8/29/21 - 14th Sunday after Pentecost - Faith Responds by Continuing to Cling to God’s Wisdom - Hebrews 11:24-28

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The Pentecost Season
The Sundays after Pentecost focus on how Christians live in response to all that God has done for us. This part of the Church Year focuses on the response of faith.

This Sunday
It is not only the outsider who turns aside from the Wisdom which is Christ. Many who have heard the Word with us also go away when some part of it conflicts with their own thinking. The sacrifice of the intellect is not a onetime thing. It is a sacrifice that needs to be renewed often, in every stage of life, as new threats come that oppose Wisdom and its expression in the Word.
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First Lesson: Exodus 7:8-13
St. Augustine makes the point that the devil cannot create anything; he can only damage and try to destroy what God has made. Here the devil gives it his best shot and ends up with nothing that can survive what God has made by his mighty power in his Word. But notice that Pharaoh’s heart nevertheless became hard because he refused to listen. He saw, but he did not hear! Even God’s mighty acts, be they in nature or in an extraordinary miracle, do not create faith in those who only see. They need to hear and hear and hear the Word of the Lord (Romans 10:6). Notice, too, that Pharaoh’s unbelief is altogether contrary to reason, given the demonstration of God’s power through Moses. Many like to say that the gospel is not reasonable, and therefore they will not believe it. In point of fact, when they reject the gospel, they cling to something else that is a delusion and is itself utterly unreasonable. And so God makes fools of those who deem themselves wise.

Second Lesson: Hebrews 11:24-28
By the standard of the world Moses was a fool. But God trained him early in life to cling to the promises of God rather than to the wisdom and wealth and pleasure of the Egyptians. He had no outward evidence that God’s wisdom was preferable and ultimately the only true wisdom. But so powerful was the promise, that in spite of all the evidence to the contrary he continued to cling to the promise implicit especially in the Passover. We used to put blinders on horses so that they would not be distracted by what was going on around them but would pull the wagon straight ahead. May we close our eyes to the distractions of the world’s wisdom and pleasure and look only to the wisdom which is not only true but saving.

Gospel: John 6:60-69
The stumbling block thrown in his path by the rationalism of many in the crowd does not move Jesus to soften the message. Instead he repeats it with emphasis. Through their own fault many of the hearers, yes, even one of the Twelve, refuse to bend their thinking to his Word. Instead of the attitude of Samuel, Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening, their response is, Listen, we are speaking and this is what WE think! But Jesus is the one who descended for our salvation. Jesus is the one who went back to the right hand of the Father to rule all things in heaven and on earth. Jesus is the one who will return to judge all mankind. Do you really think your opinion matters or that it is more likely to be on the mark than his? What folly! But still many came and then went away. How many times in your life have you been tempted to go away to what your own wisdom preferred? How many times have you actually done it? But today, hear his voice and answer: Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God!

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