1 Peter 1:17-23  17 If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile.  18 You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold,  19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish.  20 He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake.  21 Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God.  22 Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart.  23 You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.

Luke 24:13-35  13 Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem,  14 and talking with each other about all these things that had happened.  15 While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them,  16 but their eyes were kept from recognizing him.  17 And he said to them, "What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?" They stood still, looking sad.  18 Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, "Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?"  19 He asked them, "What things?" They replied, "The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,  20 and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him.  21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place.  22 Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning,  23 and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive.  24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him."  25 Then he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared!  26 Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?"  27 Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.  28 As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on.  29 But they urged him strongly, saying, "Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over." So he went in to stay with them.  30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.  31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight.  32 They said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?"  33 That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together.  34 They were saying, "The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!"  35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Text: 1 Peter 1:17-23

Theme: God’s claim on our lives

Date: April 6, 2008

Assembly: Zion Lutheran Church

Perishable

 

          (landing somewhere between the philosophies that your computer is outdated

                   the moment you walk out the store

          and that all your computer needs to do is run Word© and print) …we’ll go ahead and say…
•6 years and you’re computer’s outdated

•Every year or two we can count on a new gaming system

•there are disposable contact lenses that you replace every 2 weeks or faster

•My phone must be charged every-other-day

•and a fast food hamburger or fries must be eaten within two minutes of purchasing

          in order not to have rubberized

 

Since we are aware that so many things are quickly fleeting,

          it just might be

                    that we currently have the best historical vantage point

                             to look at the distinction that 1st Peter makes

                                      between the perishable and the imperishable.

 

We have front row tickets to gape at the gap between

the transitory nature of so much around us

          (computers, entertainment, food)

And the imperishable treasure that Christ has laid into our hands

—or perhaps more clearly, laid upon our brows

                   In the form of an anointed cross

                             (talk about staking a claim)

 

Do you feel it too, we are claimed by multiple realities at the same time.

 

It seems the Market mentality lays claim to us                                

          You can picture it with me

                   On the y axis we’ve got “price”

                   On the x axis we’ve got “quantity sold“

And then there are these famous curves in there:

supply and demand

          As supply increases, demand decreases

                

 

 

And we apply this concept as though it’s a law of physics

And we believe in this concept as though it’s a given

          It’s the way we know how many Cheerios© and Audi’s© to make

                   How much fuel oil and electricity to produce

 

But sometimes it seems that we buy into this economic concept so much

          That we’d be surprised to see that some things don’t work this way

How much, after all, does a glass of water cost?[1]

          Free….is it?

                   How much is it worth considering the cost

to the source in the Earth,

for the purification and treatment

for the delivery

even the cost of the cup

for others in the world who don’t even have access to clean water

 

And there are other things that don’t work this market way:

                   Notably: human capacity for forgiveness

                             And God’s free gift of grace

 

Even though the market lays a claim to us,

The Word of God lays a stronger claim still

          God’s claim to our lives was both harder to arrive at and is harder to get away from

          God’s claim to our lives was harder to arrive at than a stable market

                   ie: Jesus’ suffering and death

          and God’s claim is harder, even than pervasive Market mentality, to get away from

                   The way we think and perceive the world is changed by our concept of economics

                             That’d be hard to get away from

                   But God’s Claim on you is even harder to get away from

                   ie: you have been marked with the cross of Christ…forever…

                   God has no intention of letting you out of this Baptismal covenant

you’ve gotten yourselves into

Imperishable

_________________________________________

God’s imperishable relationship with us and gift to us

          Requires responsible living in relation to both

that which is perishable and that which is imperishable

for both have claims on our lives

          it is simply true that there are multiple defining realities by which we orient our lives

                   (I only named 2—there are more)

          Our task in this world is to orient our lives such that the imperishable reality

                   That claim staked upon you by God

          Also defines the perishable realities in your lives

                    Because your life makes a claim as well:

So, Perishable or Imperishable.  What does the picture of your life most strongly claim?

 


[1] Jim Nieman, public lecture, March 31, 2008.