August 18, 2013

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Peace of the Lord be with you. Amen. And also with you.

One of the greatest Christian teachings is “peace.” The Christmas Angels sang, “Peace on earth, goodwill to men.” This is the Good News of Christ – God’s Son -- coming into the world. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” When the resurrected Lord appeared to his disciples he said “Peace be with you, Shalom” (Luke 24:36). St. Paul begins some of his letters by writing, “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Gal.1:3). In our church liturgy we say “The Peace of the Lord be with you.” The word “peace” or “shalom” is a beautiful greeting. Christians pray for and work for world peace. Some Christian churches are very active in working for various kinds of peace: social, political, economical, ecological, mental, physical, etc. Peace comes from love, and love grows when there is peace, and peace grows when there is love. We want peace in the world, in our neighborhoods, in our family, in our happy hearts, and in our healthy bodies.

And so it is the striving of all people to have peace, especially peace for themselves.

People come to church looking for peace. There are people whose lives are a mess. People may first come to the church for some reason other than searching for God. Maybe they need money or food or friends, or maybe just a moment of quietness and peace. People of the church are kind and so try to show the love of Jesus to help them, and perhaps they will see the true love of God and become a believer. Then people pray to God to help them, to heal them, and to solve their problems. Believers pray for other people, for health and salvation and eternal peace.

And then when we read today’s Gospel lesson, the words of Jesus come as a shock, even a disappointment. Jesus said, “Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. ….. I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! …… For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. …..”
That is not the song of the Christmas Angels. Didn’t Jesus come to bring peace? Is it not peace that the world needs so badly? But the fact is that Jesus did not bring peace immediately. He caused turmoil in people’s hearts as they had to think about God, their sin, and their salvation through Jesus Christ. What Jesus said was a prophecy also. Since the time of Jesus, families have been divided because of belief in Jesus. In Japan today, if someone in the family wants to become a Christian and wants to be baptized, there will be a lot of pressure from the family. It might be hard to find a good job. It might be hard to find a good person to marry. A person might not be able to be buried in the family graveyard. A person might be cut off from the family. A Japanese friend of mine just the other day told me that that is what happened to him. He has been ostracized by his family. It takes courage to be a Christian in Japan. Is it worthwhile to suffer because of your faith, or is it easier just to forget about being a Christian? But when we die, what about going to heaven or hell? In the Year 1547, the Gospel was first preached in Japan by Francis Xavier. In the next 100 years, thousands of Japanese Christians were tortured and killed because of their faith. They could have recanted, but they thought it better to die than to deny Jesus.

SECOND LESSON: Hebrews 12:1–3 [Old Testament examples of faith]

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

In the Letter to the Hebrews, today’s passage is addressed to people who were suffering because of their faith. We are given hope through the examples of the many Old Testament saints who suffered many things rather than give up hope and faith in God. They are called a “great cloud of witnesses” who surround us to give us perseverance. We could add to that the countless saints and martyrs of the Church. Many of them suffered, some died for their faith, for our common faith. The supreme example of course is Jesus. Hebrews 12:2, “Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.”

The real struggle for peace is not against terrorists or governments nor family members or co-workers, nor the economy or our health. The real enemy is sin: the sin of others and our own sin, too. Here is where the real battle is. This is the enemy that brings war and strife and sadness to the whole world.

Jesus said, “I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished!” This particular baptism of Jesus was not like that peaceful, joyful baptism that many little children have received this summer in our church. Our baptisms wash away our sin, and even though we might use only a little water, we drown and die to sin and the devil and then arise with Christ. The baptism which Jesus speaks of today was his crucifixion death and resurrection. It was a drowning and a resurrection.

Jesus said, “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!” In the Bible, the fire of God is the fire of judgment. It is a fire that destroys evil and burns away sin. It is a purifying fire. It destroys the wicked, but for us who believe in Jesus, it destroys our sin, but the water of baptism protects us from the fire and wrath and judgment of God. Jesus brought fire on the earth, because it was here on the earth, on the cross, that Jesus fought the devil with the devils own weapons, fire and death. And now it is the water of baptism that forgives sin and so puts out the fire of hell.

Fire and water, fire and baptism, God’s wrath and God’s love, justice and mercy, judgment and pity, Law and Gospel, death and life, hell and heaven, condemnation and forgiveness, death and resurrection, war and peace, worry and tranquility.

The Letter to the Hebrews talks about the “cloud of witnesses” in order to give us perseverance in our struggles to find peace. We are not alone. Other believers are witnesses to God’s love and grace. They are with us in our struggles against sin, the devil, and all the frustrations of life. And there is the witness of Jesus. He shows us his resurrection, so that we know our faith is sure. And this is the peace that we have even in the midst of our turmoil.

Amen.

The Peace of the Lord be with you.

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church

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