Saturday of Trinity I - Devotion in Exile

Lection for Saturday after Trinity I 
Proverbs 22:23-23:12      John 18:15-40

I love to ask people if they paid attention to the text? Why do I do that? Because I have found that many people who claim to be Christian are really something quite different. What do I mean by that? If I say I am a Christian, then I follow Christ. I am not allowed to believe whatever I want to believe. I cannot blend God’s clear Word with the things I want to believe and call it Christianity, it is not. That would rightly be call Jerabekianity, because it is my own blending of things to believe.

Do you remember when Peter rebuked Jesus after He had explained to them that He must suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day? He said to Jesus, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” Do you also remember what Jesus said to him? “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”

Contained therein is the problem many have – they have man’s interests in mind, not God’s. Jesus before Pilate proclaims more of the same when He says, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”

Like I said, I love to ask people if they paid attention to the text?

Jesus declares that His kingdom, God’s kingdom, is not of this world. In John’s Gospel, there are numerous places that Jesus declares that we, His followers, are in the world – but not “of” the world.

But to be perfectly frank, we are more like Peter needing to be rebuked for being in love with our own interests and how they play out in our human flesh, in the world we love. To be far, this creation we inhabit was given to us by God to enjoy and have dominion over. But, that was before the fall. The world we have today is different, it is fallen, and it is a temptation that often leads us away from God, not closer to Him.

I know some people claim that they do not need to go to church to worship God, that they feel closer to Him out in creation. I have indeed heard His name called aloud quite often when fishing, hunting, and especially on the golf course. But I have never heard it used in prayer, praise, thanksgiving, nor any other salutary manner. Usually, it was His name used in vain, blasphemously. I am also glad that He has not answered some of the requests to “damn” certain things people have called down His wrath upon because that particular “thing” messed with their fishing time, or fouled up their golf game.

The world, and the things of the world with which many have fallen in love, are one of the three enemies against which Christians struggle on a daily basis. The other two are the devil and our own sinful nature.

These three siren voices call out to each of us seductively, beckoning us to fall into their loving embrace, and turn aside from the only One who has ever truly loved us unconditionally. All too often, we succumb to their voices. And when God’s Word speaks clearly to us, calling us sinners in our disobedience, the world’s voice beckons to us again – don’t listen to that outdated book… your pastor has lost touch with reality… there are others who are Christians who believe differently. And yes, there are many churches which have fallen into the trap and the world sets the theology of their congregations and/or church bodies. Paul warned of this in 2 Timothy 4:1-5, that a time was coming that teachers would tell people what their itching ears want to hear. Guess what, there were many false prophets in Old Testament time who led Israel astray as well.

While Jesus’ eternal kingdom is not of this world, for this world is fallen, He is still king over all creation. He came into our flesh, into this sinful world, to free us from our infatuation with this world, and to recreate for His eternal kingdom. He died in this world to put our sinful preoccupation of it to death, granting us forgiveness for loving the fallen creation more than the Creator God!

Because we are still in this world, and love it so much, our Redeemer uses the things of this world to physically touch us with His grace: The water of baptism which unites us to His death and resurrection, granting new life.

His Word, spoken by the mouths of His servants, heard with our physical ears which proclaims to us our new reality as the forgiven children of God.

His body and blood, Sacramentally united to the mundane earthly elements of bread and wine, so that we take into our own bodies the very One who created us, redeemed us, and makes us His own.

His kingdom is not of this world, and we, His beloved, while living in it today, and also not of this world. We are part of a greater kingdom. Thanks be to Jesus.

Let us pray:    Heavenly Father, you sent Your Son into this fallen creation, to redeem us who have more love for it than for you. Forgive us our idolatrous adultery, and make us have a right heart and mind, recreated in His image for an eternity in Your eternal kingdom. Amen.