THE GREAT, INCONGRUOUS SURPRISE!<\/strong><\/p>\nLessons:\u00a0 Jeremiah 17:5-10<\/p>\n
I Corinthians 15:12-20<\/p>\n
St. Luke 6:17-26<\/p>\n
17\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>And\u00a0he came down with them and stood on a level place, with\u00a0a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of\u00a0Tyre and Sidon,\u00a018\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases.\u00a0And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured.\u00a019\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>And all the crowd\u00a0sought to touch him, for\u00a0power came out from him and healed them all. 20\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>And\u00a0he lifted up his eyes on his disciples,\u00a0and said: \u201cBlessed are you who are poor, for\u00a0yours is the kingdom of God.<\/p>\n21\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>\u201cBlessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. \u201cBlessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. 22\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>\u201cBlessed are you when\u00a0people hate you and when they\u00a0exclude you and revile you and\u00a0spurn your name as evil,\u00a0on account of the Son of Man!23\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for\u00a0so their fathers did to the prophets. 24\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>\u201cBut woe to you who are rich,\u00a0for you\u00a0have received your consolation. 25\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>\u201cWoe to you who are full now, for\u00a0you shall be hungry.<\/p>\n\u201cWoe to\u00a0you who laugh now,\u00a0for you shall mourn and weep. 26\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>\u201cWoe to you,\u00a0when all people speak well of you, for\u00a0so their fathers did to\u00a0the false prophets.<\/p>\nGrace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 You\u2019ve realized, I\u2019m not one for jokes in sermons, as they can trivialize the proclamation of the Gospel. And yet, sometimes they fit! But you\u2019ll have to think about this one. It seems two Lutheran pastors, Pastor David and Pastor Will, died and headed up to heaven.\u00a0 At the pearly gates, they met St. Peter, and they said, \u201cWe\u2019re both Lutheran pastors and we\u2019re here to enter into our heavenly rest.\u201d\u00a0 So, St. Peter looked in the Lamb\u2019s Book of Life, but no, their names weren\u2019t there.\u00a0 Pastor David and Pastor Will were shocked so they pleaded, \u201cWe\u2019re long-time Lutheran clergy\u2014our names must be there!\u201d\u00a0 So, St. Peter pulled up the newer hi-tech records on the computer database, but no, no David Wendel or Will Hartfelder.\u00a0 So, the Lutheran pastors said, \u201cWhat does this mean?\u201d\u00a0 To which St. Peter replied, looking down, \u201cIt means you take the down elevator.\u201d\u00a0 The doors opened and down they went!\u00a0 At the gates of hell, they were met by a demon, who processed them in, and was leading them to their fiery eternal home.\u00a0 And lo and behold, as they passed into one room, they saw chained to the wall, who of all people, but Martin Luther and St. Paul!\u00a0 And the pastors said, surprised, \u201cLuther\u2014St. Paul, what happened\u2014why are you here?\u201d\u00a0 To which both Luther and Paul looked at each other, shrugged and said, \u201cIt was works!\u201d\u00a0 Think about it.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 This joke falls into the category of comedy called \u201cincongruity\u201d, which is funny because it\u2019s a surprise–it takes what you might expect and turns it upside down, that is, assuming you would expect Pastor David and Pastor Will would go to heaven in the first place!\u00a0 You might expect that Lutheran pastors would end up in heaven. Not guaranteed, but you might expect it.\u00a0 But even more, we believe that we are saved by grace, through faith, NOT by works of the Law, so that you might expect pastors and other Christians will be saved and go to heaven, in spite of their works. And yet, if we\u2019re wrong, and it is works,<\/em> we, together with Luther and St. Paul might indeed find ourselves, not in heaven, but let\u2019s say, someplace else.\u00a0 And if that happens, it will be a great surprise, totally incongruous with Scripture and the 2000+ years of the preaching of the Gospel. It would turn the world and eternity turned upside down!<\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And isn\u2019t that what we find in our gospel lesson for today?\u00a0 Something totally surprising and incongruous! The beatitudes in both St. Matthew\u2019s and St. Luke\u2019s gospels present blessing, faith, salvation, as a surprise\u2014maybe even a shock\u2014because what Jesus is saying is not what one would expect, in the world as it is. The world right side up, according to the world\u2019s way of thinking, for example, suggests that blessings comes to winners.\u00a0 Everyone wants to be a winner, and as we\u2019ve been taught, the Lord helps them that help themselves.\u00a0 Similarly, cursed are those who are considered losers\u2014the poor, the downtrodden, the hungry and the grieving.\u00a0 When you\u2019re down and out, it seems the world puts its foot on you, to keep you down!\u00a0 According to the ways of the world, it\u2019s good to be king\u2014or queen, and it\u2019s bad to be peasants and paupers.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 According to the beatitudes, however, in God\u2019s Kingdom, the opposite is actually the case.\u00a0 According to Holy Scripture, within the kingdom of God, the poor are blessed, as are the starving, and those who weep.\u00a0 Blessed are those who are persecuted.\u00a0 But even more, according to Scripture, cursed will be the rich, cursed will be those who are full and satisfied, woe to those who are laughing and having a good time now, for they will be mourning and weeping.\u00a0 And for all the times we\u2019ve heard the Beatitudes\u2014for all the times we\u2019ve been confronted with this reality of God\u2019s great surprise, still, it doesn\u2019t make sense.\u00a0 Still, it\u2019s hard for us to grasp, let alone for us to explain\u2014because it\u2019s incongruous! It\u2019s unexpected.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t compute.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And of course, that\u2019s the point of it, isn\u2019t it?\u00a0 That\u2019s why Jesus says what he says in the beatitudes. He wants us to hear and to understand that God\u2019s love, the Kingdom of God, doesn\u2019t make sense, from a worldly point of view!\u00a0 Jesus knew then, as we know now, that the kingdom of this world, expects things to add up\u2014you do good things and good things come to you.\u00a0 If bad things happen to you, well, you must deserve it.\u00a0 That\u2019s what folks believed in Jesus\u2019 time, that your life, whether blessed or cursed, was the result of your own actions\u2014so that you were being rewarded or punished for what you had done or failed to do.\u00a0 Kind of like karma and reincarnation\u2014as if human existence is simply the adding up of good or bad things you\u2019ve done in life and you\u2019re blessed or cursed in accordance with that.\u00a0 Many people believe that\u2019s the way the world thinks and works, and yes, it continues to creep into the hearts and lives of churches and Christians.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Which is why Jesus points, not just here, but again and again to the truth that God does not function in accord with our all too human structures and systems. Rather, God deals with us in graceful, merciful ways, meaning the last shall be first, and the first last. Meaning the proud will be cast down and the lowly lifted up. The poor and hungry will be filled and fed, while the rich and powerful will find themselves on the bottom looking up.\u00a0 And yes, get this, as St. Paul says in our second lesson, the dead will be raised.\u00a0 And is that not the biggest surprise, the most unexpected, incongruous laugh of all?\u00a0 That those who die and face non-existence, that those who have struggled with illness or tragedy or violence and then die, will finally be alive, in Jesus Christ, the firstborn of the dead?\u00a0 Who can imagine such a thing, let alone believe it?<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Death is, or has been, the only true reality in life. Everyone dies. No one can escape the final, ultimate reality, death.\u00a0 And yet, Jesus turns this, too, upside down and inside out!\u00a0 Paul says, the Scriptures attest that Christ has been raised from death, and because of this one resurrection, it is possible for others to be raised from death, so that now, death is no longer final!\u00a0 And not only that: as this is the greatest surprise of all, this is also that which makes a reality all the other surprises!\u00a0 It is the death and resurrection of Jesus which gives hope to the hopeless, joy to the sorrowful, peace to the anxious and fearful, and yes, life to those who are dead, and new life to those who are merely existing as the living dead.\u00a0 There is nothing else, there has been nothing else in the history of the world that can, in fact, create such a world-shattering, life transforming surprise, but the death and resurrection of Jesus, Son of the Living God.\u00a0 Everything else, past and present, supports the rational, reasonable, add things up nature of human existence.\u00a0 It took the death and resurrection of God incarnate to make death and life different, now and for eternity.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And it is that which makes the Beatitudes the beatitudes and makes the Beatitudes, good news!\u00a0 It is that which compels me, after the reading of the Beatitudes, to announce, \u201cThe Gospel of the Lord!\u201d\u00a0 And it\u2019s that which causes you to affirm, at the end of the liturgy, \u201cThanks be to God!\u201d\u00a0 Thanks be to God for the good news of the surprising, incongruous Gospel!\u00a0 Thanks be to God for the good news that in Jesus, God transforms life and death.\u00a0 Thanks be to God for the good news that there is hope in the midst of despair, peace even when we are anxious and fearful, love in the face of hate, and yes, new life after death.\u00a0 Thanks be to God that in the most uncertain of times, in the darkest of days, in our lowest moments, there is light at the end of the tunnel.\u00a0 And not just light, after death\u2014but light, here and now!<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When you find yourself struggling, anxious and uncertain; when you are worried about finances, illness and unemployment, look to Jesus Christ who shines His resurrection light, the light of His life, on you, bringing you hope and courage and promise.\u00a0 When you find yourself in darkness and fear; when you find yourself burdened and carrying a heavy load of guilt, shame and despair, look to the Risen Jesus and be renewed and uplifted and strengthened and encouraged, that new hope and new life is possible, even for the lowest and the least of us\u2014because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ!\u00a0 And so we say together, \u201cThanks be to God\u201d for the great surprise, for the great incongruity of salvation won for us, given to us, by grace, through faith in Jesus!<\/p>\n
In the name of the Father, and of the (+) Son, and of the Holy Spirit.\u00a0 Amen.<\/p>\n
—<\/p>\n
\u00a9David M. Wendel<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0 d.wendel@gerace43081.org<\/a><\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em>Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church<\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0 Westerville, Ohio USA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany | Cycle C, 16 February 2025 | A Sermon on Luke 6:17-26 | by David M. Wendel | Luke 6:17-26 \u00a0English Standard Version Copyright \u00a9\u00a02001 by Crossway Bibles THE GREAT, INCONGRUOUS SURPRISE! Lessons:\u00a0 Jeremiah 17:5-10 I Corinthians 15:12-20 St. Luke 6:17-26 17\u00a0And\u00a0he came down with them and stood on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20020,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38,157,853,108,629,110,756,3,109],"tags":[],"beitragende":[],"predigtform":[],"predigtreihe":[],"bibelstelle":[],"class_list":["post-20759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lukas","category-beitragende","category-bibel","category-current","category-david-m-wendel","category-engl","category-kapitel-06-chapter-06-lukas","category-nt","category-predigten"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20759","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20759"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20759\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20760,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20759\/revisions\/20760"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20020"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20759"},{"taxonomy":"beitragende","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/beitragende?post=20759"},{"taxonomy":"predigtform","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/predigtform?post=20759"},{"taxonomy":"predigtreihe","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/predigtreihe?post=20759"},{"taxonomy":"bibelstelle","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bibelstelle?post=20759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}