John 16:5-15; James 1:16-21; Isaiah 12:1-6
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
In one of the Gospel accounts a young man addressed Jesus as “Good teacher” desiring to ask Him a question. Jesus answered the young man, however, by asking him a question, “Why do you call me good?” It’s a good question if you stop and think about it. Obviously, the young man had some reason for believing that Jesus was good, but what was it? Was Jesus good because He met the young man’s expectations of a good teacher? Or was Jesus good because of some other standard or metric? Let us not forget that there were many others, men of authority and good reputation, who did not believe that Jesus was good, but rather that he was a liar and had a demon.
What sorts of things, ideas, and people are good? How do you know? You have an opinion, and you know very well that everyone else has an opinion too. It wasn’t all that long ago that most people believed that good and evil really exist and that there really are good and evil things, ideas, and people. However, that kind of thinking began to fall out of fashion in the 1960s and it has evolved and progressed such that today there are few people who believe in objective truth at all.
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. What standard or metric are you using to evaluate my goodness? James has an answer for us in his epistle: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” If the thing, idea, or person comes from God, then you know it is good. If not, well, then who’s to say?
We work and save for and spend and buy lots of things we believe to be good: Food, clothing, a house, a car, an education, a vacation, an 85” TV, mobile phone plans, streaming subscriptions, and more. What is our standard or metric for considering these things good? Are they good because WE think them to be good, or do they come from God and thus are good? Let’s be honest, we often get it wrong. Satan convinced our First Parents to believe that something God had forbidden and that would kill them was “good for food,” “a delight to the eyes,” and “to be desired to make one wise.” None of Jesus’ family, friends, or disciples believed His death on the cross to be good, and still we struggle with the thought and image, and yet it was God’s will, and it won the salvation of us all. Truly there are many things that men consider good that are evil, and there are many things that men consider evil that are good.
Is abortion good or evil? Look, don’t get upset, I do not intend to be political. How do you think God would answer that question? Is divorce good? Is homosexuality good? Is lying good? You get the idea. There are plenty of people who will call those things good without hesitation. But being in a heterosexual marriage, having children, going to church, and raising your children to trust God and His Word are considered by many of the same to be not good, but to be bad, or even evil. And what are you attracted to as good? Are those things good because you think them to be good, or are they good because they are from God? Are sports, camping, yardwork, or just sleeping in on Sunday morning good?
Well, we hoped to “pack the church” today. Did we do it? I suppose that’s a matter of opinion as well. What is the sign of a good and healthy congregation anyway? Is it numbers and attendance? Well, that’s definitely a standard and metric that men often use to evaluate what is good. But is that what God considers good? Does not God consider faithfulness more important than numbers? Does Jesus not teach that His people, His Church will suffer in this world and will be mocked and ridiculed by those think His Word to be foolishness and His followers to be fools? Do you see what I’m getting at? If we judge the goodness and success of the Gospel and Christ’s Church by popular human standards and metrics, then the Church looks like a failure, even bad or evil. Of course, by the same popular human standards and metrics Jesus Himself looks like a failure, even bad or evil. The problem isn’t the Gospel or the Church, and it certainly isn’t Jesus Her Lord and Savior; the problem is sinful, fallen, humankind and our sinful, fallen, perverse and backward ideas of what is good. Let us repent and “return to the LORD our God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and He relents over disaster.”
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” I hope that is why you are here today. And I hope that you will come back to receive ongoing and continual good things from God in the weeks, months, and years to come. This church is but one of thousands across this nation, and of hundreds of thousands across the globe, where God serves you with His good and perfect gifts through Word and Sacrament – gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation in Jesus Christ. St. John Lutheran Church a particular place where a particular people gather at a particular time where God provides you the truly good things that come from above that will sustain you in your lives here in this world until He returns.
The pandemic that has afflicted us the past two years was uniquely challenging in numerous ways. Most uniquely was that it prohibited us from gathering here to receive God’s good gifts for a time. We were blessed in that our doors were only closed for about eight weeks and that throughout that time we were able to utilize video technology and still provide Word and Sacrament to individuals and families in small group settings. Still, the pandemic caused members to stay away out of concern for health and safety. As we began to realize what the “new normal” might look like, more and more began returning to church, but then we seemed to reach a plateau reflecting a forty percent drop from pre-pandemic attendance. Many of those that did not return were families with young children. And, members having other health concerns and some of our most vulnerable seniors. We began to reach out to many who had not returned and among the many reasons we encountered, one reason in particular was named repeatedly: “We just fell out of the habit.”
Now, it might seem somehow crass to think of attending worship as a habit, but I encourage you to think a bit differently. Habits are good things. We are creatures of habit by nature. One might even count our tendency to habitual behavior amongst God’s First Article Gifts. Only think about all the good that habits provide for us: Our morning and evening routines. Our mealtimes and giving thanks to God for our blessings. Our habits concerning mundane things like doing the laundry and mowing the yard, taking out the trash, and going to school. One might think of habits like a safety net when chaos threatens our lives and security. Habits are like autopilot on a jet airplane; when the pilot collapses in a crisis of health, thanks be to God that there’s the autopilot to keep us in the air. Now, of course, we don’t want our worship life to be merely a habit, but we want it to be engaged and intentional, but we shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss the value of good habits.
Behavioral psychologist James Clear, author of the New York Times bestseller “Atomic Habits,” writes that it takes on average sixty-six days to form a new habit. Unfortunately, it takes considerably less time to fall out of a good habit. Forming a good habit can be hard work, and falling out of a good habit can be discouraging. Most of us have experienced this in the form of failed New Year’s resolutions. Here we can learn something from the Scriptures. We all know what that sin is disobeying God’s commandments. The Hebrew word for sin is actually a term used in archery meaning “to miss the mark.” The goal in archery is to hit a target. Before you can hit a target, however, you have to have a target; you have to have a mark. You have to aim at something in order to have a chance of hitting it. Forming new habits is like that. If you don’t set a target for yourself, then there is no possible way that you will hit it. Also, do not set the target too high or too far, but make the target reachable and attainable. When you aim and hit the target you will be encouraged, and you will be prepared to take aim at a higher and farther target and hit it next. If you have fallen out of the habit of coming to church, don’t beat yourself up over it. We’re glad that you are here today. You set a reasonable target and you hit it. Moreover, God loves you and forgives you and wants to shower you with His good gifts no matter what.
Next Thursday is the Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus. Forty days after His resurrection on Easter Sunday, Jesus ascended in His resurrected and glorified flesh and blood body to the right hand of His Father so that He now fills all things. That is why and how Jesus is with you here in this particular place and time with His good and perfect gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation. Yes, Jesus is everywhere at all times – this is most certainly true – but He is only present with His gifts in those particular places He promises to be: Wherever two or three are gathered in His Name to receive His Word and Sacraments. That is precisely what the Apostles and disciples did following Pentecost. Acts 2:42 states that they met together in houses on Sunday for four specific things: The teaching of the Apostles (the Holy Scriptures), the fellowship of believers (the Church), the breaking of the bread (the Lord’s Supper), and the prayers (the Liturgy). Two thousand years later that is precisely what we continue to do right here at this particular place and time.
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” The LORD wants to give you His gifts. You need His gifts. And we need each other even as we are gifts to each other. Let today be the beginning of a new good habit. Let God and His gifts in Jesus Christ be your goal and target, and the Holy Spirit will make your aim true.
In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.
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