July 23, 2015

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’” Matthew 25:31-40

“Do not look for the cross of Christ in the past alone; in the year of our Lord 30. See it in the present, it is standing among us! The black sky brooding over Golgotha is arched above us too. The tempest and the earthquake which terrified Jerusalem terrify us also. Do not envision the cross of Christ as something far away. It is as near and contemporary as anything can be.” Edmund Schlink (1903 – 1984) “For All The Saints” volume IV (p. 313)

Who was Edmund Schlink? He was a leading German Lutheran theologian in the modern ecumenical movement, especially in the World Council of Churches. He was a teacher, a pastor (since 1932), and a professor (1946-1971), and he was also a leading participant in several official ecumenical dialogues. In 1961 he wrote the Theology of the Lutheran Confessions.

Schlink is trying to help us understand that the work of Christ was not just meant for the 1st century in Palestine. The work of Christ is embedded in all time and space — because we will always find the hungry among us — and the naked — and the sick — and those who are in prison. And so we look to the cross of Jesus, and the life and ministry of Jesus, and this informs us how to live our lives. I was sitting and talking with a lady the other day who was discussing her son. She said her son was seeking G*d’s direction in his life — but in particular, he wanted a clear sign from G*d that he should do this, or do that. Her response to her son was to say “I do not ever hear G*d’s voice — except when G*d tells me to help that person, be generous to that person, forgive that person, love those people. That is when I hear G*d’s voice most clearly.” I would say that this woman understands Matthew 25 — how the cross of Christ stands among us today — and how the voice of G*d speaks to us everyday, pointing us to service, love and grace.

Pastor Dave