6-14-2023

Good Morning All,

    Ecclesiastes 4: 9-11; “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.  For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!  Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone?  And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

    This is a longer passage than we usually use.  It just doesn’t work to break it up.  I love what this says to us.  Many will use this as a passage for a wedding.  We focus on the idea that a threefold cord will not quickly break to mean that a husband and a wife that are bound together “through, with and under” (Lutheran alert!!) Jesus is in their marriage.  We see Jesus as the true strength of a marriage and not each other.

    I would like to go a little different direction.  Many of us in this country suffer from “boot-strap-ism.”  We look for a story, somewhere in our life, where we overcame tremendous odds and struggled, persevered, and then claimed the prize.  At some point in our life, we want to get credit for what we have and who we are.  Remember; walking to school in waist deep snow, six miles, uphill, both ways and we were thankful for what we had.  We want glory.

    The problem with that story is that it is not real.  “I” did not do anything; “we” did everything.  “We” being those of us who are claimed by God as his redeemed children.  God redeems us, declares that He is our God, and we are his people, and finally, He promises to bless us; what part of that is “me”?  Two are better than one; one will fall and not be able to get up and there is no one to lift him up.  “Lift him up” is an interesting phrase.  Jesus was “lifted up” on the cross as the sacrifice for us. 

    This passage speaks to the idea that we are a “people.”  We are not just a collection of single people who meet at the same time to do the same thing as individuals; we are God’s holy, wholly, people; we are one big unit.  We can look at this with the idea of a herd of animals being hunted by a pack of predators.  What does the lion want to do?  He seeks to separate a weak one from the herd.  It is safe in the herd; it is lost on its own.  You and I are safe when we remain in the faith, when we remain in the church.  This is why it is critical that we understand that our faith is not just an example of “me and God.”  There is a place for an individual faith, but we are part of a greater thing; we are part of God’s family, holy and redeemed.

    This is the promise that he made to us. He promised to be with us and to protect us through His Spirit.  He promised to nourish us by his grace through His Word and His sacraments.  God has promised to be with you.  That is the two-cord and by placing you in the church you become part of the three-cord; that cord that is hard to break.

Dear Father, keep us in your covenant grace which is eternal for us.  Guard us, redeem us and bring us to you that we may know your comfort and your strength against all we face.  Be with our brothers and sisters in Christ who are facing the lions that are trying to separate them from your love.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret