“The Party ‘s Over!”
It can mean, “Wow, it’s 2:00am and I've got to go to work in six hours!” It can mean, “There’s nothing left to eat or drink. Time to go!” Or it can mean, “It’s all over, the Fat Lady has sung, the curtain has gone down, and Mighty Casey has struck out!”
It ‘s this third sense of “The Party is Over!” that coincides with the context of Amos 9:11-15, namely God’s judgment of the temple in the prophet’s fifth and final vision. Hear the word of the LORD from Amos 9:1, “I saw the LORD standing beside the altar and he said, ‘Strike the capitals until the thresholds shake.’” Make no mistake about it, the party is over!
And yet, after God’s judgment in our text from Amos 9 God states, “In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old.” What God is directing Amos to proclaim to the people is that judgment will give way to mercy. Death will give way to resurrection. God’s promise is that he will raise up the falling tabernacle of David!
This blessed Easter morning we celebrate that he has done just that! You see, there is nothing dead about Jesus. John’s gospel is full of verses tying Jesus to life. In John 1:4 he writes “In him was life, and that life was the light of men.” John 6:35 quotes Jesus saying “I am the Bread of Life.” Later in that chapter we find Peter saying “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Chapter 10 again quotes Jesus saying “I have come that they may have life.” And then in chapter 11 “I am the Resurrection and the Life.” And yet again in chapter 14 “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.” Even outside of the gospels we find Paul capping things off as he throws a triumphant fist up in the air while he proclaims to the people of Corinth, “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
Friday night we remembered Christ’s being hung to die on the cross. For those who were there, watching as their teacher, son, and friend suffered and died, things surely seemed bleak. Things seemed hopeless. It seemed as though the party was over. But as testified to by our gathering here this morning, we know that far from being over, this party has just begun. And without a doubt, the very same Jesus of Nazareth who was put to death on Good Friday is the life of this party. He’s not some fable or fairy tale that we’ve made up inside our head. He’s God and Son, he’s risen from the dead!
But every party brings a certain set of questions. The first question is, who is invited?
John Carlson is a Lutheran pastor in Minnesota. A few years ago he noticed that in his town on the night of the Senior Prom only the preppy, powerful, and popular kids went to the party. So he came up with the idea of holding a celebration for kids who couldn’t get a date because they weren’t a part of the in-crowd and felt like they didn’t belong. This prom was for them. Now Timex gives out watches to the kids who attend, other companies have joined in, and now it's more popular than the real prom! Carlson calls it the Reject Prom.
Been rejected lately? Told you don’t belong? Feeling second rate? Do you know about partner rejection? Peer rejection? Parental rejection? Parishioner rejection? Do you know about deep running personal-rejection? All are invited.
Amos stresses this when he speaks of including “the remnant of Edom.” For the people of Israel, this would have been shocking! The people of Edom were some of Israel’s most ancient and hated enemies. Inviting Edom to the party would be like the Cardinals or White Sox inviting the Cubs to join them in celebrating a World Series victory. Nevertheless, the Lord promises that a remnant of Edom, along with peoples of all nations will be made a part of the restored kingdom and invited to the eternal celebration.
The next question, what about my appearance? Answer, come as you are. But, you say, “My face bears the marks of worry. My shoulders are stooped from burdens. My lips are dirty from slander. My heart is hardened toward my spouse and children. My fingers are stuck accusing my brother. My arteries are clogged with bitterness and resentment.”
A hen-pecked husband was advised by a psychiatrist to assert himself. “You don’t have to let your wife bully you,” he was told. “Go home and show her you’re the boss.” The husband decided to take the doctor’s advice. He went home, slammed the door, shook his fist in his wife’s face, and growled, “From now on you’re taking orders from me. I want my supper right now, and when you get it on the table, go upstairs, and lay out my clothes. I’m going out with the boys tonight, and you’re going to stay at home where you belong. Another thing, you know who’s going to tie my bow tie?” “I certainly do,” said his wife calmly. “The undertaker.”
Our sin shows up most in marriages and in families when we foolishly attempt to manipulate, bully, and control each other.
So you’re thinking, “What do you mean? Come as you are? I'm a spiritual mess!” So am I. So were Jesus’ disciples. So was Israel. Israel of Amos’ day was clothed with this same disgrace of sin. Most of Amos’ ministry, and really most of the ministry of the rest of God’s prophets, was one of judgment. Of calling for the people to repent for their sinful ways, and announcing God’s punishment on them for failing to do so. No doubt about it, Amos was preaching to a sinful, disgraceful group of people. But in spite of their sin, he is still called to proclaim that “God will restore the fortunes of his people.” His people who had rejected Him and His Word time and again. His people who would see their nation taken away from them and be taken into captivity. It was to His sinful children that he promised restoration and eternal prosperity.
What we have lost in sin, God restores in resurrection. This is what allows you to come as you are! In the parable of the prodigal son, the Father eagerly and lovingly welcomes his son home by proclaiming, “Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet let's have a feast and celebrate!” The Father, our Father provides the proper attire for prodigals and sinners. He provides us with Easter baptismal robes washed white in the blood of the Lamb. Come just as you are. By His love those who are dirty and stained are made clean and spotless.
The third question is, what about party gifts? How often are you invited to a gathering or dinner and ask the host, “What can I bring?” In every church I’ve ever been to, potlucks have been something of a way of life. It’s no secret that Lutherans love a good meal. And I have yet to attend a potluck that wasn’t bursting at the seams with tasty treats. Everyone brings something. Usually, you can count on many people providing their same signature dish. It’s a fun, delicious time in which everyone provides something for the feast. But when it comes to this feast, when we ask what it is that we can provide, God’s response is “nothing.” For this celebration we can bring nothing. He provides it all.
Luke 14:17 says, “At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited,’ Come, for everything is now ready.’” Amos speaks of a coming day when the harvest would be so plentiful that there would be no break in the cycle of plowing-seeding-and harvesting. He says that the mountains will drip sweet wine, pointing to how the blessings of the Messiah’s kingdom will be overflowing. Truly, as we celebrate the empty tomb, as we gather together to eat our Lord’s supper we celebrate that abundance is ours!
We bring nothing but ourselves because our great God puts everything on the table. These gifts which he so richly pours out on us His people were purchased at the cost of spitting, mocking, whipping, nailing, bleeding, sweating, and dying. And now the resurrected and victorious Jesus lives to give the gifts on this table. And what awesome gifts! What a magnificent feast! True body and true blood through which we receive washing, cleansing, healing, and the gift of eternal life!
It’s common to say at the end of a party something like, “All good things must come to an end.”
Not today! Not this party! This is a feast which will never end. Amos says it this way, “I will plant them on their land, and they shall never again be uprooted out of the land that I have given them.” God promises that his people will live securely. Though we may face fierce opposition and challenges, we shall not be moved. The prophet Isaiah writes of those who are called into a relationship with the Savior, “they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.
Christ our Lord was dead, but now he lives! And he is sitting at the right hand of His Father in His eternal kingdom. A kingdom which has no end. A kingdom into which he calls and welcomes all of His children, so that we may join Him in eternal glory.
The feast is ready! Come to the feast, just as you are. Come and be made clean. Come and be robed in the righteousness of God! Come and be glad. Greatest and least, come to the feast! Amen.
-Pastor L
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Thursday, April 1, 2010
The Taste Test (Amos 8:11-14)
In Atlanta resides the World of Coke. As you’d imagine, it’s essentially a propaganda museum for all things Coke. Still, there are worse ways to avoid the suffocating heat of an Atlanta summer than learning about the history of one of America’s iconic brands. Especially because near the exit they have a room where you can taste-test dozens of the different products Coke sells around the world. Some are wonderful. Some…not so much. One drink for your taste-testing pleasure is called “Beverly,” and is reportedly sold in Italy. During your time at there, you hear this beverage mentioned specifically more than once. So of course, you’re intrigued. You take your little plastic cup, press the dispenser, and get ready to sip. And then…. Well, according to one reviewer with a particular gift for description, “it's as if you'd crushed a thousand Imodium AD caplets, made them into a paste, and painted your tongue with it. The bitterness seeps into parts of your throat where taste buds should not exist, but somehow do. The museum staff falls all over themselves laughing at you, and then they get a mop.” Yet as awful as that drink is, and I can assure you, it is truly awful…I’m still grateful that I wasn’t party to the taste test conducted by one gourmet cook.
It happened at an elegant reception near Denver. The hostess had just graduated from a gourmet cooking course and decided it was time to put her skills to the ultimate test. She prepared plenty of fancy-looking hors d’oeurves for her guests. Delicate little crackers served with wedges of imported cheese, bacon chips, olives, and pimento. And to top them off, a small dollop of dog food . Yep. She was serving up hors d’oeurves a la Alpo. After doctoring up those foul, miserable morsels, she put them on a couple of silver trays and sent them out to make the rounds. With a sly grin she watched them all disappear into the hands and into the mouths of her unsuspecting party guests. She noticed that one man in particular just couldn’t get enough. When the truth was finally revealed, the hostess was probably lucky to escape without him barking and biting her on the leg as punishment for her deception! More likely though, was that he and the other guests found themselves famished and longing for real food. Food that is sweet and good.
Amos also knows about people hungering for real food and finding none. Back in chapter 4, he had preached the coming of famine and drought in the land. A time when the natural world would be under destruction, and the people would struggle to find food. But now in chapter 8, Amos again speaks of a coming famine. But this time it will not be a famine of the land. It will not be a drought in terms of lacking rain or good soil. Instead, it is going to be a famine of the Word of God. The Word of God which they have rejected time and time again is going to be removed from them entirely. This was their punishment for filling the temple with idols. For turning away from God and toward the gods of the nations around them. For ignoring God’s commands to provide for the poor and widowed, and instead oppressing and mocking them. For treating God’s holy days and holy places as excuses to get drunk and stuff themselves on the fattened calves.
As punishment for their sinful and unrepentant ways, for their steady diet of foreign gods and their own pride, God’s Word would be taken away from them. And as their plight gets worse…as they suffer more and more at the hands of their enemies…as they reach their moment of deepest need, they will finally seek out the Almighty God and find that he has no word for them. Amos says that they shall wander from sea to see, running to and fro in a frantic and desperate search...but they will find nothing. For their sin, they will face hunger and thirst for the refreshing and nourishing Word of God, but will find no satisfaction.
Why do you and I experience a famine of God’s word? Why are there times when God seems to be distant and silent? Just like Amos’ audience, it is because of our diet. For breakfast, half a grapefruit, whole wheat toast with no butter, skim milk, coffee black. For lunch, four ounces of lean broiled skinless chicken breast, steamed broccoli, green tea, and one Oreo cookie. For a mid-afternoon snack…the rest of the package of Oreo cookies, washed down with a large mint-chocolate chip milkshake. For dinner, an order of cheesy bread, a large sausage, pepperoni, and extra cheese pizza, a bottomless glass of soda, and for desert, double-chocolate fudge cheesecake!
Oh, we try, don’t we? We try to stay on a spiritual diet of God’s word that brings vigor and health and strength and power. We try to stick to those things that are good for us. That help build us up in our faith. Morning prayer and devotion. Daily time set-aside to spend in Scripture. But then we slip. One Oreo cookie. One crumb of coveting. One piece of pornography. One juicy piece of gossip. One choice profanity…and then the rest of the package of Oreos. We just can’t get enough. And it’s killing us!
The enemy thrusts this junk food before us on silver trays and with a sly grin watches it all disappear. Filled to the brim with his miserable morsels our desire to regularly study God’s word becomes a chore. The plans to start every morning in private devotion quickly go by the wayside. The encouragement to memorize, learn, and defend God’s Word becomes a burden. Our eagerness to trust, believe, love, and live out His Word becomes a bore. Our passion for daily prayer fades to the point that we can barely mutter a quick word of thanks before eating a meal at home. We increasingly lose interest in the things connected to our faith until the point that it can risk being neglected entirely. Just like the lima beans your mom spooned onto your plate when you were a kid.
And the result is a famine in the hearing of God’s Word.
So God decided to serve up one more Word. One more nourishing word of hope and comfort for all people. He would offer to the world THE Word. His Son, Jesus. As a Man his appetite is defined in Hebrews 2:9, “But we see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.”
Talk about a taste test! This was it for all time! Jesus tasted the evil curse and punishment called death. The soldiers mocked and taunted him with their cheap wine. Sweat and blood ran side by side down Jesus’ cheeks. But there was more. The most dreadful, awful, bitter cup He had to drink was the cup of the Father’s wrath. The cup of wrath that was filled with the bitter punishment for each and every single sin that you and I and everyone else who has ever lived has committed. And he drank in every…last…drop. He just couldn’t get enough. And it killed him.
Yet Jesus didn’t simply taste the bitterness of death. He chewed it up. He swallowed it down. And He spit it back out! In 1 Corinthians 15 St. Paul quotes from the prophet Isaiah when he writes “Death has been swallowed up in victory!”
Through the sacrificial, saving work of Christ on the cross, death has been swallowed up! This means that our famine and hunger has ended. The feast is here! It was Luther who pounded the table at Marburg and spoke from Latin, “hoc est corpum meam.” That is he quoted Jesus’ statement at the Last Supper, “This is my body.”
The forgiveness and love and mercy and salvation that was accomplished at Calvary is now present in the bread and wine by the power of the word. By Jesus own words we are called to gather together and receive His real body and real blood at this table as we partake of His Holy Supper. Here at His table he offers us the saving, nourishing food of His grace, mercy, and forgiveness. Here in the bread and wine, we join with him in a foretaste of the feast that will never end.
The famine is ended. The feast is here! Come. Taste and see. The Lord is good.
-Pastor L
It happened at an elegant reception near Denver. The hostess had just graduated from a gourmet cooking course and decided it was time to put her skills to the ultimate test. She prepared plenty of fancy-looking hors d’oeurves for her guests. Delicate little crackers served with wedges of imported cheese, bacon chips, olives, and pimento. And to top them off, a small dollop of dog food . Yep. She was serving up hors d’oeurves a la Alpo. After doctoring up those foul, miserable morsels, she put them on a couple of silver trays and sent them out to make the rounds. With a sly grin she watched them all disappear into the hands and into the mouths of her unsuspecting party guests. She noticed that one man in particular just couldn’t get enough. When the truth was finally revealed, the hostess was probably lucky to escape without him barking and biting her on the leg as punishment for her deception! More likely though, was that he and the other guests found themselves famished and longing for real food. Food that is sweet and good.
Amos also knows about people hungering for real food and finding none. Back in chapter 4, he had preached the coming of famine and drought in the land. A time when the natural world would be under destruction, and the people would struggle to find food. But now in chapter 8, Amos again speaks of a coming famine. But this time it will not be a famine of the land. It will not be a drought in terms of lacking rain or good soil. Instead, it is going to be a famine of the Word of God. The Word of God which they have rejected time and time again is going to be removed from them entirely. This was their punishment for filling the temple with idols. For turning away from God and toward the gods of the nations around them. For ignoring God’s commands to provide for the poor and widowed, and instead oppressing and mocking them. For treating God’s holy days and holy places as excuses to get drunk and stuff themselves on the fattened calves.
As punishment for their sinful and unrepentant ways, for their steady diet of foreign gods and their own pride, God’s Word would be taken away from them. And as their plight gets worse…as they suffer more and more at the hands of their enemies…as they reach their moment of deepest need, they will finally seek out the Almighty God and find that he has no word for them. Amos says that they shall wander from sea to see, running to and fro in a frantic and desperate search...but they will find nothing. For their sin, they will face hunger and thirst for the refreshing and nourishing Word of God, but will find no satisfaction.
Why do you and I experience a famine of God’s word? Why are there times when God seems to be distant and silent? Just like Amos’ audience, it is because of our diet. For breakfast, half a grapefruit, whole wheat toast with no butter, skim milk, coffee black. For lunch, four ounces of lean broiled skinless chicken breast, steamed broccoli, green tea, and one Oreo cookie. For a mid-afternoon snack…the rest of the package of Oreo cookies, washed down with a large mint-chocolate chip milkshake. For dinner, an order of cheesy bread, a large sausage, pepperoni, and extra cheese pizza, a bottomless glass of soda, and for desert, double-chocolate fudge cheesecake!
Oh, we try, don’t we? We try to stay on a spiritual diet of God’s word that brings vigor and health and strength and power. We try to stick to those things that are good for us. That help build us up in our faith. Morning prayer and devotion. Daily time set-aside to spend in Scripture. But then we slip. One Oreo cookie. One crumb of coveting. One piece of pornography. One juicy piece of gossip. One choice profanity…and then the rest of the package of Oreos. We just can’t get enough. And it’s killing us!
The enemy thrusts this junk food before us on silver trays and with a sly grin watches it all disappear. Filled to the brim with his miserable morsels our desire to regularly study God’s word becomes a chore. The plans to start every morning in private devotion quickly go by the wayside. The encouragement to memorize, learn, and defend God’s Word becomes a burden. Our eagerness to trust, believe, love, and live out His Word becomes a bore. Our passion for daily prayer fades to the point that we can barely mutter a quick word of thanks before eating a meal at home. We increasingly lose interest in the things connected to our faith until the point that it can risk being neglected entirely. Just like the lima beans your mom spooned onto your plate when you were a kid.
And the result is a famine in the hearing of God’s Word.
So God decided to serve up one more Word. One more nourishing word of hope and comfort for all people. He would offer to the world THE Word. His Son, Jesus. As a Man his appetite is defined in Hebrews 2:9, “But we see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.”
Talk about a taste test! This was it for all time! Jesus tasted the evil curse and punishment called death. The soldiers mocked and taunted him with their cheap wine. Sweat and blood ran side by side down Jesus’ cheeks. But there was more. The most dreadful, awful, bitter cup He had to drink was the cup of the Father’s wrath. The cup of wrath that was filled with the bitter punishment for each and every single sin that you and I and everyone else who has ever lived has committed. And he drank in every…last…drop. He just couldn’t get enough. And it killed him.
Yet Jesus didn’t simply taste the bitterness of death. He chewed it up. He swallowed it down. And He spit it back out! In 1 Corinthians 15 St. Paul quotes from the prophet Isaiah when he writes “Death has been swallowed up in victory!”
Through the sacrificial, saving work of Christ on the cross, death has been swallowed up! This means that our famine and hunger has ended. The feast is here! It was Luther who pounded the table at Marburg and spoke from Latin, “hoc est corpum meam.” That is he quoted Jesus’ statement at the Last Supper, “This is my body.”
The forgiveness and love and mercy and salvation that was accomplished at Calvary is now present in the bread and wine by the power of the word. By Jesus own words we are called to gather together and receive His real body and real blood at this table as we partake of His Holy Supper. Here at His table he offers us the saving, nourishing food of His grace, mercy, and forgiveness. Here in the bread and wine, we join with him in a foretaste of the feast that will never end.
The famine is ended. The feast is here! Come. Taste and see. The Lord is good.
-Pastor L
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