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spent1604
A Pledge of Allegiance
Text:
Proverbs 9:8-12 / Luke 14:25-33
Date: Pentecost XVI
9/19/04 ant war key-gen
When
saying the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the United States
of America, our children are taught to put their hand over their
heart as an expression of the deep dedication, loyalty and the fundamental
value of the privilege and responsibilities of citizenship in our
country. The Ryder Cup team did so as the national anthem was played
at the opening ceremonies last Thursday. At ball games men remove
their hats. At important governmental events the President and civilian
office holders put their hand over their heart while military personnel
hold a steady salute. I, as a proud citizen of the United States,
am deeply moved by patriotism and can even get quite emotional at
expressions of national loyalty.
Interestingly,
it is my understanding that the national flag was never displayed
in Lutheran Churches in America until the loyalty of especially
German Lutherans was held in suspicion during the World Wars. As
Christians gather, as we say, for “the worship of the Holy Church
throughout the world,” citizens of heaven, in the world but not
of it, so national flags that stand, among other things, as symbols
of the division of peoples and nations, if displayed at all, are
to stand outside the chancel and apart from the universal Christian
symbols of altar, pulpit and font. As long as allegiance to the
governing authorities does not contradict or forbid allegiance to
Christ, both loyalties can be held. If the government, on the other
hand, requires anything in contradiction to God's Word, then, while
rendering outward obedience, the words of St. Peter apply, “We must
obey God rather than men” [Acts 5:29 (ESV)].
Today
the words of Jesus challenge our loyalty and allegiance as citizens
of heaven. To follow Christ means to renounce the devil and all
his works and all his ways. It means to join in the warfare against
the devil, the world and even our own sinful flesh. It also means
to bear and endure the rejection of the world aimed through us at
Christ. This is what he means when he tells these parables about
counting the cost.
The
Old Testament Word before us today include the words, “The fear
of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” This word, at once, reveals
our foolishness and rebellion against God because we do not walk,
much of the time, with true fear of God. In fact we don't even know
what “the fear of the Lord” is. In a sense we could say that “the
fear of the Lord” is sort of like a pledge of allegiance to the
Lord. For the true fear of the Lord promises forgiveness of all
our past foolishness, and true wisdom through the understanding
of faith which God gives by the Holy Spirit through the Word of
Christ, even the words of the Gospel before us today.
“The
fear of the Lord is the beginning.” The beginning of what? Of wisdom?
Well, that's what the text says. But, as St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians,
“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of
God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand
them because they are spiritually discerned” [1 Cor. 2:14 (ESV)].
No, from the point of view of this world, and from our own private
view quite often, the fear of the Lord is not very wise. Rather,
the fear of the Lord is the beginning of trouble!
How
many of us came here today needing to hear this word of Jesus: “If
anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and
wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own
life, he cannot be my disciple”? Where is the wisdom in that? Isn't
there enough hate in this world without our one Hope and Lord encouraging
it? Human wisdom will just shut this word off. Ignore it. Throw
it away. But faith will stop and wonder and ponder a bit, for faith
somehow knows there must be a deeper meaning here than is apparent
on the surface. And that deeper meaning lies in the Wisdom of God.
The
Psalm says, “Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart;
there is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flatters himself
in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated”
[Psalm 36:1-2 (ESV)]. There's that word “hate” again. But most clearly,
Proverbs 8:13 says it: “The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil.
Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate”
[Proverbs 8:13 (ESV)].
Hating
evil is only the half of it, however. For Moses also said, “And
now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to
fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to
serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul”
[Deut. 10:12 (ESV)]. This hating of sin and love of God are not
contradictory but are necessary partners in understanding the Wisdom
of God.
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