Grace and Peace Episode 5

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Grace and Peace Episode 5

Presbyterian Church of Easton

September 29, 2020

View the video.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:2

Heidelberg Catechism

Q9.  But doesn’t God do us an injustice by requiring in his law what we are unable to do?

A.  No, God created human beings with the ability to keep the law.  They, however, provoked by the devil, in willful disobedience, robbed themselves and all their descendants of these gifts. 

Q10.  Does God permit such disobedience and rebellion to go unpunished?

A.  Certainly not.  God is terribly angry with the sin we are born with as well as the sins we personally commit. As a just judge, God will punish them both now and in eternity, having declared:“Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the things written in the book of the law.”

Q11.  But isn’t God also merciful?

A. God is certainly merciful, but also just.  God’s justice demands that sin, committed against his supreme majesty, be punished with the supreme penalty— eternal punishment of body and soul

So far we have seen that as a result of our earliest ancestors, Adam and Eve, we are predisposed to sin.   We often miss the mark that God sets for us.   And as a result, we are miserable.  This leads us to an important question.   Why would God hold us accountable to obey a law we cannot obey?  This just does not seem right.  In fact, it seems to be unjust. 

The catechism answers this by saying that Adam and Eve were able to obey the law.   But, they freely chose to violate the law.   And as a result of what they did, we are lawbreakers and miserable.   

This leads us to another question.   If we break the law because of our ancestors then why are we punished?  And the catechism answers:  You broke the law.   God is just.   Therefore you will be punished.

This is certainly a downer.   We will be punished for doing things we are compelled to do,  It doesn’t seem right, but God’s justice demands it.   So our only hope is to throw ourselves upon the mercy of God.  The good news is that God is merciful.  The bad news is that God is also just and will punish lawbreakers.   

Into this seemingly hopeless situation, we are comforted by knowing that we “belong— body and soul, in life and in death—to our faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.  He has fully paid for all our sins with his precious blood and has set us free from the tyranny of the devil.  He also watches over us in such a way that not a hair can fall from our heads without the will of our Father in heaven;  in fact, all things must work together for our salvation.  Because we belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures us of eternal life and makes us wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.

Heavenly Father, We confess that we continue to be disobedient in many ways.   And we deserve punishment.   So we ask for mercy.  We ask for a savior.   We ask for someone to redeem us from sin and pay for our punishment.  And so we ask for Jesus.  Amen.

Sermon Philippians 1:21-30 “Heaven on Earth”

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Presbyterian Church of Easton 
Sermon Philippians 1:21-30 “Heaven on Earth”
September 20, 2020

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I am beginning today a sermon series drawn from the Book of Philippians.   This book consists of a letter the Apostle Paul wrote to a church he founded around 10 years before.   Paul was writing from prison where he may be executed, but he is thinking about this church and longs to be with them.   The church at Philippi must have been a wonderful church.   We will look at the letter they received from Paul, but first, let’s pray.

“Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke arrived on European soil for the first time around the year 50 AD.   They went to the city of Philippi.  Philippi had been resettled by the Romans as a colony.  It sat on a major east-west trading route, at the base of a mountain pass leading to Asia.   Most of the inhabitants were Roman citizens. Others had come there for international trade.   It was a relatively new city so many of the people there were starting over with new lives.   

On the first Sabbath after their arrival, Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke searched for a synagogue for a time of worship and prayer.   Finding no synagogue in the city, they went down to the river to pray.  There they met a group of women who were also praying.   So they got to know each other.   The group of women was led by a merchant of purple cloth named Lydia.     

My guess is that these women were supporting each other.   It was unusual for a woman to own her own business.  And it had to be very difficult for a woman to walk an independent path.  But that seems to be what these women were trying to do.  They had come to Philippi to start new, independent lives for themselves.  They needed each other for support while trying to navigate in a man’s world.

We know that these women began meeting in Lydia’s house to listen to Paul talk about Jesus Christ.   They were attracted to a gospel of God’s grace and love.   And so a church was formed that loved God and loved one another.

We know of one woman in this church.  She had been a slave but was now independent.   An evil spirit had enslaved her spiritually.   And some men had enslaved her economically.    The evil spirit allowed her to do fortune tellings.  And the men profited from this.   Paul had compassion for her and asked Jesus to cast out the evil spirit.   And when this happened the men got rid of her because she could no longer tell fortunes.  This woman, freed from slavery and now independent, joined the church at Philippi.  

Lest you think that only women joined this church, we do know of one male member.  He was a prison guard.   One evening while guarding Paul and Silas an earthquake destroyed the prison.  The guard was filled with fear and was most receptive when Paul told him about Jesus Christ and invited him to church.  Presumably, he was one of the first men to attend the church in Lydia’s house.

So the church at Philippi was made up of people who were making a fresh start in life and needed each other.   If someone lost a job they were there to help.   If someone had problems with health or relationship or finances they would support and pray for each other.  They were a church that loved God and loved one another. 

Ten years after starting this church Paul was again in prison this time in Rome.   He wrote a letter to the church.   Here is what he said.

Philippians 1:1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,

To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:

2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

It is clear that Paul loved this church very much.  He loved the way they cared for each other.  He loved the way they loved God. 

But Paul was in Rome under a death sentence and could be executed at any time.  Life was cheap in Rome.  People could die at any time at the whim of a powerful person.   People were eaten alive by lions for public entertainment and sport.  Paul could lose his life at any moment.

But Paul had reconciled to all that.  He was ready to die because he knew that the moment he died he would be in heaven with his Lord Jesus Christ. 

As Paul prepared for his death and glorious life in heaven with Christ he began to think about the church in Philippi.  He remembered how much they loved God and loved each other.  He remembered how they cared for each other and how they prayed for each other.  He remembered how generous they were. And he realized that being with the church in Philippi, with Jesus in their midst, is not as good as being with Jesus in heaven, but it was pretty close. .  And so he picked up a pen and wrote them a letter.

21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.

So Paul was weighing two options.  Which one was better than the other.   One option was that he could die and be with Jesus in heaven.   What a glorious thought!  The other option was that he could continue to minister to the church at Philippi.  There was no question in Paul’s mind which option was better.   Being with Christ in heaven was the best option of all.   But being with the saints of Philippi wasn’t bad because Christ was with them and in their love for each other their church was heaven on earth.

So, what should we do to make the Presbyterian Church of Easton heaven on earth?   Let's go back to Paul.

27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel

 

For our church to be heaven on earth we must get past our differences and in unity worship our Lord and care for one another.  Our focus must be not on what divides us, but on Jesus Christ who is the source of our unity.

Divisions within the church usually come about through fear.  We fear losing something we have.  And we are willing to fight to keep it.   But listen to what Paul says about our fear.

28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.  And Christians suffer in silence.

So we overcome our fear of losing something by realizing that Christ gave up everything on the cross and Paul has given up everything to proclaim the gospel.   They gave up everything because the reward of heaven is greater than anything you may fear to lose.   And with fear gone so too are divisions.

Many come to church for an hour or so in respite from their troubles.   They come to worship expecting to be filled with hope that one day they will leave all their problems behind and go to heaven to be with Jesus.  This is a most comforting thought.   And I can assure you that if you believe in Jesus you will live with him forever.

The Apostle Paul was comforted by this as he sat in his cell.   But he realized that something else was being offered.  He realized that he didn’t have to die to go to heaven to see Jesus.  All he had to do was find a loving church with Jesus in its midst.   And he remembered Philippi.

Paul knew that when Christians die we all go to heaven.   There we live with Jesus until the day of resurrection.   This is a glorious thought and the source of our Christian hope.  But wouldn’t it be almost as good if heaven came to earth right now, and we could enjoy it while we live.   And this is possible.   Any church that exalts Christ, loves God, and loves one another is a heavenly outpost on earth.   The kingdom of God is brought down to us as we worship.   Heaven is here now.

 Jesus taught us to pray,  “Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.”   Are we serious about this?  Do we really want the church to be like heaven?   

If the church was the same as heaven we wouldn’t have to wait until we die to get there.  If we want to go to heaven all we would have to do is go to church.   And if the Presbyterian Church of Easton was like heaven we couldn’t handle the crowds who would want to be here.  

So how would we do it?  How would we make this church just like heaven?  We would do that by exalting, lifting up Jesus.  Jesus Christ would be the most important thing in our lives.   Worshiping Jesus would be the most important thing that we do.   And we would obediently do what Jesus tells us to do.  We would love God and we would love one another.   And this love would be deep like a mother’s love for her child.   Our love for one another would cause us to care for each other.   We would pray for each other’s joys and concerns.  We would help those who have financial difficulties.  We would visit shut-ins and comfort with the bereaved.   We would pray for the sick.  Anyone’s concern would be all of our concerns.   We would truly love each other.  And then this church would be just like heaven.

So let’s pray that the Holy Spirit will fill us with so much love for one another that this church will be a bit of heaven on earth, and Jesus will be here with us.  Let’s pray.

Heavenly Father, send your Spirit down among us.  Fill our hearts with faith and love.   Teach us how to love God and love each other.   And help this church be heaven on earth.   Amen.

Grace and Peace Episode 4

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Grace and Peace Episode 4
Presbyterian Church of Easton
September 22, 2020 

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Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:2

Heidelberg Catechism

6 Q. Did God create people so wicked and perverse? 

A. No. God created them good and in his own image, that is, in true righteousness and holiness, so that they might truly know God their creator, love him with all their heart, and live with God in eternal happiness, to praise and glorify him.

7 Q. Then where does this corrupt human nature come from? 

A. The fall and disobedience of our first parents, Adam and Eve, in Paradise. This fall has so poisoned our nature that we are all conceived and born in a sinful condition.

8 Q. But are we so corrupt that we are totally unable to do any good and inclined toward all evil? A. Yes, unless we are born again by the Spirit of God. 

Last week we saw that all the misery we experience in our lives is a result of sin.   Sin is coming up short in meeting God’s expectations.   It is something we all do.   And this leads us to an obvious question. Is this what God intended when he created us?  Did God want us to sin and be miserable?   The answer is no.  This not at all what God intended for us.  Let’s look at how things started and how things got so messed up.  

We were created for a life of joy.  We read in Genesis 2:8-9,  “And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. Out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”  God made us and placed us in a beautiful garden where we would love and enjoy God forever.

God created for us a paradise to live in.   We had everything we needed.  We would live forever with God.   But something happened that messed all this up.   God told us how to live to enjoy abundant life.  God explained to us what was good and what was evil.  All we had to do was obey God.   But we were arrogant and wanted to decide good and evil for ourselves.   We ignored God’s instructions for life and began doing whatever we wanted.   This is called sin.   And the consequence of sin is misery.

Is there any hope for us?   Yes, there is hope.    For all who believe in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit will come and will help us to begin the life long process of becoming obedient children of God.  All we have to do is believe in Jesus Christ, be born again, and our transformation will begin.   And we will experience the great comfort and joy of belonging to Jesus Christ as our Creator intended.

Let’s pray.  Heavenly Father, we have sinned in thought, word, and deed.  We ignore your instructions for life and do whatever we want.  And we are miserable.  Please, forgive us and send your Spirit upon us so that we may become your obedient children.  This we pray in the name of our comfort and joy, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Sermon Matthew 18:21-35 “Forgiven and Forgiving”

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Presbyterian Church of Easton
Sermon Matthew 18:21-35 “Forgiven and Forgiving” 
September 13, 2020

Video of Our Worship Service

Forgiveness is the foundation of our faith.  Each Sunday we gather right here to confess our sins and ask God for forgiveness.  And we know that if we do confess our sins and truly repent our faithful God will graciously pardon us.  This gives us great joy. All we have done to fail God’s expectations is wiped away by the blood of Jesus Christ.  And in this joy, we owe God an enormous debt of gratitude.   

God expects us to express this gratitude in a very specific way.  We are to forgive those who have harmed us.  And this is a very difficult thing to do.  So today we will be looking at what it means to forgive someone else just as God has forgiven us.  But before we start all of this will you pray with me?

Lord Jesus Christ, we know that by your sacrifice on the cross we have been forgiven for all of our sins against God.  We thank you for this gift.  And in our gratitude, we ask that you teach us, though the scripture, how to forgive those who have harmed us.  We pray all of this in your strong name.  Amen.

Matthew 18:21 Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.” 

23“For this reason, the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. 24 When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; 25 and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. 26 So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. 31 When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. 32 Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. 35 So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

Have you ever noticed that we can’t change the past?  We have little control over the present. At least our future is filled with hope.  

The past is locked in stone. It is trapped in our memories forever.  Sometimes we want to forget the past but it keeps coming back.  When we least expect it, a memory from the past breaks into our minds reminding us of a past hurt.   This rekindles an anger that never seems to go away.  Our only hope, when this happens, is that God will give us the gift of forgiveness which will wash away our anger and allow us to heal.

One thing to remember about forgiveness is that it is always about forgiving a person for something that person did.  It’s not possible, I believe, to forgive a corporation, a church, a school, a business, or a government.  Since all of these are products of a fallen world they all have the potential to harm us.  And when they do we rightly get angry and demand justice.  

But forgiveness is something we do about people, people who live in families and work for corporations, churches, and schools.  We forgive people because people, like us, were created in the image of God and because people, like us, are sinners in need of forgiveness.  Therefore only people can be forgiven.  And this leads us to the first step of forgiving someone, to realize that the person who hurt us is a person just like us.

All too often we see a person who hurts us, not as a person at all, but as a demon.  We say things like “He is nothing more than an animal” or “She is just a cheat”.    We see people through the lens of our anger and hurt.  But by looking through the lens of forgiveness we understand that the person who hurt us is a person, not a monster.

Another thing to remember is that forgiveness is not the same as reconciliation.  Recognizing that the person who hurt you is a person does not mean that you should marry that person again, or be friends with that person again. Reconciliation or restoration is often impossible to do.  Forgiving means that you recognize that you were hurt by a person who was flawed, a sinner.  And with that realization forgiveness then becomes a possibility.

Whenever we are hurt we have the desire to get even.  Our sense of justice and fairness demands this.  We want vengeance.  We want our enemy to suffer.  But forgiveness means giving up our desire for vengeance.  Forgiveness, therefore, requires that we give up our right to get even.

We have to give up vengeance, but not justice.  Vengeance is the satisfaction we feel when someone who hurts us is hurt.  But justice is when someone pays a fair penalty for what they have done.  Forgiveness requires that we hold justice but drop vengeance.

There is an interesting story in John Irving’s Trying to Save Peggy.  A new freshman in college named Maggie was walking home from the library with her new friend, a senior named Apol.  When they arrived at the dorm Apol kissed a very excited Maggie.  

A week later she got a note from Apol that said that he had syphilis and probably gave it to her.  He told her to go down to the infirmary at once for antibiotics.  

At the infirmary, the nurse listened to Maggie’s story and assured her that she was ok.  She could not get syphilis from kissing Apol.  The nurse also said that Maggie was the fifth freshman girl who had come to the infirmary with the same story that morning.

Maggie decided to get even.  She hung a 25ft banner made from five-bed sheets on the front portico of the school which said in large block letters “Apol Sider Has Syphilis”.  

Apol, with some friends at the airport, hired a biplane to fly a large banner over the next football game which read “Maggie Mousma Has a Filthy Disease.”  

What did Maggie’s and Apol’s desire to get even accomplish?  What does a desire to get even ever accomplish?  Situations just escalate into continuing conflict.  We need to first surrender our right to get even if we ever hope to get around to forgiving.

As we have seen, to forgive someone as God has forgiven us requires us to see that person as a human being, however flawed, and to give up our right to get even.   When we do these two things, something happens to us.  Our feelings begin to change.

Usually, when someone hurts us we experience pain and anger, but our feelings quickly change to hate.  We hate the person who has hurt us.  We can passively hate someone and hope that bad things will happen to them.  We can actively hate someone and plan the misfortune that will befall them ourselves.  Either way, we tend to call on God in Heaven to hurt someone at least as much as they have hurt us.  

But when we receive the gift of forgiveness from God our feelings begin to change.  We begin to desire that good things will happen to the person who hurt us.  Our desire for that person’s goodwill will be weak at first.  It will be mixed with a desire that bad things will happen too.  But if you experience, even a little, the desire that good things will happen for a person who hurt you then you can be assured that God’s gift of forgiveness is coming upon you, and your feelings will change.

The apostle Peter knew the importance of forgiveness from Jesus’ teachings.  But he wondered how long, should a follower of Jesus keep forgiving someone who hurts them over and over again.  Seven times seemed enough for Peter.  After all seven was the number of days in a week.  But Jesus said that there is no limit to forgiveness.  It does not matter how many times you were hurt in the past, God’s gift of forgiveness is sufficient for you to recognize the humanity of the person who hurt you, give up your right of vengeance, and begin to feel benevolently toward that person regardless of how long or how many times you have been hurt.  

Jesus’ parable tells us that we have been forgiven by God.  We are sinners and deserve God’s condemnation.  But God recognizes us as created in his image.  God has no desire to get even with us. And God loves us no matter how long or how many times we have sinned.  As a response to God for giving us we owe a debt of gratitude which can only be paid if we forgive those who have hurt us.  

So if you are angry with someone today, if someone has hurt you, I urge you to forgive that person just as God has forgiven you. Remember that the person who hurt you is a sinner in need of a loving God just as you are.  Remember that God never takes vengeance or tries to get even and neither should you.  And God loves us even though we are sinners.   So we are called to love even those who have hurt us.   The only way we can love the ones who hurt us is if we are first loved by God.  And the promise of scripture is that even though we are sinners and deserve to be condemned, God loves us and forgives us and gives us by his grace the gift of being forgiven and the gift of forgiving others.  Let’s pray.

Father in Heaven we ask for the gift of forgiveness.  Forgive us of all the sins that we have done against you.  Remember that we are your children.  Withhold your ability to punish us.  And love us as if sin had never touched our lives.  Then help us to forgive those who have hurt us.  Allow us to see that they too are your children.  Remove our desire to get even.  And help us to love them as you love us.  We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ who gave his own life that we might be both forgiven and forgiving. Amen.

Grace and Peace Episode 2

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Grace and Peace Episode 2
Presbyterian Church of Easton
September 8, 2020

Grace and Peace 2 Video

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:2

Heidelberg Catechism Question 2.  What must you know to live and die in the joy of this comfort?   A. Three things: first, how great my sin and misery are; second, how I am set free from all my sins and misery; third, how I am to thank God for such deliverance. 

We Christians believe that our only comfort in life and death is that we belong to Jesus Christ.   And belonging to Christ gives us enormous benefits.   Our sins are forgiven.  Christ frees us and protects us from the devil.  We are promised eternal life.   And our hearts are transformed so that we desire to live our lives for Christ.  We believe all of this to be true.  It brings us great joy. 

To experience this joy we must live as people who belong to Christ.   How do we go about living like this?  According to the second question of the Heidelberg Catechism, we know how to live as people who belong to Christ by our rational understanding.  It is through teaching and learning that we come to know that we belong to Christ.   

The resurrected Christ talked about the preaching and teaching ministry of the church this way.  He told us to help people understand what is written in the Bible.  Luke 24:45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 

It is the responsibility of the church to provide this teaching and learning.   Though biblical sermons and Bible studies the church learns to live as people who belong to Christ and experience great joy.   What must the content of that preaching and teaching be to achieve this wonderful joy?   What should the church preach and teach its members?   

There are three things that must be taught.  These are, first,  the sorry, sinful, miserable state we find ourselves in.   Second, what Christ is doing about all of our problems.  And third, the gratitude we own Christ for what he has done for us.  If the church preaches and teaches about these things then it will begin to live as people belonging to Christ and the church will receive great joy.  Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, bless your church with your Spirit so that in our preaching and teaching people will learn and accept the truth that we belong to you.   Help us to experience the great joy of belonging to you.  Amen.

Grace and Peace Episode 1

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard
Grace and Peace Episode 1
Presbyterian Church of Easton
September 1, 2020

Grace and Peace Video Episode 1

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:2

Heidelberg Catechism Question 1.  What is your only comfort in life and in death? 
A. That I am not my own, but belong— body and soul, in life and in death—to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.

The Holy Ghost Church in Heidelberg was divided.   Would they celebrate communion as Protestant Reformer Martin Luther taught?  Or would they do it as the Protestant Reformer Ulrich Zwingli taught?   The division was so great that the President of the College of Wisdom and the Pastor of the Holy Ghost Church got into a fistfight at the communion table before a stunned congregation.  

Hopefully, the Presbyterian Church of Easton does not have problems like this.  But all churches have divisions.  And whenever a church experiences a pastoral transition these divisions must be dealt with.   

The Holy Ghost Church dealt with their divisions by developing a catechism, a series of questions and answers for teaching.   And in the very first question, they tackled their most glaring problem.   Did they belong to Luther or Zwingli?

The answer they came up with was, neither.   They did not belong to Luther.   They did not belong to Zwingli.   They belonged to Christ.   They read in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “... Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.”

Belonging to Christ gave them great comfort.  Their sins were forgiven.   They were protected from danger and the devil.  And belonging to Christ gave them great benefits.   God sent his Holy Spirit to empower them to accomplish His plan for salvation.  With the Holy Spirit, they were assured of eternal life and were motivated to live lives pleasing to Christ.  These comforts and benefits are available to us too if we belong to Christ.   Belonging to Christ is a gracious gift from our loving God.  

Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for the blessing of Christ.   Through his sacrifice on the cross, he bought us, and now we belong to him.    We thank you for forgiving our sins, protecting us from evil, transforming us into a new life, and promising us eternal life.   We are greatly comforted by all of this.    And so we pray in the name of our savior, Jesus Christ.   Amen.