September
18, 2016
“Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary”
“Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary”
Last week, I made the statement that we are
at a precipice, we have to choose Whom we will serve, either God or Man. From the expressions on a number of faces, it
was a message that was like some of the military campaigns of the 21st
Century, “Shock and Awe”. Yet, my goal
was to stir us to choose God over what man offers us daily and even what we
encounter in our daily walk.
Today we live in a clear time of
doubt. Look at the windows boarded up on
the West side of the church. How will we
replace them? How will we pay for the
damage done to the roof over our heads? Will
corn prices rise or fall? Will we have a
job after the election? Will the election
be peaceful? This doubt is exactly where
some of us live. Satan not only enjoys
our ‘doubt’, but encourages it and has been doing so since the Garden of Eden. Remember his query of Adam and Eve in the
Garden, ‘Did God really say you would die, if you ate from the fruit of the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil?’
The fear and doubt created by Satan in our
daily lives not only attempt to pull us away from God, but to reorient our
lives away from trust in God to doubting both God’s existence and God’s
willingness to die for us. This is why
we need to lay claim to our confession of the Apostle’s Creed and come, hear and
receive God’s promises weekly and partake of His Sacraments that He offers us
from His altar.
In the Apostle’s Creed, we not only confess
our belief, but we name all three persons of the Holy Trinity. And in the second Article we began last week
we confess, “And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord”. Today we like an onion created by God add
another layer not of complexity, but of truth when we boldly confess about
Jesus Christ, “Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary”.
Today our culture dislikes and even turns judgmental
and political when we talk about babies in the womb. Legislation and legalities when someone who
is pregnant is killed, making a decision whether you are pro-life or
pro-choice, not only litter our landscape, but even impact relationships
between family and friends. But the
reality is, what we confess in our Apostle’s Creed is not only language about
life, but clearly that the life of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, Jesus
Christ is not only “conceived” from God, “by the Holy Spirit”, but Jesus
Christ was “born of the Virgin Mary”.
Our Confession of faith is not only meant
to be a ‘doctrinal’ or ‘belief’ statement, but it is meant as a life statement
for we who gather here. For when we
confess that Jesus Christ, “Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born
of the Virgin Mary” our confession is a statement that gives us life
and can give it to us abundantly.
Recent events with ISIS, Columbine or
Aurora clearly stick in our minds.
Individuals’ because of their confession were slain because of their bold
confession, but this is our earthly life.
In that moment they entered eternal life, a life that never ends all
because they confessed Jesus Christ not only as their Lord and Savior, but the meaning
found in our confession in the Apostle’s Creed that Jesus Christ was “conceived”,
was “born”
and is their Lord and Savior.
Is this a test for us today? No, its not meant to feel or be a test for us
today. But when we confess the Apostle’s
Creed, we clearly and unmistakably bind ourselves to the bold confession not
only from history, but for us and the church today. We confess clearly and emphatically our
belief in God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit and how God is working in and
through each of us today.
This last week, the latest Captain America
movie entitled, “Civil War” came out digitally and on video. Michele and I were unable to watch it in the
theater. Having a very active 7 year old
daughter we chose to spend time with her rather than attend a movie. In watching some of the featurettes the other
night, I was struck by the clear choice that had to be made by each
Avenger. They had to weigh which ‘side’
they were going to not only serve, but fight for. Yet what is interesting is that their choice
was more about ideology and their personal beliefs about a system that was
being imposed upon them by the world leaders rather than their personal choice
and the ability to choose when or when not to use their talents.
Translate that for us who gather here
today. Today we gather as the body of
Christ, the church. Thursday we were battered by the storms of life. Yet, we came together as a church and
community and rallied together. We
should rally to work with our neighbors next door or across the street, our
friends across town who may have been impacted more and even people we do not
know since we are the Body of Christ. In
this way we not only can do things together, not holding the past over anyone,
nor being reminded of it, but living humbly as the hands and feet of Christ
here in Goodland.
Today we join together to celebrate “Back to
Church” Sunday in order to be the Church of Jesus Christ.. We began our worship by praying for people in
our church who are in need for our prayer.
We sang that “We have a friend in Jesus”. And we have heard how we make a choice in our
confession about Jesus Christ. Let’s not
only welcome everyone, but clearly confess our belief in Jesus Christ. For Jesus Christ is our God and we are His
people that confess Jesus Christ “Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born
of the Virgin Mary”. AMEN.Check out Pastor on the Prairie (ProtP)
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