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This Month Archive
St. Mark's Lutheran Church

 

 2016

 Sermons



Dez 25 - The Gift

Dez 24 - God's Love Changes Everything

Dez 18 - Lonely?

Dez 18 - Getting Ready

Dez 11 - The Desert Shall Bloom

Dez 4 - A Spirited Shoot

Nov 27 - Comin' Round the Mountain

Nov 20 - Power on parade

Nov 13 - Warnings and Love

Nov 6 - Saints Among Us

Okt 30 - Reformation in Catechesis

Okt 23 - The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

Okt 16 - The Word of God at the Center of Life

Okt 9 - Continuing Thanks

Okt 8 - The Cord of Three

Okt 2 - Tools for God’s Work

Sep 25 - Rich?

Sep 23 - With a Word and a Song

Sep 18 - To Grace How Great a Debtor

Sep 11 - See the Gifts and Use Them Well

Sep 4 - Hear a Hard Word from Jesus

Aug 28 - Who is worthy?

Aug 21 - Just a Cripple?

Aug 14 - Not an Easy life with Christ

Aug 6 - By Faith

Jul 31 - You can't take it with you

Jul 25 - Companions

Jul 24 - Our Father

Jul 18 - Hospitality

Jul 17 - Priorities

Jul 11 - Giving

Jul 10 - Giving and receiving mercy

Jul 3 - Go!

Jun 26 - With urgency!

Jun 19 - Adopted

Jun 12 - A Tale of Two Sinners

Jun 5 - The Laughter of Surprise

Mai 29 - By Whose Authority?

Mai 22 - Why are we here?

Mai 15 - The Spirit Helps Us

Mai 8 - Free or Bound?

Mai 1 - Let All the People Praise You

Apr 24 - A New Thing

Apr 17 - A Great Multitude

Apr 10 - Transformed

Apr 3 - Here and There

Mrz 27 - The Hour

Mrz 26 - Dark yet?

Mrz 25 - The Long Defeat?

Mrz 25 - Appearances

Mrz 24 - Is it I?

Mrz 20 - Bridging the Distance

Mrz 16 - Singing the Catechism: Holy Communion

Mrz 13 - What is important

Mrz 9 - Singing the Catechism: Holy Baptism

Mrz 6 - What did he say?

Mrz 2 - Singing the Catechism: The Lord's Prayer

Feb 28 - Pantocrator

Feb 24 - Singing the Catechism: the Creeds

Feb 21 - What kind of church, promise, and God?

Feb 17 - The Catechism in Song: Ten Commandments

Feb 14 - Available to All

Feb 12 - Home

Feb 10 - The Catechism in Song: Confession and Forgiveness

Feb 7 - Befuddled, and that is OK

Jan 31 - That We May Speak

Jan 24 - The Power of the Word

Jan 17 - Surprised by the Spirit

Jan 10 - Exiles

Jan 3 - The Big Picture: our Christmas—Easter faith



2015 Sermons

The Catechism in Song: Confession and Forgiveness

Read: Psalm 51

 
Ash Wednesday - February 10, 2016

The Rev. Kenneth R. Elkin

 

What made David great?

--His capabilities as a wily guerrilla soldier?

--His diplomatic successes?

--Being in the right place at the right time?

–His many amorous conquests?

 

Others might pick one of those, but the truth is much different.

In today's first lesson we hear the prophet Nathan pronounce judgment on David.

He has just told the parable of the rich man who took by force the only possession of a poor man, a little ewe lamb.

After David interjects that this is unjust and such a man should be punished, Nathan concludes “You, David the King, are the man”!

It was certainly a bold and dangerous thing for Nathan to say in the presence of a king.

Most kings would have said “Off with that prophet's head” but David did not.

David said instead “You're right; I have sinned against God and man.”

There is a portion of David's greatness...to acknowledge the wrong and to listen how God wants the situation to be made better.

 

In our first window on the south side of the nave, we see Adam and Eve being expelled from the Garden because of their evil.

Then in the lower right corner, we see David playing his harp, and we say that he is singing Psalm 51, the one with which we began our worship this day: Create in me a clean heart O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

According to tradition, this is what David sang in response to the situation.

 

With only a very few exceptions, we begin all our Sunday liturgies with Confession and Forgiveness.

Some say this is such a downer and they invent alternatives to confession, or ignore it completely.

On the other hand, I don't see it as a depressing thing, but as a great relief!

We don't have to pretend that everything is OK inside us and around us.

We know that it is not; what a relief to not have to try hide it from God, our companions, or ourselves.

It is a mess, Lord, and both you and I know it.

 

The Hymn of the Day today begins right there: Out of the depths I cry to thee Lord; Lord hear my voice.[295.1]

Luther began his hymn as a paraphrase of Psalm 130.

But it is not a cry of despair, but is made with every confidence that the Lord does hear our prayer.

Laments are one of the major categories among the Psalms, but they are not hopeless whimpers in the darkness.

They may list a catalog of reasons for sadness, and sometimes they are rather specific.

This went wrong; that I messed up; someone else has done a great evil against me.

How shall each of us respond?

--With resignation, saying that this life moves from one evil to the next without end.?

--By urging yourself to “keep a stiff upper lip”?

--By steadfastly denying that there is a problem.

Instead of any of those reactions, Luther prays Send me now the grace my spirit needs.[295.1]

This is far from a cowering voice, isn't it?

I can sing this song, and indeed any other needed one, because of my confidence that the Lord does hear, in fact he knows already, and will do what is needed to change things inside me and around me.

 

In the second stanza, Luther says that even our things done with the best of intentions are flawed.

All our good works are done in vain Without our Lord and Savior... [295.2]

But the Lord is not satisfied to leave things in that state.

He does not say, “You got yourself into that mess so get yourself out of it.”

He is eager to announce forgiveness to anyone who will listen to him.

As a result,

We praise the God who gives us faith And saves us from the grip of death.[295.2]

His promise keeps us strong and sure,

We trust the holy signature Inscribed upon our temples. [295.3]

Yes, that sign of the cross, the one which we first received at Holy Baptism, as well as the one we received this day with the words: Dust you are, dust redeemed by the cross of Christ.

 

This is why we dare to keep coming back to confession again and again, as often as necessary.

As Luther's catechism teaches about the power of Holy Baptism:

 What does such baptizing with water signify?

Luther's answer:

It signifies that the old Adam in us should, by daily contrition and repentance, be drowned and die with all sins and evil lusts, and, again, a new man daily come forth and arise; who shall live before God in righteousness and purity forever.

By daily repentance.

We keep coming back to this source of grace again and again, daily, because we need to do so, with careful thought and reflection.

He sends redemption through his Word; we praise him for his mercy [295.4]

 

So now, what do you think of this day?

Is it a dour depressing time?

Or, is it a realistic, sober day, but in the end a joy-filled occasion because of the forgiveness that makes our confession possible?

Hear again the movement that Luther writes in the hymn:

He begins Out of the depths I cry to You; Lord hear my voice.

And he ends We praise him for his mercy.

And together, these two ideas and moods span the breadth of God's forgiveness that enlivens our confession.

Thanks be to God.  Amen. 

 

Please note: The preceding sermon is provided as a resource for the thought, prayer, and meditation of the members and friends of St. Mark's. It is the residue of a verbal event, and thus it does not have academic footnotes and other details that would be expected in a written document. The writer gladly acknowledges the prior thought and work of many Christians before him.