they weren’t always sure that Jesus fit the bill. People become disillusioned with God when they expect Him to do things for them which He has not promised to do. People give up on church when they expect it to be something which it is not.

Jesus never promised us an easy life if we follow Him. Not in this world. Quite the opposite, He told us we could expect to be mistreated on His account. He taught us to anticipate martyrdom. John the Baptist may not have liked being in jail for calling sinners to repent, but he surely was not surprised. Nor should we be surprise when the world rejects us on account of Christ as if something strange were happening to us. No servant is greater than His Master. If our Lord was despised and rejected by men, why should we expect a standing ovation?

What God does promise is absolution to every sinner who repents. He promises eternal life to those who are clothed in the righteousness of Christ. He promises that though you may suffer in this life, you will one day be lifted up and exalted above the stars.

We suffer for our confession of Christ, but we also suffer because we do stupid things, because we are mortal, because our family and neighbors sin against us. There are all sorts of reasons to suffer, but one reason to rejoice. God is good and in His goodness, He looks upon you with favor. Because Jesus died on the cross, God is no longer holding your sins against you. He’s not like us. His ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. When you get into a fight with your spouse, you bring up every bad thing they’ve ever done. But that’s not what God does. We hate our enemies and love our friends. But God in Christ loves His enemies and turns them into His friends. You are touchy and easily offended and find it very difficult to forgive people who hurt you. But God is slow to anger and quick to forgive. Here is a trustworthy saying, deserving of full acceptance: God will not treat you as your sins deserve because Jesus has been treated as your sins deserve in your place. And we will be treated as Jesus deserves, like a Son. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Not long ago, I watched Sophie Scholl - The Final Days. I'd read much about it when it was briefly in the theaters. Then I got it through Netflix but kept putting off watching it. I need to be in the right mood to watch a film with subtitles. What a terrific movie! It's based on a true account of a young German woman and her family who resisted the Nazis during WWII. Naturally, I was particularly pleased with the sympathetic manner in which Scholl's Christian faith was portrayed.

Concordia Theological Seminary has a wonderful 16 voice choir, the Kantorei. Their Epiphany tour this year takes them to Maryland, Connecticut, New York, Virginia, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Here is their itinerary. Yours truly will be traveling as the preacher. Come hear us. And tell any prospective seminarians you might know to come and meet with me. Go to the link and you can listen to selections of the Kantorei's music.

How many of you have heard of this? It sounds cool.

Just another reminder that we are producing 5-minute audio devotions for each day in Advent. Go here to listen.

I recorded one this evening which will go up in a couple of days. In it I talk about the continuity that exists between the Old and New Testaments of the bible. I didn't include this but I was thinking that this brings up a common problem. Many Christians will read the bible like they eat from a salad bar. I really like the carrots, spinach and peppers but ignore the sprouts and have no use for bacon bits unless they're made from real bacon. Similarly, you read some from the Gospels, maybe the psalms, and a few scattered passages from Paul's epistles. But what about the rest?

I highly recommend the practice of reading entire books of the bible from beginning to end. Obviously reading from Genesis to Revelation makes a lot of sense. From time to time, you will return to those isolated verses here or there which you love. But pulling 10 or 20 consecutive words out of the Bible can become problematic if you lose the sense of the whole thing. A good rule of thumb is simply to read more and to read continuously.

After the massive success of The Passion, Hollywood has been percolating with ideas about how to cash in on the whole religion thing. The current film, The Nativity Story, is an example of this.

First, has anyone seen the Nativity movie and what did you think of it?

Secondly, here is an interesting article explaining how Hollywood can truly turn the religious faith of millions of Americans into box office success.

I know it sounds like the title of an Agatha Christie -style murder mystery. But it's not. Some archaeologists believe they've found the bones of the apostle. See here.

I haven't posted much lately in large part because I've been terribly sick with some virus. It's been three weeks and I think I am only now starting to turn the corner.

But here are a couple of things going on:

• Work in recruitment for the seminary is fun and challenging. I really enjoyed a conference in Indianapolis which focused on recruitment for theological schools. I have a wonderful staff and it's been rewarding to learn to know and utilize their respective gifts.
  

• Next week, I'm going to meet with three focus groups. I'm getting three sets of five first year students and their wives to meet with me for 30-40 minutes. I'm going to interview them to find out why they chose to come to CTS, what the chief issues were, and to get their ideas for how my team can better serve future prospective students.

• We're still putting up our daily audio advent devotions which you can get by going to our seminary website. I have another one of mine going up tomorrow. Excuse how hoarse I sound.

• I re-watched the movie, Crash, the other night. I really think that's a great flick. It's a very clever commentary on all different aspects of racial stereotyping. Everyone does it and the movie is good about showing the flaws and strengths of each character. Everybody is bad but nobody is all bad. I liked that about the movie. We talk in Lutheranism sometimes about "total depravity" but that really is a Calvinist category. I don't know that I accept it. Certainly, before God I have nothing to offer but my sin. But even the vilest person does nice things for his neighbor. When we speak of the fallen nature of man, we should distinguish between righteousness before God and righteousness before man. I don't have any righteousness of my own to offer God for salvation. But toward my neighbor, I may do all sorts of right things, even as I do a lot of wicked things mixed in. Lutherans must not talk about the fallen-ness of man as if to say everything he ever does or thinks or says is worthless in every way. I think we do that sometimes.
  

How well do you know the Nativity story? Take this quiz.

I want you to give me your ideas for how to recruit more excellent students for the seminary. I have lots of ideas we're working on, and this recent conference in Indy really got some juices flowing. What do you suggest?

I haven't posted as much lately, in part, because of being on the road a bit. But I've also just started to emerge from a nasty cold. I got back from a conference in Indy on Friday night. I laid down in the recliner and didn't get up until this morning at about 8 a.m. to go to work. I literally slept all weekend. I feel better but now I hardly have a voice.

This Sunday marks the beginning of the new liturgical year. Many Christians observe this special season by special offerings, midweek worship services, advent calendars, wreaths, etc. I don't know how common this is in other traditions but we Lutherans like Advent devotion books. Daily Scripture readings with short meditations and prayers.

The Admission Counselors at Concordia Theological Seminary will post an audio devotion each day in Advent on our website. The first devotion is already up (a bit early).

Go here.

Why not check it each day as a way to observe the holy season we are soon to enter?

Now this might surprise you in light of my last post. But a comment made by Peter below set me to thinking.

One of my pet crusades is that TV deadens the mind. I say that a lot. I believe it. The evidence is all around us. At 12:15 a.m., August 1, 1981 the very first music video to be shown on MTV was Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles. Well, of course, music videos did not kill radio. Far from it. You'd be hard pressed to find any music programming on MTV these days. But I do believe that watching lots of television kills the ability to communicate verbally.

When people (especially children under 8) spend hours watching television, it literally damages their brains and impairs their ability to think verbally. Vital synapses are underdeveloped. How many people have you heard say, "Well, I learn visually"? Sure. That's legit. But it becomes a problems when folks are truly unable to follow a sustained argument or express complex thoughts verbally.

Everyone should read: The Vanishing Word: The Veneration of Visual Imagery in the Postmodern World (Focal Point Series) by Arthur W. Hunt III, edited by Gene Edward Veith.

That having been said, I also believe that American television is in a golden age. Insofar as anyone can identify their current age as golden, I think this is the case for American TV. And why has this happened? Market economics. There is sooooo much television these days that producers have had to come up with truly high quality material in order to stand out. Hence, the proliferation of so many very well written and excellently produced programs. Some that I have found to be very powerful and entertaining include: 24, The Office, The Sopranos, Carnivale, Lost, and Battlestar Galactica. Other people have sung the praises of House, Heroes, and others. But I'd be surprised if these programs constitute even 1% of all that is available on television.