Sermon for 9/29/19: Fifteenth Sunday After Trinity

Somebody (*raises hand sheepishly*) forgot to prepare the Propers for St. Michael and All Angels. Sorry.

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God or the World
Matthew 6:24-34

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen. 

There are many persons and things that we love; and there are many persons or things that love us. In the final analysis, however, everything we have, everything we hope for, everything we desire traces back to one of two loves. When you come right down to it, there are only two things that we love, and we must choose between them: God, or the things of this world. These two loves come from opposite sources, and they produce eternally opposite results. Whoever loves the world will have nothing after he passes away. But whoever loves God will have eternal life with the angels and saints and faithful departed. Whoever loves this world cannot have God as his chief love. But whoever truly and earnestly and faithfully loves God will have both God and the world.

That alone convinces very few. The pull of this world is so strong. Our passions are set to desire earthly things. Our minds are prone to see and think about and desire only the here and now. We are so wrapped in the fear that we'll miss out and won't get ours. Somehow we find it hard to believe that the world can let us down, even though we know it often does. We find it hard to believe that our love for the things of this life—things like the praise of others, the pride of accomplishment, and the lust for power or sex or money or good feelings—is worthless. And so, instead of loving the things that last, we love the things that, in the end, will not help us one whit. We love the world so much—too much, in fact. Yet, in our misguided longing and yearning, we are blinded to the fact that the things of this world really do not love us.

While we have many loves, there is in the end only one true Lover—the Father who gives us His Spirit so that we might live safe and secure within Christ, the Beloved One. To love the One who truly loves us—the One who loves us with an undying, unfading, ever-deepening love—to love Him must be our chief desire, so much so that we are willing to throw everything else away, even to break ties with those who drag us away from Him in His holy Church. To love Him above all things means to prefer nothing and no one other than His embrace. To love Him means to fear only one thing—losing Him. And to love Him above all things means to trust that He loves us so much that He has sacrificed all that He has and all that He is so that we may never be harmed.

To love this Lord God with all that we are and all that we have does not harm us. We are told that it will. We are told that the sacrifice is too great, that we will lose out on too much, that life will be hard. But to love the only One who truly loves us cannot hurt us. In the love of God there is no excess. But in the love of this world, and this world's goods and this world's pride—in that love, all is hurtful because all is deceptive. The world says that if you love the things of this world, those things will love you back. But all the things of this world will fade; they will never be able to make good on their promise.

The one true God has already kept His promise of love. From the very first sin He promised a Savior to crush the head of the serpent. Our Father sent His Son, and His Son has loved us to death on the cross. Our Father has made us His children in the waters of Holy Baptism. He does provide what we need for this body and life. But even more than that, our Lord speaks His Word of forgiveness to us; Jesus feeds us with His own body and blood. These rich blessings will never rust or fade, and no one can take them away from you. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always.  Amen.

Sermon for 9/22/19: Fourteenth Sunday After Trinity

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Saving Faith

Luke 17:11-19

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

           

The Law says that the leper “is unclean, and he shall dwell alone; and his dwelling shall be outside the camp.” The Law also says that, when someone comes near, lepers are supposed to cry out, “Unclean! Unclean!” But these lepers are near the entrance of a certain village, and they band together. And instead of shouting that they were ritually unclean, they cried out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” What causes these ten lepers to break the Law? The punishment for violating this law is severe: forty lashes with a whip. They know this. So why do they risk so much?

For mercy, these men will risk much. For mercy, they will knowingly and willingly break the Law. Mercy is what fuels their confidence and stokes their courage—and not even mercy, but simply the hope of mercy. After all, they have no guarantee that their cry will be granted, that Jesus will have mercy. This same Jesus used a whip to drive out money-changers from the Temple, precisely because those merchants broke the Law. He could easily react the same way toward these law-breakers. Yet mercy compels them.

You might think that they really have nothing to lose. After all, they have leprosy, which means they are outcasts and live a miserable life. So why shouldn’t they risk all? Don’t we promise to risk everything—even life itself—for sake of faith? Yet how often we take the easy route, waiting for some guarantee that we’ll get what we want before we put anything on the line. Only if we believe against what the world says; only if we hope against hope—only then might we be willing to lose our life in order to gain something better. Yet these men hope against hope with the faith that Jesus will not turn them in or turn on them, but will have mercy. It is not desperation that drives these lepers, but the Lord’s mercy that invites and draws and encourages them. It is not fatalism; faith makes them bold.

And our Lord does not disappoint those who hope in His mercy. He says, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” Whatever we receive from God, whatever gift He gives that we accept and take to heart, ultimately all depends “not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.” And that is where these ten men are: they depend on nothing but the Lord’s mercy. And that is what we are: unworthy beggars who look to, hope for, depend on, and hold to our Lord Jesus and His mercy. And so the cry for mercy must remain our perpetual and eternal prayer.

Like the ten, we are not disappointed in our hope. Our Father is the lover of mankind, and so, through His Son by the power of the Spirit, He has mercy on us and on His whole creation. His mercy is not simply given to the good and upright. Our Father offers and gives His mercy to every single person—even if you don’t believe it, even if you don’t ask for it, even if you don’t think you need it.

That is why our Lord commends the faithful Samaritan. When this man saw that he was healed, he returned and glorified God. By giving thanks to the Lord, this man, formerly outcast both as a Samaritan and as a leper, demonstrated that he loved the Lord and His mercy. So the Lord gives a second, greater blessing: “Arise, go your way. Your faith has saved you.”

Faith which begs for and lives from the Lord’s mercy; faith which cries out in both desperation and joy; faith which then shows the mercy and love of God within you—that is the faith that saves you. This is the faith which you have received in the waters of Holy Baptism. This is the faith which our Lord feeds with His body and blood. And this faith, a gift from your God, sustains you for this life and for the life of the world to come. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

            The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.

Sermon for 9/15/19: Thirteenth Sunday After Trinity

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“Above All Things…”

Luke 10:23-37

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen. 

The Law knows that you know how to love yourself. That is why it tells you to love the Lord your God with all your being and to love your neighbor as yourself. Every sin we commit is based on self-love. Like Eve before us, we think we know what is good for food and capable of making us wise. Eve knew the threat of the Law: “In the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.” She knew it was true, that God was faithful to His Word. But she wanted that fruit. Her desire blinded her to reason. In the same way, we know what God commands, but our flesh demands to be gratified. If we could truly “fear, love, and trust in God above all things,” then we would not sin. We would not put our own desires before the will of God.

Repent. You know how to love yourself. You cannot bargain with God, but the devil is happy to satisfy the Old Adam. He’ll give you incredible bargains: no interest and no payments until after you’ve died. He just wants you to take the forbidden fruit; however you want to justify it is fine with him. The bottom line is this: you want an evil thing for selfish use. You want the flesh of another, honor and praise from men, possessions and leisure that corrupt—fruit from a tree that God said is forbidden. Repent. The God of Abraham is not like the devil. Nothing escapes His notice. If you have loved yourself or anything else more than Him, you have broken the Law; you have sinned.

The parable of the Good Samaritan shows us that our lives in Christ are to be merciful and full of good works. The Good Samaritan is a perfect example of how to keep the Law. If we ask the Lawyer’s question, “Who is my neighbor?” the answer is obvious: everyone is my neighbor. I am to help all of them. I am to sell everything that I have and give it to the poor. That is the standard. That is the Law, and it is good and true. But it always accuses because we are not perfect; we are not without sin. We have not loved perfectly. According to our fallen flesh, we can’t. We don’t even know how. I’m supposed to sell everything? Then how do I feed my children? How do we remain healthy? How do I get to work? It is an impossible standard for fallen men. Even so, it is the standard, and if we are judged by that exacting standard, we are condemned. There are no loopholes. Everyone is your neighbor. Repent.

Hope is not found in the Lawyer’s question: “Who is my neighbor?” The answer to the lawyer’s question is that we are to love everyone: no exceptions, no prejudices, no excuses, no limits. And we fail. Instead, hope is found in our Lord’s question: “Which of these proved neighbor to the man?” One man proved himself neighbor to the man in the ditch. Only one had mercy. That one is Jesus. Yes, Jesus is an example for us, for He shows us how the Law is lived. He shows us what love is. But more than that, He lives that love for us. He gives that mercy to us. He has compassion on us. He intervenes. He comes to earth to bear our burdens, to love us, to fulfill the Law for us, to give His life as a ransom for our bodies and souls. The Law passes by on the other side. It cannot help you. It will only ever accuse you of your failure. It cannot heal or forgive. Jesus comes to you as you waste away in your sin. He washes your wounds. He brings you to this holy house and feeds you the medicine of immortality. He pays for everything with His own blood, and He promises to come back. He loves His neighbor. He loves everyone without exception, prejudice, excuse, or limit. He welcomes all men to Himself by perfect grace, in holy love. He is your neighbor, and you are His beloved. In the name of the Father and of the Son (†) and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always.  Amen.

Sermon for 9/8/19: Twelfth Sunday After Trinity

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He Provides

Mark 7:31-37

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Why does God refuse to act like us? After all, He came in human flesh. Why become a Man only to refuse to do things the way we do them? Why must He always be so obstinate, so steadfast? Why must He turn everything on its head? There are so many other ways—ways that seem more reasonable—for Him to act and to save. For one thing, He could make some distinction between people, the way we do, liking some and disliking others. Who among us doesn’t love our families and hate our enemies? Or do you have the same affection for ISIS as you have for your family?

Or God could choose to save only those who mean well or try hard or make some effort. It is not that they’d have to be perfect. But they’d have to have something that set them apart. He could save those who were somehow marginally better than others, in an outward way: those who haven’t gotten divorced or filed for bankruptcy or called in sick when they weren’t. Or He could save those who are willing to come to Church, to serve on committees, who give money to the poor. Wouldn’t that be more just?

Repent. These are old blasphemies. It is the Kingdom of God that comes in the Man Jesus Christ; it is not your kingdom. That is to say, the Kingdom is within you, but it is not yours to rule. It is a mystery, foolish to the ways and thinking of men. Jesus is far wiser, kinder, gentler, and more gracious than you are. Still, if a man wants to go to hell, if he wants to be judged by his works and faith, if he wants a god like Mohammed or the image in the mirror, then he can go where that god rules.

It is a strange and almost unimaginable thing, but He takes the time with the deaf man because He loves the deaf man. Before Jesus meets the man, the Father has already counted every hair on his head. He has listened to and answered his prayers. We might speculate about how else He might have healed this man, but what we know is that He did it the best way, the way best for that man and for us. His actions are not accidental. He reveals something of Himself and of our fallen nature and our needs.

He came to be a sacrifice, to die for your sins. And to make sure that was complete, that there would be no doubt, that you would not fear you were left out or weren’t good enough, He went ahead and died for everyone, even for those who will not have Him, who insist on their own way, who choose the broad road to hell. He pays for everyone so that you would be His, so that you would be brought home. He reconciles all humanity to the Father. He submits to the devil’s cruel torture so that you would be spared, so that you would not face the accusations of your sins. He declares you to be His perfect, spotless, lovely Bride, the beloved of the Father.

And He has not stopped. He did not simply come to earth and preach a while, allow Himself to be killed as a Substitute, and then rise up the Victor, only to go and leave you to try to follow Him. He is still a Man. He is still flesh of our flesh. And He still comes to you to open your ears, to touch your tongue. He is still wiser than us. He is still making custom crosses and situations for you. He is still chastening and encouraging, speaking and hearing.

He knows what is best. He provides. He is here. He is constant, faithful, steadfast, present in His Body and Blood, so that you would be joined to Him, so that with ears you may hear Him and with your tongue you may savor Him. And then, with the grace of His body and blood still upon your lips, you will confess His name and sing His praise, for, indeed, He does all things well. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.

Sermon for 9/1/19: Eleventh Sunday After Trinity

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Humbled

Luke 18:9-14

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

No one likes to be humbled. And certainly no one like to humble himself. Humbling yourself before anyone is hard. Who wants to admit that he is nothing? Aren’t we trained to be self-sufficient? Don’t we feel ashamed when we have to beg? Haven’t we been taught that God helps those who help themselves? Shouldn’t we pull ourselves up by our bootstraps to make ourselves better? Such nonsense goes against true Christian faith because true Christian faith begins and lives in true humility: the humility that puts others before self; the humility that lives first for spouse and children, for neighbor, and even for enemy; the humility that lives to God with all you are and all you have; the humility that firmly trusts that you can do for others and don’t have to do for yourself because the Lord has done all for you, and gives you all you need to support your body and life. But most of all, true humility drives you to your knees, where you strike your chest and say, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

That is what we see in the story our Lord tells us. There, in the tax collector hiding in the back corner of the temple, in the man who will not lift up his eyes to heaven, in the man who knows he really should not be in God’s presence, before God’s altar, near God’s priest and holy things—there is true humility, the humility which demonstrates true faith: faith in God’s mercy, in the mercy that the Father has for us through His Son. This man is the picture of true faith, not because of what he does and how he acts and what he prays; but because of what he believes about himself, and what he hopes for from God.

This man, our Lord says, goes to his home justified rather than the proud, self-confident, self-believing Pharisee. The tax collector lays it all before God and says nothing about himself except that he is a sinner. He offers no excuses, no qualifying words, no blame for others. He throws himself on the infinite mercy of God.

And so he is justified, precisely because he depends solely on God’s mercy and kindness. He goes home justified because he came to God knowing that, whatever he gave, whatever he said, whatever he offered, none of it would be enough. He received in thanksgiving the chalice of salvation that the Lord offered, forgiveness in the blood of the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world.

This tax collector, who goes home justified, is worthy of our imitation. But you mock him if you only imitate his words or actions. Imitate his humility by refusing to trust in yourself. Imitate him by clinging solely to Christ. Imitate his humility by learning and understanding the fearsomeness of God’s holy law. Quench the thirst of your desires in the cup of mercy that our Lord so generously provides at this holy altar.

And then, you will not only be imitating a fictitious man in one of our Lord’s parables. You will find that you also are imitating the Virgin Mary, who was at the same time humbled and yet exalted the highest. Like her, you will be able to sing, “He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has exalted the lowly.” You will be imitating all the saints and martyrs who have gone before, who trusted the Savior even unto death. You will be imitating your Lord, who humbled himself to be born of a virgin in a stable, to be crucified like a common criminal. In His great mercy, our Lord has lifted you up. He has given you life. And, just as he did with the humble tax collector, He will bring you home justified, to dwell with Him in eternal life. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.