LWML Sunday “Jesus Christ as Lord”
October 16th, 2022 – 2 Corinthians 4:5
5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.12 So death is at work in us, but life in you.
Grace, mercy, and peace, be to you from God our Father and our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Proclaim Ourselves
Our Saviour and St. Mark Lutheran Churches – what a congregation! We’ve had massive mission efforts planting and supporting mission congregations all around us in NWO. We’ve hosted Youth Retreats for years sometimes with nearly 100 youth! We’ve hosted massive VBS’s and very successful Christian Sports Camps. Our Kids’ Church was bursting at the seams with children and our Youth Group with its Praise Band was booming! We have a massive old school that we renovated together, an elegant, cozy, well-kept country church just off the highway so many people pass and draws many tourists here for the summer. We have a serving committee that runs a quilting group and contributes to the local community. We’ve sent Pastors and our church workers on local mission efforts and international ones. We’ve been able to take on and help form 2 new pastors as our vicars in recent history! We run a well-known tea and bazar, are known all around Dryden for our exceptional Funeral Luncheons. Not to mention all the numerous other programs and events we have hosted over the years OR the great community service we run in having fantastic rental spaces for dirt cheap. Our pastors and church workers have been fantastic! We have such a great reputation around town! Our new pastor is so young and his wife has such a nice voice. And our LWML group has done really great things locally and internationally over the years. The kinds of things they do unnoticed by many truly are shocking.
We are just doing so great! We’re so great! Aren’t you proud to be a part of our church? If you aren’t already, don’t you want to come and be a part of our church?
It is true, we have many things to be proud of! Many of things that ought to draw people into our pews. At a certain point, all our accomplishments, all our blessings, can seem like the most important thing about our church. Afterall, they are impressive!
But, the true glory, the most important thing we need to be careful we do not overlook in the pride over all the rest, is that man named Jesus. Jesus who we proclaim as Lord with ourselves as servants for His sake. We serve Jesus. All the events in the world, all the Ladies’ Mission project accomplishments, all the youth gathered to play games, all the children bursting down the doors, means nothing if it to proclaim ourselves – and not to proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and us as servants.
You see, this church has existed long before any of us were alive. Jesus’ church existed long before our existence as Our Saviour and St. Mark (or even before St. Paul’s Waldhof or Trinity Dinorwic). Jesus’ church has existed long before us and will exist long after we are gone. Why? We are not the treasure of the church, Jesus is. What we do and accomplish is not the treasure of the church, what Jesus did is. The Good news of Jesus for us – the Word of His Works and the Sacraments which deliver it to you and me in the here and now – that is the treasure.
St. Paul writes “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” Although we are not the treasure, God has gifted Himself to us. His Gospel, His Spirit it is in us. Although we are not the treasure, we are treasured to God. We as His church are His treasured possession, His bride, His body – who He has gifted with His message summarized in the Apostle’s Creed!
All these efforts, events, missions, programs, would be, and will be, useless unless they are rooted in the eternal message of Jesus Christ which will not fade out or die. The people, the missionaries, the elders, the pastors who do the work are simply vessels God uses, instruments He plays, to proclaim this peace and love of Christ that DOES last. We are all soldiers in God’s beloved army. Not one of us is that important to what God is doing. Yet, He treasures us each so highly that He sent His perfect son to pay for our sin and bring us to eternal life with Him forever in the garden of paradise.
Before He saved us, we were in darkness. Before God came to us and rescued us through His Word and Sacraments we sat in darkness. But God said “Let light shine out of the darkness.” He put His Gospel light in our hearts using broken vessels like you and me and those who came before us. That light He put in us shines and it tells others that Jesus is the glory of God. Jesus is God’s plan for our debt of sin’s payment. Knowing Him, knowing His peace, His love, His forgiveness, it is in us and it shines. EVERYTHING we do NEEDS to be reflecting this light.
Sin Dirties The Mirror
Our hearts are like mirrors. Mirrors that reflect Christ’ love. God shines in us and we naturally just reflect His glory. When we sin, when we turn from God, when we turn from His forgiveness and neglect the Sabbath Day, it’s like we smudge and dirty the mirror. Christ’s light doesn’t reflect from us as strongly and clearly to those around us. By the way, neglecting the Sabbath Day means not coming to Church as he commands us. It is the 3rd Commandment of God in the Holy 10 Commandment. One of the 6 Chief parts of Christianity is the 10 Commandments. When we neglect preaching and God’s Word, when we fail to gather, we are Sinning against God. So much so, He promises we receive an eternity in Hell for it. God cannot be lied to. He knows. His forgiveness in Christ is just as strong and you are forgiven for neglecting His Word. Out of thanks for that great gift, come to church! Be given the forgiveness you need at His Word and Command. Have your mirror wiped and cleaned and God’s light shine in your heart so you reflect it to those around you.
Come to Bible Study so you can learn about who God is! Learn so His light can shine in you and strengthen you! Put your selfish pride aside and recognize you are not the Lord in your life – Jesus is! You cannot rescue yourself from sin and death, only He can! You are useless to the church when you are stuck in your sin and not reflecting His light because you hide from it in pride.
But thankfully, it is not us vessels that are important. We are useless to the church and that is the point. Christ is the only good we have. The only hope we have is what He provides. The only good work we can do is what God had done in saving us from our own sin.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus is our only good. That’s why we are gathered today. We do not worship ourselves, our accomplishemnts, our accoldades. When you hear the great work of the LWML today recognize that it is only good work because it is work done in humility to reflect Christ to people who sit in darkness. The work of the LWML is work done by humble sinners, who are forgiven sinners, loved, and deeply cherish by Christ. The work we are truly so proud of is the work of Jesus on the cross for each and every one of us. Let us reflect that work and love as we live in Christ’s love and forgiveness.
In Jesus Name,
-Amen.