( 2 Sam 12:1-10.13-15a ) - [ Deutsch ] - [ Akündigungen466.64 KB ]
For it is by grace you have been saved through faith - and this not from yourselves: it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no man can boast.
Today we celebrate Jubilee-Confirmation.
Shortly, we will also look at photos from back then. So much has happened and changed throughout the years. How time has flown! As thoughts go back, some may conclude that it was a good life until now. For others it was possibly different: a relationship failed, loved ones died, illness weighs on some, and time just races on, and we are left behind.
For it is by grace you have been saved through faith - and this not from yourselves: it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no man can boast.
25; 40 and many more years ago, you confirmed your baptism. You chose to continue on the path with God at your side. On Wednesday at or meeting, some of you shared how it was back then and what happened afterwards. Some of you were in large confirmation groups and learned a lot by heart, some enjoyed the classes and saw the sense in it, others did not take it so seriously. Many important things distracted you, and that has not changed until today. Teaching was done much stricter then, than today. Yet what held true then still does today:
For it is by grace you have been saved through faith - and this not from yourselves: it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no man can boast.
For God, it is not about what we achieved or what we failed with.
God's love cannot be earned, only gratefully received.
Secretly, and this is the case for all of us, these thoughts creep in: Actually, I deserve God's grace more than others. How good that I am different, so pious and just. Yes, I do everything right.
Luke tells us this wonderful story of the Pharisee, which we heard in the reading, who was very much on the wrong track: for whoever exalts himself will be humbled: and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Yes, judging other people, condemning... it is so easy. In the Old Testament we also read about this. The sermon text: 2 Samuel 12
David, the great king, born as the youngest son in little Bethlehem. A shepherd boy who calms King Saul by playing his harp. Who later unexpectedly defeats the giant Goliath: David, to whom the love of Saul's son Jonathan meant more than the love of women. David, who was very much attracted to women. Especially Bathsheba. And due to that, he walks over dead bodies. In his case, over the corpse of Uriah. David is visited by the prophet Nathan.
Nathan tells him the story about a rich man and a poor man. The rich man had many sheep and lambs; the poor man had only one little lamb, which he tended like his daughter. The rich man steals the poor man's little lamb and consumes it. What a cheek! David is as upset as we are. He becomes enraged and shouts, "The man is a child of death who has done this!" And we smile at David's anger. We already know what David is blind to at this point. "You are the man!" says Nathan to him. Yes, you are the man. You know exactly how others should behave.
But you are blind to your own weaknesses.
You are self-righteous, dear David.
The story of David and Nathan shows how we humans easily keep double standards. Of course, it is an impertinence that the rich man eats the poor man's only little lamb! But the death of Uriah and the intrusion into another relationship is a blind spot for David. He discovers the hard way that he does not judge his counterpart and himself by the same standards.
"You are the man!" says Nathan. And opens David’s eyes to fully see his own actions. God has anointed you king. He gave you everything your heart desired and more. Yet it was not enough for you.
"I have sinned against the Lord," David says. He, the great king. He, the distant ancestor of Jesus. He, the unrighteous one. He, whose relationship with God is so deeply disturbed. Full of remorse, he breaks down.
"I have sinned against the Lord!"
David and Nathan. The Pharisee and the tax collector. Very confrontational and instructive narratives. David shows that we humans are easily blind to our own weaknesses. That is true for you and for me too. Sure, it is good to have a healthy sense of self. But keep an eye on your darker sides.
The rich man who eats the single little lamb is also in you. No one is just. Therefore, do not exalt yourself above others. Do not make yourself great by making others small.
Do not ever think only you have swallowed wisdom by the spoonful.
Keep an open mind, especially if you think you know how things work.
There are more opinions than yours. And for every opinion there are good reasons. Do not look down on others with haughtiness and condescension.
Deal with your sin, not the sin of others. Beat your breast with the tax collector and say: God, have mercy on me, I am a sinner.
He rejoices in that. This is how an undisturbed, righteous relationship with God develops.
For it is by grace you have been saved through faith - and this not from yourselves: it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no man can boast.
This realisation sets you free:
Life is a gift.
Faith is a gift.
God's grace is a gift.
Always. Amen
