How Will You Die?

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Jesus said, “And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”

Either way, you are dead. Either you fall on Jesus in broken-hearted, empty-handed, beggarly repentance or you get crushed by the weight of your own engineered pseudo-salvation crashing down against the resistance of your own self-justification. But either way, you are going to be broken when you encounter Jesus.

Jesus told a parable against the unbelief of Israel. A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenant farmers who were supposed to tend it and give a share of the harvest. He sent a servant to collect, and he was beaten and sent away empty-handed. He sent another, and he was mocked and scorned and sent away empty-handed. He sent a third, and they wounded him and cast him out. He sent his son. “His beloved son.” And they took one look at the son and said, “This is the heir. Let us kill him and the inheritance will be ours.” And they threw him out of the vineyard, and they killed him.

Stop here for a moment and consider.

Come, Lord Jesus

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Even if our spirits are willing, our flesh is weak. It is terribly difficult to subdue, and the things we would not do – the things we hate – those we do. It betrays us again and again. Our flesh is the seedbed of lust, gluttony, and avarice. All our deepest sorrows come from our sins.

The years sweep by and retrospect has little to show but a list of crimes, a catalogue of lies you have told, of promises you have forgotten, of slander that has risen up out of your hearts. Is it any wonder that our families are so broken? That our lives are so complicated? That the prisons are so full?

So too do we see in retrospect the signs of God’s wrath and the temporary character of this earth. Terrorists, earthquakes, divorce, and war all serve as warnings of the judgment to come. Nothing on earth is the same today as it was a year ago. If we get one step forward, we still suffer two steps back. All things are in decay, are dying. We are in constant turmoil and change. Death is having its way. Only the Word of God never changes.

Things Are Not As They Seem

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Sometimes things are not as they seem. Every so often, you probably run into a situation where something seems off, seems different than what you see. Maybe it is the look in a person's eye that tells you there is more to the story. Perhaps it is the vague wording of a press release. Something just is not what it seems.

Oftentimes that happens in our spiritual lives as well, both for good and for bad. Today's readings give two examples of this.

The prophet Isaiah records the “Song of the Vinedresser”, where the Lord describes the great care He expended in establishing His vineyard, and the hope He had that it would produce abundant, rich fruit. The Vinedresser took great cares to select the perfect piece of land so that conditions would be just right. He picked rock and tilled the soil. He cleared the weeds and built walls and fences. He even built a watchtower and a winepress. When the land was ready, He planted choice vines and tended them lovingly. He gave them all the care and nutrients they needed. What more could He have done that He failed to do? All that was left was to wait to enjoy the fruits of His labor.

"By What Authority?"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Authority is a topic of great concern to many people. Just the mention of the word conjures up many and various images and concepts in the mind. Authority is important, but is also easily abused and often mis-handled.

On one hand, we want people to speak and act with authority. When a public figure or a researcher makes a statement, it is assumed, generally, that he has the authority to make the statement, and the expertise and data to substantiate it. Based on an authoritative statement from the experts, we make a decision. When the Congress passes legislation or the president gives an order, they do it on the basis of the authority vested in them by the people of the United States of America.

On the other hand, much of the political rhetoric these days centers around who has the authority to do what. Does the president have the constitutional authority to force his policies? Does the Supreme Court have the authority to hand down this or that ruling? Does the federal government have the authority to force its will on the states? A base of authority is what separates irrational, wild guessing from reasoned, informed decisions.

A Voice is Heard

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord. The voice of the angels proclaiming the Savior's birth. The voice of the shepherds telling the whole town of the strange and glad tidings they heard and saw. Voices of joy and mirth. Voices of praise and thanksgiving.

And then the voice of Rachel, crying in Ramah. The voices of the mothers of Bethlehem, weeping and wailing over their slain baby boys. The voices of the subjects of Herod crying out against the violence and bloodshed committed in fear and anger.

"Behold, Your King Is Coming to You"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“Who is this?” That is the question that lit up Jerusalem when our Lord entered there at the start of the Passover week. Who was this man who stirred up the crowds so, simply by riding a donkey into town? Who could cause an impromptu hero's parade and have the people shouting his accolades?

Indeed, who is this king who comes riding on a donkey? This is the question the world would love to have answered. And so many have offered their own answers to the question.