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Atlantis ‹the domain of the Stingray›
Do every act of your life as if it were your last.
‹Marcus Aurelius›
Atlantis: the domain of the Stingray
3Aug
2003
Sun
19:50
author: Stingray
category: Sermons
comments: 0
trackbacks: 0

Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

Mark 6:7-13

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

"Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave as a testimony against them."

Dear fellow redeemed by Christ, with those words Jesus set about sending the apostles out for ministry. He sent His twelve out to teach the masses about Him, to bring them the Good News that the Christ, the promised Messiah, had come and was among them. He sent them out to teach the people a doctrine of grace; that God is saving them, not from Roman tyranny or pharisaic oppression, but from the attacks of the devil and their sinful flesh. So He sent these men with authority; authority to exorcise evil spirits and heal diseases in His name. He sent out these twelve men, themselves sinners.

We tend to idolize the apostles, don't we? St. Peter is often called the greatest of the apostles, mainly because of his confession of Christ, but also because of his stature as the first bishop of Rome, which leads many to claim he was the first pope. St. James the elder is idolized because of the marvelous letter he wrote, especially in regard to faithful deeds, and because he was the bishop of Jerusalem. St. John, the youngest of them is idolized because of His gospel account, perhaps the most beautifully written account of Jesus' ministry, and because he is labeled "The Disciple Whom He (Jesus) Loved."

No doubt these were great men. They are indeed to be respected and admired as Church Fathers, men, inspired by the Holy Spirit to give substance to the faith in Christ given to every believer at Baptism. In fact, it is right to celebrate their lives of Christian service and dedication, as there are days on the liturgical calendar set aside as feast days to all of the apostles (and then some other dearly departed saints, as well).

Nevertheless, while they are men deeply respected for their contributions to the Church, they are not without faults, either. St. Peter, the dearly beloved bishop of Rome, is the same man who forbade Jesus to go to the cross (the same doctrine he was sent to preach in today's Gospel). He even denied knowing who Jesus was when He got to the cross. St. James was a brash man, and a man who, at times, spoke before he thought (he wasn't called a Son of Thunder for no reason). He was among the disciples who rebuked the people for bringing their children to Jesus to have Him touch them. He and his brother, St. John, requested—through their mother—to sit at Jesus' right and left in His Kingdom.

These are the men Jesus sent out to a lost and broken world. Jesus sent sinners to proclaim good news to sinners. They trusted their Lord—believed in Him—and went as they were sent. Many believed. Demons were driven out. Sick people were healed. Sins were forgiven. All of this was done in the name of Jesus who, through His spirit, empowered these 12 men to accomplish these great things.

And these ordinary men, who, by another token, are not ordinary, accomplished many other great things in the name of their Lord. They continued to preach the good news and Baptize many into the faith. They continued to drive out demons. They continued to heal people. They even condemned a few people in their unrepentant sin. And they also forgave many sins in the stead and by the command of Jesus Christ. They continued to minister to a lost and broken world, to a people loved by Jesus. And men were added to their number, the number of the ministry (the ministerium). Men like Paul, Barnabas, Timothy, and Titus. Lesser known men like Apollos, Andronicus, Junias, and Urbanus. Flip through the book of Acts or the end of St. Paul's letters to read about some of these men.

And this is a work that God our Father through His Spirit continues to this day: Through the apostles and early Church Fathers and Elders; Through the reformers such as Martin Luther, Martin Chemnitz, and Phil Melanchthon; Through the early American Lutherans such as CFW Walther, Otto Walther, and Martin Stephan; To today with Melbourne Helling, Randy Sturzenbecher, and Geoffrey Wagner. Up to Christ's second coming, God will continue to work through His Holy Spirit to call men to the Holy Ministry, the office He set apart through which He works to bring men to salvation and forgiveness by the preaching of the Word and the administration of the Sacraments.

We're not special by any measurement. We're ordinary men, just like the apostles. We have our foibles and follies. We're not perfect. We're sinners, just like the apostles were. Still, God has placed in our hearts the desire to shepherd His people. He hasn't endowed us with special powers or otherwise treated us differently than anybody else. However, He has given us the joyful task of looking out for His dear children.

So, we're told to preach the good news to all nations...those within the fold and those outside of it; Matthew 28:19 speaks of this. This passage also requests of us to instruct the believers in the doctrines of the Church. We're told to proclaim forgiveness to the repentant and to withhold forgiveness from the unrepentant; see John 20:23. We're told to administer the Sacraments—to Baptize and feed the people on the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ; again, look at Matthew 28 and 1 Corinthians 10 and 11. The Holy Ministry is of Word and Sacrament. It is what the apostles were instructed to do; it is what I was instructed to do. At my ordination, and again at my installation, I promised I would do so. Here again, today, I promise I will do so again.

Through Bethesda and First English congregations, God has elected me to be your Pastor. Just as the apostles were charged with preaching the good news of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection, I have been called here to preach to you God's Law and Gospel. I have been sent here to tell this bunch of sinners (and let's be real, we're all sinners) that Christ has died for you; and this I will do privately in my office and corporately in the worship setting. Just as the apostles were to break bread among the believers, I have been called here to administer the Sacraments, Baptizing new Christians in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and feeding that faith on the precious Body and Blood of our Lord, which that faith craves daily! And, just as the apostles were instructed to retain the sins of the unrepentant, I have been given authority to withhold forgiveness until such a time as the person repents of the sin and can receive Holy Absolution. I have been called to proclaim a message in Word and Sacrament that is for all people, lay and ordained: Christ died to save mankind, shed His blood in their place to cleanse them of their sins.

Therefore, I ask for your patience. This I humbly ask of all of you, not just for my first several years "fresh out of boot" as it may be, but for as long as I live. I will not be perfect; I cannot be. But I will earnestly try, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, to fulfill my duties as your rightly called and ordained servant of the Word. There will be times when I offend you. There will be times when you will hate me for what I have to do. There will be times when you love me for what I have done. Through it all, I promise to stand by all of you, love you as an under-shepherd should, and pray for you continually.

I ask that you also pray for me. As often as you see me sin against you, a brother, or God, point it out to me, bring me to repentance, and forgive me. In times when I falter, uphold me and pray for me. In times of prosperity, rejoice with me. Thank God for me, as I thank Him for you. I trust that you will...as Pastor Helling has testified.

"Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave as a testimony against them." This place has certainly welcomed us. May God bless me with a fruitful ministry, that I may be a blessing to the people of Marion and Parker.

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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