God's Covenant with Abraham

In Genesis chapter fifteen, Abram (Abraham) is in conversation with the LORD. Initially, in the holy presence of God, it seems that old Abe is fearful, shaking in his sandals—since the word from the LORD is one of reassurance: “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” So, in the face of old Abe’s fear, the LORD promises protection and a “very great reward.” How often do we fill ourselves with fear in the face of God’s presence at work in our lives? How often have we missed the LORD’s words of comfort and reassurance that he is with us and wants to give us a generous blessing?

As the conversation continues, Abram wants to know what God will give him, since he is not getting any younger, and he and Sarai are still childless—more and more from old Abe’s perspective, it seems that Eliezer his slave is destined to be his heir. However, that is not God’s plan. Abram is told that “no one but your very own issue shall be your heir.” I wonder why the phrase “very own issue” is employed here; this phrase does not remind me of a human heir—rather, it reminds me of something like a newspaper or magazine, “Extra, Extra, read all about it in Old Abe’s Times, Vol. 3, No. 5, Issue 7.” So why the phrase “very own issue”? Why not “your very own son”? Or is this a subtle way of God telling old Abe that the gift of life vis-à-vis Abram and Sarai really comes from God alone, by changing Sarai’s barren womb into a fertile one?

At any rate, old Abe is given another reassurance that the LORD would make good on his promise to him by employing an example from his creation. It’s a beautiful clear night and God takes Abram outside and says: “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them. So shall your descendants be.” WOW! What a promise! Old Abe and Sarai on their way out of this world and wondering if the promise of a child is pure fiction; then God’s voice speaks the word of promise and true to his word; the word of promise becomes reality because if God can employ words to create the universe, then surely the LORD can speak a word of promise to these two old seniors combine his creative word with their ability to procreate and give them a child. Moreover, that child, says the LORD, shall be the first-fruit of as many children as there are stars in the heavens.

Do we see the promises of God at work in our lives? What about the generosity of the LORD, are we aware of the countless blessings as we journey through life? At times, like old Abe and Sarai, God delays his promises and gifts and makes us wait. Is that because we are not capable of receiving them at a time when we deem it appropriate; or is it a matter of God having to work behind the scenes and between the lines to orchestrate everything before it comes into reality? With God all things are possible. May we believe as old Abram did, and may the LORD reckon it to us as righteousness.

Sermon for Nick Knebel Graveside Service

Message for Graveside Service of Nick Knebel,

based on Mk 4:3-9 & Phil 3:20-21

by Rev. Garth Wehrfritz-Hanson,

Chaplain, South Ridge Village, The Good Samaritan Society,

Medicine Hat, Alberta

As I thought about Nick, two Bible passages came to mind. In my visits with Nick, he would reminisce about his past life as a Saskatchewan farmer. Jesus who was familiar with the farming life in ancient Palestine taught one day by telling a parable of a sower who went out to sow his crop. As he spread the seeds onto the field he had no control over what happened to them once they fell on the ground. The parable tells us that the seed fell on the pathway where birds ate it up; on rocky ground where seeds had no place to lay down roots, so they were scorched by the Middle East sun; other seed fell among thorns, which choked the grain to death; yet other seed fell on good soil and produced a healthy crop of thirty, sixty and a hundredfold.

I’m sure Nick could relate to this parable of the sower and seed, since as a farmer, he did the same thing year-after-year. He, like the sower, had to wait on God in faith for the crop to grow and eventually be harvested. And like the seed falling in different places—not all of Nick’s crops were likely as successful as he would wish every year because of weeds, insects, and weather conditions beyond Nick’s control. Yet Nick kept planting the seed, trusting that God would provide a harvest. In this way Nick was doing what God had called him to do. He was, as a farmer, contributing to society, by providing crops, which would be harvested and then produced into food products to feed human beings. That was Nick’s calling in life, and he did it faithfully year-after-year.

Explaining the parable, Jesus said God’s people, particularly preachers, sow the seed of God’s word. The seed represents God’s word in the parable. And the amazing thing is that the word works in peoples’ lives to give them faith in God and all other kinds of gifts and resources to live meaningful lives. So God’s word is spread and meant to be shared with others, just as Nick’s crops were meant to be harvested and then shipped away to produce products for people to eat. By feeding on God’s word we grow deeper in our faith in Christ and that faith too is meant to be shared with others so that they can grow into a deeper faith in Christ too.

In my visits with Nick, he would also speak occasionally of his homeland in Romania and the long journey he made from there to immigrate here in Canada and settle on his uncle and aunt’s farm in Saskatchewan. The apostle Paul, in Philippians 3:20-21 speaks of citizenship. He says we are citizens of heaven. Nick left his citizenship of his homeland behind in Romania for a new citizenship here in Canada. Once he became a citizen here, he was entitled to all of the privileges and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship.

The same is true, says Paul, of our citizenship in heaven. One day, we shall “immigrate” to our new homeland, leave Canada behind, and become full-fledged citizens in heaven, our true, eternal home. That’s the promise in our Philippians passage that now, by the LORD’s grace, Nick shall be a beneficiary of; and that too is a promise we look forward to one day.

According to Paul, our citizenship entitlement and inheritance shall involve a huge change. Christ, our Lord and Saviour “will change our weak mortal bodies and make them like his own glorious body, using that power by which he is able to bring all things under his rule.” In other words, it will be Easter for us all, as our powerful LORD will resurrect our bodies to be with him eternally in heaven. Nick’s old, tired, worn out body will now be changed into a new, spiritual body as a citizen of heaven. By God’s grace, so will ours! That is my hope—I hope it is yours too! Amen.

David Housholder's Essay

Over at David Householder's Journal, there is a thought-provoking essay on "Why Lutherans Can't Evangelize." He makes the case that we Lutherans don't have a missiology or an eschatology, you can read the essay here. What do you think? Do we Lutherans need to come up with a missiology and eschatology in order to evangelize or not?

CLWR Haiti Appeal Video

Here is a short video produced by Canadian Lutheran World Relief recently on the work in Haiti.

Wm. Sloane Coffin on Justice

The Rev. Wm. Sloane Coffin reminded me a lot of the 20th century version of the prophet Jeremiah. His voice was--and in some cases, still is--worth listening to. Here are a few examples of Sloane Coffin at his best, from his book, Credo:

   Not to take sides is effectively to weigh in on the side of the stronger. (p. 50)

   The Bible is less concerned with alleviating the effects of injustice than in eliminating the causes of it. (p. 50)

   To know God is to do justice. To recognize this implacable moral imperative of the faith represents the kind of religion that mixes well with politics. (p. 51)

   To believe you can approach transcendence without drawing nearer in compassion to suffering humanity is to fool yourself. There can be no genuine personal religious conversion without a change in social attitude. (p. 51)

   Compassion and justice are companions, not choices. (p. 51)

   Hell is truth seen too late. (p. 53)

   The word "homeless" is devastating, suggesting neither comfort nor companionship, dignity nor grace, and precious little identity. To have no place is to be no place. Homlessness is nowheresville--whether you're one of the world's 14 million refugees, a boat person from Indochina, one of Calcutta's 400,000 semi-starved sidewalk dwellers, or one of the 36,000 who in New York City spend so much of their time huddled in doorways, wrapping themselves in the Daily News. (pp. 54-55)

   The biblical reminder is clear: whatever our economic system, the enemy is excess, not possessions. The battle cry is "Enough!" not "Nothing!" "Enough" so that we can all break bread together, so that everyone's prayer can be answered--"Give us this day our daily bread." (p. 57) 

   The way we are cutting taxes for the wealthy and social programs for the poor, you'd think the greedy were needy and the needy were greedy. (p. 61)

   God is not mocked: what is grossly immoral can never in the long run be politically expedient. (p. 100)

Amen! and Lord, have mercy on us all...

Easter Day Resurrection of our Lord

Christ is risen by GW-H [i.e. DimLamp]

"Here the true Pascal Lamb we see, whom God so freely gave us,

who died on the accursed tree-so strong God's love!-to save us.

See, his blood now marks our door; faith points to it; death passes o'er,

and Satan cannot harm us, Hallelujah!"

-Martin Luther, #370, Evangelical Lutheran Worship

Good Friday

The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

[Isaiah 53:6] by GW-H [i.e. DimLamp]

About Maundy Thursday

About Maundy Thursday

Ever wondered where the name Maundy Thursday comes from and what it means? Well, there are at least three different traditions. Perhaps all three of them are historically based and valid.

In one tradition, this name is rooted in the Latin word mandatum, meaning “command,” in memory of the new commandment that Jesus gave his disciples on this day to love one another.

According to a second tradition, traces the origins back to another Latin word mundo, meaning “wash.” On this day, Jesus showed his disciples a perfect example of what true servanthood means by washing their feet.

In a third tradition, this day is based on the word maund, which means “basket.” Christians would give out baskets of food to the poor, and distribute specially minted coins called maund money, and eventually purchased by coin collectors.

In thinking of the origins of Maundy Thusday, I’m reminded of a famous quote by Church historian, Professor Jaroslav Pelikan: “Tradition is the living faith of the dead. Traditionalism is the dead faith of the living.” As you, dear readers, celebrate Maundy Thursday today, may it indeed be an expression of the living faith of the dead!