Rev. Dustin Parker25 Years after the Cerritos Air Disaster
Concordia Lutheran Church
August 28, 2011, A Day of Transition
(this sermon was delivered on Sunday 25 years after 2 planes collided in the sky above our church and nearly 100 people died in the 2 planes and on the ground. 10 minutes after church got over, homes were destroyed as were lives. People's memories still remembered the trauma as if it was yesterday.... )
With…
Romans 12:9-21
† IN HIS NAME †
That which we need the most, the Father’s gifts of mercy and love, have been, are being, and forever will be yours, for you have been brought into Christ, and dwell in Him!
Does the Past Define Us?
August, Nineteen hundred and eighty six, a few minutes after church let out.
Some of us were here with friends, some of whom have gone on to others places, including heaven. Some of us were in other places, but remember the incident, the smoke rising on the horizon.
There are times in our lives that define us, that mark us and whether we realize it or not change us. They cause our resolution to become firmer, and rally our strength for the moment, as we deal with the trauma. Afterwards, when the adrenalin has diminished, when the pain in our muscles and hearts begin to sink in, they change us in a different way.
Whether it is a plane crashing into a neighborhood around the corner, or planes crashing into New York skyscrapers, or earthquakes in Northridge or Japan, there is a change afterwards. We become lost at such times, as if our sense of meaning has been stolen, our sense of accomplishment, our sense of hope for the future. Why should we struggle and strive and work to see something built up, if in less than a minute it can be destroyed?
There is in this world today, a growing sense of fatalism. If in a moment, all can come crashing down, and you can be victim of things far outside of your control – how do you cope? There seems to be two extreme options – the first to hoard and protect everything – to make sure we will survive – if no one else does. The second is simply to go and live it up, not giving any thought to the future – for we believe there is no future. Not the one with the most toys at the end, but the one with the maxed credit cards!
I think the church as a whole, and Concordia in specific can and has bounced back between these two extremes survival modes. Is it because of the crash, or other trauma? I don’t know, but I know it is time to stop surviving. Our option?
To live, to thrive as believers, to live and thrive as a congregation, to live and to thrive as the church. Even as we did before the traumas.
To live in the way Paul described in His letter to the church in Rome – a church that likewise had endured hard times – and would endure them
It boils down to one simple word, this sermon…. The word “with”
It connects every sermon of this summer – and it will lead us into the fall.
Our Summer Lessons
In today’s epistle, there is a list of behaviors and attitudes for us to exhibit, which Paul to which Paul encourages the church in Rome to become.
Much of it describes the fourth through tenth commandments, what we call the second table, or the horizontal commands. The ones that challenge us to live the life God rescued us to live, genuinely loving ALL, by loving our family and friends and also the stranger, the alien, and even our enemy.
It boils down to this phrase found in verse 21, “do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Easier said than done? Yeah.
There is a lot of evil, a lot of pain, a lot of suffering we all have endured in life, and from which we need to be healed. That is what it means to overcome – to nike. To just do it.
Impossible? Not in the least.
It’s just a matter of remembering the lessons of this summer, to remember the source of good, our source of righteousness, our source of life. It is about realizing that great verse from last week,
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. Romans 11:36 (ESV)
You see, that which is good must come from God, for He is our creator, and redeemer and sustainer.
If we are to overcome the evil we have encountered in our past, and endure it even today, it will not be by our own strength, but from the strength that was created as the Father united us into Christ’s death, and with the hope of the resurrection, and the sharing in the glory of eternity with Him.
It is from that place of strength, living in Christ, realizing He is the author of our lives and the perfector of them, that we can bloom.
For that is what the love of God does. It takes the seed that would have remained alone, unless it died and was planted in the ground, and in Christ’s death He unites us to not just the death, but the life that blooms as Christ is resurrected.
He has caused us to live, and in Him, the love that God has poured out in mercy upon us, has caused us to bloom and empowers us to live with Him!
For we are never alone, we never have been, we never will be. For He is WITH us… and we are WITH Him,
Our Fall Lesson
As our summer moves into fall – we transition from the time of blooming, to a time of gathering that which blooms.
It is my hope as well, that as we realize what God is doing in our midst, the sense of futility and fatalism will fade, as we realize how much God is giving us, blessing use, how much He is mercifully cleansing us of, breaking the bonds that sin and the traumas of the past have on us.
There is one constant theme this fall as well, as the appointed readings start talking about the gathering of the saints, and God’s faithfulness. One constant theme as God gathers His people together and heals them, and changes them into the likeness of His Son.
The message is an invitation to all the people of God, to come worship the Lord, for we are His people. The people whom God calls and makes His own, marking them as His, healing them, reconciling them, pouring out an abundance of grace and mercy and holiness on people He has set apart as His own.
The invitation isn’t just for you – for you know these things. It is for the people out there who have been crushed by events like the one of 25 years ago, or 10 years ago. The people who have done all they can, who are tired and broken and without the knowledge of the hope that is found in Christ – the hope we know….
The theme is your theme – that you would utter those words to those you know – come worship the Lord, for WE are His people – He is with US!
You see, the secret to life isn’t found in things that can be destroyed, but in the things that cannot – overcoming evil is simply done by holding onto and realizing the gifts that God has poured out on you here (font), and continually pours out here (chalice)
It is there with Him that we realize that love is genuine, the love that pours out through us. It is there with Him, that evil repells and repulses us, and the struggle bothers us. It is there with Him, because He was merciful, that we can rejoice – knowing that He will never leave us, and that we will be brought home. The more time we spend with Him at His feet, the more the struggles in this life lose their significance in view of eternity, and the more we release our burdens to Him.
The more that happens, the more we realize how much we are bound together, and the more we share in each other’s lives. We see that in verse 13,
13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
Oh I hate how the English hides these words. The word “contribute” sounds so weak compared to what it is!
The word that lies behind the word translated contribute is the word for commune and partner – the idea that we share in the needs, the burdens of other saints. We don’t just give a couple of bucks, but like the outpouring we have come to be known for, we pour out the blessings that we have received, helping others. Literally, as our Lord is WITH us, we are WITH them!
The word for hospitality is likewise so weak in English. It is a word that is created from joining the words LOVE and stranger or alien together. To welcome those that appear not like us – knowing that because of Christ’s nail pierced hands, they are like us, sinners who need to be reminded that we are created in Christ. That we are brought to life and faith as the Holy Spirit who works within us, through God’s words and the things God sets apart to bless us. Things like the water of baptism and the bread and wine, which He sets aside – His body broken and His blood shed for us.
No wonder Paul tells us that when one rejoices, we all rejoice, and when one weeps – we shall all be weeping as well! We are bound together with something that is far more lasting – the very blood of Christ, that cleanses us all, that frees us to love and to live… with Him.
So these words, Come Worship the Lord, for we are His people – its not just your invitation to come and share in His body and blood this day, but indeed the words of our church, the words of the people that God gathers here, to a community that so needs to escape the futility and fatalism that comes when we forget our hope during and after trauma….
A community that so needed, needs and will need the hope, the mercy, the love, found with Christ Alone..
36 For from Him and through him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen!
August 28, 2011, A Day of Transition
(this sermon was delivered on Sunday 25 years after 2 planes collided in the sky above our church and nearly 100 people died in the 2 planes and on the ground. 10 minutes after church got over, homes were destroyed as were lives. People's memories still remembered the trauma as if it was yesterday.... )
With…
Romans 12:9-21
† IN HIS NAME †
That which we need the most, the Father’s gifts of mercy and love, have been, are being, and forever will be yours, for you have been brought into Christ, and dwell in Him!
Does the Past Define Us?
August, Nineteen hundred and eighty six, a few minutes after church let out.
Some of us were here with friends, some of whom have gone on to others places, including heaven. Some of us were in other places, but remember the incident, the smoke rising on the horizon.
There are times in our lives that define us, that mark us and whether we realize it or not change us. They cause our resolution to become firmer, and rally our strength for the moment, as we deal with the trauma. Afterwards, when the adrenalin has diminished, when the pain in our muscles and hearts begin to sink in, they change us in a different way.
Whether it is a plane crashing into a neighborhood around the corner, or planes crashing into New York skyscrapers, or earthquakes in Northridge or Japan, there is a change afterwards. We become lost at such times, as if our sense of meaning has been stolen, our sense of accomplishment, our sense of hope for the future. Why should we struggle and strive and work to see something built up, if in less than a minute it can be destroyed?
There is in this world today, a growing sense of fatalism. If in a moment, all can come crashing down, and you can be victim of things far outside of your control – how do you cope? There seems to be two extreme options – the first to hoard and protect everything – to make sure we will survive – if no one else does. The second is simply to go and live it up, not giving any thought to the future – for we believe there is no future. Not the one with the most toys at the end, but the one with the maxed credit cards!
I think the church as a whole, and Concordia in specific can and has bounced back between these two extremes survival modes. Is it because of the crash, or other trauma? I don’t know, but I know it is time to stop surviving. Our option?
To live, to thrive as believers, to live and thrive as a congregation, to live and to thrive as the church. Even as we did before the traumas.
To live in the way Paul described in His letter to the church in Rome – a church that likewise had endured hard times – and would endure them
It boils down to one simple word, this sermon…. The word “with”
It connects every sermon of this summer – and it will lead us into the fall.
Our Summer Lessons
In today’s epistle, there is a list of behaviors and attitudes for us to exhibit, which Paul to which Paul encourages the church in Rome to become.
Much of it describes the fourth through tenth commandments, what we call the second table, or the horizontal commands. The ones that challenge us to live the life God rescued us to live, genuinely loving ALL, by loving our family and friends and also the stranger, the alien, and even our enemy.
It boils down to this phrase found in verse 21, “do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Easier said than done? Yeah.
There is a lot of evil, a lot of pain, a lot of suffering we all have endured in life, and from which we need to be healed. That is what it means to overcome – to nike. To just do it.
Impossible? Not in the least.
It’s just a matter of remembering the lessons of this summer, to remember the source of good, our source of righteousness, our source of life. It is about realizing that great verse from last week,
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. Romans 11:36 (ESV)
You see, that which is good must come from God, for He is our creator, and redeemer and sustainer.
If we are to overcome the evil we have encountered in our past, and endure it even today, it will not be by our own strength, but from the strength that was created as the Father united us into Christ’s death, and with the hope of the resurrection, and the sharing in the glory of eternity with Him.
It is from that place of strength, living in Christ, realizing He is the author of our lives and the perfector of them, that we can bloom.
For that is what the love of God does. It takes the seed that would have remained alone, unless it died and was planted in the ground, and in Christ’s death He unites us to not just the death, but the life that blooms as Christ is resurrected.
He has caused us to live, and in Him, the love that God has poured out in mercy upon us, has caused us to bloom and empowers us to live with Him!
For we are never alone, we never have been, we never will be. For He is WITH us… and we are WITH Him,
Our Fall Lesson
As our summer moves into fall – we transition from the time of blooming, to a time of gathering that which blooms.
It is my hope as well, that as we realize what God is doing in our midst, the sense of futility and fatalism will fade, as we realize how much God is giving us, blessing use, how much He is mercifully cleansing us of, breaking the bonds that sin and the traumas of the past have on us.
There is one constant theme this fall as well, as the appointed readings start talking about the gathering of the saints, and God’s faithfulness. One constant theme as God gathers His people together and heals them, and changes them into the likeness of His Son.
The message is an invitation to all the people of God, to come worship the Lord, for we are His people. The people whom God calls and makes His own, marking them as His, healing them, reconciling them, pouring out an abundance of grace and mercy and holiness on people He has set apart as His own.
The invitation isn’t just for you – for you know these things. It is for the people out there who have been crushed by events like the one of 25 years ago, or 10 years ago. The people who have done all they can, who are tired and broken and without the knowledge of the hope that is found in Christ – the hope we know….
The theme is your theme – that you would utter those words to those you know – come worship the Lord, for WE are His people – He is with US!
You see, the secret to life isn’t found in things that can be destroyed, but in the things that cannot – overcoming evil is simply done by holding onto and realizing the gifts that God has poured out on you here (font), and continually pours out here (chalice)
It is there with Him that we realize that love is genuine, the love that pours out through us. It is there with Him, that evil repells and repulses us, and the struggle bothers us. It is there with Him, because He was merciful, that we can rejoice – knowing that He will never leave us, and that we will be brought home. The more time we spend with Him at His feet, the more the struggles in this life lose their significance in view of eternity, and the more we release our burdens to Him.
The more that happens, the more we realize how much we are bound together, and the more we share in each other’s lives. We see that in verse 13,
13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
Oh I hate how the English hides these words. The word “contribute” sounds so weak compared to what it is!
The word that lies behind the word translated contribute is the word for commune and partner – the idea that we share in the needs, the burdens of other saints. We don’t just give a couple of bucks, but like the outpouring we have come to be known for, we pour out the blessings that we have received, helping others. Literally, as our Lord is WITH us, we are WITH them!
The word for hospitality is likewise so weak in English. It is a word that is created from joining the words LOVE and stranger or alien together. To welcome those that appear not like us – knowing that because of Christ’s nail pierced hands, they are like us, sinners who need to be reminded that we are created in Christ. That we are brought to life and faith as the Holy Spirit who works within us, through God’s words and the things God sets apart to bless us. Things like the water of baptism and the bread and wine, which He sets aside – His body broken and His blood shed for us.
No wonder Paul tells us that when one rejoices, we all rejoice, and when one weeps – we shall all be weeping as well! We are bound together with something that is far more lasting – the very blood of Christ, that cleanses us all, that frees us to love and to live… with Him.
So these words, Come Worship the Lord, for we are His people – its not just your invitation to come and share in His body and blood this day, but indeed the words of our church, the words of the people that God gathers here, to a community that so needs to escape the futility and fatalism that comes when we forget our hope during and after trauma….
A community that so needed, needs and will need the hope, the mercy, the love, found with Christ Alone..
36 For from Him and through him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen!
