15th Sunday after Pentecost 0/05/10 Start of meditation on Sain John explanation
15th Sunday after Pentecost
9/05/10
Text: Luke 14:28-30
Title: Building on a strong foundation
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ starting tomorrow and, for the next 7 weeks we, as a community of believers in Jesus’ grace, are going to learn how to meditate. Our guide will be the Gospel of John. The guides are out on the table. Each person should one. They are not designed to be used by a couple. They cost 5 dollars each, but if you don’t have the money take one anyway. There are plenty there and if needed I will order more.
You might be wondering why I asking you to join me in doing this meditation on Saint John. I believe that something big is going to happen here at Saint John. I don’t have a clue what it is, but I know that we need to be in the Word of God more than we are now, for we need to be prepared for whatever it is, ready to roll into action, so to speak when it happens.
Today’s Gospel reading speaks of being prepared. Listen to verses 28-30 of Luke 14, "For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.'"
Now that is true anytime you plan to build something, for if you don’t have a plan, have your financing in order, and start with a good foundation you will end up with a mess. I personally know of instances where that happened. For some the money ran out. For others shoddy material was used and the house was unlivable. For others the starting corner was not laid out square and everyone working on the project had nothing but trouble, having to make adjustments as they went along. The house got finished but it was out of square and will make problems for the owner until the house is torn down.
Starting with the correct foundation is important to building your spiritual life also. With Jesus Christ, as your foundation, you then can build your house of faith properly, so that it will stand up to temptation and the storms of life.
Building a strong house of faith is more than just going through a Catechism class as a youngster. It is more than just reading the Bible. Building a strong house of faith means reading the Word of God, understanding it, and then meditating on it.
That is why we, as a community of believers are going to do a study that will help us to learn Christian mediation. This meditation is not zoning off somewhere, or gazing at your belly button, or chanting some word or phrase. Christian meditation is the humble act of receiving God’s Word into oneself. It is always done in a spirit of repentance acknowledging that one is sinful and worthy of God’s wrath while knowing that one is saved from God’s wrath because of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
The Rev. Dr. Nagel who was one of my professors at the seminary wrote, as introduction to the old Lutheran Worship hymnal, “Our Lord speaks and we listen. His Word bestows what it says. Faith that is born from what is heard acknowledges the gifts received with eager thankfulness and praise; saying back to him what he said to us, we repeat what is most true and sure.”
The key to Christian meditation is not how we meditate, but on what we meditate. The focus of our meditation must be on Jesus Christ otherwise our focus wanders off to who knows where, but more than likely self. Christian meditation starts with Jesus and ends with Jesus and no other.
Christian mediation is based on three very important truths. The first is that Jesus is mysteriously with his disciples; that is you and me, as he promised he would be when he said, “I am with you always, until the end of the age.” That means that when you meditate on Jesus you aren’t playing mind games; you don’t fantasize and imagine unrealities. You are visualizing what you know to be true, for through his Word Jesus is ministering to you just as he ministered to those following his teachings when he was physically present some 2000 years ago.
The second truth is that Christ’s Word has according to John 6:63 life-giving power because it is inspired by the Holy Spirit. This truth is the foundation for the teaching and practice of meditation within the Christian community. Christ’s words are powerful and effective. The Word does what it says it does. The Holy Spirit and God’s Word belong together. Through the practice of meditation on Christ’s words you will see the power of the Spirit in your life.
The third truth is that God the Father has justified you by his grace through your faith in Christ and his Word. You then are to delight in God’s Word which leads to meditating on it. Luther writes concerning this, “The problem is that those who do not delight in the Word of God lack the assurance of salvation and fear and despise his Word because it reveals their guilt and makes them try to justify themselves before God.” He continues, “Since they take no delight in God’s Word they have little or no interest in it.”
He continues, “While those on the other hand are those who are sure of God’s approval and depend only on Christ for their salvation, they delight in God’s Word because it justifies them and brings the blessings of God to them as a free gift.”
Interesting statement don’t you think? Those who think that they somehow have something to do with their salvation don’t delight in the Word of God while those who know without a doubt that it Jesus’ death and resurrection along that saves them delights in the Word of God.
I hope you delight in the Word of God because meditating on the Word of God becomes much easier. In fact meditating on the Word of God becomes something you look forward to, for it does delight you. Meditation on God’s Word becomes an experience of God’s grace rather than just a futile attempt to justify oneself before God.
How then does this meditation work? Here are some suggestions. They are in the forward of the booklet. First find a place and time where you can be as free from distraction as possible. Then pray a prayer like the one found on page 8 so that you can begin to focus on the words of God. Ask him to open up your heart and mind to his Word.
Next read the assigned reading for the day. Read it though slowly. Although the booklet tells you to ask certain questions as you read it I have found that it helps me to read it through once and then read it again underlining interesting words that might need clarifying or that have special meaning to me when I read the passages. You find what works best for you.
Then you actually meditate on the Word of God that you have just read. There is a section that leads you through the meditation. Again just like the first part I read it twice. As I read it the first time I underline key words like “How does this”, “consider”, “ponder”, “think about.” These are all words designed to make you stop and think about the scripture and the question or statement they refer to. I then read it a second time spending time on each question or statement.
Don’t rush through this section. Spend some time here, for if you don’t you will miss the Holy Spirit’s voice which is the heart of the meditation. It is in this section that learn how to meditate, a great habit that you will carry with you, for the rest of your life.
When you are through, some days you will be through sooner than others, you pray about what you just read and meditated on. The prayer is given to you. It is designed so that you can add to it, as the Holy Spirit leads you. You then close by praying the Lord’s prayer.
Here are some other helpful hints and words of advice that you might find helpful. These are things that I have learned as I went through the booklet. Remember that just like worship reading and meditating on God’s Word is not something you do. Dr. John Kleing writes what is just the opposite of what we think worship and reading God’s word is all about. He writes, “We think of our devotions as our duty or work, our achievement and the product of our determination and self-discipline. And that assumption sets uf up for failure and spiritual disillusionment.” In other words worship and the reading of God’s Word is his work and not ours.
Remember that as much as you might hear and even believe God’s Word is not “a “how to” guide, a book of answers or an owner’s manual of sorts. It is not something to be opened only when there is a personal crises. The Word of God is not just something to be analyzed, dissected, parsed, and otherwise put under the microscope of scholarly investigation best understood and explained by experts. “
“God’s Word is to be the means by which God speaks to you and tells you what you need most to hear. God’s Word is life and gives life.” In closing let me warn you. You will be distracted by Satan and your own sinful self. Things will come up to keep you from finishing. Don’t be discouraged. Repent before God and start again, and if necessary again and again.
When you have finished this 42 days of meditation on God’s Word listening to his voice God will have strengthened your home of faith in such a way that you will weather any of life’s storms staying true to God. All glory to God. Amen.
9/05/10
Text: Luke 14:28-30
Title: Building on a strong foundation
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ starting tomorrow and, for the next 7 weeks we, as a community of believers in Jesus’ grace, are going to learn how to meditate. Our guide will be the Gospel of John. The guides are out on the table. Each person should one. They are not designed to be used by a couple. They cost 5 dollars each, but if you don’t have the money take one anyway. There are plenty there and if needed I will order more.
You might be wondering why I asking you to join me in doing this meditation on Saint John. I believe that something big is going to happen here at Saint John. I don’t have a clue what it is, but I know that we need to be in the Word of God more than we are now, for we need to be prepared for whatever it is, ready to roll into action, so to speak when it happens.
Today’s Gospel reading speaks of being prepared. Listen to verses 28-30 of Luke 14, "For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.'"
Now that is true anytime you plan to build something, for if you don’t have a plan, have your financing in order, and start with a good foundation you will end up with a mess. I personally know of instances where that happened. For some the money ran out. For others shoddy material was used and the house was unlivable. For others the starting corner was not laid out square and everyone working on the project had nothing but trouble, having to make adjustments as they went along. The house got finished but it was out of square and will make problems for the owner until the house is torn down.
Starting with the correct foundation is important to building your spiritual life also. With Jesus Christ, as your foundation, you then can build your house of faith properly, so that it will stand up to temptation and the storms of life.
Building a strong house of faith is more than just going through a Catechism class as a youngster. It is more than just reading the Bible. Building a strong house of faith means reading the Word of God, understanding it, and then meditating on it.
That is why we, as a community of believers are going to do a study that will help us to learn Christian mediation. This meditation is not zoning off somewhere, or gazing at your belly button, or chanting some word or phrase. Christian meditation is the humble act of receiving God’s Word into oneself. It is always done in a spirit of repentance acknowledging that one is sinful and worthy of God’s wrath while knowing that one is saved from God’s wrath because of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
The Rev. Dr. Nagel who was one of my professors at the seminary wrote, as introduction to the old Lutheran Worship hymnal, “Our Lord speaks and we listen. His Word bestows what it says. Faith that is born from what is heard acknowledges the gifts received with eager thankfulness and praise; saying back to him what he said to us, we repeat what is most true and sure.”
The key to Christian meditation is not how we meditate, but on what we meditate. The focus of our meditation must be on Jesus Christ otherwise our focus wanders off to who knows where, but more than likely self. Christian meditation starts with Jesus and ends with Jesus and no other.
Christian mediation is based on three very important truths. The first is that Jesus is mysteriously with his disciples; that is you and me, as he promised he would be when he said, “I am with you always, until the end of the age.” That means that when you meditate on Jesus you aren’t playing mind games; you don’t fantasize and imagine unrealities. You are visualizing what you know to be true, for through his Word Jesus is ministering to you just as he ministered to those following his teachings when he was physically present some 2000 years ago.
The second truth is that Christ’s Word has according to John 6:63 life-giving power because it is inspired by the Holy Spirit. This truth is the foundation for the teaching and practice of meditation within the Christian community. Christ’s words are powerful and effective. The Word does what it says it does. The Holy Spirit and God’s Word belong together. Through the practice of meditation on Christ’s words you will see the power of the Spirit in your life.
The third truth is that God the Father has justified you by his grace through your faith in Christ and his Word. You then are to delight in God’s Word which leads to meditating on it. Luther writes concerning this, “The problem is that those who do not delight in the Word of God lack the assurance of salvation and fear and despise his Word because it reveals their guilt and makes them try to justify themselves before God.” He continues, “Since they take no delight in God’s Word they have little or no interest in it.”
He continues, “While those on the other hand are those who are sure of God’s approval and depend only on Christ for their salvation, they delight in God’s Word because it justifies them and brings the blessings of God to them as a free gift.”
Interesting statement don’t you think? Those who think that they somehow have something to do with their salvation don’t delight in the Word of God while those who know without a doubt that it Jesus’ death and resurrection along that saves them delights in the Word of God.
I hope you delight in the Word of God because meditating on the Word of God becomes much easier. In fact meditating on the Word of God becomes something you look forward to, for it does delight you. Meditation on God’s Word becomes an experience of God’s grace rather than just a futile attempt to justify oneself before God.
How then does this meditation work? Here are some suggestions. They are in the forward of the booklet. First find a place and time where you can be as free from distraction as possible. Then pray a prayer like the one found on page 8 so that you can begin to focus on the words of God. Ask him to open up your heart and mind to his Word.
Next read the assigned reading for the day. Read it though slowly. Although the booklet tells you to ask certain questions as you read it I have found that it helps me to read it through once and then read it again underlining interesting words that might need clarifying or that have special meaning to me when I read the passages. You find what works best for you.
Then you actually meditate on the Word of God that you have just read. There is a section that leads you through the meditation. Again just like the first part I read it twice. As I read it the first time I underline key words like “How does this”, “consider”, “ponder”, “think about.” These are all words designed to make you stop and think about the scripture and the question or statement they refer to. I then read it a second time spending time on each question or statement.
Don’t rush through this section. Spend some time here, for if you don’t you will miss the Holy Spirit’s voice which is the heart of the meditation. It is in this section that learn how to meditate, a great habit that you will carry with you, for the rest of your life.
When you are through, some days you will be through sooner than others, you pray about what you just read and meditated on. The prayer is given to you. It is designed so that you can add to it, as the Holy Spirit leads you. You then close by praying the Lord’s prayer.
Here are some other helpful hints and words of advice that you might find helpful. These are things that I have learned as I went through the booklet. Remember that just like worship reading and meditating on God’s Word is not something you do. Dr. John Kleing writes what is just the opposite of what we think worship and reading God’s word is all about. He writes, “We think of our devotions as our duty or work, our achievement and the product of our determination and self-discipline. And that assumption sets uf up for failure and spiritual disillusionment.” In other words worship and the reading of God’s Word is his work and not ours.
Remember that as much as you might hear and even believe God’s Word is not “a “how to” guide, a book of answers or an owner’s manual of sorts. It is not something to be opened only when there is a personal crises. The Word of God is not just something to be analyzed, dissected, parsed, and otherwise put under the microscope of scholarly investigation best understood and explained by experts. “
“God’s Word is to be the means by which God speaks to you and tells you what you need most to hear. God’s Word is life and gives life.” In closing let me warn you. You will be distracted by Satan and your own sinful self. Things will come up to keep you from finishing. Don’t be discouraged. Repent before God and start again, and if necessary again and again.
When you have finished this 42 days of meditation on God’s Word listening to his voice God will have strengthened your home of faith in such a way that you will weather any of life’s storms staying true to God. All glory to God. Amen.
posted by Pastor Rhoads | 11:25 AM
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