Beginnings and Endings
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8)
This assigned text from the book of Revelation signals the conclusion of the church year: Christ the King Sunday. It bears witness that God in Christ is the Author and Redeemer of all things: the Alpha (the first letter of the Greek alphabet, symbolizing “beginnings”) and the Omega (the last letter of the Greek alphabet, symbolizing “endings”). This is to say, every “tick” and every “tock” of time and history has its source and being in God. And nothing, not even the “dead ends” of death or decay in our lives, are beyond the redeeming reach of God’s restorative power.
One of Martin Luther’s famous sayings is that: “Next to Holy Scripture, music deserves the highest praise” (TR 4441, 7034, 968). And so I’d like to draw upon God’s great gift of music, come this Christ the King Sunday, to serve as an instrument in sounding God’s Word of saving grace for you…moving up and down life’s scale.
I’ll begin the sermon with a true story about an old cowboy named Bill, whom I met back in 1980, while riding on an Am Trak train that took me from St. Paul, MN, to the northwest corner of Montana. Something happened in our conversation that triggered some thoughts, now some 40 years later, that I’d like for you to mull over between now and this weekend at worship.
Here’s the heart of it…The musical scale, on which is built every melody ever hummed or sung or written or played, is a simple mathematical structure of 8 steps (sing them with me): DO-RE-MI-FA-SOL-LA-TI-DO. The first and the eighth step sound the same don’t they? DO-DO. The beginning and the end are alike. Right? We can hear that likeness and continuity between start and finish. And in relation to God the same is true (cf. Revelation 1:8).
The Bible itself reflects this reassuring message at its start and at its finish. Think about it…From the very first page to the last, God is at work in a way that’s wonderfully consistent: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). This is the first verse of the Bible. Near the finish, almost at the end of the book of Revelation, St. John the seer says: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more…for the home of God is among us…mourning and crying and [death] will be no more, for the first things have passed away” (Revelation 21:1-4).
In the same way, the Bible speaks of Jesus as the “pioneer and perfecter” of our faith; the King James Version says “author and finisher” (Hebrews 12:2), the first and the last – the One who begins and the One who completes our trek, our pilgrimage that comes from and returns to God (Psalm 121). And so, in the beginning: “the heavens and the earth.” And in the end: “a new heaven and a new earth.” DO-DO. Let this sound a wonderful homing, tonic chord for your soul this day – in this Season of Thanksgiving – joining into one grand scale, from heaven to earth come down, all the Re-s, the Mi-s, and the Fa Sol La Ti-s!
I greatly look forward to sharing the STORY with you this coming, Christ the King Sunday.
j. r. christopherson
Senior Pastor
Love in the Ruins
A Reflection on Mark 13:1-13 by Pastor Katherine Olson
“When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs…The one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Mark 13:7-8, 13b)
A few days ago, actor Liam Hemsworth publicly shared this picture of his home in California, which was devastated by one of the recent wildfires. In the pile of ashes and rubble, a sign that once adorned his wall could still be read: “Love.” In a posting that accompanied the photo, Hemsworth went on to praise the firefighters, emergency workers, and volunteers who came together to help in the community’s time of crisis.
This photo reminded me that devastating things do happen in our world, but God’s love remains forever. God’s love for us cannot be defeated in any war, or be extinguished by any fire. For thousands of years, Christians have found comfort in Jesus’ words in Mark 13 as they have faced times of instability. It’s a comfort to hear of our Lord speak of such realities that plague our world and remind us that these things will not be the end of us. Instead, they are “birth pangs.” (v. 8) Out of such painful turmoil, God will deliver us into new life.
It is hard to understand why these realities exist in our world, but one clue comes to us in verse 10: “The good news must first be proclaimed to all nations.” God is working in this age (marked in part by sin and suffering) to bring people of every nation to repentance and faith through Jesus Christ.
As God continues to work in the midst of this uncertain age, we commit to remaining faithful, not being led astray (v. 5-6). We meet times of anxiety and uncertainty with confidence and courage, knowing that God’s Holy Spirit has been given to lead and guide us (v. 11). We commit ourselves to preaching the gospel and engaging in acts of service for the sake of our neighbor. We remember that God’s love comes to us even in the ashes, as it has come to us most especially in the cross of Christ.
See you in church,
Pastor Katherine
Forgotten Ways
“Forgotten Ways” (John 8:32)
On Halloween, October 31, in the year 1517, a Roman Catholic monk named Martin Luther nailed a list of 95 propositions and questions to the castle church doors in Wittenberg, Germany. In his time, the church doors served as a kind of community bulletin board (as Facebook and Instagram were not quite on the scene in the 16th century). The reason for this posting was that Luther, a then 33-year-old professor of Biblical Studies, wanted his posted statements to inspire conversation about the church’s faith and life and work. He wanted the church to talk about FORGOTTEN WAYS.
Martin Luther knew the church is people, and we know it too—people who are called by Christ’s Spirit to gather around God’s holy Word and Sacrament. Yes, to live in union with Christ who is the true head of the Church. But…the ways that union touches us and affects us can so easily become FORGOTTEN WAYS. Remembrance is needed because we are forgetful.
Is that why our Lord commanded in the Last Supper, “Do this in remembrance of me” so that when we eat and drink in Holy Communion we remember Jesus Christ? Is that why St. Paul said that it’s important to “remember the poor” (Galatians 2) so the church of his day—like the church of our day—would hold fast to the needs of the neighbor through ministry and missions? And is it why St. Paul also said to his young brother-in-Christ, Timothy: “I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you” (II Timothy 1:6) because Timothy, too, tended to forget God’s plan for his life and the power by which that plan could be carried out? We act on the basis of what we remember. In remembrance, faith springs into action.
On the other hand, faith falters when we forget. Moses challenged Israel with the word, “Take heed lest you forget the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 8:11). And the Psalmist admonishes parents: “Father and mothers…teach your children, that the next generation might know…and not forget the works of God” (Psalm 78:8).
And so I look forward, together with your other family members and friends of First Lutheran Church, as we gather around God’s holy Word and Sacrament come this festive Reformation Sunday—with brass and choirs and hymns of thanksgiving God…in “remembering the Sabbath day to keep it holy.”
God’s grace and peace to you this day, and always…
John Christopherson
Senior Pastor