Monthly Archives: August 2015

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on August 23, 2015
Tags: Eternal Life, , ,   

The Words of “LIfe Age-Long” — Rev. David J. Schreffler

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August 23, 2015
Sunday

“So Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” John 6:67-69

“Thus we may be stunned when we hear that the disciples are now the ones who are bothered by what Jesus has said. We may have been tempted to simply write off the rest of the crowd as stubborn and obtuse, but the reference to “the disciples” sounds uncomfortably close to home. In verse 61, the disciples begin to grumble (NRSV “complain”), just as “the Jews” did in verse 41. Here, the problem seems not so much that the disciples have difficulty understanding what Jesus is saying; they understand quite well, but cannot believe and follow what Jesus has said. How often do we find the same to be true about ourselves?

Peter’s response to Jesus is not a word of despair or a statement that they will have to settle for Jesus because there is nothing else. Peter and the others who remain have been given the gift of knowing that Jesus is the one who can give genuine life. Here, as elsewhere in this chapter, the paradox remains: faith only comes as the Father draws us, and yet Peter and the others (and we too) are asked for our response. Peter and the other twelve “choose” to remain, and yet the greater and prior reality is that they have been chosen (verse 70). The mystery of faith and unbelief is not answered by supposed solutions to the paradox, but by grateful confession that the Father has indeed drawn us to faith in Jesus, and thus to eternal life.” Brian Peterson, Professor of New Testament
Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, Columbia, SC

The disciples are bothered by what Jesus has said, but they do not flee like the “others” — they stick around because they know that, though they do not always understand, still Jesus has the “words of “eternal life”. The literal definition of the words translated as “eternal life” is “Life Age-long”. “Life age-long” is richer in meaning (I think) than eternal life because eternal life seems to suggest only life “after” we die. But Jesus’ words are more meaningful than just meaning “at a later time”. Jesus words are for us right now, and will last throughout all time. “Life age-long” means we do not wait for eternal life, but instead we begin “age-long” life right now — and that reality should change how we live right now, every day.

“Lord, to whom shall we go – for you have the words of “Life Age-Long”. How we live each day will determine if we agree with Peter or not.

Pastor Dave

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on August 22, 2015
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Faith Is A Verb — Rev. David J. Schreffler

 

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August 22, 2015

Then he (Jesus) will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Matthew 25:45 – 46

“I do not think that anything is comparable to the soul and its salvation. But what wonder that the suffering lose all belief in spiritual things when so many pastors neglect the plainest duties to their wretched and miserable poor? What wonder that reflecting men are disgusted at the religion of our pewed city churches with their awful want of mercy and charity? …The gospel must be lived as well as told, or men disregard it as an idle dream.”
William A. Passavant (1821 – 1894) “Appealing for gifts to rebuild a hospital” “For All The Saints”, volume II (p. 378)

I think one of the greatest challenges for the church today is helping people move from “saying” to “doing — from “believing” to “living”. Our lives have become so “scheduled”, so “prioritized”, that we get caught in the day to day rat race of trying to keep up. Parents of young children spend the weekend running between soccer, ballet, rugby, baseball, basketball, lacrosse practices all the while trying to wash the car, plan a vacation, do the laundry and prepare for another exhausting week. Some may be able to get to church on a Sunday morning, if they can get themselves out of bed, and hear the message of the Gospel, but living it out is just a dream.

And then there are the millennials who are working themselves to death trying to get established in a society that is increasingly difficult to “grab hold of”. Many work more than one job at substantially lower wages than are necessary to pay their student loans as well as rent and food, and so have no time to give even 1 percent of their time, talent or treasure for G*d.

And finally we have the retirees of this society — those who have “done their time” — served on committees and chaired them as well, that they believe retiring from their work means retiring from everything, including work.

So, how do we move from “believing” to “living” — from “saying” to “doing”? I don’t know how to answer that question — for it may be different for each person. But one thing I can say is that the Gospel must be lived as well as told. If we are “followers” then we have to also be “doers” — it is a necessity. Faith needs to be a verb, not a noun. But the only way we will maintain that active part of our faith is to constantly review our priorities. The Gospel must be, must be lived as well as told…..

Pastor Dave