“Ignorality and Its Cure”
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NOTE TO READER: Sundays (at least for a while) I will be posting a one hour video in two parts: Part One will be a worship service, and Part Two will be something else. The video is directly below this text. Below the video on this page is the Order of Service for the worship. And below that is the text of this video (but not the music), in case you would rather read than watch.
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Title: Sunday Worship # 9: “Ignorality and Its Cure”
ORDER OF SERVICE:
Bell/Call to Worship
Confession of Sin and Forgiveness
Kyrie
Opening Prayer
Hymn “I Know Who Holds Tomorrow”
Scripture Readings: Job 21:13-15; James 4:13-15;
Gospel: Luke 12:16-21
Sermon
Hymn “Jesus, I’ll Never Forget”
Offering
Creed
Prayer of the Church / Lord’s Prayer
Benediction/Bell/Prayer
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Invocation: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Confession of Sins and Absolution:
Let us confess our sins unto the Lord:
Holy and merciful God, we confess our sinfulness, our shortcomings, and our offenses against you.
You alone know how often we have sinned in wandering from your ways,
in wasting your gifts, in forgetting your love.
Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we are ashamed and sorry for all we have done to displease you.
Forgive our sins, and help us to live in your light, and walk in your ways. Amen.
In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for you, and for his sake God forgives you all your sins. To those who believe in Jesus Christ he gives the power to become the children of God and bestows on them the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Kyrie:
PASTOR: Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. (Isaiah 55:7)
ALL: O Lord, let your mercy be upon us, as our hope is in you. (Psalm 33:22)
P: Have mercy on us, Lord; heal us, for we have sinned against you. (Psalm 41:4)
ALL: Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on us. (Matthew 20:30)
P: Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we call to you all day long. (Psalm 86:3)
ALL: Jesus, Lord, have pity on us. (Luke 17:13)
P: Have mercy on us, O Lord, and lift us up from the gates of death. (Psalm 9:13)
ALL: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a poor sinner. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. (ancient Jesus prayer)
Opening Prayer: O Lord out God, you know who we are: people with good consciences and with bad; persons who are content and those who are discontent; the confident and the uncertain; those who believe, those who are struggling to believe, and those who do not believe at all.
And, you know where we have come from: from the circle or relatives, acquaintances, and friends, or, from the greatest loneliness; from a life of quiet prosperity, or from great confusion and anxiety; from family relationships that are well ordered, or from those disordered or under stress; from the inner circle of the Christian community or from its outer edge.
But now we all stand before you, with all our differences, yet alike in that we are all in the wrong with you and with one another; that we must all one day die; that we would all be lost without your grace; but also that your grace is promised and made available to us all in your dear Son Jesus Christ. We come before you in order to praise you by letting you speak to us. We ask you to grant that this may take place in this hour, in the name of your Son, our Lord. Amen.
Doxology:
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise him, all creatures here below; Praise him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Following the next song will be today’s Scripture Readings and Sermon, as filmed on July 21, 2024, at the congregation I am a member of, Faithpoint Lutheran Church in New Prague, Minnesota.
SCRIPTURE READINGS AND SERMON:
Job 21:13-15
13 They spend their years in prosperity
and go down to the grave in peace.[a]
14 Yet they say to God, ‘Leave us alone!
We have no desire to know your ways.
15 Who is the Almighty, that we should serve him?
What would we gain by praying to him?’
James 4:13-15
13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”
Isaiah 55:6
Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near.
Gospel: Luke 12:16-21: 16 (Jesus) told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ 18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ 20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
Sermon:
Let us pray: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of each heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our Redeemer. Amen.
This is how the Rapidan Dam area used to look… A few weeks ago, after a six-inch rain south of Mankato, the already flooded Blue Earth River increased to 36 times its average flow. The news was that the Rapidan Dam might fail. And though the dam did not collapse, the force of the water cut a huge path around the dam, eroding a large amount of land. The Rapidan Dam made national news as the erosion increased, swallowing up a house and a community park, forcing the destruction of the Dam Store, and ruining a wonderful recreation area downstream. It was devastating.
Our family lived in Rapidan for six years in the 1980’s. The Dam Store was the local place to meet for morning coffee, the hangout where the old guys would play cards in the afternoon, and, the place to take the family out for a burger, fries, and a piece of pie in the evening. Jim and Linda Hruska owned it then, and they had two little kids that were always running around. Linda has since died, Jim is retired, and those two kids, David and Jenni, now have, (or had), the store. They are the ones you saw on TV. They are a wonderful family.
I was the pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church, in their second building, now in town. The original church was just across the river from the Dam Store, and up the hill from the dam; so you can probably guess what the nickname of that church was. The cemetery is still there. This year, the congregation is celebrating its 150th Anniversary, and they have invited all the previous pastors to preach on a Sunday in the summer. I preached on June 23rd, the day after the big rain, and the day before the dam collapsed.
A couple weeks before that, Nancy and I drove to Rapidan. I wanted to drive through the town, and then I wanted to walk around the cemetery before I preached; because I had some ideas for my sermon that I wanted to ponder upon there among so many members of my former congregation. We then ate at the Dam Store, and got caught up on the local news with David after he fried our hamburgers.
In the cemetery I was reminded of a story I would like to tell you. As our friend Rob Kempainnen used to say, “This story is true– only the facts have been changed to make it more interesting.” I really miss that guy. Actually, the story is true, and the facts have not been exaggerated, but I did change the names. Not that it would matter. I won’t be telling any secrets. Everybody knew everything about everybody else in that little village of 150.
Anyway, walking through the cemetery brought back a million memories of those people who were our church family for over six years. On one of the stones was the name Oscar Haugen, 1892-1984. Oscar was a quiet old bachelor who, in 1910 and 1911 helped build the Rapidan dam; not with bulldozers, gravel trucks, and cranes, but with horses, shovels, pick-axes, and wheelbarrows. Oscar was a healthy 90-year-old when we moved to Rapidan in 1982, so he would have been 18 in 1910, and he was a strong, full-blooded Norwegian, which is what he told everyone. Full-blooded Norwegian, he would always say, not a mixture like so many people today. He was a wonderful old man, and a full-blooded Norwegian, and he would not let you forget it.
Oscar was in good health until age 92, never one day in the hospital, he would tell me, and hardly ever to the doctor; and, able to be in church every Sunday. Then Oscar got sick. He was tired all the time, and when he finally went to the doctor, he learned he had leukemia. The doctors told him they could maybe keep him going for a little while with blood transfusions, but his best days were behind him. As he began to decline, I visited him often in his home.
One day, I could tell right away that Oscar was upset about something. He told me that Harold, (the village clown), asked him about his blood transfusions. Harold asked Oscar if all that blood he was getting always came from full-blooded Norwegians. Oscar said he never thought about it, and didn’t know. Harold then told him it probably wasn’t, because in the hospital, they go by blood type, not by nationality. Harold said it in fun, but it bothered Oscar to his dying day. He brought it up often, telling me sadly, that no longer was he a full-blooded Norwegian.
The other thing I remember about those visits, and the reason I am telling you all this, is what Oscar said after he found out he had leukemia. Here is a guy who was never in the hospital until now, hardly sick a day in his life, and then, at age 92 he gets sick. And what does Oscar say? He says, “Why is this happening to me?” I said, “Oscar, you are 92 years old. Most people your age are dead, and the rest are all dealing with something by now.” Oscar was a wonderful man, but along with his leukemia, he had a condition called ignorality…
Several of you are reading my daily devotions on-line. There was an announcement about that in the bulletin a couple months ago. A couple weeks ago I had a devotion entitled “The Problem of Ignorality.” Have you ever heard of it, (other than there, or in this week’s sermon preview)? Ignorality. You are probably not familiar with it because it is not an official word, but I think it should be.
Ignorality is a word invented by author Michael Perry. After a few years in the big city, Michael moved back to his small home town in Wisconsin, where he joined the local volunteer fire department and ambulance crew. In his book “Population 485” he writes a little bit about the move from big city to small town, and quite a bit about his experiences as a first responder, and, his reflections upon those experiences. The subtitle of his book is “Meeting your Neighbors, One Siren at a Time.”
Michael Perry made up the word “Ignorality” to describe what he often sees on his emergency calls. And he said what oftentimes shocks him, is how surprised people are when something bad happens to them. He writes: “The calls blindside you, always. You prepare and prepare, but you are never fully prepared. We are never ready, and our patients are never ready. Over the years, I have developed an instinctive reaction to families and victims expressing surprise at tragedy. I wonder to myself: Why are we surprised? Why do we forget we are mortal? Bad, bad things happen everywhere, every day. Humans, for better or worse, have this feeling that we— individually— are special, and it won’t happen to us. But a patch of ice or a pea-sized blood clot makes a mockery of that illusion in a heartbeat. We are not special at all.” We all get our turn at something– serious illness, sudden death, or tragedy that can come in any one of a thousand ways—and one day will come to you. He goes on to say, “(I get back from a call and the scene is still fresh in my mind, and I can’t sleep. So I lie awake) pondering the inevitable nature of death, and I have to fight the desire to call my loved ones, wake them up and ask them, Do you realize how thin the thread is? That maybe tomorrow we don’t wake up?”
So Michael Perry invented that word ‘ignorality’ to describe what he so often sees. Ignorality, not in the dictionary, is a combination of two words that are in the dictionary: Ignorance and mortality, as in ‘ignorance of our mortality.’ In the dictionary, mortality is defined as ‘the condition of being subject to death;’ and ignorance is defined as ‘lacking knowledge or information as to a particular subject or fact, or, showing lack of knowledge.’ We are mortal, subject to death, and we all know that. But so many of us, so often, do ‘SHOW’ a lack of knowledge, by living each day with the illusion that it will not happen to us, not today anyway. This is totally irrational, and we do know better, but we live in this illusion of ignorality, this ‘ignorance of our mortality.’
Along with his leukemia, Oscar had ignorality. He was 92 years old, but by his surprise at getting sick, he displayed an astonishing ignorance of his mortality. And I’m not just picking on Oscar here, I would venture to say that we all, at one time or another, or even much of the time, have suffered under this illusion. Have you ever asked, “Why is this happening to me?” I know I have. I try to be less ignorant about this, especially as I get older, but it is an easy trap to fall into. Why me? Well, why not me? Look around. Everybody has something going on. A tornado rips through a town in central Kansas, and the reporter interviews someone in front of their destroyed house, and they say “I never thought that would happen to me?” But the man lives right in the middle of tornado alley. Why do we say that?
Now, of course, we can’t live in constant anxiety, worry, and dread about our impending doom. We don’t want to be paralyzed by fear and despair. That’s no way to live. But neither do we want to forget all about it, act like nothing will ever happen to us, and fail to prepare ourselves for whatever comes next. So for that, we turn to God’s Word.
In our Scripture readings for today there were three clear examples of ignorality. Listen again to the passage from Job 21: “They spend their years in prosperity, and go down to the grave in an instant. And yet, they had said to God, ‘Leave us alone! We have no desire to know your ways.’” Even in the face of death, there is an example of pure, willful ignorance, even defiance, toward the only One that can offer any hope. And then this example of ignorality from James chapter four: “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make all kinds of money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’”
And finally, there is in the parable of Jesus from Luke chapter 12 another example of ignorality. It is the story of a man who built bigger barns, laid up plenty of grain for many years to come, and was all set for a long and comfortable retirement. But now, I have to tell you, when I was preparing for this sermon the other day, looking real close at this passage, something new occurred to me about this story, and I thought: “Now wait a minute, Jesus might be hitting a little too close to home for me on this one. Did he imply something about a long and comfortable retirement? Actually, I haven’t built any big barns like the man in the story, but the retirement part is kind of like what I had in mind, too, and what I also have prepared for.” So this isn’t just a story about some guy 2,000 years ago, it could be a story about me, too. And maybe it’s also about some of you. So, I thought to myself, I better pay attention to the rest of what Jesus says here. And he says beginning with verse 20, “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ And this is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” That is the problem—or at least one of the man’s problems. He was not rich toward God. He was all focused on the here and now, and was ignorant of the fact of his mortality, and his desperate need for God. And then he died that night, and God called him a fool. I don’t want to be that kind of fool.
I have now described and diagnosed the problem of ‘ignorality.’ It is up to you to decide for yourself if any of this has anything at all to do with you. So, in case you do have it, I will now tell you about the cure for ignorality.
First of all, just be aware of it. If someone asked you if you were going to die someday, you would say, “Yes, of course.” But we must also live like that is a daily possibility, and be prepared. The rich fool was rich in earthly wealth, but not rich toward God. Many people think they can safely ignore God until… until when? Until the EMTs come for you?—which could be later on this afternoon, for all you know. You do not know when it will be too late.
Back in the days of the ancient Roman empire, the great emperors would return from victorious battles and be greeted by huge cheering crowds. The Roman emperor was the richest, most powerful person on earth at the time, and at one point the Roman Senate even declared the Emperor to be divine. But according to some accounts, an earlier and wiser Emperor always had a servant riding in the chariot with him, and whispering into his ear the Latin words. ‘Momento Mori”—“Remember, you are mortal.” All of that fame, wealth, and power very often leads one into ignorality.
Michael Perry, EMTs, firemen, those who work in law enforcement, and other first responders usually do not have ignoralty. They can’t remain ignorant of their mortality, and they don’t need anyone whispering ‘memento mori’ into their ear. They are faced with our mortality every time they go out on a call.
My second suggestion to cure ignorality is to take an occasional walk through a cemetery. Strolling through a cemetery is a good thing to do every once in a while. The Bible says, “Teach us to number our days, O Lord, so that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.” Cemeteries help me do that. It helps me remember that I, like all those folks already out there, am here for only a little while. In a few weeks, as part of their 150th anniversary celebration, there will be a worship service at the Rapidan Cemetery. I will be there, and it will be a profound thing, to worship with my old congregation, some above the ground, and some under the ground. Oscar will be there, and the jokester Harold will be there too, and so many more good friends and neighbors.
The third, and most important, cure for ignorality is to remember Jesus. When you forget that you are mortal, you may well also forget that you need Jesus. To keep in mind the reality of your inevitable death does not have to be morbid or depressing, NOT if you are also keeping in mind Jesus who says to you, “Because I live, you shall live also. All who believe in me will not perish, but have eternal life.” Keep your eyes on Jesus and you will not drift into ignorality. Don’t be surprised when trouble comes, because trouble is coming. It always does. But remember Jesus and what he has said to you in John 16:33: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
I must add here, none of this minimizes the shock, sadness, grief, despair, anxiety, loneliness, fear and so much more that is inevitable when tragedy does strike. Jesus himself wept, and said to his disciples, ‘Now is your time of grief;’ Jacob mourned, Job lashed out in confused anger, David despaired, Jeremiah was called the weeping prophet, and there is a whole book of the Bible called Lamentations. The Bible is full of grief and despair at what this sad and dangerous world can do to us. But remember Jesus, who has prepared the rest of our story, and remember, after all the sadness and all the pain, there is a good ending. You can read about it in Revelation 21, where it says: “God will dwell with us. He will wipe away every tear from our eyes. There will be no more death, or grief, or crying or pain, for the old order of things will have passed away.”
So remember Jesus and you will be all right. That is why we gather here each week. All week we have lots of other things on our mind and all kinds of distractions; but this time of worship is an opportunity to remember Jesus. In a little while you will come forward for Holy Communion, and before that you will hear these words from Jesus: “Do this in remembrance of me.” Amen.
Let us pray: Teach us to number our days, O Lord, so that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Amen. (Psalm 90:12)
Offering:
At this time, if you have not already done so, make a decision about what you will give to the Lord’s work this week. Reading from God’s Word, as written in Deuteronomy 16:17; Each of you shall give as you are able, bringing a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you.” Therefore, with gladness, we present the offerings of our life and labor to the Lord…
The offering prayer today is by Martin Luther. It is adapted from his Small Catechism explanation to the First Article of the Apostle’s Creed. Let us pray:
Dear God, Father Almighty, Maker of the heavens and the earth; We believe that you have created each one of us and all that exists. We believe that you have given and still preserve to us our bodies and souls and all their powers, together with food and clothing, home and family, and all our property. And we believe, Lord God, that you daily provide abundantly for all the needs of our lives, protecting us from all danger, and guarding and keeping us from all evil. And we know, Father, that you do this purely out of fatherly and divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in us. And now, because of all that, we are duty bound to thank, praise, serve, and obey you. Accept these offerings this day as just one small part of that obedient response. O Lord, make use of our bread, silver, and gold. How well they are applied, if we spend them in thy service. May we be always faithful in our use of all that we have received from you. In Jesus name we pray. AMEN.
Creed:
God promises in Romans chapter 10, “that if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Therefore, let us confess our faith in the words of the Apostle’s Creed.
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
Prayer of the Church:
Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs…
Heavenly Father, we give you thanks that you have taught us what to believe and do. Help us to keep your Word in our hearts, so that we may be strengthened in our faith, perfected in holiness, and comforted in life and in death. Lord, in your mercy… HEAR OUR PRAYER.
Be with our congregations and grow us in our knowledge and love of Christ. Strengthen our faith, purify our theology, purge us of our sins and fill us with love for one another and for our Lord and Savior. Protect us and sustain us, drawing us more and more into the likeness of Christ, sanctifying us and transforming us in the Holy Spirit. In the quiet of our own hearts, we now bring before you the specific needs of our own congregations…
Lord, in your mercy… HEAR OUR PRAYER.
Help those of us who are comfortable in our Christianity to serve, defend, and provide for your persecuted and suffering Church. Help us all together honor and serve you. Let us never, by word or selfish deed, cheapen or debase our faithful witness to Jesus.
Lord, in your mercy… HEAR OUR PRAYER.
Heavenly Father, we pray that you give us perseverance to withstand Your trials, the grace to endure Your discipline, and the patience and faithfulness to await Your timing when You shall make all things new, freeing us from these bodies of sin that ever weigh us down and cause such suffering. We delight in the hope of our heavenly home, with bodies that will no longer age and weaken, and best of all, sin no more; a place where we shall see Christ as He is and fear no wrath or rejection, but where we shall remain in His love and delight for all eternity. Lord, in our mercy … HEAR OUR PRAYER.
We plead on behalf of all who are in special need of your merciful care, healing, and guidance. Comfort with the grace of your Holy Spirit all who are in sorrow, sickness, or adversity. We pray especially for those we now name in our hearts before you…
Have mercy on the dying, comfort the grieving. and to all, grant a measure of your love, shielding them with your tender care.
Lord, in your mercy… HEAR OUR PRAYER.
Have mercy on us all, dear God, according to the great love you have shown us in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord. And, when our final hour shall come, grant us a peaceful end and a blessed departure from this world, and, on the last day, a resurrection into your glorious home. Lord, in your mercy… HEAR OUR PRAYER.
For all these things and for everything else that you know we need, we pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And all God’s people said… AMEN.
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