 |
| The Uncle Sam diamond was discovered in Arkansas. |
"a little while" times seven
JOHN 16:16-23. A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father. 17 Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the Father? 18 They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? we cannot tell what he saith. 19 Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me? 20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. 21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. 22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. 23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
The amount of bold blue in this week's Luther sermon should alert people to the richness of Luther's explanations of this passage. Some may find the bolding an irritation, as if the blogger did not get enough Magic Markers when he was young. However, very Luther sermon has so much needed content: it is only fair that the gold or diamonds must be searched out and emphasized. People know there are diamonds in Arkansas, so they bring their tools and start looking. Several large examples have been found recently, after a heavy rain.
Like Paul, Luther suffered from enormous bouts of Anfectungen, bouts of complete despair and anguish, the world bearing down on their shoulders. People also get very anxious, depressed, and filled with sorrow for many reasons. Anticipatory grief is very painful although it is not immediately noticed.
Luther's sermon deals with all of this, because he felt this as much as the Apostle Paul did. We are all participants, one way or another. Many are feeling the dread from the shrinking of the visible Christian Church. Someone offered this opinion - "The foundation of the Faith has been undermined so long that we have reached the point of total collapse." Other indications include the failure of state and Congressional leaders mindlessly fanning the flames of an upcoming conflagration.
Panic comes from the Greek god Pan, whose job was to throw the enemy forces into ... panic. 2024 will be the Year of Panic.
"A little while" is stated seven times in John 16, and the phase is only one little word - mikron. That is the root of micro, microscope, micro-manage, etc. All children should learn to answer "mikron."
Mom - "Is your homework done?" Answer - "Mikron."
Dad - "Are you ready for the annual dinner?" Answer - "Mikron."
Child - "Am a getting an increase in my allowance?" Answer - "Mikron."
Given the stupidity and evil of so many players at work in destroying our cities, states, and country, we should expect the worst and find joy in every possible worthwhile way. I make it a point to disrupt the "everyone is doing it" mantra coming from the crowds.
I had trouble getting my cash back at WaltonMart. More and more people were involved, and I kept adding up the total of people rushing around. "Six people to get my cash?" When a young woman finally came up with the cash, I said, "Those Waltons cannot let go of the money." That is blasphemy, to even name the family name at Walmart. She burst into laughter and said, "Yes, they won't let go. You should see the old equipment back there."
Likewise, I give service people extra extra tips. They get relatively little and appreciate the thanks involved in the work they do, and I tell them - "I appreciate what you do." We can do that in many ways, because the Gospel multiplies the Gospel while the Law is very limited.
