Palos Lutheran Church

God the Father sent his Son into the world knowing that the world would reject the Son. The  cornerstone of the Church would be the One the religious experts rejected.

We assume people get what they deserve. We assume what goes around comes  around. We assume God helps those who helps themselves. And all those  assumptions must be crushed. Got does not operate on the principle of  merit but of grace. Like gravity, grace is a constant force at work in  how God deals with us and how he wants us to deal with others. No one is  beyond the reach of God's grace. God never turns it off. When the  weight of our sin makes us fearful of God's condemnation, he reveals his  grace yet again.

Where is God? This is one of human beings' most frequently-asked and incorrectly-answered questions. We are  tempted to believe that evidence of God's presence is found in outward circumstances. We equate good fortune  with God's favor and bad fortune with his judgment. So, as long as nothing terrible is happening, God must not be  too angry with us, right? We are free to go on sinning. Such foolish assumptions must be crushed. Therefore, God  must constantly remind us where he intends to be found—in the gospel. He makes himself present in Word and  sacraments. Because he is always present, we realize the urgent need to turn away from the sin he despises. Because  his presence is graciously hidden, we are drawn to him for forgiveness rather than driven away from him in fear

Last week we talked about temptation. This week we see what is at the  center of every temptation: a promise of a shortcut to glory. Even in a  world as sharply divided as ours, there is near universal agreement that  the preferred path to glory is the shortest and easiest. To walk the  path our Savior puts us on, one on which the cross comes before the  crown, puts us out of step with the world. Thankfully, the determination  required to walk this path starts with our Savior and not with us.  Because of his determination, we are offered a glory far superior to  anything the world can offer.

Witness to Christ - Mary

It was a custom known as "battle by champion." Two opposing armies would  each send out their best warrior to fight each other. That is what we  see this week. The demons send their champion: Satan. Humanity's best  warrior, Jesus Christ, steps forward to meet him. In this fight he does  not use his divine power. He uses the same weapon we have, God's Word.  Because Christ fought the battle against Satan as one of us, he won that  battle for all of us. Jesus is our perfect substitute. Even as the  devil still seethes in rage against us, we can face him and his  temptations unafraid, confident that our champion has already won the  victory.

This Lent, our life in Christ will be strengthened as we hear the  witness of those who were present as part of Jesus' journey to the  cross. Along the way, we'll meet villains, such as Barabbas, and Pontius  Pilate; sinners, such as Peter, Mary Magdalene, and Judas Iscariot; as  well as others. We begin our Lenten journey with our attention focused on John the  Baptist.

Throughout Epiphany, we have seen that God must uncover for us the  truths that could not be discovered by us. As this season ends, we are  presented with a twist. For God's glory to be revealed, it actually must  be covered. God's glory needed to be hidden in Christ. It is hidden in  the gospel. This is how God enables sinful human beings to see his glory  and, rather than turning away in fear, stare at it in wonder for as  long as they want. The truth God uncovers for us today: when his glory  is hidden, it is most on display.

Last week we saw that the governing principles of Christ's kingdom  initially seem upside down. This week we see that truth in how Christ  would have us react to those who wrong us or oppose us. Jesus asks us to  befriend our enemies, to love those who hate us, and to repay evil with  good. Logic would say that is a recipe for being walked all over. Yet,  have we not seen this tactic work? When we were Christ's enemies, he  loved us to the point of death. He repays our daily evil with the daily  goodness of his mercy. In doing so, he has won us for himself. Following  the strategy Jesus lays out today is not a capitulation to evil. It is a  means of conquering it.

When someone is new to something, there is a period of orientation. For example, when someone takes up a new  game or sport, they need to first learn the rules. Likewise, when someone is a new disciple of Jesus, a period of  orientation follows. It's necessary, because by nature we assume that Jesus' kingdom works the same way the world  works. The truth that is uncovered this week is that the principles on which Jesus' kingdom runs are the exact  opposite of the principles of the world. That which the world considers to be a blessing can often be a curse. And  that which the world calls bad, God always uses for the good of those he loves