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| Cross and Crown - this was often used in stained glass windows and pulpits. "A Christian does not have to look for the cross. It is already on his back." |
Be sure to read the Daily Luther Sermon Quote today. We are living in a stretch of time where everything good is being rejected and covered with insults and betrayals. That is the broad view. Besides that, there can often be a joyless and comfortless life, when people are inclined to say, "What's the use."
The Gospel for this Sunday is Jubilate, the Little While passage in John's Gospel. The word used by Jesus and His disciples is "a little while" - seven times! (John 16) But it is only one word turned into our English phrase - mikron. There are two o's - the little 0 is o-mikron. The big 0 is o-mega. A side note - Of course Jesus spoke in Koine Greek. So did the disciples. It was their universal language. Doubtless they spoke others as well.
In times of great anguish, the suffering is almost impossible to bear. As Luther emphasized, the disciples were facing a terrible time for them when all their happiness would seem to vanish forever. But that will be for just a little while. They did not understand what they were taught at that moment. What did they do when Jesus was crucified? They were lost, confused, locked up in a room because they were the obvious next step after Jesus' death. The found out how "a little while" could seem like eternity.
Paul knew about such anguish, which is described in 2 Corinthians 12. I am convinced that his condition was profound depression, difficult to detect and far worse than physical pain. His labors and travels were bad enough, but opponents sought to crush him and destroy his work with the Gospel.
Opposing the Gospel of faith in Jesus Christ is Satanic. That will make the up-to-date clergy and council members snicker. They know how strong and united they are. They love and admire ELCA managers but wrinkle their faces if anyone says not. I said once or twice, "Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas," and that scandalized them.
Those on the cusp of demonic hatred have to practice a few things that will enrage, then grow stronger, and finally vanquish the evil spirit of this age.
The first thing is to laugh and love. The sour-puss Gospel haters sound so mean and terrible, so eager to make the faithful slip and fall. Those are little invisible badges the faithful can wear with confidence, because the first level of opposition is anger, hatred, bitterness, hurling insults.
The counter to the screamin' demons is to laugh in their faces or just smile. This is how one person summarized my response to attacks at a meeting, "You just sat there and smiled!" Of course I did - I was winning. Whoever yells in a debate has already lost.
They use silence to scare us. One good way to spot haters is to notice their determined, obnoxious silence. They are not just quiet - they shun with a vengeance. Sincere believers can easily be left out and shunned. One pastor called me up and denied what I had published about Holy Mother WELS. He then said, "Where did you get this?" I said, "From your fellow pastors." The pastor screamed and slammed down the phone (in the good old days of heavy duty phones).
The cub editor of Christian News went bonkers over my support for Justification by Faith, publishing against me and cutting off that supply of boring, tedious Pietism. Oh! Oh! Oh!
Christina was always a cheerleader for telling the truth. She was rattled at first by the venomous email that came in (all gone now) and the evil but anonymous posts on this blog (also gone). She soon realized the reason for the toxic waste being dumped by the LCMS on someone who broadcast from the "spare room of a rented house." That attempted insult was - and still is - good for laughter.
Nothing against Christ and His Kingdom will last.
KJV Matthew 24:35 "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away."
