Faith is No Illusion

2 Corinthians 4:18 Paul writes, “…We look not to things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

I really enjoy watching a good magician. I don’t think they call themselves magicians anymore. They’re illusionists. I really enjoy watching a good illusionist. They have the ability to make you see things that aren’t there or to not see things that are there. But when an illusionist is bad, there’s nothing funnier. When an illusion is so poorly executed that it leaves no doubt that it’s all a sham, the show goes out the window and the guy is out of a job. The unseen is so much more powerful than the visible.

Paul is writing about our faith in Jesus. Faith is the belief in the unseen things of God. Faith is not an illusion but it is unseen. Many people in Paul’s day put their trust only in things that they could see, feel and explain. Idols were made by carving stone, wood or shaping metal. They were things that people could see. But stone doesn’t last forever and neither does wood or metal. The seen things are transient. They don’t last. They are a poor illusion gone bad.

“Show me, God!” Many people today look to God as an illusionist and want him to reveal his methods. Show me how it’s done and then I’ll believe. Tell me all your secrets and then, I’ll follow you. And the church, in the grand scheme of things, hasn’t always been so helpful in that. In an effort to please people, God has often been softened and the unseen things have been ignored, downplayed or forgotten. The mystery of God, of Jesus, of the Holy Spirit and the Sacraments is powerful because it is unseen.

The seen things of the church, of our own idols, will not last. They will all fade one day. Churches are buildings made of human hands. Pastors are people whose bodies will not stand the test of time. Hymnals and Bibles will dry up and turn to dust. The things of the world will do the same. Great monuments and statues will crumble. Leaders and celebrities, despite their best efforts, will not live forever. Constitutions, manifestoes, and other official documents of freedom or oppression will one day disappear. They are transient. But those things of God which are unseen are eternal.

Faith is not an illusion, it is unseen. God is not a trick, but a mystery eternal. Our faith, the faith that is a gift from Christ himself, holds to those things which are unseen. Faith, hope, love, these are things unseen. One day, the unseen things will be seen. When Jesus comes back, those things that are eternal will be visible. The communion of saints will be a feast that lasts forever. One day our eyes will see that which cannot be seen. God Himself. What a day that will be!

Heavenly Father, keep me steadfast in faith until the day when the unseen becomes seen, the invisible becomes visible and I see you face to face. In Jesus’ name, amen.

We’re Sure to Get Somewhere

Alice…went on, “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”

            “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the [Cheshire] Cat.

            “I don’t much care where—,” said Alice.

            “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.

            “—so long as I get somewhere,” Alice added as an explanation.

            “Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat, “if you only walk long enough.”

                                                From Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 

                                                                              Hebrews 11:8

Where are we going as a congregation? As God’s people, where we go is in God’s hands and we trust that He will continue to lead and guide as He has throughout human history. But we are a people who like to have control and like to be in charge and like to have all of the details before even agreeing to go on the journey. God never reveals too much of His plan, much to our dismay and frustration. He simply says, “Go!”

Alice pleads with the Cheshire Cat for direction. He offers no specific details or a map. He simply says, “You’ll get somewhere so long as you keep moving.”  Just keep moving.

For Zion Lutheran Church, we will just keep going. But we are not without direction or guidance. In fact, with the Holy Spirit in charge, we are sure to get where we need to go. Through His leading, we developed our mission statement: To Proclaim Christ’s Gospel to All People. With His guidance, we developed our ministry objectives and will use those as our topographic map. We have the lay of the land. We have the landmarks in sight. We will go wherever God leads.

Some landmarks for all of us to keep an eye on… Wednesday night changes, intentional bridges between generations, more bible studies, developments in our worship activities, continuous calls to keep our eyes on Jesus and to let the cross be the focus. Where will we be a year from now? I don’t know. But we’re sure to be somewhere and we won’t be there alone. Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” Matthew 18:20.

From Job to Paul- A Funeral Sermon

Job- The trees are beautiful aren’t they Paul?

Paul- Yes, Job, they are very beautiful.

Job- The thing about trees is that they get cut down or blown down or struck by lightning or burned up by the fire. They’re never the same after that.

Paul- Things like that sure do change the trees. Most people would say that the trees are dead after that.

Job- But that’s not really so because trees sprout up again. Even from a stump a shoot can form and a whole new tree comes up. It takes a while, but it grows again.

Paul- They do grow again. Sometimes it takes the death of one tree to grow a whole new forest. Look at the fires in the forests. They burn up acres of land so that new trees can grow. Amazing how God works in the world, eh Job?

Job- Truly. But it’s different for us people. We die but we don’t sprout new people.

Paul- No, we don’t sprout new people. When we die, we die. It seems like a pretty permanent thing. But we often say that we fall asleep.

Job- But Paul, when we fall asleep, we wake up again. When we die, we can’t hear or see or move, so waking up is nearly impossible. I’m not sure I like saying that we fall asleep.

Paul- Take it easy my friend. There is someone to wake us up. God our Father will wake us up. With the sound like a trumpet and with his great booming voice, the same voice that spoke into creation the entire world will call your name, my name and wake us up.

Job- If He can speak and create mountains then He can sure speak and wake the dead. But what about in the mean time? Life is hard, full of tragedy and pain. And when someone close to us dies, how do we get through it?

Paul- Life is tough and death is real. There’s no way around that and to pretend as if everything is fine when it’s not, isn’t helpful. But here’s the thing, it’s what I told my friends in Thessalonica. Because we’re Christians, we look at the tragedy of life with a different set of eyes. We look at death not with despair, but with hope. But it’s not a hope in something fluffy and white clouds and harps. It’s a hope in the one and only savior, Jesus Christ.

Job- So, what you’re saying is that death sprouts hope like a stump sprouts a new tree? Death sprouts hope. When you say you hope in Jesus, tell me what that means.

Paul- My hope in Jesus is this: I was baptized in Jesus’ name. Since I was baptized in Jesus’ name, I will die like him but I will also rise like him. His death is my death. His resurrection is my resurrection. My hope is in something certain, eternal life with Christ. That’s why death sprouts hope.

Job- The trees are beautiful aren’t they, Paul?

Paul- Yes they are and a beautiful reminder of the hope we have in Jesus.

Hilda was a wife, a widow of 39 years, a mother to her children and a mother to those who needed one. She was servant in church, in Sunday School, in the community, at the Pioneer’s Home. She learned to drive at age 57 and bought her first car. She prayed continually, shared her devotional life with her children and her love for the Holy Scriptures. She was steadfast in her faith in Jesus. All of these things are important to those of us who are left here this afternoon. Hilda made a mark, left her legacy on our lives. Some of you here today can say that you know Jesus because of Hilda. She has run her race and finished well. For that we will ever be grateful to our Father in heaven who gave us time with Hilda.

But today is not a day to praise Hilda for all of her good deeds. Today is a day to look to Jesus, the giver of our faith and Hilda’s faith. Today is a day to remind ourselves that we, like Hilda, are sinful human beings in need of God’s grace and forgiveness. Today is a day where we look to the cross and remember what God the Father in His mercy has done for you, me and Hilda on that tree. That tree is the tree that sprouts hope. Jesus’ death on that tree is the spring of hope and life for all of us. The trees are beautiful aren’t they?